Chapter 0347

Chen Buhui was so furious she nearly keeled over.

"Quite the little capitalist at such a young age, aren’t you?"

"Tell them Chen Buhui is here to visit, and they’d better come out to greet me personally." Chen Buhui jabbed her thumb backward at her own face, as if it were some kind of VIP pass valid across all of China.

The security guard frowned. He hated that gesture, but since it was Chen Buhui, he held his tongue and relayed the message over his walkie-talkie.

They waited, but no response came.

"Base to HQ, come in."

"Miss Luo and Young Master Lin are... busy bonding. Whatever it is, it can wait."

The reply crackled through the earpiece, leaving the guard no choice but to relay the message to Chen Buhui.

"Our young lady and Young Master Lin are occupied at the moment. We can’t interrupt. Would you like to wait or come back another time?"

Chen Buhui took a deep breath.

"I, Chen Buhui, demand to see them, and instead of rushing out to greet me, they make me wait? Who do they think I am?"

The guard offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry, but without permission, I really can’t let you in."

Chen Buhui’s patience had run out.

"Liu! We’re barging in. Let’s see what’s so important they can’t be bothered."

The guard narrowed his eyes and spoke into his earpiece.

"Intruder attempting to breach the estate. All units, stand by."

He drew his weapon, and within moments, over a dozen guards assembled, forming a human barricade at the entrance.

Chen Buhui froze at the sight.

"This is China, not some playground for reckless youngsters. I advise you to lower your weapons and not stray onto the path of crime. What you’re doing is illegal."

The guard dropped the polite act.

"We haven’t done anything. And even if we did, you’d be the one at fault. This is private property. Forcing your way in counts as trespassing—so who’s breaking the law here?"

It baffled the guard that someone as high-profile as Chen Buhui could be so legally clueless.

Chen Buhui’s face darkened. She never expected Luo Yao’s people to be this bold.

"Do you even know who I am?"

"Yes, Chen Buhui. You’ve mentioned."

"I’m an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. You dare block me?" Chen Buhui had no choice but to pull rank.

The guard didn’t budge.

"Are you here on official business? If not, even the president of your academy would need permission to enter. Those are the rules."

Chen Buhui let out a bitter laugh at the guard’s audacity.

"Fine. What a Luo Yao, what a Lin Ran, what a Luo Corporation—so arrogant in China, showing zero respect for their elders."

"Let’s see if you actually dare lay a hand on me."

Liu, her assistant, looked uneasy. "Ms. Chen, maybe we should just leave it."

"Leave it? If you’re spineless, go ahead and leave. What kind of young person has no fire in them? I’m going in."

With that, Chen Buhui stepped out of the car, ready to force her way through.

The guards tensed, poised to act.

At the critical moment, a voice came through the earpiece—Little Tong’s.

"Uncle Fu says she can come in now."

The guard exhaled quietly. He really hadn’t wanted to rough up an old lady.

"Our young lady is free now. You may enter."

Chen Buhui snorted.

"Hmph! Knew you wouldn’t dare stop me."

She climbed back into the car while the guard stayed silent, thinking to himself: If that call had come a few seconds later, you’d already be on the ground.

The other guards exchanged frowns.

"That’s Chen Buhui? She acts more like my elementary school teacher."

Meanwhile, inside the villa...

"Yao, Chen Buhui actually showed up. Interesting. What do you think she’s here for?"

Even Luo Yao couldn’t quite decipher Chen Buhui’s motives.

Given her official ties, visiting during such a sensitive period was... unusual.

During a government project bidding phase, a representative meeting privately with a competing company was already against protocol.

It was like the police, prosecutors, and judges jointly investigating a case—a big no-no. If no one followed the rules, chaos would reign.

Of course, Luo Yao was the exception. Rules didn’t apply to her.

"No idea."

Lin Ran wasn’t the sharpest, but he wasn’t stupid either. Yet he couldn’t figure out why Chen Buhui had come.

"She can’t seriously be here just to lecture us and leave. If so, I’d actually respect her for it."

Just then, the door swung open.

"Lin Ran, you’ve got some nerve, making an elder come to you like this?"

Lin Ran hadn’t expected Chen Buhui’s first words to be so confrontational—no greeting, nothing.

He frowned.

"Did I force you?"

If she wanted to be rude, he’d match her energy.

He’d been willing to show respect, but she clearly wasn’t interested.

Chen Buhui blinked, taken aback by Lin Ran’s sharp tone.

She then turned to Luo Yao.

"CEO Luo, let me clarify—I’m not here in any official capacity today."

Luo Yao nodded, "Naturally, if you were representing the authorities, I’d have sent you straight in for investigation."

Chen Buhui was taken aback again—he hadn’t expected Luo Yao to be so blunt either.

"Aren’t you going to invite me to sit?" Lin Ran gestured toward the sofa with his chin.

"You’re a grown adult. Is anyone stopping you?"

Chen Buhui’s face darkened slightly. After all these years, she had grown accustomed to being surrounded by flattery. Running into such disrespectful youngsters was a first for her.

"Fine. I won’t hold your lack of respect against you. After all, you don’t know who I am."

Lin Ran said, "I know you—Chen Buhui, one of the chief academicians at the Chinese Academy of Sciences."

Chen Buhui shook her head, glaring at Lin Ran in anger.

"To be precise, I’m your grandaunt."

Lin Ran replied, "I know."

"You know?"

"Yeah."

Chen Buhui let out a bitter laugh.

"If you knew I was your elder, how dare you treat me with such disrespect? You’ve been in Shanghai for days and didn’t even visit me. Young people these days have no sense of propriety."

Lin Ran glanced at Luo Yao, thinking to himself, Did I actually guess right?

"So, Grandaunt, what brings you here?"

"What brings me here? I’m here to teach you how to respect your elders. Not even your grandfather would dare treat me this way."

"No one has ever kept me waiting outside the door—you’re the first. No junior has ever failed to greet me properly—you’re the first. No one has ever—"

Lin Ran cut her off. "Hold on, hold on. No elder has ever dared to boss me around like this—you’re the first."