Chapter 247
In the narrow kitchen, the air was so hot and dry it felt like it was about to catch fire.
The low hum of the refrigerator's compressor masked the rapid heartbeat in the corner.
Gu Ran rested one hand on the edge of the kitchen counter.
With his other hand, he tightly gripped the young girl's slender waist, trapping her entirely in the shadows.
Ye Zhenzhen's question, "Didn't we come out to drink water?" hadn't even had the chance to leave her mouth.
It was unreasonably blocked back down by the young man.
A few rays of moonlight slipped through the gaps in the blinds, scattering mottled shadows on the floor.
The two hid in the blind spot, their breaths intertwining, their lips practically inseparable.
Gu Ran's hand grew a bit restless, his fingertips caressing her lower back.
His other hand pressed against the cold countertop, forming an airtight encirclement.
Ye Zhenzhen's fingertips trembled as she desperately clutched the hem of Gu Ran's pajamas.
"Mmph... Gu 'Dog' Ran..."
This sense of immorality from "committing a crime against the wind" right under the noses of their elders.
It shot through her spine like an electric current, making her scalp tingle.
Right at that moment, she keenly sensed something.
The steady rhythm of snoring that had been coming from the direction of Gu Ran's bedroom had somehow become barely audible.
Ye Zhenzhen abruptly pushed against Gu Ran's chest.
Taking advantage of a gap to catch her breath, her voice trembled.
"Do you have a death wish? Let go quickly... What if we get caught..."
Gu Ran, however, acted like a fox that had successfully stolen a fish, only pulling back half an inch.
His thumb ambiguously brushed across her moist lips, his eyes full of teasing.
"What are you afraid of?"
He deliberately leaned close to her ear, his hot breath drilling straight into her ear canal.
"At worst, we just go public now and let them hold their grandchild early. Who knows, Lao Gu might even wake up laughing from his dreams."
"Don't you dare!"
Ye Zhenzhen's face was so red it was practically bleeding. She subconsciously reached out to cover his mouth.
The moment her palm touched that scorching warmth, she yanked her hand back as if she had been burned.
Gu Ran looked at her, looking as though she wanted to die of embarrassment but didn't dare make a loud noise.
His Adam's apple bobbed, and just as the fire in his heart was about to press down on her again—
"Ahem!"
A thick, deep cough, seemingly coming with its own reverberation, exploded in the quiet living room.
This sound was comparable to a judge's gavel, directly pronouncing a death sentence.
Gu Ran's entire body instantly stiffened, and a cold sweat immediately broke out on his back.
He maintained his leaning posture, not daring to move.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the kitchen doorway, where a tall, dark figure stood planted like a door god.
Gu Xiangcheng had a coat draped over his shoulders, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's.
Because of the tricky angle, combined with the fact that the kitchen lights were off.
Gu Xiangcheng only saw his son facing the corner of the wall.
And the petite Ye Zhenzhen was completely and solidly blocked by Gu Ran's broad back.
He frowned and asked, "Not sleeping in the middle of the night, did you run out here to practice Qigong?"
Ye Zhenzhen hid in Gu Ran's embrace, her eyes wide as copper bells, biting her lower lip tightly.
It's over!
I'm dead, I'm so dead!
If she was caught red-handed like this, she might as well move to another planet tomorrow!
Gu Ran took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the heart that was about to leap out of his throat.
He knew Ye Zhenzhen was thin-skinned. If they were exposed right now, she would probably dig a hole in the ground and bury herself on the spot.
He turned sideways, using his shoulder to completely block his old man's line of sight.
The hand behind his back gently squeezed Ye Zhenzhen's waist.
That was the secret signal for "play along with me."
The incredibly quick-witted girl scratched his palm, relaying a "received" signal.
The next second, Gu Ran channeled his inner Best Actor, his tone filled with just the right amount of surprise and anxiety.
"Sister Zhenzhen? Sister Zhenzhen, wake up! Oh my, how did you sleepwalk all the way to the kitchen? Are you thirsty? I'll pour you some water right now!"
As he spoke, he turned around with fluid motions to grab a cup.
As if he really were just a "peerless good younger brother" who got up in the middle of the night to take care of his sleepwalking sister.
Ye Zhenzhen: "???"
You motherf...
For the first time, she wanted to curse, and she wanted to curse really dirty...
Listening to these ridiculous words, the young girl's mouth twitched slightly, but she still bit the bullet and switched into "Best Actress mode."
She rubbed her eyes, her gaze hazy, her voice carrying the hoarseness and confusion of someone who had just woken up.
"I... How did I get here?"
She looked at Gu Ran in confusion, and then looked at Gu Xiangcheng at the door.
Her eyes were filled with the three philosophical questions: "Who am I? Where am I? What happened?"
"Little brother Gu Ran? Uncle Gu? Why... why are you guys here too?"
Gu Xiangcheng: "......"
Did he really look like such a fool?
Gu Xiangcheng cleared his throat, deciding to give everyone a way out of this awkward situation.
"I... I was thirsty, so I came out for some water too."
The three of them just stood there, each putting all their effort into acting, making the scene extremely awkward for a moment.
Gu Ran couldn't hold back a "pfft" sound, quickly lowering his head to cover it up with the motion of pouring water.
He nimbly poured two cups of warm water.
He handed one cup to Ye Zhenzhen, and respectfully offered the other cup to his old man with both hands.
Ye Zhenzhen took the cup and, regardless of whether the water was hot or not, tilted her head back and chugged it like a cow.
Her eyes were dead set on the bottom of the cup the entire time, absolutely not daring to make eye contact with Gu Xiangcheng.
Gu Xiangcheng watched Ye Zhenzhen's bold posture and sighed slightly.
"This won't do. Later, Uncle will have to buy a water dispenser to put in your room, so you don't bump into things while sleepwalking in the middle of the night."
Ye Zhenzhen's little face turned bright red hearing this; she wished she could perform a disappearing act on the spot.
She quickly finished the water and placed the cup down on the counter.
"Thank you, Uncle! Goodnight Uncle Gu, goodnight little brother Gu Ran, I... I'll go back to sleep first!"
After saying that, she darted toward the master bedroom without looking back, her steps light and fast, exactly like a startled rabbit.
With a "click," the door was locked from the inside.
In the kitchen, Gu Ran supported Gu Xiangcheng by the arm with a look of filial piety as they walked back.
Right as they neared the door, Gu Xiangcheng suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "What were you doing running to the kitchen just now?"
Gu Ran didn't change his expression, nor did his heart skip a beat.
"Getting water."
"Smack!"
Gu Xiangcheng raised his hand and delivered a crisp slap to the back of his head.
"Ouch! Dad, why are you hitting people? Weren't you also out here to get water?"
Gu Ran clutched his head, lowering his voice in protest.
Hearing this, Gu Xiangcheng rolled up his sleeves and sneered, his voice pressed extremely low.
"I've been a criminal police officer for twenty years. In the middle of the night, the posture you two were in... Do you really think I'm blind?"
Getting angrier as he spoke, he made a move to strike again.
Gu Ran hurriedly pointed in the direction of the master bedroom, making a shushing gesture with an innocent face.
"Auntie Ye is still resting, calm down, calm down!"
Gu Xiangcheng took a deep breath, pointed at Gu Ran's nose, and roared in a whisper.
"Get back to your room and sleep. Behave yourself at home these next two days. I'll deal with you tomorrow!"
"You got it!"
Gu Ran felt as if he had been granted amnesty and flashed into his room in an instant.
As father and son lay back in their beds, Gu Ran still had lingering fears.
His mind was full of that thrilling kiss from just now.
And that suffocatingly awkward scene.
He rolled over, just about to open his mouth to ask his old man exactly when he had woken up.
But a familiar, earth-shattering snoring sound had already reached his ears.
Gu Ran: "......"
What an enviable sleep quality.
Lao Gu's snores shook the heavens in the silent dead of night, making it impossible for Gu Ran to feel sleepy.
He simply pulled out his phone, preparing to send Ye Zhenzhen a message to complain about the "life-or-death speed" crisis they just had.
Just as he opened the chat box, Gu Xiangcheng beside him suddenly rolled over.
The old man smacked his lips and mumbled indistinctly in his sleep.
"You brat... treat Zhenzhen well... the five hundred thousand in that card... for the bride price... your old man prepared it for you a long time ago..."
Gu Ran's hand holding the phone stiffened slightly.
The faint glow of the screen reflected on his face, also illuminating the man beside him, who was sleeping restlessly with graying temples.
The irritation he had initially felt from having his moment interrupted vanished into thin air.
An indescribable mix of soreness and warmth welled up in his heart, making his throat tighten.
It turned out that Lao Gu had already planned everything out.
He had even silently paved the way for his son's future in that somewhat worn-out bankbook.
Gu Ran smiled silently and gently tucked the blanket around his dad.
He typed a line of text on his phone and tapped send.
"Good night, Dr. Ye."
......
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
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.
