Zhao Miaomiao’s tears flowed even harder. Suddenly, she felt a clarity wash over her, as if a cold stream had poured into the crown of her head, making many things clear to her.
"Are you blaming me, Miaomiao? Don’t worry, I’ll find a chance to explain to Brother Zhishang. I won’t make things difficult for you."
Zhao Miaomiao: "Get lost. Don’t let me see you again."
Now she realized just how wrong she had been.
Zhao Miaomiao stood up, ready to leave, completely ignoring Lv Jian’s honeyed words beside her.
"Wait." Lin Ran’s voice cut through the air. "You’re just going to leave like that?"
Both Zhao Miaomiao and Lv Jian turned to look at Lin Ran, their hearts instantly turning cold.
Even scumbags like them browsed the internet, and lately, Lin Ran and Luo Yao had been all over it.
The current Lin Ran was someone they feared deep down.
Not because they were afraid of what he might do, but because of the person standing behind him.Lin Ran could see right through their thoughts but didn’t call them out.
Relying on his wife’s influence to throw his weight around—wasn’t that just another skill of a freeloader?
And besides…
He intended to show them in his own way that he, Lin Ran, could also become the devil in someone else’s eyes.
"Lv Jian, you’ve got some nerve. Your family’s locked up, yet here you are, still playing the scumbag. Impressive."
Lv Jian knew exactly what Lin Ran was referring to.
"They broke the law and got what they deserved. What can I do? Wrongdoers must be punished."
Lin Ran clapped slowly. "Well said. Then let me remind you of an old saying—the sins of the father shall be visited upon the son. Your dear old dad cuckolded my Tianba, and your little brother bullied me for years. Now that they’re behind bars, I guess I’ll have to take it out on you."
"Abu."
At Lin Ran’s call, Abu stepped forward with an icy expression, walking toward Lv Jian. Lv Jian’s face twisted in terror—he felt like the man in front of him could tear him apart with his bare hands.
"I was wrong, Young Master Lin! Please spare me! I have nothing to do with them—I’ll cut ties with Lv Renqi right now!"
The moment those words left his mouth, even Abu paused, glancing back at Lin Ran.
Lin Ran smirked. He hadn’t expected Lv Jian to be this shameless.
"Originally, I was going to cripple you. But since you’re like this… let’s just settle for a beating—the kind that leaves you bedridden for half a month."
At this moment, Lin Ran realized that Lv Jian’s disgustingness was still a notch below Lin Jian’s.
Which only proved that Lin Jian’s manipulative skills were superior.
Abu nodded and "escorted" Lv Jian to a secluded corner with no cameras.
As for Zhao Miaomiao, she stared at Lin Ran in disbelief. She never imagined he could be this ruthless now.
"Don’t look at me like that. In my eyes, you’re not even worth the effort. Among the people I know, you wouldn’t even make the top ten in the ‘Most Despicable’ rankings."
The top spots on that list were reserved for the likes of the "Three Beasts of the Lin Family" and the "Four Dogs of the Liu Family." Zhao Miaomiao couldn’t even rank above the mother-son duo from the Park family.
At the very least, Zhao Miaomiao and Lv Jian were just scumbags—they hadn’t used their vileness to take lives, unlike the others.
If Zhao Miaomiao had to be ranked, she’d probably be on par with Huo Haini.
"Lin Ran, I apologize for what I said to you last time. Can you let me go?"
Zhao Miaomiao was genuinely afraid of him now.
Lin Ran wasn’t the type to chase someone to the ends of the earth, but he wasn’t about to let her off easy either.
These two had hurt his best friend and even tried to frame him by taking his words out of context in a video.
"Don’t be naive, kid. If apologies worked, what would I need my ‘dipping sauce’ for?"
Zhao Miaomiao didn’t understand. Lin Ran grinned. "Shen Jingbing, where are you?"
"Right here, boss."
Lin Ran didn’t even need to look to know Shen Jingbing was already raring to go. Whenever he was needed, this "dipping sauce" would always appear.
To deal with trash, you needed someone even more shameless.
"Ah—!" Zhao Miaomiao turned to run. She knew Shen Jingbing all too well—she’d even been on the receiving end of his "work" before.
"Stay away from me!"
Shen Jingbing wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip.
Ever since Liu Ruxue got locked up, he’d been out of a job and had to pivot to being a streamer under Nuanyao Group’s media branch.
Though his streaming career was thriving with plenty of fans, something still felt missing.
Now, the chance had finally come. He’d been itching for this for days.
Dealing with scumbags was his favorite pastime.
After grabbing Zhao Miaomiao, he delivered his classic line:
"Go on, scream. The louder you scream, the more excited I get! Hahahahaha!"
By the time Abu returned, Lin Ran had already led his people back into the Nuanyao Group building, paying no further attention to Zhao Miaomiao and Shen Jingbing.
He knew Shen Jingbing well enough—the man knew his limits and wouldn’t cross any serious lines.
Lin Ran didn’t ask how badly Lv Jian ended up. He trusted Abu’s skills—there would be no mistakes.
If he said Lv Jian would be bedridden for half a month, it would be exactly that—not a day less, not a day more.
As for those two despicable creatures, they probably wouldn’t dare cause trouble again.
Back in the office, Chen Qingtian had arrived.
Her work in Shanghai had wrapped up, and though she’d come to Beijing, she hadn’t reported to the company until today—Lin Ran had summoned her.
She was buzzing with excitement because she already knew why he’d called her in.
Her assistant, Pei Qianqian, looked puzzled. "Sis Qingtian, why are you so happy?"
"You’ll find out soon." I’m about to start making serious money.
Outside the office, Chen Qingtian took in the changes with a sigh. My sister-in-law is loaded.
To just gift an entire office building like this…
She swore she’d be just as rich one day—rich enough to keep a harem of pretty boys.
When it came to love, from now on, only others would get hurt. Never her.
Knocking and entering, she saw Wu Zhishang, Lin Ran, and Zhang Xinyan inside. Her confidence wavered slightly.
Especially facing Wu Zhishang—she was about to go solo, and she hadn’t even told him yet.
He was still her nominal superior, after all. It felt a little awkward.
Wu Zhishang sighed. "Brother Lin already told me. I didn’t expect you to leave the team so soon."
He was feeling a little down, though he wasn’t entirely sure why.
Maybe it was the tiny flicker of hope he’d held for Chen Qingtian.
The girl who had drunk with him during his lowest moments, who had stood up for him when he was bullied—she seemed to be drifting further and further away.
Wu Zhishang was a sentimental person, easily moved. But he also knew better than to cling to unrealistic fantasies.