Let Lin Tianba die?

That would be too merciful.

Lin Ran wouldn’t let Lin Tianba’s story end so easily. He had vowed to make him live out the rest of his days—alive to suffer.

Their personal feud might be over, but Lin Tianba still had to pay for what he did to Lin Ran’s mother.

For the rest of his life.

As for so-called family bonds? A father’s love?

All nonsense. Lin Ran couldn’t care less.

Suddenly, Luo Yao turned and hugged him.

"Don’t be afraid, A’Ran. I’m your family now. I’ll never betray you."

Lin Ran froze.

So she understood him this deeply.

How wonderful.

Just as he was about to be moved, Luo Yao’s tone shifted.

"And you can’t betray me either. If I lose it, we’re both going down."

Well, his wife was still the same wife, and her love burned just as fiercely.

The moment they arrived at the estate, Lin Ran noticed something off.

The old man who always came out to greet him was nowhere to be seen.

It wasn’t that Lin Ran was being fussy—it’s just that a mistake like this shouldn’t happen with Uncle Fu. If it did, it meant something was wrong.

"Where’s Uncle Fu?" Lin Ran casually asked a servant.

"He went to Villa No. 3, I think."

Lin Ran relaxed. So he went to see Granny Wang.

He didn’t think much of it and carried his wife off to bathe and sleep.

The next morning, as soon as Lin Ran stepped out of the bedroom, he saw Uncle Fu—injured.

"What happened to your eye?"

Uncle Fu: "It’s normal to have dark circles from insomnia."

Lin Ran frowned. "Is it normal for just one eye to be black?"

"Yeah, isn’t it?"

Lin Ran thought, Hell no, it’s not.

Just then, Luo Yao followed him out and narrowed her eyes at Uncle Fu.

"What’s wrong with your neck?"

Uncle Fu glanced down. "Don’t you think this neckerchief suits me, Miss?"

"You know the cost of lying to me."

Uncle Fu immediately shut his mouth, then after a pause, explained.

"Well, I went to see Granny Wang, but I slipped up—she punched me in the eye. Not that I couldn’t take her, of course. You know how strong I am, Miss. I just… couldn’t bring myself to fight back."

Lin Ran’s eyes widened. He’d only been joking yesterday, but the old man actually went for it?

And…

Noticing Lin Ran staring at his neckerchief, Uncle Fu sighed and took it off.

"She bit me."

Luo Yao nodded. "One year’s salary deduction."

Uncle Fu: ???

"It’ll go to Granny Wang as compensation."

Uncle Fu: Well, that’s a relief.

A gossipy grin spread across Lin Ran’s face. "I just want to know how it ended."

Uncle Fu hung his head in shame. "I failed. I’m useless."

Lin Ran laughed. At least Uncle Fu hadn’t committed some irreparable mistake—though Lin Ran would still bear at least 1% of the blame for this.

"I was just joking. Why’d you actually go?"

Uncle Fu glared. "Young Master Lin, you’ve ruined me."

"Or maybe what ruined you was your own dirty thoughts."

Uncle Fu had no retort. If human instinct counted as "dirty," then the Young Master and Miss were the filthiest people alive.

But he only dared think it, not say it.

Since nothing had happened, Lin Ran cheerfully dropped the matter and took his wife to enjoy breakfast.

They’d woken up early today because Luo Yao was returning to work. She didn’t know how long it would last, but it wouldn’t be too lengthy.

Her task? Assisting Liu Meng in dismantling the Yu and Ai families.

Yes, assisting. Liu Meng was the one leading the charge.

Lin Ran almost felt bad for the Yu and Ai clans.

In his wife’s eyes, top-tier families like them only deserved to face off against an assistant. How pathetic were they?

Lin Ran wanted to accompany Luo Yao—his injuries were fully healed now.

But after some thought, she refused.

"A’Ran, if you miss me, you can visit at noon every day. But don’t come at other times. Your presence would distract me from work."

Lin Ran pouted. "You used to say you couldn’t focus without me around. Now I’m the distraction?"

Ugh, heartless woman. (Angry)

Lin Ran: First it was "I can’t concentrate without you," now it’s "you’re in my way"?

Luo Yao found his sulky expression adorable and gently explained.

"This job is different. It involves multiple rounds of corporate warfare and complex strategies. I need to be fully focused. If you’re beside me, how can I concentrate on helping Liu Meng fight?"

"Fine."

What could he do when his wife put it like that?

Besides, she had a point—his presence would only slow her down.

"If you’re bored, A’Ran, go out and spend money. Didn’t we agree? I earn, you burn."

Lin Ran kissed her forehead. "Don’t worry, I won’t let your hard-earned money go to waste. I’ll do my best to spend it all in this lifetime."

"Then you’ll have to work hard, A’Ran. Emptying our fortune won’t be easy."

Lin Ran sighed dramatically. "Well… if we can’t finish it, we’ll spend the rest in the next life."

Trying to exhaust his wife’s wealth in one lifetime was like attempting the impossible.

No matter how recklessly he spent, her money seemed to multiply—the more he splurged, the more there was.

Eventually, it would drain him completely, leaving behind nothing but his dashing good looks.

"Next life… you’ll still be mine, right?"

"Not just next life. The life before this too. Call it Three Lifetimes of Us."

With happiness, reassurance, and peace in her heart, Luo Yao left. The villa was quiet again, leaving Lin Ran alone.

Sensing his gloom, Uncle Fu approached. "Young Master, shall I arrange a car for you to go out?"

"Go out? Where? Anywhere without Yao Yao is just a gray, lifeless world."

Should’ve known I’d get force-fed dog food for asking.

Suddenly, Lin Ran’s phone rang.

The long-forgotten sound almost surprised him—he’d nearly forgotten phones could do that.

"Who is it?" His tone was flat at the unfamiliar number.

"Lin Ran, this is Jingda University’s administration office. When do you plan to grace us with your presence?"

"Oh? What’s the matter?"

The voice on the other end paused. "Your classmates miss you. The dean misses you. And it’s been weeks since the semester started—you still haven’t checked in with your advisor."

Lin Ran chuckled helplessly. "Got it. I’ll drop by when I have time."

Damn school. Why am I still a student?

Wait… am I still a student?

He’d almost forgotten. Counting the days, the semester had indeed begun a while ago, and he hadn’t shown up once. That was a bit much.

Oh well. With his wife away, he might as well find something to do.

Hmm… it had been a while since he last visited the company.

He wasn’t worried about Luo Yao’s battle against the Yu and Ai alliance. He trusted her completely.

In their past life, she’d dealt with those families too. Though she hadn’t wiped them out, she’d successfully downgraded them to second-tier status.

The conflict seems to stem from the two families attempting to replace Luo Corporation's dominance after their alliance, resorting to underhanded tactics and vicious competition.

He wasn’t entirely clear on the details, as in his previous life, he hadn’t paid much attention to Luo Yao’s affairs.

Though this timeline had shifted significantly earlier, the current Luo Yao was far more formidable than before.

After all, she no longer had anything holding her back.