Penguin Scatters Coins

Chapter 276

The Steps

Outside the airport security checkpoint, the crowd was noisy, and boarding announcements played on a loop over the broadcast.

The young man looked at the urgent message sent by Li Sinan on his phone screen: "Penguin's one billion subsidy, total blockade."

There was not a trace of panic in his eyes; his thumb gently swiped across the phone screen.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Ye Zhenzhen, who was beside him, keenly noticed the change in his mood.

Her petite, soft hands held his large hand in return, and her cool, elegant eyes revealed a hint of worry.

"It's nothing."

Gu Ran squeezed her soft palm, kneading it like dough, and lightly scratched it twice to comfort her.

Immediately after, he dialed Li Sinan's number right in front of the girl.

As soon as the call connected, Li Sinan's voice came through.

"Boss, Penguin is playing for real this time. All the major app stores are taking down our download links..."

"Why panic? The sky isn't falling."

The young man's tone was incredibly steady.

"It's just a billion. If Penguin wants to throw money around, let them. They can't burn us down."

"Tell the team to hold their ground."

"Comprehensively monitor all data conversion rates for WeChat V2.0. We'll talk about the rest when I get back to the company tonight."

After hanging up, Gu Ran met Ye Zhenzhen's worried gaze.

He smiled casually and reached out to pinch the girl's soft little face.

"Penguin wants to treat the netizens of the whole country to tea, so let's just pull up a stool and watch them foot the bill."

"Let's go back to school first."

Saying that, he naturally wrapped his arm around the girl's shoulders and walked toward the lobby exit.

His broad back seemed to block all the terrifying pressure brought by the Penguin Group behind him.

He fully embodied the attitude of "remaining unfazed even if Mount Tai collapses before him, and watching quietly as Penguin throws its money away."

......

A few hours later, the car came to a steady stop.

Gu Ran acted as free labor the whole way, escorting the girl and her luggage to the ground floor of the girls' dormitory.

"Are you sure you don't need me to help you carry it up?"

Gu Ran pointed at the small pink leather suitcase, smiling with pure innocence.

Ye Zhenzhen gave him a weird look, as if looking at an outlaw.

"It's a girls' dorm. How are you going to get in? Fly in or tunnel in?"

The young man blinked and pointed to his handsome face.

"I can use my face. With my looks, wouldn't the dorm auntie be dazed for a couple of seconds?"

"With your skin thicker than a corner of the city wall, the card reader would jam!"

The girl was speechless for a moment, thinking to herself, 'As if I don't know you?'

You rascal!

Everyone knows your true intentions.

Who knows what kind of bad ideas this guy is holding back.

She smiled slightly, showing a standard, perfunctory fake smile.

"I won't trouble you, little brother Gu Ran. I can call my roommates down to help."

After saying that, she turned and got out of the car to grab her things from the trunk.

Gu Ran played the good guy to the end, helping her carry all the bags, big and small, to the steps at the entrance of the dormitory.

He asked once more, still not giving up.

"Sister, do you really not need help? I'm very strong."

The girl glared at him with a blushing face and snatched the handle of the suitcase.

Dropping the word "Pervert!", she took quick, small steps and slipped through the door.

Watching the girl's fleeing back, the young man touched his nose and chuckled.

Why was this girl running?

He had been planning to ask the dorm auntie for help.

How could a clean-living person like him ever force his way into a girls' dorm?

What kind of dirty trash was filling her head every day...

Only when the girl's figure completely disappeared around the corner of the stairs did Gu Ran turn and leave.

Ten or so minutes later, the young man carrying two large bags of County A specialties pushed open the door to the boys' dormitory.

"I'm back!"

The sound of the door hinges turning broke the peace in the dorm room.

Zhang Qi and Li Ming, who had been passionately trash-talking, instantly took off their headsets and enthusiastically surrounded him.

"Holy crap! Brother Ran! You're finally back!"

"I missed you to death! And you brought food, godfather!!!"

Only Qin Zhaoyang, sitting at the desk in the corner, seemed out of place among them.

He gave a complex look at Gu Ran, who was surrounded by the others.

He then quickly lowered his head, pretending to read, though the page remained unturned for a long time.

The atmosphere was somewhat subtly awkward.

Zhang Qi and Li Ming chattered away as they helped take the bags, leaving him all alone in the cold.

While taking off his black windbreaker jacket, Gu Ran naturally opened the packages and distributed the items.

"This is County A's specialty beef jerky, this is mung bean cake, and also... don't fight over it, there's enough for everyone!"

Everyone was talking and laughing, but as they passed by Qin Zhaoyang's spot, they all tacitly softened their movements.

Their eyes carefully shifted between the two of them.

After all, previously, because Qin Zhaoyang had targeted Gu Ran and gotten a slap in the face, he had gone home in disgrace to be disciplined.

The aftermath of this incident still lingered, and an unspeakable atmosphere permeated the dorm room.

Gu Ran took in both of their reactions.

He didn't deliberately avoid him, nor was he sarcastic.

He simply carried two beautifully packaged boxes of County A specialty pastries and a large bag of beef jerky, walking straight to Qin Zhaoyang's desk.

Under the breathless gaze of the others, he placed the specialties steadily on Qin Zhaoyang's desk.

He spoke in a calm and gentle tone.

"I know you have elders in County A, but I don't know if you've eaten these before. Try them, they taste pretty good."

This stepping stone was offered perfectly.

Qin Zhaoyang looked up abruptly.

Thinking about how he had been scolded by his dad every day during the National Day holiday.

"Look at Gu Ran, and then look at you."

Thinking of this, he felt a wave of sourness in his heart.

His eyes were slightly red, his lips moved silently for a long time, and finally, he awkwardly and quietly squeezed out two words.

"Th-thank you."

Seeing this scene, the roommates who had pricked up their ears to eavesdrop all let out a collective sigh of relief.

What is called magnanimity?

This is magnanimity!

A prime minister's heart is broad enough to pole a boat, but Brother Ran's heart is broad enough to run an aircraft carrier!

With this "thank you," the solid ice in the dorm slightly melted, and the atmosphere gradually became harmonious.

While chewing on beef jerky, Li Ming enthusiastically reported the operating status of the "computer repair station" to Gu Ran.

Zhang Qi, who was in charge of the accounts, scratched his head and brought up the bottleneck they were currently facing.

"Brother Ran, the number of computer repair orders has decreased recently. Is everyone possessed or something?"

"It's been so long, yet they are still holding their phones all day going 'click click' shaking them. Now everyone's attention is on playing WeChat; not many people are repairing computers."

"What should we do next with our repair station? If this continues, our brothers' business empire is going to collapse halfway."

Gu Ran pulled out a chair and sat down, unscrewed a bottle of mineral water, took a sip, and casually gave some guidance.

"If we only do repairs, the ceiling is indeed too low. At most, we'll just earn some hard-earned money."

He placed the mineral water bottle on the table and held up two fingers.

"Next, you guys can try shifting the focus to second-hand computer assembly and outsourced maintenance."

"Collect some old machines discarded by seniors, refurbish them, and sell them to freshmen. The profit margin here is much larger than cleaning dust or reinstalling a system."

These few words left the two of them dumbfounded, and Gu Ran continued to throw out countermeasures.

"At the same time, we'll use the repair station as WeTalk's offline promotional hub at Qinglin University."

"You can negotiate with the merchants around the campus, help them set up shop on WeTalk's local lifestyle section, and guide them through the process."

"This is called resource integration. Got it?"

At this point, Gu Ran paused, his gaze sweeping over the two of them.

"I'll probably be really busy next semester. There's a high chance I'll be moving out of the dorms to live off-campus."

"I'll be relying entirely on you two to keep this business running. Just treat it as hands-on practice."

The young man's highly logical and sharply targeted business plan plunged the dorm room into a brief silence.

Zhang Qi, Li Ming, and even Qin Zhaoyang forgot to chew the beef jerky in their hands.

They were utterly dumbfounded, trying to digest the sheer brilliance of the masterclass they had just heard.

A few seconds later, the dorm erupted in gasps of awe.

"Holy crap! Brother Ran, how is your brain wired? Did the Goddess Nuwa give you a second brain when she molded you from clay?"

"These business skills are insane! Ringing the opening bell on Wall Street is just around the corner for you!"

The two were completely blown away by the far-reaching strategy he had so casually laid out. They thumped their chests loudly in reassurance.

"Don't worry, Brother Ran! Even if you move out, we'll defend our campus home base like an iron fortress!"

"Not even a female mosquito will be able to slip into our business empire!"

Gu Ran: "......"

There was really no need to be that specific about the gender...

......