Chapter 24
Just as Gu Xiangcheng was fond of Ye Zhenzhen, Ye Shulian absolutely adored Gu Ran.
One liked the girl's well-behaved and sensible nature, while the other loved the boy's sweet-talking and lively personality.
Ye Shulian couldn't stop laughing behind her hand, enthusiastically placing a piece of braised pork into Gu Ran's bowl.
"You've been working so hard at school, Xiao Ran. Eat more and nourish your body."
Ye Zhenzhen: "..."
Gu Xiangcheng: "..."
The two exchanged a knowing glance, both seeing the utter speechlessness in each other's eyes.
However, if Gu Ran knew what they were thinking, he would definitely stand up and argue.
He was actually studying very hard now, alright!
But at this moment, he was too busy playing the perfect hype-man for Ye Shulian to notice their facial expressions.
"Oh my, this braised pork is so fragrant! I have to say, Aunt Ye, your cooking is the best. The fat-to-lean ratio is perfect, and every bite is full of sweet and savory goodness. It's way better than my dad's cooking!"
He spared no effort in praising Ye Shulian's culinary skills, eating rapidly, completely unaware that Gu Xiangcheng's face had darkened.
He glared at his son sitting opposite him, but the latter didn't even glance in his direction.
Feeling frustrated, he picked up a piece of the braised pork that Gu Ran had praised to the heavens and put it in his mouth. The expression on his face gradually became quite colorful.
He had to admit, it was indeed a little bit better than his...
But only a little bit!
That brat Gu Ran simply had no taste and didn't know how to appreciate good food. Did he think just anyone could eat a meal cooked by him? And here he was being picky.
Ye Zhenzhen also muttered "suck-up" in her heart once again, rolled her eyes at Gu Ran, and then silently continued eating.
...
After lunch, the group began to pack their luggage.
The mother and daughter didn't have much to move. Many unnecessary items were simply thrown away, leaving only a few boxes.
Ye Zhenzhen stood in her bedroom, looking at the room she had lived in for a long time, a trace of melancholy unconsciously flashing through her eyes.
"Hmm... aren't you taking that little bear?"
Gu Ran had appeared behind her at some point, pointing at the little bear abandoned on the bed and asking softly.
"Ah!"
His sudden appearance startled her. Ye Zhenzhen quickly turned around, a blush uncontrollably rising on her usually calm face.
"Why... why don't you make any sound when you walk!"
She originally wanted to criticize him for casually entering a girl's room, but seeing the bare walls around them, she changed her tune and accused him of suddenly appearing behind her and giving her a fright.
Gu Ran gave her a weird look, not understanding why she was being so unreasonable, but he also knew better than to argue with a woman, so he didn't retort.
"You still haven't said, why aren't you taking this bear?"
The little bear sat alone at the head of the bed, its dark eyes staring at the door as if it knew it was about to be abandoned, looking rather pitiful.
"It's too worn out, so I don't want it anymore."
Ye Zhenzhen took a few deep breaths to slow her racing heart, but the next scene immediately made her newly calmed heart beat wildly again, almost jumping out of her throat.
"It is a bit worn. I'll buy you a new one later."
Gu Ran stepped forward, picked up the bear, and started playing with it in his hands.
Watching the bear she used to cuddle to sleep being toyed with by Gu Ran, her breathing grew rapid. She felt as if a jolt of electricity had passed through her body, making her tremble unconsciously.
"What... what are you doing?"
"Nothing, just looking. Didn't you say you didn't want it?"
Saying this, Gu Ran lifted the bear and sniffed it. He had only meant to check for any weird smells, but unexpectedly caught a faint scent of osmanthus.
Seeing his action, Ye Zhenzhen could no longer control her heartbeat, and her pretty face instantly flushed red.
"What... what are you sniffing?"
Her cold eyes held a hint of embarrassment and anger, looking at him as if he were a pervert.
"Oh, I was just seeing if it smelled bad..."
Saying so, he held up the bear and asked tentatively, "Um... this wouldn't happen to be your sleeping pillow, would it?"
"Of course not!"
Ye Zhenzhen quickly denied it, her face full of bashful anger.
This bad guy!
He had already smelled it just now, and yet he still asked if it was her sleeping pillow. How was she supposed to answer that?
Was she supposed to say, what you're smelling is my body scent, do you want to hold me and take another sniff?
"Good that it's not. I'll take it then."
Hearing her answer, Gu Ran picked up the bear and sniffed it again. Breathing in the elegant osmanthus fragrance, he felt his mind clear up significantly.
Good stuff. It comes with a natural fragrance and is even refreshing!
Ye Zhenzhen: "???"
"How... how could you!"
Ye Zhenzhen's beautiful face grew even redder. Her eyes were filled with bashful indignation, completely losing her previous composure.
She bit her lip lightly, staring at Gu Ran as if he were a total creep. If she hadn't held onto a shred of reason, she would have lunged forward to snatch the bear back.
"What's wrong? Didn't you say you didn't want it?"
"I... I don't want it, but..."
Before she could finish, Gu Ran interrupted, "You don't want it, so I'm taking it. Isn't that perfectly logical?"
Hearing this, Ye Zhenzhen froze, her mouth agape, not knowing how to retort.
Overwhelmed by embarrassment, her dizzy mind couldn't quite process it, and she actually found herself thinking he had a point.
But soon, she shook her head and snapped out of it.
It was true she didn't want it, but it was an intimate personal item. How could she give it away?
Was this guy going to collect her discarded underwear in the future too?
She bit her lip in embarrassed frustration. She wanted to say it was an intimate item, but she had just denied it moments ago. Now she was riding a tiger and couldn't get off, not knowing how to refuse him.
"Kids, let's go!"
Ye Shulian's call came from the living room. Gu Ran immediately replied and quickly walked out of the bedroom.
Watching her bear being carried away, Ye Zhenzhen looked panicked. She wanted to chase after him but didn't know what to say. In the end, she could only watch him leave the room with a flushed, bashful face.
Reaching the doorway, Gu Ran saw the girl still standing there in a daze, her face red as she thought about who knows what. He raised an eyebrow and asked strangely, "What are you spacing out for? Let's go. I'll buy you a new one when we get home. Don't be so stingy!"
Ye Zhenzhen: "..."
Was this a matter of being stingy or not?
Do you want to give me your worn underwear?!
Ye Zhenzhen almost choked on her breath, glaring at Gu Ran as she cursed him in her head. But then she caught herself and quickly shook her head.
Pfft, who wants your underwear!
Slowly walking out of the room, she stared at the little bear in Gu Ran's hands. The thought of it ending up on Gu Ran's bed made the corners of her mouth turn bitter.
This was truly a case of inviting a wolf into the house and riding a tiger with no way off...
She shouldn't have left the bear on the bed, nor should she have gone back to the room to reminisce before leaving.
...
After loading the luggage boxes into the trunk, the group got into the car and set off. It wasn't long before they drove into a brand-new residential complex.
Even in winter, with the roads covered in white snow, it was clear that the landscaping in the complex was excellent. Unlike the place they rented before, which had absolutely zero greenery to speak of.
Between the buildings stood bare tree trunks, as well as pine trees still striving upwards.
Within the courtyard of the residential complex was a small plaza, complete with a water fountain to the side. Rows of fitness equipment were set up across the area, and every so often, people bundled up in winter clothing could be seen taking a leisurely stroll.
Ye Zhenzhen rested her head against the car window, her eyes fixed on the neighborhood's surroundings as a sense of nervousness involuntarily washed over her...
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."
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
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.
