Chapter 33: Misunderstandings (End of Inverted V)

Chapter 33: Misunderstanding (End of Inverted V)

Ji Min almost laughed out of frustration.

He stood there for a long while, braving the cold wind.

Butler Chen came looking for him and was startled by his expression: "Why did you come out to clear your mind and end up like this?"

Given Ji Min's habit of keeping his emotions hidden, it was unusual for him to be so visibly upset.

"Who knows," Ji Min scoffed, maneuvering his wheelchair back inside with a remote control.

Before leaving, he instructed Butler Chen, "Withdraw that private sponsorship."

Back in the meeting room, Lu Ran proceeded to sign the contract with the Shen family as expected.

Lu Ran knew that the Shen family would turn their backs on him if he left the sponsorship event, so he sealed the deal right then and there.

Taking the opportunity, he also boldly increased the level of sponsorship.

He also mentioned the matter of the rent.

As the boomerang struck her again, Madam Shen's expression turned ghastly.

After the charity event ended, Lu Ran wandered around the school alone.

It was freezing cold.

The leaves in the school had all fallen, layering the cobblestone pathways.

Suddenly, Lu Ran missed Big Yellow dearly.

On such a path covered with fallen leaves, Big Yellow would surely love to stroll about.

But Big Yellow wasn't here, nor could it enter the school.

Standing there in a daze for a moment, Lu Ran's gaze shifted towards the KFC fast-food restaurant by the school gate.

He checked his mobile phone balance and then queued up inside the store for a while.

No fried chicken, no burgers – just ice cream cones, a treat that's less commonly enjoyed in this season.

And he ordered four at once.

As Ji Min drove out of the school gates, he spotted the very person who had played a prank on him, clutching four ice cream cones with both hands and indulging in them.

The weather had been quite chilly lately.

The northwest winds were biting.

Despite the cold, the man stubbornly stuck his head out to take bites from each of the cones, making sure to give each one equal attention.

After each bite, he shivered from the chill.

But he would pause only briefly before leaning in for another nibble.

Perhaps it was a way to vent his frustration; Ji Min found himself watching the scene unfold for longer than he intended.

Until the cheerful voice of Butler Chen from the front seat interrupted, "Shall I pull over, sir?"

"What for?" Ji Min's tone was sharp. "If you want to be a taxi driver, get out and change vehicles yourself."

Butler Chen sighed. "Oh dear, I'm too old for that now. Unlike some, I can't suddenly decide to act like a kidnapper like a child."

Ji Min: "..."

Butler Chen continued, "And even caused someone to almost... oh no, they've already called the police."

"…Uncle Chen!" Ji Min said helplessly.

Housekeeper Chen finally chuckled and changed the subject.

The car fell silent once more.

The ice cream eater on the road entered a shop to seek shelter from the wind.

In the end, they passed by the well-air-conditioned van.

After a long while.

A faint sigh escaped Ji Min's lips within the car, "Why bother saving someone who can't be saved?"

"It's just an... ill-intentioned illegitimate child."

Following the sponsorship event, life returned to its tranquility.

Lu Ran finally officially welcomed his winter break.

He embarked on a new round of part-time work.

This time, he had truly taken advantage of the Shen family, unlike the previous minor incidents.

Consequently, Shen Hongyuan erupted in anger.

Lu Ran carried on as usual, steadily accumulating his personal savings.

Having signed a contract with the Shen family, for the next four years of university, the Shen Corporation would cover his tuition fees and living expenses.

Madam Shen, however, was no fool; she wouldn't let him wreak havoc in the Shen Corporation after graduation.

She had imposed numerous restrictions in his post-graduation agreement.

Regardless, the burden on Lu Ran's shoulders had significantly lessened.

During the winter break, he found a part-time job at a café.

The café was located near an office building, so it was generally quiet except for a few busy periods during the day. There were no evening shifts to worry about.

This allowed Lu Ran to dedicate more time to his studies.

Lunchtime arrived.

A group of ladies dressed in business attire entered the café to dine.

Behind the counter, Little Wang, another employee, gazed at them enviously while engaging Lu Zhao in idle chatter. "They all work for Ji Corporation, I hear their benefits are fantastic. But I think they have a lot of evaluations and strict standards."

"The compensation is quite generous..." Lu Ran replied, reciting English vocabulary in his mind.

"Not really," Little Wang said with a tinge of regret. "If I had done better in college, I might have made it into the Ji Corporation too."

He patted Lu Ran on the shoulder and encouraged, "There's still hope for you. Work hard."

Lu Ran chuckled.

Their delivery order came in, and the two of them got busy again.

In the meantime, two Ji Corporation employees were engaged in their own conversation.

One of them hinted upward, curiosity in their voice, "Aren't you the one who recently got promoted? How is it? Is the person up there terrifying?"

Upon this, the girl sitting opposite leaned forward slightly,

"Let's not talk about it. I made a mistake right after I started, and it scared me to death."

"What happened? What happened?"

"Well, you know the chairman uses a wheelchair, right? When I saw him exit the elevator, I instinctively went to help push him..."

"Oh? What's the big deal about that?"

"Exactly!" The girl speaking also seemed puzzled.

"And then what happened?"

"Nothing much. The chairman glanced at me and said, 'Go attend to your own business.'"

As she spoke, the girl took a sip of water to calm herself. "But you get that chilly look and tone, right?"

"Goodness, for a moment there, I felt like I was done for. Later, I asked someone and found out he hates it when others touch his wheelchair."

"Sounds like he has some quirks... But considering his condition with his legs, it's understandable for him to have a peculiar temper."

"Hello, your pasta order is here." Lu Ran's voice interrupted their conversation.

He neatly arranged the pasta and utensils on the table.

The one who had just complained couldn't help but wave his hand again. "He's usually quite decent, unlike my previous boss who would vent on employees for no reason. Our chairman is quite emotionally stable..."

Stable in his displeasure?

Lu Ran mused silently to himself.

Initially, he hadn't realized that this café was located next to Ji Corporation's office building.

Yet, within just a couple of days, one would often hear people mentioning Ji Min.

A low-pressure overlord.

He had an indifferent temper, not necessarily bad, but his disability made him appear even more peculiar.

As Lu Ran carried the tray away, he could still overhear the conversation:

"If the boss didn't have issues with his legs, he'd undoubtedly be a top-tier catch."

"What's the deal with his legs? Were they like that from birth?"

"I heard it was a car accident."

As Lu Ran returned to the counter, Little Wang informed him, "These few orders are packed and ready. They're all for the same address."

Lu Ran acknowledged and left the shop with the bags in hand.

At the Ji Corporation, in a conference room.

As mealtime approached, negotiations for an acquisition deal were temporarily halted.

A man rushed out, "President Ji!"

Ji Min's wheelchair didn't pause.

Once the man stepped down from the negotiation table, his smooth-talking businessman demeanor dissipated significantly.

This person clearly wasn't familiar with his habits.

Two strides closer, the man persisted in negotiating, "Mr. Ji, isn't your request a bit unreasonable? Such a deal doesn't just fall from the sky, does it?"

Ji Min's wheelchair halted, and he lifted his gaze to meet the tenacious client.

Surrounded by a group of ravenously hungry wage earners.

His expression remained as gloomy as ever, his skin pale as translucent porcelain.

Not a hint of hunger or urgency could be detected on his face.

He appeared coldly detached, like an otherworldly being, both a deity and a specter.

He stated, "You're well aware of the state of your company. I don't have a habit of paying for trash."

The man across from him froze, teetering on the edge of anger and guilt.

Ji Min's words were anything but polite.

The hurried footsteps of the employees rushing to their meals came to a pause. Some new recruits who had just joined the acquisition project felt their hearts skip a beat. They were afraid that their efforts over the past month would go to waste. The veteran employees, on the other hand, remained calm and composed. Ji Min emerged from the conference room, bypassing the downstairs dining area, and returned to his office first. He hadn't been back in his office for long when his assistant knocked and entered. "Chairman, the other party has agreed to sign the contract." Ji Min nodded. After saying that, the assistant did not leave. "Is there something else?" Ji Min asked, stopping his wheelchair.

The assistant showed him the phone that had disrupted half the meeting, hesitantly stating, "It's a call from the prison."

Ji Min gazed at him in silence.

The assistant, feeling the weight of the situation, reluctantly broached a taboo subject, "They said that your... younger brother isn't doing well lately and insists on seeing you."

To the assistant's surprise, Ji Min didn't display the anger he had anticipated.

Instead, he chuckled softly.

His thin lips curled, his eyes and brows revealing a profound aloofness.

"He can tell them," he remarked coldly, "that if he wants to see me, he should break his own legs and crawl out himself."

"Besides, he's not my brother. He's just an illegitimate child of the Ji family. If there's any real issue, let him seek out his biological parents."

As Ji Min spoke with an unnervingly calm tone, even the anxious assistant found himself calming down. "Alright, I'll convey the message."

Having attended to some matters, Ji Min only maneuvered his wheelchair out of the office.

Outside, the staff were unwinding during their lunch break.

Some gathered in groups, chatting animatedly, while others leisurely enjoyed their meals.

Upon noticing his emergence, the chatter subsided momentarily before resuming.

Everyone kept a watchful eye on Ji Min, as if fearing he might accidentally topple from the wheelchair.

Unperturbed by the gazes around him, Ji Min made his way alone to the elevators.

He pressed the button and observed the descending floor indicator as the lift descended to the bottom.

The chairman's office of the Ji Corporation had always been situated on the top floor.

However, upon Ji Min's assumption of the role, due to his health concerns, he established his office on the middle floor, where it would be easier to manage emergencies.

"Drip."

The elevator came to a halt, and the doors slid open.

Ji Min was maneuvering his wheelchair in with remote control.

Upon lifting his gaze, he beheld the youth clad in the uniform of a café attendant.

The youth had at least eight or nine bags dangling from both his hands.

The large paper bag emphasized the delicacy and fragility of his frame, making him appear even more slender. The thin uniform he wore seemed less protective against the cold than the paper bag he held in his hand.

He was frantically scrolling through the order information on his phone.

Slightly lengthy bangs hung down, his fine and obedient raven-black tresses shimmering in the elevator's light with a texture akin to melting toffee.

Ji Min froze for a moment.

He subconsciously pressed the stop button.

But the wheelchair had already crossed the elevator threshold and came to a halt in the center.

Ji Min hesitated for a moment before still maneuvering the wheelchair inside.

Lu Ran also caught sight of Ji Min.

He hadn't expected such bad luck – visiting Ji Corporation, he happened to bump into this person.

The man, along with his heavy and broad black wheelchair, entered the elevator together.

The spacious elevator suddenly felt somewhat cramped.

The person in the wheelchair didn't fit the stereotype of being frail.

The man had broad shoulders, a strong presence, and an air of authority that only a high-ranking individual possessed.

His sharp brows and eyes gave him a stern look, while his expression was rather indifferent.

The sense of oppression intensified.

By the time the elevator doors fully closed.

The cramped space seemed to exert a stifling atmosphere.

Lu Ran glanced at him but didn't greet him.

Recalling the gossip he had overheard at the café earlier, he looked down at the awkwardly shaped bag in his hand.

Silently, he made an effort to squeeze himself and the bag to the side.

Striving not to let the paper bag even brush against the wheelchair.

But in such a narrow space, this was quite an impossible task.

Lu Ran tried his best to shrink himself.

Ji Min sat in his wheelchair, maintaining straight eye contact.

The man suddenly spoke up, "Shall I dig a hole for you to escape?"

Lu Ran: "..."

Ji Min's tone was low and somber.

It carried his distinct melancholic and sarcastic undertones.

Listening to this, Lu Ran felt a sudden surge of irritation.

He rolled his eyes, letting his arm drop carelessly.

With a rustling sound, four or five bags swarmed around Ji Min.

Some even dared to dangle over the armrests of his wheelchair, landing on his legs.