"Wait, what did you just say?"
"Luo Yao?"
Lin Ran wondered if his ears were playing tricks on him. How could the principal be so unreliable?
"Luo Yao is your wife and an outstanding entrepreneur, the top financial magnate. You must have picked up a thing or two from her, right?"
"You could talk about her business mindset, her daily life, or your relationship dynamics..."
"Stop, stop, stop. Principal Tang, no need to say more. I get it."
Lin Ran realized that Principal Tang was absolutely doing this on purpose.
Thinking about it, it was both amusing and exasperating. No matter how domineering or ruthless a woman might seem, she’d always have her little schemes.
Before leaving the office, Lin Ran remembered something.
"Oh, Principal Tang, some students keep skipping classes. It’s not right for them to never show up. Don’t you think the school should warn them to stop skipping?""Lin Shao, are you asking me to notify you to attend class?"
Lin Ran: "You... Out of respect for your age, I won’t curse. I’m talking about Lin Jian and Liu Ruxue."
"Ohhh! I see, I understand."
Principal Tang wanted to slap himself. How had he grown so muddle-headed?
Biologically, Lin Ran was part of the Lin family, but in reality, they were enemies.
Lin Ran was such a good kid, and now that he’d finally risen, it was only natural for him to want to stir up trouble for the Lins.
As his principal and a friend of his grandfather, of course he’d help.
Besides, Lin Ran was right—students should act like students. What kind of example were they setting?
Either attend class, go for internships, earn credits, or prepare for grad school. But skipping school all the time? They were ruining Jingda University’s reputation.
And so, Lin Jian and Liu Ruxue both received the same message:
"If you don’t attend classes, you’ll be expelled and denied graduation."
The next day, Liu Ruxue and Lin Jian had no choice but to show up at school.
Their appearance caused an uproar among the students.
There was no helping it—they were too infamous now, second only to Lin Ran.
But Lin Ran’s reputation was mostly positive, with the only stain being the rumor that Luo Yao was keeping him.
Yet Lin Ran was unbothered. He never denied his relationship with Luo Yao.
In contrast, Lin Jian dodged questions, and Liu Ruxue made excuses.
Of course, this disgusted the students.
People didn’t hate mistakes—they hated those who refused to admit them.
"Ohhh, if it isn’t Lin Shao of the Suran Group! Finally decided to attend class? I thought the school gave you special privileges."
"Shh! Don’t say that out loud. How Lin Shao got into Jingda in the first place... our class knows all about that."
"Lin Shao, I have a question. Could you help me with it?" A classmate walked over with a textbook.
Finally meeting someone halfway polite, Lin Jian forced a smile.
"Sure, what’s the problem? I’ll try my best."
Truthfully, he was terrible at academics. But the sheer confidence to offer help was uniquely his.
"Look at this question: A child has a father, a stepmother, and a stepbrother. How many people are in the family?"
"I counted four, but the answer key says one. Why?"
Lin Jian couldn’t take it. He hurled the student’s notebook away and roared, "You’re all going too far!"
"Yeah, yeah, we’re the worst. Can’t even ask a question without getting yelled at. How pathetic."
"Don’t talk about Lin Shao like that! He’s just a kid—what’s he ever done wrong?"
Lin Jian couldn’t stay any longer. He fled the lecture hall.
Gone were his glory days. Now, wherever he went, people whispered behind his back.
Even his former lackeys had turned on him, stabbing him in the back at every turn.
He couldn’t stand living like this.
But if he didn’t come to school, he’d be expelled—something he couldn’t afford.
The Lin family was likely doomed. A prestigious university degree might be his only lifeline for a comeback. He couldn’t lose that now.
Fuming with nowhere to vent, he went looking for Liu Ruxue.
To his surprise, she seemed to be avoiding him.
He figured it must be because his mother had gone to the Liu family to demand repayment, only to return empty-handed. Liu Ruxue was probably too ashamed to face him.
Damn it all. This was all Lin Ran’s fault.
If Lin Ran hadn’t demanded his shares, none of this would’ve happened.
One small move, and everything unraveled.
Lin Jian’s reasoning made sense—but he was wrong.
Liu Ruxue wasn’t avoiding him because of that.
She’d screwed over Liu Yuemei, and now she was scared—not just of Lin Jian, but even of Liu Yuemei.
She didn’t need to think hard to guess Liu Yuemei’s fate would be grim.
Of course, Brother Dao wasn’t exactly a saint, but surely he wouldn’t do anything too extreme to Liu Yuemei... right?
She was just helping Lin Ran punish his wicked stepmother. She wasn’t in the wrong.
Would Lin Ran fall for her because of this?
Liu Ruxue comforted herself with fantasies of a happy future with Lin Ran.
"Hey, isn’t that the campus belle Liu Ruxue? Heard she’s a real heartbreaker."
"How dare you call Emperor Ruxue a heartbreaker? She just wants to give every man a home—such boundless love! Do you have that?"
"What kind of home fits that many ‘little brothers’?"
"Hmm... That’s a question worth exploring."
Liu Ruxue’s eyes welled up. Only after the hecklers left did she lower her head and hurry back to her dorm, pulling out her scarf, mask, and hat again.
If no one recognized her, no one could gossip about her.
She’d mastered the art of self-deception.
But neither she nor Lin Jian knew that in just one morning, Liu Yuemei had already changed locations twice.
Lin Tianba, meanwhile, was out desperately seeking investors, unaware that his wife now "belonged" to everyone.
When Lin Ran got Brother Dao’s update, he was in high spirits.
He reminded Brother Dao to record videos and take photos—every single one.
Later, he could compile them into a nice little gift for Lin Tianba.
Whistling cheerfully, he walked into Luo Corporation and entered Luo Yao’s office.
"Yao Yao, Principal Tang said you’ll be attending the alumni event. Is that true?"
"It’s possible, but I’m not sure if I’ll have time. Why, do you need something?"
"No, no, just asking."
Lin Ran thought if Luo Yao went with him, it’d at least be less boring.
Then his gaze landed on the small vial on Luo Yao’s desk, and he fell into thought.
He’d never considered it before, but was there some connection between that vial and him?
After the last incident, a new possibility struck him:
Could this vial also be tied to him?