Chapter 119: Ice Cream

Chapter 119: Ice Cream

In the study room.

Ji Min returned to his desk, addressing the video conference on his computer despite his growling stomach, "Let's continue."

The assistants in the video conference: "..."

Although the meeting on weekends was rather casual, Ji Min's frequent departures were still quite surprising.

Their boss was physically present now, but it seemed as if his mind was still elsewhere.

He would occasionally glance at the door, shifting uneasily in his seat.

It appeared that he was restless and unable to sit still.

Just as Ji Min couldn't resist the urge to leave for the third time, the door to the study room opened.

Lu Ran walked in.

Peering over Ji Min's shoulder at his computer screen, he noticed only a few familiar assistants in the video conference. Thus, without any hesitation, he announced, "I'm going out to have fun with Fang Chen."

Ji Min: "..."

Seeing Ji Min's reaction, Lu Ran couldn't help but chuckle.

However, remembering that Ji Min was in the middle of a meeting, he suppressed his laughter.

Ji Min made a gesture to pause the meeting on the screen.

He turned off his microphone and swiveled the webcam to the side.

Only then did he reach out to seize the youth's wrist, his tone far from amiable as he said, "Are you doing this on purpose?"

Only then did Lu Ran burst into laughter.

After his laughter subsided, he lifted his chin pretentiously and said in a displeased tone, "It was actually you who did it on purpose. By the time you go out again, Fang Chen won't be able to contain his anger."

Ji Min clicked his tongue, lifting his gaze to meet his eyes.

"Well, Lu Ran, you're worried about him getting angry, but not about me being upset?"

"Didn't you say I should spend more time with peers? Now that I am, why are you getting upset?" Lu Ran argued.

Ji Min was left speechless by his response.

Lu Ran continued, logically, "Besides, when you're not around, you call Fang Chen over to play with me. But as soon as you show up, he's pushed aside. Is that how you treat people?"

In his heart, Ji Min knew that inviting Fang Chen was part of an agreement between him and Fang Chen's father.

Who would have thought that the two of you would actually get along so well.

After a long moment of silence, Ji Min let out a sigh.

The man lifted the youth's hand and gently pressed it against his cheek, meekly asking,

"When will you return?"

"Let's make it tonight, our nightlife as young adults tends to be more vibrant," Lu Ran suggested intentionally.

Frustrated, Ji Min reached out to pat his waist.

"Alright, don't come back too late. Take good care of the people I arranged for you," Ji Min instructed meticulously.

"I know, I know, Uncle Ji," Lu Ran replied, then walked out.

Ji Min was powerless against him.

He could only sigh and turn the webcam on his computer.

Just as he had turned on the microphone in the conference room, the person who had just slipped away came back and planted a loud kiss on his cheek.

"Muah," and then he was gone.

Before Ji Min could react, the moment had passed.

In the conference room, as the few individuals turned around, they witnessed this scene and fell silent one by one.

Then, they saw their previously restless boss, who had suddenly calmed down like a pet cat that had just been stroked.

He pretended to clear his throat elegantly, forcefully suppressing the upward curve of his lips, and said with a stern face, "Carry on."

Everyone: "...Huh."

Lu Ran and Fang Chen left together.

The two went to a virtual reality gaming center, played a shooting game, and then engaged in a game of billiards.

When they found a nearby place to eat, they unexpectedly encountered Shen Xingzhuo.

Shen Xingzhuo looked dispirited, sitting alone at a corner booth and drinking alcohol.

Chen Sheng and a few others were gathered around, trying to console him, "It's alright, it's just a failed investment. We'll figure out a way to make up for it..."

Upon seeing Lu Ran, Chen Sheng waved frantically, saying, "Brother Ran! Come over quickly and talk some sense into him!"

Upon hearing Chen Sheng's voice, Shen Xingzhuo looked up as well.

Spotting Lu Ran, he hastily said, "Don't let him come over!"

In recent times, the Shen family had been on the rise, and so had the number of chaotic individuals surrounding Shen Xingzhuo.

His studio had been doing well recently, so he had boldly made a few investments.

Ironically, all those investments had gone awry.

Not only had he invested a substantial amount of his own money, but he had even pledged some of the Shen Corporation stocks he held.

If this news reached Shen Hongyuan's ears, he would undoubtedly be scolded severely.

What made Shen Xingzhuo even more miserable was that this incident perfectly validated what Shen Xingyu had said that day, leaving him feeling utterly defeated and humiliated.

To add salt to the wound, Shen Xingran had informed him that Lu Ran had been spending a lot of time with Shen Xingyu lately.

Shen Xingzhuo dared not imagine how Lu Ran would perceive him upon learning about this.

Initially, Lu Ran hadn't planned on coming over either.

It was just that he hadn't seen Chen Sheng and the others in a while, so he intended to greet them before leaving.

But as he turned to go,

the same Shen Xingzhuo who had told him not to come over suddenly reached out and, without warning, handed him something.

Lu Ran glanced down and saw a yellow Transformer figure.

The kind that children played with.

Judging from its style, it wasn't a recently produced toy; there was a faint layer of dust in the joints, revealing signs of the passing years.

Unconsciously, Lu Ran reached out and took the Transformer.

Gently twisting again, he contorted the model's two arms into a twisted knot.

He was very proficient in these actions.

It was as if, when he was very young, he had also fiddled with this toy inappropriately.

But these memories were separated by over a decade of time.

Shen Xingzhuo huffed and said,

"When I returned to the old house that day, I suddenly remembered that you seemed to be inseparable from this toy when you were little."

Lu Ran looked at the Transformers figure in his hand.

He still restored the joints to their original positions and placed this familiar toy back on Shen Xingzhuo's side of the table.

Shen Xingzhuo was taken aback and asked, "You don't like it?"

Lu Ran didn't mention whether he liked it or not, only saying, "Big Yellow doesn't like these sorts of things."

Perhaps it was because of this toy.

Lu Ran, who had intended to leave, eventually greeted Fang Chen and sat down in Shen Xingzhuo's booth for a while.

Seeing him approach, Chen Sheng, who had been nagging endlessly, finally heaved a sigh of relief and went off to drink elsewhere.

Lu Ran didn't touch anything on the table; he only asked, "What happened to you?"

Shen Xingzhuo rubbed his nose and explained how he had lost millions and pledged his shares in the Shen Corporation.

Lu Ran, who still saw himself as an ordinary and poor college student, instinctively cursed when he heard the amount, "Damn."

Even he, a veterinary student, could tell that someone was eyeing the Shen family's success and trying to swindle Shen Xingzhuo's shares.

It was truly overconfidence on Shen Xingzhuo's part that he couldn't see through this scheme.

"Even you think I'm no match for Shen Xingyu?" Shen Xingzhuo stared at him.

Lu Ran rolled his eyes heavenward.

He asked Shen Xingzhuo, "How many times have you lost money on your investments?"

Shen Xingzhuo hesitated but, noticing no one else was around and feeling a strong urge to confide, he poured out all his failures from childhood to adulthood.

There was a thorn in Shen Xingzhuo's heart.

That thorn was Shen Xingyu.

Due to Shen Xingyu's excellence, Shen Xingzhuo had always lived in his shadow since they were young. The more this was the case, the more he desired to make a remarkable achievement.

Thus, whenever someone provoked him with words, Shen Xingzhuo would rashly accept the challenge.

Unfortunately, he was simply not cut out for it – the more he invested, the more he lost.

Many of the shares he held had already been mortgaged multiple times.

On several occasions, it was Shen Xingzhuo who bought them back at twice the market price.

After hearing all this, Lu Ran fell completely silent.

Unable to hold back, he asked, "In all those years, didn't you ever consider switching paths?"

Shen Xingzhuo replied, "No, I just want to beat him."

To have his parents and family acknowledge that he had capabilities and merits.

Lu Ran turned to look at Shen Xingzhuo for a moment.

He said, "It doesn't matter. Those who think you're not good enough will never notice you anyway. You might as well focus on what you're good at."

Shen Xingzhuo had heard similar words many times before.

But hearing Lu Ran say this, he was taken aback.

Not because it was Lu Ran speaking, but because Shen Xingzhuo suddenly recalled how, when Lu Ran had first been taken back into the Shen family, the teenager seemed to have been constantly proving his excellence too.

Striving to prove himself, he was no less capable than Shen Xingran.

But...

What had been his reaction back then?

Shen Xingzhuo felt a momentary panic.

He knew that when someone was invisible in another's eyes, no matter how hard they tried, it would only appear as a clownish performance to others.

"I...,"

Shen Xingzhuo instinctively wanted to explain.

Then, he couldn't help but ask hopefully, "So... it's just that they didn't see me, right?"

But Lu Ran had no intention of continuing the conversation.

Fang Chen called out to him from a short distance away, so Lu Ran got up to walk over.

Before leaving, he cast another glance at the Transformer toy placed in front of Shen Xingzhuo.

"Thank you, but please don't give me such things anymore in the future."

With that, Lu Ran turned and left.

Thanks to this Transformer toy, it was probably the most peaceful conversation Lu Ran had ever had with Shen Xingzhuo.

The next day, Lu Ran finished his final exams.

Exiting the academy, he found Shen Xingzhuo waiting outside, looking furious.

All around them were students who had already completed their exams and were heading home early.

Boarders dragged their heavy suitcases past them with a rumbling noise.

Shen Xingzhuo suppressed his anger as he looked at Lu Ran and asked,

"Did you have to do this?"

"How so?" Lu Ran raised an eyebrow.

"I treat you better than Shen Xingyu, don't I? He slapped you, yet I gave you triple your salary and sent you gifts. Why are you closer to him?"

Shen Xingzhuo exclaimed in despair,

"I trusted you enough to confide those matters in you, yet you had to spill everything to Shen Xingyu?"

"Exactly what did I reveal to him?" Lu Ran asked calmly.

"That I mortgaged my shares this time."

Shen Xingzhuo tried to suppress his anger but failed, yelling, "I only told you about this!"

Lu Ran remained silent.

His gaze casually drifted to the Elite Academy's academic building, where he spotted Shen Xingran in the corridor.

Lu Ran turned to look at Shen Xingzhuo.

He said coolly, "Firstly, it's true that you mortgaged the shares. If you wanted to keep it a secret from someone, you shouldn't have done it in the first place."

"Secondly, you're saying that I told Shen Xingyu?"

Lu Ran reached out toward him. "Hand me your phone."

Stunned by his words, Shen Xingzhuo handed over his phone without thinking.

Lu Ran accessed the contacts and dialed Shen Xingyu's number.

There was a moment of delay before the call was answered on the other end.

Shen Xingyu's voice was low and grave. "Why are you calling me? You made this mess, so deal with it yourself. The shares of the Shen Corporation must not fall into external hands!"

Hardly had he finished speaking when Lu Ran called out, "Shen Xingyu."

Upon hearing the youth's voice, Shen Xingyu immediately paused, a hint of surprise in his tone: "Ranran?"

"You're aware of Shen Xingzhuo's decision to mortgage his shares?"

Lu Ran inquired.

Shen Xingyu fell silent for a moment before responding.

Shen Xingzhuo had initially thought that Lu Ran would ask Shen Xingyu to prove he hadn't leaked the information.

Instead, the teenager said, "Oh, then you probably don't know that this isn't the first time. Not only was his stock trapped in this incident, but he also suffered losses amounting to over a million. And previously..."

With a hurried tone, Lu Ran recounted everything Shen Xingzhuo had told him.

Without waiting for Shen Xingyu's explanation, he hung up the call and threw the phone back at Shen Xingzhuo.

He pulled the corners of his mouth into a wry smile and said, "Since you've accused me of being the leak, how could I not spill the beans to make it worth your while?"

Lu Ran glanced at Shen Xingzhuo's phone and asked considerately, "Shall I repeat it all for Shen Hongyuan as well?"

Shen Xingzhuo froze.

He stammered, "I..."

Lu Ran looked at him with a faint smile, asking,

"Why? When you mentioned these things to Shen Xingran before and found out that they were confidential, did you question him like this too?"

Shen Xingzhuo instantly turned stiff, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

Lu Ran ignored him and headed straight for the lab building since he still had experiments to conduct during the summer break.

By the time Lu Ran came out of the lab building, it was already evening.

Many students from various majors had already left campus.

The school grounds were significantly quieter.

Lu Ran discarded the trash and, turning around to leave, noticed someone seated on the steps of the laboratory building.

It was Shen Xingzhuo, who had been waiting all along.

Upon seeing him emerge, Shen Xingzhuo promptly stood up.

Lu Ran ignored him and continued walking forward on his own.

Shen Xingzhuo hurriedly followed suit.

"I'm sorry, I…"

He wanted to explain but found himself at a loss for words. All explanations seemed utterly feeble, for he was the one who had doubted Lu Ran and provoked the conflict.

Lu Ran slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked toward the main entrance of the school. He strolled at a leisurely pace, texting Ji Min, who was waiting for him outside the gate, using his phone as he walked.

He ignored Shen Xingzhuo behind him but didn't actively avoid him either.

Silent, Shen Xingzhuo followed closely.

In that moment, he felt as if he had ruined everything.

Upon reaching the school gate, Lu Ran glanced at the ice cream shop and halted his steps.

He strolled over to it.

Lu Ran frequently bought ice cream from this shop, usually purchasing four cones at a time.

The shop owner was quite familiar with him; upon seeing him approach, she warmly greeted, "Still the same, one strawberry, one lemon, and two vanilla, right?"

There were quite a few customers buying ice cream.

However, not many bought four cones for themselves at once.

Moreover, Lu Ran always stuck to the same flavors each time.

After the proprietress finished her question, she added, "We're out of vanilla. It'll take a few minutes to make one fresh."

But Lu Ran smiled and replied, "I'll just have a strawberry one this time."

The proprietress playfully teased him, "Will one be enough for you?"

Lu Ran rubbed his nose without explaining further.

He took a strawberry ice cream cone and walked out of the shop.

Instead of eating it himself, he turned around and offered it to Shen Xingzhuo, who had been following him.

Shen Xingzhuo was both surprised and flattered.

When Lu Ran ignored him earlier, he didn't know how to react.

But now that Lu Ran suddenly handed him an ice cream, he hesitated to accept it.

He turned his head away, awkwardly protesting, "I don't really like these things, especially strawberry flavor. It's so pink and delicate, only girls would enjoy it."

Finishing his statement, Shen Xingzhuo paused for a moment.

He was unsure if Lu Ran had a preference for strawberry-flavored treats.

Would Lu Ran be offended by such an assumption?

But as Shen Xingzhuo looked up, he found the young man before him to be remarkably calm.

There wasn't the slightest hint of anger or displeasure on Lu Ran's face.

He merely nudged the ice cream gently toward Shen Xingzhuo's lips and said softly, "Take a bite."

Shen Xingzhuo paused.

He genuinely didn't like ice cream, nor did he appreciate the pastel hue of this one.

But at that moment, he didn't wish to refuse Lu Ran.

So, he hesitantly took a bite.

The tangy sweetness of strawberries mingled with the rich aroma of cream, bursting onto the tongue.

Shen Xingzhuo's eyes widened in unexpected surprise.

He found this flavor to be more appealing to his taste than most of the desserts he had ever tried.

Shen Xingzhuo lifted his gaze to meet Lu Ran's once more.

There was no trace of surprise in the youth's eyes.

His expression remained as calm as ever, as if he had anticipated being astonished by this strawberry-flavored cone.

For a moment, Shen Xingzhuo felt bewildered.

This confusion was similar to the one he experienced when he saw Big Yellow.

It was like suddenly realizing that there was someone who knew all your preferences and had firmly etched them in memory.

Someone who would still remember, even when you yourself had long forgotten.

Yet he still vividly remembered your favorite things.

This memory transcended the boundaries of time and physiology, turning into an indistinct habit etched into his nerves.

Shen Xingzhuo's fingers trembled slightly.

His throat seemed to be choked by that overly delicious strawberry-flavored ice cream, causing unbearable pain.

He reached out to take the ice cream from Lu Ran's hand.

Yet in the very instant before it was to be received, the youth holding the ice cream suddenly exerted force.

Heaving the entire ice cream cone onto his face.

Shen Xingzhuo's face was smothered in a cold, sweet cream.

"Lu Ran!"

Shen Xingzhuo instinctively called out, but his voice was painfully hoarse.

The one who had thrown the ice cream turned and walked away, getting into the black sedan parked by the roadside.

Surprisingly, the usually hot-tempered Second Young Master Shen didn't explode or chase after him.

He merely reached up to cover his face.

Ji Min had witnessed the entire scene from inside the car.

As Lu Ran approached, he opened the car door and reached out to take the young man's school bag.

Silently, Lu Ran slipped into the backseat, intending to sit down, but was unexpectedly pulled by the man, who wrapped his arms around his waist, drawing him into his embrace.

I nestled into the familiar embrace, feeling the comforting warmth that reassured my soul.

In an instant, Lu Ran relaxed, collapsing wearily into Ji Min's embrace.

"I'm exhausted, but the exam is finally over," he said.

Ji Min chuckled and reached out to caress his hair.

Lu Ran didn't respond further, instead resting his head quietly against the man's neck.

Ji Min gently stroked his back.

Whispering, he asked, "Having a bad day today?"

"No," came the reply.

At first, Lu Ran denied it, but after a while, he mumbled, "I just recalled some unpleasant matters."

"And you call that not having feelings?" Ji Min chuckled at him.

The youth straightened his posture, lifting his chin as he declared with unwavering conviction, "I'm not that spineless to let such a jumbled mess of affairs upset me."

Saying this, he nestled back into Ji Min's embrace.

He expected the man to laugh at him.

Yet, he felt Ji Min pat his head and whisper in his ear, "It's alright to be helpless occasionally."

Lu Ran fell silent for a moment before wrapping his arms around the man's waist and hugging him tightly.

After a while, he lifted his head again.

He stealthily glanced at the front seat.

The car was moving, and at some point, the partition between the back and front seats had been lowered, enclosing the backseat into a small, private space.

This time, he noticed the absence of rearview mirrors.

Only then did Lu Ran lean in, tilting his face up to seek comfort.

"Kiss me," he said softly.

Without waiting for a response, he initiated the kiss, pressing his lips against the man's chin, as if offering payment in advance.

Ji Min chuckled, his single hand lifting the youth's chin before he bestowed upon it a gentle kiss.

The kiss deepened, yet it remained gentle at its core, preserving that tenderness throughout.

With his face uplifted, Lu Ran was being kissed gently and soothingly by the man.

For a moment, the kiss lingered before it finally came to an end.

He leaned against Ji Min's shoulder, gasping for breath.

Having received comfort and gained an advantage, he glanced at the partition, then leaned close to Ji Min's ear, whispering:

"Why did you lower the partition?"

Ji Min raised an eyebrow and mimicked him, speaking in a hushed, breathy tone:

"Well, who was it that sneaked around last time, terrified that the person in front would catch a glimpse?"

"But now that you've lowered it, others can't see us, and they'll only assume we're up to something secretive."

With conviction, Lu Ran argued, "We only kissed, we didn't do anything else."

Ji Min's gaze darkened.

He leaned in close to the youth's ear and whispered, "What else would you like to do?"

Lu Ran narrowed his eyes, deliberately goading him, "Uncle Ji, we're in a car, you know."

Hearing the term "Uncle Ji" again, Ji Min didn't react as strongly as he did the first time.

He merely quirked an eyebrow, then bent his head to deliver a chastising yet tender nip at the youth's lips.

Lu Ran emerged from the laboratory rather late.

He'd taken three exams today, spent hours working in the lab, and even splashed an ice cream on Shen Xingzhuo.

Upon returning home, he brushed his teeth and fell asleep on the bed, even forgetting to feed Big Yellow.

Ji Min held the dog food as he fed Big Yellow, then proceeded to carefully brush the little pup's teeth.

After freshening up, Ji Min didn't immediately rest but went downstairs again.

Butler Chen was waiting downstairs.

Seeing Ji Min come down, he handed him a bag of items that he had sorted out.

Today, Ji Min went to pick up Lu Ran, and he didn't join, instead staying home to organize these things.

They were all prepared by Ji Min before his surgery, in case the worst outcome occurred.

Now that his surgery was successful, none of it was needed anymore.

Ji Min took the thick manila envelope with a smile, shaking his head:

"Fortunately, he didn't see these. Otherwise, who knows how angry he would have been."

Upon hearing this, Butler Chen also shrugged.

The next day was the first day of summer vacation, so naturally, Lu Ran woke up late.

He had never been one to linger in bed before, as he needed to walk Big Yellow every morning.

But after entrusting that task to Ji Min, Lu Ran finally discovered the joy of sleeping in.

When he opened his eyes, the sun was already high in the sky.

Soft golden sunlight poured through the balcony of the bedroom, bathing the light-colored bedding in its glow.

Lu Ran rolled over in bed.

He rubbed his face against the pillow a few more times before reluctantly sitting up, picking up his phone, and checking the messages in their class group.

Although it was technically vacation time, those who stayed on campus for summer research still had some tedious procedures to sort out.

Lu Ran glanced through them for a while, downloading a few documents.

After a quick wash and slipping on his slippers, he left the bedroom.

First, he cuddled with Big Yellow, who had come over for attention, then grabbed his phone and entered Ji Min's study.

It was the weekend, and Ji Min was holding a meeting in the study once again.

This time, the atmosphere seemed quite solemn.

Lu Ran yawned discreetly, not disturbing him, and proceeded to print some documents on his own.

After he finished printing, he approached Ji Min softly and inquired, "The school is requesting updates on day students who live off-campus. Where's the parental commitment form you filled out for me?"

Bathed in the heat, the young man wore only a lightweight T-shirt, paired with loose athletic shorts.

Revealing slender and attractively muscled calves.

The T-shirt he wore was haphazardly draped, one side of the hem rolled up, revealing a glimpse of his slender waist with every movement.

He sauntered over, distracting Ji Min for a rare moment.

The man reached out to smooth the hem of his T-shirt neatly, then pointed at a cabinet nearby. "It's in the second drawer from the top."

Lu Ran rolled his eyes.

If he had hands to tidy up his clothes, couldn't he spare one to hold onto the documents?

Moving slowly, Lu Ran approached the drawer and opened it.

After Ji Min pointed out the location, he immediately immersed himself in the upcoming meeting.

Unaware, he missed the moment when the young man's expression froze upon seeing the contents of the drawer.

Glancing at the few documents marked "void" in his hand, Lu Ran looked up at Ji Min again.

He pressed his lips together, discreetly removing the papers with his name on them, along with the parental consent form.

Carrying the items, he returned to the bedroom.

Lu Ran tossed the parental consent form aside and carefully examined the other documents.

Skimming over the printed papers, he pulled out a handwritten sheet among them.

This is Ji Min's personal handwritten will.