Chapter 229
Early the next morning, Gu Ran walked out of the guest bedroom sporting two faint dark circles under his eyes.
The living room, over three hundred square meters in size, was excessively spacious, making him look rather lonely.
He rubbed his aching neck; he had slept in the wrong position last night and had a stiff neck.
Now, with every movement, his bones cracked and popped.
Just as he reached the door of the master bedroom, it clicked open from the inside.
Ye Zhenzhen walked out wrapped in the hotel's silk bathrobe. Her long hair cascaded down loosely.
A few stray strands clung lazily to the side of her neck, and her skin glowed radiantly white in the morning light. She exuded an endearing, groggy charm of someone who had just woken up.
Seeing the young man at the door, she paused for a moment.
Then, a triumphant smile spread across her beautiful eyes.
"Oh, little brother, up quite early, aren't we? Are those dark circles a semi-permanent smokey eye?"
Gu Ran's eyelids twitched. He ground his back teeth together, smiling menacingly.
"Thanks to you, sister, I had an 'earth-shattering' sleep last night."
"Is that so? That's great."
Ye Zhenzhen nodded without a shred of sincerity and stretched lazily.
"I slept pretty well too. The bed is big and soft. Sleeping all by myself, I could roll around however I wanted. It was so comfortable."
She deliberately emphasized the words "all by myself."
Gu Ran laughed out of sheer annoyance. Taking a step forward, he cornered her against the wall and pinched her soft, tender cheek.
"Dr. Ye, we haven't even crossed the river yet, and you're already burning the bridge?"
"What do you mean burning bridges? Uncle Gu told you to take good care of me. I'm just helping you practice the virtue of 'respecting the old and caring for the young'."
Ye Zhenzhen swatted his hand away, acting bold despite being entirely in the wrong.
He scoffed lightly and pointed at his stiff neck.
"Come on, take a look at the results of your 'respecting the old and caring for the young'."
The girl couldn't hold back and burst into a giggle.
Stepping half a pace closer, she gently poked that muscle with her fingertip.
"Who told you to have impure thoughts last night? You deserve to suffer."
Before she could finish speaking, her wrist was suddenly caught by a warm palm.
Gu Ran took advantage of the moment, grabbed her hand, pulled her into his arms, and whispered in her ear.
"How was I impure? I just wanted to let you experience the correct way to use a 'honeymoon suite' in advance."
"Gu 'Dog' Ran! You're talking nonsense again!"
Ye Zhenzhen's cheeks instantly burned red, and she reached out to push him.
Her push was soft and weak; rather than a rejection, it felt more like flirting.
"Um... did you really not sleep well last night?"
She looked up, her tone ultimately carrying a hint of guilty concern.
Gu Ran leaned against the doorframe, his gaze deep.
"I fell asleep, but in my dreams, there was a little heartless girl constantly making me mad."
Ye Zhenzhen's ears turned even redder, and she shot him a coquettish glare.
"Hurry up and go wash up! Susu and the others will be here soon!"
"Yes, sister."
Gu Ran curled his lips into a smile and turned toward the bathroom.
Tonight, he had to figure out a way to logically lure the rabbit into his den.
...
Half an hour later, the two of them were ready.
Just as Gu Ran finished brewing the coffee, the doorbell rang.
"Coming!"
Ye Zhenzhen's eyes lit up, and she jogged over to open the door.
Standing outside were none other than Ye Jinliang and Pei Susu.
Ye Jinliang was carrying a hiking backpack that was half the height of a person.
He was holding two bags of capital city specialties, looking exactly like a migrant worker entering the city.
Pei Susu, on the other hand, wore a bright yellow short-sleeved shirt, her high ponytail tied up to look energetic and full of vitality.
"Zhenzhen!!"
With a scream, Pei Susu threw herself onto Ye Zhenzhen, practically hanging off her.
"I finally get to see you! You little heartless thing, I missed you to death, boohoo!"
"I missed you too!"
The two hugged tightly, clinging to each other affectionately.
"Holy crap..."
Ye Jinliang stood at the door, oblivious to the fact that his backpack strap had slipped halfway down his shoulder.
"Brother Gu, did you move a money-printing machine into your house?"
He walked around the enormous living room dumbfounded, his jaw practically hitting the floor.
Hearing this, Pei Susu also snapped back to reality. When she looked around, her eyes instantly widened.
"Oh my goodness!"
Like a curious child, she spun around the living room.
Then she rushed to the floor-to-ceiling windows, pointing at the dazzling CBD night view outside, too excited to speak coherently.
"Zhenzhen! Look! Look! This night view is too beautiful! I've only ever seen this on TV!"
Ye Zhenzhen smiled, walked over, and linked arms with her.
Pei Susu then ran over to touch the leather sofa, feeling its soft texture.
Next, she dashed into the open kitchen and curiously opened the refrigerator, finding it fully stocked with all kinds of high-end ingredients and beverages.
"This fridge is so full! And there's a home theater! A gym! A karaoke room! Oh my god!"
Pei Susu marveled continuously, her eyes filled with little stars.
Watching Pei Susu, Ye Jinliang couldn't help but feel happy too.
He walked over to Gu Ran and lowered his voice to ask.
"How much does a night at this hotel cost? You didn't mortgage your company, did you?"
Gu Ran glanced at him, his tone flat.
"A few tens of thousands a night, I guess."
"Tens of thousands?!"
"What? Are you afraid your bro is struggling, but also afraid your bro is driving a Land Rover?"
The young man saw the complex emotions in his eyes and joked with a smile.
Ye Jinliang looked at him with a resentful gaze.
"This isn't a Land Rover, it's clearly an aircraft carrier!"
Gu Ran laughed heartily.
The group chatted and laughed as they toured their way to the master bedroom.
The moment the door opened, the scene inside, which hadn't yet been cleaned up, was instantly exposed.
A massive circular bathtub, un-swept rose petals scattered all over the floor, and that messy king-sized bed...
"Holy shit! Is... is this something I can look at for free?!"
Ye Jinliang looked at Gu Ran in shock, then glanced at Ye Zhenzhen, whose cheeks were slightly flushed.
The girl hurriedly waved her hands to explain.
"No! This is a hotel service! Gu Ran... he slept in the guest bedroom last night!"
"The guest bedroom?"
Ye Jinliang wore a 'are you kidding me' expression and pointed at Gu Ran.
"You're bullying me for being uneducated, right? You scatter rose petals to sleep in the guest bedroom? What kind of newlywed cosplay are you two doing?"
The latter shrugged, looking completely innocent.
"Who knows, maybe the hotel NPCs glitched out and identified us as a newlywed couple."
"Newlywed couple?"
Ye Jinliang and Pei Susu said in unison. They exchanged a glance, their souls of gossip burning brightly.
Pei Susu grabbed Ye Zhenzhen's arm and winked playfully.
"Zhenzhen, confess and you'll be treated leniently! How far have you and Gu Ran progressed? Have you already... hehehe..."
Ye Zhenzhen was so embarrassed she wished she could find a hole to crawl into. She slapped her hand over Pei Susu's mouth.
"Susu! Shut up! Nothing happened!"
"Yeah right! Explanations are just cover-ups!"
Pei Susu broke free from her hand and pointed at Gu Ran.
Then she pointed at Ye Zhenzhen with an "I understand" expression on her face.
The two men standing by the door watched the two girls playing around, each harboring his own ulterior motives.
This trip was totally worth it!
Not only could he enjoy some quality one-on-one time with Ye Zhenzhen.
He could also create opportunities for Ye Jinliang and Pei Susu. Killing two birds with one stone, perfect!
On the other side, Ye Jinliang stole a glance at Pei Susu.
He realized that the yellow short-sleeved shirt she wore today made her look exceptionally lively and cute.
Her high ponytail swung back and forth with her movements, making his heart flutter along with it.
"Alright, stop messing around for now."
Gu Ran smiled and interrupted their roughhousing.
"Let's take a short break, and then we'll discuss our plans for today."
Pei Susu finally let Ye Zhenzhen off the hook, but her gaze remained teasing.
The two girls huddled in the corner of the sofa, whispering into each other's ears.
From time to time, Pei Susu would let out a burst of knowing, snorting giggles.
It made Ye Zhenzhen blush so hard that the redness in her cheeks never faded.
...
] [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!"
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."
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】
