Chapter 0317

Lin Ran didn’t hold back his curses, leaving Li Chifen momentarily stunned.

Behind them, Liu Meng couldn’t suppress a snort of laughter.

Just as Li Chifen was about to speak, Lin Ran tightened his grip—hard.

Li Chifen winced in pain. He was a man of wealth and cunning, but brute strength was never his forte.

Lin Ran, on the other hand, had spent years working part-time jobs and training his body. Handling Li Chifen was effortless for him.

Luo Yao stood coldly by Lin Ran’s side and asked, "Do you have something to say?"

Lin Ran glanced down at Li Chifen, whose face was twisted in pain. "My wife’s asking you a question. Speak up. What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

Li Chifen was Luo Yao’s rival, enemy, and even something of a sworn foe.

That made him Lin Ran’s enemy too, and Lin Ran was no saint.

The two bodyguards behind Li Chifen moved to intervene, but Wang Bao and Little Tong immediately blocked their path.

Li Chifen forced out a strained whisper, "Let me go."

"Sure, sure. You should’ve said so earlier. Why didn’t you just say it?"

Li Chifen gritted his teeth. "Let! Me! Go!"

"See? If you’d just asked nicely from the start..."

Li Chifen could barely endure it now. "Let… me… go."

"Then beg."

"Please! Let! Me! Go!"

Only then did Lin Ran release his grip, satisfied. Luo Yao watched him with admiration sparkling in her eyes.

Rubbing his sore hand, Li Chifen stared at Lin Ran in disbelief. He never imagined Lin Ran would treat him so crudely—especially in the middle of a formal hall.

Luo Yao spoke coolly, "If you’re done, Mr. Li, I suggest you leave."

But Li Chifen couldn’t leave. He’d come to make an impression, assert his stance, and—most importantly—persuade Luo Yao not to expose him.

"President Luo, no need to be so harsh," he said with forced calm.

Luo Yao lowered her voice to a whisper. "Want me to go easy on you? Simple. You know what to do."

Li Chifen paused, then understood.

Of course. No one turns down profit.

Everything Luo Yao had done was to corner him. If he helped her secure the project, all his problems would vanish. He might even land a partnership with Luo Corporation.

And a deal with Luo Corporation? That would outshine even the top families and the Samsungs.

They were the true financial giants—newly crowned, but undisputed.

If Luo Yao succeeded, their dominance would be unshakable. No one would dare question it.

The realization sharpened Li Chifen’s focus.

Just then, two more heavyweight figures arrived: Lu Youqi, the current head of the Lu family, and Wang Xiaolin, the acting leader of the Wang family.

Li Chifen quickly straightened up, masking his discomfort with arrogance.

"Lin Ran, let’s spar another time," he said stiffly.

Lin Ran scoffed. "Spar? I could take three of you with one leg tied behind my back."

......

Wang Xiaolin approached, exchanging nods with Li Chifen before acknowledging Lin Ran and Luo Yao.

"Now that’s manners. See how it’s done?" Lin Ran shot Li Chifen another disdainful look.

Of course, Wang Xiaolin’s subdued demeanor was due to his family’s recent decline. He no longer swaggered around the elite.

But his bold, ambitious nature remained—otherwise, he wouldn’t have agreed to the three families’ alliance.

Whatever the outcome, at least he was trying to salvage the doomed "Game Over Group."

Lu Youqi was a spirited old man, aged but vibrant.

"You must be Lin Ran. My son caused some trouble yesterday—my apologies for the misunderstanding!"

Lin Ran knew Lu Youqi well. Of the three families, he was the one Lin Ran found most concerning.

The Lu family was the oldest and most formidable in Shanghai, with a lineage stretching back a thousand years.

As the saying went:

"Dynasties rise and fall, but the great houses endure."

Even after the Tang dynasty’s collapse and the purges of rebels like Huang Chao, their remnants were nothing to underestimate.

Their influence wasn’t just economic. It ran deeper—networks, connections, and power woven into every corner of society.

Families like Wang Xiaolin’s were pretenders. The Lus were the real deal.

Even in modern socialist China, their shadow loomed large.

Lin Ran smiled. "Gentlemen, I’ll admit—you’re far more polite than the guy wallowing in the cesspool over there."

He wasn’t intimidated by their pedigree.

After all, they were Luo Yao’s enemies too.

If she had brought them to their knees in their past life, what made them think they stood a chance now?

Wang Xiaolin and Lu Youqi exchanged puzzled glances.

"What?"

"Cesspool?"

Lin Ran waved it off. "Never mind. Just appreciating your courtesy. And Mr. Lu, no need to apologize—I didn’t lose anything in that ‘misunderstanding.’"

It was your granddaughter’s tongue that paid the price, not mine.

Lu Youqi seemed entirely unfazed by Lin Ran's veiled sarcasm and instead turned his attention to Luo Yao.

"Luo girl, long time no see. Though I’m your competitor today, old man as I am, I don’t want this to ruin our relationship. Truth be told, I’ve always admired you. To rise so quickly in just a few years, and under our watchful eyes—impressive."

His praise was far from insincere; Lu Youqi genuinely respected Luo Yao.

At one point, he had even considered offering his family’s heir position to whichever of his grandsons could secure a marriage alliance with her. But Luo Yao had shown no interest.

In fact, when one of his younger relatives dared to lay a hand on her, she broke his bones without hesitation.

Yet, far from holding a grudge, Lu Youqi only grew more impressed by her ruthlessness and decisiveness.

Luo Yao scoffed. "What relationship? The moment I partnered with those two from your family, I’ve been itching to cut ties."

Lu Youqi wasn’t offended. He knew she was just venting.

Li Chifen, however, simmered with quiet anger.

So everyone else got polite treatment, but he was the one being insulted?

His expression darkened as he silently swore to settle the score someday.

Then, Park Bo-gi from Samsung suddenly appeared. Though somewhat intimidated by Luo Yao, he couldn’t pass up the rare chance to meet the head of the Lu family.

After all, the Lu family was the primary collaborator in this venture.

Previously, they had only sent representatives for negotiations—today was the first time the patriarch himself had shown up.

"Patriarch Lu, I’m Park Bo-gi, the decision-maker at Samsung."

Lu Youqi glanced at Park Bo-gi, noting his visibly injured hand.

"Chairman Park, greetings. This old man’s health hasn’t been the best, so I never got the chance to meet you earlier. My apologies."