Chapter 100: Pepper
Chapter 100: Pepper
"You're amazing, Boss!"
Lu Ran's eyes lit up with excitement.
Ji Min put down his bow with a faint smile.
"It's not much, I can at most teach you," he said.
On the other side, Shen Xingzhuo was feeling rather withdrawn.
Under Ji Min's guidance, Lu Ran shot a few more times and surprisingly managed to score around five or six rings.
He was having a great time.
This was because Lu Ran had never had the chance to experience such activities when he was young.
Lu Ran still remembered watching wuxia TV dramas as a child, and how he found the male leads so cool when they drew their bows and shot arrows.
He even secretly crafted a bow and arrows for himself.
It was merely a simple act of tying two ends of a silk thread to a branch and using another branch as an arrow.
But it was too risky, so it was confiscated by the teacher.
Ji Min sat quietly in his wheelchair, gazing at the retreating figure of the youth.
After playing for a while, Lu Ran wanted to continue, but Ji Min stopped him.
"Enough, playing any longer will cause pain in your arm tonight."
Ji Min turned to look at the butler after saying this.
Old Master Gu was still asleep, so all the butler could do was offer an apologetic smile.
But he had now realized that Ji Min's main purpose for visiting today was Lu Ran.
He promptly suggested, "There's a field of dandelions over there, a place Young Master Shen often visited when he was young. Would you like to see it now?"
"Go ahead," Ji Min said.
The butler was about to lead the two of them when he suddenly hesitated, thinking of something.
He turned his head to give a veiled reminder, "There was light rain recently, so the road conditions in the fields might be rather poor."
Ji Min understood upon hearing this.
He nodded and said to Lu Ran, "Go on your own then. Be careful on the way."
"Mm…" Lu Ran hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'll be back soon."
Out of respect for Old Master Gu, Ji Min had only brought one assistant and one bodyguard along with him when visiting the Gu residence.
He instructed the bodyguard to accompany Lu Ran.
Watching Lu Ran leave the archery hall, Ji Min lost interest in staying at the venue as well.
He maneuvered his wheelchair remotely and retreated to the resting area nearby.
In no time, Gu Zhi arrived.
Peering in, he called out, "Oh, looks like everyone's here."
Upon seeing him, Shen Xingyu respectfully greeted, "Uncle."
Although reluctant, Shen Xingzhuo also followed suit.
Ji Min was still not quite fond of Gu Zhi and chose to ignore him.
Gu Zhi didn't mind at all. Instead, he looked around and asked, "Where's Ran Ran?"
His question prompted simultaneous responses from Shen Xingyu and Shen Xingzhuo, albeit vastly different ones.
Without thinking, Shen Xingyu mentioned Lu Ran's whereabouts, "He went to the dandelion field."
Shen Xingzhuo, on the other hand, said, "He's with Gu Ningqi."
After their words, both fell silent, exchanging glances as if they both realized they might have said the wrong thing.
Ji Min chuckled beside them, his smile ambiguous and laced with sarcasm.
Scratching his head, Gu Zhi added with a smile, "I always forget. Now I should call him Xiao Ran."
"Why are you asking about him?" Ji Min raised an eyebrow at him.
Upon hearing Ji Min's question, Shen Xingyu turned to look and said,
"Uncle Ji is Lu Ran's elder, and there's an engagement between the Gu and Shen families. It's only natural for you to inquire about him."
"And I wonder, Mr. Ji, how have you been considering the engagement we discussed previously?"
Gu Zhi was puzzled by the tense atmosphere between the two men.
Yet, at the mention of "engagement," Gu Zhi perked up and asked, "Engagement? What engagement? Does the Ji family have an engagement with the Shen family too?"
Shen Xingyu gave a cold laugh. "You'd have to ask President Ji why he's so clingy to my younger brother."
Gu Zhi's mind slowly caught up with their conversation.
"Oh! You mean him and Lu Ran?"
"Huh, what need do they have for an engagement? They're already as good as married!"
Gu Zhi started winking mischievously.
The moment Ji Min saw this, he wanted to stop him, but it was too late.
Gu Zhi continued with an envious tone, "They've crossed that bridge already. Everyone in the Ji Corporation knows that Lu Ran has praised him openly!"
Ji Min: "..."
Upon hearing Gu Zhi's words, both Shen Xingyu and Shen Xingzhuo were utterly stunned.
Only the foolish Gu Zhi failed to notice the tense atmosphere.
He nudged Ji Min's shoulder playfully, jesting, "After Xiao Ran's promotion, everyone now knows that President Ji is bigger than a king oyster mushroom."
Ji Min: "..."
At this moment, he finally believed in the concept of karma and retribution.
"Ji, you... you... you actually did that!" Shen Xingzhuo leaped to his feet.
Shen Xingyu's expression turned even colder, bordering on a daze due to the revelation.
His slender eyes widened in surprise.
Although he had long noticed Ji Min's affection for Lu Ran, he had always held great faith in Ji Min's character.
Initially, Ji Min was believed to be more protective of Lu Ran, which was why he had used the "engagement" to intentionally provoke Ji Min previously.
But who would have thought...
Mushrooms?
Cooking raw rice into cooked rice?
Shen Xingyu completely set aside his respect as a junior towards Ji Min, his senior.
He gritted his teeth and said through clenched jaws, "Ji Min, he's only nineteen years old!"
Ji Min silently held his forehead.
The blame was unfairly placed on him.
Yet, he hadn't done anything at all.
Ji Min instinctively wanted to defend himself.
Yet, upon hearing Shen Xingyu's words, he blurted out, "Nineteen is already an adult."
Shen Xingyu was stunned.
Shen Xingzhuo cursed outright, "Can you be any more shameless?"
With a clear conscience, Ji Min—who truly hadn't done anything—was speechless.
Meanwhile, the butler led Lu Ran to a field of dandelions.
Beyond that was a somewhat muddy path.
The distant dandelion field was dotted with yellow and pink blossoms, though they had yet to form into fluffy spheres, they were still lovely.
The butler continued guiding Lu Ran forward.
Lu Ran glanced at the distance and then at his shoes before saying, "I won't go over. I can just appreciate it from here."
He suddenly found it rather uninteresting.
None of this was familiar to him.
Ji Min couldn't accompany him to explore.
Lu Ran stood idly for a while and decided to leave.
In the middle of his departure, the butler received a call and apologized to Lu Ran, "Mr. Gu's grandfather is requesting someone."
Lu Ran nodded. "It's alright, I'll wander back on my own."
The butler glanced at the bodyguards behind him before departing with reassurance.
Before leaving, he instructed, "If you get lost, find a surveillance camera and speak to it."
"Okay."
Lu Ran acknowledged the advice without further comment.
He was entirely devoid of the curious demeanor he had when he was with Ji Min.
The butler took another route to leave.
When Lu Ran retraced his steps, he unexpectedly encountered two acquaintances.
It was Shen Xingran and Gu Ningqi, standing together in a pavilion.
But Lu Ran glanced down at his shoes.
He wasn't in the mood for a fight today.
So, he changed his path and walked away.
On the other side, Shen Xingran didn't notice Lu Ran passing by.
He held Gu Ningqi's hand and pleaded, "Brother Ningqi, can't you help the Shen family?"
"Xingran, precisely because the Gu family knows the situation with the Shens, I can't help. With such a massive financial hole, how could I convince my father?" Gu Ningqi said helplessly.
Shen Xingran pulled away from Gu Ningqi's grasp. "If your Gu family isn't willing to help, then what's the point of talking about an alliance?"
"A marriage alliance? Then what does your father's connection with the Linos mean?" Gu Ningqi demanded.
"But... that has nothing to do with me, right?"
Their voices gradually faded away.
Lu Ran pondered with a frown. For Shen Xingran to seek help from Gu Ningqi, it seemed like the Shen family was indeed facing a significant issue.
But then there was the question.
Even if it were a loophole left by Elder Shen years ago, it couldn't have remained unfixed for over a decade, could it?
Nothing major had happened to the Shen family.
Where did such a massive financial gap come from?
Lu Ran took a longer route.
As he was nearing the archery club, someone called out to him.
"Lu Ran!"
Lu Ran turned around to find that it was, once again, the foolish Gu Ningqi.
He and Shen Xingran were no longer in their previous state of argument, now sitting intimately together over coffee.
"What's up?" Lu Ran asked.
Gu Ningqi chuckled. "Nothing much, just greeting you as the host since you've come to my place."
After his embarrassing incident at the previous banquet, Gu Ningqi had been in a state of despair for quite some time.
Upon hearing that Lu Ran and Ji Min would be present, he would deliberately avoid such gatherings.
Now, probably feeling more secure on his own turf, his courage had significantly increased.
Glancing behind Lu Ran, he noticed only one bodyguard and sneered, "Didn't you say Ji Min was coming with you? Why isn't he here?"
Saying that, he glanced at the cobblestone path beneath Lu Ran's wheelchair and realized, "Oh, it must be difficult for you to move around in a wheelchair, right?"
Lu Ran shot him a glance and quipped, "Now, even enoki mushrooms can speak?"
At the mention of 'enoki mushroom', Gu Ningqi's face flushed red in embarrassment. "You!"
Not really interested in engaging in further banter, Lu Ran made a sarcastic remark before resuming his way towards the archery range.
However, they were now on the other half of the garden.
Vegetable patches could be seen not far away, separated from the archery range by a tall wall that needed to be circumvented.
Lu Ran was contemplating which direction to take.
But Gu Ningqi stepped forward and asked, looking at him, "So, did you manage to meet my grandfather successfully today?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Lu Ran's brows.
Gu Ningqi immediately chuckled. "Do you think all these people in the courtyard today just happened to be here by coincidence? Knowing that you were coming, wouldn't it be unfair if I didn't lay a few traps for you?"
Lu Ran's brow furrowed slightly.
No wonder Grandpa Gu hadn't shown up yet today.
"It's just the beginning," Ningqi said with a chuckle. "Just wait and see."
"Brother Ningqi, what did you say to him?"
Shen Xingran approached with his coffee cup in hand.
These past couple of days, Shen Xingran had been feeling particularly frustrated.
During their previous meeting with the Lilanos, he had been outwitted by Lu Ran.
Afterward, Shen Hongyuan had even sent him away on purpose in an attempt to invite the Lilanos back to the Shen residence.
This was the first time Shen Xingran felt like an outsider in the Shen family.
He knew what mattered most to Shen Hongyuan, which was why he had come to plead with Ningqi for the Shen family's sake today.
But as he approached, what did Shen Xingran see?
What were the shoes on Lu Ran's feet?
Weren't those the new limited-edition, signed sneakers from brand N? Fakes?
Shen Xingran took another careful look, trying to spot any signs of low-quality imitation.
Unfortunately, he found none.
Shen Xingran had seen his fair share of treasures.
He didn't think that a pair of shoes could break his composure.
At this moment, for some reason, it wasn't jealousy he felt so much as sorrow.
Now, he had become an outsider in the Shen family.
His only hope was to plead with Gu Ningqi to regain his former status.
And what about Lu Ran?
He was striding in shoes that even he couldn't attain.
It seemed as if he was gradually reverting to being the young master of the Shen family he once was.
As if...
Fate had suddenly corrected its course, and this was how he was supposed to be all along.
Shen Xingran couldn't help but wonder who had bought these shoes for him.
Was it Shen Xingzhuo, Shen Xingyu, or Shen Hongyuan?
Or perhaps, without his knowledge, Madam Shen had also been secretly buying things for Lu Ran?
Shen Xingran strained his gaze to study the shoes on Lu Ran's feet.
He attempted to reclaim the sense of superiority he had always felt around Lu Ran.
Finally, he had found something.
These shoes were genuine and indeed quite precious.
But Lu Ran wore them with evident care.
The clean white suede upper was spotless, not even a speck of mud had adhered to it despite walking through the Gu family's garden.
He was too careful, so cautious...
As if these were the only good shoes he had ever owned in his life.
"Nice shoes," Shen Xingran commented with a smile.
He glanced at Lu Ran and said meaningfully, "You should cherish them."
With that, he took Gu Ningqi's hand and turned to leave.
However, in that instant of turning around, the coffee cup in his hand tilted.
Quite ironically, the brown liquid splashed right onto Lu Ran's shoes.
Lu Ran managed to step back just in time, but the pristine white surface of his shoes was still stained.
The dark brown coffee trickled down the toe of his shoe.
It seeped into the suede leather, creating an unsightly sight.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Shen Xingran chuckled. "Please don't mind it, big brother."
He smiled as he linked arms with Gu Ningqi and continued walking forward.
Only in the Gu family would he be so bold.
This was Gu Ningqi's territory, and Lu Ran had come today to ask the elder Gu some questions.
Thus, Lu Ran wouldn't dare overstep too much.
He definitely wouldn't...
Suddenly, Shen Xingran felt a sharp pain in his scalp.
"Ahh!" He cried out, instinctively trying to turn his head, only to find that his hair was being tightly pulled.
Behind him, Lu Ran's grim voice echoed, "Hey, you've dirtied my shoes."
Shen Xingran panicked, "It's just a pair of shoes, you..."
But Lu Ran didn't give him the chance to speak, dragging him by the hair towards a nearby field.
The force on the back of his head was substantial.
As Shen Xingran struggled to maintain his balance, he was surprised by Lu Ran's reaction.
In the past, he had experienced Lu Ran's fits of madness and pranks.
But this time, it was entirely different.
Previously, whether before or during his fits, Lu Ran had always remained eerily calm.
It was precisely because he was so calm that his subsequent actions became even more unpredictable.
At times, Shen Xingran even felt that during those instances, Lu Ran wasn't truly angry or upset in the slightest.
He was merely looking for an excuse to teach them a lesson.
But now, Shen Xingran could feel the pressure on his scalp.
And... He could even hear Lu Ran's heavy breathing, a result of his anger.
"What... What do you want to do!" Shen Xingran's voice trembled slightly.
Gu Ningqi hurriedly followed, "Lu Ran! This is at our Gu family's residence!"
Finally, Lu Ran came to a stop.
The mud from the field had stained the soles of his shoes, leaving them thoroughly dirty.
"This is your Gu family's place? Perfect, let me give you a taste of it first," Lu Ran's voice was deep and menacing.
"What are we trying?" Gu Ningqi asked, perplexed.
His gaze drifted slowly to where Lu Ran had stopped.
He had halted at the edge of a field.
There, a pile of what seemed like a mixture of rotten grass and mud was heaped.
As Gu Ningqi didn't often venture into the garden, he had no idea what it was.
A foreboding feeling crept over him, however.
That was because the pile emitted an indescribable odor, and smoke was rising from it as if it were fermenting.
In the next moment, Gu Ningqi felt as if he'd been kicked.
Struggling to regain his balance, he was kicked again, sending him crashing headfirst into the mysterious heap.
Following that, Lu Ran kicked Shen Xingran into the same pile of dung.
Kicking ferociously, he spoke in a quivering voice, sounding like a child on the verge of tears:
"You've dirtied my shoes!"
His whining was almost tangible.
After his kicks, he still wasn't satisfied and scanned his surroundings.
Eventually, he spotted a large white bucket in a field.
Half-filled with brownish, murky water, there was also a long-handled iron scoop submerged inside.
Lu Ran strode over, picked up the bucket, and forcefully splashed its contents onto the heap of manure!
Just as Shen Xingran and Gu Ningqi had managed to lift their heads out of the pile, they were drenched.
The two were utterly stunned by the unexpected deluge.
Even after Lu Ran had finished pouring, they were still unaware of what had been thrown at them.
Shen Xingran merely wiped his face haphazardly.
Upon finishing, he looked blankly at the brownish liquid in his hand that resembled coffee but was murkier.
Upon closer inspection, he saw some red substances that resembled severely battered chili fragments.
Chili?
He asked in confusion, "Why would there be chili?"