"President Luo, I'm sorry. The door was open, so I barged in without thinking. My mistake."
Liu Meng felt a chill down her spine—Luo Yao's gaze looked like it wanted to carve her up.
Meanwhile, Lin Ran had already thrown on an outer layer, ready to step out.
"You two talk. I'll give you some privacy."
He assumed Liu Meng was here to discuss business matters.
"Ah-Ran, don’t leave. Whatever it is, you don’t need to step away. Go ahead, speak."
Luo Yao kept Lin Ran close while giving Liu Meng a look that promised suffering if her news wasn’t important enough.
"President Luo, Young Master Lin, Lin Jian just released a statement claiming he was framed—that the video was doctored."
Liu Meng spoke while placing a stack of documents on the table, silently relieved.
Thankfully, President Luo had previously instructed her to report anything related to Lin Ran immediately, no matter what she was doing.
Lin Ran’s eyes widened instantly. "Seriously? He’s trying to spin this? Does he think netizens are idiots now?"
Liu Meng grimaced.
"Actually… some netizens are choosing to believe him."
Lin Ran was speechless. So there really were idiots out there.
"Wife, what do you think about this?"
Luo Yao gazed at Lin Ran with deep affection. "Ah-Ran, you keep switching between 'Yao-Yao,' 'wife,' and 'darling.' Are you a fickle Ah-Ran now?"
Lin Ran froze. He hadn’t expected Luo Yao’s train of thought to derail so spectacularly.
Here he was, talking about Lin Jian, and she was fixated on his choice of address.
"You don’t like it? I told you I’d mix it up. No matter what I call you, it all means the same thing."
Luo Yao shook her head. "I like it. I like whatever you call me."
Lin Ran flashed a sweet smile. "Master, what’s your take on this?"
"With my eyes."
Lin Ran’s face darkened. Since when did Luo Yao start cracking jokes?
"Master, I’m serious."
Luo Yao’s lips curled. She seemed to like this title even more.
"If it were me, I’d study my enemy first, then decide whether to annihilate them outright or toy with them slowly. But trash like Lin Jian doesn’t even qualify as an enemy—he’s not worthy."
His wife had a point. Right now, Lin Jian posed no real threat—just a plaything at their mercy.
"Lin Jian really isn’t opponent material. Compared to a quick kill, I prefer slow torment. After all, there are fewer and fewer people left to torment these days."
Liu Ruxue was locked up, Huo Haini was six feet under, and the three Liu family pests were under control. With these players out of the game, the pool of potential victims was shrinking fast.
"If the three Lin beasts disappear too, won’t life become dull?"
Luo Yao stayed silent, not mentioning that she’d shipped the three Liu family members off to South Africa. It wasn’t important anyway.
"Having me is enough. How could you ever be bored with me by your side?"
Lin Ran affectionately ruffled Luo Yao’s hair.
Her silky strands, seemingly meticulously styled, turned into a tousled mess under his touch.
"Of course you’re mine, but life needs seasoning. Like cooking—the main ingredient is key, but spices are just as essential." Lin Ran hurriedly clarified, afraid she’d misunderstand.
"So, what’s Ah-Ran’s plan?"
Honestly, at this stage, Lin Ran didn’t care much about the Lin family anymore.
But giving up on revenge? Absolutely out of the question.
Lin Ran was no saint. He wouldn’t let grudges slide—the most mercy he could offer was not actively bullying others.
But if he saw someone getting bullied on the street? Sorry, not his problem.
That was Lin Ran—don’t mess with him, and he won’t mess with you.
"Counterattack, of course. But not right away. I’ll handle this myself, so don’t worry, darling. They’re not worth your attention. Right now, I’m more focused on how to love you in a way that makes you happy."
Lin Ran’s words filled Luo Yao with warmth. All these years of effort had truly paid off—in the best way possible.
"Liu Meng, you can leave now."
"Understood, President Luo. There’s a video conference in an hour, so you—"
"Out."
"...Yes."
The moment Liu Meng left, Luo Yao’s demeanor shifted into something crimson and predatory.
"Ah-Ran… it’s game time again."
Lin Ran stiffened, spotting the bracelet that had suddenly appeared in Luo Yao’s hand.
"Yao-Yao, I just… surrendered earlier."
Luo Yao smirked.
"So… Ah-Ran loves me, right?"
An hour later, Luo Yao stared at Lin Ran with teary, remorseful eyes.
"Ah-Ran, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I just couldn’t help it."
She’d hurt him again—but Lin Ran was used to it by now.
"It’s not that I’m scared. I’m worried about your injuries. Moving too much will aggravate your wounds."
His concern shattered Luo Yao’s defenses, piercing straight through her heart.
"Ah-Ran…"
She realized she needed to restrain herself—or one day, Lin Ran might actually run.
As much as he loved her now, that love was tangled with too much pain.
"Ah-Ran, I have a meeting. I’ll come find you later. Don’t run away."
"Okay, go ahead."
The moment Luo Yao left, Lin Ran winced, gritting his teeth.
No wonder Little Black said Luo Yao was ruthless. She really didn’t hold back—even with her own husband.
Unbelievable.
Only now did Lin Ran pull out his phone to check the online buzz.
Sure enough, he found Lin Jian’s "confession" video.
In it, Lin Jian wore an expression of sorrow and injustice—eerily similar to Luo Yao’s earlier guilt.
But Luo Yao’s sadness was genuine. Lin Jian’s? Pure performance. At least the green tea act was convincing.
"Hello everyone, I’m Lin Jian—the so-called 'Number One Orthopedic Expert' you’ve been talking about. Actually… inaudible… In the end, I just want to say—I don’t blame my brother, nor do I blame Ruxue. They’re both innocent."
"I only blame myself for not exposing the truth sooner, which led Ruxue astray into crime. I also owe my brother an apology—my presence stole his father’s love. If he hates me, it’s understandable. It’s my fault for never expressing my love for him properly. To everyone watching—please, don’t hide your love for family like I did…"
Lin Jian spoke with heartbreaking sincerity, but Lin Ran could barely stomach it, nearly gagging on the spot.
Even now, he’s still playing the victim and dragging me into it?
Do you really think netizens are that stupid?
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
lan, the Luo family, tracked him down - along with the babies in their arms. Mo Xuan stared pensively at the paternity test results from over a dozen top institutions, both domestic and international, showing a 99.99% match between himself and the two baby girls. At 23, Mo Xuan, a doctoral student, had become the father of two three-year-old children. The kicker? The mothers weren't even the same person! He gradually realized he was being lured step by step into an elaborate trap designed by these two yandere sisters. "Be good, little Xuan. Sister's life belongs to you entirely." "Brother, if you try to run away, I'll have no choice but to tie you up." Mo Xuan: "Do whatever you want, ladies. I give up."
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
