Chapter 0248

Wu Zhishang crossed his arms, his expression leaving no room for doubt.

Zhang Xinyan gritted her teeth and said, "No one in this world could pull this off. Even if I wrote without thinking, there’s no way to finish a 50,000-word script in 24 hours. It’s an impossible task—you’re just messing with me."

Wu Zhishang replied, "That’s your problem, not mine. Believe it or not, I can find someone who can do it."

"Who?" Zhang Xinyan asked skeptically.

"@Tom Without Fur."

Tom Without Fur shot back, "Screw off, I can’t do it. Not even 10,000 words."

Wu Zhishang shrugged. "Fine. Point is, someone can. If you can’t even write one script in 24 hours, why did you apply to be an assistant?"

Hearing his unwavering insistence on this impossible task, Zhang Xinyan felt a mix of frustration and helplessness. But she clenched her jaw and said, "Fine. I’ll take it."

A glint of determination flashed in her eyes. She was resolved to accept the challenge—even if the odds were slim, she wouldn’t back down easily.

"Then get to it. You’ve got 23 hours and 58 minutes left," Wu Zhishang said, checking his watch dismissively.

Zhang Xinyan walked away, her heart heavy with resentment. Her retreating figure looked small and forlorn, like a bird struggling against the wind and rain.

Meanwhile, Wu Zhishang leaned back in his executive chair, basking in the intoxicating rush of power. The smug curve of his lips betrayed his self-satisfaction—he was downright pleased with himself for putting Zhang Xinyan in such a tight spot.

"Piece of cake. I really am a genius," he muttered, grinning ear to ear.

Just as he was reveling in his own brilliance, the sharp ring of his phone sliced through the silence like a blade through still water.

Wu Zhishang picked up the call.

A cold voice on the other end demanded, "Wu Zhishang, do you want to live or die?"

The words were like an icy dagger, stabbing straight into his chest.

Wu Zhishang stammered, "Bro Lin, I was just taking a break. Do you have to be so dramatic? Aren’t workers human too?"

A mocking laugh crackled through the receiver. "Workers are the elite of society. But if you don’t deliver that short drama to me ASAP, you won’t be human for much longer."

"Shit, I forgot! On it now!"

Wu Zhishang suddenly remembered—Zhang Xinyan had completely derailed his train of thought. Cursing his carelessness, he scrambled to send the file.

He tried to transmit it directly to Lin Ran, but the file was too large. Uploading it to a cloud drive risked leaks.

He considered sending an assistant to deliver it in person, then remembered Luo Yao hated other women getting close to Lin Ran.

Sending a male assistant? No good—Lin Ran had mentioned Luo Yao’s aversion to men.

For a moment, Wu Zhishang was truly stuck between a rock and a hard place. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

In the end, he had no choice but to deliver it himself.

Once Lin Ran had the full short drama, he and Luo Yao settled in bed to watch it.

They watched until they were tired, slept, woke up, made love, ate, and then watched some more.

It was as if this was their happiest time—no outside disturbances, just the two of them.

Just as Lin Ran was losing track of time, Luo Yao received a call from Liu Meng and let out a soft sigh.

"Ah Ran… I have to go to the company tomorrow for a meeting. You…"

"I’ll go with you. But you head over first—I’ll make lunch and join you at noon."

Lin Ran gently stroked Luo Yao’s hair, his eyes brimming with affection.

He had fully embraced his role as a devoted lover now. His future belonged to Luo Yao—no coercion, just pure willingness. He’d do anything for her.

"Okay," Luo Yao replied with a smile as radiant as spring blossoms.

The next day, Luo Yao arrived at the Luo Corporation. Though she bore injuries, she carried herself like a queen, and everyone in her presence lowered their heads.

Lin Ran stayed behind at the estate—he had one last thing to take care of.

Little Black.

Since returning, he hadn’t seen the cat or known how it was doing.

Given that it had been injured—and by Luo Yao’s hand, no less—he owed it some concern.

A twinge of guilt nagged at him. He felt responsible for checking on Little Black.

Sure enough, he spotted the dark silhouette in the sky garden.

Little Black lay there motionless, like a shadow given form.

"Meow—"

The cat’s cry carried a hint of reproach when it saw Lin Ran.

"Little Black, I’m sorry on Luo Yao’s behalf. Just remember the promise you made me, okay?"

Lin Ran spoke earnestly.

[Little Black: "So… you’re apologizing to me… for Luo Yao’s sake?"]

The cat’s eyes gleamed with dissatisfaction and doubt.

"Obviously?"

Wasn’t that how it should be?

Lin Ran's rhetorical question was matter-of-fact. In his heart, Luo Yao was irreplaceable.

"You’re just a cat. Even if you died, the law wouldn’t care. But if my wife died? I couldn’t handle that."

["How the hell can someone with a 37°C body temperature say something so ice-cold?"]

Lin Ran burst into laughter. "Relax, I’m joking. I’m not that heartless."

His tone was light, as if he were sharing an amusing anecdote.

["Do I look like I’m laughing?"]

Little Black shot him a disdainful glance, tail flicking impatiently—as if Lin Ran were nothing but a childish fool.

Lin Ran stifled his laughter and moved closer, sitting beside the cat with an appeasing air.

He reached out, running his fingers through Little Black’s sleek, ink-dark fur in slow, soothing strokes.

Guilt flickered in his eyes. Everything that had happened during their time away had left Little Black wronged, and he knew he owed the cat better.

"Alright, tell me—what’ll it take for you to let this go?"

Little Black gave him a strangely human smirk.

["First, do a backflip…"]

Lin Ran’s face froze in shock.

"That petty, huh?"

But offending Little Black wasn’t an option—not when the cat was Luo Yao’s safeguard. Gritting his teeth, he agreed. "Fine. Done."

What followed was a spectacle of flailing limbs and graceless tumbles. Lin Ran’s attempts at a backflip were so clumsy, the air itself seemed to cringe.

Finally, Little Black had seen enough.

["Stop, stop. If you can’t do it, just say so. If you get hurt, Luo Yao will skin me alive."]

"So… we good now?"