Chapter 37: Alert

Afternoon.

The winter sunlight glows with a brilliant white.

Shining on people, it brings a soothing warmth.

This is the lunch break for most people.

Even in the Ji Group building, which is famous for its curls, most people have started a short lunch break.

Only a few curl kings are still working secretly.

And Ji Min, the number one curl king. However

, he was riding in a wheelchair and stopped in front of the glass door of an unfamiliar coffee shop.

The decoration on the glass door is very beautiful.

The caramel-colored pattern has an alluring smell in winter.

But Ji Min does not have the habit of drinking coffee.

He stared at the glass door for a while.

He drove the wheelchair and went up the stairs from the barrier-free passage on the side.

The glass door automatically opened to both sides.

The sensor doorbell in front of the door rang with a crisp "ding".

But the store was empty, without a single person.

It was quiet behind the counter.

Ji Min walked slowly to the counter.

The sensor bell on the counter rang again, and a mechanical female voice announced: "Welcome, please order."

The sound was a bit noisy in the quiet afternoon.

Immediately, a "dong" sound came from behind the counter.

Then there was some hurried rustling.

Then, a hand with slender knuckles, slight scars and a thin band reached out.

In the hand was a roll of English Level 6 test papers and a gel pen without a cap.

This seemingly fragile hand put the things down with great effort, and then slowly applied force.

The muscles on the back of the hand bulged slightly, pressing against the counter.

A furry head emerged from under the counter with the help of force.

"Excuse me, oh, welcome..."

The voice was still full of sleepiness, and the light nasal sound made people's eardrums soften.

The heating in the coffee shop was sufficient.

The boy behind the counter had a slightly red cheek from sleeping, and there was a red mark on the right cheek from being pressed.

"Excuse me, are you eating in or taking out?"

There was a visible struggle.

The boy finally suppressed his sleepiness and stood up with a struggle.

He didn't even have time to look at the person in front of the counter. He

hurriedly clicked on the computer screen twice.

But after waiting for a while, Lu Ran didn't hear anyone answering from the counter.

He rubbed his glasses, thinking he was dreaming.

He was leaning forward to look.

A cold and hoarse voice suddenly sounded: "A cup of American coffee, take-out."

Lu Ran was startled.

He turned his head to look at the computer screen again, and then he saw the man in front of the counter.

Ji Min sat steadily in the wheelchair.

He had a calmness on his body. He didn't look at the boy behind the counter, nor did he look at the electronic menu.

He just turned his head and looked to the side indifferently.

It seemed like he was in deep thought, or avoiding.

Lu Ran was a little surprised.

There were many Ji's employees coming and going in this store.

But Lu Ran never thought that he would see Ji Min in this store.

Because Ji Min doesn't look like the kind of person who would appear in such an occasion.

It's also unimaginable that he would come to such a fast food coffee shop, queue up in a long line, and order a cup of instant American coffee.

He sat there.

It's natural that he would select coffee beans carefully, grind them and brew them right away.

Even if he occasionally drinks a cup of ordinary hand-brewed coffee, he would have someone else make it and serve it to him with both hands.

So Lu Ran blinked several times.

He blinked away all the sleepiness in his mind, and then reacted: "Oh..."

Lu Ran typed the order and turned to operate the coffee machine.

Xiao Wang was taking a nap in the back kitchen.

He snored loudly.

Lu Ran lowered his head, covered the paper cup, and put it in a leak-proof paper bag.

The boy was not wearing thick clothes.

The white shirt and vest uniform of the coffee shop clearly outlined his thin back.

Ji Min retracted his gaze.

Lu Ran put the packaged coffee on the counter, "Your Americano."

The counter was very high.

When Lu Ran put it on, he realized that the person opposite him was sitting in a wheelchair, which might not be very convenient.

So he stretched out his arm again, crossed the counter, and handed it to the man in the wheelchair.

Ji Min reached out to take it.

The pale knuckles and the healthy milky white skin of the boy separated

at the first touch. A light warmth was left on the fingertips.

After getting the paper bag, Ji Min did not leave.

He was still looking at the side, as if chatting, and asked, "How is the work here?"

"Not bad." Lu Ran yawned.

Ji Min seemed to be making a professional business assessment: "The location is good, but the customer base is narrow."

Lu Ran yawned again.

"Except for the rush hour, the store's revenue is not high."

Lu Ran couldn't help it.

The courtesy he showed towards customers on his face slowly disappeared. He

held his chin with one hand, looked at the man in the wheelchair, and asked: "Mr. Ji... When are you leaving?"

Ji Min: "..."

Very good.

No one had ever issued such an obvious order to him to leave.

Especially when he was still a consumer.

The man raised his eyebrows: "Does the boss mind if you say that?"

"The boss is not here." Lu Ran yawned so hard that tears were about to flow down, "What do you want? If nothing, I can still sleep for a while."

A little gloomy chuckle leaked out of the store door.

Lu Ran suddenly became energetic and stretched his head to look outside.

Ji Min tilted his head and pursed his lips.

Finally, he sighed lightly and said the words that had been on his tongue since he entered the door: "Are you interested in changing jobs?"

Lu Ran was stunned.

Then he retracted his gaze and looked down at the water running on the computer screen.

"No." Lu Ran looked up and smiled at him, "I'm fine now."

Lu Ransi didn't feel the need to agree.

He heard the guilt in Ji Min's words.

But he didn't care, and he didn't want to explore.

Ji Min's knuckles on his knees were slightly bent.

He looked up at the boy's eyebrows.

After realizing something, he retracted his gaze and nodded nonchalantly: "Okay."

His tone was so light that it seemed like he just said it casually.

After that, he turned around with the remote control of the wheelchair, carried the bag of Americano that was gradually cooling down, and left the store.

He walked out of the store and down the stairs.

When the wheelchair was about to return to the barrier-free stairs of the Ji's building, Ji Min asked in a low voice behind him: "Why did you follow me?"

Butler Chen's voice rang out: "I'm sorry, I'm really worried about you going out alone."

Ji Min closed his eyes and suppressed the impatience in his eyes.

But he knew very well that this was an objective fact determined by his physical condition, and he could not blame others.

After walking for a while,

Ji Min handed the paper bag that had become warm in his arms to Butler Chen: "American coffee, for you."

Butler Chen took the paper bag and was a little surprised: "Old people don't like to drink this."

"Then throw it away." Ji Min said.

Butler Chen lowered his eyes and looked at him.

The figure in the wheelchair in front looked no different from usual.

Butler Chen watched Ji Min grow up, but after Ji Min got into trouble, he often couldn't understand Ji Min's thoughts.

"Didn't you make up for that little classmate as planned today?" Butler Chen asked.

Ji Min's wheelchair paused slightly.

Just for a moment, and then it returned to its normal speed.

"He doesn't trust me," he said.

It's not that he minded his previous misunderstanding.

It's not that he got an advantage.

It's just pure distrust, and... caution.

He felt guilty for his attitude.

The other party completely adhered to the attitude of a stranger, and never expected his apology or repentance. He

even felt tired and just wanted to ask him when he would leave.

The two passed by a trash can.

Butler Chen raised his hand to really throw away the coffee in his hand.

The wheelchair in front suddenly stopped again.

The person in the wheelchair turned his head and stared at the coffee in his hand.

"You don't really want me to drink it?" asked Butler Chen.

Ji Min stretched out his hand to him: "Give it to me."

He took the paper bag.

He took out the coffee cup inside, opened it, and took a sip.

The American coffee was cold, but not iced and refreshing.

It tasted warm but not hot.

Inexplicably bitter.

The Shen family.

The atmosphere has not been peaceful recently.

The news that Mrs. Shen rushed to the barbecue club to arrest people that day also reached Shen Hongyuan's ears.

Shen Hongyuan had a big fight with her that night and moved to the company to live.

Apart from the first time, Shen Xingran was even worse.

Mrs. Shen was having a meal in the restaurant.

The maid said something, and she smiled and responded.

Shen Xingran stood on the stairs and observed for a while, and then he went downstairs with the things after confirming that Mrs. Shen was in a good mood.

"Mom!" He sat over as intimately as usual.

Mrs. Shen glanced at him lightly.

Shen Xingran kept smiling and showed her the box in his hand.

The box was opened, and inside was a string of black pearl necklaces.

This string of pearls was dazzling, evenly sized, and the design was even more eye-catching.

Shen Xingran said: "Look, Mom, this is the work of a designer in Dubai. There are only three pairs of handmade necklaces in the world. When I saw it, I thought it matched your black dress very well, so I asked a friend I know to help take a picture of it."

"Do you like it?"

Shen Xingran was looking forward to Mrs. Shen's reaction.

Mrs. Shen was the easiest to coax.

Saying something nice, complaining with her about Shen Hongyuan, or giving her some precious jewelry that no one else has, can always make Mrs. Shen smile.

Shen Xingran really spent a lot of money on this pearl necklace this time.

His own small treasury has been emptied a lot.

The moment he opened the box, Mrs. Shen's eyes became subconsciously glued to the necklace. She

couldn't help but pick up the necklace to admire it.

Seeing Mrs. Shen's reaction, Shen Xingran finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He was adopted by the Shen family for so many years and has always been held in the hearts of the whole family.

Mrs. Shen even asked for everything from him.

But this time, Mrs. Shen was really angry with him.

She ignored him for several days.

Shen Xingzhuo usually lives outside.

Shen Hongyuan never goes home.

So Shen Xingran spends the most time with Madam Shen. Now Madam Shen has a stern face, which makes Shen Xingran very uncomfortable.

"Mom, let me help you put it on?" Shen Xingran said.

She was already thinking about how to exaggerate later.

Madam Shen nodded subconsciously.

But suddenly, she saw the string of high-value receipts in the box.

Shen Xingran waited for her to notice this and turned away as if nothing had happened.

Usually, when Madam Shen received the gifts he bought, she would give him the money intact.

This time, Shen Xingran also waited for Madam Shen to speak.

Madam Shen slowly reached out and took out the receipt.

When she checked the amount on the receipt, the joy between her eyebrows faded, and suddenly a hint of suspicion appeared.

The sudden question: "Where did you get so much money?"

Shen Xingran paused.

Subconsciously explained: "It's all the pocket money my father and brothers give me. I saved it when I didn't have time to spend.

If Mrs. Shen heard similar words in the past, she would have praised him for being well-behaved.

But this time, Mrs. Shen glanced at him.

In a tone that Shen Xingran couldn't understand, she said: "Your father loves you very much?"

Shen Xingran didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Okay, don't buy this kind of thing in the future." Mrs. Shen threw the necklace into the box and pushed the box back.

She stood up and left the dining table.

A faint mutter came into Shen Xingran's ears: "Spending here and there, isn't it the Shen family's money that you spend? "

Shen Xingran was stunned.

An uncontrollable panic slowly crept into Shen Xingran's heart.

That night, Shen Xingran called Shen Xingzhuo and asked Shen Xingzhuo out.

In the Shen family, the one who doted on Shen Xingran the most was Mrs. Shen.

Shen Hongyuan also loved him very much.

But Shen Xingran knew very well that this was based on the premise that he would not cause trouble to Shen Hongyuan.

As for the eldest brother Shen Xingyu...

there was a big age difference between Shen Xingran and this eldest brother.

In addition, Shen Xingyu was often away on business trips, so Shen Xingran was not familiar with him. What

's more...

he was a little afraid of this eldest brother.

Apart from that, the only one he could rely on was Shen Xingzhuo.

When Shen Xingran was fearless and willful before, he was very dissatisfied with Shen Xingzhuo. He

often yelled at Shen Xingzhuo.

But now, as soon as he saw Shen Xingzhuo, Shen Xingran's tears immediately fell.

He rushed forward and hugged Shen Xingzhuo's shoulders: "Brother! "Please help me, what should I do if my mother doesn't want me anymore?"

"Will they send me back to the orphanage?"

"Brother, I'm so scared..."

These words were half true and half fake.

Of course, the Shen family would not send him back to the orphanage.

He is not a nobody like Lu Ran who can be ignored.

Shen Xingran grabbed Shen Xingzhuo's sleeve and cried for a long time.

"Brother, you know why I said Lu Ran is an illegitimate child. I'm just too scared. I don't want to hurt anyone..."

He sobbed and looked up at Shen Xingzhuo.

The carelessness between Shen Xingzhuo's eyebrows had long faded.

He stared at him seriously with wrinkled brows.

Shen Xingran was about to continue crying.

But Shen Xingzhuo asked: "Ranran, on the day of the birthday banquet, Zhang Lin went to find trouble with Lu Ran, right? "

Shen Xingran was stunned. He didn't expect him to bring up this topic.

He hadn't reacted yet.

Then Shen Xingzhuo continued to ask: "Did you know about this in advance?"