Chapter 108: Worth

Chapter 108: Worth

Both stood rooted at the entrance.

After an inexplicable moment of hesitation, they entered together when someone recognized Ji Min and came over to greet them.

This wasn't the first time Ji Min had brought Lu Ran along to an event like this.

Yet, this time, Ji Min's feelings were slightly different as he met someone's gaze.

He turned his head to glance at Lu Ran, only to find that the youth was also gazing back at him.

"What's on your mind? Planning on showing your prowess?" Ji Min asked.

He emphasized the phrase "showing off his skills."

Normally enthusiastic about such matters, Lu Ran, due to the subtle mocking of an invisible novice just now, unusually chose to avoid it.

He huffed dismissively, "I'm not your employee now, so why would I bother doing something thankless?"

Ji Min raised an eyebrow.

His audacity had certainly grown.

This salon was on a smaller scale.

Yet, it was the most exclusive and elite gathering within the industry.

Aside from Ji Min, everyone else was of a more mature age.

Thus, this salon was entirely different from the lavish parties thrown by wealthy young masters, exuding an extraordinary air of simplicity and detachment.

Outside was a Zen-inspired garden.

Indoors, aside from the big shots sitting in small groups chatting, further in, there were specialized sound therapists gently tapping on singing bowls behind a screen.

Ji Min's location was quite far from the sound therapy area, so he could only vaguely hear the vibrations of the bowls.

Lu Ran's perspective broadened, and he couldn't resist commenting, "What kind of gathering for middle-aged people is this?"

Ji Min: "…."

One of the middle-aged men sitting across from Ji Min burst into laughter upon hearing this.

Pointing at Lu Ran, he said, "Youngsters like you can't handle such an occasion."

Then, turning to Ji Min, he spoke with an air of familiarity, "Hey, kids these days just don't get our interests."

Ji Min: "…."

Wait a minute, who do you think you're including in 'our'?

The man then turned to Lu Ran with a friendly expression and asked, "You must be in university now, right? Which one are you attending?"

The tone was too paternal, so Lu Ran glanced at Ji Min discreetly before answering truthfully.

The person inquired about Lu Ran's academic performance, and upon hearing the results, nodded in satisfaction.

Then, he turned to Ji Min and said, "For people like us, seeing our juniors prosper brings more joy than anything else."

Ji Min: "?"

These words sounded a bit odd.

But soon enough, the two delved into serious matters.

When discussing business, Ji Min seldom got distracted.

He usually let Lu Ran entertain himself.

However, this time, the teenager was unusually quiet, staying glued to his side without wandering off.

Thus, Ji Min's attention couldn't help but repeatedly drift towards the young man.

Lu Ran sat there, listening to their conversation.

However, he was not particularly interested in the topic, and his attention wandered quickly.

He noticed an orange tea pet on the table that changed colors and grew curious, wanting to examine it closely.

As he reached out to grab it, Ji Min, who was earnestly discussing a billion-dollar project nearby, beat him to it, gently capturing the tea pet in his palm.

The tiny tea pet landed in the man's broad hand, where it was toyed with leisurely and meticulously.

It all seemed unintentional and casual.

Lu Ran watched for a moment before reaching into the man's hand to retrieve it.

But as soon as he stretched out his hand, the man magically transferred the tea pet from his right to his left hand.

The person conversing across from them: "...."

Despite the lingering sandalwood incense and the resonating singing bowl in the venue, everything else seemed to fade into the background.

Why did the sudden scent of romantic jealousy fill the air?

Glancing at Ji Min across from him, the man swiftly suppressed the thought that had just arisen.

He recalled an occasion when Ji Min had brought this young man to a business forum.

Back then, everyone present had misinterpreted their relationship.

Yet, Ji Min had seriously clarified the situation.

Each word in those sentences clearly expressed the affection he had for the young man as a junior.

He couldn't afford to offend Ji Min for no reason.

On the other side, another person had been watching the entire exchange.

Unable to resist, they teased, "President Ji is not like us old folks; he can appreciate the intimacy of young couples."

Upon hearing this, Ji Min hadn't yet had a chance to respond.

The one who had spoken earlier suddenly tugged at him, frantically signaling with his eyes and scolding softly,

"What are you talking about? They're proper elders and juniors; don't misunderstand."

Ji Min, who suddenly remembered something, fell silent.

Lu Ran, who had just snatched the tea pet, also fell silent.

The uncle on the other side, fearing that Ji Min might be displeased, hurriedly tried to smooth things over for his friend,

"President Ji is clearly showing care for a junior! President Ji has clarified this before!"

This time, Lu Ran heard every word distinctly.

He turned his head silently to look at the man in the wheelchair.

Ji Min: "..."

Wait, he could explain.

Yet before he could offer an explanation, the youth at his side arched a brow inquisitively.

As Ji Min worried about whether Lu Ran might be angered.

As I listened, this person said with a mischievous grin:

"Address me as your boyfriend at home and as a junior in public, Boss. I never expected you to be such a person, huh?"

His sentence carried three different forms of address.

It was a full package of elements.

The explosion of emotions caused the middle-aged and elderly on-site to widen their eyes as they stared at the two of them.

Their gazes were filled with astonishment, as if they were witnessing a scandalous affair of the new millennium.

The look directed at Ji Min was particularly intricate.

Even the sound therapist beside them paused in mid-air while striking the singing bowl.

In the end...

Ji Min, with the looks of disgust from others, escorted Lu Ran out of the salon.

Once they were outside the Twin Towers, Lu Ran burst into laughter, almost out of breath.

Ji Min pinched the bridge of his nose, his tone tinged with annoyance. "You still have the nerve to laugh?"

Lu Ran straightened up and replied confidently, "Why can't I laugh?"

Ji Min left early, and the parking lot was deserted.

Lu Ran stepped closer, squinting his eyes as he looked at him.

"Boss, I've noticed long ago that you enjoy taking on the role of my elder."

"Well..."

The youth suddenly leaned in and kissed the corner of Ji Min's lips.

Lifting his head again, at this very moment when they had just kissed, he looked up and called him, "Uncle Ji?"

Ji Min: "..."

He stood rooted for several seconds, fully processing the moment before reaching out to affectionately pat the youth's waist.

"What are you shouting about!" he hissed in a lowered voice.

With a smile, Lu Ran dashed away while pointing at him, "Your remark is very Uncle Ji-like!"

Ji Min was almost driven to distraction by him, chasing after the boy in his wheelchair across nearly half of the parking lot.

Once they were in the car, Ji Min looked at the smiling child.

Gazing out the car window, he suddenly recalled the original reason for his enthusiasm in assuming the role of a "senior figure."

He vaguely remembered that when he and Lu Ran first met, Lu Ran had preferred Butler Chen to him.

Each time he encountered Butler Chen, he would subconsciously display a hint of familiarity.

Those obedient eyes held nothing but admiration for elders.

Although... everything that followed did indeed stem from his concern for Lu Ran.

But now, even Ji Min wasn't entirely sure.

At the beginning, had he just unconsciously wished for Lu Ran's focused gaze to divert a little towards him?

"Where else do you want to go?" Ji Min asked.

"To where..."

Lu Ran pondered deeply for a while, then tapped his head, suddenly realizing with horror, "I haven't finished my assignment for one of my classes!"

Ji Min, who was all set for a lovely date: "...."

Assignments, assignments.

Thoughtfully, he mused, rather unbecoming of an elder, that today's college students had so much homework.

In the end, Ji Min brought someone back home.

Upon returning to the Ji residence, they found Ji Yue already there, but she hadn't gone in. Instead, she waited in the car outside.

Upon seeing Ji Min's return, she lowered her car window and said, "We'll be returning to the country soon, so I came over for a visit."

Upon hearing her voice, Lu Ran poked his head out to take a look.

Upon seeing Lu Ran, Ji Yue couldn't help but picture Gu Ningqi and Shen Xingran's miserable plight of falling into a manure pit.

Her smile froze instantly.

She even forced a bright smile, greeting Lu Ran, "Xiao Ran is here too?"

This greeting annoyed Ji Yue's son, who was in the car with her.

He complained, "Mom, why are you smiling at him? He's..."

But this time, before he could finish, Ji Yue shot him a fierce glare.

She gritted her teeth and reprimanded, "Shut up if you don't want to eat sh*t!"

When they entered the courtyard, Lu Ran didn't bother about the reason for Ji Yue's visit and hurried upstairs to work on his homework.

Ji Min gave Ji Yue a glance before leading the way to the tea room.

Upon entering the tea room and spotting Big Yellow rolling around in the yard, Ji Min didn't engage in small talk. Instead, she went straight to the point and asked,

"Why have you come to see me?"

Ji Yue said that it was just a visit before leaving.

However, Ji Min was well aware that the Ji family would never do anything without a purpose.

Ji Yue didn't hide her intentions. She pondered for a moment and frowned, asking,

"I heard you've established a trust company?" Ji Min's brows knitted slightly. "Yes, is there an issue?" he inquired. Ji Yue was taken aback by the question. "But... you didn't add Lu Ran as a beneficiary of the trust...?" "Why can't I?" Ji Min countered. Ji Yue stared at him in disbelief and murmured, "You're really out of your mind." Despite anticipating this, Ji Yue still found it hard to accept Ji Min's response. The Ji family placed great importance on their assets. Yet, at his age, Ji Min had already entrusted all his possessions to a trust company for management.

This essentially meant renouncing ownership of the assets but retaining the right to distribute them.

Very soon, Ji Yue realized that Ji Min's move was entirely for Lu Ran's benefit.

It could even be said that it was a well-considered plan for the long term.

He was worried about any unforeseen circumstances that might befall him, so he intended to leave all his assets, including future earnings, to Lu Ran.

However, Lu Ran was too young.

Leaving such a substantial fortune to a young man through a will alone would inevitably attract unwanted attention.

But entrusting the assets to a trust company was a different matter altogether.

Lu Ran wouldn't bear the burden of guilt for possessing such wealth nor would he need to bother with managing these assets.

All he needed to do was live his life well, and he would be provided for without worries, having everything at his disposal.

Even if someone were to target Lu Ran, the situation would be different.

Considering the benefits Lu Ran would reap in his future life, they would think twice before acting.

Ji Min had thought of everything.

"You..."

For a moment, Ji Yue was at a loss for words.

She instinctively wanted to ask Ji Min to include her son as a beneficiary in the trust.

But before she could plead, Ji Min looked up at her.

His voice was cold as he spoke slowly, emphasizing each word:

"He hasn't received much since he was young. So here with me, no one can take away what belongs to him."

Ji Yue stood frozen for a while.

But the Ji family never easily conceded when it came to securing their interests.

Ji Yue knew what mattered most to Ji Min since childhood.

She taunted, "I didn't expect you to be just like your father, forsaking everything for love and affection."

To her surprise, Ji Min, who would usually be emotionally affected by such topics, was unusually calm this time.

"Perhaps that's the case."

Ji Min spoke in a tranquil tone, "I haven't touched anything from the Ji family. I have the right to dispose of my own assets."

In that moment, Ji Yue felt a mix of emotions - her once-familiar nephew was both foolish and inexplicably unyielding.

"Why are you so...?"

Ji Yue was on the verge of collapse, unable to fully express her despair. "All he has behind him is the small Shen family, which can't offer any assistance to you or the Ji family!"

"He doesn't need those things."

Ji Min's gaze passed through the transparent glass of the tea hall, landing on a room on the east side of the second floor.

The man whispered softly,

"His existence holds the utmost significance to me."