Chapter 91:
On the weekend, Ji Ran sat on the couch, projecting content from a live streaming platform onto the TV screen, snacking on sunflower seeds while watching.
Yue Wenwen kept shouting in the group chat about going to the bar tonight.
Ji Ran watched the streamer on the screen shoot down two people with an AK, then moved his fingers to send the streamer two shooting stars. Only then did he look down at his phone.
Dad Ji: Not going, too many people on the weekend.
Yue Wenwen: It’s fun when there are a lot of people, come on. Just the three of us, didn’t you just go through a breakup? Perfect time to get out and unwind.
Dad Ji: I already celebrated that a few days ago.
Yue Wenwen: That was at a quiet bar, it’s different…
Ji Ran ultimately still refused: I’m getting older, not up for it anymore.
Yue Wenwen: …I’m three months older than you, if you don’t come, fine, but don’t talk about yourself like that.
Ji Ran laughed. Just as he was about to toss his phone aside, another message came in.
Flowing Water: Xiao Ran, are you there?
Flowing Water: [Good morning jpg]
The sticker was of a smiling sun, very old-fashioned.
Ji Ran paused, even stopping his sunflower seed snacking.
It was Qin Man’s mom.
He took his feet off the coffee table, sat cross-legged, and typed: Hi Auntie.
Flowing Water: I hadn’t noticed before, but your WeChat name is really unique [grin].
Ji Ran originally thought someone as fashionable and elegant as Mother Qin would be different from her peers, but judging by her name and stickers… there was indeed a generation gap.
Dad Ji: I just picked it randomly… Is there something you need, Auntie?
A WeChat call popped up immediately, startling Ji Ran. He quickly muted the live stream before answering.
“Xiao Ran, Auntie brought back a few bottles of good wine from abroad, wanted to see if you want some. I’ll have someone send a few bottles over to you,” Mother Qin said gently. “Last time at dinner, you left in such a hurry, I didn’t get a chance to tell you.”
“No need, you keep them,” Ji Ran replied. “Last time, something urgent came up suddenly…”
“Then how about making up for it this time?” Mother Qin interrupted him.
Ji Ran was stunned: “What?”
“This is the situation: our family had some issues recently that have just been resolved. We got the house back not too long ago, and it’s been cleaned up. We’re planning to invite a few friends over for a meal to celebrate… I’m wondering if you’d do us the honor of joining?”
Ji Ran paused: “Is it the house you used to live in?”
“Yes, the house we’ve lived in for so many years. We were really reluctant to let it go, so we bought it back,” Mother Qin said lightly, as if going bankrupt was no big deal. “So, will you come?”
Ji Ran hesitated: “I’m afraid…”
Before he could finish, Mother Qin sighed, “I knew it. Did I say something wrong at the last dinner? Just tell me, and I’ll apologize…”
“Of course not.” Ji Ran held his phone, thought for a moment, and reluctantly said, “…Then I’ll go.”
“Great, see you tomorrow night. I’ll prepare a delicious meal for you all,” Mother Qin said, then seemed to remember something. “By the way, Xiao Ran, is Qin Man with you?”
Just as she finished speaking, the doorbell rang.
Ji Ran got up and walked to the video peephole, turning on the camera: “No…”
On the screen, Qin Man stood outside, his chin resting on a few roses. Seeing the indicator light on, he smiled at the camera.
Ji Ran glanced at him with a blank expression, then turned off the camera.
“Isn’t he living with you? Hasn’t he been home for a few days?” Mother Qin sounded worried. “I’ve called him several times, but it’s always busy… Could you tell him to call me back when you see him?”
“Okay.”
After hanging up, Ji Ran stood there for a while, then impatiently clicked his tongue and opened the door.
“Your mom wants you to call her back.”
Qin Man raised an eyebrow, took out his phone, and realized he had forgotten to remove his mom from the blacklist since that day.
“Alright, I’ll call her back when I have time.”
Ji Ran turned to leave, but Qin Man reached through the railing, awkwardly managing to grab his sleeve: “Wait.”
Ji Ran turned around and looked at the roses in Qin Man’s hand, disdainfully saying, “Don’t tell me those flowers are for me.”
Qin Man chuckled, “Don’t like them?”
“Even young girls don’t care for this stuff anymore. How old-fashioned can you be?” Ji Ran replied.
“That’s just part of it,” Qin Man said.
“What do you mean?”
“Open the door?”
“No, we’ll talk here.”
Qin Man laughed, “Then I’ll let go, but don’t walk away.”
“I won’t.” Ji Ran was curious about what Qin Man was up to.
“Reach in and find it.” Qin Man extended the flowers toward him.
Ji Ran didn’t hesitate much and reached through the iron gate, his fingers rummaging through the bouquet.
After a few seconds, he felt something hard.
He paused, his hand still inside: “If I pull out a box of condoms or something else, you’ll be buried at my doorstep today.”
He pulled out a car key.
Ji Ran: “…?”
“Come out and see?” Qin Man smiled.
A silver Lamborghini was parked by the roadside, just a wall away from Ji Ran’s house, hidden by the angle unless you stepped outside.
“Limited edition, only ten in the world. The flowers came with the car. This is what I brought to win you over, junior.”
Ji Ran knew cars, and the price of this one was stunning.
He had to admit, Qin Man was very clever. If it had been anything else, Ji Ran would have turned around without a second glance. But this car was different—not just because of its price, but because of its rarity.
Who in this world can resist the word “limited edition”?
Poor people spend thousands to draw limited-edition cards, while the wealthy spend millions on limited-edition sports cars.
Even Ji Ran, after all these years of driving, had only managed to snag one limited-edition Ferrari.
So Ji Ran got into the car to test the feel.
“How is it?” Qin Man asked after Ji Ran’s ‘test sit’ was over. “Kiss your senior once, and the car is yours.”
Ji Ran didn’t say a word. He took out his phone, operated it for a while, then extended his hand: “Give me your phone.”
Qin Man watched as he opened their WeChat accounts, one for payment and one for receipt.
“Done.” Ji Ran handed the phone back to him. “This car, at most, is worth 2,000 for a full ride. I just tested it for five minutes, so here’s 50,000. Consider it a car rental fee. No need to give me change; think of it as a tip.”
Qin Man was stunned, then burst out laughing.
Gruff but kind of cute.
“And another thing.” Ji Ran pointed a finger at him, warning, “Stop calling me ‘junior’. And don’t call yourself ‘senior’ either. Aren’t you almost thirty? Why don’t you admit you’re getting old?”
Qin Man said, “I’m only twenty-six.”
“And you dare to use ‘only’?” Ji Ran mocked.
As they were talking, a white BMW suddenly pulled up in front of their door.
The window rolled down, and Liu Chen in the driver’s seat lowered the window, his first glance catching the sight of the luxury car.
This car was something he had negotiated for; it was originally bought by someone else, but his boss had inexplicably insisted on buying it after seeing a photo, paying a few million extra for it.
“Uh…” Liu Chen said, “Are we interrupting?”
There were a few other employees in the car. The company office needed time to air out after renovations, and the coffee shop wasn’t convenient, so they had come to Qin Man’s house for a meeting. Now, they were all looking curiously at the two of them through the car window.
“Yes,” Qin Man said. “The door’s open, go inside and wait for me in the living room on the first floor.”
At Qin Man’s house, the employees couldn’t help but whisper among themselves. After ten minutes of quiet chatter, they saw the Lamborghini drive back into the garage.
Qin Man got out of the car, his expression unreadable: “Is everything prepared for the report?”
“All set,” Liu Chen replied quickly.
“Head to the meeting room, at the end of the hallway on the right on the second floor.”
One benefit of moving out, if Qin Man had to name one, was this: not having to worry about disturbing Ji Ran’s sleep while holding meetings or discussing business.
The meeting lasted the entire day.
At 8 PM, Qin Man finally felt hungry.
“Good work, Liu Chen. Order some takeout.”
Before anyone could relax, Qin Man added, “We’ll continue after eating.”
Liu Chen took out his phone and searched for nearby restaurants: “Got it.”
“Wait,” Qin Man said, not looking up from his documents. “Order two extra portions of spicy crayfish.”
Liu Chen was taken aback and, suppressing his own craving, said, “Spicy crayfish takes too long to eat. We can just have a regular meal…”
“It’s not for you,” Qin Man said. “Have it delivered to the address across the street.”
When the takeout arrived, Ji Ran had just finished his shower. His hair was still damp, and water droplets were dripping onto the wooden floor with a steady rhythm.
Ji Ran didn’t like blow-drying his hair after washing it. His hair was short and would dry naturally within half an hour.
Since Qin Man moved in, the hairdryer had finally seen some use. No matter where he was, Qin Man would pull a plug over and sit next to him, helping him dry his hair.
Realizing he was thinking about that liar again, Ji Ran lowered his eyes and roughly towel-dried his hair.
Seeing the delivery person at the door, he frowned: “I didn’t order takeout.”
“You didn’t,” the delivery person said, glancing at the note on the order. “It says, ‘Out of town, wife is home alone and hungry, please deliver quickly.’ It’s from your husband.”
Ji Ran: “…Does my voice sound like a woman’s to you?”
Ji Ran didn’t want to make things difficult for the delivery person, so he stepped out to take the takeout.
He looked up and saw that the lights on the second floor of the house across the street were still on. Through the iron gate, he could see the white BMW from the morning still parked in the yard.
Ji Ran ate slowly, finishing the two large bowls of spicy crayfish in an hour. While he was annoyed with Qin Man, there was no need to take it out on the food. Those crayfish didn’t grow so plump for nothing; not eating them would be a waste of their short lives.
Feeling full and satisfied, he glanced over again. The lights next door were still on.
In the makeshift office Qin Man had set up, the employees sat with straight backs, struggling to stay awake. Several of them were already yawning.
There is no success without hard work. When Qin Man first took over, they often worked late into the night on project proposals. They were used to their boss’s demanding work style.
Though it was tough, their pay and benefits were exponentially better than others.
After a break, everyone found it hard to get back into the groove and were pushing through with sheer willpower.
Everyone had changed, but their boss remained the same emotionless work machine.
Qin Man was correcting an error in a proposal, his brow furrowed and his expression displeased: “…I’ve let you rest too long. Now you make such simple mistakes.”
The office fell silent, everyone pursed their lips and took the scolding obediently.
Just then, his phone rang.
Qin Man glanced at the caller ID, his expression softened slightly. He picked up the call and walked out: “Yes?”
Ji Ran’s tone was even worse than his: “It’s the middle of the night. What the hell are you doing? It’s noisy as hell.”
In this prime real estate area, excellent soundproofing was one of the features the developer boasted about.
A few minutes later, Qin Man returned. He gently placed the documents on the table.
The employees, now fully awake after the scolding, sat up straight, heads slightly bowed as if waiting for the final blow to fall.
After a moment, Qin Man said calmly, “Someone at home is checking in… We’ll stop here for today. You can go home now.”
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
I can’t stop grinning! Lmao !