Chapter 0105

Lin Ran wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his heart still pounding.

Turning to look around, he noticed Luo Yao wasn’t by his side.

After steadying himself, he got out of bed and walked to the balcony. The little black cat, Xiao Hei, was well-hidden in the darkness, but its bright eyes gave away its position.

“So it was you who scared me awake, little one?”

“Meow!”

Lin Ran patted Xiao Hei’s head, and the cat naturally curled up at his feet.

“No time to play with you—I need to find my wife.” Lin Ran let go of the cat.

Xiao Hei: So, you just came here to feed me dog food, huh?

Stepping out of the bedroom, Lin Ran spotted Uncle Fu practicing Tai Chi downstairs.

“Uncle Fu, have you seen Luo Yao?”

Uncle Fu straightened up, ending his movements.

“The young mistress said she went out for a walk. I don’t know where exactly.”

Then, with a knowing smile, he added, “Young Master Lin, would you like some more tonic soup?”

Uncle Fu had always been puzzled—despite Lin Ran and Luo Yao being inseparable, why hadn’t there been any news of a little one on the way?

He’d hoped to dote on another young master before his time was up.

Lin Ran’s face darkened. The bolder his past declarations, the harder they’d come back to bite him now.

“No soup for now, but…”

Uncle Fu kept smiling. “But what?”

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen the butler smile like that.”

Uncle Fu froze. Why did that sound a bit… pointed?

“I’ll go look for Luo Yao. You keep practicing your Tai Chi.”

With that, Lin Ran left the villa, leaving Uncle Fu standing there, bewildered.

The estate was vast. Aside from a few visits to the rooftop garden and one trip to the crocodile pond, Lin Ran rarely ventured beyond the villa.

The surrounding lights were beautiful as he strolled, searching for Luo Yao.

Suddenly, a troubling thought crossed his mind.

Wasn’t there a secret room somewhere on the estate?

How did Lin Ran know? Because in his past life, he’d been there once.

Back then, he’d genuinely thought Luo Yao was going to end him—thankfully, it had just been a false alarm.

Could Luo Yao have gone to that room?

Lin Ran remembered how, in their past life, Luo Yao would sometimes vanish without warning. He’d later realized it was a habit of hers when her condition flared up.

Now that he thought about it, was she like those troubled women in stories who sought solitude to vent their anger and frustration?

Earlier, Liu Ruxue had shown up.

Given Luo Yao’s obsessive devotion to him, her mood might have soured.

Sigh. It was all his fault.

A wave of guilt washed over him. Should he go check the secret room?

If he showed up unannounced, would it startle her? After all, in this life, he’d never been there before.

Luo Yao hated him seeing her in moments of frenzy, but Lin Ran couldn’t bear to let her suffer alone.

The more he thought about it, the worse he felt.

“A-Ran, are you looking for me?” A sweet voice called from above. Lin Ran looked up—somehow, he’d wandered beneath the rooftop garden.

“Yeah! Are you stargazing?”

Relief washed over him. Of course—in this life, he’d been nothing but devoted. Why would Luo Yao relapse now?

“Will you join me, A-Ran?”

“Always.”

Lin Ran knew Luo Yao loved stargazing—perhaps a habit born from loneliness.

Climbing up, he sat beside her, their faces bathed in starlight, radiating happiness.

“Yao Yao, if something’s bothering you, you have to tell me.”

“Of course. I promised I’d never hide anything from you. Right now, I’m happy. Truly.”

After a pause, she added softly,

“A-Ran, if we can keep living like this… I’ll always be this happy.”

Lin Ran turned and kissed her cheek, struck anew by her beauty.

“We will.”

Meanwhile, in an unprecedented move, Suran Group held an emergency shareholders’ meeting late at night—with every single member in attendance.

Lin Tianba, bandaged and bruised, sat at the head of the table, facing the gathered investors.

“Lin Tianba, you finally decided to show your face, huh?”

“Seriously, do you even know what state the company’s in? Hiding in a storage room all day—what, did you lose a long-lost sibling in there?”

“Hmph! It’s about time you stepped down as chairman.”

“Whether he steps down or not doesn’t matter anymore. The company’s already finished.”

“Look at the chairman’s face—did a truck run over it? Wrapped up like a mummy.”

Though crude, the remark drew scattered laughter. Lin Tianba’s disheveled state had been obvious the moment he walked in, but no one had dared mention it until now.

Lin Tianba stood, bowed deeply to the room, and then resumed his seat before speaking.

“Everyone, my apologies for calling this meeting so late. While Suran Group is facing challenges, I believe that with unity, we’ll overcome them.” He deliberately avoided explaining his injuries.

His conciliatory tone did nothing to calm the room—if anything, the murmurs grew louder.

“Chairman Lin, isn’t this just self-deception at this point?”

“Hah! ‘Overcome them’? ‘Unity’? That’s rich.”

“‘Challenges’? Is that what you call this?”

“Resign. The company won’t survive under you.”

Lin Tianba clenched his jaw, enduring the ridicule. These people had done nothing but collect dividends for years, yet now that trouble hit, their tongues were sharper than knives.

Finally, after relentless taunts, he snapped.

“Have you no shame? Under my leadership, you’ve all profited massively—your initial investments repaid tenfold! And now you demand I step down? Where’s your conscience?”

Aside from Lin Tianba, the largest shareholder was Qu Te Niang (a name derived from his father’s love for specialty liquor), holding 15% of shares.

“Chairman, must I spell it out? What have you actually accomplished? Our success had nothing to do with you.”

“Back when Chairwoman Su Yanyan was alive, Suran Group was among the elite in the capital. Now, while our valuation’s higher, our old rivals have multiplied in scale. You call this progress? Pathetic.”

“Besides, without our initial investments, you’d be nothing.”

“We invested because of Chairwoman Su’s competence.”

“After she passed, look at you—scraggly, unfit to lead.”

Lin Tianba forced down his rage. He still needed these people.

“Qu Te Niang, is it the chairman’s seat you’re after?”