Chapter Seventeen
Ye Shulian was still watching from the side. She remembered him telling her before that while he didn't know how other leaders operated, he himself was absolutely incorruptible!
And yet, this guy right here had turned around and slapped him in the face with a bribe?
Lao Gu felt the thickness of his wallet as he reached inside; it was clearly unusual, and his weathered face couldn't help but twitch.
If he accepted this, it would cover several months of mortgage payments.
Lao Gu fell silent for a moment.
Thinking about his daily hard work and the meager fixed salary he earned every month, compared to other colleagues who could easily receive nearly a year's worth of wages in a single envelope, the foundations of his beliefs wavered slightly.
But in the next second, thinking of the many people who ended up behind bars every year, his eyes cleared.
What he sought wasn't money, but a higher position. He certainly wasn't going to trip up over such a small, petty sum.
He pulled out the portion that didn't belong to him and resolutely handed it back.
"I'm just here to have a meal with my family. There's no need for this."
The owner seemed unwilling to give up and was about to say more, but Lao Gu shut down the topic with a single sentence.
"I'm off the clock now. I just want to spend some time with my family."
"Ah... right, of course, Director Gu. Then please, enjoy your time with your family."
The owner caught on instantly. He turned and instructed the cashier, "This bill is on me."
"No need. It's only right to pay for what you eat."
Lao Gu rejected him outright. He glanced at the bill, pulled money from his wallet, and placed it gently on the counter.
Then he looked at the owner and said in a lingering tone, "The food today was good. Your restaurant's dishes are excellent..."
He left the rest unsaid. The owner's expression turned a bit sour, but he forced a smile and saw them out the door.
The food was good, but the person left much to be desired.
The owner knew he had been too hasty just now, drawing the ire of this police director who was famous for his integrity.
Sensing Lao Gu's displeasure, he didn't show the slightest hint of resentment. Instead, he became even more respectful.
For a businessman, when dealing with government officials, you didn't necessarily have to be friends, but you absolutely could not afford to be enemies. This was the prerequisite for growing a business.
...
On the way to drop the Ye mother and daughter home, Gu Ran sat in the back with a tireless smile, chatting harmoniously with Ye Shulian.
Beside him, Ye Zhenzhen sat with her arms crossed and legs together, her posture perfect as she quietly observed the boy next to her.
His features were delicate, clean, and handsome. He carried a strangely uplifting aura; just looking at him made one feel refreshed, and her mood unconsciously improved.
It had to be said that his personality was exactly the type that parents like her mother adored. No wonder the two of them were chatting so happily.
However, having matured early, Ye Zhenzhen had already guessed what was coming ever since her mother suggested this meeting the other night.
If she wasn't mistaken, her mother and Uncle Gu would probably go to register their marriage soon after this meeting.
Following that, she and her mother would move in with the Gu father and son.
And that day wouldn't be far off—likely before New Year's Day.
Their current apartment's lease was up for renewal every New Year. Since they were going to live together, they certainly wouldn't renew the lease for another year.
The thought of living under the same roof as this guy made her heart feel restless.
This guy... he seems quite easy to get along with. He probably won't make things difficult for me, right?
With her mind full of worries, the young girl turned her head toward the car window, staring blankly at the streetlights passing by.
She felt a bit apprehensive about her future life. This was the cautious, walking-on-eggshells feeling of living in someone else's home.
The car came to a steady stop at the apartment the two women rented. Ye Zhenzhen was still lost in thought.
Gu Ran got out, walked around the car, and pulled open her door. Tilting his head, he looked at the girl inside and asked with a grin.
"Is Sister reluctant to go home?"
"Huh?"
Ye Zhenzhen was startled. She snapped her head up to look at the smiling face above her, then glanced around and realized they were already at the bottom of her apartment building.
Her mother was at the entrance, smiling as she said goodbye to Uncle Gu, while Gu Ran was right in front of her, staring at her with a knowing smirk.
In that moment, she suddenly felt that this guy really didn't seem like a good person.
Rarely blushing, she held onto the handle and stepped out of the car.
Seeing this, Gu Ran gave a soft chuckle and said gently, "Careful, Sister. The road is slippery. Don't fall."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ye Zhenzhen's movements faltered. Her foot slipped, and she nearly tumbled to the ground.
She turned back and glared at him with a hint of annoyance. Gu Ran responded with a smile, though he found it quite amusing.
So this girl wasn't like Lao Gu, born with a permanent stoic face. She did have other expressions after all.
He secretly wondered what kind of approach he should use in the future to deal with this "ice queen" so she wouldn't be able to keep up that cold, expressionless facade in front of him.
After all, one poker face in the family was enough. Two would be overkill. He couldn't do anything about Lao Gu, so he would just have to let this "sister" of his suffer a bit.
Besides, the feeling of pulling a cold goddess down from her pedestal... the contrast would be simply too...
Gu Ran reined in his wandering thoughts, trying his best to look as serious as possible.
Staring at the harmless smile on Gu Ran's face, Ye Zhenzhen couldn't help but shudder.
She had clearly seen this guy flash an "evil" grin just a second ago, only for it to vanish instantly as he resumed his "innocent saint" act.
In just a few seconds, she had witnessed a performance worthy of a master face-changer. She couldn't help but feel full of worry for her future life.
Her future stepfather's son... seemed like a bit of a creep. What was she going to do?
"Thank you for the warning, Brother Gu Ran."
She shook her head, tossing the wild thoughts out of her mind. She turned and gave a slight nod, her tone gentle yet distant, her demeanor elegant and composed.
It was as if the girl who had just shown an annoyed glare and looked like a flustered little girl wasn't her at all.
It was as if she had two faces.
His future stepmother's daughter...
Seemed to have a split personality. What was he going to do?
At the same time, Gu Ran also felt a wave of concern for his future life.
...
"Zhenzhen, say goodbye to your brother. We're going home. It's okay if you're reluctant to leave; you'll see him tomorrow anyway."
At the entrance of the building, after a long talk with Lao Gu, Ye Shulian had finally let go of the burden in her heart. Her entire being radiated a sense of lightness.
Looking back at her daughter talking to the Gu boy, she couldn't help but tease her. She was clearly in a very good mood.
"Mom!"
What was she talking about? Where was she "reluctant to leave"?
Faced with her mother's "nonsense," Ye Zhenzhen's composure broke instantly. Her face flushed red as she hurriedly called out to her mother, afraid that she might lose control and say something even more shocking!
Seeing the girl in front of him lose her cool, her face full of embarrassment, Gu Ran also laughed and joined in on Ye Shulian's teasing.
"That's right, Sister. If you're really that reluctant to part with me, we can still—"
Before he could finish, he realized something was off.
Ye Zhenzhen also looked back at that moment. The two of them stared at each other in confusion, neither quite understanding the situation...
Wait, we're seeing each other again tomorrow?!
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
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!
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
