The "Anomaly" of Ye Shulian

Chapter 245

Gu Ran pushed the door open.

The rich aroma of braised pork belly drifted into his nose.

As expected, home-cooked meals always smelled the best.

The dining table in the living room was already fully laden with a dazzling array of dishes.

Ye Shulian was coming out of the kitchen carrying the last bowl of soup.

Seeing Gu Ran, her eyes curved into happy little crescents.

"Little Ran is back? Perfect timing, all the dishes are ready. Go wash your hands and let's eat."

Gu Xiangcheng sat steadily at the head of the table. In front of him were two shot glasses and an opened bottle of Wuliangye liquor.

He cast a sidelong glance at his biological son, deliberately pulling a long face.

"You're slower than a snail just buying a bottle of cola. Did you sneak off to the internet cafe again?"

Gu Ran placed the cola on the table, his face full of helplessness.

"Dad, I'm a college student now. Can you have a little faith in me?"

After washing his hands, he plopped down in his seat. Sweeping his gaze over the table full of food, his heart felt incredibly warm.

Aunt Ye's cooking skills left the school cafeteria in the dust by eight hundred miles!

Ye Zhenzhen was sitting right next to him, wearing loose-fitting loungewear.

Her long hair was casually tied up in a bun, with a few stray strands framing her cheeks, making her look exceptionally sweet and soft.

She kept her head down, pretending to be utterly engrossed in fiddling with her chopsticks.

But her completely flushed earlobes totally betrayed her.

She clearly hadn't recovered from the thrilling "toll collection" incident on the balcony earlier.

Doing this kind of thing at home was definitely more thrilling than doing it at school.

"Come, come, Little Ran, try this braised pork belly. Aunt Ye made it especially for you!"

Ye Shulian enthusiastically placed a large piece in Gu Ran's bowl.

It was shiny and glistening, making one's appetite surge just looking at it.

Then, she casually gave Ye Zhenzhen a chopstick-full of green vegetables.

"Zhenzhen, you should eat less meat. As a girl, you need to manage your figure well."

The young girl's head snapped up, her eyes full of grievance.

Just a few minutes ago, you were holding my hand saying I'd gotten too thin. How did you betray me so quickly?

Gu Xiangcheng used the serving chopsticks to give Ye Zhenzhen the biggest piece of braised pork belly.

"Shulian, your double standard is a bit too obvious. Who was it that just said our Zhenzhen had lost weight?"

Ye Shulian shot him a charmingly reproachful glare.

"You talk too much! Little Ran has to juggle both his studies and his startup at school, running around all the time. How can he manage without some extra nourishment?"

The atmosphere at the dinner table was simply wonderful.

But soon, Gu Ran noticed something was off.

Besides Aunt Ye, the frequency at which his own dad was putting food in his bowl was also absurdly high.

When he looked up, he met Gu Xiangcheng's face, which clearly showed he was hesitating to speak.

He picked up his shot glass, took a sip, set it down, and continued to stare at him with that complicated look.

Just as Gu Ran was about to ask what was going on, he heard his dad clear his throat.

"Um... Zhenzhen, are you busy with your studies at school?"

"Are you tired?"

"Are you keeping up with your coursework?"

As soon as the words fell, Gu Ran instantly understood.

Ah, so this was a roundabout way of checking in on him.

He answered before Ye Zhenzhen could.

"There's no such thing as not being tired at school, but we know how to balance work and rest. We relax when we need to."

"A while ago, we even went to the capital together to hang out with Ye Jinliang and the others."

As Gu Ran spoke, his toe secretly crept over under the table, accurately bumping against Ye Zhenzhen's calf.

The girl was drinking soup and was caught completely off guard by his teasing.

Her hand gave a violent jerk, and the soup spoon almost dropped into the bowl.

She looked up, glaring at Gu Ran with a mix of shyness and anger.

Yet this guy was sitting up straight, chatting with Gu Xiangcheng with a completely natural expression.

Steady as an old dog, as if that little maneuver just now had absolutely nothing to do with him.

Ye Zhenzhen bit her lower lip, unwilling to show weakness. Finding the right opportunity, a foot clad in a pure white cotton sock stepped right back on him.

Gu Ran's expression didn't change as he continued speaking.

"Anyway, you and Aunt Ye can rest assured. The two of us definitely won't mistreat ourselves while we're away."

Hearing this, Gu Xiangcheng visibly breathed a sigh of relief. But to maintain his dignity as the head of the household, he kept a straight face and coughed.

"Ahem!"

"I was asking Zhenzhen!"

"Why are you interrupting? Who asked you, you brat!"

"Don't I already know about your little affairs?"

"Your career is important, but you can't neglect your studies either!"

Gu Ran looked at his dad, who was saying one thing but meaning another, and felt amused inwardly, though his mouth kept agreeing.

"Yes, yes, yes, you're absolutely right."

Watching this comical father-and-son duo from the side, Ye Shulian threw another eyeroll their way.

Ye Zhenzhen had also decoded the father and son's "encrypted conversation."

She exchanged a glance with Gu Ran, holding back a smile, and responded obediently.

"Don't worry, Uncle Gu. I'm keeping up with my studies, and it's not tiring. We'll take good care of each other while we're away."

Gu Xiangcheng's old face flushed hot; thankfully, his dark skin made it hard to tell.

Afraid his dad would lose face, the young man quickly stood up to offer a toast, smoothing over the topic.

Ye Shulian's gaze swept back and forth between the two children, taking in the little sparks between them completely.

She coughed and asked, pretending to be casual.

"Little Ran, have you... gotten a girlfriend at school? I hear dating is very common in college nowadays."

This change of topic was impossible to defend against!

The hand Ye Zhenzhen used to hold her chopsticks instantly froze, and her heart skipped a beat.

She peeked up secretly, only to see Gu Ran looking completely normal, even offering a smile.

"Aunt Ye, where would I find the time to date? I have a ton of things to handle with the company, and I can't drop my studies. I'm as busy as a spinning top every day."

He spoke so breezily, as if he really was a totally pure-minded workaholic.

Ye Shulian didn't give up and turned the crosshairs onto her own daughter.

"What about you, Zhenzhen? Are there a lot of boys in your medical school? Is anyone chasing after you?"

Ye Zhenzhen kept her head down and shoveled rice into her mouth, her voice as quiet as a mosquito's hum.

"Mom... I'm busy with my studies too, I don't have time to think about that."

As soon as she finished speaking, Gu Ran's foot under the table started acting up again.

This time, he directly hooked his foot around the girl's ankle, rubbing it lightly with his toes.

Provocation!

Naked provocation!

The girl almost choked on a mouthful of rice. She quickly picked up her soup bowl and took a large gulp to hide her panic.

Gu Xiangcheng narrowed his eyes, his internal radar beeping wildly.

Something was wrong; these two little brats were definitely acting weird!

He couldn't shake off a crazy illusion.

That in the next second, a big grandson would just pop right out from under the table!

Ye Shulian completely ignored her husband's inner thoughts and summarized with a smile.

"That's true, you should both focus on your studies right now. But Little Ran, let Auntie tell you something."

"In the future, when you look for a girlfriend, you have to find someone like our Zhenzhen. Don't get tricked by those girls out there who only care about looks."

"Pfft—"

Suddenly being singled out, Ye Zhenzhen sprayed out a mouthful of soup.

Her small face turned bright red from choking, and she coughed violently while hurriedly trying to explain.

"Cough, cough, cough! Mom! What nonsense are you spouting!"

Gu Ran reacted extremely fast, grabbing a tissue and handing it to her, his hand naturally patting her back to help her catch her breath.

Feeling guilty to the extreme, Ye Zhenzhen didn't feel anything inappropriate about this gesture at all, only focusing on keeping her head down to hide her embarrassment.

Watching their tacit, synchronized interaction, Ye Shulian slightly narrowed her eyes, but she didn't say anything more.

Gu Xiangcheng hadn't mentioned a word to Ye Shulian about the two kids' relationship, so he assumed his wife had discovered something.

He watched from the side with his heart pounding, terrified that these two kids would give themselves away and expose the fact that he had been keeping it a secret. He immediately gave a light cough, preparing to smooth things over.

Ye Shulian shot another glare at him.

The next second, Gu Xiangcheng shut his mouth...

The dinner continued in a strangely harmonious atmosphere, and Ye Shulian didn't say anything else out of the ordinary.

Above the table, Gu Xiangcheng and Gu Ran clinked glasses, chatting about everything from current events to the future.

Beneath the table, the siblings' feet tangled together once more.

It was like a silent contest where neither was willing to concede defeat.

This feeling of sneaking around right under the noses of their elders.

It made Ye Zhenzhen both nervous and exhilarated, and the blush on her cheeks never faded.

She seemed to...

...somewhat enjoy this "immoral" thrill.

Meanwhile, the main culprit was solemnly discussing his life ideals with his father.

All while brazenly teasing his older sister under the table.

After dinner, Ye Shulian grabbed the young woman's hand and dragged her straight toward the master bedroom.

"Zhenzhen, sleep with Mom tonight. It's been a long time since we've had a proper heart-to-heart."

Ye Zhenzhen didn't even have a chance to refuse before she was pulled away.

She looked back, giving Gu Ran a deeply meaningful glance.

The latter shrugged at her and mouthed, "See you tomorrow."

After clearing the dishes, Gu Xiangcheng walked over and slapped a heavy hand on his son's shoulder.

"Come on, I'll be squeezing into your room tonight."

Gu Ran: "???"

He watched his father's tall figure stroll into his bedroom, wanting to weep but having no tears left to shed.

This night was destined to be a sleepless one.

Except, the culprit this time was Old Gu.

And those snores of his that could qualify for the World Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

......