Love was never fair—who came first didn’t matter. What mattered was who stayed by your side in the end.
You know what they say?
The one who isn’t loved is the real third wheel.
Sitting at the makeshift table in the middle of the locked room, Lin Ran picked up a stack of documents and began reading.
When he reached the last page, his entire heart trembled.
It was an ordinary photo—Lin Ran smiling brightly, likely taken the first time he met Luo Yao, the angle capturing the moment perfectly.
Back then, Lin Ran had no idea why Luo Yao sought him out. He only felt flustered that such a stunning beauty would approach him.
Who could’ve guessed her first words would be a proposal?
Lin Ran assumed she was joking, so his smile was shy, tinged with youthful awkwardness.
Thinking back to that meeting, Lin Ran hadn’t disliked Luo Yao. On the contrary, he admired her. That’s why he’d let her down gently.
A woman that beautiful—whether her feelings were genuine or not—deserved respect for the courage to confess.
It wasn’t until later, when he realized Luo Yao was dead serious, that Lin Ran began distancing himself.
This woman was unhinged, harboring a pathological obsession that terrified him.
But the more he ran, the tighter she chased, until their relationship collapsed into outright confinement.
The photo itself was unremarkable, but the blurred water stains dotting its surface made Lin Ran’s pulse race.
He knew—each drop was a tear Luo Yao shed, grieving over a love unreturned as she faced this image again and again.
How much pain had she endured?
He was such a fool.
Flipping the photo over, he found scribbled on the blank back: [One day, he’ll love you.]
His heart ached.
Breathing became difficult.
Lin Ran finally shattered. He’d never felt pain like this—pain for Luo Yao.
Love could be sweet, and so it could hurt.
Lin Ran admitted it—he was falling.
Even if it destroyed him, he’d never let Luo Yao suffer again. Right now, he needed to see her—immediately.
He bolted out, frantic, interrogating the assistants.
“Luo Yao—where is she? I need to see her now.”
Sister Wang from the assistant team startled at the sight of Lin Ran’s bloodshot eyes, tension gripping her.
If anything happened to Lin Ran here, CEO Luo would take it out on them.
“CEO Luo is in the 36th-floor conference room… Wait! Young Master Lin, you can’t go in—she’s in a meeting!”
Lin Ran ignored her. His only thought was Luo Yao. Rationality was slipping away.
The elevator ascended to the 88th floor. Lin Ran charged inside, each passing floor feeling like an eternity.
So this was the torment of love—every second stretched into years.
Finally, after what seemed like lifetimes, the doors opened. Lin Ran rushed out just as Luo Yao emerged from the conference room.
“A-Ran?”
Seeing him drenched in tears, Luo Yao tensed instantly.
Her elegant figure blurred in Lin Ran’s vision, but he knew—this hazy silhouette was his Luo Yao.
“Luo… Yao, I… I…” He pulled her into a crushing embrace, voice breaking.
“Why… why would you be so foolish? Was loving me ever worth it?”
Luo Yao, held impossibly tight, curled her lips into a soft smile. “Because it’s you, A-Ran. So yes, it was.”
They stood blocking the conference room doorway, trapping executives who’d just wrapped up their meeting.
“Luo Yao, I’m sorry… I’m so sorry I took this long…” Lin Ran murmured the same incomprehensible words again and again.
Pressed against him, Luo Yao suddenly saw the world in vivid color.
When Lin Ran finally looked up, he noticed the crowd of stunned executives frozen in the doorway, unsure whether to exit or retreat.
Meeting his gaze, they scratched their heads, glanced around, some even studying the ceiling as if debating a renovation.
This time, Lin Ran felt no shame—no repeat of the video call embarrassment.
He didn’t need Luo Yao’s confirmation to know: no matter when or where, she’d never reject his love.
Right there, in front of everyone, he force-fed them a spoonful of romance.
When the kiss ended, Luo Yao hooked her arms around his neck. “Carry me back.”
Lin Ran obeyed, sweeping her up in a princess carry. Luo Yao’s icy glare swept over the executives, plunging the room into mortuary silence.
Only after Lin Ran vanished did the chatter resume—though the topic had shifted entirely.
“I’d always heard Young Master Lin was handsome, but seeing him in person…”
“Didn’t we already see him in that video conference?”
“You call that blurry glimpse ‘seeing’? Though I heard he often brings CEO Luo lunch.”
“I ran into him once, but didn’t dare speak. As a woman, I value my life too much.”
“Did you see CEO Luo’s expression just now? Like a smitten schoolgirl.”
“I always assumed the CEO’s ‘little puppy’ was the submissive one. Guess I was wrong.”
“CEO Luo actually snuggling in someone’s arms? My worldview’s shattered.”
“Young Master Lin’s a legend.”
“The harder Young Master Lin works, the easier our lives get.”
Back on the 88th floor, Luo Yao noticed Lin Ran still hadn’t set her down.
“A-Ran, what’s wrong? Did someone upset you?”
Lin Ran: “Yes.”
“Who?”
“You.”
Lin Ran: “You’ve bullied me. You never even said you love me.”
Nestled in his arms, Luo Yao’s eyes reflected only him.
“I love you. Do you love me?”
Lin Ran met her gaze, unwavering. “Luo Yao, I love you. You can ask me anytime—I’ll always confirm it.”
The words hit like a .50-caliber bullet, obliterating her heart.
“Good… I’ll keep asking. After all, I’m keeping you forever.”
Lin Ran nearly wept. She remembered every promise he’d ever made.
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
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."
