Chapter 0434

In the room, Luo Yao stood up. "Ran, rest here for a while. I have something to take care of and will be back soon."

"Alright, go ahead. I'll wait here."

Luo Yao nodded and left the bedroom. When she reached the first floor, she saw Uncle Fu and Granny Wang each busy with their own tasks.

Uncle Fu was practicing Tai Chi, while Granny Wang was wiping the windows. Their gazes occasionally met.

Noticing Luo Yao coming downstairs, Uncle Fu quickly straightened up and asked, "Miss, the Luo family members have all been dealt with. Only Luo Wushuang remains, locked in the basement."

His meaning was clear—Luo Wushuang was, after all, Luo Yao's uncle by blood. It wouldn’t be appropriate for him to throw him into the crocodile pond.

"Mm, I’ll handle it alone."

Luo Yao left the villa and headed to the underground chamber alone.

The rest of the Luo family had already been dealt with, reduced to useless wrecks and sent to the secret training facility she had established.

Though not as bloody and dark as the Luo family’s former assessment grounds in the primal forest, it was undoubtedly professional and ruthless.

The rule there was survival of the fittest. Those who failed would end up as mere security guards in the company’s branches across various cities. Those who succeeded would become Lin Ran’s personal bodyguards.

As for the Luo family members there—they wouldn’t just idle away their days. They would wait for death.

(Since this is an urban daily-life genre, we’ll skip the gory details to avoid trouble.)

Soon, Luo Yao arrived at the blood-stained chamber and saw Luo Wushuang asleep in the cage, along with Bi Yaolian, who had been beaten to the brink of death by him.

"Uncle, you’ve finally fallen into my hands."

Before Luo Wushuang could respond, Bi Yaolian crawled to the edge of the cage, whimpering and begging for mercy.

Her voice box had long been discarded, leaving her unable to speak properly. All she could manage was incoherent babbling.

Luo Wushuang sneered. "Stop sniveling. That’s Luo Yao. If begging worked, do you think the others in the Luo family wouldn’t have tried?"

Bi Yaolan fell silent, tears streaming down her face.

She cried. She regretted. She knew it was over.

Had she distanced herself from Luo Wushuang earlier, she might have ended up like the other Luo family members—crippled but alive. Now, she faced certain death.

By now, Bi Yaolian understood—the illusory title of "matriarch" meant nothing in the face of life and death.

Leaning against the cage, Luo Wushuang remained calm. "Luo Yao, I’ve never understood—why did you destroy the Luo family like this? What good does it do you?"

He knew his fate was sealed, but he wanted to talk to Luo Yao before dying, at least to avoid an unclear end.

Now that victory was hers, Luo Yao was willing to indulge him for a few minutes.

Ran wouldn’t mind the delay, would he?

"You contenders for the family head position could never understand the suffering of the guardians. We endured so much, only to serve the family head—that was never fair. But that’s not why I tore the Luo family apart. The reason I became like this… was because of the karma you all sowed."

"Do you remember the day I first returned? I came back covered in years of scars, ready to leave the Luo family for good. You were the first to oppose me. Back then, you used chili water, thorny whips, electric shocks… How many people have the Luo family men tortured to death with these methods over the years? Enough to form a platoon, I’d wager."

"Do you know why I never broke? Because the pain I endured then was nothing compared to what I’d suffered all my life. No family, no friends—isn’t that the fate of people like us? Look how thoroughly I’ve embraced it now."

"Of course, that’s only part of it. I held grudges against the Luo family, but not hatred. I went this far for my man. I want to live with Ran without any worries, and all of you… were just obstacles in my way. Anyone who stands between me and Ran must die."

Luo Wushuang was stunned by her explanation. Even now, he couldn’t comprehend her reasoning.

Wasn’t power and wealth the most important thing?

If she wanted a man, she could have anyone. With her status, she could choose from billions of men worldwide.

"For the sake of one man, you destroyed your entire family? I don’t understand. I don’t agree. I don’t approve." Luo Wushuang delivered his nine-word verdict.

Luo Yao thought of Lin Ran’s smile. "My family isn’t destroyed. My family is just two people—me and Ran."

Luo Wushuang sighed, exhausted. There was no common ground between them.

Luo Yao: "I’ve said enough. Ran must be waiting impatiently. Now, let’s… say our final goodbyes."

As she finished, Bi Yaolian’s eyes widened, and she resumed her wordless sobbing.

Luo Wushuang sighed again. "One last question."

Luo Yao: "What’s inside the Luo family’s dragon vein… You’ll never know in this lifetime."

Leaving the crocodile pond, Luo Yao returned to the villa. She took a shower before meeting Lin Ran.

At that moment, Lin Ran was lying in bed reading the news, with Uncle Fu standing nearby, frowning.

"Ran, I’m back."

"Sweetheart, come here. Look at this."

Luo Yao climbed onto the bed, leaning against the headboard with Lin Ran as they scrolled through his phone.

A trending hashtag caught their attention—a verified post by a Huaxia Academy of Sciences expert.

[Hu Shuo (Huaxia Academy of Sciences Expert Panel): Everyone, I’ve uncovered something shocking. For public safety and social stability, I must speak out. The recent bidding for the Shanghai Tech City project was anything but fair. Luo Yao’s victory was orchestrated behind the scenes—by none other than Chen Buhui. As the chief expert of the Academy, she manipulated the panel’s votes. You might think someone of Chen Buhui’s stature wouldn’t do this, but consider this: Chen Buhui is a member of the Chen family. And Lin Ran? Also a Chen. Chen Buhui’s younger brother is Lin Ran’s grandfather. Need I say more? I’m making this accusation publicly…]

The post quickly went viral before being deleted.

But in this day and age, nothing truly disappears. Unless you never act, there will always be traces.

For a public figure to make such a statement ensured it would be screenshotted and spread.

Countless netizens reposted the screenshots, tagging Chen Buhui, Lin Ran, Luo Yao, Luo Corporation, and the official Huaxia Academy of Sciences account, demanding an explanation.

Lin Ran: "Yao, what do you plan to do?"