EPISODE 3

Without hesitation, Lu Ran carried the dog towards the car.

After placing Big Yellow in the vehicle, he turned back to take a picture of the yellow-haired man's sports car's license plate with his phone.

Finished with that, he thought of something and looked towards the roadside. He approached a girl, spoke to her briefly, then returned to the car.

Throughout the entire process, he maintained his "injured" persona, limping slowly.

Surprisingly, the driver of the sedan didn't rush him.

Watching Lu Ran get into the car, and seeing the rear door close gently, the yellow-haired man slumped to the ground, muttering, "Oh god, I'm done for!"

In a panic, he called Shen Xingzhuo, "Brother Zhuo, w-what have you gotten me into?!"

On the other end of the line, Shen Xingzhuo was still inquiring about the dog.

The yellow-haired man exclaimed in despair, "Is this about a dog? Why the hell did you choose this route?!"

Inside the van.

Lu Ran sat quietly in the backseat.

The vehicle was unusually spacious.

It seemed to be configured for eight seats, but for some reason, a row of seats had been removed in the middle.

Lu Ran sat at the very back, with a black partition in front of him.

The entire van was pitch dark, with only occasional glimpses of streetlights seeping through the windows.

Lu Ran didn't bother inspecting his surroundings.

His full attention was on the puppy resting on his lap.

Despite being called Big Yellow, the dog was actually tiny, barely reaching Lu Ran's knees when standing. It could comfortably nestle on his body without any wobbling.

Lu Ran meticulously examined Big Yellow's fur and the injury on its leg. He was a student at University Y's College of Veterinary Medicine, and he had chosen this major for Big Yellow back then. After the thorough check-up, Lu Ran finally let out a sigh of relief. He affectionately stroked Big Yellow's head. "Have you missed Dad? Dad missed you so much!" Lu Ran kissed Big Yellow several times. Big Yellow snorted and licked his face with its tongue, just like that winter nine years ago. Lu Ran's eyes turned slightly sore. Perhaps in Big Yellow's eyes, they had only been apart for a few hours. But Lu Ran had lost Big Yellow for over a decade. During the time he spent lying in the hospital bed, it was Big Yellow that Lu Ran missed the most. Watching the Shen family cause Big Yellow's death was the thing he regretted the most in his previous life.

He held back the warmth welling up in his eyes and patted Big Yellow's paw softly, speaking nonchalantly, "Fortunately, you're not severely injured. If you were paralyzed and couldn't move, it would be better if you had died."

Lu Ran wasn't referring to Big Yellow but himself.

As soon as he finished his sentence, an unexpected sound emerged from the quiet compartment ahead.

Lu Ran lifted his gaze towards the partition.

In a moment, the partition was slightly pulled aside, revealing a middle-aged man peering over.

The middle-aged man had his hair neatly combed, and his attire was impeccable.

However, his demeanor was amiable and gentle as he softly asked,

"Student, we're approaching the police station. Would you like to head to the hospital first or settle at the police station?"

"I'm not going anywhere. Please take me to the nearest veterinary clinic," Lu Ran replied.

The middle-aged man was taken aback and lowered his gaze to inspect Lu Ran's knee.

Lu Ran sat firmly in the backseat, with a dog resting on his knees.

He didn't seem at all like someone who had just been limping.

Lu Ran gazed back calmly, not the slightest bit sheepish about his attempted manipulation being exposed.

The middle-aged man was mentally resilient as well, and he simply smiled and accepted the situation with grace.

He turned to seek the consensus of the others before continuing to tilt his body sideways. Smiling, he said to Lu Ran, "Alright, it's on the way anyway."

The partition was pulled up once more.

With some distance to cover, Lu Ran calmed down and began to feel drowsy.

In the Shen residence, he had slapped Shen Xingran twice and spat at Madam Shen.

On the way here, he had rescued Big Yellow and given the yellow-haired troublemaker a taste of his own medicine.

Through all these actions, Lu Ran had acted on impulse.

In reality, he had always been uncertain whether he truly returned to the time before Big Yellow's death or if... this was just a dream within his hospital bed.

Opening his eyes, he was still greeted by cold machinery and the enclosed space of the room.

After a moment of hesitation, Lu Ran gave in to apathy.

It didn't matter anymore.

As long as he lived, the Shen family wouldn't have it easy.

Lu Ran held Big Yellow tightly, warmth seeping through his embrace.

Half-awake, half-asleep, he recalled the car.

Its brand was indistinguishable, but it seemed exorbitantly expensive.

The middle-aged man who appeared earlier wore clothes that the Shen family had mentioned before, seemingly the attire of a professional butler.

In his previous life, when Lu Ran was backed into a corner, he would dream of someone suddenly appearing to uphold justice on his behalf while lying on that hospital bed.

But after lying there for a decade, such illusions had long since faded away.

"Classmate, classmate?" A kindly voice sounded by his ear.

Lu Ran abruptly awoke. His dark eyes stared blankly for a long while, still seeing the simple patterns on the hospital ceiling etched into his retinas.

How many patterns were there, and how many strokes in each? All of these were deeply ingrained in Lu Ran's mind, impossible to forget.

"Classmate?"

It wasn't until he felt the warm sensation on his knee that Lu Ran's gaze finally focused on the middle-aged butler's face.

"We've arrived at the veterinary clinic," said the butler.

"Oh, thank you." Lu Ran shook his head and stepped out with Big Yellow in his arms.

The moment his toes touched the ground, he stumbled.

The butler promptly caught him, filled with guilt.

How could he assume that the teenager was attempting to extort compensation! Clearly, it was out of excessive concern for his pet that he neglected his own injuries.

Look at how badly his leg is injured; he can barely stand.

"The hospital really isn't necessary?" the butler inquired.

Lu Ran gave him a puzzled glance, expressed his gratitude, and then carried Big Yellow into the veterinary clinic.

Does one still need to go to the hospital even with a numb leg?

This affluent family is indeed particular.

Lu Ran conducted a thorough examination of Big Yellow at the hospital.

Fortunately, Big Yellow's leg injury wasn't severe; it would only cause a slight limp in the future. However, due to the inconvenience caused by the injury, the dog would need to stay in the hospital for a few days.

After tending to Big Yellow's wounds, Lu Ran sat by the cage and kept the dog company for a while.

Taking advantage of this break, he retrieved his phone to receive a video.

Just before he got into the car, he had rushed to the roadside in search of the kind-hearted person from his previous life who had provided him with the video, so he could obtain it.

The video captured the entire sequence of Big Yellow's accident.

From the sports car deliberately veering towards the dog hiding on the sidewalk to the driver accelerating and deliberately crashing into him.

Lu Ran had edited out his own part and uploaded only the section where the sports car intentionally struck the dog onto the internet.

In his previous life, the content of the video was even more grim.

But after obtaining the footage, Lu Ran, fearing it would cause trouble for the Shen family, had suppressed the matter as if nothing had happened.

Now... well, he couldn't care less about the Shen family's fate.

As the video gained traction online, its popularity gradually escalated.

Initially, it sparked outrage against the wealthy second-generation for recklessly driving and hitting the dog.

As the buzz grew, someone even dug up that the same sports car had previously been involved in an accident on campus, hitting someone.

More scattered but clearer videos emerged.

They were taken on a secluded road at a local university, where several luxury cars surrounded a student who had fallen to the ground. The vehicles would pretend to speed up and almost collide with the student, then abruptly stop, toying with their prey like a cat playing with a mouse, leaving viewers with goosebumps.

Big Yellow's eye-catching red sports car was among them.

The incident immediately blew up.

More revelations followed, claiming that the student in the video had sustained injuries, but the wealthy offspring had collectively pressured the school to suppress the matter.

Such an incident was utterly inconceivable.

Netizens slammed the yellow-haired individual and the other cars in the video relentlessly. They even flooded the official Weibo account of the involved university.

Lu Ran watched for a while, then put away his phone and looked at Big Yellow, who was receiving an IV drip inside the cage.

He opened the cage and gently stroked Big Yellow's head. "Rest well, I'll come see you another day."

After bidding farewell to Big Yellow, Lu Ran left the pet hospital.

He paused on the road for a moment, then without hesitation, hailed a taxi and headed straight back to the Shen residence.

Not long after he left, the extended limousine passed by the pet hospital once more and smoothly came to a halt in front of it.

The car remained quietly parked on the side of the road, with no one getting out.

After a while, a low and deep voice came from the partitioned backseat, "Forget it."

With the words spoken, the car started up again.

Lu Ran quickly returned to the Shen residence.

Logically speaking, he should have taken Big Yellow and left the Shen family's house right away.

But events from his past life had shown that even the path of departure was sealed off by fate.

And why should he be the one to leave?

Lu Ran strolled into the living room, only to find it empty.

The current head of the Shen family, his biological father Shen Hongyuan, was currently on a business trip.

The heir to the next generation of the Shen family, his older brother Shen Xingyu, was busy with a project overseas. His second brother, the prodigal son Shen Xingzhuo, didn't have a great relationship with the family and lived outside most of the time.

At this moment, Lu Ran wasn't curious about where Madam Shen and Shen Xingran had gone.

Given how protective the Shens were of Shen Xingran, even a stumble over a stool would send them rushing to the hospital for a checkup.

Now that she had been slapped twice by him, they would surely be anxious enough to do a full-body examination.

A brain scan might be in order too, to treat any ailments early on.

Lu Ran appreciated the peace and quiet.

He returned straight to his room, brushed his teeth and went to bed without a care in the world.

Early the next morning, Lu Ran got up and headed to the dining room.

The housekeeper had already prepared breakfast.

Lu Ran usually had a packed morning schedule, so he left the house quite early, often while the Shen family was still asleep.

Yet, no matter how rushed he was, he would always wait patiently until everyone was awake before starting his meal.

The Shen family, however, never waited for him to eat.

On this particular day, Lu Ran ignored those conventional rules. Under the disapproving gaze of the housekeeper, he lifted the steamer lid and grabbed a bun, beginning to eat right away. He then helped himself to a bowl of porridge without any hesitation.

Soon, some noise came from upstairs.

Mrs. Shen was descending.

Lu Ran looked up.

Madam Shen was composed and patient.

She strolled down slowly and sat at the table.

Noticing that someone had touched the breakfast on the dining table, she immediately lifted her gaze to look at Lu Ran.

Her eyes carried a distant disdain, but she quickly suppressed it.

She picked up her chopsticks as if nothing had happened, reprimanding, "Ranran took the day off today and doesn't even want to step out of his room."

Lu Ran pretended not to understand and asked innocently, "Why isn't he coming out? Is he too ashamed to face people?"

Madam Shen lost her composure. "After what you did to your brother, you still have the audacity to eat breakfast! How shameless can you be?"

Lu Ran listened quietly to Madam Shen's words before suddenly laughing.

The privileged Madam Shen was clearly not skilled in scolding.

But being called shameless by her own mother was an unusual experience for her.

In his previous life, Lu Ran had been deeply affected and plagued with self-doubt upon hearing this. He had become cautious in his actions and hesitant to speak up.

In this life...

Lu Ran nonchalantly nodded. "That's right, that's right."

As he spoke, he reached out to take the steamer of crab roe buns in front of Madam Shen and transferred them to his own plate.

"I haven't had much exposure to fine things due to my humble background. Please forgive me, Madam," Lu Ran said with a forced smile that didn't reach his eyes.

Madam Shen's chopsticks grasped at thin air. "..."

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