Now, all of Luo Yao's competitors were as silent as cicadas in winter.
Letting the Li Family step in to acquire the Wang Family, while the Lu Family exploded in flames.
Shortly after, news broke that the Lu Family had partnered with Luo Corporation—essentially being absorbed.
Then the South China Chamber of Commerce withdrew, and unsurprisingly, Luo Corporation emerged as the biggest winner.
This series of maneuvers made it impossible not to suspect Luo Yao's involvement.
The final announcement from the Chinese Academy of Sciences seemed to confirm these suspicions.
With all this in mind, those who had once accused Luo Yao of being ruthless and violent fell completely silent.
They were afraid.
Too scared to speak up anymore.
But private discussions were rampant.
What happens when people encounter the unknown?
They fantasize.
They speculate.
They won’t believe the facts—only their own conjectures.
But did Luo Yao care about any of this? She couldn’t be bothered. Let them gossip all they wanted.
As long as no one claimed Lin Ran liked Liu Ruxue, it didn’t matter.
From that day onward, Luo Yao became a tycoon whose name struck fear across China and even the world.
"Ran, so many people died at the Lu Family estate this time. Does it bother you to see that?"
This wasn’t Lin Ran’s first time witnessing death.
In his past life, he had seen the fate of the Lin Family.
The gruesome death of Liu Yuemei, in particular, remained an indelible image in his mind.
So he had developed immunity—no severe physical discomfort.
"It’s not too bad. I just find it sobering how fragile life is. Every moment, someone leaves this world, especially in accidents or disasters—tiny as grains of sand."
Luo Yao: "Do you hate that feeling, Ran?"
"I wouldn’t say hate, but I certainly don’t like it. Yet it’s an inevitable outcome. No one knows when an accident might strike. Life is like a phone call—either you hang up first, or I do."
"I want to hang up with you. I want to hang onto you." Luo Yao wrapped her arms around Lin Ran’s neck, her laughter filling the car with warmth.
Back at the estate, Jiang Feihua came out to greet them, but Luo Yao didn’t even glance her way.
She and Lin Ran freshened up, showered, and changed into clean clothes.
Lin Ran had a bloody scratch on his face, and Luo Yao personally tended to it.
"Miss, let the servants handle this."
Luo Yao shot Jiang Feihua a sidelong glance.
"Did you kidnap Chen Qingtian the other day?"
Jiang Feihua tensed immediately.
"I… I just thought Uncle Fu was acting strange. That day, I saw him talking to someone, but I wasn’t sure if they were from the estate. So I stopped Chen Qingtian from making noise."
After speaking, she lowered her head, visibly nervous.
"Then why didn’t you come to me directly? Instead, you used Chen Qingtian to send me a message? Did you really think such a cheap trick would work?"
Jiang Feihua broke into a cold sweat, certain Luo Yao might kill her on the spot.
Then, Luo Yao’s tone shifted abruptly.
"Next time, come to me directly."
"Y-yes, miss."
Jiang Feihua exhaled in relief and retreated, a faint smirk playing on her lips.
She believed that once a seed of doubt was planted, it would fester in anyone’s mind.
Even someone like Luo Yao wasn’t immune.
Uncle Fu appeared suddenly.
"Miss, should we eliminate her?"
"No. I still haven’t figured out who’s behind her."
At first, Luo Yao suspected the three major families, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
Could she be working for Luo Wushuang? Possible, but unlikely.
When Jiang Feihua was hired, Luo Wushuang was still on the run—he wouldn’t have known about this estate.
For a moment, Luo Yao even wondered if Jiang Feihua was tied to Samsung or the South China Chamber of Commerce, but that didn’t add up either.
"Interesting," Luo Yao murmured.
"Yao, don’t worry. The truth will come out eventually. Just focus on dressing my wound."
Luo Yao watched Jiang Feihua’s retreating figure. "If she dares to hurt you, I’ll make sure she regrets being born."
"Hurting you is even worse. I won’t allow anyone to threaten you." Lin Ran leaned closer, making his request clear.
Her husband needed his wife’s care.
Luo Yao gently dabbed medicine on Lin Ran’s wound but kept talking.
"It’s not just Jiang Feihua. Anyone who tries to harm you will pay."
"Right, right. But maybe check what you’re doing first?"
Luo Yao blinked—then froze.
The cotton swab in her tweezers was disinfecting Lin Ran’s ear piercing.
"Any deeper and I’ll go deaf. Then it’d be you hurting your beloved Ran."
Luo Yao pouted, sulking. "I was just too worried about you. That’s why I got distracted."
Lin Ran tossed the tweezers aside and pulled Luo Yao into his arms.
"Don’t apologize. I understand you better than myself—I know what’s on your mind. Besides, this scratch isn’t serious. No need to keep treating it."
He didn’t even plan to use scar cream. He wanted the mark to stay on his face forever—proof that he’d protected Luo Yao.
Hearing this, Luo Yao smiled, her expression almost eerie.
"Ran, you already have a mark of my love on your shoulder. If you really don’t want to fix this one, maybe I should just carve up your whole face. That’d be more noticeable—and keep other vixens away from you."
Lin Ran broke into a nervous sweat. "Hah… haha, maybe I’ll use the scar cream after all."
Only then did Luo Yao’s smile return to normal.
Later, Chen Qingtian returned.
"Little sister, why’d you two leave so suddenly? You missed the best part! Let me tell you, it was wild."
Chen Qingtian waved her arms excitedly.
"That old dog from the Lu Family got played by Assistant Liu like a lamb. And Lu Lutong? Brutal."
"He got his leg blown off and is in critical care. Both his sons are severely injured—one was already dead when the ambulance arrived. But honestly, everyone else got off easy. Still, the death toll’s gotta be at least a dozen or twenty. With something this big, even the mayor of Shanghai might get the boot."
Lin Ran was speechless. Was Chen Qingtian genuinely unfazed or just pretending?
"Seriously? After all that, you have no reaction?"
"Why would I? I didn’t kill anyone. They did it to themselves."
Chen Qingtian looked genuinely puzzled.
"I thought it was a great show."
Lin Ran had to admire her. Kids from powerful families really were built different—unshaken even by such bloodshed.
He’d been through it before, but what about Chen Qingtian?
"If your grandfather finds out what happened at the Lu Family estate, won’t he lock you up and beat you?"
"Nah. I already told him."
Lin Ran stared blankly.
"Wait, you snitched already? What’d he say?"
"He told me to come back to Beijing. Said Grandma misses me."
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
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!
