In the private villa of a luxury estate, Lin Ran immediately took action upon receiving the news and headed to the kitchen.
He planned to prepare dinner for Luo Yao, which was the most he could do for her right now.
He wasn't sure if the estate allowed him to go out, and he hadn't asked.
In his previous life, at this time, he was confined to bed.
Now, at least there were no chains, and he didn't dare ask for more. He would take things slowly.
Besides, living in such a comfortable villa, with everything provided and a beautiful, seductive wife, wasn't this already the peak of life? Why would he ever want to return to his old days?
Thinking about his childhood, Lin Ran had had a pretty good life. But everything changed after his mother passed away.
With a stepmother came a stepfather, and a younger brother who constantly plotted to kill him.
He held no position of importance in the Lin family; no one ever cared for him. Even the tuition for his university education had been earned through his own hard work.
Compared to his brother Lin Jian's life, it was like living in heaven and hell.
Wasn't having a wealthy wife enough?
When the staff in the villa saw Lin Ran heading to the kitchen to cook, they were all startled.
The kitchen was a dangerous place in the household. If Lin Ran got even a little hurt, they would all be in deep trouble.
Everyone could see how Luo Yao doted on Lin Ran.
Even if Lin Ran blew up the entire estate, it would be the fault of the explosives and the estate, not Lin Ran.
No matter how fiercely the chef and the servants pleaded, Lin Ran remained unmoved.
Lin Ran: "It's fine. I just want to make dinner for Luo Yao. I'm not trying to take your jobs!"
The head chef was on the verge of tears: "Master Lin, it's not about the job; it's about your safety. If anything happens to you, I won't be able to live!"
Lin Ran made a concession: "Okay then, you can watch me. If I can't handle it, you can step in. That works, right?"
After some thought, the head chef reluctantly agreed. This was already a big compromise on Lin Ran's part.
Watching Lin Ran's skillful knifework and deft movements at the stove, the chef was slightly amazed.
How could a pampered young master like Lin Ran know how to cook?
They didn't know that in the Lin household, it was Lin Ran who did the cooking, not the nanny.
After Lin Ran finished preparing his signature eight dishes and one soup, Luo Yao returned.
Seeing no one in the hall, she first went upstairs to the bedroom. Pushing the door open, it was empty.
Her face immediately cooled.
No one was here. Last time no one was here, Lin Ran had run away, and Uncle Fu had taken all the bodyguards and servants out to search for him.
This time, again, no one was here. Could it be...?
Ah Ran! Why must you be so disobedient?
Luo Yao took out her phone, opened an unknown app, and checked the location.
Hmm? He's in the villa?
While Luo Yao was puzzled, Uncle Fu hurriedly came from the kitchen.
"Miss, you're back!"
"Where is Ah Ran?"
"Master Lin is in the kitchen. He said he wants to cook dinner for you himself!"
Luo Yao froze for a moment before regaining her normal expression.
Uncle Fu wiped the sweat from his brow, relieved that he had spoken quickly enough to avoid possibly losing his life.
"Miss, Master Lin has almost finished. Why don't you go downstairs?"
Luo Yao nodded coldly, went back to her room to change, and then walked towards the dining hall.
Lin Ran had the servants bring the dishes to the dining hall and followed them out of the kitchen, where he saw Luo Yao.
For some reason, seeing Luo Yao made Lin Ran incredibly happy, as if he had just seen the most magnificent thing in the world.
It was a feeling he had never experienced before.
Lin Ran opened his arms and walked towards Luo Yao, who just stood there in a daze as Lin Ran hugged her and kissed her on the forehead.
"Welcome home kiss!"
"I made dinner. Let's eat together!"
"Okay!"
Luo Yao's eyes sparkled with stars. Was this what it felt like to have Ah Ran?
Could he not be pretending? Considering it again, it still seemed unlikely, and her expression once again turned cold.
Lin Ran was utterly confused.
Brother, are you practicing face-changing?
Before cooking, Lin Ran had asked the steward about Luo Yao's dietary restrictions. He didn't want to be like those stupid characters in novels who made the female lead allergic.
Learning that Luo Yao had no specific dietary requirements, Lin Ran let loose in the kitchen.
No requirements meant that even if he cooked something terrible, she wouldn't get angry.
Moreover, his cooking skills were actually quite decent.
In casual homewear, Luo Yao was alluring beyond imagination. Scenes from the previous night flashed through Lin Ran's mind, and his face turned red.
Luo Yao took her seat, and Lin Ran sat beside her, lighting the candles he had prepared earlier and instructing the servants to turn off the lights.
This action left Uncle Fu and the other servants in shock.
Previously, Lin Ran always sat at the farthest end from Luo Yao, so Luo Yao had even replaced the large, luxurious dining table with a smaller one, yet Lin Ran still sat opposite Luo Yao.
And now, he was directly sitting beside Luo Yao and lighting romantic candles. This change was no small feat.
Luo Yao also appreciated Lin Ran's transformation. She thought that if he could keep this up, it wouldn't be so bad.
Lin Ran served a bowl of beauty soup for Luo Yao and then helped himself to one.
Wives needed to maintain their beauty, but so did husbands! Otherwise, once they aged, their wives might not want them anymore.
Uncle Fu quickly interrupted: "Miss, this soup looks delicious. Why don't you allow me to taste it first?"
Uncle Fu was genuinely afraid that Lin Ran might have poisoned the food.
Luo Yao coldly glanced at Uncle Fu, and he immediately realized his mistake. He had no right to doubt Lin Ran. In this household, no one could question him.
Uncle Fu even wondered if Lin Ran's status in this home was even higher than the young lady's.
Luo Yao coldly said, "No need. This is what Ah Ran cooked. I trust him!"
Even if it were poison that would tear through her innards, as long as Lin Ran told her to drink it, she would do so without hesitation.
Uncle Fu felt awkward, while Lin Ran simply smiled. He didn't blame Uncle Fu; such concerns were reasonable.
"Let me try it first!"
Before anyone could react, Lin Ran quickly drank a couple of mouthfuls of the soup and sampled a bit from each dish.
Finding the taste quite good, he thought Luo Yao would like it.
Uncle Fu chuckled awkwardly: "It seems I was overly suspicious. I'm sorry!"
Lin Ran signaled it was okay, but Luo Yao coldly added, "You won't be receiving your bonus this month!"
Uncle Fu's eyes widened in shock. This felt even worse than being killed.
Lin Ran generously interceded: "Luo Yao, Uncle Fu was just concerned about your safety. Let's not worry about the bonus. Instead, try the soup."
It wasn't that Lin Ran was taking advantage of his privileged position but rather that Uncle Fu was a good person and had Luo Yao's best interests at heart. That was why he stepped in to plead his case.
Luo Yao nodded, and Uncle Fu, full of gratitude, wanted to thank Lin Ran but saw Luo Yao's slightly furrowed brow and immediately shut his mouth.
It wasn't his place to speak during the couple's meal.
Lin Ran then quietly watched as Luo Yao elegantly scooped up a spoonful of the beauty soup he had prepared and brought it to her lips. The soft, romantic candlelight made her already stunning visage even more captivating. It felt like he could never tire of looking at her.
Luo Yao: "What are you looking at?"
Lin Ran: "You're beautiful."
Luo Yao frowned: "Who's prettier, me or Liu Ruxue?"

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!

grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)

] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"