However, in a way, I really was Liu Ruxue's simp before—no point denying that.
Thinking of this, Lin Ran logged onto Weibo for the first time and got verified.
Before Lin Ran could even post anything, Wu Zhishang and Wu's Father arrived, accompanied by a few assistants.
"Big bro, long time no see."
Lin Ran looked at Shen Jingbing and said, "Don't call me 'big bro'—sounds like we're some kind of gangsters. 'Lin Ge' or 'Boss' will do."
"Got it, Boss Lin."
Lin Ran: "Uncle Wu, this is the current chairman of Su Ran, and this is the general manager of Nuanyao Real Estate. Let’s get acquainted."
Wu's Father shook hands with Qu Teliang.
"President Qu, we’ve met before. I was in charge of the external network construction for 'Linyuan Shengjing.'"
Qu Teliang also recognized the reliable man before him and acknowledged his professional competence."President Wu has a keen eye for talent. Now that we’re both working under Young Master Lin, if needed later, we’ll coordinate to give those people a proper warning."
Lin Ran: "A warning? Easy. Just follow my lead."
Wu's Father and Qu Teliang responded simultaneously: "Understood."
Just then, the leader of the protesters spotted Lin Ran.
"That kid over there is Lin Ran. Let’s go talk to him."
A group of about twenty people quickly surrounded them.
Qu Teliang: "Block them."
Su Ran Group’s security team was about to step in when they noticed Lin Ran’s personal bodyguards had already intercepted the crowd.
The leader shouted, "Boss Lin, we want to buy houses—why won’t you sell to us?"
Lin Ran immediately recognized the man.
He was the same guy who had led the crowd to refund their purchases before, and now he was back to buy again.
Lin Ran smiled and asked, "What’s your name?"
"I... I’m Zhuang Bifan."
Lin Ran paused. "Great name."
"Right? My dad’s surname is Zhuang, my mom’s is Bi, and they just wanted me to live an ordinary life, so they named me Zhuang Bifan. But with such a great name, why can’t I even buy a house? Waaah!"
At this point, Shen Jingbing stepped forward.
"Honestly, that name’s just okay. Mine’s better. My surname is Shen, I was born in the capital, and my parents hoped I’d become a soldier, so they named me Shen Jingbing."
Zhuang Bifan froze, then gave Shen Jingbing a thumbs-up.
"Boss Lin, why won’t you sell us houses?"
He truly regretted it now. He’d finally bought a school-district home, hoping it would help him land a wife, but now he’d lost both the house and the girl.
However, someone’s persuasion had given him a new direction—to cause trouble. The bigger the fuss, the higher the chance of getting a house.
Lin Ran: "Bro, you were the one who refunded, and now you’re back to buy. What exactly do you want?"
Zhuang Bifan: "Boss Lin, we acted impulsively last time. Now we want to buy back—why won’t you sell?"
The others chimed in.
"Yeah, what kind of business is this?"
Lin Ran glanced at Qu Teliang, who immediately whispered an explanation:
"Young Master Lin, my apologies. It was my oversight. Last time, you said not to sell to them, so I didn’t. Besides, their refunded units have already been sold to others."
Lin Ran wasn’t bothered. He just wanted to confirm the facts before turning back to Zhuang Bifan.
"Last time, I warned you—this is a school-district property. You can refund, but buying back? No."
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"Also, from what I know, all the units you refunded have been sold out by now."
Zhuang Bifan yelled, "Those were our houses! How dare you sell them to others?"
"Your houses? Where’s your shame?"
"When prices dropped, you refunded. Now that they’ve risen, you want to buy back. You want all the benefits—how shameless can you be?"
Lin Ran’s words turned Zhuang Bifan’s face red.
"There are so many of us—aren’t you afraid we’ll expose you?"
"Expose me for what? For letting you refund? Or for refusing to resell houses already bought by others?"
Lin Ran didn’t care about market backlash, nor did he fear exposure. The company could stay open or shut down—it didn’t matter.
He had a wife to support him. What was there to fear?
That was his confidence.
"You... you’re going too far! We’ll expose you!"
Lin Ran: "Go ahead. Perfect timing—I still have that video from last time with nowhere to post it. Hurry up."
The man froze, exchanging uneasy glances with the other buyers.
Last time, they really had acted rashly.
"You can’t do this! We’ve lost so much in loan penalties!"
Lin Ran: "Did I force you to breach the contract? You lost? You caused massive losses to my company by refunding—I haven’t even settled that yet."
"If you keep causing trouble, I’ll have to calculate that debt. My wife is Luo Yao. You know the Luo family’s legal team has never lost a case. Should I send you a lawyer’s letter?"
The news of Luo Yao sending legal notices nationwide yesterday had already spread across the internet. Even if one or two hadn’t heard, it was impossible for all of them to be unaware.
Sure enough, some backed down.
Most of them dared to follow Zhuang Bifan in making a scene, but none dared to challenge the law or risk paying compensation.
"But... but..."
Lin Ran: "No buts. You led the refunds, not me. I gave you a chance, but you threw it away. If your girlfriend dumps you and marries someone else, can you shamelessly claim she’s still your wife? What kind of logic is that?"
Lin Ran’s words struck Zhuang Bifan’s deepest wound.
His girlfriend had indeed left him for lacking a house, married someone else, and he’d even been the best man at their wedding.
"Waaah! You’re too cruel! Waaah!"
Lin Ran found it almost amusing to see a grown man cry so pitifully. Had he really hit a nerve?
"Crying here won’t help. You want to buy houses? Fine. Su Ran Group’s second-phase project is almost completed—you can pre-order now."
Everyone’s eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Of course. But let me be clear—prices are 10% higher now. The current market isn’t what it was before. Not raising prices further is already the most responsible thing I can do for buyers."
"Great! Thank you, Boss Lin! Thank you!"
Linyuan Shengjing’s value had skyrocketed. Even with the markup, it was still a steal.
Many immediately switched sides.
"Boss Lin is so kind—no wonder he’s Luo Yao’s husband."
"He’s practically the nation’s... son-in-law."
Lin Ran basked in their shameless flattery.
Zhuang Bifan, however, was furious.
"Why? Why should we pay extra? We want our original price!"
Lin Ran: "I said they could buy at a markup. As for you? No price will get you a house."