If it had been before, Luo Yao wouldn’t have made this decision, because she hadn’t known just how much Lin Ran cared about the Lin Family.
But now, Luo Yao had realized that Lin Ran truly didn’t seem to care about them at all.
There wasn’t even a hint of pretense in his indifference, so she decided to be ruthless with the Lin Family.
Lin Jian took a step back, disbelief written all over his face.
He had already learned the identity of the woman before him through Lin Tianba’s description.
"Miss Luo, why…?"
Luo Yao lifted her high heel and kicked out. The already unsteady Lin Jian collapsed to the ground.
"Do you even deserve to speak to me?"
Lin Ran sighed. Truthfully, he hadn’t wanted Luo Yao to see the Lin Family—he could stomach their nonsense himself, but he refused to let his wife suffer it.
But today, there had been no choice. After all, Lin Jian had been practically begging for a beating.
Liu Yuemei exploded instantly.
"Who the hell are you? How dare you hit my son?! You wretched woman, you’ve messed with the wrong family! I’ll ruin you—I’ll make sure you go bankrupt!"
Pfft—
Lin Ran nearly choked.
What kind of delusional nonsense was this?
Make Luo Yao go bankrupt? Are you out of your mind, or am I?
Even Lin Tianba was stunned. He hadn’t expected his wife to be this reckless.
He hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "President Luo, she doesn’t understand how things work, please…"
Luo Yao shot him a frosty glare.
"Do you deserve to speak to me?"
"So, the Lin Family… You’re the ones who’ve been bullying my A-Ran all this time?"
Lin Tianba felt as if he’d been plunged into an icy abyss, his entire body turning cold.
Her A-Ran?
"President Luo, may I ask… what exactly is your relationship with Lin Ran, this… this son of mine?"
Luo Yao sneered. "Your son? How shameless can you be?"
Then, turning to Lin Ran with sudden tenderness, she asked, "Husband, how do you want to punish this old bastard?"
Husband?!
Everyone froze, including Lin Ran, who was utterly shocked. He hadn’t expected Luo Yao to just announce it like that.
So… she didn’t mind making their relationship public. He’d been wrong all along.
Seeing Luo Yao’s furious expression, Lin Ran worried she might lose control right then and there. He stepped forward and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "It’s fine. I’ll handle this."
Lin Jian’s eyes burned with jealousy, quickly morphing into pure hatred at the sight of their closeness.
Lin Ran turned to Lin Tianba. "Chairman Lin, I won’t bother dredging up the past. Today, your son brought this on himself—he had it coming. If you want revenge, feel free to try."
Then, glancing back at Luo Yao, he added, "Yao, let’s skip the whole ‘getting him expelled’ thing. Yeah, he’s a piece of work, but everyone deserves a second chance, right?"
Luo Yao frowned. "Are you sure?"
In truth, she wanted to have them all locked up—thrown in a cell and left to rot.
Lin Ran nodded, gazing at her with deep affection.
Lin Ran (internally): Let me reiterate—being called ‘husband’ is a state of mind.
Luo Yao met his eyes and suddenly felt a wave of overwhelming love. Rising onto her toes, she kissed him right then and there, completely ignoring everyone else.
The sight left every onlooker gaping. When the kiss ended, she whispered, "I’ll listen to A-Ran."
She then turned to Principal Tang. "Remember this—if anyone at this school dares to bully A-Ran again, I’ll have the whole place torn down."
Principal Tang nodded frantically, only now realizing just how influential Lin Ran’s connections were.
Luo Yao led Lin Ran away, and not a single member of the Lin Family dared to protest.
Only after they’d left did Liu Yuemei snap out of it. "Husband, why did you just let them go? Xiao Jian got beaten for nothing!"
Lin Tianba gave her a long, hard look. "You foolish woman. The Lin Family is doomed because of you. Do you even know who that woman was? She’s—forget it. We’ll talk later. Let’s just go home now."
Grumbling and fuming, Liu Yuemei followed Lin Tianba out, with Lin Jian trailing behind.
Only then did the Dean of Instruction dare to ask, "Principal Tang… who was that woman who just took Lin Ran away?"
Principal Tang, still reeling, replied, "Luo Yao."
The Dean’s eyes widened. "Who?! Which Luo Yao?"
The principal gave him a pointed look. "The one you’re thinking of. The Forbes-ranked number one who’s never shown her face. The same Luo Yao who funds our school’s scholarship program."
"Oh god—" The Dean’s legs gave out, and he collapsed on the spot.
Principal Tang warned, "Keep this to yourself. If word gets out, no one can save you."
The Dean nodded like a frantic woodpecker. "Don’t worry, don’t worry—I wouldn’t dare."
Lin Ran and Luo Yao arrived at the parking lot. The moment they got into the car, Luo Yao ruffled Lin Ran’s hair playfully.
Truthfully, Luo Yao could’ve easily delegated this matter to someone else. But she didn’t want to—Lin Ran’s affairs were hers to handle personally.
"A-Ran, I’m so happy you’ve cut ties with the Lin Family."
"From now on, you belong to me—Luo Yao."
Lin Ran smiled. "I’ve always been yours. Didn’t you know?"
Luo Yao smirked. "Well, now I want to be yours."
……
Lin Ran stepped out of the car, his hair slightly disheveled, as the luxury vehicle drove off. Passersby stared in bewilderment.
Had Lin Ran really been claimed like some kind of trophy?
Who on earth had the power to turn the school heartthrob into their personal property? The campus heartthrob was supposed to belong to everyone!
Ignoring the whispers, Lin Ran walked away from the parking lot, realizing he’d grown a thicker skin.
When he arrived at the company, Wu Zhishang was already there. Freshman orientation would end in three days, and the welcome party would follow immediately after.
Right now, the office still seemed empty, but soon it would be flooded with new faces and fresh energy.
The paperwork for the real estate company was still being processed, which would take a few more days. Once everything was finalized, Lin Ran planned to invest the 10 billion he’d just acquired into launching a new project.
To his surprise, Wu Zhishang’s girlfriend, Zhao Miaomiao, was also in the office. Lin Ran froze.
In his past life, this very Zhao Miaomiao had betrayed Wu Zhishang when he needed support the most.
Lin Ran had never liked Zhao Miaomiao—she had a male best friend, and because of him, Wu Zhishang would suffer greatly in the future.
In the past, Lin Ran would’ve stayed out of it. Bros don’t interfere in relationships, right?
But now, knowing exactly how this would play out, he had to make sure Wu Zhishang saw her for who she really was.
Still, he wouldn’t confront Wu Zhishang directly. That wouldn’t be right. Instead, he’d find a way to expose Zhao Miaomiao himself.
Zhao Miaomiao noticed Lin Ran and smiled. She had a favorable impression of him—mostly because he was good-looking.
"Lin Ran, hey!"
Lin Ran forced a smile. "Heh. Long time no see."
Wu Zhishang grinned. "Lin, it’s the weekend tomorrow. My girlfriend’s here to hang out. Wanna grab dinner with us?"
Lin Ran waved him off. "Nah, I’ll leave you two to your date."
But Zhao Miaomiao chimed in. "Come on, we’re all friends! Besides, I’ll invite my male bestie too. It’ll be fun—we can all get to know each other."