Chapter 17: Screw You

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In the real world, South Suburb Warehouse.
By the time Lin Ran returned, night was already falling.
After a whole night of hard work, all he wanted now was to collapse into bed.
He hailed a car and headed straight for his small courtyard home.
However, as the car turned into the alley, Lin Ran’s gaze instantly turned cold.
He saw the courtyard gate wide open, with several black Audis parked outside, all bearing Beijing license plates.
“Heh, trouble’s come knocking,” Lin Ran muttered with a helpless shake of his head.
Inside the courtyard, a young man in a bespoke suit, exuding an aristocratic air, was sitting boldly in Lin Ran’s usual rattan chair.
A mocking smile flickered across Lin Ran’s face. “Well, if it isn’t the eldest son of the Shen family. What brings a noble gentleman like you to my little den?”
Without even lifting his eyelids, Shen Zijie casually brushed away imaginary dust from his sleeve as Lin Ran entered.
“Lin, did you just ignore my last warning?”
His sharp, narrow eyes sliced through Lin Ran like blades, as if ready to tear him apart.
“This is my final warning—stay away from my sister, Zhiyao! Or else…”
“Or else what?” Lin Ran cut him off bluntly. “Her legs belong to her. If she wants to come to me, do you think I’d break her legs?”
The reason Lin Ran wanted to keep his distance from Shen Zhiyao was this very Shen eldest son.
This top third-generation scion of Beijing had warned him countless times, both openly and in secret.
And these weren’t mere verbal threats.
Take the last time, for example—Shen Zijie actually brought two beauties to coerce Lin Ran into taking some intimate photos.
He thought that would scare Zhiyao away, but the girl was stubborn and didn’t give up.
“Her legs may be hers, but her mouth belongs to you!” Shen Zijie suddenly stood up.
“Who knows what sort of brainwashing you’ve fed her!”
He appraised Lin Ran with disdain, as if looking at a puddle of mud.
“But I underestimated you. To think you managed to swindle a hundred million from Yao Yao? No wonder she looks down on my measly ten million!”
Leaning close to Lin Ran’s ear, his voice dropped to a whisper, “But Lin Ran, aren’t you afraid… that you might have the life to cheat but not the life to spend it?”
By the end, it was a blatant threat.
If it had been three days ago, faced with such a direct death threat from the Shen family’s heir, Lin Ran might have felt a pang of anxiety.
But now?
Lin Ran sneered.
He reached out and brusquely shoved Shen Zijie aside.
“Come on then, bring it on!” Lin Ran lounged back in his rattan chair, crossing his legs arrogantly.
Shen Zijie was stunned.
He staggered back, his face registering utter disbelief.
Had this kid taken a wrong pill?
He had always been stubborn, but at least he knew how to hold back in front of him. He even tolerated cooperating in that staged act last time... so why was he suddenly so defiant today?
“Lin Ran!” Shen Zijie forced down his anger and squinted. “What exactly did you do to my sister yesterday?”
Lin Ran leisurely poured himself a glass of cold water, took a sip, then said calmly, “Brother-in-law, don’t rush. Sit down and I’ll tell you everything.”
“Who the hell are you calling brother-in-law!” Shen Zijie snapped like a cat with its tail stepped on.
Pointing at Lin Ran’s nose, he raged, “Lin Ran! Don’t take my kindness for weakness! You’re pushing your luck!”
Lin Ran chuckled instead.
“Oh? Shen eldest son, why so worked up today? Did you eat garlic?”

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He watched with amusement as the other lost his composure.
“That’s not like your usual unshakable demeanor.”
Shen Zijie’s chest heaved violently, words squeezed through clenched teeth.
“Do you know how I’ve been the past couple of days? After Yao Yao came back from you yesterday, our family had nothing but noodles with soybean paste for every meal!”
“What’s wrong with noodles?” Lin Ran feigned confusion. “Authentic Beijing delicacy—I’ve eaten it since childhood. Aren’t you from Beijing?”
“Yeah, and with extra garlic!” Shen Zijie practically shouted.
“Pfft!”
Lin Ran sprayed out the water he just drank, laughing and slapping his thigh.
No wonder Shen eldest son was so out of sorts today—forcing a coffee-snob to eat garlic was truly a hardship.
“Hahaha! Just over that? Shen eldest son, your refined stomach feels wronged by some garlic? Just don’t eat it, what’s the big deal?”
“I wish I could!” Shen Zijie wailed.
“But the old man, I don’t know what came over him—he joined Yao Yao in the nonsense, banging the table with his cane to force her to eat! Who dares refuse?”
He suddenly pointed at Lin Ran, gnashing his teeth, “It’s definitely you! Some curse you put on Yao Yao! She came back acting crazy!”
Lin Ran laughed.
“If she’s eating it, so what? I’ve eaten garlic since I was a kid—go a day without it and I feel sick.”
Shen Zijie pointed at Lin Ran. “Admit it! I knew you were behind this!”
With a sneer, he added, “Lin Ran, if I recall correctly, you have a sister too, right? Though not from the same father, she’s called you brother for over ten years.”
Lin Ran narrowed his eyes. “What’s your point, Shen?”
His father died when he was young; his mother remarried and had a sister.
Though not a full sibling, they shared the same mother.
Straightening his clothes, Shen Zijie resumed his dashing gentleman’s demeanor.
“No point,” he said lightly but with a sting in every word.
“Just a reminder—your half-sister just started university? The girl’s quite pretty and apparently pretty sensible?”
He watched Lin Ran’s face darken with satisfaction and continued, “You know how young girls are nowadays—naïve and easily dazzled by the world.”
Lin Ran stepped forward, grabbing Shen Zijie by the collar.
“Shen, I warn you—stay away from my sister!”
Shen Zijie slapped Lin Ran’s hand away.
“I’m telling you the same thing. As long as you keep away from Yao Yao, I promise not to touch your sister.”
“This is your final warning—if you mess with my sister, I’ll have someone deal with yours.”
“Deal with my sister?” Lin Ran snapped.
Seeing Lin Ran’s anger, Shen Zijie felt some of the suffocating pressure in his chest lift.
“Yeah, deal with your sister!”
Then he turned and walked away.
He’d achieved his goal; staying any longer might get him beaten by this suddenly crazed country bumpkin.
Elegance must be maintained!
However, just as he was about to step out the gate—
“Wait!” Lin Ran’s voice called from behind.
Shen Zijie paused, a sneer curling his lips, not even turning around.
“What? Regretting it? Want to beg for mercy?”
“Since you’re here,” Lin Ran drawled, “I can’t just let you leave empty-handed.”
Shen Zije scoffed and finally turned, face full of ridicule.
“Oh? What’s this? Lin the big-hearted is offering me a gift?”
“Exactly.”
Lin Ran grinned, revealing pearly white teeth.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a heavy, cold metallic oval object.

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An American Mark II grenade.
“Catch!” Lin Ran tossed it with perfect aim toward Shen Zijie.
Instinctively catching it, Shen Zijie’s hand felt the cold, heavy weight.
He first froze, then his face darkened with derision.
“Ha, scaring me with a toy? Lin Ran, is that all you’ve got?”
Lin Ran’s smile was faintly mocking.
“Toy or not, go ask and you’ll find out.”
At that moment, Shen Zijie’s expression grew increasingly grim.
He didn’t need to ask to know if it was real.
The texture, the craftsmanship...
Shen Zijie’s face instantly drained of color, turning ghostly pale.
He looked up sharply at Lin Ran, eyes filled with incredulous terror.
“Damn it, Lin Ran, are you out of your mind? Where did you get this thing?”
Leaning back in his rattan chair with hands behind his head, Lin Ran said,
“Don’t worry about where I got it from.”
“Shen Zijie, mark my words.”
His voice was calm but carried a chilling gravity.
“When a rabbit is cornered, it bites. Keep pushing me, and I’ll really lose it.”
“If you push me too far, I’ll take this and go to your Shen family mansion’s gate… and light a big firecracker!”
Stretching and yawning, he was clearly tired.
“Alright, take your gift and get lost! And don’t forget to shut the door behind you!”
With that, Lin Ran yawned again and got up to go inside to sleep, as if he had just tossed an apple instead of a grenade.
“Lin Ran, you—”
“Cut the crap! Keep talking and I swear I’ll call your sister over to keep me company!”
“You...” Shen Zijie almost fainted, darkness clouding his vision.
He truly feared Lin Ran might do such a thing.
“Hmph! Madman!”
With a cold snort, the Shen eldest son turned and left.
Standing outside the gate, holding the hot potato in his hand and recalling Lin Ran’s crazed look,
For the first time, Shen Zijie felt genuine fear toward this “country bumpkin.”
After a moment’s thought, he turned back and shut the courtyard gate.
Yes, a gentleman must be polite—not out of fear, but out of courtesy!
...
Parallel universe.
Chang County, Headquarters of the Japanese 29th Brigade.
“Report!”
A staff officer practically rushed in, his face twisted with a mixture of fear and excitement.
Clutching a freshly decoded message tightly in his hand.
“Greetings, Brigade Commander!”
“The killer of Lieutenant Colonel Yamazaki and the annihilator of Yamazaki’s battalion—has been found!”
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