CH 8

Lin Ran’s body had some stiffness as he knelt on the ground, not even daring to look up at Song Zhi Xu. 

He was afraid that if Song Zhi Xu said “Yes”,then he would be unable to stop from crying out.

If Song Zhi Xu really wanted to send him away, he would not refuse. He did not want to become a ‘bother’ for Song Zhi Xu, kept pestering him and refused to let go. 

Song Zhi Xu was silent for a while, but he only answered him drily, “Will not.”

With only these two simple words, made Lin Ran who was kneeling on the ground jerked his head up and his bright eyes were full of surprise.

“Song Zhi Xu? You will not, do not want Ran Ran?” Lin Ran asked again with nervousness. His eyes already clouded with a layer of moisture.

Song Zhi Xu glanced at the time on his mobile phone, it was already close to noon. Aunt Chen had left in a hurry so she hadn’t made lunch yet, therefore he had to do it. 

He put the phone back in his pocket and gave a clear “Hn.” when he passed by Lin Ran.

Only when Song Zhi Xu reached the kitchen door did he hear Lin Ran say behind him, “Thank you.” 

Song Zhi Xu didn’t know what expression he should put on his face for a moment, as he had been told “Thank you” by the two brothers in a row.

Lin Ran’s long eyelashes were still covered with tears that hadn’t fallen, but the corners of his lips curled up in a bright smile as he lowered his head and scrubbed the floor even harder. 

Song Zhi Xu was really good to him so he must treat Song Zhi Xu even better.

Because of Lin Ran’s habit of not having leftovers, this time Song Zhi Xu deliberately put fewer dishes into his cooking. He did not cook the porridge, so the three dishes plus the rice were almost enough for two people to finish eating it. 

By the time he finished his cooking, Lin Ran who was outside had finished wiping the floor and had gone to the french window to clean it.

Because the french window was too high, Lin Ran stood on tiptoe, trying his best to make himself able to wipe as high as possible. The slender figure standing by the window couldn’t even block much light as the hem of his t-shirt was raised, revealing a little of his waist and he could see clearly his spine. 

He was just a little fool, what kind of person could abuse him like this? Song Zhi Xu’s heart unconsciously took more pity on him.

“Olc Ejc, vbc’a klqf la jcswbgf! Jbwf tfgf jcv fja!” 

Olc Ejc lwwfvljafis aegcfv jgbecv abkjgv atf nblmf, yglculcu klat tlw j rwlif bc tlr ojmf. Lf geyyfv tlr jgw ktlmt kjr j ilaaif rbgf ogbw kbgxlcu la eq obg rb ibcu jcv cbvvfv tlr tfjv byfvlfcais.

Lf kfca ab atf yjatgbbw jcv kjrtfv tlr tjcvr mjgfoeiis yfobgf tf mjwf bea. Lf rkjiibkfv jr tf ibbxfv ja atf vlrtfr atja kfgf gfjvs bc atf ajyif. 

“Song Zhi Xu, you’re so amazing.” Lin Ran sat down on a chair and served rice in front of Song Zhi Xu before sitting down to eat.

He ate very quickly and kept putting it in his mouth. Song Zhi Xu made sweet and sour small spareribs and because he was eating in such a hurry, he even clucked his teeth, covered his cheeks and spat out a bone. 

“Song Zhi Xu, there are bones.” Lin Ran’s teeth hurt and his voice unconsciously took a bit of a pitiful tone.

Song Zhi Xu didn’t expect him not to know how to eat spareribs so he sighed and asked him. 

“You’ve never eaten spareribs?”

Lin Ran shook his head, “Auntie said that meat is expensive and Ran Ran can also grow tall by just eating vegetables.” After saying that he lowered his voice again and muttered in a small voice, “But meat is so tasty.” 

It wasn’t that Lin Ran had never eaten meat before. Only on the few occasions when his Gege went to visit him, Auntie Nanny would cook a lot (a feast of table) so he would be able to eat it at that kind of time, but he couldn’t eat meat if his Gege didn’t come.

Song Zhi Xu didn’t ask anymore, he just picked a piece of pork ribs with his chopsticks and put the meat into Lin Ran’s bowl. 

“Eat it like this.”

Lin Ran picked up the meat using his chopsticks from his bowl and put it into his mouth, squinting his eyes in satisfaction and nodding his head vigorously, then he picked up another piece and put it in Song Zhi Xu’s bowl just like how Song Zhi Xu did it. 

“It’s so delicious, Song Zhi Xu eats it too.”

Song Zhi Xu also continued to eat quietly, then nodded slightly in satisfaction under Lin Ran’s eager eyes looking at him. 

But he didn’t expect that after knowing he liked it, Lin Ran would take all of the spare ribs and put them all in his bowl.

Lin Ran subconsciously felt that he had to give all the delicious food to Song Zhi Xu, like this, it would mean that he was treating him well, so he gave all the ribs to Song Zhi Xu. He himself ate the other food. 

Song Zhi Xu couldn’t refuse so he was forced to eat the whole plate of pork ribs, but fortunately he didn’t make so many of it, so he was able to finish it.

Lin Ran braced himself to eat the rest and the two of them didn’t have any food left this time. 

After eating, Lin Ran cleaned and tidied up the table, washed the bowls carefully and went to clean the glass again, but he was stopped by Song Zhi Xu.

“You just ate, don’t work.” Song Zhi Xu was silent for a moment and added, “I don’t need you to work that much here,just clean it once a week.” 

Lin Ran paused and looked at him in surprise, “So little?”

Song Zhi Xu nodded affirmatively. 

He didn’t need Lin Ran to work in the first place, since even the housemaid only needed to clean up the villa once in a while. However, it was only because if he suddenly didn’t let Lin Ran work now, he must think that he was going to kick him out again. That was why Song Zhi Xu didn’t stop him.

“Then Ran Ran will clean up properly.” Lin Ran poured a glass of water and brought it to Song Zhi Xu, then squatted down between the sofa and the tea table, propping his elbows on the table and lifting up his chin as he looked at Song Zhi Xu. 

Song Zhi Xu briefly browsed through and glanced at the stocks on his computer. He then noticed Lin Ran’s gaze who looked at him sideways, slightly puzzled.

“What are you looking at?” 

“Song Zhi Xu, you are also a very important person to Ran Ran now, just as important as papa, mama, and gege.” Lin Ran said in a small but serious voice.

“Your…papa, mama?” Song Zhi Xu thought about it, frowning. 

He thought that Lin Ran had a bad relationship with the Lin family husband and wife, after all, when the Lin family couple passed away, Lin Ran didn’t look sad.

“Hn.” Lin Ran nodded, “Papa, Mama, and Gege were always with Ran Ran up there.” 

Song Zhi Xu originally thought Lin Ran was talking about when people died, they went up to heaven, but instead found him pointing upstairs.

Song Zhi Xu couldn’t say anything for a moment. 

Lin Ran was probably afraid that Song Zhi Xu would not believe him, so he pulled him upstairs.

Song Zhi Xu did not say anything and followed him upstairs. 

After entering the room where Lin Ran had stayed last night, Lin Ran went to the bed, opened his backpack bag, carefully took out a photo frame from it and showed it to Song Zhi Xu, the three people in the photo.

Inside was a photo that Song Zhi Xu had seen before when he was a child at the Lin family residence. The three people in the photo were the young version of Lin family couple and around eight or nine years old Lin Mu. 

“Papa, Mama, Gege, they’re all here.” Lin Ran pointed them out one by one to Song Zhi Xu.

Song Zhi Xu was somewhat surprised that Lin Ran had always thought that his mom and dad were in the picture. 

“Then what about… Gege from yesterday?” Song Zhi Xu continued to ask.

“Un…that one is my big brother (Da gege), here it’s my little brother (Xiao Gege).” Lin Ran’s clear eyes were full of seriousness. 

When the nanny’s son laughed at Lin Ran and said that he was a feral child so he did not have a mother and father, Lin Ran cried for a long time before then the nanny gave him this and told him that his mother, father and elder brother were there.

From then on, Lin Ran would talk to the picture every day and he did not cry again. 

Song Zhi Xu was silent for a long time before he said, “So you’ve never seen them apart from the photos?”

Lin Ran nodded his head, wiped the photo frame carefully and put it properly in his backpack bag again. 

Song Zhi Xu didn’t know what to say, no wonder Lin Ran didn’t feel any sadness, no one from the Lin family had ever visited Lin Ran except for Lin Mu.

The little fool who had been thrown outside since he was a child and had no family that would ask about him, no wonder he had been bullied into this state.