Girlfriend

Chapter 164

County A, Riverside Garden.

The main lights in the living room were off, leaving only a floor lamp casting a warm yellow glow.

Ye Zhenzhen was sunk deep into the sofa, squeezing the giant panda plushie in her arms so tightly it was practically suffocating.

With her chin resting on the plushie's head, her eyes were practically glued to her phone screen.

[I'm thinking about you.]

These words were practically charged with high voltage.

Just one glance was enough to send a tingling sensation straight to the top of her head.

"Ahhh... Ye Zhenzhen, are you crazy! Have some restraint!"

She buried her face fiercely into the plushie, her long, slender legs kicking wildly in the air.

She had only meant to send a cool and aloof "I'm reading," but her brain had short-circuited and her fingers had a mind of their own.

Great. Absolute social death.

It was too late to even unsend it!

But there had been no response from Gu Ran for ages.

Was he busy?

Or...

"Ding-dong—"

The doorbell rang without warning, jolting the spacing-out girl in surprise.

Snapping back to reality, Ye Zhenzhen frantically ran her fingers through her hair, tugged her nightgown straight, took a deep breath, and dashed barefoot toward the entryway.

The moment her hand grasped the doorknob, her heart was pounding like a nightclub bassline.

Click.

The door opened.

The motion-sensor light in the hallway flickered on.

Gu Ran stood at the door. Though there was a hint of fatigue in his eyes, they were strikingly bright.

In his left hand, he held an exquisite cake box, and in his right, a massive, flamboyantly red bouquet of roses.

Staring at the roses, for a moment, her brain simply couldn't process the information.

Holding onto the doorframe, her mouth fell slightly open, but not a single word came out.

Were these flowers... for her?

Thinking like that...

Wasn't she being a bit shameless...

"What, aren't you going to invite me in?"

Gu Ran raised an eyebrow, a roguish smirk pulling at the corner of his lips as he casually shoved the bouquet of roses into her arms.

"Hold this."

The rich fragrance of the flowers instantly enveloped her. The bouquet was absurdly large, almost completely hiding her face and making it look even smaller in comparison.

"This... this is..." she stammered, the tips of her ears quickly turning red.

They really were for her?!

"The company won a major battle, so this is a dividend for the major shareholder."

Gu Ran explained while changing his shoes. "After all, someone had me sign my life away. Now that this humble employee has made some money, shouldn't I pay my respects to the boss first?"

Major shareholder...

Remembering the equity agreement she had altered beyond recognition, Ye Zhenzhen's cheeks instantly flushed crimson.

"Who... who cares about your dividend."

Despite her stubborn words, her arms tightened around the flowers, her fingertips turning white from the grip.

"You don't care? Then I'll go return them and save some money for dinner." Gu Ran made a move to take them back.

"You... don't you dare!"

She glared at him fiercely, then turned and scurried toward the living room with the flowers in her arms, looking like a little hamster protecting its food.

Gu Ran watched her back, a smile overflowing in his eyes.

...

On the coffee table, the tiramisu had been sliced, the rich aroma of cocoa powder filling the air.

The two sat cross-legged on the rug, the atmosphere so subtly thick you could almost cut it with a knife.

Neither of them brought up the "I'm thinking about you" message, but the sweetness in the air had already severely exceeded normal limits.

"So..."

"So..."

They spoke in unison, then shut their mouths at the exact same time.

"You go first." Ye Zhenzhen scooped a small piece of cake into her mouth, her eyes darting everywhere but at him.

Gu Ran put down his fork, slowly wiped his mouth, and sat up straight.

"Ye Zhenzhen, to celebrate today's victory, I just learned a magic trick. Want to see?"

"Call me 'Sister'."

She kicked his calf lightly, her face full of suspicion. "A magic trick? How are you planning to trick me this time?"

Her intuition told her this guy was about to pull some stunt.

"This time is different. It's a proper magic trick."

Gu Ran promised with a look of absolute righteousness. He extended his right hand and gave a thumbs-up. "This is a spatial magic trick about 'escape,' and I need your cooperation."

"How do I cooperate?" Curiosity killed the cat, and the girl, who was used to indulging him, took the bait.

"Hold out your right hand and make an 'OK' sign."

Ye Zhenzhen did as she was told, pressing the tips of her thumb and index finger together to form a circle.

Gu Ran slowly slipped his thumb into that circle and wiggled it.

"Watch closely. Now my thumb is locked by your fingers. This is called 'drawing a circle on the ground to serve as a prison'."

"...Okay."

"In this magic trick, the rules of physics don't apply. I can't pull it out by force, and you can't let go."

Gu Ran said completely deadpan. "But in a split second, I can make my thumb 'teleport' out."

"Wow, how magical..." Ye Zhenzhen pursed her lips, her perfunctory tone painfully obvious.

Gu Ran: "..."

Could she show a magician at least a little bit of basic respect!

"Be serious, this is a legitimate magic trick!"

Gu Ran nudged her leg with his knee. Leaning forward slightly, his gaze locked onto her eyes, and his voice dropped a few octaves. "However, this magic trick has a wind-up time. It requires a spell."

"What spell? Open Sesame?"

"Close your eyes."

He coaxed her gently, "Count to three in your head, then blow gently on our hands. Remember, it only works if you're sincere."

Ye Zhenzhen rolled her eyes.

What kind of spell was that?

Did he learn this from a Hogwarts correspondence course?

But seeing Gu Ran's confident expression, she obediently closed her eyes anyway.

Her long eyelashes fluttered lightly, completely defenseless.

The living room was so quiet that only the faint hum of the floor lamp's electric current could be heard.

One...

Two...

Three...

Having finished counting silently, the girl leaned forward slightly and blew a gentle breath over their intertwined fingers.

Her warm breath, carrying the sweet scent of tiramisu, brushed against the back of Gu Ran's hand.

And in that exact moment.

The trap was sprung.

Gu Ran didn't withdraw his finger at all. His left hand shot out like lightning, cupping the back of her head, while his right hand pulled her forward.

"Ah—"

Ye Zhenzhen felt a strong force pull her. Losing her balance, before her cry of surprise could even escape her lips, she crashed headfirst into a solid embrace.

The next second.

A warm touch sealed her lips.

All her words were swallowed back down.

Her eyes widened in shock, her brain completely short-circuiting.

Magic trick my foot...

This was pure fraud!

The kiss was deep and lingering, carrying a youthful clumsiness and fiery passion, as if he wanted to devour her whole.

And the girl's stiff fingers slowly softened, her once-tense "OK" sign having long since fallen apart.

Without her noticing, their fingers had become tightly intertwined.

In this moment, it was as if someone had hit the mute button on the entire world.

After what felt like an eternity, Gu Ran finally pulled away with reluctance. He rested his forehead against hers, his breathing heavy.

Their faces were so close they could clearly see their own flustered reflections in each other's pupils.

Ye Zhenzhen's face was flushed completely red, her eyes misty, and her chest heaving violently.

"Liar..."

She bit her swollen lips, her voice so soft and sweet it sounded like she was pouting. "This is your magic trick?"

"Yeah. A magic trick to turn the major shareholder into the boss's wife."

Gu Ran chuckled softly, cupping her face in his hands and gently stroking her burning cheeks with his thumbs.

"Ye Zhenzhen."

"Hmm?"

"I like you."

There were no flowery words, no long-winded speeches building up to it.

Just three simple words, yet they carried immense weight, striking straight to the soul.

"Be my girlfriend, okay?"

Ye Zhenzhen stared at him blankly.

After what felt like an eternity, her eyes suddenly began to sting with unshed tears.

The girl sniffled, wanting to say something tough to hide her fluster, like "Depends on your performance" or "You're still on probation."

But under Gu Ran's gaze—eyes so deep one could drown in them—all her reserve completely crumbled.

She pursed her lips and gave a very small, yet firm nod.

"Yeah..."

Her voice was barely a whisper.

Hearing this, the light in Gu Ran's eyes instantly exploded. He was just about to strike while the iron was hot and steal another kiss.

But the girl, reacting like a startled deer, suddenly shoved him away. She grabbed her phone from the coffee table, turned on her heel, and ran off barefoot.

"I... I'm sleepy!"

With a loud slam, the door to her bedroom was locked from the inside.

"Click."

Then came the sound of a chair being dragged over to barricade the door—she wouldn't have even guarded against a burglar this strictly.

Gu Ran: "???"

What did that mean?!

Wasn't that a bit much...

Looking at the tightly shut door, Gu Ran froze for a second, and then began to laugh so hard his shoulders shook.

He stood up, walked over to her bedroom door, curled his fingers, and knocked gently on the wood.

"Knock, knock."

"Girlfriend?"

The person inside played dead.

"Aren't you going to come out and sign for your boyfriend? This is a limited edition. Once you miss this chance, it's gone for good."

"Go... go away!"

A muffled voice came from behind the door. "Gu Ran, you big liar! I'm never believing you again!"

"What did I trick you out of? Your whole self?"

There was no reply from inside, only the faint rustling of movement.

"Goodnight, boss lady."

Gu Ran smiled and turned to go back to his own room.

As for the bouquet of red roses, it lay quietly on the coffee table, blooming with reckless abandon.

Just like this damn, sickeningly sweet youth.