Chapter 91: Gu Zhi
Chapter 91: Gu Zhi
The sound was incredibly crisp.
The slap was delivered with such decisiveness and expertise that it left the businesspeople, whose minds were usually filled with intrigues, momentarily stunned.
The young brat was also dazed by the slap.
It was probably the first time in his life that he had been slapped.
After recovering from the shock, the teenager, despite his age, opened his mouth wide and wailed loudly.
As he cried, he searched for Ji Yue, "Mom! He hit me!"
However, his wailing annoyed Lu Ran.
Reaching out, Lu Ran grabbed a paper basket filled with pastries from the table and stuffed it into the boy's mouth.
Silence ensued.
Only then did Ji Yue realize the situation.
Seeing her precious son being struck, she immediately lost all composure.
"You are who? How dare you hit my son? Do you know I'm Ji Min's aunt? You have no right to speak in the Ji family..."
As she spoke, she raised her hand to retaliate.
However, Lu Ran grabbed her wrist and asked, "Aunt? The aunt who delayed someone's birthday by a day?"
Ji Yue was taken aback by the question.
In the next second, the teenager reached out his hand.
With a loud "slap," he struck her as well. "Get lost!"
This slap left everyone utterly stunned.
That's... Ji Min's very own aunt!
The eldest miss of the Ji family!
Ji Yue staggered back several steps with her head tilted, covering her face and unable to react for a while.
Over there, Ji Yue's husband finally came over when he saw his wife and son being assaulted.
"What are you doing, kid!"
This man was burly, reaching out to grab Lu Ran's neck.
Lu Ran slapped him again, "Scram, you freeloader."
After all, he was a grown man and not so easily defeated.
"He!" He covered his face and charged forward again.
Lu Ran directly grabbed his head and slammed it into the creamy soup on the table with a loud "bang."
In an instant, the table shook, and soup splattered everywhere.
After a while, Lu Ran lifted his hand and asked, "Can I leave now?"
Ji Yue's husband lifted his head.
He wiped his face in confusion and turned around, leaving silently.
Three strikes!
All the guests seated at Ji Min's table were stunned.
Upon realization, all eyes were fixed on Ji Min, awaiting his reaction with bated breath.
The man, who had previously worn a cold expression, slowly furrowed his brows at this moment.
Under the gaze of all present, he gently extended his hand to retrieve the young man's wrist, which had been splattered with rich soup.
Taking another tissue, he meticulously wiped away any traces of soup that had splattered onto Lu Ran's wrist and fingers.
After ensuring that no one had been burned, he gradually released his grip.
He then instructed the waiter beside him, "The table is dirty, clean it up. Remove the soup and replace it with dessert."
It was only at this moment that Ji Yue, who had been dazed by the incident, suddenly let out a shrill scream.
She stood up, pointing at Lu Ran and then at Ji Min. "H-He hit me! Ji Min, I'm your aunt; are you going to let him get away with hitting me?"
Ji Min frowned and glanced at her before sighing,
"He's only nineteen, a child who can't control his temper. Why are you even messing around with him?"
Ji Yue almost choked on her own breath.
Nineteen years old?
What did he mean by 'only' nineteen?
Was a person of nineteen still supposed to see a pediatrician?!
The onlookers absorbed the entire scene in silence, suppressing the astonishment they felt deep down.
One by one, they lowered their eyes, no longer casting glances in Lu Ran's direction.
In reality, Ji Min was also somewhat stunned.
Initially, he had been worried that Lu Ran might sympathize with the Li family and be frightened by his tactics.
But now, after Lu Ran's forceful actions, Ji Min had already forgotten his original plan.
Especially the child sitting next to him, who, after taking a few bites, seemed to have just woken up from a dream and said,
"Wow, so many people! Is your birthday party starting now?"
"What else would it be?" Ji Min shot him an annoyed glance.
Lu Ran immediately leaned in and whispered, "But I haven't had the chance to leave love bites yet. What should I do?"
Ji Min: "..."
"Thank you, but it's not necessary. Your pinch worked wonders," he said.
Lu Ran continued to eat in silence for a while.
Then, with his dark, glistening eyes scanning the surroundings, he asked again,
"Well... Boss, did I accidentally hit someone important just now?"
"Accidentally?" Ji Min raised an eyebrow.
Lu Ran stabbed his steak with the chopsticks and whispered, "I accidentally did it on purpose..."
Ji Min felt a sudden urge to laugh.
Suppressing his smile, he inquired, "What if I said yes?"
Lu Ran fell silent for a moment.
He put down his chopsticks and clasped his hands together, apologizing to Ji Min, "I'm sorry, Boss. Please, have mercy and don't deduct my salary!"
Pausing for a moment, he added, "If you need it, Boss, I can apologize to them."
For some reason, Ji Min suddenly felt an overwhelming pang of empathy upon hearing this.
This kid had always been unruly, indulging in all sorts of reckless antics.
As if he never considered the consequences.
Yet now, he was offering to apologize.
"Indulge in yours," he said with a hint of playfulness.
Ji Min picked up a piece of cake to plug his mouth.
Observing the youth nibble away like an adorable hamster, he softly murmured, "No one needs your apology."
The banquet, after a long bout of chaos, gradually returned to tranquility.
Among those present were all astute individuals, no one dared to bring up the matter concerning the Li family.
Yet, every now and then, he would glance unobtrusively at the young man sitting beside Ji Min, who was engrossed in eating.
Striving to etch the young man's appearance in memory, to ensure he would never be that mindless creature who offends the wrong person.
The meal had already lasted for nearly two hours.
By all accounts, it should have reached its conclusion by now.
However, as soon as Lu Ran took his seat, a steady stream of dishes started to be served.
Ji Min finally picked up his chopsticks and started to eat something.
As long as the person of honor didn't move, everyone else remained glued to their seats.
On one hand, they found the banquet excruciatingly long, yet on the other hand, they felt like they had witnessed quite the spectacle, which was rather entertaining.
It wasn't until almost four in the afternoon that the guests began to depart.
When Gu Zhi left, he made a deliberate detour to come around.
Lu Ran didn't know him, so he turned to look at Ji Min.
Ji Min frowned and glanced at Gu Zhi, saying first, "He's from the Gu family, so by the family hierarchy, you should call him Uncle."
Upon saying this, he seemed to have thought of something and paused, adding,
"He's not someone important, so there's no need for you to remember him."
Gu Zhi: "..."
"Hey, I'm still standing here. Is it okay for you to talk about me like that?" he said.
Ji Min replied, "Then why don't you move a bit further away?"
Gu Zhi grumbled inwardly.
But he still gave Lu Ran a double thumbs-up and whispered, "You really hit well just now."
It was the first time Lu Ran had received praise, so he looked up at Gu Zhi.
Gu Zhi was gazed at intently for a moment.
Suddenly, he smacked his forehead and exclaimed, "You're from the Shen family, aren't you?"
Lu Ran remained silent, merely staring back at him.
Those eyes were too familiar. Gu Zhi recalled instantly, "It's me, Ran Ran!"
"Ran Ran, don't you remember me? I'm your Uncle Gu!"
At this moment, Gu Zhi even forgot about Ji Min. He immediately leaned closer to the person.
Ji Min interjected, "Now, he goes by Lu Ran."
"Oh, just a minor detail," Gu Zhi waved it off, then animatedly gestured towards Lu Ran. "Did you forget? When we were kids, I even took you to catch cicadas!"
"You weren't much of a talker back then, but you had immense courage and loved playing with insects!"
Gu Zhi's demeanor was exceptionally enthusiastic.
It was the first time Lu Ran had encountered someone so excitedly discussing his past, and he couldn't help but feel curious.
"I still enjoy playing games now," he said.
As he spoke, he couldn't resist taking a step forward, wanting to take a closer look at Gu Zhi's appearance, to see if he had any recollection of him.
But as Lu Ran leaned slightly forward, he felt his wrist being held by someone.
He turned his head and saw Ji Min.
"What's up, boss?" Lu Ran asked.
"Hey! He's just being jealous, ignore him!" Gu Zhi approached, reaching out to pull Lu Ran aside for a chat.
Lu Ran glanced at him but then turned back to look at Ji Min.
Ji Min pursed his lips slightly and frowned at Gu Zhi. "Why haven't you left yet?"
"I spend my days idling away. There's nothing much for me to do back home," Gu Zhi said with a clear conscience.
Ji Min, however, countered, "Grandfather called me yesterday asking about your situation at the company."
Gu Zhi: "..."
Alright, Ji Min was indeed ruthless.
He took two steps back and bowed towards Ji Min.
Then, he waved at Lu Ran, "Let's chat another day then!"
As he spoke, something came to mind, and he turned back to ask Lu Ran,
"Oh right, on the day you returned to the Shen family, my father even specially sent a gift for you and invited you to visit the Gu family when you're free. Why didn't you reply?"
"Gift?"
Lu Ran's eyebrows lifted slightly in curiosity.
Soon enough, he realized that Shen Hongyuan must have kept it from him.
He smiled at Gu Zhi, "I'll ask you properly when I get home."
Upon seeing his smile, Gu Zhi couldn't help but shiver.
This child looked no different from the adorable little dumpling he used to be.
But why was his smile so chilling now?
Gu Zhi bowed once more towards him and Ji Min, "I'm really leaving this time! Remember to come over to my place for a visit!"
When Gu Zhi's figure had vanished entirely.
It was only then that Ji Min realized he was still holding the youth's wrist.
He suddenly released his grip, turning his head aside to cough softly.
Thinking of the way the child had looked at Gu Zhi just now, they pressed their lips together and said:
"I have Gu Zhi's contact information, I'll share it with you later. As for meeting Elder Gu, I can take you there."
Lu Ran gazed at the man for a moment before shaking his head:
"Never mind, I don't even remember what he said anyway. But I should still meet Elder Gu."
Only then did Ji Min realize that the boy's "never mind" referred to adding Gu Zhi's contact.
Most of the people in the courtyard had already left.
Ji Min and Lu Ran walked together towards the inner courtyard.
Big Yellow came running out, circling around Lu Ran's legs.
Lu Ran bent down to pick up Big Yellow.
He suddenly said, "Don't worry, Boss, I remember that I'm your 'ex-boyfriend' now, so I won't just add anyone's WeChat randomly."
When he said this, his tone was still the same as before.
Eagerly, he moved about like an industrious little office worker, but his eyes never left Big Yellow as he meticulously picked grass blades from the yellow-haired dog's fur.
Ji Min also averted his gaze.
"Mm, alright," he replied softly, as if his previous intervention was genuinely just for the sake of "work."
When the two entered the living room, they found that someone was still there.
The Li father and son had long left in a huff, but Ji Yue was, after all, a member of the Ji family. At that moment, he sat solemnly on the sofa in the living room.
Upon seeing Lu Ran enter, Ji Yue's face tensed up, and he opened his mouth to speak.
But Ji Min beat him to it. "Come to the tea room."
Ji Yue paused, still fuming, and pointed at Lu Ran, "He slapped me, and he hit your brother too. Yet you're still defending him?"
Lu Ran couldn't help but retort, "I've already shown great restraint."
"Restraint?" Ji Yue nearly laughed out of anger.
Slapping her was considered restraint?
However, when Ji Min heard Lu Ran's words, he fell into an odd silence for a moment.
Then, he nodded in deep agreement, "Yes, he has shown remarkable restraint."