Love Delusion: Chapter 51

Having figured this out, Lin Anran had a certain sense of consciousness, and he put away his tail more carefully than usual.

Shang Hao had said, “Don’t pay attention to strange people,” but he was afraid that he didn’t understand the sacred will of Boss Shang. Worried that the monitor might not be the person Shang Hao was talking about, he began to pay attention to any strange person in his daily life.

Because of Lin Anran’s alertness, no one had thought that one day a week later, this alert blind cat would actually run into a dead mouse.

A major event happened in Lin Anran’s peaceful life.

The course of the matter could be said to be very tumultuous. The matter started when Lin Anran went downstairs to take out the garbage one afternoon.

He had walked this fixed route for many years, and he was so familiar with it that he could walk it correctly even with his eyes closed. For the first time, he noticed that there were two strange men next to the route.

These two people had placed down their bags and settled down at a distance of about 50 meters in a straight line from their building. They squatted under the cover of the trees and building, and seemed to have been doing so for over an hour. They were acting like they were walking but this was clearly not true.

Lin Anran watched carefully and secretly for a while, and he unexpectedly found the corner of a camera lens in the bushes on the side of the road.

However, they seemed to have extra patience and perseverance, and their positions had not moved more than half a point. While one person stalked, the other person stood by the side, each taking turns. When someone passes by, they would pretend to be passersby and look around at will.

Shang Hao’s gossip wasn’t easy to find. He had a team of professional security, changed cars every day, and often drove an empty car to confuse others, so that they had no way of knowing whether he was actually in the car or not.

These brothers lingered for a few days, and finally summed up a few of the routes that these cars had travelled to with more frequency. Therefore, they sent some people to observe.

They had been squatting there for a long time. One of them left midway to buy cigarettes at a convenience store. After returning, he took apart the cigarette case at random and handed a cigarette to the other person.

“Brother Liu.” The person who bought the cigarette looked in one direction. “That person has been behind us for a long time. Is he following us?”

The direction he was looking at was Lin Anran, who was pretending to watch the scenery next to him on the stone bench.

That man seemed courageous, but he was even more afraid to look at them when he knew they were looking at him. The words guilty conscience were practically written on his face.

He continued, “This person is very weird. When I went to buy cigarettes just now, he followed behind me all the way.”

The other person took his cigarette and held it in his mouth, glancing in the direction he was looking. At a glance, he said, his voice puzzled, “He’s a resident. I saw him coming out of the building just now.”

“What does he want to do?”

After Brother Liu lowered his head and lit his cigarette, he stared back in the direction of the building and said, “Go check it out.”

Lin Anran squeezed the bottle of water he’d just bought from the convenience store. He saw one of the two people suddenly lifted his leg and walked toward this side, exactly in the direction where he was.

Lin Anran forced a calm composure, but the mineral water bottle in his hand was squeezed into rattling.

He threw away the trash just now, and after thinking and thinking about it, he still didn’t go upstairs, deciding to see what these two men were up to.

He was so panicked that he wanted to leave on the spot, but because he was afraid of exposing his weirdness, he was forced to sit down on the stone bench, stiffly not looking at the person who came to sit next to him.

Seeing that Lin Anran still didn’t dare to face him, the man felt even more strange.

“Buddy?” he said, passing the cigarette in his hand.

Lin Anran could clearly feel that he was sweating behind his back, not knowing whether it was because he was nervous or it was too hot. After a pause, he stretched out his hand, took the cigarette, and pinched the trembling cigarette in the palm of his hand.

When the man saw him answering, he started talking to Lin Anran, “You live here?”

Lin Anran didn’t speak. Pretending to be calm, he nodded.

The man lit his cigarette and started chatting with Lin Anran, “You’ve been here since I saw you earlier.”

The atmosphere went quiet for a few seconds. Lin Anran felt like it was his turn to speak. As soon as he spoke, he realized that his voice sounded abnormally stupid. “I…wait for someone.”

“So that’s it.” It was unclear whether the man believed it or not.

“This is an old community here, right? It has been built for a few years?”

“Maybe for many years…”

He and Lin Anran chatted about some things. It was unknown how long it took to get to the point.

“I think, brother, that you are a real person. You should have noticed that we’re not from this community. I won’t hide it from you. Let me tell you something, but don’t say anything to others…” he said in a low voice. “Do you know that you have someone famous here recently?”

Lin Anran lowered his head. He didn’t say anything because he couldn’t think of anything to say.

“Don’t believe it? Think about it. Just in the last few months, was there someone new in your building?” The person seemed to be speaking unintentionally, tempting him.

Lin Anran’s heart said no.

I’m sorry, but you won’t get the slightest news about my boyfriend from me.

Lin Anran silently shook his head. Fortunately, his mouth was closed tightly. This person wanted to get news from him? In his dreams!

The man looked at Lin Anran as if he didn’t quite believe it, and wanted to work harder to add more firewood, but at that precise moment, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of a figure descending from the sky. His expression became stunned.

In their line of business, the most basic professionalism was to first be able to survive.

For two to three weeks straight, it was common for them to not be able to relax for 24 hours a day. Who knew if the fish would slip away at the moment of napping and relaxing, wasting such long-term efforts.

What kind of shit luck was walking today.

Located on the other side of the path not far away, as if they had won the lottery, they actually squatted until the legendary target himself appeared.

After seeing that figure, he confirmed again and again. Yes, the news was correct. It really was Shang Hao. He was so excited that his hands were shaking. Fearing that his eyes were seeing wrong, he dared not relax. He didn’t want to startle the snake and tried to restrain the cheer that rose to his mouth.

He no longer cared about Lin Anran beside him. He looked at the person stalking on one side urgently, and gave him an unspoken wink: snag it.

The end result was already in sight. All they needed to do now was to wait here for the next few days and nights. But after knowing Shang Hao’s correct whereabouts, would everything be alright?

The direction Shang Hao was walking was toward the guarded entrance of the building they were watching.

The man stood up with a smirk and said to Lin Anran, “Continue sitting, buddy. I’ll step away first…”

As he said this, his eyes were fixed on Shang Hao’s figure, his heart ecstatic.

Suddenly, the target they were observing seemed to cast a look at this side.

The man was startled. He didn’t dare act rashly. He immediately sat down again as if nothing had happened and continued to observe.

Shang Hao should have kept walking after that glance. Unexpectedly, the ancestor not only didn’t look away, but after a pause, he started walking towards this side.

The distance was getting too close! The man felt a little stunned. His colleagues not far away had already started packing up the SLR in the bushes on the side of the road, ready to run quietly at any moment.

Something frightening happened. Shang Hao was still approaching, and so the man and his colleague exchanged glances, preparing to withdraw.

Today really was full of evil luck.

Because, when the colleague was about to run away, he was suddenly stopped by a patrolling security guard. What’s more, the honest person beside him, who had been like a mute rabbit, suddenly showed his fangs. He abruptly grabbed the man’s arm, holding him tightly.

Just now, Lin Anran had secretly called the security guard.

The guard on duty was the one who’d stood next to Lin Anran last time and watched Boss Shang’s car leave with him. He always very enthusiastically followed after Shang Hao.

Lin Anran was very afraid that the two of them would run away and they would fall short.

Facts proved that his worry was right. The security guard arrived in the nick of time.

So Lin Anran told himself: Lin Anran is a smart child.

Lin Anran was also very nervous. Shang Hao ran the last few steps. Before the man broke free from Lin Anran’s grip and was about to flee, Shang Hao grabbed his arm. He twisted his hand backward like a towel, and the man struggled painfully, unable to move. He was then handed over to the other security guard who just arrived.

The first thing Shang Hao asked Lin Anran was if he was injured.

“No.” Lin Anran looked at the person who had been taken over by the newly arrived security guard.

Shang Hao’s tone of voice wasn’t good as he asked the men, “Which media?”

The two men hung their heads, not answering.

Most likely, they were wild, unruly paparazzi who sell materials for money. This often involved the infringement of personal privacy.

Shang Hao called his assistant to come back to deal with it. Meanwhile, Lin Anran had been hiding behind Shang Hao. He had always been hiding behind Shang Hao.

The person who spoke to Lin Anran just moments ago looked at Lin Anran with surprise, his expression as if he’d been struck by lightning.

Under his gaze, Lin Anran’s heart was tight and guilty to the extreme. So, he suddenly raised his arm and wrapped it around Shang Hao’s shoulder, and said in a rush, “How kind of you to help, good brother.”

They couldn’t be discovered, couldn’t be discovered, couldn’t be discovered….

Shang Hao: ?

He watched Lin Anran’s reaction and easily wrapped his arm around Lin Anran’s waist. Now, it seemed like he and Lin Anran were embracing.

But it didn’t matter, Lin Anran comforted himself nervously. They were good brothers so it was normal for them to hook arms around each other.

Then Shang Hao, the pig teammate, smoothed back Lin Anran’s hair, lowered his head, and pressed a kiss to his forehead. He asked, “Are you scared?”

Lin Anran was so scared that he covered his forehead: !!!

The facts he so carefully tried to conceal had just been smashed to pieces right in front of his eyes.

The eyes of the two captured paparazzi looking at Lin Anran abruptly changed to “wtf.” They were completely dumbfounded.

Why were they squatting? After a long period of trouble, the end result was to be played by the master here?

———

Lin Anran was very brave today.

After the assistant quickly rushed over and took over, he and Boss Shang went upstairs. He was still in a daze, not understanding Boss Shang’s meaning.

“What are you thinking about?” Shang Hao asked him.

Lin Anran was still in a daze.

Shang Hao said helplessly, “Ranran, can you tell me why you thought of following those two people?”

Lin Anran silently opened his mouth: Huh?

“Don’t risk yourself next time.” Shang Hao sighed and hugged him.

Listening to the meaning of Shang Hao’s words, so these two people today weren’t the “odd stranger” that Shang Hao had mentioned?

So had the mysterious person appear or not appear? He felt that he would have a nervous breakdown if that person didn’t appear.

Shang Hao’s assistant called to make a follow-up report. After he was done with the phone call, he saw that Lin Anran was sitting at the computer.

“Still painting?”

“No.” Lin Anran kept his back to him, but his tone of voice was slightly distressed. “I’m chatting with the boss.”

In fact, Lin Anran had done his best to accompany this chatty person. This boss had chatted with him for practically the whole day today.

Some communication on the specific requirements of the work was necessary. Other than that, Lin Anran rarely chatted with the people who commissioned work from him. But he was helpless because the other person was just too enthusiastic, like a grandmother who had taken his hand and now refused to let go, constantly chatting.

As soon as his voice fell, he could sense Shang Hao’s warm body approaching him. He leaned down, hugged Lin Anran from behind, and asked in his ear, “What are you talking about?”

Lin Anran was thinking about how to reply. The chat interface was still up on his computer, and he hesitantly told Shang Hao, “This person… he seems to be introducing his son to me.”

He was being kind, and Lin Anran was very grateful, but it wasn’t necessary. It was also inappropriate.

Shang Hao then saw the chat record.

The other party wrote: “This child is very rebellious, but he has been independent since he was a child. Even so, his ability is still excellent. He can manage the company, his character is also trustworthy, and he has no bad habits…”

Lin Anran also liked the boss’s description and sincerely returned a few 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻.

The other party seemed to be satisfied, so he held Lin Anran to chat even more persistently. Although Lin Anran only replied “mmn”, “ohhh” and other system expressions most of the time, the two still seemed to have a very happy conversation.

Master Shan was very easy-going and had been talking to him for a few days now. Sometimes Lin Anran had time to respond and sometimes he would respond too late. The information that he passively learned was that the other party’s unfilial son was very rebellious. Although he was good, he was rebellious, such as that one time on a certain day of a certain year…

Lin Anran typed a reply here: “Mmn mmn.”

This person asked for a portrait. He sent the photo over, and it looked like a solo photo of a retired traveler. In the photo, an elderly man was cheerfully facing the camera and behind him was a magnificent waterfall.

Master Shan was in a good family situation. His first request was to make an oil painting appointment with Lin Anran, which shocked him.

However, Lin Anran believed that his oil painting level hadn’t yet reached the point where it could be sold at a clear price, so he negotiated with him to change to the current style.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t care about this weird person.” It was Shang Hao who said this, still maintaining the posture of holding Lin Anran. He seemed to be very dissatisfied with that person’s attitude.

“But……”

“It’s okay. You can just let him play there by himself, and he’ll leave after a while. If he’s too annoying, just block him.”

Lin Anran couldn’t quite agree. Strictly speaking, this was currently his boss, and he needed to provide good customer service.

“Shall I handle it for you?” Shang Hao asked.

Lin Anran hurriedly said, “No need.”

The other party just liked to chat. It would be better if he just finished the commission as soon as possible.

Shang Hao looked at Lin Anran for a few seconds and said helplessly, “Didn’t I remind you to ignore strange people before?”

Lin Anran subconsciously felt that this matter was rather complicated. No, definitely not. He shouldn’t be that “odd stranger” person, right?

“But since you’ve already met him…” Shang Hao was silent for a long moment before asking, “Do you know Shang Shihang?”

Lin Anran’s eyes widened. He was silent for a while, before he cautiously said, “Your…your father?”

Shang Hao had said before that the situation in his family was rather complicated. His parents divorced many years ago. His mother had settled abroad due to work, and his father was in poor health so he bought a small island in the South Pacific to recuperate. At present, his father had a new lover and had just added a younger brother to Shang Hao last year. He had rarely returned to China in recent years.

The computer received a new message. Master Shan was still persevering in dripping away at him. “Is the Great God still there? Great God? Great God?”

Lin Anran shivered with fright.

Shang Hao’s arm passed by him on both sides, and he typed a response for Lin Anran, shouting like a child, “Go away, don’t bother me.”

Shang Hao was a little dissatisfied with his father. How many times had he told him that Lin Anran wasn’t ready yet? How can he come over to play already? Why contact Lin Anran secretly without telling him first?

Shang Shihang was silent for a few seconds, before typing back abruptly: “Unfilial son!!!”

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