The Jealous Queen

Chapter 288

Gu Ran twirled a black gel pen at his fingertips, his eyes scanning the backend data of the WeChat app on his phone.

As soon as the data-free SIM card was launched, the number of new registrations skyrocketed.

Li Sinan was frantically sending red packets in the company group chat, and the programmers in the tech department were over the moon.

He casually switched his phone to silent mode.

Today, everything else had to take a back seat. Gu Ran had canceled all his meetings, fully committing to spending the day with his girlfriend.

Lately, he had been busy fighting a business war with Penguin and had neglected his dear older sister. He had to make up for lost time.

At this moment in the library, quite a few eyes were secretly stealing glances at him.

It couldn't be helped; he was now the top celebrity of Qinglin University.

A college freshman who not only started a company, but one valued at tens of millions!

Gu Ran was already immune to these searchlight-like gazes.

Just as he moved the textbook he used to reserve a seat to the side, the chair next to him was pulled out.

Before he could turn his head, a sickly sweet perfume scent wafted directly into his face along with the air conditioning breeze.

He frowned and turned his head.

The person who caught his eye was not his dear sister at all, but a strange face with exquisite makeup.

Gu Ran narrowed his eyes and remembered that this was the class belle of Economics and Management Class 3 that Zhang Qi had mentioned.

The class belle smiled at him, then holding a cup of milk tea, sat down on her own accord.

She was wearing a tight knit sweater, and she flipped her hair, emitting a strong perfume smell to her surroundings.

She had had her eyes on Gu Ran for more than just a day or two.

Handsome, wealthy, and a brilliant young talent—an absolute top-tier catch.

As for that Ye Zhenzhen who only knew how to read and study all day?

In her eyes, she was just an unromantic block of wood.

She was absolutely confident in her own looks. Although Ye Zhenzhen was pretty enough, she wasn't bad herself.

Moreover, she had an advantage that Ye Zhenzhen could never compare to: she was coquettish and manipulative enough!

As long as she turned on a little charm, what man could refuse a free meal delivered to his door?

"Classmate Gu, what a coincidence, you're also here at the library to read~"

She squeezed her vocal cords to make her voice sickeningly sweet, blinking her big eyes for good measure.

Gu Ran wrinkled his nose at the strong perfume.

Although this perfume didn't smell cheap, he still vastly preferred his sister's osmanthus-like natural scent.

He leaned back, quickly establishing a safe distance.

He glanced at the milk tea pushed toward him, his face screaming resistance.

"Classmate, we don't seem to know each other."

"Also, wearing such heavy perfume on a hot day, are you planning a biochemical attack in the library?"

"???"

The fake smile on the class belle's face almost cracked.

But for the sake of becoming the wife of a multimillionaire boss, she forcefully swallowed her anger and instantly switched to a pitiful, helpless mode.

"Classmate Gu really loves to joke around~"

She pushed the milk tea a bit closer to Gu Ran.

"I saw you working so hard, so I specially lined up to buy this milk tea. It has double boba and coconut jelly."

"Have a taste~"

Gu Ran looked at the cloudy, unidentified liquid, his facial features almost scrunching together in disgust.

He extended one finger and pushed the milk tea far away.

"Don't. I don't drink this stuff."

"Excessive sugar causes insulin resistance. Not to mention getting diabetes if you drink too much, it also causes hair follicle inflammation and hair loss."

"I'm a fine young man who wants to keep his hair for a few more years. Keep it and drink it slowly yourself."

"Besides, your boba looks exactly like it's rolled out of tapioca flour and gelatin. It won't digest in your stomach for three days."

"Take my advice: drink more hot water and consume less of these flashy artificial additives and industrial chemicals."

"..."

This hardcore straight-man speech choked the class belle until her face turned red to the ears.

She gritted her teeth, thinking that nothing ventured, nothing gained.

She simply leaned forward and reached out her freshly manicured hand, trying to tug at Gu Ran's sleeve.

"Classmate Gu, don't push people thousands of miles away. Let's just be friends."

"I heard you started an internet company. I'm also super interested in the internet. Could you mentor me a bit?"

Seeing that claw about to touch him, Gu Ran reacted with lightning speed, pulling his arm back with a whoosh, and even casually dusted off his clothes twice.

"Stop right there! Don't try to get close."

"My stomach is perfectly fine; it can't digest your cup of industrial saccharin."

"Like a weasel paying respects to a chicken, I can't accept your 'good intentions.' Go use your squeaky voice somewhere else."

His eyes turned cold as he continued, "My girlfriend doesn't have a good temper."

"If she smells perfume on me, she'll use a scalpel to slice me into sashimi."

"???"

No, is he sick in the head?

The class belle was roasted so hard her face turned pale and green. For a moment, she even wondered if Gu Ran just didn't like women.

Her previously undefeated coquettishness was completely useless!

Just then, Ye Zhenzhen walked over from the corner of the bookshelf, holding two thick textbooks.

Wearing a white shirt and light blue jeans, completely makeup-free yet exuding an aloof, unearthly elegance, her beauty completely crushed everything else.

She immediately locked eyes on the class belle fawning over Gu Ran and paused her steps.

The pristine cabbage she had raised herself was actually being coveted by a wild pig from the outside?

And the two of them were even chatting back and forth!

Look at them, they were almost glued together!!!

Ye Zhenzhen took a deep breath, suppressing the sour feeling in her heart.

When the official girlfriend deals with a homewrecker, the prestige must be maxed out.

She walked over to Gu Ran with unhurried steps and slammed the heavy Systematic Anatomy textbook onto the table.

She smoothly took the cup of milk tea that the class belle had frozen in mid-air.

She looked down at the stiff-faced class belle, a cold sneer curling at the corner of her lips.

"Classmate, thank you for saving my seat."

"However, my boyfriend runs hot and usually can't drink such sickeningly sweet things."

"I'll accept this milk tea on his behalf, so as not to waste your 'good intentions'."

For a moment, looking at the aloof girl in front of her, the class belle suddenly felt that her bare face could easily beat her own carefully applied makeup. Her sense of superiority shattered instantly.

She stammered, wanting to struggle a bit more, but was directly seen through by Ye Zhenzhen's cold gaze.

"Classmate, the library is a place for reading."

"If you're interested in dating, I suggest you go to a matchmaking agency through official channels."

"Instead of using such clumsy methods here to bother someone else's boyfriend."

After speaking, she paused and, coincidentally just like Gu Ran did earlier, wrinkled her nose.

"Also, inhaling too much industrial fragrance can easily cause bronchial spasms."

"For the sake of your respiratory health, you should spray a little less next time."

These words drew no blood, but every single cut was a critical hit.

The class belle was completely stunned by this barrage of attacks.

Looking at the calm and composed official girlfriend, and then at Gu Ran next to her whose face practically screamed "My wife is awesome."

She felt like an absolute clown right now.

Faint gazes of gossiping onlookers came from all around, along with the expressions of people who loved a good show.

The class belle was dying of shame and anger. She grabbed her bag, dropped a quick "You're welcome," and fled in her high heels like a refugee.

Once she was gone, Gu Ran leaned back in his chair and secretly gave Ye Zhenzhen a thumbs-up under the table.

"My wife is mighty. From now on, I'll be fully relying on Dr. Ye for the heavy responsibility of fending off unwanted romances."

Hearing this, Ye Zhenzhen's cool, aloof girlfriend facade instantly crumbled, and the tips of her ears flushed red despite herself.

Beneath the table, she unceremoniously lifted her foot and stomped precisely on Gu Ran's sneaker.

"Cut the sweet talk."

"If you ever dare to attract unwanted attention out there again, I'll tear you limb from limb!"

Feeling the force of her foot, Gu Ran drew in a sharp breath, but he still leaned over with a cheeky grin, lowering his voice to beg for mercy.

"Have mercy, Dr. Ye. Those thirsty girls threw themselves at me."

"This delicate flower is keeping himself pure just for you. I'm a model of perfect boyfriend behavior!"

The aloof girl rolled her eyes at him in exasperation, pushed the cup of milk tea far away, and opened the textbook in front of her.

"Glad you know your place. Now hurry up and read your book, stop being an eyesore."

Gu Ran refused. He brazenly leaned in closer, insisting on squeezing together to read the same book, their shoulders pressed tightly against each other.

"What's so interesting about a book? It's nowhere near as pretty as my Dr. Ye."

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'm really going to kick you out!"

Ye Zhenzhen sounded fierce, but her body was honest enough not to pull away.

She even allowed Gu Ran to secretly interlock his fingers with hers under the table.

The young man's palm was warm and dry, carrying a reassuring heat.

Gu Ran played with her slender fingers, leaning close to her ear, his voice deep and laced with a smile.

"Seriously though, the way you got so fiercely territorial just now was incredibly badass."

Ye Zhenzhen's heart violently skipped a beat.

She feigned composure as she turned a page, but her voice wavered slightly.

"Wh-who was being territorial?"

"I was just upholding objective facts. After all, I'm an envoy of justice, and I won't tolerate any nonsense!"

So stubbornly in denial!

Gu Ran's lips twitched into a smirk. He didn't expose her bluff, only squeezing her hand a little tighter.

"So, Dr. Ye, how did I do just now? Am I the absolute gold standard of boyfriends?"

Like an overgrown golden retriever begging for a treat, Gu Ran dropped heavy hints for praise.

"I suppose you barely passed."

Ye Zhenzhen lifted her chin haughtily, but she couldn't suppress the upward curve of her lips.

"Is there a reward for passing? Like a kiss or something?"

Gu Ran pushed his luck, his eyes full of mischief.

"In your dreams! We're in a library, so behave yourself."

Flustered and annoyed, Ye Zhenzhen glared at him and tapped the back of his hand with the end of her pen.

"Alright, alright, then I'll get my reward after we leave the library."

"???"

Give him an inch and he takes a mile?

The girl shot him an exasperated glare, but she didn't say another word of refusal.