Luo Yao was also puzzled—why was the food she made poisonous?
Could she be born with a toxic constitution?
The two took a car back to the manor. The moment they stepped out, Luo Yao visibly frowned, a sense of discomfort washing over her.
Lin Ran, ever the devoted husband, noticed the anomaly immediately and without a word, scooped his wife into his arms and carried her inside.
Nestled in Lin Ran's embrace, Luo Yao's heart swelled with affection, her gaze at him practically screaming "I want to devour you."
Uncle Fu hurried over anxiously, "Miss, Young Master Lin, do you think the readers have missed me?"
Lin Ran: ???
Luo Yao's eyes instantly turned icy. "You'd better have something important to say."
"Uh... Miss Chen Qingtian is in trouble. She injured someone, and the other party has significant influence. The situation has escalated."
Both Lin Ran and Luo Yao frowned. They knew Chen Qingtian well.
Backed by the Chen family and with Lin Ran as her cousin, few would dare provoke her.
Moreover, Chen Qingtian wasn’t some arrogant, spoiled heiress. She was a kind-hearted woman with a gentle temperament, unlikely to pick fights.
If she had resorted to violence, the other party must have done something unforgivable.
"How bad is the other person's condition?" Lin Ran asked the critical question.
"Miss Chen kicked him so hard he lost a testicle. He’s currently hospitalized and refusing any settlement. The matter has blown up."
"Though the public only knows Chen Qingtian assaulted someone, the specifics aren’t out yet. This is insider info—unverified, but likely true."
Lin Ran fell silent for a moment. "Did they try to force themselves on her?"
Uncle Fu shook his head. "No. Miss Chen went to Jingda University to confront him. There were many witnesses."
"Jingda? But the semester hasn’t even started yet. Who did she hit?"
Uncle Fu: ???
"Young Master Lin, classes resumed days ago. The victim is a student surnamed Yu, rumored to have deep connections. We’re still investigating the rest."
Lin Ran: ???
School’s already started? Why did no one tell me?
Wait—that wasn’t the issue right now.
Lin Ran hadn’t expected Chen Qingtian, who always seemed carefree, to strike so ruthlessly.
"Where is she now?"
"At the Chen residence. Authorities are there for questioning."
"Got it. Look into it further. Step in if necessary."
Though Lin Ran preferred to keep his distance from the Chen family, blood ties were blood ties. Chen Qingtian was a good person, and he couldn’t just watch her drown in this mess.
"Understood."
After Uncle Fu left, Lin Ran turned to Luo Yao. "You won’t be upset if I handle this, right?"
"Of course not. Ah-Ran can do whatever he wants."
Whatever he wants? That sounded a bit absolute.
If he went looking for Liu Ruxue, Luo Yao would probably lose it.
But he had no intention of seeking out Liu Ruxue. He was just waiting for her to meet her end.
Yes, he was certain—Luo Yao had already sentenced Liu Ruxue to death. It was only a matter of time.
In the past, no matter how much Liu Ruxue acted out, she’d kept some boundaries. But this time, she’d crossed the line by inciting murder. How could Luo Yao let her off?
"Anything? Hmm... Then I want Yao-Yao to sleep with me tonight."
"We haven’t done it today! Such a small request—consider it granted." Luo Yao was more than eager.
A night of passionate bedsprings later, the two, now physically and spiritually nourished, returned to their usual selves.
The next morning, as Lin Ran prepared to make breakfast for Luo Yao, she stopped him.
"Ah-Ran, don’t overwork yourself."
Between cooking and feeding her, Luo Yao genuinely felt he was spoiling her too much. "You’ll ruin me."
"It’s no trouble. I never got the chance before. Now that you’re on leave, I can pamper you properly. You’re my wife—spoiling you is my privilege."
"Then today, I’ll feed you."
Lin Ran smiled fondly. "Deal."
Luo Yao thought for a moment and added, "I’ll even cook for you before feeding you."
Lin Ran froze. "Did... did I do something wrong?"
Luo Yao shook her head. "Nope."
"Then why the murder attempt? If you succeed, won’t you end up a widow?"
Luo Yao flashed a knowing grin. "Don’t worry. I have a plan."
And so, Lin Ran watched as Luo Yao "made" a meal.
Of course, she only directed—the chef did all the actual cooking under her supervision.
The chef whipped up a lavish dinner per Luo Yao’s instructions, which she then hand-fed to Lin Ran.
Chef’s thoughts: What does this have to do with the young miss?
Luo Yao’s thoughts: This is a love-filled breakfast for Ah-Ran, crafted under my guidance.
Lin Ran’s thoughts: This... is Yao-Yao’s cooking. I’ll finish every bite.
Lately, Lin Ran had grown accustomed to Luo Yao’s feedings, even hoping this could last a lifetime.
The sweet breakfast stretched on. Lin Ran checked himself carefully—no adverse effects.
Well, of course not. If he ended up hospitalized despite not lifting a finger, that would be the real miracle.
Clearly, the red line for Luo Yao’s kitchen disasters was physical contact.
By midday, Uncle Fu had gathered most of the details.
"Young Master Lin, it’s all clear now..."
(Reminder: No need for tips. I’m not chasing rankings—save your New Year’s money for ribs.)
Now, let’s revisit Chen Qingtian’s story from the perspective of a side character—Fang Buxia.
Rewind to before the New Year—
A plane landed from Japan, carrying a weary young man.
Back in the capital, memories flooded his mind. Lost in thought, his expression flickered with unease.
After a long pause, he sighed.
"Let it go. It’s been three years. Time to move on."
His name was Fang Buxia, freshly returned from studying abroad in Japan.
He’d chosen Japan back then to escape—to flee the version of himself he despised and the girl who’d vanished from his life.
The young man returned to a home he hadn’t seen in three years, a place saturated with memories.
He couldn’t even bear to look at the furnishings. The familiarity suffocated him, forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut and crouch in a corner.
Only after movers arrived to clear everything out did he dare open his eyes again.
The room was stripped bare, save for a single bed.
A woman’s voice echoed in his mind, one he’d replayed countless times.
"Xia-Xia, when you grow up, how about I take care of you?"
"If you ever get a girlfriend, you have to tell me first. Only if I approve can you date her, understand?"
Back then, a young Fang Buxia had asked in confusion, "What if you don’t agree?"
"Then you can’t date her."
"So... I’d never get married?"
"Don’t worry. Worst case, I’ll reluctantly marry you myself."
Those words stayed with Fang Buxia from middle school all the way through high school.
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
