Chapter 29: Suspicions

Chapter 29: Suspicion

"Mmmh!"

Lu Ran instinctively struggled.

His vision plunged into darkness.

The moment the car door shut, all light sources were blocked outside the window – whether it was moonlight, starlight, or the dim streetlamps on the roadside.

The person behind him covered his mouth with one hand and clamped his waist with the other.

It was like being held by an iron hoop, with an immense force.

Lu Ran struggled for a while, but the person behind him didn't budge.

A sudden surge of panic swiftly engulfed him, but Lu Ran forcefully suppressed it.

He stopped struggling to assess the situation.

Behind him came the familiar voice, "Afraid now?"

A cold and detached tone reverberated right next to Lu Ran's ear.

The speaker was incredibly close.

Contrary to the chilly tone, there was a warmth in the man's breath.

Only when Ji Min spoke did Lu Ran's heart, which had risen to his throat, finally drop back down.

He reached out to push the man's fingers away, unable to resist cursing, "Damn."

"Are you crazy?!" Lu Ran shouted.

"I couldn't agree more," the man replied.

Lu Ran turned his head to confirm once more.

Ji Min leaned back in his chair, his gaze distant.

After struggling in his arms for a while, not a single strand of his hair was out of place.

Obviously, the strength he exerted in his struggle meant nothing to this man with paralyzed legs.

Lu Ran felt somewhat defeated.

He harrumphed, climbed down from Ji Min's lap with the dog in his arms, and crouched beside him.

Only when he had steadied himself did he realize that the two seats in the middle of the car were completely removed.

Even though Ji Min was currently in the car, he was still sitting in his wheelchair.

So this person...

had just lifted him directly from the ground, over the armrest of the wheelchair, and placed him onto it.

Lu Ran felt even more resentful.

He grumbled, "I never would have thought that Mr. Ji has a knack for being a kidnapper."

The man appeared to be in a rather good mood.

He replied with a smile, "Same to you."

He even brought up their past encounter, "At least this kidnapper didn't touch you with hands that had just been in contact with a trash can."

Lu Ran: "......."

While the two were revisiting old issues,

a voice rang out from Lu Ran's pocket, "Hello, this is the 110 Emergency Call Service Center..."

Ji Min: "......."

Lu Ran: "......."

The two stared at each other for a moment.

Lu Ran then hastily put Big Yellow down and took out his phone to speak into the receiver, "Sorry about the misunderstanding earlier, everything is fine now...."

On the other end of the line, the caller meticulously verified Lu Ran's safety and, after obtaining his personal information, concluded the call.

Lu Ran and Ji Min continued their staring contest.

Mr. Ji, who had almost landed himself in the police station due to his prank, slowly placed a hand on his forehead.

He looked at Lu Ran with mixed feelings and said, "I honestly can't tell if you're brave or cowardly."

"Did you know about the emergency call function on phones?!" Lu Ran slipped his phone back into his pocket. "And it was all because you scared me. I thought..."

"What did you think?" Ji Min raised an eyebrow.

That Shen Hongyuan had finally had enough of him and hired someone to dump him in a sack and throw him into the river.

But Lu Ran didn't voice this out.

Instead, he sat down on the floor, looked up at Ji Min, and asked, "Why did you pull me in here? To introduce me to a job?"

Ji Min glanced down at him.

Gazing into his obediently curved eyebrows, he averted his gaze, casually looking out the car window.

"I just don't like seeing you laugh on the street," he said nonchalantly.

Lu Ran: "…You're so wealthy, why are you so petty?"

"Maybe it's precisely because of my pettiness that I have money," Ji Min replied.

"Baloney." Lu Ran couldn't help but curse, voicing his resentment, "Then why don't I have it?"

Ji Min was taken aback.

As if in response to the youth's disarming candor, an irrepressible wave of mirth welled up within him.

He suppressed the smile, adopting a stern expression and softly coughed.

"So, are you retaliating against me?" Lu Ran stroked Big Yellow in his embrace.

Perplexed, he looked up and asked, "Shouldn't you be seeking revenge on Zhang Lin then?"

After all, it was Zhang Lin who flipped you the middle finger.

The mention of this made Ji Min furious.

He lowered his gaze and fixated on Lu Ran, his tone cold and detached. "It has nothing to do with you?"

"None at all," Lu Ran replied confidently.

"Then tell me, what are people spreading outside?" Ji Min asked, his voice icy.

Lu Ran felt a moment of guilt, averting his eyes.

But soon, he looked Ji Min in the eye once more and said frankly, "Zhang Lin being naked in the same room with you could have had three possible outcomes."

Ji Min raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to elaborate.

Lu Ran was dead serious.

He continued, "The first is that the two of you just happened to run into each other by accident; the second is that you had ill intentions towards Zhang Lin and coerced him."

Ji Min's eyebrows arched even higher.

Lu Ran averted his gaze. "The third option is what's happening now, claiming that Zhang Lin seduced you."

The youth's voice carried a hint of suppressed emotion.

"There are supposedly three possibilities, but given that it's you who has been discovered, only the third rumor will prevail."

Lu Ran lifted his gaze again, locking eyes with Ji Min directly.

"I would choose the third option," he said. "Only, Zhang Lin and I would switch places. But... why should I? It was Zhang Lin who was in the wrong."

His voice carried the unique resentment of youth.

He didn't seem like an innocent young man.

"So it's my bad luck, then?" Ji Min asked.

But his voice unintentionally softened.

"No," Lu Ran's voice turned even more muted. "I didn't expect it to turn out like this."

Once again, he resembled a wronged puppy, looking up at someone with an irresistible gaze as he said, "Can't you just pretend that Mr. Ji accidentally did a good deed?"

Ji Min averted his gaze to look outside the window.

He softly uttered a single word, "Stupid."

If he hadn't been on a whim to do a good deed, he wouldn't have interrupted Zhang Lin before leaving.

"But..."

Lu Ran's voice turned perplexed.

Ji Min turned his head to look at him.

He saw Lu Ran utterly baffled. "I only took off his clothes. He was fine when I left, so how did he...?"

Under Ji Min's menacing gaze, Lu Ran made a gesture of raising a flag.

He leaned closer to Ji Min, curiosity shining in his eyes. "So, what did you do to him after I left?"

Ji Min: "..."

"I... didn't," President Ji gritted out through clenched teeth.

"That can't be right," Lu Ran didn't believe him.

He even recalled the events of his previous life in detail.

After drinking the same glass of wine, he hadn't experienced anything like Zhang Lin's condition.

Lu Ran looked at Ji Min resolutely. "You must have done something."

His expression was hard to read. "Zhang Lin was practically lifeless back then, aside from breathing. You..."

"I said I didn't!" Ji Min emphasized earnestly.

With an understanding gaze, Lu Ran said, "It's alright, I understand. Since you've helped me, I definitely won't disclose your unique preferences."

Ji Min: "..."

A lump formed in his throat, almost suffocating him.

He couldn't help but question himself. Why had he allowed this young man into his car just now? Had he lost his mind?

Looking at Lu Ran's seemingly "understanding" yet "curious" expression.

Ji Min almost threw the person down.

Lu Ran was genuinely curious.

Being young, he had no experience with such matters, and due to his previous life's traumatic experience being coerced by Zhang Lin, he harbored a certain psychological shadow regarding this topic.

Now that he had "teamed up" with Ji Min to do something mischievous, he couldn't resist the urge to inquire.

He held back for a moment.

Despite his restraint, he couldn't help but indirectly inquire, "So... even when asleep, would there be a reaction to such things?"

Ji Min emphasized, "I've never done it!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Ji Min felt that something was amiss.

He looked down at Lu Ran.

Sure enough, he saw the boy staring at him, astonished, focusing on the area level with the wheelchair.

Then, the youngster lifted his head, his face filled with remorse. "Sorry about that, I didn't mean to bring it up."

Ji Min: "..."

What had he misunderstood?

Why did he feel inexplicably annoyed?

Ji Min seldom experienced displeasure.

Those who had upset him lately were not having an easy time.

He instinctively wanted to refute the statement.

But as the words reached his lips, he realized he must be losing his mind.

Why would he engage in such intimate discussions with a nineteen-year-old who wasn't even familiar with condoms?

CEO Ji took a deep breath, "You..."

Just then, a soft cough came from the front seat, which had been quiet for a while.

Lu Ran lifted his head and noticed that Manager Chen had been sitting in the passenger seat all along.

"Uncle Butler! Long time no see!" Lu Ran leaned over to greet him, a rare hint of embarrassment on his face as he recalled his probing questions to Ji Min earlier.

Ji Min remained silent.

It was the first time he had encountered someone being more courteous to his butler than to him.

"Long time no see," the butler acknowledged with a nod, pointing to a button behind him. "There's a folding chair there."

"Let him stay on the floor," Ji Min said coldly.

Lu Ran glanced at him and then at the amiable butler who was smiling at them both.

Disregarding Ji Min's remark, he bravely unfolded the chair.

Big Yellow, in his arms, saw the butler and, likely remembering the day of the accident, wagged his tail at him.

"How is the puppy's injury?" the butler asked.

"He's called Big Yellow, and he's recovered. However, his left hind leg is still a bit lame. Surgery could fix it, but he's too old, and I'm worried about putting him under anesthesia. So, we didn't go through with it."

The butler listened patiently.

Sitting there, Lu Ran spoke at length with an earnestness that one would show to an elder.

Ji Min couldn't help but glance at him several times.

Butler Chen glanced at Ji Min and apologized gently to Lu Ran, "I'm sorry for involving you in this, young student. Where would you like to alight, or should we send you back to the Shen family?"

Lu Ran had a great impression of Butler Chen.

Hearing his apology, he paused before responding, "There's no need to apologize. I do bear responsibility for today's incident; it was me who pulled Mr. Ji into this."

Ji Min clicked his tongue.

He didn't look at the obediently apologizing Lu Ran but closed his eyes wearily, saying, "Driver, pull over to the side."

Lu Ran turned to stare at him.

"Are you getting out yourself, or do I have to throw you out?" Ji Min asked.

"Sir!" Butler Chen pleaded.

Lu Ran opened the car door and got out with his dog in his arms.

He even waved at Butler Chen, "Goodbye, Uncle!"

Butler Chen smiled apologetically at him.

Lu Ran waved again.

After closing the car door, he cursed Ji Min as a freak in his heart.

How could such a freak deserve to have such an excellent butler?

As they walked along the road, Lu Ran realized that the man wasn't entirely wicked.

The spot where he was dumped was quite close to the Shen family's villa area.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to find a taxi so late at night.

Lu Ran strolled slowly towards the Shen family's villa.

The sedan paused for a moment before it resumed its journey.

With Lu Ran's departure, the car fell silent once more.

The disturbed darkness resettled, gradually congealing into a stagnant pool.