The note read: "[Marry me when we grow up]."
The characters for "when we grow up" were scribbled in a childish, unsteady hand, while the word "me" was written with elegant, firm strokes—clearly the handwriting of two different people.
Lin Ran froze.
Could this have been written by Luo Yao?
No, it must have been written by a man. If it were Luo Yao, it would say "Marry you when we grow up" or "Marry [someone's name]."
But regardless of who wrote it, the fact that Luo Yao kept it as a keepsake—what did that imply?
Did Luo Yao have another "first love" besides him?
And that childish handwriting—it was clearly written when they were young.
Lin Ran was certain he had no memory loss; his childhood recollections were vivid. He had never met Luo Yao before, nor did he even vaguely recall any girl from his past. So, he definitely wasn't Luo Yao's first love. Which meant...
Perhaps that person looked like him. Or worse—he looked like that person.
The thought that he might just be a substitute made Lin Ran's chest tighten with inexplicable pain.
He carefully refolded the note, placed it back into the small bottle, and returned it to its spot.
Sitting in his executive chair, his mind went blank, as if crashing, leaving him speechless for a long time.
Then, a voice came from outside the office.
"President Luo, Mr. Lin is here—he's in your office."
Unsure how to face Luo Yao, Lin Ran closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.
When Luo Yao entered, she saw him slumped in the chair, seemingly asleep.
Her gaze shifted to the small bottle on the desk, then back to Lin Ran. Without hesitation, she scooped him up effortlessly—a surprising feat for someone so petite—and carried him to the restroom, moving with such care as if afraid to wake him.
Lin Ran kept his eyes shut, but his heart gradually settled.
Luo Yao's tenderness, her affection—none of it felt fake. Was he really just a stand-in?
Yet he was absolutely certain he had never known her before.
Feeling her gentle touch, the slight coolness of her fingers against his cheek, Lin Ran's resistance melted away.
If Luo Yao was here with him now, didn’t that say everything?
Even if he was a substitute, he’d play the part perfectly—until the day she no longer wanted him.
It was what he owed her.
But the thought of Luo Yao one day leaving him to return to her first love sent a sharp pang through his chest.
Pretending to stir awake, he found Luo Yao gazing at him intently.
"Sweetheart, did you carry me to bed?"
Luo Yao stayed by his side, her eyes fixed on him as if his very existence in her life was a miracle.
"Yes!"
"Ha! You’re stronger than you look."
Luo Yao flexed her small fist. "I’ve trained for it."
Lin Ran pulled her into his arms, making her lie beside him.
"Ah—!"
A sudden, sharp pain shot through his long-healed wound.
Luo Yao tensed, her hand immediately reaching to soothe the spot. "What’s wrong? Does it hurt?"
The worry in her eyes, the urgency in her voice—none of it could be faked.
"It’s fine, just pulled it by accident."
Luo Yao nestled against him, whispering, "I’m sorry, A'Ran."
"Then you’ll have to make it up to me."
"How?"
"What do you think?"
"But I don’t want you to overexert yourself..."
"I won’t move. Promise."
Luo Yao’s gaze turned sultry, catching Lin Ran off guard.
"Wait, I didn’t mean right now—Mmh!"
Luo Yao cut him off with a kiss. "You started this fire. Now you’ll put it out."
Lin Ran thought, Good lord, why is the office always the setting for these miracles?
And the door isn’t even locked this time, woman!
Luo Yao couldn’t care less. If anyone dared knock now, they’d regret it.
As they lost themselves in each other, Lin Ran felt the undeniable truth of her love.
What first love? What unattainable ideal? None of it mattered compared to the warmth in his arms.
——
Two hours later, they finally left the office.
Passing through the assistant team’s area, they noticed everyone keeping their heads down—though occasional glances flickered their way.
Instead of returning to the estate, they dined out—at Pan Gu Hotel, owned by Lin Ran himself.
Last time he’d visited, he’d barely eaten. Tonight, he intended to make up for it.
Upon learning the owner and President Luo were dining there, the manager—Ye Lingling, the same woman from last time—personally attended to them.
Polished and well-respected in the culinary world, Ye Lingling rarely appeared unless for VIP guests.
She arranged a private dining room on the top floor, but Lin Ran insisted on a semi-private booth.
Reserving an entire room for just two felt wasteful—especially when the hotel was his. Extravagance didn’t sit right with him.
Even the booths here weren’t for ordinary guests. The restaurant’s hierarchy was clear: standard seating downstairs, semi-private booths above, and exclusive rooms for the elite.
Such was life—some were born in Rome, others spent theirs as beasts of burden.
Seating Luo Yao, Lin Ran caught her gaze—full of nothing but him.
When someone truly loves you, you can see it in their eyes, he mused wryly. Maybe he’d overthought things.
Whether in this life or another, Luo Yao’s love had never wavered. No shadows of a past love, no haunting "first love."
"Yao Yao," he finally asked, "why do you love me so much?"
It was a question he’d long wondered but never voiced—until curiosity got the better of him.
Luo Yao’s eyes narrowed playfully. "What? Planning to use the answer to escape me?"
Lin Ran chuckled. "Impossible. If anything, I’m afraid you’ll leave me one day."
"Then stop worrying. The only way you’re leaving is if I lock you up and devour you piece by piece."
Lin Ran pressed on. "I’m just curious. I’m not exceptionally talented—handsome, maybe, but so are countless others. I’m not rich, nor am I romantic. What’s the reason?"
Luo Yao cupped his face, her voice earnest. "Don’t say that. To me, A'Ran, you’re the best person in this world. Just having you by my side—that’s the most romantic thing of all."
The most romantic thing...
] [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!"
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
