Lin Ran fell silent for a moment, thinking to himself, "Just as I expected."

This person was the one who had relayed messages to Fang Buxia—in other words, Yu Chengqun's lackey.

As for why he didn’t suspect it might be someone else with the same name, well, this name was far too unique.

"Do we still have any properties left?"

"Yes, but they're all discounted units. The good ones have already been sold out."

Lin Ran flashed a wicked smile, like a gardenia in full bloom. "Contact him now and tell him we’re selling him a property—at the original price."

Without Luo Yao by his side, his life had nearly lost all meaning. Finally, he could add a splash of color to it.

Qu Te Niang nodded. This wasn’t a difficult task.

After waiting for about half an hour, Zhuang Bifan strode into the Suran Group sales center with confident steps.

His mood was excellent today because Suran Group had finally agreed to sell him a property.

The last time he’d failed to secure a home, his girlfriend had dumped him and married someone else.

He’d even been the best man at their wedding.

After that humiliation, he swore he would buy a property no matter what—and it had to be in a school district.

He wanted to stand in front of his ex-girlfriend one day and tell her how wrong she’d been to leave him.

But after searching high and low, he still hadn’t found anything with a better price-to-value ratio. Then, out of the blue, Suran Group reached out to him for a viewing.

So now you’re begging me to buy from you? After ignoring me before?

The moment he stepped inside, Zhuang Bifan put on his most confident smile. "Someone, come greet me."

I’m here to buy a property—I better act the part, or I’d be wasting this name of mine.

Suddenly, a man with a deceptively simple face—yet exuding an inexplicable aura of menace—stood before him. Zhuang Bifan, who had been ready to show off, froze on the spot.

Abu gave a polite nod. "Hello."

Zhuang Bifan blinked. "Huh? Oh—hello!"

Huh, he’s actually polite?

A massive hand suddenly seized Zhuang Bifan by the collar and lifted him off the ground. "So you’re the one called Zhuang Bifan, huh?"

Abu was never a kind man. His actions depended entirely on Lin Ran’s orders.

If Lin Ran told him to be good, he’d be good. If Lin Ran told him to be ruthless, he’d be ruthless.

After all, Lin Ran’s wife was the one signing his paychecks.

Twenty minutes later, inside a room at the sales center, Zhuang Bifan had finally stopped putting on airs.

"Lin… Lin Shao, I was wrong! I swear I’ll never do it again! Please, have mercy!"

Lin Ran looked down at him, his eyes devoid of any human warmth—cold as ice.

The current Lin Ran was becoming more and more like Luo Yao.

"I beat you up today, so I’ll compensate you—10,000 yuan, the highest standard for pet hospital fees. Any objections?"

"None! None at all! Thank you, Lin Shao!" Zhuang Bifan kowtowed like a frantic drumbeat.

"Good. Now you can go call the police."

"No, no! Lin Shao’s friend was just joking around with me! No need to involve the police, haha!"

Call the police? Not a chance.

Zhuang Bifan loved to show off, but he wasn’t stupid.

The last time he’d led a protest, he’d been left shaken. Since then, he’d avoided Suran Group entirely.

Who knew that karma would catch up to him today?

"You wanted to buy a property, didn’t you? Get your ass to the sales center."

Zhuang Bifan kept kowtowing. "No, no! A piece of trash like me shouldn’t taint Suran Group’s reputation!"

Lin Ran’s gaze sharpened like a blade. "Hmm?"

Zhuang Bifan immediately backtracked. "I’ll go! I’ll go check it out right now!"

He was on the verge of a breakdown. How did I end up crossing this guy?

"Go on." Lin Ran tossed down the 10,000 yuan as compensation—he was a man of principle.

After Zhuang Bifan left, Lin Ran and Abu departed as well.

He had no intention of further tormenting Zhuang Bifan. Passing messages for Yu Chengqun wasn’t an unforgivable crime—a small lesson was enough.

Zhuang Bifan was just a lackey. The real culprit was Yu Chengqun.

Still, it wouldn’t hurt to have someone hassle Zhuang Bifan from time to time.

Like making sure his new place had plumbing issues or blasting noise during his intimate moments.

Once in the car, Lin Ran couldn’t wait. "Drive. I need to pick up my wife."

At Luo Corporation, Luo Yao received some news.

The amusement park at the estate was complete. All the rides had been tested and approved.

This was a playground she’d built for Lin Ran, so of course, he had to be the first to enjoy it.

Tonight, she wanted to give it to him as a gift.

At the same time, Lin Ran arrived at Luo Corporation and successfully picked up Luo Yao.

"Yao Yao, I’ve been so lost without you. Life has no meaning when you’re not around."

Lin Ran wasn’t lying. No matter what he did, all he could think about was being close to his wife.

At this moment, he realized something serious:

Without Luo Yao, his world was devoid of life and color.

He couldn’t even imagine how broken he’d be if she were ever gone.

Just the thought made it hard to breathe.

Luo Yao noticed his distress and immediately hugged him in reassurance. "Don’t worry, A’Ran. Soon, I’ll be with you all the time. Let’s go home—I have a gift for you today."

"What is it?"

"It’s a secret."

Back at the estate, the first thing they did was have dinner. While eating, Luo Yao recalled the sweetness of their lunch together.

Somehow, fighting over food with A’Ran makes it taste better.

So she pushed away the chopsticks Lin Ran was using to feed her.

Lin Ran paused. "What’s wrong? Don’t like it?"

Luo Yao pouted. "I want to fight over it with A’Ran."

Lin Ran glanced at the elegantly arranged dishes, then at his pouting wife, torn.

This plating doesn’t exactly lend itself to a food fight.

"Alright." He pulled one dish between them. "Then let’s compete over this plate of jian shou qing mushrooms—whoever eats more wins."

"Deal."

Dinner was a delight for Luo Yao, though she felt something was missing without Lin Ran feeding her.

"Yao Yao, from now on, you decide how we eat. If you want me to feed you, I will. If you want to fight over it, we’ll fight."

Luo Yao frowned. "Can’t I just eat normally?"

"Well… you could, but you wouldn’t enjoy it as much."

Luo Yao smiled. No one understands me like A’Ran.

"A’Ran, let’s go for a walk. I have a gift for you."

"Alright."

Lin Ran didn’t know what Luo Yao was planning, but just in case, he gave an order before stepping out.

"Uncle Fu, prepare the soup in advance."

Uncle Fu grinned knowingly. "Of course."

Outside the villa, the weather wasn’t as cold anymore.

Lin Ran took Luo Yao’s delicate hand in his, savoring its softness, his heart full.