Chapter 225
Gu Ran admired Ye Zhenzhen's vivid little expressions and stopped teasing her.
He sat up straight and raised an eyebrow mysteriously.
"What are you thinking about? Time for the serious part."
With that, he stretched out his long arm toward the back seat.
Like a curious cat, Ye Zhenzhen craned her neck to peek behind her.
Like magic, Gu Ran pulled out a large bouquet of flowers carefully wrapped in white tulle from the back seat.
Along with a cake box so exquisite it looked like a piece of art.
"Wow..."
Ye Zhenzhen's eyes instantly lit up.
It was a bouquet of perfectly bloomed jasmine and white roses, each one looking like it had been carefully selected.
The layers of petals, under the dim ambient lighting inside the car.
Seemed to have their own soft-focus filter, looking almost unfairly beautiful.
"For me?"
She pointed at herself, a bit hesitant to claim this surprise.
"Who else? Is there a third person in the car?"
Gu Ran stuffed the flowers into her arms and placed the cake box steadily on her lap.
"To celebrate our classmate Zhenzhen's stubborn fight against anatomy, and her achieving a phased victory."
What kind of reason for a celebration was that?
Ye Zhenzhen was amused by his quirky train of thought.
Holding the flowers, she lowered her head to take a deep breath, her lips curling up uncontrollably.
"I guess you have a conscience after all."
She spoke with feigned arrogance, but the smile in her eyes couldn't be hidden at all.
"Of course."
Gu Ran started the car, though his peripheral vision remained glued to her.
"Oh, right."
As if suddenly remembering something, he added,
"There's a hidden easter egg you haven't found yet."
"There's more?"
Ye Zhenzhen looked up in surprise, holding the flowers in her arms.
With the cake on her lap, both of her hands were full.
She really couldn't imagine what other "easter egg" there could be.
She rummaged through the bouquet for a moment until her fingertips brushed against a small, stiff card.
The card was cleverly attached to a flower stem, hidden so deep that she wouldn't have noticed it without looking closely.
She carefully removed the card, read it by the light of the streetlamps, and instantly froze.
"Nanning District Library?"
She read the words aloud and snapped her head up to look at Gu Ran, her eyes full of shock.
"Is this..."
"Uh-huh."
Gu Ran raised an eyebrow smugly, his expression practically saying, 'Hurry up and praise me.'
"A few days ago, I heard you say that fighting for a seat in the school library is like going to war. The Nanning District Library has a great environment and comprehensive resources. From now on, whenever you want to go, I'll accompany you anytime."
Ye Zhenzhen's heart felt as if it had been struck hard by something.
It felt sore and swollen with emotion.
Her eye sockets grew uncontrollably hot, and a layer of mist quickly clouded her eyes.
"Hey, hey, hey, why are you dropping little pearls?"
Seeing her reddened eyes, Gu Ran suddenly panicked a little.
He quickly pulled the car over to the side of the road, grabbed a tissue, and handed it to her.
His tone was full of helplessness and heartache.
"It's no big deal. If I had known, I wouldn't have done all this flashy stuff."
He teased her while gently wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, his fingertips warm.
"I'm not crying, I just got some sand in my eye."
Ye Zhenzhen sniffled, her voice thick and nasal as she stubbornly denied it.
"Alright, alright. It's all the sand's fault for being ignorant and lacking tact."
Gu Ran coaxed, playing along with her words.
"Speaking of which, it's my fault too. I've had too much going on lately and haven't been able to spend proper time with you. I've made you feel neglected."
"I don't blame you,"
Ye Zhenzhen shook her head, her voice muffled.
"I know you're busy, and those are important matters. Besides... I've been living a very fulfilling life myself. Memorizing books and attending classes every day, time flies by."
Looking at her pretending to be strong, Gu Ran's heart melted into a puddle.
He reached out and pulled her into his arms.
Resting his chin on the top of her head, he gently rubbed against her hair and sighed.
"How is our Zhenzhen so sensible?"
He murmured softly, his warm breath fanning her ear.
"However, no matter how fulfilling your studies are, you still need a balance of work and rest. So..."
He deliberately dragged out his words, his tone rising at the end with a hint of mystery.
Ye Zhenzhen looked up from his embrace, blinking her large, wet eyes.
"So what?"
"So, this weekend, we're going to the capital first to complete a special relaxation activity."
Gu Ran pinched her soft, squishy cheek.
"It's fully all-inclusive; you just need to bring yourself."
"What activity? Weren't we going to hang out with Susu and the others?"
"It's a secret for now. You'll find out tomorrow morning."
Gu Ran restarted the car and drove her back to her dorm building.
"Rest early and pack what you need for the weekend. I'll come pick you up tomorrow morning."
"So early?"
Ye Zhenzhen was even more confused.
"Taking you to familiarize yourself with the environment in advance."
Gu Ran said it in all seriousness, without blushing or skipping a heartbeat.
"I've already talked to Ye Jinliang and Pei Susu. The two of us will go over and play for a day first to scout ahead, and they will meet up with us the day after tomorrow."
Ye Zhenzhen looked at him with half-belief and half-doubt.
This guy was smiling so mischievously; no matter how she looked at it, it seemed like he was setting a trap for her.
Looking at the young girl's big eyes that clearly said "I don't believe you," Gu Ran was already blooming with joy inside.
That's right, he really was up to no good.
Just earlier in the movie theater, while Ye Zhenzhen was deeply engrossed in the plot and couldn't pull herself away.
He had secretly used his phone to book two first-class tickets to the capital.
The so-called "familiarizing with the environment" was nothing more than an excuse to abduct her and spend some time alone in their own two-person world.
"Don't overthink it, just head upstairs, be good."
Gu Ran urged, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Goodnight, baby."
Ye Zhenzhen carried her large pile of things and walked upstairs in a daze.
It wasn't until she entered the dorm and was surrounded by Zhao Xiaoxiao and Chen Jing.
As they let out gasps of amazement and bombarded her with gossipy questions, she finally realized it in hindsight.
Wait a minute!
Why did they need to go early to familiarize themselves with the environment?
Why would playing for the weekend require scouting ahead?
And that smile Gu Ran had just now...
No matter how she looked at it, it seemed like he was scheming something!
This guy, could he be planning to sell her off?!
......
] [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!"
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
