Chapter 116 – Going Home

Chapter 116 - Going Home

After witnessing this scene, the people around them were genuinely stunned.

What was going on?

Why did it seem like Ji Min's "status in the family" had decreased even though his leg was better?

Ji Min sat on the sofa nearby.

Lu Ran leaned against the back of the couch, engrossed in his phone with his head down.

At first glance, the two seemed completely unfamiliar with each other.

But after witnessing what just happened, no one dared to think that anymore.

Shen Xingran was thoroughly embarrassed.

He glanced at Lu Ran, then at Ji Min, gritted his teeth, cursed them as "gay men," and slunk away in disgrace.

The others who had gathered also dispersed in twos and threes.

Ji Min sat with his legs bent in the single sofa.

Normally, when he was seated in his custom-made wheelchair, he didn't feel anything out of the ordinary.

But now, sitting on this sofa, he appeared slightly uncomfortable.

Perhaps due to the awkward seating position, his long legs, which were usually covered by a thin blanket, would occasionally shift and change posture, drawing much attention.

After sitting for a while, Ji Min couldn't resist and gently reached out to touch the youth behind him.

Lu Ran was attentively observing the Shen family father and son, as well as their cousin, outside the door, completely ignoring him.

Yet, here was a man not yet thirty, handsome, physically fit, and in possession of the entire Ji Corporation.

In the circle of noble families, his allure is by no means insignificant.

Despite the vague awareness of the relationship between Ji Min and Lu Ran, there were still those who held onto their hopes.

A few elders, leveraging their seniority, approached Ji Min with their accomplished younger relatives in tow to offer their "congratulations."

Lu Ran snapped back to reality.

He noticed a cluster of people had gathered around them.

In front of Ji Min, a middle-aged man slightly older than Shen Hongyuan was holding his son's hand and "promoting" him:

"This is my youngest son. He used to play at the Ji residence when he was little. I wonder if you still remember him..."

Lu Ran paused and cast a brief glance at Ji Min.

The man replied straightforwardly, without any consideration for the other's feelings, "I don't remember."

The elderly man and the young one left in an awkward silence.

Soon after, another pair arrived.

A prominent socialite was pulling along her daughter.

The mother wore an ingratiating expression, while her daughter, whose face was filled with embarrassment, kept shooting fleeting glances at her, wishing she could vanish into outer space on the spot.

Just as this pair arrived, another mother approached, towing her son along.

As the two parties found themselves in close proximity, before they could even engage Ji Min in conversation, the mothers began to exchange barbs.

Observing the tension escalating between them.

Someone else was lurking in the wings, seizing the opportunity to surpass the two bickering individuals with a clever detour.

Observing the altercation, Lu Ran thought, "..."

Ji Min, on edge and anxious that someone's temper might flare up, thought, "..."

He discreetly glanced at Lu Ran behind him.

To his surprise, the young man was engrossed in watching the rival groups as they vied for dominance, finding it highly entertaining.

Ji Min: "..."

Excellent, all his concerns were unnecessary.

However, as the three groups of people were indeed approaching, Ji Min furrowed his brow and cleared his throat, ready to speak up.

At that moment, he noticed Lu Ran, who had been standing silently behind him, finally making a move.

The person still didn't say a word.

Yet, he moved slowly and resolutely around the sofa, bending slightly to sit directly on the armrest of the single-seater sofa, right next to Ji Min.

The youth stood with his arms folded across his chest, his face set in a cold expression as he surveyed the oblivious people around him.

His posture was a blatant declaration of ownership.

Observing the diverse and subtle thoughts swirling among the onlookers, all couldn't help but murmur to themselves silently.

There were those who had long heard of the actions of this young master from the Shen family.

Seeing this, he silently laid his thoughts to rest.

Some believe that fortune favors the bold, and wish to try their luck once more.

They greeted Ji Min with openness and ease. Could Lu Ran still cling onto him after this?

Just as he was about to speak, he saw the man seated on the sofa suddenly emit a muffled chuckle, reaching out to draw the youth into an embrace by his waist.

Then, he lifted his head and looked at everyone, the amusement in his eyes fading slightly.

Under the watchful eyes of all.

The man sighed in an extremely indulgent and yet helpless tone.

"I apologize to all the elders, my beloved can be quite difficult to appease when upset. I'm afraid I won't have the time to receive your congratulations at the moment."

Everyone was startled, not expecting Ji Min to say such a thing.

The use of the term "lover" left no doubt as to their relationship.

At this point, any inappropriate thoughts vanished into thin air.

Even if someone wanted to linger, they didn't have the face to do so.

No one dared to question Ji Min's words, no matter how astonished they were.

Amidst light laughter, the crowd dispersed to resume their individual tasks.

Lu Ran remained seated on the arm of the sofa, unmoving.

At first glance, the youth appeared utterly composed, but upon closer inspection, one would notice the tips of his ears, hidden amidst his hair, flushed a delicate shade of red.

"Move aside, your embrace is making me uncomfortable."

Lu Ran reached out to gently nudge Ji Min's arm.

Ji Min clicked his tongue. "Aren't you supposed to be angry and seeking comfort elsewhere? Why are you still sitting here blocking my way?"

Speaking up to this point, Lu Ran was quite candid.

He lifted his chin and huffed, "One thing at a time."

Yes, he was angry, but...

No one could lay a finger on the person he cared about!

Despite the fact that everyone else had clearly left.

Yet, the young man still sat with his arms crossed and his head raised on the armrest of the sofa, his gaze sharp and wary.

Ji Min couldn't hold back and chuckled, embracing Lu Ran.

"Scoffing at someone like that?" he sighed, amused.

"Behave yourself," Lu Ran rolled his eyes.

That meant he was still upset.

Ji Min lifted his gaze to study the profile of the young man.

Despite his young age, the boy took love seriously.

He clearly distinguished between personal squabbles and external crises.

When it was time to scold him, he would do so without hesitation, and when it came to dealing with outsiders, he was just as straightforward.

He was honest and candid to an endearing extent.

In Ji Min's chest, it felt as if a pot of boiling water was simmering, producing a constant stream of steam.

His fingers traced the thin fabric of Lu Ran's shirt at his waist.

He found the surrounding commotion too much to bear.

After sitting quietly for a while, he couldn't resist and whispered, "Is there anything else? Should we go back?"

Lu Ran cast him a glance, assuming that the man was experiencing discomfort in his leg.

After some thought, considering he had already expressed his concern and there was nothing else to do, he nodded and got up from the sofa.

Rising to his feet, he cast a fleeting glance back at the man on the sofa.

Despite his sulking expression, he still reached out to Ji Min and grumpily said, "I'll pull you up."

Ji Min smiled as he gently placed his hand within the young boy's palm.

Ji Min's palm was broad enough to easily encompass Lu Ran's hand, making it momentarily unclear who was holding whom.

Lu Ran exerted some force with his arm but found himself unable to budge the other.

Fang Chen, who had rushed over to find Lu Ran and "happened" to witness this scene, fell silent with an expression of disbelief.

Ji Min supported the person in his arms and whispered softly,

"You call that strength to pull me over?"

After saying this, he lifted his gaze to look at Fang Chen not far away.

He nodded politely but distantly, saying, "Young Master Fang, thank you for taking care of Lu Ran recently. Please convey my regards to your father."

Feeling thoroughly embarrassed, Fang Chen responded, "…."

"Ahaahaha... I suddenly remembered that I have something else to attend to." He quickly made an excuse and left.

"Are you crazy! Why did you suddenly use so much force?!"

Lu Ran was baffled.

Ji Min raised an eyebrow and spoke candidly,

"Oh, what's wrong with a former boyfriend having some petty thoughts when he sees the object of your affection?"

Lu Ran: "..."

"Are you coming or not? If not, I'll leave."

Only then did Ji Min rise and follow him.

Once they were in the car, Ji Min instructed the driver, "Take us home."

"Hmm?" Lu Ran looked at him in surprise. "You're not going back to the hospital?"

Ji Min sighed and reached out to tap his forehead, saying in a teasing tone, "You're not hoping for my well-being, are you? You want me to leave the hospital today."

"Aah?"

The youth's eyes shimmered brightly with pure, unbridled delight.

But then he remembered that he was still angry and forcibly suppressed those feelings, only responding with a cold and indifferent "Oh."

Ji Min suppressed the amusement at the corners of his lips, pretending not to have noticed anything.

When the two left the party, it was almost midnight.

Upon returning to the Ji residence, they prepared to retire for the night.

Given Ji Min's current condition, his leg still couldn't endure too much strain, so he took the elevator upstairs.

It wasn't until they stepped out of the lift and stood before the same door that Lu Ran sensed something amiss. They stood outside Ji Min's bedroom, staring at each other with wide eyes.

"Why aren't you going in?" Ji Min asked with a smile.

Lu Ran: "..."

"I'll go in if I want to." He reached out to push the door open and walked in.

Upon entering, he saw his belongings scattered around the bedroom and fell silent for a moment. He then walked over to the sofa, picked up the jacket and trousers thrown on it.

Retreating to the bedroom, he picked up his pajamas.

Gathering a few more items here and there, Lu Ran walked silently out of the room.

Halfway through, someone tugged at him from behind.

"Where are you going?" Ji Min asked softly.

"I'm going back to my room to sleep," Lu Ran replied.

"Isn't it the same when you're sleeping in your boyfriend's room?" Ji Min said.

His voice was barely audible.

The room was eerily quiet.

So quiet that the word "boyfriend" seemed to echo gently against the walls.

"Big Yellow, the dog, gets scared when sleeping alone. I need to keep him company," Lu Ran explained.

Ji Min raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Hmm? Has Big Yellow only started to be afraid after sleeping alone for so many days?"

Lu Ran: "..."

He continued to hold the clothes and turned to leave but accidentally hit the light switch.

With a snap, the bedroom was plunged into darkness.

Warm breath and a familiar, comforting embrace enveloped him simultaneously in the dark.

"Let me hold you for a moment," Ji Min whispered into his ear in the darkness.

His voice carried the pent-up longing of the past few months and the sigh of relief after surviving a crisis and finally getting what he wished for.

"Just let me hold you," the man murmured again in a low, hoarse tone.

The oppressive sword hanging above his head had finally lifted, leaving reality behind.

Yet, the terror and agony from the blade's descent still lingered vividly in his memory.

Lu Ran's eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

He released the grip on the clothing in his hands and turned to embrace Ji Min.

Grasping onto the familiar shoulders, he nestled into that comforting embrace.

With a hoarse voice, Lu Ran called out, "Boss."

"Mm," Ji Min responded, not correcting his address.

Lu Ran called again, "Ji Min."

"Mm, I'm back," Ji Min replied.

Upon hearing these words, a simultaneous ache surged through Lu Ran's throat, his vocal cords, and his eyes.

He buried his face into the man's neck, striving to suppress the surging acidity in his eyes.

In the darkness, a finger brushed against the warmth of his eyelashes.

Moistened fingertips glide down his cheek, gently clasping his jaw and lifting it up.

For the past three months, all the repressed choices, yearnings, and fears found their release in the intimacy of their lips and tongues.

Ji Min kissed fiercely.

More fierce than any of their previous kisses, with an intensity that seemed to make up for those past moments when he'd entertained the notion of "letting go."

He had never wanted to release his hold on the other.

Whether it was choosing a suitable partner for the young man or leaving him alone in this vast, empty world.

A subtle hint of blood tinged the air as heat escalated, mingling between their lips and tongues.

Ji Min closed his eyes briefly.

He slightly parted his lips, instinctively holding back.

Yet, the young man in front of him seized the moment and closed the gap.