Chapter 0142

One faction firmly believed Lin Ran was being kept as a sugar baby.

Another faction, led by the stubbornly optimistic "Warmth," opposed this view.

Of course, the vast majority were just spectators, siding with whoever seemed stronger at the moment and pitying the underdog.

Just as the three sides were locked in heated debate, the school administration stepped in.

[School Announcement: Discussions about Lin Ran are prohibited on the forum.]

The main issue was that many had crossed the line from discussion to outright vulgar insults—so many that deletions couldn’t keep up.

The system’s profanity filter was about as effective as a stroke patient, completely failing to catch the coded slurs.

Soon after, Principal Tang called Lin Ran directly.

After listening for a moment, Lin Ran finally understood.

"Oh, you mean the stuff about me and Luo Yao? Don’t worry, I’m not bothered. Besides, it’s all true… What? They’re insulting me? Tell them to bring it on. I’ll shut them down hard."

"Relax, my comebacks aren’t that crude, but they’ll hit harder than theirs… No, no, I won’t get banned."

With Lin Ran’s reassurances, Principal Tang felt at ease.

His real concern wasn’t Lin Ran being insulted—it was the possibility of angering the powerful figure backing Lin Ran.

That woman was fiercely protective, something Principal Tang knew all too well.

After hanging up, Lin Ran logged into the forum and became a virtuoso of online verbal combat.

But as he fired off retorts, he suddenly frowned.

"Warmth"? Who the hell was this?

Why was this random person suddenly speaking up for him? Did he even need their defense?

Damn well-intentioned troublemaker. If he ever found out who this was, he’d shove their head into a sewer drain and let them play staring contests with rats.

[@Warmth, who asked you to speak for me? Drop your address—I’ll mail you some "local specialties"...]

After Lin Ran posted that, "Warmth" vanished from the forum, never to return.

Lin Ran quickly grew bored.

The forum was full of amateurs—no challenge at all.

Three days flew by, and by Friday, Wu Zhishang and the team finally wrapped up filming, conveniently avoiding intruding on Lin Ran and Luo Yao’s weekend getaway.

Lin Ran was pleased with their work, and someone suggested he treat the crew to dinner as thanks for their considerate timing.

After a moment’s thought—Luo Yao had mentioned eating out tonight anyway—Lin Ran agreed without hesitation.

The venue? The Pangu Hotel.

Beijing’s only seven-star establishment.

The announcement sparked excited gasps. Lin Ran arranged things with Ye Lingling and led the group there.

Little did he know just how explosive the evening would turn out to be.

Upon arrival, Lin Ran had Ye Lingling take everyone inside while he and Wu Zhishang parked.

Returning to the entrance, they encountered a walking cliché of a man blocking their path.

Both froze. This guy looked familiar.

Their high school classmate—Shi Nanci.

Not just a classmate, but Lin Ran’s "rival," having also been a devoted lapdog to Liu Ruxue.

Liu Ruxue’s greatest talent? Stringing along admirers like a pro.

"Well, well, if it isn’t our school heartthrob. What, working a side gig here?"

Lin Ran and Wu Zhishang exchanged glances.

Yep. Definitely him.

Shi Nanci deliberately flashed the three-pointed star key fob on his belt.

After high school, he’d dropped out to start a business. Against all odds, this academic failure had actually scraped together some success, becoming a "small-time" entrepreneur.

This year, he’d even managed to finance an eighth-hand flood-damaged Mercedes and planned to impress his former crush here tonight.

Said crush? Liu Ruxue, naturally.

"Shi Nanci? What are you doing here?" Wu Zhishang asked, puzzled.

"Surprised? Back then, you all looked down on me. Now you’re here to serve me."

Taking in Wu Zhishang’s plain clothes and Lin Ran’s no-brand outfit, Shi Nanci concluded they’d fallen on hard times.

"You two work here, right? Go fetch your manager. Is this how you treat guests? No greetings, nothing."

He still thought they were part-time staff.

Lin Ran rubbed his temples.

This was too clichéd, too low-stakes. Such crude bravado didn’t even warrant his attention.

He wasn’t about to stoop to this eye-rollingly bad drama.

"Your turn to handle this," Lin Ran muttered, walking past.

Wu Zhishang was torn between laughter and facepalming.

"Shi Nanci, Shi Nanci… what even is there to say? Do you have any idea who Lin Ran is? He owns this hotel."

No beating around the bush—straight to the point.

Shi Nanci blinked, then burst out laughing.

"Hah! What nonsense is this? Do you even know where we are? This is the Pangu Hotel!"

Wu Zhishang waved over a security guard—one who immediately approached, recognizing him as the boss’s associate.

"Tell him. Who owns this place?"

The guard hesitated but answered, "That would be Mr. Lin Ran, who just walked in."

Wu Zhishang gave Shi Nanci a pitying look and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Some say Heath Ledger’s Joker was the best. Others say Joaquin Phoenix’s. But we all know the truth, my friend—you’re the real clown here."

With that, he walked off, leaving Shi Nanci gaping.

Lin Ran would’ve scolded him for wasting a perfect chance to humiliate the guy properly—maybe even have him thrown out. But Wu Zhishang just… let it go.

Meanwhile, Shi Nanci’s mind reeled.

"No way…"

Lin Ran was just the Lin family’s unwanted outcast. How could he own a place like this?

This had to be fake.

After struggling for years to achieve his modest success, was he really just a joke compared to Lin Ran?

Before he could process this, Liu Ruxue arrived.

"Nanci, sorry to keep you waiting. Why are you just standing there?"

Liu Ruxue gazed at the Pangu Hotel, memories flooding back—of the time Lin Ran had utterly crushed her pride here.

"Oh! R-Ruxue! Let’s head in. Did you know? This is the finest hotel in Beijing."