Chapter 166
"Don't panic."
Gu Ran let go of his hand, pointed at the French windows, and mouthed silently, "The coast isn't clear, let's bounce!"
Ye Zhenzhen woke up as if from a dream, nodding her head like a wind-up doll.
He didn't waste another word, hunching over and retreating toward the balcony.
The girl scrambled out of bed and dashed barefoot to the desk.
Click.
The desk lamp lit up.
She grabbed a study material and spread it open, not even caring if the book was upside down. The moment her butt touched the chair, the footsteps outside had already approached the hallway.
Her heart was drumming crazily in her chest, as if it would pop out the next second to entertain the two elders.
As soon as Gu Ran entered his room, he heard the footsteps stop right outside his bedroom door.
He ripped off his white shirt and tossed it onto the back of the chair with the precision of throwing a grenade.
He threw himself onto the bed, rolled up in the blanket, and frantically ruffled his hair, instantly creating a messy look of someone who had been sleeping so deeply they lost track of time and reality.
Click.
The door was pushed open.
Light from the living room poured into the dim bedroom.
Gu Xiangcheng stood at the door, his hand resting on the handle. Those eyes, which had scrutinized countless suspects, swept into the room like a radar.
He then subconsciously reached out and touched the back of the computer monitor, raising an eyebrow immediately. Oh ho, this kid has made progress, he actually wasn't staying up late playing games?!
Gu Ran poked half his head out from under the covers, squinting, his voice muffled and nasal: "Dad? Why are you back?"
With this acting, even the Oscars owed him a golden statuette.
Under the light, Gu Xiangcheng saw his son's bare-chested, bird's-nest-hair appearance. The doubt in his eyes dissipated a bit, turning into surprise.
"Asleep already? It's only past nine."
He walked into the room, his gaze sweeping around.
The shirt thrown haphazardly on the chair matched his stereotype. Everything was normal.
"I'm tired," Gu Ran yawned, rolling over and complaining half-jokingly, "Practicing driving all day, the S-curves made my cerebellum shrink."
"What nonsense are you talking about? Show some proper manners."
Gu Xiangcheng scolded him verbally, but his feet walked straight to the balcony.
Seeing this, Gu Ran's heart instantly leaped into his throat, cold sweat breaking out on his back.
Lao Gu pulled the curtains and casually fastened the lock.
Click.
A crisp locking sound.
"Even if it's hot, you need to close the balcony door when you sleep, otherwise you might catch a draft and get a stroke in the middle of the night."
Gu Ran quietly breathed a sigh of relief under the covers.
"Dad, why did you come back early?" He then sat up, showing a timely sense of curiosity.
Mentioning this, Gu Xiangcheng sighed for his lost annual leave.
He pulled the chair over and sat down, habitually reaching for his cigarette case, but remembering this was his son's room, he stuffed it back.
"Something happened."
Gu Xiangcheng lowered his voice: "The top boss of the A County Police Bureau was taken away by the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection last night."
Gu Ran's pupils shrank slightly.
Memory fragments quickly pieced together.
Summer of 2011, a massive political earthquake in A County.
This storm came earlier than he remembered from his previous life.
Gu Xiangcheng was exactly the one appointed in this time of crisis, officially taking the helm half a year later and starting his rapid rise to power.
The butterfly flapped its wings, and the timeline was moved up.
"Under disciplinary investigation?" Gu Ran probed.
"Yeah, it's a huge deal." Gu Xiangcheng's expression was complex. "The municipal bureau directly called me back to take charge. I probably won't get to sleep tonight; I have to change clothes and go to the bureau for a meeting."
After saying that, he took a deep look at his son.
In the past, he would never have said a word about such things.
But ever since Gu Ran turned over a new leaf half a year ago, with his grades improving by leaps and bounds and his entire demeanor becoming steady, Gu Xiangcheng subconsciously treated him as a grown man.
"Dad, take care of your health," Gu Ran reminded him softly. "When an opportunity comes, you still need your life to seize it."
Gu Xiangcheng was taken aback, then chuckled, reaching out to roughly rub his son's messy hair. "You brat, lecturing your old man now. Go to sleep, I'm leaving."
Watching his father close the door and leave, Gu Ran let out a long breath of stale air and collapsed on the bed.
He had managed to scrape through this trial.
But the person next door didn't have such good psychological fortitude.
...
The guest bedroom next door.
Ye Zhenzhen sat stiffly in her chair, her back straight as a steel plate, gripping her English book so tightly she was about to leave finger marks on it.
Click.
The door was gently pushed open.
Ye Shulian walked in carrying a plate of watermelon, her face full of tenderness. "Zhenzhen, still studying? Take a break and have some watermelon."
Ye Zhenzhen turned her head mechanically, forcing a smile that was uglier than crying. "Mom... you're back."
"Yes, Uncle Gu had an emergency at work."
Ye Shulian set the plate down and her gaze landed on her daughter's face, suddenly letting out a sound of surprise.
"Why is your face so red?"
She reached out to feel her daughter's forehead. "You don't have a fever. Are you hot? Isn't the AC on?"
Ye Zhenzhen's cheeks were astonishingly hot. Half from holding her breath earlier, and half from fear now.
"N-no." Her eyes darted around, her brain spinning wildly, and finally, she squeezed out a lame excuse. "This math problem is too hard, it made my brain overheat."
"..." Ye Shulian was amused. "Alright, the college entrance exams are over anyway. Don't push yourself too hard."
Saying this, she turned and took out an exquisite kraft paper bag from her suitcase.
"I was going to give this to you in a few days, but since you're awake, try it on first."
Ye Shulian handed it over as if presenting a treasure. "When we were coming back, we passed by Wuzhen and saw this while shopping. I instantly thought it would suit you. That ancient town blue calico fabric will definitely make your skin look fair, just like a girl from a Jiangnan water town."
Wuzhen... Blue calico...
Several keywords pierced her ears like needles, and an extremely ominous premonition surged within Ye Zhenzhen.
With trembling hands, she took the bag and opened it.
A dark blue cotton-linen dress with a white floral print lay quietly inside. Vintage frog buttons, a cinched waist design, and a few small daisies embroidered on the hem.
Boom!
A nuclear bomb seemed to detonate in Ye Zhenzhen's brain, instantly rendering her mind completely blank.
This dress... compared to the one Gu Ran bought for her when he took her on a secret trip to Wuzhen over half a month ago...
You couldn't say they were unrelated; you could only say they were exactly the same!
Even the placement of the daisies on the hem was identical!
"How is it? Do you like it?" Ye Shulian urged with a smile. "This is a custom handmade piece from that old shop. They said it's one of a kind. I picked it out for a long time."
One of a kind... One of a kind my foot!
Ye Zhenzhen's mouth twitched wildly.
If her mom found out that hidden in a sealed bag deep inside her closet was an identical "one of a kind" dress...
Then jumping into the Yellow River wouldn't be enough to wash away the scandalous affair between her and Gu Ran!
This wasn't a dress; it was clearly courtroom evidence!
"I l-like it." Ye Zhenzhen gripped the bag tightly, her voice trembling. "Thank you, Mom. It's... such a surprise."
A surprise indeed. More like a fright!
"As long as you like it. You... never mind, wear it tomorrow and show me." Ye Shulian nodded in satisfaction and yawned. "It's getting late. Go to sleep early, I'm going to wash up too."
The door closed.
Ye Zhenzhen slumped limply in her chair, as if her bones had been removed.
She looked at the dress in her hand, which felt like a hot potato, and then at the tightly shut closet door, wanting to cry but having no tears.
The evidence must be destroyed!
But... the one in the closet was a gift from Gu Ran, and the one in her hand was a gift from her mother...
The girl clutched her head in her hands, caught in an unprecedented inner struggle as she found herself completely torn between family and love.
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
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】
e, Immortal Body, Transmigration, System, Progression Fantasy, Academy Setting, Third-Person Perspective. Alternate Title: Transmigrating into a High Martial World and Reading Live Comments. Bad news: I transmigrated. This is a terrifying high-martial world, and my original, pathetically weak body fell into a coma and never woke up. Good news: I got a Popularity Points system upon arrival. I can see live comments and even create an unkillable alternate identity. Starting out, the alternate identity has all stats at 1. The system tells me that to grow stronger, I must participate in the plot, gain popularity points to allocate stats and grow stronger, and ultimately awaken my original body. And so, carrying my original body on my back, I officially entered Huaqing Academy, where the story's protagonist resides. From that moment on, Chen Guan kicked the original plot to pieces. Live Comments: [Doesn't anyone find this mysterious coffin guy creepy? He can summon indescribable grey misty hands.] [Is this guy a hero or a villain? What kind of onion became a spirit?] [By the way, does anyone know who's in the coffin? Shouldn't the debt for saving his life be repaid by now?] [According to unofficial histories, the person in the coffin was Chen Guan's first love. Their love was once passionate and earth-shattering, but they were separated by life and death due to worldly circumstances. What a star-crossed pair.] ... Years later, the world knew of a demon god born from a coffin, shrouded in grey mist, impossible to gaze upon directly. His foremost divine emissary often wielded a scythe, reaping lives like the god of death. As war approached, facing former friends and a boundless sea of enemies, Chen Guan merely raised his scythe. "Would you like to dance as well?"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
