Chapter 027

Liu Ruxue’s face turned pale. The woman she had met twice left an indelible impression on her. Every time they met, Liu Ruxue felt as if she was about to be slaughtered by this woman.

"Dad! Brother actually kissed that beauty in public. Isn’t this damaging the reputation of our Lin Family?"

Lin Tianba glanced at Lin Jian but said nothing. Sensing Lin Tianba’s mood, Lin Jian quickly changed his tone.

"It’s all my fault. I haven’t been paying enough attention to my brother, so I didn’t notice how he’s been tarnishing our family’s reputation. This is on me!"

"Dad, don’t be too hard on him. Just let him kneel and apologize, and then forgive him!"

"Don’t hit him either. If you hit him, it’ll hurt me too!"

Lin Tianba sighed.

"Xiao Jian, you’re just too kind, which is why he keeps taking advantage of you."

"Now he’s even pressuring me to hand over my dividends. Even if this unfilial son kneels and apologizes, I’ll never forgive him. He’s lost me as his father forever."

Lin Jian: "Dad, don’t blame Brother. I wonder who that woman in the car was?"

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Lin Tianba’s mind.

"Xiao Jian, I have something to tell you!"

He leaned close to Lin Jian’s ear and whispered something. As he spoke, Lin Jian’s eyes widened in shock, then gradually filled with excitement.

Lin Tianba naturally wanted Lin Jian to get close to Lin Ran and, through Lin Ran, get closer to Luo Yao. Ideally, he could gain Luo Yao’s attention, or even stay by her side.

That scoundrel Lin Ran was only a little handsome. Even if Luo Yao had some interest in him, it was probably just because of his looks. When it came to talent, his younger son, Lin Jian, was his pride and joy.

Even if things didn’t work out, he could always go to Lin Ran and squeeze some benefits out of him. After all, he was Lin Ran’s biological father. What could Lin Ran possibly do to him?

Wasn’t it only fair that he, as the father, got a share of the benefits from the Luo Family? He had brought Lin Ran into this world, so Lin Ran owed him everything. Even a dog understood this basic principle, and Lin Tianba certainly did.

After receiving his father’s instructions, Lin Jian thought of something else. He and Liu Ruxue walked into the campus together, whispering to each other.

Soon, Liu Ruxue’s eyes also widened in shock, then slowly filled with excitement.

Lin Jian sneakily pinched Liu Ruxue’s butt: "Oh, not bad. I’ll have to give you a ‘health check’ sometime."

Liu Ruxue blushed: "Lin Jian! You’re so bad. You’re asking me to go after Lin Ran? Aren’t you jealous?"

Lin Jian: "Go ahead. I trust you can protect yourself. As long as Lin Ran is with you, I’m sure that young lady won’t let him off easily."

Liu Ruxue: "So… you’re not jealous?"

She knew that her relationship with Lin Jian could never be made public. Lin Ran, on the other hand, was a perfect cover. Besides, Lin Ran had become more handsome and wealthy. Being with him didn’t seem like a bad idea.

The thought of managing both brothers was thrilling.

It wasn’t so much that Lin Jian was asking her to seduce Lin Ran, but rather that she had already wanted to get close to him.

On the first day of the semester, many senior students were busy as volunteers, helping with orientation and club recruitment. But Lin Ran had no intention of wasting his time on such things. He went straight to find his best friend.

Opening the long-unseen dormitory door, he found Wu Zhishang still asleep. The other two roommates hadn’t returned to school yet.

"Old Wu! Old Wu!"

No response.

"Son! Son?"

Still no response.

The entire campus was bustling with activity on the first day of school, yet this guy remained completely unfazed. What impressive sleep quality!

Lin Ran grabbed a handful of his friend’s hair and yanked him up. The pain immediately woke Wu Zhishang.

Wu Zhishang looked dazed, staring at the clump of hair in Lin Ran’s hand. He reached up and touched his head.

He was bald.

"Sorry, Old Wu! You were sleeping too deeply!"

Wu Zhishang took a deep breath, shook his now-nonexistent bangs, and suppressed his anger.

"Brothers! Brothers! We’ve been through thick and thin together. I’ll let this slide!"

"You handsome devil, I’m warning you. You’d better have a good reason for this, or else I’ll pretend you never said anything!"

Lin Ran felt a little awkward. He hadn’t meant to make Wu Zhishang’s already thinning hair even worse.

"Old Wu! How’s the company doing?"

Wu Zhishang smirked proudly: "It’s all set up. We’re just short on staff now. Being on campus is perfect—we can recruit directly from here. Both the students and the school will support us. After all, everyone wants an internship certificate."

Lin Ran nodded: "Let’s find an opportunity to talk to the dean. Of course, we won’t take just anyone. People like Liu Ruxue, for example, are out of the question."

Wu Zhishang gave a thumbs-up: "Got it! I heard Liu Ruxue interned all summer but didn’t get her certificate. Hilarious!"

"Apparently, she tried to seduce her boss and got fired on the spot."

Lin Ran was stunned. That was quite the scandal.

Wu Zhishang: "It’s annoying to think we’ll have to see that trashy woman around."

Lin Ran: "After today, she won’t be in our class anymore!"

Wu Zhishang: "...???"

Meanwhile, in the dean’s office, Liu Ruxue was in shock.

"Why?"

"No reason. Starting today, you’re no longer a student in the Finance Department. The dean has arranged for you to transfer to the Foreign Languages Department to study Burmese."

Liu Ruxue couldn’t believe it: "Are you kidding me? What right do you have to change my major? This is tyranny! I’ll report this to the education bureau!"

The dean looked at her with disdain. He despised students who got in through connections.

"Go ahead! But before you do, I’ll have the education bureau investigate how someone like you, with such poor academic performance, got into Capital University in the first place!"

"Wait… you can’t do this…"

The dean: "Don’t act innocent. The Luo Corporation has already informed the school about your attempt to seduce a married man. The fact that you’re not being expelled is already a mercy."

"If you don’t want to change your major, I’ll have to ask the dean to expel you instead."

Liu Ruxue: "I was framed! You’re so unreasonable… Fine, I’ll study Burmese."

Seeing the dean’s cold expression, Liu Ruxue gave up resisting.

She walked out of the office in a daze, and soon her phone buzzed.

Looking at it, she saw a message from the dean. A flicker of hope rose in her.

Had the school changed its mind?

Dean: [I forgot to mention earlier. Your performance at the orientation party has been canceled. The student council said your dance looked like a squirming worm and isn’t suitable for the stage.]

Liu Ruxue stood frozen in place, unable to move for a long time.

Why had she been so unlucky lately?

First, Lin Ran left her. Then she was inexplicably saddled with a million-yuan debt. And now, even her best friend had abandoned her.