Chapter 262
Early morning, Binjiang Garden residential area.
The temperature had suddenly dropped. The autumn wind swept up a few dead leaves, sending them swirling past the edge of the flowerbed.
Gu Xiangcheng, wearing a thin tracksuit with his hands stuffed in his pockets, was shivering in the cold wind downstairs.
His back, facing the entrance of the building, exuded an indescribable sense of desolation.
Aside from an old man walking his dog early in the morning who passed right in front of him.
Furthermore, he hadn't seen so much as the shadow of another dog!
Last night, he had received the imperial decree from his wife to accompany them on a run, so he had gotten up before dawn to wait here.
And the result?
After standing in the draft for a full half hour, those two little brats hadn't even shown a single strand of hair!
Achoo!
A loud sneeze.
Gu Xiangcheng rubbed his numb, freezing nose, the anger in his heart flaring up.
Forgot your dad once you got a wife, huh? Making your old man stand out here eating the cold wind on such a freezing day. Fine, just fine!
He toughed it out for a few more minutes, confirming that there was absolutely no movement from upstairs.
Resigning to his fate, he turned around, wandered over to the breakfast stand at the community gate, and packed up breakfast for the whole family.
......
Gu Xiangcheng returned home carrying steaming hot fried dough sticks and soy milk. The house was completely quiet.
Ye Shulian saw him come back alone and looked behind him in confusion.
Why is it just you? Where are Xiao Ran and Zhenzhen?
Gu Xiangcheng looked utterly helpless.
Don't even mention it. I froze downstairs for half an hour for nothing. No one got up to run at all!
Hearing this, Ye Shulian glanced at the tightly shut doors of the two kids' rooms and couldn't help but chuckle.
They were probably scared by whatever horror movie they watched yesterday, or they just had too much fun and haven't recovered yet.
As she spoke, she leaned in and gently planted a kiss on her husband's ice-cold cheek.
Alright, thank you for your hard work, Comrade Lao Gu. I'll go plate the breakfast first, and then we can split up to wake them up.
Gu Xiangcheng felt a warm rush in his heart from the kiss, and most of his previous resentment dissipated.
His steps became noticeably lighter as he followed her toward the kitchen, unable to suppress the corners of his mouth from rising.
It really is great having a wife!
......
Twenty minutes ago, inside Ye Zhenzhen's room.
Heavy curtains blocked out the morning sunlight, leaving the room still dim.
On the large bed, the young girl was wrapped around Gu Ran like an octopus, using both her arms and legs.
She was the first to wake up from her sleep.
Her thick eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.
She slightly tilted her head up, looking at the handsome face with even breathing that was right in front of her.
The young man was sleeping soundly, his breathing even, his chest rising and falling slightly in a rhythmic pattern.
Gone was his usual sly, punchable demeanor from the daytime; right now, he looked exceptionally gentle.
Fine stubble had appeared on his chin.
It was a very different feeling...
The young girl secretly swallowed, her heartbeat betraying her by skipping a beat.
She carefully pulled out her right hand, which had been pinned down.
Extending her slender fingers, she traced the young man's eyebrows and eyes.
From the straight bridge of his nose, she slid all the way down to those thin lips that always made her suffer.
The temperature of her face soared along the path of her fingertips.
To think that...
He usually looked so incredibly punchable, but when he settled down... he was really pleasant to look at!
Just a quick, secret kiss...
He probably wouldn't notice, right?
This is Sister's special care!
Ye Zhenzhen made her little calculations in her heart, her pink lips slowly inching closer.
But before she could succeed...
She unexpectedly met a pair of eyes filled with amusement.
Caught red-handed.
Ah!
The young girl let out a yelp and frantically scrambled backward.
Coveting my good looks so early in the morning?
Sister... you're not being honest...
The young man's voice carried a trace of lazy hoarseness from having just woken up.
Ye Zhenzhen was both embarrassed and annoyed, her voice changing pitch.
Stop flattering yourself! Who, who's coveting you! I saw something dirty on your face! I wanted to help you wipe it off!
Gu Ran let out a soft chuckle, his gaze sweeping over her still slightly pouting lips.
But Sister's actions just now didn't look like you were wiping anything...
Dare to do it but don't dare to admit it?
Ye Zhenzhen felt incredibly guilty, her eyes darting everywhere as her brain worked in overdrive to find an excuse.
Since the plan had failed!
Then... retreat!
Before she could make a move, Gu Ran saw right through her intentions.
With a swift and clean roll, he pinned her straight down into the soft bedding.
He lowered his head, accurately capturing those two soft petals of her lips, and kissed her.
The unfinished romantic atmosphere from the private cinema booth yesterday reignited.
Even though she was passively receiving the kiss...
The young girl clearly wasn't resisting much either.
She subconsciously grabbed the fabric at his chest tightly, her breathing suddenly becoming rapid, her curves rising and falling in tandem.
Gu Ran's hand slid down along the young girl's slender waist...
Outside the door...
These two kids, how are they sleeping so heavily today...
The two on the bed jolted awake instantly, Gu Ran's movements freezing abruptly.
Ye Zhenzhen was so terrified her pupils shook, her heart leaping into her throat!
From next door came the sound of Gu Xiangcheng turning the doorknob.
Click.
Gu Xiangcheng pushed the door open, looking at the empty bed that hadn't even been slept in, his mind going blank for a second.
He froze at the doorway, his head turning mechanically.
He locked eyes perfectly with Ye Shulian, who was just about to knock on Ye Zhenzhen's door.
Ye Shulian also caught a glimpse of Gu Ran's completely empty room, and a sense of dread immediately rose in her heart.
A woman's sixth sense told her...
Something was wrong!!
Very wrong!!
She turned her head, staring at her daughter's tightly shut door in front of her, the frequency of her knocking becoming urgent.
Bang bang bang!
Zhenzhen? Are you awake?
The atmosphere outside the door froze for a moment.
Inside the room, the two were already in a total panic.
Gu Ran knew very well that if he tried to climb back over the balcony right now...
He would be caught red-handed with one hundred percent certainty by Auntie Ye or Lao Gu, who were staring from outside!
Then it would truly be a case of yellow mud dropping into his pants, even if it wasn't crap, it would be considered crap!!!
He quickly scanned the young girl's bedroom.
His gaze locked onto the large solid wood wardrobe.
Without any hesitation, he decisively pulled open the wardrobe door.
He dove straight in, pulling the door shut behind him.
Seeing him hidden away, Ye Zhenzhen forcefully patted her cheeks, which still hadn't cooled down from their recent intimacy.
She took a deep breath, trying hard to calm her violently heaving chest.
Gritting her teeth, she dawdled over to the door and twisted it open.
Click.
The door opened just a crack at first.
Ye Shulian stared suspiciously at her daughter who had opened the door, her gaze looking her up and down.
Zhenzhen, why did it take you so long to open the door? What were you doing in there?
The young girl was so nervous her toes were curling, not daring to meet her mother's eyes at all.
Her tongue felt like it was tied in knots.
N-nothing... I-I was scared by the horror movie yesterday and went to bed late, so I didn't hear you just now... What's wrong, Mom?
Ye Shulian stared at her daughter's guilty demeanor, then glanced at her unusually flushed cheeks.
She became even more convinced that there was something fishy going on in this room.
Not waiting for Ye Zhenzhen to react, she reached out and pushed the door wide open.
Stepping past the young girl, she strode into the room, searching around for something.
Ye Shulian looked around the room, not even sparing the space under the bed or behind the curtains.
She searched the entire room but couldn't find a single thing.
Standing outside the door, Gu Xiangcheng's heart was practically in his throat.
It was all that brat Gu Ran's fault. No matter how much he had warned him, the kid had absolutely no sense of propriety!
Watching Ye Shulian's leave-no-stone-unturned approach, layers of cold sweat kept breaking out on his forehead.
You little punk, if you really did something outrageous!
Even your old man won't be able to save you today!
Ye Zhenzhen watched her mother circle the room without noticing anything amiss.
Her suspended heart finally settled a little...
Only to be yanked right back up a second later.
She watched as Ye Shulian bypassed her and walked straight toward the closet!
"The weather is getting colder these days. Let Mom see if you have any suitable autumn clothes."
"If not, I'll take you out this afternoon to buy a few outfits."
Ye Shulian's hand was just about to touch the handle of the closet.
Crap!
If she got caught, she was dead meat!
Without a second thought, Ye Zhenzhen decided to go all out.
She lunged forward, firmly blocking the closet with her body and cutting off Ye Shulian's line of sight.
She forcibly threw her arms around her mother's shoulders, spun her around, and half-pushed, half-shoved her toward the door.
"Mom! I have clothes, I don't need to buy any! I really don't!"
Ye Zhenzhen stammered her emphasis, her voice carrying an unconcealable panic.
"I... I want to sleep a little longer. You and Uncle Gu go eat breakfast first, don't worry about me!"
Before Ye Shulian could even say anything, she was coaxed and shoved right out of the room.
Bang!
The door slammed heavily shut behind her.
Outside the door, Ye Shulian and Gu Xiangcheng exchanged another glance.
Gu Xiangcheng's suspended heart immediately hit the ground.
He let out a long breath and wiped away the cold sweat from his forehead.
Scared me half to death!
You little brat, are you trying to send your old man straight to the cardiology department?!
The next second, Gu Xiangcheng didn't give Ye Shulian a chance to say another word.
He rushed up and threw an arm around her shoulders, determined not to let her look back.
"If the kid is tired, let her sleep! Come on, come on, let's go eat first, the soy milk is going to get completely cold!"
Ye Shulian was half-dragged and half-pushed to the dining table, then pressed directly into a chair.
She looked up at her husband, her eyes full of suspicion.
Why did it feel like this guy was covering for someone?
"Are you— mmph."
Before she could finish her question, a warm piece of fried dough stick was shoved right against her lips.
Looking up, she met Gu Xiangcheng's completely innocent smile.
"Eat up, eat up, it won't taste good if it gets cold."
Ye Shulian sighed helplessly.
......
Forget it...
Opposite her, seeing that she had finally taken a bite of the fried dough stick, Gu Xiangcheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Out of the corner of his eye, he stole a glance at Ye Zhenzhen's tightly shut bedroom door and cursed viciously in his heart.
You little rascal—
You'd better not fall into my hands!
......
] [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.
nce】【Lighthearted Comedy】【Ultimate Gentleman's Novel】【Viewer Discretion Advised for Under 16】 The mightiest human hero, Sharen Morian, is resurrected after a thousand years by his wife—the Demon King. This is not your typical hero-vs-demon-king tale.
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."
