Chapter 0368

The familiar lines, the familiar tone.

It was unmistakably Lin Ran.

When Lin Tianba saw it was his eldest son arriving, tears immediately streamed down his face.

"Xiao Ran, is that you, Xiao Ran? garbled noises..."

Lin Tianba had indeed been having a rough few days.

Two days ago, he had participated in Lin Jian's livestream, but afterward, not only did Lin Jian refuse to take him to the hospital, he escalated the abuse.

Before, Lin Jian had never resorted to physical violence, but ever since the product return scandal, the beatings had started.

Lin Tianba could only lament, "The child has turned bad."

And this morning, Lin Jian became even more volatile—for reasons everyone could probably guess.

The products sold during the second livestream hadn't even reached customers yet before a flood of refund requests poured in.

Lin Jian finally snapped.

The business partners pulled out their gamble agreement, demanding compensation from Lin Jian—or else they'd send him to prison.

Cornered and desperate, Lin Jian was capable of anything in his rage.

This morning, he made Lin Tianba personally experience what it meant to be a 'cuckold on display.'

Liu Yuemei had initially resisted fiercely, but as the guests grew more creative, she began to lose herself in it.

The blatant thrill of moral transgression unleashed her pent-up excitement.

Lin Tianba, meanwhile, was so furious he coughed up blood.

When Lin Jian returned, he berated him for making a mess with the blood and beat him mercilessly—so badly that Lin Tianba lost control of his bladder.

And since neither mother nor son was willing to clean him up, the stench lingered.

Seizing the opportunity to exploit Lin Tianba's pitiful state, Lin Jian started another livestream.

He hoped to milk sympathy—and money—from his audience by showcasing his father's suffering.

"Dear family, yesterday some unknown person came in and beat up my dad. I failed to protect him—it's my fault. My dad was beaten so badly he lost control, his head swollen like a pig's. But I don’t blame my brother."

The netizens weren’t buying it.

[My Ex-Girlfriend Hates Lin Jian]: Oh really? That’s just perfect. You should know—everything happens for the best.

[Writing Fuel Isn’t Royalties, It’s Readers!]: Wait, why do I smell something through the screen? Look at the stain on Lin Tianba’s pants.

[Golden Family Members Everywhere]: Holy crap, you’re not wrong.

Lin Jian: "It’s all my fault. I couldn’t protect my dad."

[Luo Yao’s Biggest Fan]: Fault fault fault—all you do is whine 'my fault.' Shut the hell up already.

[Dang Tan]: Yeah, instead of helping your dad clean up, you just exploit his misery. What a filial son you are.

Two drops of artificial tears rolled down.

"It’s not that I don’t want to take care of Dad, but we’re so poor now, we don’t even have spare clothes. It’s freezing—he could die from the cold. I’m just useless, not like my brother who married so well."

The netizens were done.

[Time Management Guru]: No wonder my tolerance for green tea behavior has improved—Lin Jian’s been training me.

[Want to See Luo Yao in Shark Pants]: Lin Jian’s a master of passive-aggressive tea-speak. Every sentence claims he doesn’t blame Lin Ran, yet every sentence drags Lin Ran into it.

Lin Jian: "I’ve never blamed my brother for anything. I just envy him for having such a—who’s there?"

"Your living nightmare."

The moment Lin Ran appeared, Lin Jian’s brain short-circuited. He’d just been dissing Lin Ran on stream—now the man himself was here.

Lin Tianba immediately burst into snot and tears.

"Xiao Ran, is that you? Take me with you, son! I don’t want money or work anymore—I was wrong!"

For the first time, Lin Tianba truly regretted everything. He’d never imagined things could get this bad.

"If you just kneel and apologize to me, then take me away from this hell, I swear I’ll only be your dad from now on."

Everyone: ???

Is this a human being talking?

Even Lin Jian was baffled. At this point, Lin Tianba still thought Lin Ran would acknowledge him as a father?

When Liu Yuemei saw Lin Ran, she tensed up instantly. She was genuinely terrified of him now.

Especially after hearing about what Lin Ran and Luo Yao had been doing in Shanghai—it chilled her to the bone. She’d tried multiple times to convince Lin Jian to never mention Lin Ran again.

This could get them killed.

"Xiao Ran, what brings you here?"

Lin Ran frowned, refusing to step inside.

"Did you all eat shit or something? Why does it smell so—gags—disgusting in here?"

"I can’t take this. Uncle Fu, drag them out and shut down the stream."

Livestream comments:

[Chicken You So Beautiful]: Bro, Lin Ran, why do you always do this? I’ll pay, okay? Just let me watch!

[I’m Your Daddy]: If you’re gonna play like this, I’m donating to Lin Jian out of spite.

Once they were hauled outside, Lin Ran narrowed his eyes at them. He’d come today to pour salt on their already miserable wounds.

"Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you just say on stream that it’s so cold people could freeze to death?"

Lin Jian stared at him in shock, unsure whether Lin Ran was serious or just taunting him.

"Brother… we’re family."

"I don’t have a brother. You’re the mutt’s son."

Liu Yuemei felt insulted but had no retort.

"Xiao Ran, please let us go. I was wrong—I’ll never bully you again!"

Lin Ran was beyond done.

"Now you admit it? Too late."

Lin Tianba crawled on the ground, still begging.

"Son, just kneel and apologize, and we’ll let bygones be bygones, okay?"

Lin Ran: "......" Sometimes, absurdity is so extreme you can’t help but laugh.

"What—he—you—just stay tied to Lin Jian forever."

There was no point reasoning with someone like Lin Tianba. At a certain level of delusion, all you can do is laugh.

"I came to inform you—you’re being evicted."

Lin Jian’s eyes widened in panic. His concern wasn’t just about losing this place.

It was whether he’d have anywhere else to go.

After all, in everyone’s eyes, he was far from a good person.

"Who gave you the right? Just because you’re rich, you can do whatever you want? I paid rent—the landlord hasn’t said anything!"

Lin Ran smirked, as if to say, Exactly.

"You know I’m rich, yet you’re still running your mouth? As for the landlord... Jia Laoban."

Jia Laoban stepped forward, sneering at Lin Jian.

"Lin Ran owns this place. If he says you’re out, you’re out."

Lin Jian was stunned. Lin Ran grinned.

"Surprise, huh? I bought this place in advance. Did you really think anyone would take you in out of kindness? I just wanted front-row seats to your suffering. And honestly? It’s been very entertaining. Thanks for that."

This whole mess had been his personal entertainment during dull moments.

"Son, just kick out those two. Take me with you!"

What the actual—