Chapter 176
The dim yellow streetlights stretched their shadows long.
Ye Zhenzhen held onto Gu Ran's arm. Her small face revealed a soft, beautiful shade of pink under the light. The heat in her cheeks hadn't faded yet, and it felt like she was stepping on cotton; every step was light and floaty.
As they walked, Gu Ran's footsteps suddenly slowed down again.
"What's wrong?"
Ye Zhenzhen turned her head in confusion, her watery eyes glowing with innocent bewilderment in the night.
Gu Ran didn't speak. He just stared at her unblinkingly, his gaze so deep it felt like it could suck a person in.
Ye Zhenzhen's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively wanted to step back, but her heel hit a protruding tree root.
This was a blind spot for the streetlights. A massive, leafy banyan tree blocked out the sky, completely obscuring the moonlight.
It was a natural crime scene.
"Ye Zhenzhen."
Gu Ran's voice was a bit husky. "Was the game we just played fun?"
"Huh?" Ye Zhenzhen's brain couldn't quite keep up with his jumping train of thought. "It was... pretty fun. Everyone was really happy..."
Gu Ran chuckled lightly, then suddenly took a step forward, completely sealing off all her routes of escape.
"I meant, the game the two of us just played."
Ye Zhenzhen's breath hitched. !!!
Didn't this guy just eat?
How is he hungry again?!
With nowhere left to retreat, her back hit the rough tree trunk with a soft thud.
Before she could react, two arms were already planted on either side of her ears, trapping her seamlessly between the trunk and his chest.
The boy's clean, crisp scent overwhelmed her, instantly throwing her breathing rhythm into chaos.
"What... what are you doing..."
The young girl raised her small hands to press against his chest. Through the thin T-shirt, beneath her palms, she could feel the boy's strong and rapid heartbeat.
Gu Ran lowered his head, his nose lightly brushing past the shell of her ear. His warm breath fanned over the sensitive hollow of her neck, sending a series of fine shivers down her spine.
"Dr. Ye, since you chose clinical medicine, why don't we preview our anatomy class ahead of time... what do you say?"
Ye Zhenzhen's face flushed so red it looked like it was bleeding, as if a pinch could wring water out of it.
P-preview what?
Oral anatomy?!
"Gu Ran, you... hooligan..."
She closed her eyes in embarrassed annoyance. Even as she scolded him, her eyelashes fluttered like tiny brushes, tickling Gu Ran's heart.
Looking at the girl's appearance, looking so ripe for the picking, the darkness in Gu Ran's eyes grew even richer.
His fingers slowly traced the line of her jaw. His fingertips were slightly cool, yet they ignited a fiery heat on her skin.
Finally, he stopped at the plump tubercle of her upper lip, pressing down lightly to feel that jelly-like softness.
After waiting a long while with no movement, Ye Zhenzhen quietly opened her eyes a crack.
She crashed right into a pair of eyes full of teasing.
Realizing she had been played, the girl flew into a flushed rage, opening her mouth to bite his finger.
"Mmph..."
Gu Ran was quick. He flipped his hand to cup the back of her head, lowering his head to directly block all her movements, sealing away that unspoken coquettish complaint.
This dog!
Sneak attack!
No martial ethics!
Ye Zhenzhen's fingers, clutching his collar, suddenly tightened, her knuckles turning slightly white.
Under the shade of the tree, the two silhouettes tightly overlapped.
The chirping of the cicadas seemed to fade away at this moment. The world was left with only the sound of their rapid breathing, and the moisture between their lips and teeth.
There was no cool sensation of ice cream, only the scalding heat of the summer night, and the unresolvable, fluttering thrill between a boy and a girl.
The air was so thick it felt like it could be pulled into strings.
Ye Zhenzhen felt as if her soul was being sucked away. Her mind went completely blank, and she could only cling instinctively to this single piece of driftwood.
A long time later, just when she thought she was going to pass out from a lack of oxygen, Gu Ran finally released her slightly.
The girl felt as though her bones had been pulled out. She slid down softly, relying entirely on Gu Ran's arm scooping up her waist to keep from sitting on the ground.
At this moment, the corners of her eyes were tinged with red, and her eyes looked like they held a pool of spring water, rippling with light, lethally pure and alluring.
Her previously neat collar was slightly messy, revealing a section of delicate, pale collarbone that was blindingly white under the dappled shadows of the tree. A suspicious little red mark was faintly visible on it.
"Haa... haa..."
Ye Zhenzhen gasped for fresh air, her chest heaving violently. Her lips burned, feeling as though they had swollen a size larger, and the root of her tongue was a bit numb.
Gu Ran looked down at her thoroughly bullied appearance, his Adam's apple bobbing unconsciously.
But he didn't continue.
Going too far is as bad as falling short; a steady stream flows the longest.
He reached out, his movements gentle as he helped the girl tidy her slightly messy hair, then smoothed out her somewhat disheveled collar.
His fingertips inadvertently brushed across her warm skin, causing the person in his arms to give a light shiver.
"Dr. Ye, your lung capacity still needs improvement. Otherwise, how will you keep up with the rhythm in the future?"
Gu Ran leaned close to her ear, whispering wickedly, "For future morning runs, I suggest adding an extra two kilometers."
Ye Zhenzhen didn't even have the strength to glare at him right now.
She buried her burning cheeks in Gu Ran's chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, the heat in her face refusing to fade.
After a long while, she finally squeezed out a muffled sentence.
"...Bad guy."
So embarrassing!
Just now she had actually... gone weak in the knees.
Gu Ran chuckled lightly, his large hand gently patting and stroking her back to soothe her breathing, his movements incredibly gentle.
He waited until the breathing of the person in his arms had mostly calmed down before taking her slightly damp hand and walking out of this romantic shadow.
The two flagged down a taxi.
On the way back, Ye Zhenzhen kept her head turned toward the window, pretending to count the streetlights, but in reality, she was using the reflection in the window to secretly check her lips.
Oh no, they really do look swollen.
Meanwhile, the main culprit looked completely unbothered. One hand rested casually on his knee, while the other accurately clasped her hand.
Their fingers intertwined, palms pressed together, and from time to time, he would rub his thumb against the back of her hand.
Ye Zhenzhen struggled for a moment, but failing to break free, she just let him be.
The driver in the front glanced at the backseat through the rearview mirror.
The little girl's face was as red as a tomato, and the young man had a satisfied look like a cat that had successfully stolen a fish.
As someone who had been there, a flash of understanding passed through the driver's eyes, and he silently changed the song.
The intense rock music abruptly stopped, replaced by a soft, sweet, and sticky folk song, Meeting in This World.
The taxi pulled up to the entrance of Binjiang Garden.
After getting out, the two walked hand in hand along the familiar neighborhood roads.
The evening breeze blew away a bit of the sweltering heat, but it couldn't blow away the sticky sweetness between them.
The streetlights stretched their shadows long, occasionally overlapping, occasionally separating.
In the dead of night, Gu Ran didn't make any more out-of-line moves. He just held her hand, swaying along at a leisurely pace.
"Right."
Ye Zhenzhen was the first to break the silence. Her voice lacked a bit of the shyness from earlier and carried a bit more seriousness.
"Gu Ran."
"Hmm?" Gu Ran turned his head to look at her. Under the streetlight, the boy's side profile was sharply defined, so handsome it made her heart skip a beat.
"What do you think... college life will be like?"
The girl's voice carried a trace of longing for the unknown, as well as a subtle hint of confusion.
Lately, they weren't just practicing driving and going on dates; they were standing at a crossroads in life.
Their university acceptance letters had already arrived, one for clinical medicine, the other for economic management.
Gu Ran squeezed her soft palm and asked in return.
"Why ask this all of a sudden? Are you losing confidence in your clinical medicine major?"
Ye Zhenzhen pursed her lips and looked away, dropping her gaze to her toes as she kicked a small pebble by the side of the road.
"It's not that I don't have confidence... I just feel a bit uncertain."
She paused, her voice dropping a few pitches, tinged with a hint of melancholy.
"I chose science because I was good at it. I chose medicine because my mom said being a doctor is a stable and respected career, and my test scores were just enough to get into the top program at Qingda University. Everyone seemed to think I should study this, so I just went with the flow."
As she spoke, her voice gradually trailed off, sounding somewhat lacking in confidence.
"But... I don't think I've ever stopped to wonder if I actually like it. What if I study for years, only to realize I'm completely unsuited to be a doctor? What if I mess everything up?"
This was the typical dilemma of a Chinese straight-A student.
From childhood, they follow a rigid, step-by-step path: getting high test scores, getting into prestigious schools, and picking popular majors. It is only when they are about to truly step into that field that they realize they have no genuine, heartfelt passion for it—only the inertia of being pushed forward.
Scores determine the destination, and parents determine the major.
As for passion?
That is a luxury reserved only for those with money and free time.
......
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 bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
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!
