Chapter 0292

Lin Ran smiled helplessly, thinking to himself that Little Black had developed a genuine fear of Luo Yao.

But then again, Little Black had never actually met Luo Yao face-to-face.

The one time they did cross paths, Luo Yao had nearly killed it with a single slash of her blade.

Though at the time, Little Black had leapt out of the backpack in an instant—surely Luo Yao hadn’t gotten a clear look at it.

If he had to name his friends, Wu Zhishang would count as one, and Little Black, though not human, definitely qualified as another.

Since they were friends, shouldn’t he find an opportunity to introduce them to his wife?

After all, without Little Black, he would never have met Luo Yao in the first place.

It was as if some mysterious force had orchestrated their fates—his, and Luo Yao’s.

Lin Ran walked into the bedroom and chuckled at the sight of the tightly shut door.

Little Black must have been so terrified of Luo Yao that it was imagining things.

He pushed the door open quietly and approached the bed, only to find Luo Yao lying in the exact same position as when he’d left. He couldn’t help but mock the situation internally.

Hah, what a cowardly cat.

Wait.

Lin Ran suddenly realized something odd.

Why had Little Black never willingly shown itself to Luo Yao? In fact, it had never let her see it at all.

At most, it only appeared when Luo Yao was asleep.

It was almost as if it was avoiding her.

Was there some unavoidable connection between Little Black and Luo Yao?

Or was he overthinking it?

No, something was off. There had to be more to this.

There was a saying: No one hates or loves you without a reason.

Luo Yao loved him because time rewinding had planted that seed in her heart since childhood.

He loved Luo Yao because his "rebirth" had left him with memories of their past.

But why had Little Black been so kind to him, even granting him three wishes?

Had this been the inevitable outcome from the very beginning?

Lin Ran exhaled, feeling his head spin.

He couldn’t figure it out. Not at all.

Slowly lifting a corner of the blanket, he slipped underneath.

He closed his eyes but didn’t sleep.

He knew Luo Yao was pretending.

How? Because the bed was cold.

Luo Yao might have a cold personality, but her body wasn’t—she still had a normal human temperature.

If she’d been sleeping for a while, the bed should’ve been warm. But Lin Ran could only feel her body heat, not the residual warmth of the sheets.

That meant she had just climbed in.

The realization made him smile, but he didn’t call her out.

If Luo Yao opened her eyes now, he’d tell her Little Black’s story.

But since she was pretending to sleep, it meant she wasn’t ready to listen—or didn’t want him to know she’d been awake.

Fine. He’d play along. Besides, he wanted to unravel this mystery bit by bit.

There was something thrilling about the process of discovery.

Next time Little Black showed up, he’d get a cat carrier ready. No matter what, he’d make sure his wife got to pet it a few times… and maybe help Little Black overcome its trauma.

Luo Yao was adorable—how could she possibly kill a cat on sight?

Gradually, Lin Ran drifted off. Meanwhile, Luo Yao’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.

Luo Yao’s inner monologue:

[A-Ran actually likes cats as pets… Should I get him a few? He did ask about it before.]

[But what if the cats steal his affection? Ugh, cats are the worst. Anything A-Ran likes is annoying, especially if it’s black.]

[No way am I letting him have pets. I’m his cutest pet—he should only spoil me.]

[Next time I see that black thing, I’m ending it. Doesn’t matter if it’s a cat or a dog.]

With that, Luo Yao fell back asleep.

---

The next morning, Lin Ran woke up to find Luo Yao already working in the study.

Today, she had her assistant team manipulate Luo Corporation’s resources to short-sell Samsung’s stocks.

This required massive capital—but Luo Yao was never short on funds.

While others needed financial giants to collaborate on such moves, Luo Yao was the giant.

Why target Samsung first?

Simple: Luo Yao wanted the world to know she only went for the toughest opponents.

If she could hurt Samsung, deplete their funds, their collaboration with the three major families of Shanghai would start crumbling.

After all, that Shanghai project was a money pit.

And once their finances weakened, she’d have the upper hand in crushing them.

No one had expected Luo Corporation to strike first—and so early.

Samsung, of course, fought back by stabilizing their stock prices through massive buybacks, which still drained their reserves.

A few days prior, Liu Meng had already filed an official application to mobilize funds for Shanghai’s bidding war, submitting the project proposal.

Soon, Luo Corporation would drop a bombshell in Shanghai—one so shocking it would make every investor’s eyes pop out of their sockets.

Luo Yao had even given this plan a fittingly ruthless name:

"Devour Samsung Alive, Skin the Lu, Li, and Wang Families."

If all went well, any capital backing the wrong side would suffer devastating losses—at best. The worst-case scenario? A group trip to the rooftop.

In business, mercy was a luxury.

If the enemy was already stepping on your face, you didn’t wait for them to strike.

Had Luo Corporation failed, those vultures would’ve picked its bones clean.

The corporate world was often more brutal than war—a relentless, suffocating battleground.

And yet, the mastermind behind it all sat calmly in her study, enjoying her husband’s doting care.

Lin Ran walked in with a cup of coffee.

Luo Yao glanced at it.

"I don’t drink coffee."

Lin Ran grinned. "I know. This is mine. Yours is here."

From behind his back, he produced a steaming cup.

"Homemade rose-infused brown sugar water. Your period’s coming up—this’ll help."

Luo Yao was touched. He remembered even this.

"A-Ran, you’re too good to me."

The entire assistant team shuddered.

Luo Yao was known in Luo Corporation as an ice-cold, ruthless tycoon. Yet in front of Young Master Lin, she melted into an affectionate kitten.

(Assuming he hadn’t messed up, of course.)

The contrast was jarring.

Boss Luo, please go back to normal. We preferred you when you were frosty—this is just unsettling.

Lin Ran’s smile was like spring sunshine.

"My heart is vast, but there’s only room for you. Who else would I spoil if not you?"

Assistant team’s inner scream:

Damn, this guy’s smooth. His words are so syrupy they could clog a drain.