Chapter 222
Ye Zhenzhen felt like her brain was about to explode.
The afternoon's Systematic Anatomy class.
Those densely packed nerves, blood vessels, and muscle tissues were tangled up in her mind like a ball of messy yarn.
She rubbed her throbbing temples and let out a deep sigh.
Who said college would be easy?
High school teachers were the biggest liars of the century!
College courses were more than ten times harder than high school ones.
Especially in medicine, if you missed a single concept, you wouldn't understand anything that followed.
Anyone who tells you to study medicine deserves to be struck by lightning!
If you wanted to avoid failing and get a scholarship, you had to put your life on the line.
"Zhenzhen, what are you thinking about? You seem out of it."
Her roommate, Zhao Xiaoxiao, nudged her arm.
"It's nothing,"
Ye Zhenzhen shook her head, looking as if she had lost all will to live.
"I just feel like... all my brain cells are dead."
She sighed.
She hadn't seen Gu Ran for several days.
She knew he was very busy with company matters.
The business wars with Penguin were all earth-shattering events.
Not wanting to disturb him, she could only force herself to pour all her energy into studying.
Cafeteria, classroom, dorm—a repetitive routine.
They would only chat for a bit during their free time.
She missed him.
She missed him so much.
"If you're tired, that means you're going uphill."
Unaware of the girl's unusual mood, Zhao Xiaoxiao softly comforted her before changing the subject.
"But seriously, you've been working way too hard lately. You go to the school library at six every morning just to grab a seat."
Chen Jing chimed in.
"I heard from a senior that the district library has a great environment and comprehensive resources, but you need an annual pass, and it's a bit far from school, which is inconvenient."
The district library...
She had actually mentioned it to Gu Ran, thinking about finding some time this weekend to have him drive her there to get a pass.
Just as she was thinking this, Zhao Xiaoxiao suddenly grabbed her arm excitedly and pointed outside the teaching building.
"Zhenzhen, look! Isn't that your man?"
Ye Zhenzhen looked in the direction she was pointing, and her breath caught.
Under the streetlight, next to the familiar black sedan.
The figure she longed for day and night was leaning against the car door, looking at her with gentle eyes.
Why was he here?
Wasn't he busy?
A massive wave of surprise exploded in Ye Zhenzhen's heart like fireworks.
She even forgot to respond to her roommate, her feet moving uncontrollably as she ran in that direction.
"Gu Ran!"
She ran up to him, and because she had sprinted.
Her breathing was a bit unsteady, and an alluring flush spread across her fair cheeks.
"Class is over?"
Gu Ran reached out and naturally helped tidy her wind-blown bangs, his voice carrying a hint of a smile.
"Yeah..."
Ye Zhenzhen nodded, looking at him with sparkling eyes.
"Why... why are you here? Isn't the company busy? You won a battle, aren't you going to celebrate?"
"Celebrating isn't as important as you."
Gu Ran said it as a matter of course, casually taking the backpack from her shoulders and grabbing her hand with his other hand.
The passing students around them cast envious glances, and whispers could be heard continuously.
"Oh my god, it's really God Gu! He's ten thousand times more handsome in person than in photos!"
"Goddess Ye is so lucky, what kind of fairy-tale romance is this!"
"I declare that the Gu-Ye CP is real! Lock them together forever!"
Hearing the discussions around her, Ye Zhenzhen blushed slightly.
She instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but it was held even tighter.
"Why are you shy?"
Gu Ran lowered his head and whispered in her ear.
"It's not the first time. You need to get used to this frequency of me picking you up."
His breath tickled her ear, hot and itchy.
Ye Zhenzhen felt like her ears were going to burn.
It wasn't until she sat in the car, isolated from the outside stares, that her heartbeat finally began to settle.
"Could... could you be a bit more low-key next time you come?"
She protested in a small voice.
"I can't help it, my strength doesn't allow it."
Gu Ran started the car, putting on a serious face while humblebragging.
Show-off...
Hearing his words, the corners of Ye Zhenzhen's lips curled up.
The car drove smoothly out of the campus and merged into the city's traffic.
"Is there anything you want to eat?"
Gu Ran asked out loud.
"I want to eat..."
Before she had time to reply.
A ringtone interrupted their conversation.
Glancing at the caller ID.
Ye Zhenzhen felt inexplicably guilty, and it took her a while before she pressed the answer button.
"Hello, Susu..."
"Ye Zhenzhen! Is it illegal to answer the phone over there?!"
Pei Susu's exasperated voice came from the other end of the line.
"Did you forget about me?! You get a boyfriend and forget your best friend, is that it! I've finally seen through you, only caring about the new love while ignoring the old!"
With Pei Susu's barrage of accusations thrown at her, Ye Zhenzhen's forehead started to sweat.
It was true. Recently, there had been military training, the start of the semester, and that whole incident with Lin Yu.
Later, when Gu Ran was busy with the company, her heart and eyes were completely full of him, and she had truly neglected her best friend.
"That's not true... I've just been busy studying."
Driven by guilt, Ye Zhenzhen's voice grew quieter and quieter, severely lacking confidence.
"Studying? I don't believe you for a second!"
Pei Susu scoffed.
"I think you're just busy drowning in romance! Tell me, how long has it been since you contacted me? Confess right now, do you have some other dog out there!"
Ye Zhenzhen looked at Gu Ran for help. Gu Ran raised an eyebrow at her, wearing an expression like he was enjoying a good show.
"What do you mean 'another'? Please watch your phrasing!"
Ye Zhenzhen tried to change the subject.
"What about you? How have you been lately? You and Ye Jinliang..."
At the mention of Ye Jinliang, the firepower on the other end of the phone instantly fizzled out.
Before she could even finish speaking, a certain someone started to self-destruct.
"Why bring up that idiot! We are completely innocent! Whiter than tofu mixed with green onions!"
Pei Susu stammered, her tone noticeably guilty.
Sensing something fishy, Ye Zhenzhen immediately seized the opportunity and teased.
"I didn't even say anything, why are you getting so anxious."
"Nonsense, I'm just proving my innocence!"
Pei Susu flew into a rage out of humiliation.
"A guilty conscience needs no accuser!"
Ye Zhenzhen laughed uncontrollably, and taking advantage of the moment Pei Susu was bristling, quickly threw out an olive branch.
"Innocent classmate Pei, are you free this weekend? How about we go hang out with you two?"
After saying that, the girl subconsciously turned her head to glance at Gu Ran.
Seeing him nod, Ye Zhenzhen finally turned her attention back to her phone.
"Oh, did the sun rise from the west today?"
Pei Susu made a sarcastic remark, trying to regain the upper hand.
"I just missed you, I've saved up a bellyful of things to tell you."
Ye Zhenzhen activated her pacifying mode.
"That's more like it."
Pei Susu was very satisfied with the girl's attitude.
"Then it's settled. Come over on Saturday, and this palace will treat you to a meal!"
"Oh right, remember to bring Ye Jinliang along."
Ye Zhenzhen added with a smile, twisting the knife.
"Ye Zhenzhen!!"
Pei Susu completely blew her top.
The two bantered for a few more sentences, agreed on a time and place, and then hung up.
Ye Zhenzhen breathed a sigh of relief. Looking up, she met Gu Ran's smiling eyes.
"What? A check-up call?"
"Of course not."
Ye Zhenzhen snorted softly.
"This is a loving greeting between besties."
Gu Ran smiled without saying a word, driving the car into the underground parking lot of a large shopping mall.
"We're here."
"What are we doing here?"
Ye Zhenzhen was a bit confused.
"First I'll take you to get something to eat, and then... we'll go see a movie."
Gu Ran unfastened his seatbelt and turned sideways to look at her, his gaze deep and intense.
See a movie?
Those words made Ye Zhenzhen's heart start pounding uncontrollably.
How...
How were they going to watch it?
Sensual memories of their last time at the cinema instantly flashed through her mind.
What kind of movie?!
Could it be that he wanted to... again?
She could feel her face already starting to burn up.
Watching the girl's increasingly flushed face, Gu Ran suddenly leaned in close.
His warm breath almost brushed against her cheek as he spoke in a playful tone.
"What are you thinking about, sister? Blushing so hard? I'm a decent guy, and we're going to watch a decent movie."
His drawn-out syllables and that highly suggestive "sister" made the girl's face turn even redder.
Flustered and embarrassed, she tried to cover up her thoughts, fanning her face continuously with her hand.
"I... I'm just hot!"
Gu Ran didn't call her bluff.
Of course he knew exactly what she was thinking.
The whole purpose of taking her to a movie was to...
Repeat his old tricks...
Looking at Gu Ran's face right in front of her, her heart kept thumping wildly.
"Um... I'm hungry. Let's hurry up and go eat!"
Ye Zhenzhen's voice was as quiet as a buzzing mosquito.
The young man took the opportunity to pinch her rosy cheek. It felt so soft that he couldn't bear to let go.
He deliberately lowered his voice, teasing Ye Zhenzhen in a suggestive manner.
"It is time to eat. Only when you are full will you have the energy to get down to... business!"
He placed a heavy emphasis on the word business.
The girl's eyes widened.
Her face practically screamed, I knew you were up to no good!
This... pervert!
......
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
