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!"
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.
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."
] [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."
