Chapter 0382

"Are you sure this was prepared for you?"

At that moment, Su Jianguo said with a smile.

"Since the gala is over, we won’t disturb you any longer. We old folks need to rest early."

Jiang Feihua, representing the estate, handed out small gifts to each member of the Chen family.

They didn’t hesitate to accept—after all, these were tokens of Lin Ran and Luo Yao’s goodwill.

Seeing that Su Jianguo had left, the others tactfully exited the second floor as well.

"Let’s head to the banquet hall. Many of the executives have already gone there."

Quite a few chose to stay for the New Year’s Eve dinner before leaving. Since tomorrow was a holiday, and tonight was a special occasion, it made sense to linger.

Moreover, Luo Yao had gone to the trouble of arranging everything—it would be a shame to let it go to waste.

As the crowd gradually moved into the banquet, Jiang Feihua took charge of the proceedings.

This was a rare opportunity for the attending celebrities, directors, hosts, and Luo Corporation’s elite to mingle.

Meanwhile, our two protagonists remained in their room, savoring their first year together.

The banquet had long since ended, but Lin Ran and Luo Yao still hadn’t come downstairs.

Some suspected they’d already left.

Only the estate staff and their security team knew the truth—the couple hadn’t stepped out of their room.

By the next morning, they were utterly exhausted, drained of all energy.

They stumbled back to the main villa and collapsed into bed, not waking until noon.

On the first day of the new year, they stayed home, too spent to go anywhere.

After all, they hadn’t recovered from the previous night’s exertions—and were still making up for lost time.

With everyone else out enjoying the holiday, braving the crowded streets seemed pointless.

Even with a private jet at their disposal, where could they go in this freezing weather?

Meanwhile, clips from last night’s estate livestream had already gone viral. Though the footage wasn’t high-definition, netizens were enthralled.

Comments like "This beats the Spring Festival Gala any day!" flooded the internet.

Lin Ran stumbled upon his own livestream clips online—the most popular one had over seven million likes, surpassing even the buzz around Hunan TV’s New Year special.

His impromptu broadcast had inadvertently revived countless struggling content creators.

"Miss Luo, all the invited celebrities attended without exception," a staff member reported.

Luo Yao nodded. "If the opportunity arises, we can offer them some resources."

"Understood."

Lin Ran sighed beside her. "The lives of the wealthy are so unpretentious. Who’d have thought so many A-listers would gather just for a show Luo Yao arranged for me?"

Honestly, even he hadn’t seen it coming.

"As long as you enjoyed it, A’Ran," Luo Yao murmured.

Of course he had—though it felt a bit excessive.

"I loved it. But wasn’t it a waste of favors and connections?"

Luo Yao: "If it made you happy, it was worth it. Besides, they were all eager to come."

She wasn’t wrong. The celebrities hadn’t shown up out of fear—they’d jumped at the chance to network with Luo Corporation.

Even if they didn’t get to speak with Luo Yao, they’d lost nothing.

At the very least, they could now boast, "I’ve been to Dongtian Estate—have you?"

A notification chimed on Uncle Fu’s phone. He checked it and chuckled.

"Young Master Lin, that ‘Tea Boy’ Lin Jian is live again."

Lin Ran waved it off. "Not watching. No time—I’m busy with my wife."

Luo Yao nestled into his arms, finding the perfect spot.

Uncle Fu: "Then I’ll monitor it for you. If anything interesting happens, I’ll let you know."

Lin Ran nodded. "Good idea. You’ve been quite sharp lately, Uncle Fu. When Granny Wang returns, I’ll put in a good word for you."

"Many thanks, Young Master."

This was Lin Jian’s fourth livestream attempt.

With many people off work for the holidays, viewership was high.

Yet the moment his face appeared, the audience was baffled.

Netizens couldn’t fathom his thought process.

Lin Jian whined about his hardships, panning the camera to show a despondent Lin Tianba. The collective reaction was unanimous exasperation.

Lin Tianba, lying neglected on the floor, was indeed pitiful—now experiencing the bullying he’d once inflicted on Lin Ran.

"Brothers, family, how can you bear to see my father like this? As his son, it breaks my heart."

"Today, a kind soul gave us shelter—just this patch of floor. Who knows where we’ll go tomorrow?"

[Netizen 1]: Seriously, which idiot took in this trash family?

[Netizen 2]: Lin Jian makes me sick. Let’s skip the theatrics—are you selling your dad or your mom today?

Unexpectedly, Lin Jian had a new strategy this time. No more hawking products—just emotional manipulation.

"I know many hate me, but to save my father, I’ll endure it."

"To those who dislike me: keep watching. For every gift you send, I’ll slap myself—once per gift."

The live stream erupted.

Virtual gifts poured in frenziedly. Lin Jian’s eyes lit up—his plan was working.

And so, live before the entire internet, he began striking his own face.

Each slap came with gratitude and self-degradation.

Smack "Thank you, Brother Hu. I’m trash."

Smack "Thank you, Brother Wu. I’m trash."

By the time his face swelled like a pig’s head, the refunds started rolling in—viewers had exploited the platform’s minor protection policy.

Now, Lin Jian was truly devastated.

He’d thought his "filial piety" would move people. Instead, they’d scammed him.

Why did everyone despise him so much?

[Comment 1]: Hahaha! Called it!

[Comment 2]: Bet you didn’t see this coming, Lin Jian. Almost feel bad… almost.

[Comment 3]: Kid could’ve lived happily ever after. Now? Total meltdown.

[Comment 4]: To whoever sheltered Lin Jian: may your family get hit by a bus and die loveless.

This was the final straw. Already blacklisted as a dishonest person, Lin Jian cracked under the mockery.

Why weren’t they showering him with gifts and sympathy?

Why had things turned out this way?

In the end, he blamed Lin Tianba for everything.