Chapter 0104

Lin Tianba frowned, admitting to himself that he was growing increasingly annoyed with Liu Yuemei. His temper flared once again.

"You stupid bitch, how can you still be hung up on such trivial matters at a time like this?"

Liu Yuemei let out a bitter laugh.

"Trivial? Ha... Then tell me, what counts as important?" The pain from her fractured bones made speaking difficult.

"Brother Dao just came to see me. If we don’t repay the debt, he’ll drag you off to ‘teach foreign languages.’ 130 million—does that count as important?"

"The first installment for the loan we took to acquire those shares is due soon—over 30 million. Does that count as important?"

"The loan for the land the group bought earlier also needs repayment—another 20 million. Does that count as important?"

"Compared to all that, me slapping you is nothing. So tell me, which side actually matters?"

Liu Yuemei’s face grew paler with each word, eventually turning ghostly white. She rarely concerned herself with these matters and had no idea they owed so much this month.

Everything had seemed fine before—how had such a massive hole suddenly appeared?

"I... Then what do we do? Honey, you have to think of something!"

Lin Tianba sighed. Right now, he had no solutions.

Liu Yuemei suddenly seemed to remember something. "Honey, didn’t we collect a billion from the presale of those apartments recently? Can’t we use that money?"

Lin Tianba: "That’s the company’s money. It can only be used to repay the loan for the land purchase. As for the personal loans we took for the shares and what we owe Brother Dao, we’ll have to find another way. This time, we’re truly cornered."

He didn’t want to admit it, but the facts were undeniable.

"Why don’t we just repay the loans first? You’re the boss—just tell the finance department to transfer the money to you. As for the buyers wanting refunds? They’re just a bunch of lowlifes; ignore them."

Lin Tianba stared at Liu Yuemei like she was an idiot. How had she become so stupid?

"How many times do I have to say it? That’s the company’s money."

"But you’re the boss!" Liu Yuemei sounded genuinely confused.

"Goddammit—I’m the boss, but the company has shareholders. We can’t distribute profits in this situation. If I misuse company funds, it’s illegal. Do you understand what illegal means?"

Liu Yuemei was stunned. She truly didn’t know these things.

"Forget it, there’s no point explaining. I’ll figure something out." With that, Lin Tianba stormed out of the hospital room again.

Meanwhile, Lin Jian lay silently in bed, his heart heavy, already considering unavoidable questions.

"Son, what should we do now?" Liu Yuemei could only pin her hopes on Lin Jian, praying he had a solution.

"Wah, roo roo gwa gwa dan you gou gou qie si wu hua, uh qi san zi wo bu biu si di si za si, wo da si di si..."

Liu Yuemei frowned. "Son, just type it out on your phone!"

Lin Jian hesitated, then pulled out his phone and typed a message.

[Mom, if Dad misuses company funds, it’s definitely illegal. But right now, that’s not my biggest concern. I’m worried Suran Group might go into bankruptcy liquidation. If the assets aren’t enough to cover the debts, we’ll be saddled with them personally.]

After reading the message, Liu Yuemei felt as if she’d been struck by lightning.

Every penny she’d painstakingly saved over the years had gone to Lin Tianba. Not only was it all gone, but she might also be dragged down with him.

"Son, what do we do? Mom doesn’t want to live like that."

Lin Jian typed again: [There’s no way out. You can divorce Dad, but as his legal heir, I can’t escape.]

Liu Yuemei fell into deep thought. Maybe there was still a way.

"Son, I need to tell you something, but you have to keep it secret for now."

Lin Jian motioned for her to continue.

After a long internal struggle, Liu Yuemei finally spoke with difficulty.

"Actually, you’re not—"

"Yuemei, I’ve called a shareholders’ meeting. I’m planning to distribute profits early and repay the debts." Lin Tianba suddenly barged in—he’d stepped out earlier to arrange the meeting.

Liu Yuemei’s heart nearly leaped out of her throat.

"O-oh? R-really? That’s... good." She forced herself to breathe steadily.

"Yuemei, are you okay?"

"N-no, just... in a bit of pain."

"Liu Yuemei, prep for surgery," a nurse called from the doorway.

Liu Yuemei lay back on the gurney.

"Honey, I’m going in for surgery. You go handle the shareholders’ meeting."

Lin Tianba found her behavior odd but dismissed it—an injured woman was bound to act strangely.

He left to attend the meeting, still nursing his own wounds.

"Son, Dad’s heading to the company. Be good, follow the doctors’ orders, okay?"

Lin Jian nodded. He had nothing left to say.

As Lin Tianba left with a face full of worry, Lin Ran was at the manor, sipping medicinal soup.

"Wife, how was my performance earlier?"

"A-Ran is always the best."

Lin Ran: "I’m sorry you had to suffer through that. A perfectly good weekend, wasted on those disgusting people. Don’t come with me next time."

"Did A-Ran have fun today?"

"Hmm... Honestly, just thinking about how I beat Lin Tianba still feels great. But this is just interest on what he owes me for all the abuse. What’s coming next is the real dead end."

"Once he’s completely ruined, I’ll make my move. That old bastard will be furious—just imagining it gets me excited."

"A-Ran is amazing." Luo Yao was happy too. She adored this version of Lin Ran.

"Wife, I’m tired. I want to rest."

"Okay, let’s rest together."

Luo Yao didn’t object. A-Ran was tired; he needed to sleep.

Under the mingling glow of sunset and moonlight, Lin Ran slipped back into that strange dream.

A pitch-black night. A primeval forest. Lin Ran stood before a cave, where he saw those eerie, crimson eyes again. This time, he could see clearly—they were human eyes.

Beneath them, a mouth opened, oozing an unknown red liquid. Lin Ran guessed it was blood.

The thought sent chills down his spine, yet those eyes held a hypnotic pull, drawing him deeper into the darkness.

Gathering his courage, Lin Ran stepped forward under the faint moonlight, inching toward the cave.

"Hello... May I come in?"

Those blood-red eyes held answers he desperately wanted.

The mouth slowly opened, releasing a sound no human could make.

"Meow—"

The shrill, unnatural noise made Lin Ran clamp his hands over his ears.

"Ah—!" He jolted awake, every hair on his body standing on end.

"Meow!" The familiar cry of a cat echoed outside the window.