Chapter 228
Ye Zhenzhen pointed at the two towel swans, their necks intertwined, almost kissing.
She looked at the pink rose petals scattered all over the floor, which were so pink that it made her toes curl in embarrassment. The whole room exuded a blush-inducing shade of pink.
"Gu 'Dog' Ran, could this... really be a gift from the hotel?"
Ye Zhenzhen ground her teeth, the words squeezing out from between them, each syllable laced with murderous intent.
Gu Ran crossed his arms and leaned casually against the doorframe.
He leisurely sized up the KingSize bed, which was large enough for three or four people to roll around on.
Not only did he not show the slightest hint of guilt, but he also shrugged innocently.
"Tsk, five-star hotels these days are fiercely competitive."
Gu Ran spouted nonsense without changing his expression.
"We are top-tier VIPs, and we are staying in a double presidential suite. The butler probably thought we were a newlywed couple on our honeymoon. This is called 'humanistic care'."
"Humanistic care on the bedsheets?"
Ye Zhenzhen laughed out of anger and made as if to leave.
"No, I'm checking out. I can't stay in this place!"
"Since we're already here."
Gu Ran chuckled lightly, taking a long stride, his figure flashing past like a phantom.
Before Ye Zhenzhen could react, he had already blocked her only path of retreat.
He approached slowly, his powerful male hormones instantly enveloping the young girl.
Ye Zhenzhen instinctively stepped back, the pink balloons brushing against their feet, making a soft rustling sound.
One step back, two steps forward.
Until the back of Ye Zhenzhen's knees bumped into the edge of the petal-strewn bed.
Her center of gravity shifted, and she fell back onto the soft bedding.
Gu Ran followed suit, leaning over and supporting himself with one hand by her ear.
They were so close that they could see their own reflections in each other's pupils.
The ambiguous scent of jasmine fermented in the air, so thick it was hard to breathe.
"What, are you scared?"
Gu Ran raised an eyebrow, his eyes playful.
"Who... who's scared!"
Ye Zhenzhen stiffened her neck, trying to overpower him with her aura.
But her slightly trembling long eyelashes betrayed her inner panic.
Gu Ran leaned close to her ear and lowered his voice.
"In the cinema, when someone took the initiative to pounce on me and block my mouth, you weren't this timid."
Bringing up the past was like a heavy hammer shattering Ye Zhenzhen's last line of defense.
The memory of that blush-inducing, heart-pounding kiss in the cinema instantly flashed through her mind.
Her original embarrassment instantly burst its banks, turning her face bright red.
"Gu 'Dog' Ran! You... you shameless bastard!"
The young girl became angry out of embarrassment, raising her long leg to kick Gu Ran.
He was already prepared, dodging sideways and pressing down on her.
The two of them instantly fell into the middle of the pile of petals, the soft mattress letting out a muffled sigh.
Ye Zhenzhen exclaimed, her hands pressing against Gu Ran's chest, the scalding heat transmitting from his palm making her feel like she was about to burn up.
Their eyes met, and the atmosphere reached its boiling point at this moment.
Gu Ran's gaze gradually deepened, and just as he was about to lower his head to pluck those tender lips—
"Gurgle—"
A very faint, yet deafeningly loud sound of stomach rumbling in the silent room rang out inappropriately.
The air froze.
Ye Zhenzhen froze, her tightly shut eyes suddenly snapping open.
She wished she could find a hole to hide in right then and there, or just bury herself alive with the blanket.
Gu Ran's movements also stiffened.
He looked at the pretty face in his arms that was so red it looked like it was going to drip blood.
His shoulders began to shake violently, and finally, he couldn't hold it back anymore, letting out a pleasant chuckle.
"It seems Dr. Ye's stomach is more honest than her mouth."
"Don't laugh!"
Ye Zhenzhen was mortified, grabbing a pillow and shoving it into his face.
"Okay, okay, I won't laugh."
Gu Ran sat up, pressing the butler's bell by the bed.
"Business first, let's feed our 'test specialist' first, lest someone accuses me of abusing employees."
Ten minutes later.
The young girl witnessed what true "money speed" was.
Two butlers in tailcoats pushed a dining cart in.
In front of the floor-to-ceiling window, a dining table covered with a snow-white lace tablecloth was quickly set up.
The silver cutlery gleamed with a cold, premium feel under the dim, yellow light.
Gu Ran gentlemanly pulled out a chair for her.
Looking at the miniature traffic and lights outside the window, and then at the expensive delicacies in front of her.
The young girl's guard gradually crumbled in the aroma of the delicious food.
She took small sips of soup, stealing glances at Gu Ran opposite her from time to time.
"What are you looking at me for? Am I tastier than the steak?"
Gu Ran cut a small piece of beef and put it in his mouth, his tone teasing.
"Narcissist."
Ye Zhenzhen withdrew her gaze, but a hint of sweetness welled up in her heart.
Dinner ended in a warm and subtle atmosphere.
When the butlers left, they turned off most of the overhead lights, leaving only a few ambiguous wall lamps and flickering candlelight.
Gu Ran poured her a glass of warm water himself, his fingertips inadvertently brushing against the back of her hand as he handed it to her.
Ye Zhenzhen was still immersed in the afterglow of being "pampered" when she saw him suddenly reach out.
The young man slowly unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, revealing his clear collarbone lines.
"Dr. Ye."
"What... what are you doing?"
Ye Zhenzhen gripped her water glass tightly, shrinking back warily.
"As the saying goes, you only have the strength to get down to business when you're full."
The corners of Gu Ran's mouth curled up in a dangerous arc.
"Since dinner is over, shouldn't we talk about... what we didn't finish just now?"
Sensing the danger, the young girl hadn't even had time to get up and run away.
She was scooped up by her slender waist, her whole body lifting into the air.
"Ah! Gu Ran, put me down!"
Gu Ran completely ignored her protests, carrying her straight to the large bed covered in rose petals.
The young man gently placed her in the center of the bed, leaning over her amidst the room full of pink fantasy.
Outside the window was the bustling night view of the imperial capital, while inside the room was the rich scent of jasmine.
Their breaths intertwined, and Gu Ran leaned close to her ear.
His warm breath sprayed on the crook of her neck, causing a fine shudder.
"Gu... Gu Ran."
Ye Zhenzhen's voice trembled badly, her small hands pushing against his chest.
"We... we agreed it's not time yet, we can't do this..."
He chuckled lightly, catching her hand and pressing it against the pillow.
The kiss was very light, yet carried an unquestionable attachment.
"Don't worry, I know my limits."
Ye Zhenzhen nervously closed her eyes.
Just as the two of them were getting passionate, the atmosphere about to spontaneously combust in an instant—
"Ring ring ring—!"
A sudden, piercing ringtone from a mobile phone exploded.
The two of them shuddered at the same time, almost bouncing off the bed in fright.
Ye Zhenzhen shoved the person on top of her away.
She frantically tidied her messy hair and collar, sitting more upright than a primary school student.
Gu Ran grabbed his phone with a dark face, seeing the caller ID on the screen.
The corner of his eye twitched hard, his breathing erratic.
"Dad."
Answering the call, Gu Xiangcheng's authoritative voice came through the receiver, sounding exceptionally clear in the quiet suite.
"Why are you panting so much, what were you doing?"
"Running."
Gu Ran prevaricated while looking at Ye Zhenzhen beside him, whose face was so red it was almost smoking.
Was this guy equipped with GPS or a fortune teller?
How could his timing be so accurate?
"Running late at night?"
Gu Xiangcheng obviously didn't buy it.
Gu Ran adjusted his breathing and spouted some nonsense.
"Night running is good for physical and mental health, and it helps you sleep."
Gu Xiangcheng snorted coldly on the other end of the line.
"You brat, I'm warning you, don't think you can mess around just because you're miles away from my supervision! If you dare to cross the line, I'll break your legs when you get back! Do you understand?"
"Understood, understood!"
Gu Ran brushed him off with a few perfunctory words before hanging up the phone.
The room fell into silence once again.
Ye Zhenzhen patted her chest to soothe her breath and asked in a low voice.
"What did... Uncle Gu just say?"
The young man casually tossed his phone aside and lay spread-eagle among the flower petals.
He replied weakly.
"He said I have to treat you like my own sister and worship you, offering three sticks of incense every morning and night. If I miss even one, he'll disown me for the sake of righteousness."
Ye Zhenzhen burst into laughter.
Looking at Gu Ran's frustrated and helpless expression, a sudden spark of inspiration hit her, and a hint of slyness flashed across her big eyes.
"Well, since Uncle Gu said so..."
Ye Zhenzhen stood up, elegantly brushed the petals off her clothes, and pointed toward the door.
"Then, my dear 'little brother', please go to the guest bedroom next door. Right now. Immediately."
"Huh?"
Gu Ran was stunned.
"What do you mean 'huh'? Your big sister needs to rest."
Ye Zhenzhen pushed Gu Ran toward the door with surprising strength.
"Shoo, shoo, go on. There's a three-hundred-square-meter living room waiting for you out there. You can roll around in it all you want."
Pushed to the doorway, Gu Ran looked at Ye Zhenzhen's smug expression and laughed out of sheer exasperation.
"Ye Zhenzhen, are you burning the bridge after crossing the river? Did I book the flights and hotel for nothing?"
"This is called respecting your elders and caring for the young, and listening to Uncle Gu's words."
Bang!
The door slammed shut heavily right in Gu Ran's face.
Immediately after, there was a crisp click.
She actually... locked it from the inside!
Gu Ran stood in the spacious, luxurious living room, staring at the tightly shut double doors.
After a long while, he spat out a single sentence.
"Locks only keep out honest men, not scoundrels... Ye Zhenzhen, do you really think this flimsy lock can stop me?"
However, his only response was the cheerful singing drifting from inside the room.
......
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.
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."
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.
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?!
