Chapter 120
It was a torturous ride, and he didn't even know how he managed to get off the bus.
Ye Zhenzhen turned her head in confusion. Seeing the young man standing frozen in place, slightly hunched over, she looked puzzled.
"What are you doing?"
"I... no, it's nothing..."
Gu Ran was just about to straighten up to reply, but his uncontrollable lower half almost stood at full attention. Terrified, he quickly hunched back down.
After all, he had already experienced enough social deaths; he couldn't afford another one...
He wasn't an actual pervert!
"My... my stomach suddenly hurts a bit. Give me a moment, just give me a moment and I'll be fine."
He smiled awkwardly while mentally cursing his useless body.
Eighteen years old, and already this restless?!
He just didn't understand it...
"Your stomach hurts?"
Hearing this, the girl's delicate, pretty face filled with suspicion.
How come it didn't hurt on the bus, but started hurting the moment he got off?
Something fishy was going on...
With her small hands behind her back, she strolled over and circled the anxious boy a few times, occasionally leaning in for a closer look.
Made even more nervous by her detective-like demeanor, Gu Ran's expression gradually became unnatural.
Just as he was about to say something, the girl's face suddenly thrust right in front of him the next second.
Staring at that flawless face so close to his own, he nervously swallowed a mouthful of saliva and started to stutter uncontrollably.
"Why... why are you so close to me?"
As he spoke, his eyes darted elsewhere. Looking as guilty as a thief, he might as well have had the words "I'm hiding something" carved into his face.
"Hmph~"
After staring at him for a long time, the girl's eyes inadvertently drifted down to his waist and abdomen. Soon after, a blush gradually gathered on her pretty face.
You... you dog!
With an excellent life mentor like Pei Susu around, it would be hard for her not to understand certain biological facts.
Realizing Gu Ran's restlessness, the girl blushed furiously and quickly turned her back, no longer looking at him.
"You, you just stand there for a bit. Your stomach won't hurt after a while..."
The gentle breeze blowing against her didn't disperse the heat on the girl's face; instead, it grew even more intense.
Since she had her back to Gu Ran, the latter naturally couldn't see her expression and only felt that she was acting very coldly.
So... love really does fade eventually, huh?
A stomachache will get better just by standing in place for a while?
Fine, fine. Next time this girl gets her period, he would definitely comfort her with the utmost sincerity.
It's fine, just drink more hot water and you'll be better!
The two of them stood there in the wind for quite a while before Gu Ran finally managed to suppress his restless urges.
Stepping forward, he patted the girl who was standing there like she was being punished. Rolling his eyes, he said, "Let's go, my stomach doesn't hurt anymore."
"Ah, oh, okay..."
Ye Zhenzhen snapped back to reality and nodded blankly.
Her gaze involuntarily slid down, landing on his midsection again.
Gu Ran: "???"
Where was she looking?!
Did this girl figure something out?
His face also took on a suspicious look. Seeing this, the girl's cheeks flared a bright crimson once more.
"Don't, don't just stand there like an idiot. Be careful or your stomach might start hurting again later. Let's go."
Gu Ran: "..."
Now, not only did he suspect that this girl knew what was going on, but he also strongly suspected that she was mocking him!
He stared at the retreating girl for a moment.
Her skirt fluttered in the wind, revealing snow-white, delicate calves, pink ankles, and faint blue veins.
An absolute masterpiece of the gods!
Feeling the urge to stand at attention once again, he quickly cleared his mind.
Forcing himself to look away, he hurried to catch up with her.
...
As soon as they entered the house, they heard a phone ringing in the living room.
Gu Ran looked up at the girl who had entered first. "Ye Zhenzhen, answer the phone."
Calling the dazed girl back to her senses, she absentmindedly walked over to pick up the receiver.
Looking at her flushed pink cheeks, Gu Ran furrowed his brows slightly.
This girl...
Why did he feel like she wasn't thinking about anything innocent?
There was definitely something wrong!
The next second, a gasp interrupted his train of thought.
"Mom?! Okay, okay, we'll check our scores right now."
Ye Zhenzhen hung up the phone perfunctorily, an unnatural flush still lingering on her small face.
Her chest heaving, she took a few deep breaths and looked at Gu Ran.
"Hurry, let's check our scores. My mom and Uncle Gu are getting anxious waiting."
After being out having fun all day, she had even entertained inappropriate thoughts.
Right now, the girl's heart was filled with guilt and unease.
The impulsive, headstrong feeling from earlier in the day had vanished. Now, she hardly dared to look the younger boy straight in the eye.
She was the older sister!
How could she have such thoughts...
It just so happened that Gu Ran was also very curious about his own score. Even without her saying so, it was time to check.
At this time, the mainstream way to check exam scores was still by phone, but online checking was already on the rise.
Subconsciously grabbing her soft hands, he pulled the blushing, feverish girl into his room.
He turned on the computer and logged in to check the scores.
Because they had missed the peak traffic period, the website loaded very quickly.
He entered Ye Zhenzhen's information first, and the page quickly refreshed.
Total score: 704. Provincial ranking: 55.
A very high score, but for a top-student girl like her, it was just average, perhaps even a bit on the low side.
Seeing this score, Ye Zhenzhen didn't show much reaction, but Gu Ran frowned deeply.
Not to mention the fact that he had explicitly and implicitly revealed many of the exam questions to her beforehand, just based on this girl's normal level of performance, she should have scored over 720.
How come the questions were easier this year, but her score wasn't higher?
"Did you mess up the exam?"
Looking at the score, Ye Zhenzhen pursed her lips, a little unhappy.
She had intentionally controlled her score, planning to just miss the cutoff for Tsinghua and Peking University, while ensuring her score was still high enough to choose the ace major at Qinglin University.
But it was still this high...
It was truly frustrating.
"No, I didn't."
Hearing Gu Ran's words, she quickly shook her head, her watery eyes filled with earnestness.
But Gu Ran still felt something wasn't right. He wanted to say more, but the girl urged him to continue checking the scores.
Whatever, over 700 was enough anyway.
He helplessly closed the page, entered his own information, and started the query.
As the page refreshed, he stared at the screen somewhat absentmindedly, but someone else was clearly much more nervous than him.
The girl beside him stared intently at the screen without blinking, terrified of missing any important information.
Total score: 697. Below were the scores for each subject, and at the very bottom was his overall provincial ranking: 104.
Seeing this score, Gu Ran raised his eyebrows, quite satisfied with the result.
But he never expected someone else to be even more satisfied than he, the person actually taking the test, was.
"Ah!!!"
A soprano scream rang out beside him. He flinched violently, and before he could even react, he was engulfed in a hug by Ye Zhenzhen.
"Ahhh! Gu Ran, you got a 697!!!"
"I didn't read it wrong, it's really 697!!!"
Thrilled, Ye Zhenzhen then turned back around and stared at the screen to carefully confirm it.
After confirming there was no mistake, she excitedly ran to the living room to make phone calls and share the good news.
Watching the girl run off like the wind, the corners of Gu Ran's mouth curled up into a gentle smile.
This silly girl...
How could she be happier than if she had gotten a high score herself?
Still smelling the lingering scent of osmanthus from her hug, he backhandedly took a screenshot and sent it to Ye Jinliang via QQ.
If you strike it rich but don't return home to show off, then what is the difference between that and walking in fine clothes at night?!
...
...
The evening wind was still warm.
Blowing against the face, it made one feel a wave of stifling heat.
Ye Zhenzhen wore a thin piece of clothing, her skin appearing fair and coolly serene under the moonlight.
Sitting alone on the balcony with her arms wrapped around her shoulders, she gazed into the distance with a hazy look in her eyes, seemingly lost in thought.
After an unknown amount of time, the faint sound of footsteps came from behind, and a figure appeared at the balcony door.
Gu Ran walked over carrying a pack of beer. Without a word, he quietly sat down beside her.
A heavy silence hung in the air; neither of them spoke.
Gu Ran took the lead, grabbing a bottle of beer, popping off the cap, and holding it out to the young woman.
Ye Zhenzhen: ???
What was he doing?
Trying to get his older sister drunk?!
His wicked intentions were finally showing, weren't they!!!
"Here."
Gu Ran raised an eyebrow and offered the bottle again.
The beer bottle before her was like a devil, endlessly tempting the usually well-behaved girl.
Drinking... was bad. It would affect her studies...
But she had already finished her exams. Maybe... just a little?
As if possessed, she reached out and slowly took it.
Glancing up at Gu Ran's smiling face, she turned her head, tilted it back, and took a large gulp.
A chill slid down her throat and into her stomach, while a bitter, astringent taste flooded her lips.
However, she forced herself to endure the bitterness and swallowed it down.
After coughing lightly a couple of times, she took another gulp, repeating the motion.
Soon, the bottle was empty. A bright flush spread across her face, glowing beautifully under the cold moonlight.
"Are you... troubled by something?"
The way she drank made Gu Ran's eyelids twitch, prompting him to ask tentatively.
The girl didn't answer. She just quietly tilted her head up to look at the sky, her mood gradually calming down.
Turning to look at Gu Ran, the corners of her lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile.
The meaning was clear: I've finished mine, are you just going to watch?
Seeing this, Gu Ran gave a stiff smile, helplessly raised his own bottle, and downed it in one go.
With one bottle down, his face also flushed. This young body wasn't like his previous life's, which had been ravaged by alcohol.
Night gradually fell, and scattered stars twinkled with a faint light in the sky.
The evening breeze finally carried a hint of chill. Blowing across their faces, it brought a refreshing coolness.
The two sat there quietly, taking in the peace and beauty of the night.
After an unknown amount of time, the girl finally broke the silence.
She spoke softly, asking with a touch of melancholy.
"Which university do you want to go to?"
Her voice was gentle and quiet, like a faint breeze in the night.
She used to always think about getting into a university in the same city as this guy, but now that his scores were so high...
Would he still be willing to be tied down by a burden of an older sister like her?
It was more likely that he would spread his wings and fly high, free to go wherever he pleased.
Hearing this, Gu Ran smiled slightly, a gentle light flickering in his eyes.
"Naturally, I'll go wherever you go."
Those words brushed across the girl's heartstrings like a spring breeze, making her heart tremble.
Ye Zhenzhen couldn't help but turn her head, her eyes filled with pleasant surprise.
Her moist eyes were like a pool of clear spring water, crystal clear and captivating.
His deep eyes were like the night sky, pitch-black and bright.
Their gazes met, seemingly overflowing with tender affection.
Seeing the mist gradually gathering in the girl's eyes, Gu Ran, even if he lacked firsthand experience in romance, knew exactly what to do next.
He slowly leaned forward, seemingly wanting to get closer to her.
Closer...
And closer...
Ring, ring, ring~
A piercing sound instantly shattered the perfect atmosphere.
The romantic haze that had filled the girl's moist eyes vanished without a trace.
She suddenly snapped back to reality, her face flushing slightly as she hurriedly leaned back to put some distance between them.
Gu Ran, on the other hand, ground his teeth in frustration, wishing he could crawl through the phone line and beat the living daylights out of whoever had interrupted at such a crucial moment...
...
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
g Yu was preparing for retirement when her organization decided to eliminate her. She transmigrated to a zombie apocalypse world. However, a tiny unexpected situation occurred: She somehow transformed into an adorable little girl?!
y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”
