Chapter 65 - Rather

When Madam Shen finished speaking.

Lu Ran didn't reply nor did he seem upset.

The living room fell into an awkward silence for a moment.

Madam Shen looked at Lu Ran in front of her, feeling somewhat uneasy.

In the past few days, her feelings towards Lu Ran had become rather complicated.

On one hand, she hadn't expected that this son she looked down upon would actually have ties with the Ji family.

Moreover, though she was reluctant to admit it, this child seemed more capable than she had initially thought.

On the other hand, she had been bombarded by criticism from many wealthy ladies the day before.

Some accused her of not caring about Lu Ran.

Those who were unaware of the relationship between Lu Ran and her immediately showered her with concern and congratulations upon seeing them, glad that she had finally found her lost child.

Their congratulations were sincere and earnest, bordering on exaggerated in Madam Shen's eyes.

She put on a strained smile as she responded, but an inkling of self-doubt arose within her...

Could it be... that she had indeed neglected Lu Ran too much?

At this moment, she felt a twinge of discomfort for making such a request of him.

In one moment, she blamed Lu Ran for being ungrateful for not agreeing immediately. In the next, she thought that Shen Xingran had truly acted recklessly, forcing her, as his mother, to make such an impolite demand of her son.

Just then, Shen Hongyuan came downstairs as well.

He had overheard Madam Shen's words and chimed in with a grave voice, "Your mother is right. Now that you're back home, you need to consider the family's interests first. Take Mr. Ji home for a visit someday, or bring Ranran over to play at Mr. Ji's place."

As he spoke, he walked over to the sofa, sat down, and lit himself a cigarette.

Lu Ran glanced at them before leading the dog towards the bathroom.

Upon returning home, his first task was often to get a towel to wipe the puppy's paws in the bathroom.

Shen Hongyuan and the others didn't take it to heart nor paid attention to Lu Ran's reaction.

He even turned to Shen Xingran and said, "He won't agree the first time for sure. Just keep asking him repeatedly."

As he spoke, they saw Lu Ran emerge from the bathroom carrying a trash bin.

The first-floor bathroom was mainly used by the servants, and it wasn't equipped with an automated smart toilet.

Thus, someone had to manually empty the wastebasket every day.

Madam Shen and the others assumed that Lu Ran was going to dispose of the trash this time as well.

But to their surprise, Lu Ran carried the trash bin and walked steadily towards them.

With a swoosh.

A basketful of used tissues landed on the trio's heads and faces.

"Ahh!" Mrs. Shen immediately screamed and jumped up from the sofa.

Shen Hongyuan was still smoking. He waved his hand to brush off the tissues, accidentally igniting one in the process.

The flaming tissue fell onto his pants, causing him to yelp and jump high, frantically trying to douse the flames.

Shen Xingran, despite his efforts to dodge, couldn't escape unscathed. He stood up and patted himself several times, eventually pulling out a few dirty tissue balls from the pocket of his hoodie.

The servants standing nearby were dumbfounded.

Uh...

weren't those tissues... the ones they used in the bathroom?

The living room instantly turned into chaos.

Lu Ran stood by with the empty tissue basket in hand.

This time, he was wiser and wore a new garbage bag over his hand.

His hands and sleeves remained impeccably clean.

He looked at the three hopping on the spot with a mischievous grin.

Suddenly, he exclaimed, "Ah," then turned to Madam Shen and said, "Now that you mention fairness, I remember that you still owe me a billion yuan."

"As for Ji Min..."

Lu Ran shook the trash can and said with a smile, "If you want to visit him, feel free. I'll give you a warm welcome when I see you."

At the mention of a "warm welcome," the faces of Madam Shen and the other two turned ashen.

After Lu Ran left, Madam Shen felt something amiss on her back. She reached back and, to her horror, pulled off a bloodied sanitary pad.

Madam Shen was in utter disarray.

She pointed at Shen Xingran and Shen Hongyuan, berating them, "I told you not to provoke him for no reason! Have you forgotten what he's capable of?"

Lu Ran didn't take the matter to heart.

He wasn't even particularly upset.

He had long understood the nature of the Shen family.

It was truly a Schrödinger's fairness.

It wasn't until the next morning when he went to Ji Min's office that the incident resurfaced in his mind.

Lu Ran intended to remind Ji Min that Shen Xingran might come looking for him in this period.

But as the words were about to leave his lips, he felt it sounded odd.

He and Shen Xingran had never seen eye to eye, Ji Min should be aware of that.

What was he expecting Ji Min to do now that he mentioned this?

Not to meet Shen Xingran?

To make such a request... How did it seem even more peculiar?

Ji Min was just his boss.

How could an employee demand that their boss avoid seeing someone or the other?

Looking up, Ji Min saw Lu Ran frown and stand there in a daze for a moment.

He said softly, "I'll ask someone to put a pane of glass over it later."

"Huh?" Lu Ran had no idea what he was talking about.

Seeing that he had finally come back to his senses, Ji Min lifted his chin towards the door frame and said, "You stood there without moving, I thought you wanted to be framed inside as an oil painting."

Lu Ran: "..."

He suddenly saw things in a new light.

If Shen Xingran wanted to come, let him.

With Ji Min's temper, who knew what kind of situation he might bring about?

But then he remembered something else and added, "I'm about to start school soon."

As far as Lu Ran could recall, the job Ji Min had offered him seemed to be just a temporary vacation part-time job.

It would end once he started school.

Even if it didn't, with Lu Ran's busy academic schedule, he wouldn't have the time to follow Ji Min around like he did now.

Upon hearing this, Ji Min was slightly taken aback, realizing that the child's vacation was drawing to a close.

For a moment, the office fell into silence.

Big Yellow obediently nestled on its small cushion.

Lu Ran also leisurely walked over to the small table and sat down, taking out the book he had brought with him from his bag.

Warm air gently blew from the air conditioner's vent.

The humidifier hummed softly in the background.

In this moment, the usually silent instruments seemed unusually noisy.

Lu Ran flipped through the pages of his book absentmindedly.

His mentor in the laboratory was rather eccentric, insisting on a preliminary exam at the start of the semester.

He needed to start revising now.

But at this moment, Lu Ran found his thoughts wandering.

He was contemplating his "job."

Though Ji Min, his boss, had an eccentric temperament, sometimes spoke in veiled barbs, often clashed with him, and even harbored ulterior motives towards him, one had to admit that the man was generous.

Moreover, he had gone out of his way to lend a helping hand on numerous occasions.

The job itself wasn't demanding, but it did require a certain level of acting skills.

Not to mention, it could be quite taxing on one's pride.

Lu Ran suddenly found himself concerned about Ji Min's "reputation" after he left.

After all, these were the "kingdoms" he had conquered recently!

But then again, considering Ji Min's status, there would likely be no shortage of people willing to take on the role of the "ex-boyfriend," even without him.

Only time would tell if they could perform as well as he had.

Does anyone praise with as much sincerity as he does?

Lu Ran's mind was cluttered with all sorts of thoughts.

Not a single word from the book in his hand registered in his mind.

For a moment, he couldn't tell if he was regretting losing such a well-paid job or worrying about Ji Min's future reputation.

Lost in thought, Lu Ran suddenly heard a sigh from across the room.

Looking up, he saw the man behind the desk with his fingers pressed against his forehead, raising an eyebrow at him in exasperation. "You're holding the book upside down."

Lu Ran looked down and realized it was true.

Unfazed, he simply said, "Oh," and righted the book.

"Focus on your studies," Ji Min said.

Lu Ran had heard Ji Min say this many times. At first, he found it remarkable that the boss would ask him to study as a requirement.

Later, upon discovering Ji Min's "ulterior motives" towards him, he couldn't help but marvel at how uniquely unconventional this person went about pursuing his intentions.

At this moment, upon hearing these words, Lu Ran's thoughts unexpectedly aligned with those of his peers for a fleeting instant, feeling somewhat irritated.

Studying, studying, it's all about studying all day long.

Ji Min's gaze shifted away from the youth across from him, settling upon the mundane, gray filing cabinet at his side.

After a moment of silence, he compromised, "If you don't do well and fail, I'll let you go."

"Aah?" Lu Ran lifted his face to look at him.

Only after savoring the meaning behind his words did he continue, "I have classes and experiments to attend to; my schedule is quite tight..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the man in the wheelchair suddenly turned his head to stare at him.

At first, Ji Min didn't intend for Lu Ran to continue this "job."

The school term has begun, what's there to fuss about?

But looking at the child absently fiddling with his fingers, he inexplicably softened for a moment.

He uttered that compromising statement.

Ji Min was just feeling regretful.

Now, upon hearing Lu Ran's reluctance in his words, annoyance unexpectedly welled up within him again.

He stared at the person with cold, black eyes, and sneered, "You have time for other part-time jobs but not mine?"

Lu Ran: "…"

Upon saying those words, Ji Min also realized his tone was off.

Sure enough, he saw Lu Ran look at him with a familiar gaze and sigh.

Ji Min: "…"

Then, as if he had just remembered something, the man bent down to pick up his bag.

From inside, he took out a set of clothing.

It was the exact outfit he had worn when he left Ji Min's villa the previous day.

Now, it was freshly laundered and neatly folded.

Holding the clothes, Lu Ran stood up from his seat and walked over to Ji Min's desk, placing them down.

He gave Ji Min a knowing look and said, "Don't buy me clothes anymore in the future."

Upon hearing this, Ji Min had a sudden realization.

His eyes narrowed as he asked, "Did you think I liked you yesterday because of that entire wardrobe of clothes?"

Lu Ran nodded openly and added, "And shoes too."

Ji Min had been holding back for almost an entire day, and now he finally felt like he could turn the tables.

He let out a short laugh. "Huh? That's it?"

Lu Ran blinked at him.

Ji Min clarified earnestly, "Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't buy you clothes because I like you, but rather..."

His clarification got stuck on the "but rather."

Ji Min stumbled over the "but rather" for a long while, failing to find a decent reason.

There didn't seem to be any particular reason.

Initially, Ji Min hadn't specifically prepared any clothes.

It was just that last night, after hearing the child say, "I don't want to get my clothes dirty," he had recalled the image of the boy at the banquet, dressed in that custom suit, looking like a proud little peacock with his tail held high.

Ji Min, acting on impulse, had made a call to have a wardrobe full of clothes, accessories, and shoes delivered.

They were ordered in haste.

When they returned to the villa, they had just been delivered.

As time passed, the youth before him began to gaze at him with an unusual intensity once again.

As if to say, "Stop making excuses, see, you do like me."

With great effort, Ji Min finally mustered a response, "It's just... a work uniform."

"Hmm?" Lu Ran sounded slightly surprised.

Ji Min suddenly understood why Lu Ran could so effortlessly spout nonsense in public.

After crafting the first sentence, the rest followed logically: "You were my 'former boyfriend,' so your attire should befit your status."

"Aha!" Lu Ran realized with enlightenment.

It did seem quite reasonable.

Ji Min: "..."

He mused that although this boy was troublesome, he was unexpectedly easy to deceive.

Thus, he continued, "The reason for renewing our contract when school starts is the same. You can't just replace someone in the role of 'ex-boyfriend.'"

Lu Ran pondered and agreed with the logic.

If they kept switching, wouldn't it be a giveaway?

Ji Min had assumed that after such an obvious rejection, the boy would at least feel a bit awkward.

With such an outrageous fabrication, any normal person would have some doubts.

To his surprise, there was none of that.

The boy casually returned to his seat, even appearing relieved.

After a moment's thought, he added, "I assumed there must have been a reason why you liked me."

"What other reason could there be?" Ji Min frowned, asking.

Only to see Lu Ran lift his gaze and look at him, saying, "You even like someone like Zhang Lin, isn't it normal that you like me?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Min was utterly stunned for a moment.

He thought seriously for a moment and asked, "Who is Zhang Lin?"

But upon finishing his inquiry, he found that the youth across from him was once again regarding him with that indescribable expression:

"Don't pretend anymore, you've already taken advantage of someone while they were asleep, yet you claim not to remember."

Ji Min: "..."

Only then did he recall his most embarrassing experience.

He drew in a deep breath, on the verge of telling the young boy to cease his idle talk.

The door to the office was suddenly knocked on.

Both of them immediately fell silent.

Ji Min paused before saying, "Come in."

The office door swung open, and the assistant entered with a cellphone in hand, saying, "It's Doctor Kemler on the line."

"Um." Ji Min acknowledged, reaching out to take the phone.

In the very moment of reaching out his hand, he stole another imperceptible glance at the youth seated opposite him.

Lu Ran had already lowered his head to read the book.

The moment the assistant entered with a professional tone, the irritating yet amusing atmosphere in the office receded like retreating tide, revealing a cold and detached workplace environment as usual.

It was then that Ji Min suddenly realized how unusual the situation had been.

He had actually spent a long time debating with a child about the matter of "do you like me" in his usual work setting.

This realization made Ji Min feel somewhat uneasy.

The assistant added, "The doctor is asking when you'd be available for the surgery."

Upon hearing the assistant's words, Lu Ran's ears perked up instantly.