Chapter 126
There weren't many people on the bus. Ye Zhenzhen shrank into the window seat, her eyes fixed on the rapidly passing street scenes outside, but her peripheral vision couldn't help but steal glances at the person beside her.
Gu Ran sat next to her, his long legs casually stretched out. One hand rested on the armrest, while the other... was still holding hers.
He hadn't let go since they left the residential area.
Ye Zhenzhen's palms were already sweating and sticky.
She wanted to pull her hand back, but was afraid the movement would be too obvious and make it seem like she cared.
"We're here," Gu Ran suddenly spoke, standing up while still holding her hand.
Ye Zhenzhen was pulled toward the bus doors by him, her mind a total mess.
She kept her head down, staring at their intertwined hands, her heart beating so fast it felt like it would jump out of her chest.
After getting off the bus, Gu Ran finally let go of her hand.
Ye Zhenzhen let out a sigh of relief, but her fingers curled up subconsciously, as if still retaining the warmth of his palm.
"This is the street." Gu Ran raised his hand and pointed ahead. "I've picked out three storefronts. Let's take a look at them together in a bit."
Ye Zhenzhen tried hard to calm herself down. She put on a straight face and said in a businesslike tone, "Mhm, I will strictly help you check them out."
Gu Ran turned his head to look at her, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Look at her acting all serious, she was pretending pretty well.
The first shop was on a street corner. The area wasn't large, but the location was good.
Gu Ran pushed the door open and walked in. Ye Zhenzhen followed behind, her gaze sweeping around the store.
"How is this one?" Gu Ran asked.
Ye Zhenzhen pursed her lips and subconsciously put her small hands behind her back, looking as if she were seriously examining the surroundings.
After a long while, she spoke, "The location is okay, but it's too small. If business is good later on, there won't be any room to move around."
Gu Ran raised his eyebrows and didn't say anything, just looking at her with a smile.
Ye Zhenzhen felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze. She stiffened her neck, showing off her fair, swan-like neck, and said, "Am I wrong?"
"Right, very right." Gu Ran nodded, a smile in his tone as he gave a thumbs up. "As expected of my older sister, you have a great eye."
Seeing his cheeky appearance, Ye Zhenzhen's pretty face flushed red. She turned her head away. "Stop being glib. Let's go look at the next one."
The second shop was much larger, but the location was slightly out of the way.
Ye Zhenzhen was even more serious this time, even crouching down to check the evenness of the floor.
Gu Ran stood behind her, watching her serious demeanor, the smile in his eyes deepening.
"The geographical location of this one isn't very good." After a while, Ye Zhenzhen stood up and clapped the dust off her hands. "Although the size is sufficient, the foot traffic definitely won't compare to the previous one."
"Mhm," Gu Ran responded, taking two steps forward before suddenly turning back. "Sister, your shoelace is untied."
Hearing this, Ye Zhenzhen froze and looked down at her shoes.
They weren't untied?
Just as she was about to look up, Gu Ran had already crouched down, kneeling on one knee, and grabbed her ankle.
"Gu 'Dog' Ran!"
Ye Zhenzhen completely stiffened up, her mind exploding with a loud bang.
What... what was he doing?! In broad daylight...
Ye Zhenzhen unnaturally turned her head to look around, terrified of seeing someone she knew.
Ever since she discovered her own hidden feelings, she had become exceptionally sensitive.
Gu Ran looked up and blinked at her. "Don't move, I'll tie it for you."
"N-No need!"
Recovering her wits, Ye Zhenzhen hurriedly tried to pull her foot back, but her fair ankle was gripped even tighter by the shameless young man.
"Be good. If your shoelace is untied, you need to tie it, or you'll fall."
What was with this coaxing-a-child tone?
Huh?
Bastard!
But for some reason, Gu Ran's "be good~" seemed to carry a gentleness she couldn't refuse, instantly turning her to mush.
Ye Zhenzhen's resistance instantly deflated. She stood stiffly in place, feeling the warm touch coming from her ankle, her entire face burning up.
Meanwhile, Gu Ran unhurriedly tied her shoelace, then stood up and clapped his hands. "All done."
Glancing at him, Ye Zhenzhen lowered her head, not daring to look at him, muttering, "Who... who asked you to be so nosy..."
"I wanted to." Saying that, Gu Ran leaned in a bit closer, his voice carrying a smile. "Who told you to be my older sister? A younger brother should treat his sister well."
Feeling the hot breath by her ear, Ye Zhenzhen's ears instantly turned completely red. She turned and walked out, not daring to look at him again. "Let's... let's look at the last one!"
The third shop was in the middle of the street. The size was moderate, and the location was good too.
Ye Zhenzhen forced herself to calm down, looked through it carefully, and finally nodded.
"This one is the most suitable."
Gu Ran smiled. "I think so too."
"Then let's hurry home!"
Ye Zhenzhen spoke very quickly and used her small hands to fan her face.
She could finally end this torturous day. If she had known, she wouldn't have come out with him.
Who knew Gu Ran would suddenly speak up: "Ye Zhenzhen, you've accompanied me for so long, you must be tired, right?"
"Call me sister!"
Ye Zhenzhen froze, subconsciously reaching out to smack his shoulder. "I'm... I'm okay."
"That's perfect." Gu Ran pointed to the milk tea shop across the street. "I'll treat you to milk tea, as thanks for my sister's hard... work today~"
Ye Zhenzhen: "???"
Why did it feel like this guy was talking weirdly today?
Shaking her head, Ye Zhenzhen originally wanted to refuse, but as the words reached her lips, looking at Gu Ran's handsome face, her mind grew fuzzy again, and she said as if possessed, "Then... then I'll have a cup."
The two walked into the milk tea shop. Gu Ran ordered two signature milk teas, then found a seat by the window and sat down.
Ye Zhenzhen held her milk tea, taking small sips, her gaze wandering erratically.
Gu Ran wasn't in a hurry to drink. Instead, he rested his chin on his hand, looked at her, and started, "Ye Zhenzhen..."
"Call me sister!"
Gu Ran reflexively shrunk his head back to block, but the girl rarely refrained from getting physical. Following that, he couldn't help but ask with a confused expression, "You... seem a bit weird today??"
He noticed?!
Ye Zhenzhen's small hand trembled, almost spilling the milk tea.
"N-No I don't!"
Ye Zhenzhen flatly denied it, then immediately added, "Don't you try to pull those cheesy jokes on me!"
Gu Ran: "..."
This girl was that quick-witted?
Gu Ran twitched the corner of his mouth, feeling a bit speechless as he said, "Then why haven't you dared to look at me since this morning?"
Ye Zhenzhen snapped her head up, meeting the young man's ink-black eyes, and her heartbeat instantly spiraled out of control.
"I... I have not!" But the girl remained stubborn.
"You have." Gu Ran leaned in closer, his voice continuing in a low pitch. "Furthermore, you've been blushing all day."
Ye Zhenzhen's mind went completely blank. She opened her mouth but couldn't make a single sound.
Gu Ran watched her flustered appearance, the smile in his eyes deepening.
He reached out and gently pinched the girl's egg-white smooth cheek, his tone as gentle as if coaxing a child.
"Ye Zhenzhen, do you... have some sort of ulterior motive?"
Boom—
Ye Zhenzhen's mind completely exploded.
Her eyes widened, her face red enough to bleed. Her lips trembled, and after a long time, she managed to squeeze out a single sentence:
"What... what nonsense are you talking about?!"
Gu Ran let go and leaned back in his chair with a smile, a hint of smugness lacing his tone.
"You know perfectly well whether I'm talking nonsense or not."
Ye Zhenzhen bit her lip, mortified and furious, yet entirely unable to argue back.
The very next second, flying into a humiliated rage, the girl decided to resort to brute force. Rolling up her sleeves, she lunged at the boy sitting across from her.
In the blink of an eye, the boy's loud, clear voice rang out.
"Holy crap, Ye Zhenzhen, are you part dog?!"
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."
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
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.
