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?!"
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
