How vulgar! Mr. Lin, we're simply following protocol with our questions, yet you resort to insults. Do you truly believe your crude language can conceal the fact that you and Chen Qingtian are in cahoots?
Lin Ran laughed, utterly amused by these people's absurd logic.
"Who set these so-called protocols? And what 'facts' are you even talking about? Do you have some unique misunderstanding of the word 'fact'? Otherwise, how could you spin such a ridiculous story? Are you living in some parallel universe where 'facts' mean something entirely different?"
Another reporter chimed in with a loaded question.
"Are you mocking our profession because you fear we'll expose your facade? We're only seeking the truth objectively."
Lin Ran turned to the reporter and replied,
"Wow, my friend, you should win a 'Creative Writing Award.' The way you twist facts with such 'creativity' is truly a 'talent.' I say you misunderstand facts, and you accuse me of mocking your profession? What brand of nonsense are you peddling? Turning cassava into sweet potatoes?"
Reporter: "Mr. Lin, may I ask xx@%#..."
Lin Ran: "Just don’t hide behind the banner of journalism to mislead the public. The audience isn’t stupid—your little tricks will be exposed sooner or later. Learn to respect facts, or your credibility will plummet below zero."
The reporters grew visibly irritated. From start to finish, Lin Ran had been speaking in veiled jabs, offering no useful information—exactly what they didn’t want to hear.
Just as they prepared to fire more questions, a group of uniformed officers arrived.
Everyone froze in confusion. Some reporters glanced out the window and noticed official government vehicles parked downstairs.
The officers cleared a path, and the reporters, too intimidated to obstruct, hastily stepped aside.
Was another major incident about to unfold?
Like flies drawn to a scent, the reporters swiveled their cameras toward the newcomers.
Soon, a wheelchair was pushed to the entrance, carrying an imposing elderly woman.
Someone immediately recognized her—Su Jianguo.
"Grandmaster Su? The national hero Su Jianguo? Why is she here?"
"Did Warm Yao Media offend the authorities, prompting Grandmaster Su to personally intervene?"
"But would a small company like Warm Yao Media even warrant her attention?"
Su Jianguo’s gaze swept across the room with authority.
Chen Qingtian and Lin Ran quickly pushed through the crowd to greet her.
"Grandma."
"Grandmother."
Silence.
What had they just called Su Jianguo?
Grandma?
Grandmother?
Su Jianguo smiled warmly.
"I heard someone was giving my granddaughter and grandson trouble. As their elder, I naturally came to see for myself."
Shock. Petrification. Stunned silence.
Good heavens.
Chen Qingtian was Su Jianguo’s granddaughter, and Lin Ran was her grandson.
How had the media missed such a monumental detail?
Earlier, Chen Qingtian had mentioned being Lin Ran’s cousin, but no one believed her. Now, the truth was undeniable.
The gravity of the situation sank in, and a farcical scene unfolded.
Reporters scrambled to call their superiors.
"Boss, listen—Chen Qingtian… What? You already published? Pull it back now, or our company is finished!"
"Yes, yes! Tell everyone to stop writing blind nonsense. Chen Qingtian isn’t someone to mess with."
"Lin Ran is Su Jianguo’s grandson. Who’s Su Jianguo? Look it up, damn it! How are you even a media boss?"
Some reporters began slipping away, unwilling to become targets.
"You think you can slander my granddaughter and grandson and just walk away?"
Everyone froze.
Su Jianguo’s tone wasn’t threatening, but no one dared move.
The Chen family of the capital.
While the Chen name might not be widely known to the public, those with any experience knew their influence.
Chen Xiao was merely the education minister, but his sons were anything but ordinary—and his wife, Su Jianguo, was a national hero receiving government honors.
Someone checked their phone and realized the online narrative had shifted. Official media had stepped in, condemning the public for jumping to conclusions and explicitly naming Chen Qingtian.
Cold sweat dripped down the reporters’ backs.
Su Jianguo glanced affectionately at Chen Qingtian and Lin Ran before turning back to the press.
"Well? Cat got your tongues?"
The reporters stood mute.
"Grandmaster Su, we didn’t know about Chen Qingtian and Lin Ran’s background. We were just here for an interview—nothing more."
"I’m just an employee, Grandmaster Su. Our boss ordered this. Take it up with him."
Su Jianguo’s voice turned icy.
"For media outlets that have already twisted the facts, I, Su Jianguo, will pursue accountability. As for the rest—I expect no further such reports."
"After all… the Chen family’s reputation isn’t something just anyone can trample."
The reporters nodded frantically.
"Of course, of course! Rest assured, nothing from today will leave this room."
"If I breathe a word, I’m a dog. Chen Qingtian is a beacon of integrity in the entertainment industry."
"Mr. Lin is a role model for our generation."
The reporters’ talent for flattery was on full display.
Su Jianguo looked at Lin Ran.
"Ran, how should we handle this?"
Lin Ran initially wanted to hold each accountable but reconsidered, not wanting to corner them.
"Let it go this time."
The reporters exhaled in relief, silently baffled.
Why had Chen Qingtian and Lin Ran kept this identity a secret?
A mere hint would have had the entire industry groveling at their feet.
Unbelievable.
Lin Ran instructed Wu Zhishang to manage the reporters while escorting Su Jianguo into the office.
"Ran, how are things with Yao Yao lately?"
"Madly in love."
"Good, good. Don’t forget to visit this old woman sometime."
"Don’t worry, Grandmother. Thank you for coming to our defense today."
Su Jianguo studied Lin Ran fondly. In some ways, he reminded her of Chen Yanyan.
Her daughter had been blind in love, but at least her grandson had better judgment.
"It’s my duty. I’m a bit tired now, so I’ll head back."
Su Jianguo was genuinely weary, her health not what it once was.
"Let me see you out."
"No need. I have a driver—government-assigned."
Before leaving, Su Jianguo gave Chen Qingtian a pointed look.
"This time, you were in the wrong. Next time, I won’t bail you out. Understood?"
Chen Qingtian nodded. "Understood."
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
