Wherever Gu Ran is, she loves it.

Chapter 141

7:00 AM, Wuzhen.

Gu Ran leaned against the headboard, the screen of his laptop emitting a cold light.

The data curve in the developer backend rose like an angry dragon raising its head, breaking through the peak value overnight.

The USD balance in his account, when converted to RMB, had once again broken the million mark.

"The provisions are in place, it's time to recruit troops and buy horses."

Gu Ran closed his computer, casually sent an email to the offshore company intermediary, then got up, left the room, and knocked on the door next door.

"Knock knock."

The door quietly opened a crack, and a head wrapped up like a zongzi slowly poked out.

A baseball cap pressed down on her brow bone, and a black mask covered most of her face, revealing only a pair of vigilant almond eyes, like a timid hamster.

Seeing this, Gu Ran put one hand in his pocket, leaned against the doorframe, raised an eyebrow, and smiled, "Dr. Ye, with you fully armed like this, are you going to rob a bank?"

"This is called sun protection! Do you understand?" Ye Zhenzhen's voice was muffled in the mask, sounding nasal.

"Sun protection?"

Gu Ran sneered, mercilessly tearing down her act. "I think you're protecting yourself from Lao Gu and the others, right? Last night was just good luck. If we bump into them again today, even if you wrap yourself up like a mummy, Aunt Ye would still be able to recognize your skeleton."

Having her thoughts exposed, the young girl glared at him in humiliation and anger. "Mind your own business! Are we leaving or not?"

"What's the rush."

Gu Ran pulled out a pair of sunglasses and placed them on the bridge of her nose, casually pulling down the brim of her hat. Then he put on a matching pair of aviator sunglasses and flamboyantly flicked his collar.

"Since this is an infiltration behind enemy lines, our equipment needs to be a bit more professional."

Saying that, he snapped his fingers, getting into character very quickly: "Today's codename: Undercover. Comrade Zhenzhen, please follow the organization closely. If you fall behind and get captured, the organization has no money to ransom you."

Ye Zhenzhen looked at his serious appearance through the sunglasses, her tense nerves inexplicably relaxing. The corners of her mouth turned up, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Childish."

But the next second, the young girl also pressed closely against the wall, imitating his appearance, lowered her head to her collar, and softly called out, "Comrade Clumsy Bear, Zhenzhen copies!"

Gu Ran: "???"

You freaking...

...

9:00 AM, Hongyuantai Dyehouse.

The blue calico cloth hung down like a maze, rustling in the breeze.

"Chin up, look at the cloth, don't look at the camera."

Gu Ran acted like a professional photographer, directing Ye Zhenzhen's poses. "I need that kind of aloof 'I'm very noble, you don't deserve me' vibe."

Ye Zhenzhen: "???"

What kind of terrible description is that?

"Click."

The shutter froze the moment. The girl in the white dress looked as beautiful as a movie poster in the blue and white light and shadow.

Gu Ran had just lowered his head to check the photo when the phone in his pocket started vibrating crazily.

Not just once, but a continuous bombardment.

He pulled out his phone and glanced at it. The QQ group for Class 6 of the senior year had exploded.

[Sports Committeeman - Zhang Qiang]: Holy crap! Big news! Teacher Li Sinan has been suspended?!

[Study Committeeman]: Confirmed news! Some parents put up banners at the school gate, saying Teacher Li has an improper lifestyle and is a bad influence on the students... The principal couldn't handle the pressure and has already told her to go home and 'rest'.

[Golden Spear Never Falls]: @All Members Damn it! I have the inside scoop! It's that rich kid from the next class who bombed his exams. To shift the blame, he told his mom that Teacher Li wasn't teaching properly and delayed his studies! Is this something a human would do?!

The group was in an uproar, with righteous indignation and schadenfreude flying everywhere.

Seeing this, Gu Ran's eyes narrowed slightly.

Sure enough, the wheels of history still rolled over this node.

In his previous life, Li Sinan, who had wanted to build up her hometown, quietly left the circle during this storm and eventually returned to the big city.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing him zone out, Ye Zhenzhen stood on her tiptoes and leaned over. After seeing the screen clearly, she was also stunned. "Teacher Li... how could this happen? Should we help her?"

"Of course we can't just stand by and watch."

Gu Ran nodded smoothly, his decisive attitude making the girl pause.

Although she sympathized with Teacher Li's situation, seeing Gu Ran so eager to help suddenly made her teeth itch.

Strange, was it an illusion?

After Gu Ran finished speaking, he went to the street-side mobile phone shop to buy an unregistered SIM card, and then began to type a text message.

There was no cheap comfort, only naked temptation and a link to a hardcore game demo.

[Instead of rotting in prejudice and mud, it's better to change tracks and change the world with me. Click on this, it's a ticket to the future.]

Recipient: Li Sinan.

Ew~

So edgy!

The girl watching him operate from the side frowned, couldn't help but rub her arms, feeling goosebumps all over her body.

"Are you trying to rope Teacher Li in?" the girl, who knew he was making a game, asked curiously.

It was just that her tone was mixed with a trace of imperceptible sourness.

"Why does a kid ask so many questions!"

Gu Ran scraped the girl's cute nose, then casually took her small hand. "Let's go, I'll take you to eat noodles."

Ye Zhenzhen turned her head to look at him, pouted slightly, and secretly made a face behind his back.

Smelly bear!

...

12:00 PM, a small restaurant by the river.

Although the storefront was not big, the location was excellent. Outside the window was the babbling flowing water and an endless stream of awning boats.

Gu Ran had just snapped apart the disposable chopsticks when his ears suddenly twitched.

A familiar voice drifted into his ear canal along with the river breeze.

"Shulian, look at this water, it has a graceful and elegant charm, just like you."

Hearing this noise, Gu Ran's hand movements suddenly paused.

Why did this voice sound so much like Lao Gu?

It just felt a bit disgusting, were his lips soaked in an oil tank?

Looking up slightly through the crack in the window, an awning boat slowly approached on the river channel five meters away.

At the bow of the boat, Gu Xiangcheng, wearing sunglasses and waving a brightly colored silk scarf, was beaming at Ye Shulian.

As long as he turned his head slightly, he would be able to see this pair of "desperate lovers" by the window.

Gu Ran: "???"

Good heavens, Lao Gu, you guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, usually pretending to be so serious in front of your son, why are you acting like this when you're dating?

What a turn-off.

"Get down!"

The next second, Gu Ran's left hand violently pressed down on the back of Ye Zhenzhen's head, pushing her face directly under the table. His right hand quickly pulled the vinegar bottle and chili jar in front of the window to block the view.

"Gu 'Dog' Ran! What are you doing?"

"You eat down there!" Gu Ran whispered his instructions.

At the same time, he turned sideways, using his broad back to firmly block the blind spot of their line of sight.

"Mmph..."

And just as the bewildered girl was about to cry out, her mouth was covered by Gu Ran's large hand.

She shrank under the table, her cheek pressed against Gu Ran's thigh, the faint scent of lemon on his body lingering at the tip of her nose.

A small heart was currently pounding crazily against her chest, as if it would jump out of her throat in the next second.

Outside the window, Ye Shulian's voice was as clear as if it were right next to his eardrum.

"Go away, you're not serious at all."

"This Wuzhen is not bad, it's just that there are a bit too many people. Sigh, Lao Gu, what do you think our two kids are doing right now?"

"Oh, it's rare for us to come out, so just worry less. Besides, that kid Gu Ran has Zhenzhen watching him, he won't get into trouble."

As her voice fell, Ye Shulian hesitated to speak.

She didn't know if it was because Gu Ran had Ye Zhenzhen watching him that she was even more worried.

On the other side.

Hiding beneath Gu Ran, the young girl now heard her own mother's voice.

Looking up at the certain someone who was wearing a wicked smirk, her pretty face instantly flushed red, feeling so ashamed she wished the floor would swallow her whole.

Unable to stand his smug expression, Ye Zhenzhen puffed out her cheeks, reached out a small hand to pinch the root of his thigh, and gave it a light twist.

Hiss!

Where was she pinching?!

How could she be so ruthless at such a young age?!

Gu Ran's expression remained unchanged.

He even calmly picked up a chopstick-full of noodles, slowly brought them to his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.

His psychological fortitude was as steady as an old dog.

It wasn't until the boat carrying Lao Gu and Aunt Ye gradually drifted away and disappeared around the bend of the river.

"Phew..."

Only then did Gu Ran let out a long sigh of relief, subtly rubbing his inner thigh. "Come out, they're gone."

Hearing this, Ye Zhenzhen quickly crawled out. Her originally smooth hair had become a messy nest, and her face was as red as a boiled shrimp.

For some reason, the position just now made her feel that something was very strange.

But her class representative friend, Pei Susu, hadn't explained this part to her yet.

Looking left and right, confirming it was safe, the girl finally clenched her small fists and punched Gu Ran's shoulder.

"Ye Zhenzhen, why did you hit me! If it weren't for me, you would have been discovered long ago!"

Being scolded so righteously, the girl suddenly felt a bit guilty.

She pursed her lips, just about to rub the spot for him, when she suddenly realized something.

"Nonsense! What do you mean I was almost discovered? You make it sound like I'm having a secret aff... sneaking around doing something shameful. Don't tell me you wouldn't be afraid of being discovered!"

The girl, who had almost made a slip of the tongue, became even more flustered and angry out of humiliation. Looking at her younger brother's gloating face, she grew furious.

She couldn't help but stick out her small foot to kick him, then turned around in a huff, leaving him with only the view of the round, plump back of her head.

"Alright, alright, come here, let me fix it for you."

Gu Ran unhurriedly put the vinegar bottle back in its original place, then stood up to smooth out her messy hair.

"Hmph~"

Ye Zhenzhen rolled her eyes, her face remaining impassive, but her heartbeat couldn't calm down for a long time.

In that split second just now, the thrilling sense of immorality was a hundred times stronger than last night.

Dusk, Ranfang Bridge.

The setting sun dyed the river water golden-red.

Gu Ran leaned against the railing as his phone vibrated.

It was a reply from Li Sinan.

There were only three short words, plus a punctuation mark:

"Who are you?"

Seeing this, the corners of Gu Ran's mouth curled up.

The fish had taken the bait.

He didn't reply immediately.

Because a masterful hunter always knows to let the bullet fly for a while.

Then, he raised his camera, focusing the lens on the girl beside him.

The evening breeze blew through her hair, highlighting the gentle contour of her side profile.

"Click."

The frame froze.

Gu Ran looked at the photo, nodded in satisfaction, and then called out to the girl in the distance to call it a day.

Ye Zhenzhen trotted all the way to his side. She first looked around and, after confirming it was safe, delicately smoothed out her black hair that had been ruffled by the breeze.

"Gu Ran, let's go home."

After this entire day of constantly being on guard against Gu Xiangcheng and Ye Shulian, under such intense stimulation, she felt like she was about to break down.

And now, she was already starting to miss the city of Qinglin.

Although Wuzhen was great, she liked any place as long as Gu Ran was there.