Chapter 0404

But now wasn’t the time to provoke Lin Ran, because there was still one crucial thing he hadn’t obtained.

"How about this—once I take over Luo Corporation, I’ll give you an extra hundred million."

A mocking laugh came through the phone. "Do I look like an idiot to you? Once you take over Luo Corporation, you’ll have no use for me anymore. No, I need the money now, so I can disappear. The rest is your problem."

A flaw.

Luo Wushuang fell silent for a long moment before finally speaking slowly.

"Fine. I’ll transfer the money to you as soon as possible."

After hanging up, Luo Wushuang suddenly realized that Luo Yao probably wasn’t faking it—Lin Ran really had poisoned her.

Lin Ran’s urgency to get the money and flee was a logical flaw.

And frankly, Luo Wushuang would be thrilled if Lin Ran disappeared sooner. Right now, it seemed Lin Ran had no idea about the existence of "Airan Capital."

Looking at the card in his hand, he said, "Transfer the money to him."

Bi Yaolian’s eyes widened. "Husband, where would we get that kind of money?"

Luo Wushuang replied, "Sell the house, the cars, the shares, the people, the companies—anything we can sell. We must gather this sum. Once we take over Luo Corporation, all this will be pocket change."

Bi Yaolian wore a pained expression as she took the card from Luo Wushuang’s hand.

The moment she left, Luo Wushuang narrowed his eyes.

"Once Luo Corporation is mine, this foolish woman will be useless."

The news of Luo Yao’s illness continued to spread, but only a handful knew the full details—most were just speculating.

Among Luo Corporation’s employees, some believed Luo Yao had simply collapsed from exhaustion.

Others thought she might already be dead.

Some suspected she was gravely ill.

But no matter what they thought, the world kept turning, and time kept moving.

That night, Lin Ran lay alone in the bed of the manor villa, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

With his wife away, he was restless.

He longed to rush to the hospital and hold Luo Yao in his arms.

Just as he was growing agitated, the bedroom door quietly creaked open.

Lin Ran froze, his body tensing.

Who would dare sneak into his bedroom at this hour?

Was it that woman Jiang Feihua, here to harm him?

Before he could finish the thought, the intruder slipped under the covers.

Lin Ran: "..."

Such audacity.

"Ah Ran, I missed you. I couldn’t sleep without you."

The corner of Lin Ran’s lips curled. So it was his wife, sneaking back home.

"Yao Yao, aren’t you afraid someone might see you?"

Turning over, he was met with the face that haunted his dreams—the most beautiful in the world.

"No. Since I chose to come back, I made sure no one would see me. I’ll leave early tomorrow."

Lin Ran knew Luo Yao was worried about being spotted by the manor staff. After all, there had been traitors before—no one could guarantee the current team was clean.

But the thought of Luo Yao going through all this trouble just to be with him made his heart ache.

How could he have let his wife exhaust herself like this?

"Yao Yao, you’ve worked so hard."

"It’s nothing. Being by your side is all I want."

Seeing the flicker of desire in Luo Yao’s eyes, Lin Ran instantly understood what she wanted.

This little minx was in the mood.

Amusingly, in their past life, Luo Yao had been the one to initiate their intimacy, always taking the lead.

But in this life, his single moment of boldness had unleashed a demoness with an insatiable appetite.

If not for the restorative tonic keeping him going, he might’ve been drained dry long ago.

"Then, Yao Yao, keep your voice down. We don’t want anyone hearing anything."

Luo Yao: "Okay."

As time passed, Luo Yao couldn’t hold back a gasp.

So what if someone found out? Even if they knew she wasn’t dead, there was nothing they could do.

For this moment of bliss, Luo Yao felt it was all worth it.

But neither of them expected that Uncle Fu had already cleared out the first villa.

Why?

Practice makes perfect.

As the manor’s most seasoned butler, he knew his employers as well as he knew himself.

He had guessed Luo Yao might return—with at least a 90% certainty.

The next morning, Luo Yao gazed at the sleeping Lin Ran, gently kissing his forehead before trying to rise—only to find his arms wrapped tightly around her.

Not wanting to wake him, she stayed a little longer, until the first light of dawn. When Lin Ran turned over, she reluctantly slipped away, her eyes lingering on him until the last moment.

Muttering to herself, she said, "I really wish I could tie Ah Ran to my waist."

The moment Luo Yao left the bedroom, Lin Ran opened his eyes.

He didn’t want her to know he’d been awake.

Sitting up, he looked at the pale light creeping over the horizon, then down at his own body.

Quite a few scratches.

"Want to tie me to your waist? Perfect." A slightly twisted smile crossed Lin Ran’s face.

His little demoness hadn’t changed at all. That was good.

Lin Ran had a growing intuition—something big would happen during the New Year.

That was why he’d made sure the Lin family was locked up.

At least they wouldn’t bother him these next few days.

Suran Group and Nuanyao Group were running smoothly.

The three Lin scumbags wouldn’t be getting out anytime soon.

Surely there were no more obstacles now?

In the morning, Uncle Fu approached Lin Ran.

"Young Master Lin, Bi Yaolian traveled to multiple locations yesterday before finally settling in an apartment in the capital. The oddest part was her visit to a place called Greenhouse Gardens—a run-down, remote neighborhood, completely beneath her status."

"Also, after our two prank calls and your follow-up, we confirmed Luo Wushuang is definitely in that area."

Lin Ran nodded. "Don’t spook them yet. Pinpoint the exact location, then wait for the money to come through."

Uncle Fu acknowledged the order.

Lin Ran asked, "Any issues at the hospital?"

Uncle Fu replied immediately, "Rest assured, Young Master. We didn’t even use nurses—Dahua is personally attending to her. Aside from the Yi family, no one else knows the truth. If word gets out that Miss is faking her illness, it’ll be because the Yi family leaked it."

"And the manor?"

"Only you, me, and Granny Wang know. Even Abu is in the dark. If the secret escapes here, it’s one of us three—and we’ll all die."

Lin Ran smirked confidently at Uncle Fu.

"You two will die. Not me. Yao Yao wouldn’t allow it."

Uncle Fu’s face darkened.

So, a world where only Young Master Lin was safe had been achieved?