Which Head

Chapter 263

Inside the room.

Ye Zhenzhen leaned her entire body against the door.

Her legs gave out, and she slid down the door to sit on the floor.

Trembling, she reached out and locked the door with a click.

Only then did she let out a long exhale.

Phew—

She was almost scared to death just now!

That was way too close!

She turned her head, her gaze falling toward the wardrobe.

After catching her breath for a couple of seconds, she used the wall to stand up, walked quickly over, and pulled open the wardrobe door.

"Hurry up and come out—"

Halfway through her sentence, she suddenly choked on her words.

"???"

Why were this guy's pants pockets bulging so much?

The young girl froze in place, her eyes slowly narrowing.

"What do you have in your pocket?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

Gu Ran tilted his head, feigning ignorance, and lifted his leg to walk out.

"Get back here!"

But the sharp-eyed girl grabbed his arm.

"Hey, hey, where are you reaching..."

"......."

The next second.

Seeing clearly what she pulled out of his pants pocket, the girl's face, which had just regained its normal color, instantly flushed red all the way to the roots of her ears.

Her pink earlobes looked like they were about to give off smoke.

"Tsk—busted."

Gu Ran showed not a single ounce of remorse; his tone even carried a hint of regret that he hadn't hidden it better.

Alas, his perfect sleep aid was gone.

This pervert!!

He even wanted a used one?!

Blushing furiously with shame, the girl yanked that silky piece of fabric right out of his pocket.

Then, gritting her teeth, she raised her hand.

She planted a solid slap right onto the culprit's forehead.

"Gu! Dog! Ran!!"

"You pervert!!!"

The girl clutched the wad of fabric, her knuckles turning white from her tight grip.

The slap was a solid one. Gu Ran clutched his forehead and winced.

But there was absolutely no trace of repentance in his eyes.

He curled his lips, looking like he was completely innocent and falsely accused.

"Why are you getting so worked up?"

"Why am I getting worked up?! Look at what you stole?!"

Ye Zhenzhen lowered her voice, though it was still trembling.

"What do you mean, stole?"

Gu Ran corrected her.

"Borrowed."

"Borrowed?! Who on earth borrows this?!"

Gu Ran sighed.

"Listen to my excuses, I mean, my explanation! This... it has a great texture!"

"It's silky and smooth. It's really easy to fall asleep with it pressed against my face."

"It's the same principle as hugging a baby blanket to sleep when we were kids. It's just a conditioned reflex."

Ye Zhenzhen: "???"

She actually couldn't find a way to immediately refute his bastard logic.

"Stop talking nonsense! How is a baby blanket the same as this?!"

"How much of a difference can there be?"

"You—"

Ye Zhenzhen raised the item in her hand, ready to smack him across the face with it.

Gu Ran was quick, immediately grabbing her wrist.

With a tug of his long arm, the girl stumbled forward, falling right into him.

He took the opportunity to lower his head.

His lips almost brushing against the contour of her ear.

His voice was kept incredibly low, as if he was afraid a third person might hear.

"The key is who used it."

"If it was new... I wouldn't even want it."

He dragged out the last syllable with a husky chuckle, his hot breath sweeping over her earlobe.

Ye Zhenzhen felt as if her whole body had been electrocuted.

From the base of her neck upward, a deep red flush shot up, burning all the way to the tips of her ears.

What should she do? Her brain had somewhat short-circuited...

Her mouth opened and closed several times, but not a single word came out.

She even forgot to struggle.

...

After a moment.

The usually aloof girl finally rebooted from her short-circuited state.

A surge of shame and indignation rushed straight to the top of her head.

She balled up the item and smashed it fiercely against his face.

"Hiss~!!!"

"???"

"You dog!"

Her voice was kept very low, but the gnashing of her teeth was unmistakable.

Gu Ran slowly pulled the fabric down from his face.

He shook it out and folded it neatly into the shape of a mushroom.

Then, he turned around, opened the girl's wardrobe, and placed it on the very top shelf.

"Alright, I'll just leave it in your care for now."

He clapped his hands.

"I'll come get it next time."

"You—"

Ye Zhenzhen felt like her blood pressure had just shot past two hundred.

She clenched her small fists, pounding his chest punch after punch.

The force wasn't heavy; it was more like she was just venting her frustration.

Gu Ran didn't dodge. With a faint smile on his lips, he simply looked down at the charmingly flustered girl.

Then, he reached out and gently grabbed her wrists, slowly uncurling her clenched little fists.

Palm down, he pressed her hand against his chest.

"Feel this."

The girl's movements stiffened.

Beneath her palm, she could feel his heart beating vigorously and powerfully.

"Whenever I'm with you, it's always like this."

Ye Zhenzhen lowered her head, staring at her hand resting against his chest, her lips pursing.

"Who... who knows. Maybe it's just beating like that because you have a guilty conscience from stealing."

Her voice had softened, and she didn't pull her hand away.

...

The sound of bowls and plates clinking came from the living room.

The girl snapped back to reality and immediately withdrew her hand, her pretty little face tensing up.

"How are you going to get out?"

Just moments ago, Ye Shulian had personally come in and done a sweep of the room.

And Uncle Gu had gone to check the next room.

Going back through the balcony door now would be like turning themselves in!

But going out the front door was even harder.

The hallway was only a few steps long, with a corner of the living room right in the middle. How could a full-grown person walk out without being seen?!

Ye Zhenzhen paced back and forth in the room anxiously.

Gu Ran leaned against the wardrobe, tilting his ear to listen to the movements outside the door.

Ye Shulian was over by the kitchen; the sound of a metal spoon clinking against a porcelain bowl was crystal clear.

Gu Xiangcheng pulled out a chair and sat down, saying, "Let's eat, it's getting cold."

Now both of them were on the side of the dining table.

The kitchen was at the innermost part of the apartment. From Zhenzhen's room to his room, it was a three-step walk around the hallway corner.

But he had to pass the edge of the living room.

"You go out first,"

Gu Ran said, raising a finger.

"Draw their attention toward the dining table."

"I only need three seconds!"

"???"

What was he talking about?

Ye Zhenzhen bit her lip and looked at him.

"What if you get caught..."

"Then we'll get married on the spot."

"Be serious!"

Gu Ran chuckled, reaching out to tuck her messy bedhead behind her ear.

"Go on."

Ye Zhenzhen stared at him for two seconds.

She took a deep breath.

Opened the bedroom door and walked out.

"Mom! It smells so good, what's for breakfast?!"

Her voice was deliberately raised a few notches.

Ye Shulian was just setting a bowl of soy milk on the table. Hearing the voice, she looked up and glanced at her daughter's face.

It's been a while, why is her face still so red?

Ye Zhenzhen's scalp tingled under her gaze.

But she still walked stiffly over to the dining table, sat down, and proactively took her mother's hand.

"Mom, you've worked so hard."

She leaned forward slightly, perfectly blocking Ye Shulian's line of sight toward the hallway.

"If you know I work hard, then stop making me worry."

Ye Shulian's gaze lingered on her face for an extra second.

Gu Xiangcheng sat across from them, keeping his head down as he gnawed on a fried dough stick.

His mouth was chewing, but his peripheral vision was firmly glued to the direction of the hallway.

"Mom, is the soy milk sweet or savory?"

In the exact two seconds that Ye Zhenzhen spoke—

From the end of the hallway came an incredibly soft click.

The bathroom door closed.

Even though the girl had deliberately raised her voice, Gu Xiangcheng still heard it.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough—!"

Ye Shulian looked over in confusion.

Gu Xiangcheng patted his chest, coughing so hard that tears welled up in his eyes.

"The fried dough stick... it's too crispy, it went down the wrong pipe."

Ye Zhenzhen lowered her head and picked up her soy milk, hiding her wildly throbbing temples.

On the surface, she remained perfectly composed.

Two minutes later.

The sound of a flushing toilet came from the bathroom.

Then, Gu Ran strolled out slowly in his loungewear.

With one hand on his waist and the other clutching his stomach, his face looked pale.

"Morning, Aunt Ye, Dad."

He pulled out a chair and sat down weakly.

He picked up a deep-fried dough stick, took a big bite, and mumbled,

"Aunt Ye, this soy milk is so fragrant. The stuff outside is like dishwater compared to this."

Ye Shulian's gaze circled his face.

"Is your stomach upset, Little Ran?"

"Yeah, I got a bad stomach. I didn't even go for my morning workout."

Ye Shulian finally relaxed the tense string in her heart.

She muttered, "You probably ate something cold yesterday."

Opposite him, Gu Xiangcheng put down his dough stick, looked up, and glared at him fiercely.

Gu Ran, on the other hand, smiled and raised his soy milk bowl at him, making Gu Xiangcheng's temples throb violently.

This little brat!!

Beside them, Ye Zhenzhen didn't look up the entire time, keeping her head down and stuffing food into her mouth.

But her ears were pricked up, listening to Gu Ran's flawless performance from start to finish.

She couldn't tell if she felt a sense of relief or a chill down her spine.

This stinky little brother sure knows how to act. He wouldn't try to deceive his older sister in the future, would he?

Breakfast continued.

After eating, Ye Shulian suddenly suggested,

"Let's all go to the supermarket this afternoon to buy some groceries. We can make a few more good meals during the holiday."

"Okay."

The siblings replied almost simultaneously.

Ye Shulian's chopsticks paused in mid-air as she was putting them away.

Then she set them down as if nothing had happened.

Seeing this, Ye Zhenzhen blushed and hurriedly stood up to clear the bowls.

Gu Ran immediately followed, also fighting to wash the dishes.

The two stood side by side in front of the narrow sink, arms touching.

Gu Ran took a bowl, his fingertips brushing faintly against the young woman's hand.

Ye Zhenzhen shuddered and turned her head to glare at him.

She was met with a smiling profile that looked as if nothing had happened.

Gu Ran's lips barely moved as he whispered breathily,

"Sister, that slap this morning hurt so much. How are you going to compensate me?"

"Pfft!"

Ye Zhenzhen's face turned red, and she squirted a huge dollop of dish soap onto his hands.

"Serves you right. If you steal again next time, I'll hit you even harder."

Ye Shulian happened to pass by the kitchen door from the living room and paused her steps.

The two instantly fell silent and went about their own business.

Seeing this made the latter feel like there was a ghost in the house.

After washing the dishes, Ye Zhenzhen wiped her hands and walked briskly back to her room.

With a click, she locked the door from the inside.

She leaned against the door and slowly slid down to sit on the floor.

Covering her face, she screamed silently for several seconds.

This entire morning had been a bit too much for her little heart to handle.

She took a good while to recover.

She walked over to the wardrobe and opened the doors.

Her gaze landed precisely on that pair of things neatly folded by someone.

She gritted her teeth, pulled them out, crumpled them into a ball, and ruthlessly stuffed them into the innermost corner.

After hesitating for two seconds, she unlocked her phone.

[Dr. Ye: Gu 'Dog' Ran! If you dare to come steal things again, I'll knock your head off!!!]

Less than ten seconds after the message was sent, she received a reply.

[Silly Bear: Which head?]

Ye Zhenzhen stared at these three words for three seconds.

She frowned in confusion.

She looked at it for another five seconds.

The moment she realized what it meant, her face looked as if it were letting off steam.

She smacked the phone face-down onto the bed.

She buried her head into the belly of her panda plushie, her voice muffled and her ears so red they looked ready to bleed.

"Shameless..."

......