The Indenture (Bonus Update)

Chapter 158

The night was deep over Binjiang Garden.

Gu Ran leaned against the balcony railing, his fingertips tapping lightly on his phone screen.

"Everyday Love Running..." Gu Ran scoffed. "Cute name, but dirty tactics."

Click.

A very soft sound of a door opening came from the balcony next door.

Wearing a pink nightgown and holding a glass of hot milk, Ye Zhenzhen poked her head out like a timid fawn.

"Good evening~"

As she spoke, she blinked her watery eyes, clearly trying to cheer him up.

"Why aren't you asleep yet? Staying up late is a skin killer." Looking at her like this, the corners of Gu Ran's mouth rose involuntarily. He casually took the milk from her hands and downed it in one gulp.

"I can't sleep." Ye Zhenzhen's voice was soft and sweet. Her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes, her eyes showing some worry. "Gu Ran, is it... really troublesome this time?"

"It is a bit of a hassle." Gu Ran turned and walked back to his desk, casually grabbing a piece of A4 paper. "It's like running into the final boss in a video game—huge health bar, high attack power, and an auto-heal cheat."

Ye Zhenzhen's small face paled, and her fingers twisted her clothes even tighter.

"But no matter how strong the boss is, it's still vulnerable to bugs."

Gu Ran returned to the balcony, his pen flying as he scribbled a few lines on the paper before slapping it down right in front of her. "Sign it."

Ye Zhenzhen looked down, her eyes instantly widening.

Gift Agreement

Party A: Gu Ran

Promise: 51% equity of GR Game Company is unconditionally gifted to Party B, Ye Zhenzhen.

Written as proof, never to be reneged.

Why was he giving her this?!

"This is a deposit." Gu Ran reached out and ruffled her hair, enjoying the excellent texture.

The young girl pouted, pinching the thin piece of paper. "Who... who cares about your lousy company!"

After saying that, she grabbed the pen and drew a heavy black line through that sentence.

Gu Ran raised an eyebrow, watching her actions with great interest.

After the girl finished writing, she slapped the paper against Gu Ran's chest, snatched the empty milk glass, and turned to run.

"Good... goodnight!"

The balcony door next door slammed shut with a bang, bringing with it a faint scent of osmanthus and the sound of the girl's panicked heartbeat.

Gu Ran picked up the paper.

The place where "equity" was originally written had been crossed out, and four words were added next to it: Gu Ran himself.

He couldn't help but freeze for three seconds.

Then, a hearty laugh rippled through the night.

Good heavens, wow, she was really taking everything.

Smiling, he folded the paper and carefully placed it in his inner pocket.

Just as he was about to sigh at the moon, he saw the balcony door next door open again.

Ye Zhenzhen, her face flushed red, hurried over and snatched the piece of paper right out of his pocket.

"This... this is mine!"

Leaving that one line of explanation, the girl slammed the door shut again, completely retreating into her nest like a little hamster hoarding food.

Gu Ran: ...

Well done, did this count as the master taking away the deed of indenture?

Tsk, why did that feel so perverted...

...

Early the next morning, the atmosphere at the dining table was a bit subtle.

Ye Zhenzhen kept her head down the whole time, shoveling food into her mouth, wishing she could bury her face in her bowl. The tips of her ears were bleeding red.

That "deed of indenture" from last night had been too direct. Now she was in the shameful "ultimate skill cooldown" period and didn't dare look up at anyone at all.

Gu Ran, on the other hand, looked refreshed and energized. He naturally picked up a fried egg and placed it in her bowl.

"Eat more." His gaze suggestively swept over the girl's already well-developed chest. "After all, you're the major shareholder who owns 'Gu Ran himself' now. You need to keep your stamina up, otherwise how will you manage your assets?"

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Ye Zhenzhen choked on a mouthful of porridge, coughing violently, before shooting him a coquettish glare. "Even eating can't shut your mouth!"

After breakfast, Gu Ran took his still-shy "major shareholder" straight to the bank.

They were there to transfer money to Li Sinan.

At the counter, as Ye Zhenzhen watched Gu Ran sign his name with her own eyes, and saw that dizzyingly long string of zeros on the screen being transferred away, her mouth slowly dropped open into an "O" shape.

Three million.

A full three million RMB!

In this era where an apartment in Qinglin City only cost a few hundred thousand, this amount of money was simply an astronomical figure.

For the first time, the girl intuitively felt just how rich Gu Ran really was, and she silently felt the pressure.

It wasn't until they walked out of the bank and were dazzled by the sunlight that Ye Zhenzhen came back to her senses and muttered, "That's so much money..."

"Show some ambition." Gu Ran laughed, flicking her forehead. "You're already the major shareholder of 'Gu Ran himself.' In the future, this kind of money will just be a small goal."

Hearing this, the girl shyly raised her foot and kicked him. "You... you're still saying that!"

Leaving the bank, the two headed towards the driving school.

Along the way, the phone in Gu Ran's pocket began to vibrate like crazy.

It wasn't a call; it was a battle report sent by Li Sinan.

Gu Ran swiped open the screen. The headlines across major platforms were shocking and glaringly red:

Exclusive! 18-Year-Old Genius Boy Develops Game to Treat Father's Illness, Shamelessly Plagiarized by Hundred-Billion Giant!

Penguin, Please Stop Your Plundering Steps! The Blood and Tears Accusation of a Poor Student!

Temple Run Producer: I Can Lose, But Originality Will Never Die!

Li Sinan's messages followed closely behind. Even through the screen, he could feel her excitement:

Boss! The first wave of press releases has exploded! The Tianya forum post broke a thousand replies in half an hour, and the whole internet is cursing Penguin. We're going to become top-tier victims! This is simply mastering the traffic code!

A hint of mockery flashed through Gu Ran's eyes.

Netizens in 2011 were the generation with the strongest sense of justice.

Resentment of the rich, sympathy for the weak, and disgust for monopolies—these three emotions stacked together formed a public opinion nuclear bomb.

Penguin thought they had stomped a mere ant to death, but they didn't know this ant was strapped with C4 explosives.

"Let's go." Gu Ran put his phone away, in a great mood. "Today, your master will properly teach you how to reverse park."

Ye Zhenzhen: ...

This guy... give him an inch and he takes a mile. It's only been two and a half days, and he was already calling himself "master"!

...

Driving practice was always painful and short.

Because Gu Ran, this "private coach," wasted too much gas, Coach Lao Zhang notified them with a dark face to take tomorrow off—the excuse was that the car needed maintenance. In reality, anyone could see that this old miser was just heartbroken over the gas money.

Returning home that night, Ye Zhenzhen had just finished taking a shower when she gave Pei Susu a call.

"Yo~! Who is this, it's my big sister! What made you think of your little sister today? Where's your darling Gu Ran?"

Pei Susu's signature teasing voice pierced through the receiver, and Ye Zhenzhen hurriedly pulled the phone half a meter away.

This wretched girl was getting more and more unserious.

Why did it feel like she was acting more and more like a green tea?

"Tell me, you've been quiet these past few days. What have you been sneaking off to do?"

Hearing this, the girl's face flushed red. Remembering her "personal private coach" from the past two days, she muttered softly, "I... I was practicing driving."

Then, with three parts sharing and seven parts showing off, she talked about her driving experiences over the past two days.

The relationship guru on the other end of the phone nodded repeatedly as she listened. "As expected of my top disciple. You scattered this dog food well; you haven't disgraced our sect."

Pei Susu then snorted. "Taking a break tomorrow? I don't care, it's been a long time since we saw each other, you have to keep me company."

"Ah, how should I do that?"

"Let me think... let's go to the amusement park. A new Happy Valley just opened up, let's go test the waters."

"Then... then I'll go ask Gu Ran," the girl said softly, her face blushing.

Pei Susu sounded exasperated, "Ye Zhenzhen! You are such a hopeless romantic, you're beyond saving!!!"

Ye Zhenzhen felt a bit guilty and didn't argue back. Instead, she slipped on her slippers and ran next door.

Gu Ran was staring at the computer screen, which was filled with red-hot public opinion battle reports, humming a little tune in a cheerful mood.

"Gu Ran, do you want to go to Happy Valley tomorrow?"

The girl leaned against the doorframe. Her freshly washed hair was still damp, and her eyes sparkled like stars, making her look just like a little kitten waiting to be fed.

Gu Ran turned around, looked at her expectant eyes, and smiled. "Happy Valley? The newly opened one? Do you want to try the carousel?"

"It's Pei Susu. She wants me to go with her. Are you... going to come?"

Pei Susu?

At the mention of this name, Gu Ran's mind automatically brought up the image of Ye Jinliang.

"Then ask her if she minds bringing Ye Jinliang along."

Just as Gu Ran finished speaking, Pei Susu's voice came from the phone in the girl's hand.

"No need to ask, I've already invited him."

Gu Ran: "???"

When did those two get together?

Well played, Old Ye!

Pulling off something this huge on the down-low!

Realizing that sounded a bit off, Pei Susu quickly added an explanation to avoid any misunderstandings. "Anyway, since you two are practically inseparable every day, and we're just lonely singles... besides, Fatty and I are both going to college in the capital, so it's a good chance to get familiar and look out for each other."

That was completely unnecessary, Pei Susu. You're talking a bit too much.

Gu Ran chuckled. He didn't expose her, simply nodding in agreement.

It just so happened that he had been overworking his brain these past few days. Riding a roller coaster would be a good way to clear his head.

More importantly, he wanted to see with his own eyes how impressive this armchair strategist Pei Susu would be when she actually took the field to date someone herself.

"Then I'll go get my clothes ready!"

Ye Zhenzhen pursed her lips, her eyes full of joy. She turned and ran back to her room, her footsteps as light and brisk as a little squirrel that had just stolen a pinecone.

Gu Ran looked at the empty doorway, shaking his head with a laugh.