"What is something that money can't buy?" Luo Yao voiced her doubt.
"Your love for me—no amount of money could ever buy that."
Liu Meng lowered her head, thinking to herself, "Young Master Lin, this is a public setting, and not just any public setting—what are you even saying?"
Lin Ran, however, didn’t care in the slightest. He had completely let go, unfazed by time or place.
Luo Yao wrapped her arms around Lin Ran’s neck. If not for her relatives being present, she would’ve pinned him down right then and there.
"My love isn’t for sale—you’ll always have it."
Even though he already knew the answer, he was still moved to tears. He felt like dropping to his knees right then and there to be Luo Yao’s loyal dog.
Woof woof woof.
People always called him Luo Yao’s little lapdog, but he wanted to say to those who looked down on him—what’s so bad about being a dog?
Meanwhile, the three major families—along with Samsung Group and members of the South China Chamber of Commerce—had all crowded near the exit of the main stage.
They wanted to exchange a few words with Chen Buhui up close, hoping to leave an impression and gain an edge in the upcoming competition.
Even the heads of these financial conglomerates rarely got the chance to meet such a titan of technology, and when they did, they had to show the utmost respect.
In China, heroes were never to be disrespected.
Even the companies that had lost the bid were restless. Though they hadn’t been selected, it didn’t mean they lacked strength.
Any one of them pulled at random had a net worth that would make your jaw drop.
Without Luo Yao’s backing, Lin Ran would’ve been the poorest one there.
Yet, the two of them remained unmoved, making no effort to cozy up to anyone.
The Luo Corporation hadn’t secured such high votes through connections—it was their flawless proposal and overwhelming capability that had done the talking.
Competence was also a key criterion in the government’s evaluation.
The three major families, despite their immense financial power, had to band together just to qualify for the bid—and even then, it was a close call.
At least they had Samsung, the biggest cash cow with the smallest stake, yet desperate to claw its way in.
The South China New Chamber had united numerous large enterprises, along with investments from American capitalists, just to form a coalition strong enough to compete.
This alone showed just how astronomically expensive this tech city project was.
And yet, Luo Yao had secured bidding rights all on her own—proof of the terrifying might of the number one financial empire.
Security stepped in to block the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, Elder Chen is tired and won’t be receiving anyone today. Our apologies."
Disappointed, the crowd slowly dispersed as staff began ushering people out.
Members of the South China Chamber passed by Luo Yao with polite nods, saying nothing more.
The three major families, however, made their way toward her, offering congratulatory gestures.
"Haha, who would’ve thought President Luo could nearly defeat the three great families of Modu single-handedly? You really gave us a scare."
The words "nearly" were emphasized, a thinly veiled mix of praise and mockery.
The message was clear: even one vote short, you’re still beneath us.
But the pressure was undeniable—none of them had expected Luo Yao to come within a single vote of victory.
That one vote was both pride and pressure.
Luo Yao, however, paid it no mind. Making the cut was enough.
"Congratulations to you too. Four against one, and you almost got wiped out. Let’s hope you don’t end up annihilated by the end."
Seeing Luo Yao’s sharp retort, Lu Youqi shifted the topic to Lin Ran.
"Young Master Lin, you’re welcome to visit the Lu Estate anytime. Our family would be honored to host you."
Lin Ran scoffed. "Guess I’ll have to brush up on my skills first."
The three families: ???
"My Dog-Beating Staff Technique’s gotten rusty. Need to relearn it properly." Lin Ran wasn’t about to spare their feelings.
Li Chifen nearly lost it. "You dare call the Lu family head a dog?"
Lin Ran shrugged. "The way you all were acting just now? Yeah, you looked like a pack of dogs."
He was referring to their desperate attempts to suck up to Chen Buhui.
"Too bad you didn’t even get to meet him. Came all that way just to get shut down—hilarious."
The three families’ expressions darkened instantly.
Even Lu Youqi, the ever-smiling fox, was struggling to keep his composure.
"And about that invitation—how big is your place, anyway?" Lin Ran picked at his ear, feigning interest.
Lu Youqi seized the chance to boast.
Unlike the Wangs, the Lis, or even Luo Yao’s manor-style villas, the Lu family owned an entire district—a testament to their size and prosperity.
And if you thought it was just some rural village, you’d be dead wrong.
Even the most useless Lu family member had their own villa. That was real wealth.
"Our Lu Estate is quite expansive, filled with natural beauty and centuries-old architecture. The grounds are paved with ancient timber, and the villas are—"
Lin Ran cut him off.
"Save the sales pitch. You’re not selling real estate here. What’s with the flex?"
"We all know what we are. Why pretend? Inviting us to your estate—aren’t you afraid I’ll burn the whole place down?"
Lin Ran was just talking big.
Little did he know, not long after, he’d find himself at the Lu Estate—with flames roaring and smoke billowing into the sky.
Lu Youqi sensed Lin Ran’s hostility. His attempt to engage him was purely because of Luo Yao.
Unlike Li Chifen, he was meticulous and calculating—a true schemer behind that smiling facade.
He knew far more about Lin Ran than Li Chifen did.
And that was precisely why he was furious.
A nobody from a third-rate family, lucky enough to catch Luo Yao’s eye, should’ve kept his head down. Instead, he had the audacity to act this arrogantly.
If he wouldn’t take the respect offered, then fine—no more. Did he really think the Lu family was to be trifled with?
"If Young Master Lin isn’t interested, so be it. No need to make me out to be the villain."
With a cold snort, Lu Youqi turned to leave.
"Hmph! A brat who doesn’t know his place."
Lin Ran might be important, but he wasn’t important enough to humiliate the head of the Lu family repeatedly. If he wouldn’t take the olive branch, then it was being withdrawn.
Just then, Samsung’s one-handed representative, Park Bo-gi, saw an opportunity.
He couldn’t afford to offend Luo Yao in China—but the Lu family was fair game.
"Mr. Lin Ran, do you look down on the Lu family head? This is the foremost family in Modu—not someone a nobody like you can disrespect. He invites you as a guest, and instead of gratitude, you dare spew such insolence?"
Lin Ran was surprised—Park Bo-gi even knew idioms.
Then came the bombshell.
"If you kneel and apologize to the Lu family head now, I’m sure he’d be magnanimous enough to forgive a mere child."
Lin Ran froze, staring at Park Bo-gi in disbelief.
He’d thought dealing with Lin Tianba was the end of it—but here was another challenger.
"What the… hell?"
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
