Chapter 246
Ye Shulian pulled Ye Zhenzhen down to lie on the large bed in the master bedroom. The soft bedding gave off a faint scent of laundry detergent.
She turned on her side, resting her head on her hand, her gaze gentle.
"Zhenzhen... is there really no boy you like at school?"
Ye Zhenzhen had been staring blankly at the ceiling. Caught off guard by the question, her whole body stiffened in fright.
Her pretty face instantly flushed beet red.
"Mom... I'm busy burying my head in textbooks every day. Where would I find the time to think about that..."
Her voice grew quieter and quieter, her eyes darting around, not daring to look at her mother at all.
Ye Shulian narrowed her eyes, a meaningful smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
"Is that so? Then how about Mom introduces you to someone? Or... there should be plenty of outstanding boys at your medical school, right?"
Ye Zhenzhen panicked and shook her head frantically, her fingers clutching the edge of the blanket in a death grip.
"N-no need! I really haven't thought about it!"
The more she explained, the guiltier she felt. This guilty little look of hers was practically a confession in itself.
Looking at her daughter's reaction, Ye Shulian was already eighty or ninety percent sure.
This silly child had most likely really fallen for someone.
"Then what do you think..."
Ye Shulian changed the subject, pretending to sound casual.
"How about Mom finds you a boyfriend with a personality like Xiao Ran? Sensible, motivated, and knows how to care for people."
As soon as the words left her mouth.
Ye Zhenzhen shot up from the bed as if she had been burned.
Her cheeks were so red they looked like they could bleed.
"Mom! W-what nonsense are you spouting!"
She grabbed the blanket and pulled it over her head, her muffled voice coming from underneath.
"How could I use him as a standard to find a boyfriend... H-how embarrassing..."
Under the covers, the young girl's breathing was rapid and hurried, even the tips of her ears turning completely red.
Ye Shulian looked at her daughter's totally smitten state, shaking her head in a mix of exasperation and amusement.
She hadn't even pointed anything out yet, and the girl was already acting this innocent and flustered.
If someone said there was nothing going on between those two, even a ghost wouldn't believe it.
She gently patted the bulging blanket.
"Alright, alright, Mom won't say anymore. Come out now, you're going to suffocate in there."
Only then did Ye Zhenzhen slowly poke her little head out, her eyes darting away as she muttered softly.
"It's true anyway..."
Ye Shulian sighed and reached out to smooth her messy hair, her gaze becoming somewhat complex.
"Zhenzhen."
Her voice suddenly turned serious.
"You've been well-behaved since you were little. You never made Mom worry, let alone do anything to make Mom lose face."
"Back when Mom and your Uncle Gu formed a blended family, you were the first to stand up and support us. You even encouraged me to bravely pursue my happiness..."
She paused, looking deeply at her daughter.
"Now that you've grown up, as someone who has been through it, Mom understands a lot of things—"
Before she could finish.
Ye Zhenzhen suddenly sat up with a blushing face and threw her arms around Ye Shulian, burying her small face deeply into her mother's shoulder.
"Mom..."
The young girl's voice carried a heavy, affectionate nasal tone.
Ye Zhenzhen hugged her mother tightly, her heart beating as fast as a drum.
Oh no, oh no!
That jinx Gu Ran, could he have actually been right?!
Mom was acting way too weird tonight!
Every sentence revolved around Gu 'Dog' Ran. With this attitude... she had clearly noticed something!
This hug should soften her mom's heart so she wouldn't ask those lethal questions anymore, right?
Feeling the slight tremble of her daughter's body, Ye Shulian hugged her back, sighing silently in her heart.
Forget it, why make things difficult for the child.
It was just a crush, they hadn't actually done anything.
She would just keep a closer eye on them in the future.
It shouldn't... progress to that step, right...
.......
Meanwhile, in Gu Ran's room.
Gu Xiangcheng sat on the edge of the bed, his hands resting on his knees, his expression stern.
"You brat, let me get the ugly words out of the way first—if you dare to mistreat Zhenzhen in the slightest, I'll be the first to break your legs."
Gu Ran sat at the desk, uncharacteristically putting away his usual frivolous demeanor, and nodded solemnly.
"Dad, don't worry, I'm serious."
Gu Xiangcheng stared at his son for a long time before finally sighing.
"As for Shulian... I'll help you keep it a secret for now. She has traditional views, so we have to take this slowly. I'm afraid she won't be able to accept it all at once."
"But you better take it easy, kid. You absolutely cannot do things you shouldn't be doing, you hear me?"
The corner of Gu Ran's mouth twitched imperceptibly, and he replied dryly.
"...Got it."
In the silence, the father and son reached a tacit understanding that belonged only to men.
The night deepened.
Gu Xiangcheng soon lay flat and began to snore long, drawn-out snores.
Gu Ran tossed and turned in bed, his heart feeling like it was being scratched by a cat.
He pulled out his phone, tapped on that familiar profile picture, and sent a WeChat message.
"Miss me?"
A few seconds later, the phone buzzed.
"Get lost! We just saw each other tonight!"
It was followed by an angry sticker of a kitten throwing a punch.
Gu Ran silently curled his lips, his fingers flying across the screen.
"So did you miss me or not?"
This time, the chat box remained silent for a long time before a single word slowly popped up.
"...Yes."
Gu Ran almost laughed out loud, but quickly covered his mouth.
He warily glanced at his loudly snoring old man, his fingers typing rapidly on the screen.
"Come out for a drink of water, meet me in the living room."
Ye Zhenzhen: "......."
Is it really water you want to drink?!
I'm too embarrassed to even call you out!
The young girl quietly turned her head and glanced at Ye Shulian, who was breathing steadily beside her.
Feeling like a thief, she replied cautiously.
"Will... will this work?"
Gu Ran replied instantly.
"No problem, I'll go out first to scout the way and wait for you."
He turned his head to look at the soundly sleeping Gu Xiangcheng; the snores were still even and strong.
He tiptoed out of bed, making his every movement as light as possible.
The young man silently opened his bedroom door and slipped into the living room.
The cool moonlight spilled in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. He leaned against the armrest of the sofa, his burning gaze fixed in the direction of the master bedroom.
He didn't know how long he waited.
The door to the master bedroom finally opened a crack.
First, a fluffy little head poked out, looking left and right. Only after confirming it was absolutely safe,
did Ye Zhenzhen scurry out like a little mouse stealing cheese.
She felt incredibly guilty right now, feeling as if her little heart was going to leap out of her chest.
As expected, people shouldn't do bad things!
It wasn't until she saw Gu Ran's silhouette in the moonlight that her hanging heart finally settled halfway.
She ran a few steps over to him, keeping her voice down as she whispered breathlessly.
"Do you have a death wish? What if we get caught?"
Gu Ran smiled and reached out, grabbing her wrist and lightly pulling her into the shadows behind the kitchen refrigerator.
He lowered his voice, his hot breath brushing against her ear, making it feel numb and itchy.
"Don't worry, Old Gu is sleeping like a log."
Ye Zhenzhen glared at him, but couldn't bring herself to pull her hand away.
The two looked at each other in the dim living room. Everything was silent, leaving only the sound of their drum-like heartbeats.
Gu Ran slowly leaned closer to her ear, his voice unbelievably husky.
"Dr. Ye, the thrill is all about the heartbeat. Exciting, isn't it?"
Ye Zhenzhen's cheeks exploded in red. She raised her hand to thump his chest.
But he smoothly caught it, turning the gesture into their fingers interlocking tightly.
Under the moonlight, two shadows were stretched long.
They overlapped, until they could no longer be told apart.
......
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.
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
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."
