The Eve of Returning to School

Chapter 275

Holding his dizzy sister's hand and carrying bags of Qinglin local specialties in both hands, Gu Ran pushed open the security door of their home.

As soon as they entered, the young woman slipped back into the second bedroom, with Gu Ran following closely behind her like he owned the place.

With that annoying guy looming behind her, the young woman kept a straight face, crouching earnestly on the floor and stuffing the specialties into her small suitcase one by one.

But her mind was racing non-stop.

What Gu Ran had whispered in her ear downstairs—"It's more thrilling when we have to sneak around"—was playing on an endless loop in her head.

The imagery of those words was too vivid, completely messing up the coordination of her hands.

Gu Ran leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching her with great interest.

After watching for a while, he slowly spoke up, "Sister, you folded that white base layer inside out."

Hearing this, Ye Zhenzhen's hands froze.

She looked down at the messy bundle in her hands. Just as she was about to turn around and glare at him in embarrassment to retort, the bedroom door was pushed open.

Ye Shulian walked in holding a clean rag.

Gu Ran tactfully stood up straight, obediently called out "Aunt Ye," and retreated to the living room, closing the door behind him.

Ye Shulian walked over to the suitcase, her eyes sweeping over the messy clothes inside.

She didn't say a word. Instead, she turned to open the wardrobe and took out a newly bought, extremely conservative set of long-sleeved cotton pajamas, folded them neatly, and pressed them into the very bottom of the suitcase.

Then, with a flick of her wrist, a few plain-packaged condoms were seamlessly tucked into the inner folds of the pajamas.

Though the movement was fast, Ye Zhenzhen saw it clear as day.

The young woman's breath hitched, and the tips of her ears turned blood-red.

She bit her lower lip hard, not daring to look her mother in the eye.

After doing all this, Ye Shulian casually patted the back of her daughter's hand.

Then she lowered her voice and looked at her meaningfully:

"When you're away from home, take good care of yourself. Even with someone you are closest to and know inside out, you still need to have boundaries, understand?"

Know... know inside out?

Was that even a proper idiom to use here?

Ye Zhenzhen blushed and looked up weakly.

She ended up meeting her mother's half-smiling gaze and was so startled that she immediately buried her head again, wishing the floor would swallow her whole.

She could only bite her lip and wring her fingers without making a sound.

"Child, did you hear me?"

Seeing her daughter shrinking back like a frightened bird again, Ye Shulian playfully swatted her arm.

Ye Zhenzhen jolted as if waking from a dream, nodding her head in a fluster.

In the living room.

Gu Xiangcheng sat in the middle of the sofa, a freshly brewed cup of hot tea resting on the coffee table in front of him.

Watching Gu Ran walk out with his black backpack, he picked up his stainless steel thermos and blew on the floating tea leaves.

Then he reached out and tapped his finger against the glass coffee table twice.

He lifted his eyelids, glanced at the closed bedroom door, and warned in a low voice:

"Don't think that just because you're back at school, out of sight and out of mind, no one can control you. Keep what I told you before in mind. If I find out you've bullied Zhenzhen, I'll break your legs."

Gu Ran dropped his backpack, snapped his heels together, and saluted, playing the part of the obedient son perfectly.

With a pure and harmless smile on his face, he said, "Don't worry, Dad. It will absolutely start with affection but stop at propriety. I promise to bring Sister Zhenzhen back in one piece."

"Wipe that smirk off your face," Gu Xiangcheng rolled his eyes at him and didn't say anything more.

He had emphasized this countless times. He knew the pig he had raised well enough.

In the afternoon, the family of four walked downstairs to the entrance of the building.

Gu Ran opened the trunk of the Audi and stuffed their suitcases and the bags of local specialties inside.

Gu Xiangcheng and Ye Shulian stood side by side on the steps watching them.

"Dad, Aunt Ye, we're taking off," Gu Ran smiled at the older couple.

Ye Zhenzhen was dressed in a pink tracksuit that outlined her tall, graceful figure.

She smiled sweetly and waved obediently, "Bye Mom, bye Uncle Gu."

Gu Xiangcheng gave the girl a kind, fatherly smile, while Ye Shulian stepped forward and adjusted the collar of Gu Ran's black windbreaker.

Then she patted his shoulder and reminded him with a smile, "You two be good. Take care of each other out there, and we'll be at ease."

Gu Ran nodded in agreement.

The two of them got into the car, rolled down the windows, and waved goodbye once more. Under their parents' watchful eyes, the black Audi slowly drove out of the Riverside Garden residential complex and merged into the traffic on the main road.

Gu Ran held the steering wheel with one hand, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, but his right hand naturally reached across the center console toward the passenger seat.

Thinking he wanted to hold her hand, Ye Zhenzhen obediently opened her palm and rested it on her knee.

However, Gu Ran's fingertips nimbly bypassed her hand and landed squarely on her firm thigh.

His warm palm pressed against the fabric and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"???"

What a pervert!

Ye Zhenzhen gasped, her body instantly tensing up.

She slammed her hand down on his wandering one, pulling out her sisterly authority to scold him, "Focus on driving!"

Undeterred, Gu Ran flipped his hand to grasp her fingers, his thumb gently stroking the back of her hand.

"I'm just getting used to the bumpy road conditions in advance."

Exasperated, Ye Zhenzhen shook his hand off, only for the shameless guy to stick right back onto her.

The young woman's face slowly flushed red, but she didn't struggle anymore. Instead, she crossed her arms as if in a huff and turned to look out the window.

However, in the blurry reflection of the car window, the corners of her mouth seemed to be turning up into a smile.

The two drove toward the center of the county town, heading for the hotel owned by Ye Jinliang's family.

In the center of County A, a young man and woman stood at the entrance of the Ye Family Grand Hotel.

The guy was holding two suitcases, sweating a bit from the exertion.

The girl stood prettily beside him, holding a cup of milk tea and feeding him a sip from time to time.

It was as if the milk tea in her hand had some kind of magic. After taking a sip, the guy immediately straightened his back, his smile growing even more foolish and earnest.

Then he took off his jacket and carefully draped it over the girl's shoulders, smoothing her wind-blown hair while he was at it. The girl pouted, pretending to be haughty and complaining about the smell of sweat on the jacket, but she couldn't hide the reliance and joy in her eyes.

Hearing her complaints, the guy didn't get mad. He just scratched the back of his head and continued to grin foolishly.

This couple was none other than Pei Susu and Ye Jinliang.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Ye Zhenzhen saw this scene through the windshield and opened her mouth slightly in surprise.

What happened to the big, burly Ye Jinliang? What kind of well-trained boyfriend had he been turned into?

It proved that even an armchair strategist could be terrifyingly effective when they actually stepped onto the battlefield!

Just like the saying goes, the master is always the master!

Ye Zhenzhen turned her head, glancing at the rebellious brat beside her, and made a secret resolution in her heart.

From now on, she had to humbly ask Pei Susu for advice on "husband-taming techniques"—the kind where she'd need to take notes!

The four of them met up and got into the car, and the Audi headed straight for the Qinglin City Airport.

In the back seat, as soon as Pei Susu buckled her seatbelt, her eyes locked onto the young woman in the passenger seat.

Looking at Ye Zhenzhen's healthy, rosy face, she quietly leaned forward, brought her head close to the girl's ear, and teased in a low voice:

"You're looking quite radiant these days. Rosy-cheeked and glowing—it seems your 'little brother' hasn't been slacking off on teasing you, has he?"

Teasing?!

As if her deepest secret had been exposed, Ye Zhenzhen reacted like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on, instantly bristling.

Blushing, she launched her counterattack. She turned to glare at her mischievous best friend and raised an eyebrow.

"You have the nerve to talk about me? I think someone else is the one truly enjoying herself, bossing her guy around like a hired hand. I wonder if the smell of sweat on his jacket is nice to breathe in..."

"You!"

Pei Susu didn't back down for a second, reaching right out to tickle Ye Zhenzhen's sides.

The two girls burst into a playful scuffle in the back seat, their crisp laughter filling the car.

Gu Ran and Ye Jinliang exchanged a glance through the rearview mirror. Both guys shook their heads helplessly and went back to focusing on the road.

The Audi came to a smooth stop at the drop-off zone outside the airport terminal.

The four of them opened the doors and stepped out.

Gu Ran and Ye Jinliang consciously took on the heavy lifting. Each pushing a luggage cart piled high with suitcases, the two young men strode purposefully toward the check-in counters.

Ye Zhenzhen and Pei Susu walked arm-in-arm, strolling leisurely behind them.

The two girls chattered away, sharing their thoughts on the past few days of vacation. The relaxed and cheerful atmosphere helped dilute the impending sadness of their departure.

Once they reached the security checkpoint, however, saying goodbye was finally unavoidable.

The PA system looped boarding announcements for the flight to the capital.

Pei Susu took a step forward and wrapped Ye Zhenzhen in a tight hug.

Leaning close to the girl's ear, she dropped her joking demeanor and whispered a gentle warning:

"Your little brother is a hot commodity right now. With WeiLiao blowing up, there are definitely a lot of wolves out there eyeing him. Keep a close watch on him, and don't just foolishly let him lead you by the nose."

On the other side, Ye Jinliang solemnly patted Gu Ran on the shoulder, flashing a wide grin full of white teeth.

"Brother Ran, I'll always remember your wingman assists this vacation. See you in the winter break."

After exchanging their private farewells, Pei Susu and Ye Jinliang headed through security, looking back over their shoulders every few steps.

Gu Ran waved his hand. "Alright, don't act like we're parting forever. We're heading out too."

Amidst Pei Susu's laughing complaints, he took the hand of the girl beside him and turned to leave.

Just then, the phone in his pocket began to vibrate incessantly.

Gu Ran pulled it out and glanced at the screen, seeing a frantic message pop up from Li Sinan.

"Penguin has launched a full-scale counterattack! They released WeChat V2.0 ahead of schedule, poured in a billion yuan in subsidies, and have started blocking WeiLiao's access points across all major channels!"