Lin Ran smiled, realizing he could never win against Luo Yao in this lifetime.
Because he didn’t want to win.
"There’s still some time before the New Year holidays—we don’t need to rush."
Luo Yao nodded as well, lost in thought.
A different kind of light flickered in Lin Ran’s eyes.
"Yao Yao, let’s head to the snow mountain in a couple of days. Can you arrange your work schedule in advance?"
Faced with Lin Ran’s sincere invitation, Luo Yao immediately clung to him.
"Ah Ran, if you want to go, we can leave anytime. There’s no need to arrange anything."
Was Luo Yao… saying sweet nothings to him?
"Alright, we’ll set off right after New Year’s Day. How does that sound?"
"Good. I’ll follow your lead."
There was only one day left until New Year’s Eve. This year marked the first time Lin Ran and Luo Yao were officially together, making this celebration especially meaningful.
Luo Yao had never been fond of holidays—she had spent them alone since childhood and had long grown accustomed to solitude.
But the idea of ringing in the New Year with Lin Ran piqued her interest.
"Ah Ran, how should we celebrate?"
Lin Ran: "Watch the countdown show, snack on some treats, and wait for midnight. We’re just ordinary people, after all."
Ordinary?
No, no, no. Her Ah Ran was anything but ordinary.
But if it was just watching a show and snacking…
"Fine, I’ll handle the arrangements."
Lin Ran: ???
Just then, Wang Fang called again. Luo Yao picked up, listening to the report on the other end.
Since Luo Yao hadn’t gone to the company today, all the work had fallen on Wang Fang. While Luo Yao silently acknowledged her efficiency, she wouldn’t say it out loud.
"Your work is efficient, but your considerations aren’t thorough enough."
"I understand, President Luo. I’ll get back to work now."
Even though it was already late, Wang Fang showed no signs of stopping.
"No rush. There’s something else I need you to do."
"Of course, President Luo. Please go ahead."
Ten minutes later, numerous celebrities and big names around the capital received a sudden notice.
"What? Perform? Come on, I’m rehearsing live for Capital TV’s New Year’s show!"
"Whoever it is, they can’t just break the rules like this!"
"President Luo? President Lin? I—wait, who did you say? Oh! Got it, I’m on my way!"
Similar scenes played out among many stars in the capital, and even Chen Qingtian, who was far away in Shanghai, received the summons.
After the calls were made, Wang Fang’s team reported back.
"Wang-jie, should we also invite Director Chen? After all, they’re Lin Shao’s family."
Wang Fang hesitated. Logically, she thought they should, but knowing Luo Yao, they probably shouldn’t.
"Let me check with President Luo first."
"Understood."
When Luo Yao received Wang Fang’s call, her brows furrowed.
She glanced at Lin Ran, who was already fast asleep on the couch.
He looked adorable like this—mouth slightly open, as if drool might trickle out any second.
Ah Ran must be exhausted.
"Let them come. Also, any Luo Corporation employees in the capital who are free can join. My estate is big enough to fit everyone."
Wang Fang: "Understood."
"And invite Wu Zhishang from Nuanyao Group, as well as Shen Jingbing. They’re Ah Ran’s friends, and they know how to follow orders."
"Got it."
After hanging up, Wang Fang wiped away nonexistent sweat.
Thank goodness she’d asked—otherwise, she wouldn’t have known how she’d messed up.
She never expected Luo Yao would actually invite others to the estate.
Shouldn’t President Luo and Lin Shao be celebrating New Year’s Eve alone?
Soon after, the Chen family received an unexpected invitation.
Chen Xiao grinned, his wrinkles deepening. "Excellent! Thank you for your hard work, Assistant Wang. I’ll bring the family to my grandson’s place tomorrow. Haha!"
After hanging up, he remained delighted.
As the Director of Education, he’d dealt with plenty of businesspeople and knew Luo Yao’s reputation well.
Her recent ruthless actions had left many in shock.
Yet this very same feared CEO had invited him—how could he not be thrilled?
"Dad, what’s got you so happy?"
"How did you know President Luo invited me over?"
Chen Nianlun: ???
Su Jianguo, having just finished watching the military channel, came to call his wife to bed.
"Old man, what are you two talking about?"
Chen Xiao: "How did you know Xiao Ran invited me to his place?"
Su Jianguo: ???
Right then, Chen Qingtian called Su Jianguo. Seeing the caller ID, he smiled fondly.
"This girl, causing a stir at the Lu family in Shanghai, and now she remembers to call?"
He answered. "Chen Qingtian, I told you to come back—did you ignore me?"
Chen Qingtian: "Grandma, how did you know my cousin and his wife invited me to their place?"
Su Jianguo: ......
At the same time, the youngest daughter of the Su family arrived with her husband.
"Mom, I’m home."
Su Jianguo looked at his daughter and son-in-law. "How did you know I’m going to Xiao Ran’s place?"
Chen Zhima: ???
Back at the estate—why had Luo Yao invited so many people?
Because she knew if it were just the two of them, with all those performers watching, Lin Ran would feel uncomfortable.
Might as well invite a crowd—it’d be livelier, and Lin Ran wouldn’t feel out of place.
Besides, the Chen family had offered her some minor help in the past.
Luo Yao might be ruthless, but she wasn’t ungrateful.
The next day.
Some say time heals all wounds—but Luo Yao disagreed.
Time only dulled the pain. It didn’t erase it. What happened, happened. Nothing could change that.
Love and hatred were things time could never wipe away.
Today was the last day of the year—and a day full of stories.
On this final day, Wang Anjian’s condition stabilized, showing remarkable improvement with minimal rejection. Even Yi Siyin was stunned.
On this final day, Luo Yao granted her employees three days off—while other companies only gave New Year’s Day itself.
But this didn’t change their perception of her.
When a boss who’s always overworked you suddenly gives you a break, everyone gets nervous.
But when they learned they could also attend the New Year’s Eve celebration at the Paradise Estate, excitement took over.
The Paradise Estate—a place even high-society elites couldn’t easily enter.
Also on this day, Lin Jian was sued by a business partner for failing to pay a contractual penalty. The court accepted the case, and soon, Lin Jian would be labeled a discredited individual.
And on this same day, Lin Ran and Luo Yao held hands, waiting for the countdown.
By noon, the estate buzzed with noise as guests began arriving.
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
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!
