Lin Jian: "My brother wasn't like this before. He must have done something to upset you, so you're punishing him, right? I hope you’ll let him go."
Luo Yao had finally had enough of listening. She realized Lin Jian had nothing important to say—he was just a complete idiot.
Just as she was about to have him thrown out, Lin Jian continued.
"My brother likes Liu Ruxue. What you’re doing is ruining their relationship, you— Ah!"
Luo Yao kicked Lin Jian three meters away. He rolled across the ground three full times before stopping, staring at her in terror, unable to believe how violent she was.
"Why—why did you hit me? I was just telling the truth! My brother said he only likes Liu Ruxue."
Luo Yao’s mind buzzed, her entire body trembling. Liu Meng frowned beside her.
At that moment, Lin Ran arrived.
On the way, Wu Zhishang kept glancing at Lin Ran for the eighteenth time before Lin Ran finally couldn’t take it anymore.
"Spit it out."
Wu Zhishang: "Lin, bro… that Luo Yao—is she actually your wife?"
When Lin Ran didn’t deny it, Wu Zhishang stood there like a statue.
"Bro! Are you serious? Do you even know who Luo Yao is? Holy hell, I always thought the rich woman keeping you was some executive from Luo Corporation, but you actually landed the big one!"
"Do you know how much money she has? We were supposed to struggle together, but you just skipped straight to the top?"
"And then you come back and tell me you’re starting a business? What kind of joke is this?"
Wu Zhishang was utterly stunned. He’d had some suspicions before, especially after that incident at the Pangu Hotel, but he never dared to guess it was Luo Yao. Now, it was confirmed.
The sugar mommy keeping his best friend was none other than Luo Yao—the heiress of the world’s top financial empire, a woman whose words could shake the entire business world.
This wasn’t just killing him—this was scaring him to death.
When they reached the parking lot, Lin Ran noticed it was nearly empty, as if it had been cleared out.
Only when he saw Luo Yao standing there did he understand.
Then, he noticed she looked furious. His brows furrowed, and when he looked closer, he saw Lin Jian sprawled on the ground.
Lin Jian: "Miss Luo Yao, if my brother offended you, I’ll apologize on his behalf. But please don’t ruin his relationship with Liu Ruxue. If you have any grievances, take them out on me."
Lin Ran’s head also buzzed. Without a word, he rushed over and kicked Lin Jian so hard he crumpled into a twisted heap.
"Damn it, what kind of trash dares to 'apologize' for me? Do I need you to take my place? Screw you! Screw you!"
Wu Zhishang joined in, kicking Lin Jian, who had only just recovered from his injuries, until his face was bruised and swollen again.
Seeing Luo Yao’s unstable state, Lin Ran quickly signaled the bodyguards, who immediately dragged Lin Jian away.
Lin Ran walked over to Luo Yao and gently stroked her back, feeling her trembling. His heart ached, and his hatred for Lin Jian reached its peak.
*Lin Jian, just you wait. If I don’t ruin you, I’m not human.*
After a long while, Luo Yao finally stopped shaking. Her icy gaze fell on Lin Ran, making even Wu Zhishang beside him too afraid to meet her eyes.
When Luo Yao’s stare shifted to Wu Zhishang, he felt a chill run down his spine.
Swallowing hard, he mustered his courage, lowered his head, and stammered: "President Luo… uh… sister-in-law, hello!"
At the words "sister-in-law," Luo Yao showed no reaction, only uttering a single word.
"Reward."
Liu Meng immediately stepped forward from behind Luo Yao and handed Wu Zhishang a blank check.
"Mr. Wu, fill in any amount—as long as the bank can process it in a single transaction. Just a reminder: don’t write anything under a million. President Luo doesn’t deal in petty sums."
Wu Zhishang stared at the check in his hand, dazed for a long time.
*Why did Luo Yao reward me? Was it because I called her sister-in-law? Does she love Lin Ran that much?*
Only when Lin Ran patted his shoulder did he snap out of it. "Just take it."
Wu Zhishang hurriedly bowed. "Thank you, sister-in-law! Thank you, Lin bro! I’ll get out of your way now."
With that, he bolted. Luo Yao was satisfied with his reaction.
She reached out to caress Lin Ran’s cheek, then suddenly raised her hand as if to slap him—stopping just a centimeter from his face before shifting back to a gentle touch.
"Spend less time with Wu Zhishang. Save more for me."
Lin Ran nodded. "Yes, my dear wife."
Luo Yao: "I hit Liu Ruxue. Are you upset?"
Lin Ran immediately grabbed her hand. "No, I’m thrilled. Does your hand hurt?" He blew on it softly, and Luo Yao finally felt better.
"Ah Ran, remember this: if you don’t want to deal with Liu Ruxue, just tell me. I’ll make sure she suffers a fate worse than death. And Lin Jian—he said you like Liu Ruxue. I almost lost my mind, do you understand?"
Lin Ran: "Don’t listen to nonsense. How could I like anyone else when I have a perfect wife like you? Who else could support me? Give me luxury cars, mansions, anything I want? You should be confident—only you can afford me."
"Whether it’s Lin Jian or Liu Ruxue, don’t believe a single word they say—not even the punctuation. Once I’m done using them, I’ll hand them over to you."
Luo Yao’s mood still hadn’t fully stabilized. She glared at Lin Ran, eyes simmering with anger. "Ah Ran, I want to possess you."
Lin Ran: "Here?"
"Fine."
He scooped her up and carried her to the car…
After this incident, Lin Ran and Luo Yao’s relationship seemed even more inseparable.
Lin Ran could also sense that Liu Ruxue was gradually becoming less important in Luo Yao’s mind—though he wasn’t sure if she was pretending or genuinely moving on.
As for her anger, it seemed directed at Liu Ruxue and Lin Jian, not at him.
*Maybe this knot has been untied… for now.*
The night passed without incident. The next day, Lin Ran decided not to go to school—staying home was better, avoiding any more dramatic twists.
Not like the principal would care where he was. With his past achievements, graduating shouldn’t be an issue.
Even if Lin Ran didn’t want the diploma, would the principal dare withhold it?
After Luo Yao left in the morning, Lin Ran wandered alone around the estate. Soon, he reached the crocodile pond, where he saw a keeper using a long pole to herd the reptiles into the water. Intrigued, he crouched to watch.
"Meow!"
Startled, he turned to see a black cat sitting beside him, also observing the crocodiles.
Lin Ran: "Little Black, where’ve you been these days?"
The cat: "Meow!"
"I don’t have food on me. Let’s go back to the villa—I’ll feed you there, okay?"
"Meow!"