Lu Yu had been summoned by Ye Lan, who now harbored serious doubts about Lu Yu’s capabilities. He simply couldn’t comprehend how someone could fail at every minor task.
The Ye family had prepared so thoroughly today, yet they were ultimately shut out by Jiang Chen.
“This useless fool. I should never have made him the intermediary,” Ye Lan muttered bitterly.
He took a large gulp of ice-filled water, but it did little to quell the fury burning inside him.
The moment Lu Yu entered and saw Ye Lan’s darkened expression, his heart sank. He knew his poor performance had displeased the young master, but he had his methods.
Wearing a harmless smile, Lu Yu approached. Half an hour later, Ye Lan found his anger had completely dissipated.
As he watched Lu Yu chatting and laughing effortlessly before him, Ye Lan felt an unsettling dread. This man was terrifying—thick-skinned, ruthless, yet honey-tongued. To think someone so scheming stayed by Jiang Chen’s side made him worry for Jiang Chen.
This was a wolf—a wolf that bites.
He hoped he would never become this man’s enemy.
Ye Lan and Lu Yu conversed pleasantly, and Ye Lan grew determined to secure the major project in Jiang Chen’s hands. This project could elevate the Ye family to new heights.
By the time they parted, it was already 10 p.m.
Men were strange creatures—a few drinks could bridge distances effortlessly.
Lu Yu hired a designated driver. Sitting in the car, he reflected on the evening’s events and couldn’t help but laugh to himself.
He knew Ye Lan looked down on him, but his abilities were undeniable. If they weren’t, how could he be the only one who could get close to Jiang Chen?
He believed in himself—that one day, he would reach Jiang Chen’s level, or even surpass him.
Let those who underestimated him see clearly: Lu Yu was the most formidable.
“Hello, sir, we’ve arrived at your complex. Should I take you to the underground parking?” the driver asked.
From the backseat, Lu Yu finally noticed that the driver he’d hired was a woman—and one with such a pleasant voice.
“Yes, take me underground.”
In the parking garage, Lu Yu handed her 300 yuan and said magnanimously, “Keep the change.”
He tried to get a clear look at her face, but her cap was pulled low and she wore a mask. Only her striking eyes were visible—they seemed hauntingly familiar.
Before he could recall where he’d seen those eyes, the driver had already walked away indifferently.
He shrugged with a wry smile and staggered toward his home. Halfway there, it suddenly hit him where he’d seen those eyes.
Wasn’t that—
Why was she here?
He spun around abruptly and saw that the person had been following him all along.
“What do you want?” he demanded.
Lin Ran smiled faintly. “Your life.”
Lu Yu initially found it amusing, but the ice in Lin Ran’s eyes made him feel as though death itself had seized him.
“Who… who are you?” he stammered, trembling uncontrollably.
But Lin Ran would never give him an answer.
A flash of purple Lightening streaked past, and a charred corpse lay on the ground.
Lin Ran looked at Lu Yu lying on the ground, then glanced at the several surveillance cameras she had already destroyed with electric currents. Clapping her hands, she said, “With this troublemaker eliminated, I’ve repaid what I owed Jiang Chen from our previous life. Remember to be a good person in your next life.”
Jiang Chen had been restless at home all evening, his cool eyes fixed on the window with rare urgency.
He couldn’t help feeling something was off—why did he keep dreaming about that girl?
Lin Ran—what connection did she truly have with him?
He was certain they’d never met, so why did she haunt his dreams?
And always accompanied by those catastrophic disasters and terrifying apocalypse scenarios? In his dreams, they relied on each other for survival in that dreadful place reeking of disinfectant, ultimately facing death together.
Could it be… that past lives truly existed?
Was she someone immensely important from his previous existence, someone he’d been subconsciously longing for all this time?
His dark eyes drifted toward the window again—why hadn’t she returned yet? This uncertainty tormented him profoundly.
Lin Ran had gone to the warehouse to receive another shipment and didn’t return home until early morning.
The roaring engine of her off-road vehicle made her feel apologetic toward her neighbors—ah, she’d disturbed their sweet dreams again.
Yet to Jiang Chen, that sound was incredibly soothing. She was finally back.
Walking from his bedroom to the balcony, he watched Lin Ran leap from the vehicle like a sprite. She always seemed so full of energy, completely different from the defeated version in his dreams.
Right.
The dream version of her had been tortured beyond recognition. She was much more beautiful like this—he hoped she could forever maintain this youthful vitality.
But what was she doing, leaving early and returning late like this?
Wasn’t their supermarket project still on hold?
Watching Lin Ran’s retreating figure, Jiang Chen felt he couldn’t understand her at all, nor could he comprehend her family. Everything they did seemed to defy common sense.
Unless—
A sudden speculation surfaced in his mind, but it was so absurd he quickly dismissed it.
Yet how else could he explain the Lin family’s abnormal behavior?
This girl and her family were far too unusual—some of their actions could even be described as shocking. He needed to carefully analyze their recent activities—perhaps the answers lay there.
Returning home, Lin Ran entered her Dimension to enjoy a refreshing bath. Through recent physical purification, her constitution had grown remarkably stronger.
Her skin had become so tender it seemed dew could be squeezed from it—truly like jade-like flesh that evoked protective instincts.
Before leaving, she’d left ample bathing and drinking water at her parents’ home, worried about delaying their physical evolution. In the post-apocalyptic extreme weather, falling ill was the greatest fear, so enhancing the family’s physical condition was paramount.
Shaking off distracting thoughts, Lin Ran submerged herself in the water.
After bathing, she wrapped herself in a towel and lounged comfortably on bed, holding a glass of red wine in her slender hand.
Suddenly she raised her glass toward Jiang Chen’s residence in a silent toast.
“Jiang Chen, with Lu Yu gone, may your path be smoother this lifetime. I’ve repaid what I owed you.”
Next, it was time to deal with Ye Lan.
The night passed without dreams.
Lin Ran was awakened by Lin Ze’s noise.
“Sis, I missed you so much.” Lin Ze’s boisterous shout jolted Lin Ran upright from her bed.
“Lin Ze, do you have any idea how important beauty sleep is for a woman?”
Rubbing her drowsy eyes and glancing at the time on her phone, Lin Ran roared angrily.
“My troublesome little brother, do you realize it’s only 5:40?”
Lin Ze smiled apologetically: “Isn’t it just because I missed you so much? Sis, why did you ask Dad to call me back anyway?”
“To get revenge,” Lin Ran said weakly.
Hearing this, Lin Ze grew even more excited, blinking his sparkling eyes: “What? Revenge? I love that! Sis, stop sleeping, let’s go get revenge right now!”