Chapter Fifty-Five: Completely Unexpected!

Lu Ran felt an indescribable, overwhelming deliciousness assaulting his taste buds. Where once he had been numb to any flavor, now it was as if his senses had been resurrected; such intense flavor coursed through him that his whole body began to tremble uncontrollably. The sudden, explosive depth of taste utterly intoxicated him, the rich savor flowing through his organs, reviving what had been withered and exhausted.

As he gently chewed the beef meatball in his mouth, tears slid uncontrollably down his cheeks.

"It's so delicious!" After swallowing the meatball, Lu Ran couldn't help but cry out. His voice quivered slightly, but it was filled with deep joy.

"Son, are you alright?" Seeing that Lu Ran hadn’t spit out the meatball, Lu Rui’s eyes grew moist with relief. After all the hardships, he was finally seeing his son eat something.

"I—I want more!" Lu Ran pleaded anxiously. "Dad, hurry, give me another one!"

Lu Rui dared not delay, quickly feeding another meatball to Lu Ran, who closed his eyes in bliss, savoring the intense flavor to the fullest.

Bit by bit, taste by taste, Lu Ran felt as if he had come back to life. His cheeks grew rosier, and even his voice lost its former weakness, growing gradually stronger. Such changes were astonishing.

Lu Rui stared in disbelief at the meatball in his hand. Who could have imagined that, after countless medicines and remedies, his son’s illness would be cured by a single bowl of beef meatballs? It was just like something out of a movie—no, even more miraculous.

Who would ever believe that a bowl of meatballs could cure anorexia?

The bowl was soon empty, Lu Ran even drinking all the soup. He looked much better now, no longer lying flat in bed but sitting up, leaning against the headboard. Looking at his father, his voice trembled, "Dad, is there any more? It's so delicious. I've never tasted anything so good!"

"Actually, that's all there is!" Lu Rui quickly replied. "Eat a little something else first, I’ll have someone bring you more right away!"

"Alright, okay," Lu Ran replied, sounding a little disappointed.

Lu Rui glanced at the medical staff nearby and quickly instructed, "Prepare some millet porridge for Lu Ran. Let’s see if he can eat that!"

"Yes, right away!" Zhang Hehai didn’t dare waste words, nodding quickly.

***

Shengshi Group

Dong Wenrui arrived at the company in low spirits. He hadn’t expected to be treated so coldly today, but he knew he had struck a nerve with Lu Rui.

"I wonder whether Chairman Lu will actually let Lu Ran try it, and if he does, whether it will help at all?" Dong Wenrui shook his head. He had considered such possibilities: if he succeeded, his future would be bright; if he failed, there was little to worry about. With his abilities, he could still secure promotions and raises in the future. His approach might have involved a bit of opportunism, but if it sped up his advancement, why not put in the effort?

"Dong Wenrui, how did it go? Was Chairman Lu satisfied?" As soon as Dong Wenrui arrived, the man who had accompanied him to buy the meatballs came over to greet him.

"Sun Tao," Dong Wenrui glanced at the man, shaking his head slightly. This was the one who had first suggested the idea and then backed out—one incident had shown Dong Wenrui all he needed to know.

Not someone to rely on.

"Tsk, Dong Wenrui, honestly, I was only joking back then. Never thought you'd actually go through with it—unbelievable!" Sun Tao chuckled. "You really went out and bought that beef meatball for Chairman Lu’s son. What am I supposed to say about that?"

"Yeah, Dong Wenrui, you’re not stupid. How could you do something so foolish?" Another employee joined in, shaking his head. "Chairman Lu is already at his wits' end. Doing this, you’re probably in trouble!"

"Exactly! I’ve never seen someone so foolish!" At that moment, a man in his thirties, Zhang Ke, walked up. He was Dong Wenrui’s main rival for the manager position of the new branch Shengshi Group was establishing.

Dong Wenrui frowned. So Sun Tao had exposed him?

Sun Tao glanced at him, then said slowly, "Dong Wenrui, I know you want to compete for the branch manager role. But even if you take a shortcut, you should do it the right way! Doing this will only make the chairman look down on you even more. Dream on if you think you’ll get that promotion!"

Dong Wenrui’s eyes grew cold. Sun Tao, who had always seemed friendly, was now saying this—had he been Zhang Ke’s man all along, just pretending to be an ally?

Zhang Ke was inwardly triumphant. He hadn’t expected Dong Wenrui to fall for such a simple trap, but now the biggest obstacle in his way had been removed.

Looking at the group before him, Dong Wenrui’s lips curled with a faint, chilly smile, his gaze tinged with deep irony. Did these self-righteous fools really think he would fail? Had it never crossed their minds that if he succeeded, the benefits would be immense?

Scheming types rarely achieve greatness.

Dong Wenrui shook his head. He had one great advantage—he was young. Youth was capital; he could endure failure.

Ignoring them, he turned to leave, when his phone suddenly rang. Dong Wenrui glanced at the screen, surprise flickering across his face. He hurriedly answered, "Chairman Lu? Is that you?"

Hearing his tone, the surrounding employees were stunned. The chairman himself was calling.

"Xiao Dong! Sorry, I lost my temper earlier," came Lu Rui’s slightly trembling voice. "What you brought was extremely effective—Xiao Ran can eat now! Come back, immediately!"

"Yes, Chairman Lu, I’ll be right there!" Dong Wenrui replied swiftly.

He hung up, then looked up at the stunned expressions around him and began to laugh. These people, who had just been mocking him, now stared at him in disbelief.

Though they hadn’t heard what Lu Rui had said, Dong Wenrui’s demeanor and actions told them enough—the beef meatballs had worked.

He gave Sun Tao a friendly pat on the shoulder and laughed, "Thank you, Sun Tao! If you hadn’t reminded me, I never would have thought of this. Looks like that promotion and raise are just around the corner!"

Without another word, Dong Wenrui turned and strode out of the lobby, leaving the others in shock.

"It can't be! He really succeeded?" The employees were stunned. Zhang Ke stared in disbelief, glancing instinctively at Sun Tao, whose face was equally incredulous. After a long while, Sun Tao gritted his teeth and muttered, "Impossible, it must be fake!"

Meanwhile, Dong Wenrui was already driving swiftly back to Lu Rui’s home.

Lu Rui had been waiting for him. As Dong Wenrui entered, he greeted him politely, "Chairman Lu, how is your son?"

Lu Rui, visibly excited, replied, "Excellent—truly excellent! I never imagined that the beef meatball you brought would be so effective. He just finished eating, even managed a little broth, and kept it down. His sense of taste has returned. You did a wonderful job. By the way, where did you get these meatballs?"

"I bought them on Sihai Street, from a newly opened shop," Dong Wenrui replied quickly. "President Lin treated us there yesterday. I was so impressed by the flavor, I thought to bring some for your son."

Lu Rui nodded, then said urgently, "Good. Take me there now!"

"Yes, sir!" Dong Wenrui’s heart leapt with excitement. He knew he had caught Lu Rui’s favor, and the promotion he’d dreamed of was now within reach.

He had never expected that a single bowl of beef meatballs would cure the young master’s anorexia.

Not just Lu Rui and his son, not even Dong Wenrui or Chen Feng could have foreseen this. Though such scenes happened in films, who could have believed that, in reality, a bowl of meatballs could truly cure anorexia?