Chapter 87: Misleading Description

Chapter 87: Misleading Description

What mattered was...

"Who were you on a blind date with?" Ji Min asked.

"I met the Linos with Shen Hongyuan," Lu Ran replied.

Upon hearing Lu Ran's words, the man on the other end of the phone unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

It was a subtle relief.

As if he had suddenly realized that some threat had been averted.

Each time Lu Ran met with the Lino family, he would make them drink toilet water.

So there was no way he could have taken a liking to either of the Lino brothers.

Only now did Ji Min realize how unnecessarily anxious he had just been. He coughed lightly to disguise his unease.

Lu Ran pondered for a moment and said, "Goodness, am I going to be betrothed to that Jin fellow?"

He immediately felt a bit overwhelmed.

"I'll have to kiss him if we're married, right? After making him drink so much toilet water, will I eventually be the one to suffer the consequences?"

Ji Min: "…."

He couldn't help but find it a little amusing.

Yet, he also found it hard to laugh.

How could this kid think so far ahead, even considering kissing...

But just thinking about that scene made Lu Ran shiver uncontrollably.

He racked his brains for a while more and then spoke earnestly to Ji Min, "Boss, I might describe our relationship inaccurately later on. Please don't take offense."

Ji Min: "?"

Your description is already far from the truth; how could it be any more misleading?

The call with Lu Ran was still ongoing.

Shen Hongyuan found him.

Gazing at Lu Ran with a kindly expression, he asked, "Why are you staying outside? The food will get cold."

Lu Ran held up his phone to show Shen Hongyuan and sighed. "I'm on the phone with Mr. Ji."

A glint flickered in Shen Hongyuan's eyes.

Indeed, he had invited Lu Ran over this time with a hint of matchmaking intentions.

The Shen family and the Lino family were indeed competing for the same project.

The Shen family's advantage wasn't particularly prominent.

But Shen Hongyuan suddenly thought that a cooperative partnership with the Lino family might be a good strategy.

Moreover, during his negotiations with the Leno family, he discovered their strong interest in Lu Ran.

Whether it was using Lu Ran to establish a good relationship with the Leno family or exploiting them to estrange Lu Ran from Ji Min, it was a win-win situation for Shen Hongyuan.

Hence, Shen Hongyuan spoke earnestly at this moment, "Dad knows that Ji Min has feelings for you, but he is, after all, handicapped. You should still consider your options more carefully."

Just then, Lu Ran let out a deep sigh. "Mr. Ji will fly into a rage if he doesn't hear my voice for an hour."

Ji Min, on the other end of the phone: "?"

Shen Hongyuan was also taken aback.

Lu Ran sighed again and said, "He loves me to the point of obsession. He says he would lose all joy in life immediately without me and is tempted to do something terrible."

Shen Hongyuan's lips quivered twice as he thought to himself, You're making this up, right?

But then, he recalled Ji Min's "condition" during their last meeting.

Suddenly, he wasn't so sure anymore.

Lu Ran furrowed his brows in deep distress and asked, "Tell me, if someday I were to be with someone else, do you think Mr. Ji would get so angry that he'd break up with Shen Hongyuan?"

As he spoke, he trembled in fear.

Ji Min: "…"

This was the first time he had heard someone dare to spread rumors about him right to his face.

Shen Hongyuan also fell silent.

Recalling the influence of the Ji family, he momentarily doubted if he had made a reckless move.

But… with things already as they were, Shen Hongyuan gritted his teeth and said, "The more he acts like this, the more cautious you need to be. This man is too insane!"

Lu Ran nodded at him and then raised his phone, saying,

"Mr. Ji, did you hear that? My dad said he doesn't agree."

Ji Min was taken aback, his face turning pale instantly.

On the other side, Ji Min suppressed the laughter in his throat and played along with the young man's act. He lowered his voice and said in a mysterious tone, "Oh, is that how President Shen sees it? It seems that the Shen Corporation has made up its mind to weather the impending storm." Then, he spoke to Lu Ran in a grave voice, "Hurry back, or I'll have no choice but to catch you myself with a cage!" Shen Hongyuan: "..." Madmen! Both of them were madmen!! Shen Hongyuan led Lu Ran back to the private room in a daze. Initially, he had planned to wrap up the dinner quickly and send Lu Ran away before that lunatic Ji Min could show up. But when he saw Shen Xingran, he regained some composure.

Thankfully, I brought Shen Xingran along.

He had brought along his two sons; even if Ji Min were to show up, he could claim that this visit was solely for the purpose of setting up a blind date for Shen Xingran.

It has nothing to do with Lu Ran.

On the other end, Ji Min hung up the call and lowered his head to look at his phone. Suddenly, he burst into laughter.

Not a hint of the lifeless expression he had while reading the documents just now.

After his laughter subsided, he then noticed Manager Chen and the assistant standing behind him, and gradually composed himself.

Realizing what he had just said on the phone, he sighed, resting his forehead in his hand, feeling a slight embarrassment.

"Why am I following this kid around and getting involved in his affairs?"

Butler Chen: "..."

Don't pretend, aren't you quite delighted about this?

Perhaps they were all speaking from the heart.

In the private room.

Shen Hongyuan warmly said to Old Lino, "Young people have more in common, let them get to know each other better."

However, wary of Ji Min, he only gestured towards Shen Xingran.

At that moment, Yan, the second son of the Lino family who was sitting across from them, turned his gaze towards Lu Ran.

He said, "I remember you. I still have a vivid memory of the wine you poured for us last time."

As the second son of the Lino family, Yan usually had little presence.

But because of Lu Ran's glass of wine last time, he had spoken up quite a bit during the negotiation with Ji Min.

Thus, Yan had a very favorable impression of Lu Ran's wine.

Saying this, he turned to look at Old Linuo, seeking confirmation. "Father, do you still remember? You also gave your detailed evaluation last time."

Old Linuo looked at Lu Ran with a warm smile.

Of course, he had seen through Shen Hongyuan's intentions when accepting the invitation.

But he had his own objectives as well.

Lu Ran was both a member of the Shen family and had a deep connection with Ji Min.

Through Lu Ran, perhaps he could stir up chaos in Beijing's business circle.

By then, it would be much easier for the Linuos to establish themselves.

Moreover...

Old Linuo took another look at Lu Ran. If he recalled correctly, this young man should be the one who had always been by Old Master Shen's side back then, right?

After some contemplation, Old Linuo nodded with a smile. "Of course I remember."

Jin didn't say much.

Instead, he shot a suggestive glance at Lu Ran and unexpectedly flicked the tip of his crimson tongue across his lips.

Among all witnesses, Shen Xingran was both the most surprised and the most annoyed.

What was going on with the Linos?

How come, while sitting beside him, these three individuals couldn't stop talking about Lu Ran?

With a slight pout, Shen Xingran pretended to look surprised and cast a glance at Lu Ran.

He then whispered softly, "Brother, aren't you the one who's always living outside and doesn't even know the simplest way to sober up? Did someone nice help you out?"

His words implied that the alcohol Lu Ran had served them earlier might have been poured by someone else.

Yang was still lost in memories of his first time engaging in business talk and didn't bother to pay attention to what Shen Xingran was saying.

He simply replied, "What would you know?"

Shen Xingran: "..."

He silently clenched his fists.

What was even more infuriating was that Jin, the eldest son, also cast a heartfelt glance at Lu Ran and said, "The sentiment in the wine is what truly matters."

Unable to hold back, Shen Xingran glanced up at Lu Ran.

Goodness, this guy Lu Ran usually seemed clueless.

Not only had he bewitched Ji Min, but he had even charmed the two Lino brothers like this.

What tricks had he played?

As the only one in the room who understood their conversation, Lu Ran thought, "..."

He flashed a naive and bashful smile at the three Lino members and said, "Should I go choose another bottle of wine for the three of you?"

"Of course, that would be great!" Yang replied.

Jin's eyes also curved slightly. "I'm looking forward to it."

In his heart, Lu Ran thought, I'm looking forward to it too.

He lowered his head again, revealing a bashful expression before stepping out of the private room.

Outside, Lu Ran approached a server and requested a few cups, placing them on a tray. With great cheerfulness, he made his way to the restroom on this floor.

As he entered the restroom, there happened to be a customer finishing up at a urinal with his pants still unzipped.

Upon seeing Lu Ran enter with a tray of cups, the man's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Lu Ran noticed the person inside as well, but he found the situation perfectly opportune.

Meeting the man's stunned gaze, Lu Ran calmly returned the look and surveyed the urinals as if inspecting them.

Finally, he apologized to the freshly relieved man. "Excuse me, sir. The flush button on this urinal is broken; it might splatter water everywhere. You don't need to flush; I'll take care of it."

The man was taken aback by Lu Ran's professional tone, mistaking him for a restaurant staff member. As a result, he nodded in response.

He straightened his pants and left the room, but not before casting a suspicious glance at the tray he had set aside.

After the person left, Lu Ran grabbed two garbage bags, slipped them over his hands, and picked up the champagne flutes from the tray.

He stared intently at the freshly used urinal for a moment.

In the restaurant's urinals, ice cubes were usually placed inside.

At this moment, the slightly yellowish ice cubes were still emitting warmth.

If it were an event related to Ji Min, Lu Ran would dilute the "alcohol" for the sake of Ji Min's dignity.

But since this gathering was organized by Shen Hongyuan, Lu Ran was more than eager to stir up some trouble.

With a cheerful smile, he filled each glass with pale yellow ice cubes.

Still, he wasn't quite satisfied after doing so.

Thus, he held the slender glass by its stem and dipped it forcefully into the pool once more.

Not until he had both "ice cubes" and "broth" did he feel content.

Lu Ran didn't bother opening any wine.

What a waste of food.

Instead, he filled the glass with toilet water directly and placed it back on the tray.

After pouring all three "drinks," Lu Ran looked at them with satisfaction and carried the tray out of the restroom.

The corridor was empty.

Lu Ran first set the tray down on a side table.

He examined his hands.

These days, Lu Ran had become increasingly sensitive to dirt. Despite wearing two layers of plastic bags, he still felt slightly uneasy.

Thus, he retreated to the restroom again, pumping out two doses of hand sanitizer to thoroughly wash his hands.

Meanwhile, Shen Xingran also found an excuse to leave the private room.

Something was bothering him.

Alcohol, alcohol, alcohol!

Was the wine Lu Ran poured that delicious? The entire room was chattering about it!

Even if it was, it was because the wine itself was good. What did Lu Ran, the one pouring the wine, have to do with it?

Not to mention, Shen Hongyuan hadn't initially planned on bringing him along today.

It was only after Shen Xingran sensed Shen Hongyuan's arrangements and pleaded insistently that he managed to tag along.

Although there were many fish in the pond, Shen Xingran was far from satisfied.

Now, he couldn't even spare a glance for Gu Ningqi.

Upon hearing that Shen Hongyuan intended to form an alliance with the renowned Lino family who had always lived abroad, Shen Xingran immediately perked up.

But now...

Was he here merely to act as a foil for Lu Ran?

That wasn't Shen Xingran's style.

He aimed to be the dazzling crown prince, the center of everyone's attention.

After his initial frustration subsided, Shen Xingran began to ponder.

Could it be that Lu Ran possessed some extraordinary skill in pouring wine that made the three from the Lino family so captivated?

Or perhaps...

Shen Xingran's eyes narrowed. Could it be that Lu Ran had added something to the wine to draw the attention of the Lino family members?

As he was lost in thought, Shen Xingran turned the corner and caught sight of Lu Ran.

Lu Ran had already poured the drinks, filling the three glasses with amber-colored liquid and floating ice cubes.

Shen Xingran watched from a distance for a moment.

He expected to see Lu Ran adding something to the drinks, but instead, Lu Ran simply set the tray aside and entered the adjacent restroom.

It seemed like a simple trip to wash his hands and use the facilities.

Frowning for a while, Shen Xingran suddenly came up with a plan.

He quickly approached.

Peeking around the corner, he saw Lu Ran attentively washing his hands at the sink.

Shen Xingran glanced at the tray, then swiftly picked it up and headed back to the private room.

Anticipating Lu Ran's pursuit, he walked briskly.

Only when he reached the door of the private room did he slow down his pace.

Shen Xingran pushed open the private room door, and everyone's eyes instinctively fell on the tray he was holding.

This was a moment Shen Xingran relished – being the center of attention.

He offered a gentle smile and said, "I went out to take a look, but I couldn't find Brother anywhere. He hasn't come over yet."

"I was worried that you all might be waiting impatiently, so I took the liberty to pour three glasses of wine for you."

As he spoke, he imitated Lu Ran's bashful gesture, lowering his gaze slightly, and added, "Of course, my pouring skills might not be as good as Brother's. Please don't mind."

With that, Shen Xingran placed the three glasses of wine in front of the Lino family members.

Shen Hongyuan glanced at Shen Xingran and also chuckled. "My son is quite outstanding too."

Shen Xingran had some reputation within the high society circle.

Old Lino gave him a warm smile and said, "He's a well-behaved child."

Saying that, he picked up the glass in front of him with great courtesy.

Upon seeing his action, both sons also raised their glasses.

The moment the three of them lifted their cups, they all, without exception, furrowed their brows, took a light sniff, and then exchanged glances.

Observing their reactions, Shen Xingran thought to himself, As expected!

His guess was correct!

Lu Ran must have put something in the wine, which is why these three couldn't stop thinking about the drink he poured.

It would be better to impersonate than to expose him.

If they found that the wine Shen Xingran poured had the same taste, Lu Ran wouldn't be the only one in the spotlight!

And Shen Xingran would seize the opportunity to make a name for himself.

Under Shen Xingran's gaze,

The Leno trio raised their wine glasses with suspicion etched on their faces.

A triumphant smile tugged at the corners of Shen Xingran's lips.

Suddenly, Old Leno, who had been the first to show politeness and drink the liquid, spewed out a jet of water!

Followed by two more "pfft" sounds, Jin Heyang also vomited on the spot.