Chapter 270
4:30 AM, at the peak of North Mountain.
The mountain wind howled like a whistle, snaking up the bluestone steps and slicing straight down people's collars.
Relying on Gu Ran's hardcore assistance, which was basically him physically pushing her up like a cart, Ye Zhenzhen finally made it to the last step.
Resting her hands on her knees, she panted heavily. Her beige knit cardigan clung tightly to her body in the wind, outlining her breathtaking curves.
"Gu 'Dog' Ran... you, you're like an animal, don't you know what tired means?"
Ye Zhenzhen cursed intermittently. Under the moonlight, her beautiful face revealed a post-workout flush, and her usually aloof almond eyes were now filled with embarrassment and indignation.
Gu Ran, neither flushed nor out of breath, casually set the pink suitcase on the ground and nimbly pulled a simple pop-up tent out of his bag.
"Still have the energy to swear? Looks like I pushed you hard enough just now."
Ye Zhenzhen: "..."
He never has anything nice to say!
The girl turned her head away, ignoring him. Gu Ran seemed oblivious. Without even looking up, he deftly set up the tent frame. The sound of the tent pegs hammering into the dirt was exceptionally clear on the quiet mountain peak.
Having set up the tent in no time, Gu Ran clapped the dust off his hands, lifted the flap, and tilted his head at her. "Get in. The wind is strong out here, don't turn into an ice sculpture, or I'll have to carry you back down the mountain."
Ye Zhenzhen curled her lip, but her body was honest; rubbing her arms, she ducked inside.
The tent was small, and once they both sat inside, the air seemed to grow tense.
In the early hours of late autumn, the temperature at the peak was near freezing. That thin layer of nylon could block the wind, but it couldn't stop the chill from seeping straight into their bones.
Barely two minutes after sitting down, Ye Zhenzhen's shoulders began to shiver uncontrollably. She subconsciously hugged her arms, her fingertips freezing cold.
"Cold?"
Gu Ran turned his head to look at her.
"No way!" Ye Zhenzhen was internally regretting not wearing more, but on the surface, she still raised her proud little chin and acted tough.
Gu Ran didn't expose her lie. Instead, he reached down and unzipped his oversized black windbreaker.
"Come here."
"What?"
"Be my hand warmer."
Before she could react, Gu Ran stretched out his long arm and pulled her right over.
Ye Zhenzhen let out a gasp. Losing her balance, she crashed solidly into his warm, broad chest.
Immediately after, Gu Ran used the flaps of his windbreaker to wrap her securely in his embrace.
With her pretty face pressed tightly against his chest, through his thin shirt, Ye Zhenzhen could clearly hear his heartbeat.
"Silly Bear..."
Her eyes grew misty, and her nose was filled with the fresh, pleasant scent of mint coming from the boy.
"Shut up and stay still."
"(`(エ)´)ノ"
"Dog..."
Ye Zhenzhen muttered softly, then comfortably narrowed her eyes. She shifted into an even snugger position and casually placed her icy paws on Gu Ran's lower abdomen to furiously absorb his heat.
Sensing the submission of the person in his arms, Gu Ran looked down at her softly and gently rested his chin on the soft crown of her head.
Time slipped away in the tranquility.
"Gu Ran, are you really going to buy a house in the capital in the future?" Ye Zhenzhen spoke softly, her voice sounding especially gentle in the cramped space.
"Yes, and a big one at that. The kind with a yard, where we can plant the osmanthus you like."
Gu Ran looked at the gradually whitening horizon outside the tent, his tone calm. "When the time comes, we'll bring Aunt Ye and Lao Gu over too."
"Always bragging." Ye Zhenzhen curled her lip, but a smile hid in the depths of her eyes as she continued to gaze into the distance.
5:40 AM.
The sea of clouds churned in the distance. At the horizon, a golden edge suddenly tore through the sky.
"Silly Bear, look! The sunrise!"
Ye Zhenzhen excitedly pulled open the tent flap and bounded out like a little rabbit, pointing enthusiastically at the horizon.
A red sun burst forth, and tens of thousands of golden rays instantly pierced the darkness, coating the entire North Mountain in a dazzling brilliance.
The sea of clouds was dyed a tangerine red, so magnificent it took one's breath away.
Ye Zhenzhen's beautiful eyes widened, her red lips parting slightly as she was awestruck by this uncanny workmanship of nature.
Just then, Gu Ran followed her out, pulling out his phone and switching to the front camera.
"Sister, look at the camera."
Ye Zhenzhen instinctively turned her face.
"Click!"
At the moment the shutter sounded, Gu Ran didn't look at the lens. Instead, he suddenly turned his head and planted a precise, affectionate kiss on the girl's cheek, which was flushed red by the morning glow.
Ye Zhenzhen's mind went blank.
Astonishment, shyness, and sweetness all melted into a gaze full of panic and tender affection.
The image froze in this exact moment.
Boundless golden light and a churning sea of clouds, a boy's affectionate stolen kiss and a girl's eyes full of shyness.
"Oh my, look over there, that couple is so romantic!"
"Wow, that photo is going to turn out amazing!"
The scattered tourists waiting for the sunrise around them let out good-natured cheers.
A few female college students who had come together were stomping their feet in excitement, looking at Gu Ran with the envy reserved for "someone else's boyfriend."
Jolted awake by the chatter, Ye Zhenzhen was so embarrassed she wished the ground would swallow her up.
She buried her head into Gu Ran's chest, her small fists pounding against it. "It's all your fault! This is so embarrassing!"
Gu Ran laughed out loud. Taking advantage of the moment, he tightened his arms around her, hugging her as if he were holding his entire world under everyone's watchful eyes.
"What are you afraid of? I'm kissing my wife, they're just jealous."
"Who is your wife... I'm your older sister!"
"Alright, then when we get home, please punish me to your heart's content, sister!"
"???"
Utterly defeated and speechless, Ye Zhenzhen shot him a charmingly exasperated eye roll and simply hid in his arms, playing dead.
The sun fully rose, its warmth dispelling the chill.
Gu Ran continued to act like a brute, pushing the blushing girl all the way down the mountain.
8:00 AM.
The Audi parked steadily downstairs at Riverside Gardens.
"I'm falling apart from exhaustion..."
As soon as they entered the house, Ye Zhenzhen kicked off her shoes. Lacking even the energy to return to her room, she collapsed directly onto the sofa.
A pair of slender calves clad in black stockings lay across the edge of the sofa, exuding a lazy allure in the sunlight.
Gu Ran walked over and looked down at her from above.
"Going to sleep for a bit?"
"Mhm..." Ye Zhenzhen replied groggily, her eyelids already fighting to stay open.
Gu Ran smiled helplessly and shook his head. He bent down and scooped her up into a princess carry to take her back to her room.
"Going to sleep, Silly Bear~"
Ye Zhenzhen looked at him, a sweet curve appearing at the corners of her mouth, before instantly falling fast asleep into dreamland.
"Sweet dreams..."
Gu Ran leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
] [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!"
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
