Chapter 299
The morning sun shone through the blinds into the office area of GR Company.
A few Penguin HR representatives in suits stood in the corridor, their faces looking worse than if they had swallowed a fly.
Who knew what they were thinking, trying to poach employees out in the open by coming right into the company instead of doing it secretly?
The GR employees looked at the slightly awkward group standing in the aisle, their eyes filled with undisguised mockery.
The HR representatives clutched contracts offering triple salaries.
They were trying to poach MicroChat's core technical backbone, but they were met with an unprecedented cold shoulder.
They hadn't expected to complete this mission anyway, so with a nothing-to-lose attitude, they marched straight into the enemy's lair.
Even if they didn't succeed, they could at least go back with a report.
That was what they thought.
Lao Wang from the technical department strolled over, holding an enamel mug printed with the words Serve the People.
He took a loud slurp of strong tea, glanced at the contract, and laughed out loud.
"You guys are just toads propping up a table leg, trying too hard to act like a big shot."
Lao Wang rubbed the edge of the enamel mug with his rough fingers, his tone full of undisguised sarcasm.
"The options and year-end bonuses President Gu gives us are enough to buy several of your Penguin teams."
"Hurry up and put away these pie-in-the-sky tricks used to fool kids."
The Penguin HR wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, still unwilling to give up his persuasion.
"Engineer Wang, please reconsider. Our Penguin is a massive platform, and the room for development is definitely better than here..."
"Give it a rest!"
Lao Wang waved his hand impatiently, like he was shooing away a fly.
"What else can your big platform do besides copy others? Our MicroChat is the king of the future!"
The surrounding employees burst into roars of laughter.
The Penguin HRs' defenses were completely shattered, and they could only awkwardly tuck their briefcases under their arms and scurry away in disgrace.
Gu Ran walked out of the pantry wearing a loose hoodie, holding a cup of freshly brewed hot coffee.
After listening to Li Sinan's report, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Taking the sword of the previous dynasty to execute an official of the current one, how ridiculous."
Li Sinan followed closely behind Gu Ran holding a folder, and quickly stepped forward to hand over a list of personnel.
"President Gu, Penguin really went all out this time. They even offered double salaries to the entry-level programmers. They are truly getting desperate."
Gu Ran walked to the center of the office area and clapped his hands, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
He looked at the energetic faces and raised his voice to announce.
"Since Penguin is being so generous, we can't fall behind, and we can't be stingy!"
"Everyone gets a raise this month! And we're giving out the quarterly bonuses early. Take the money and have a great New Year!"
The office instantly exploded with excitement. The employees cheered and jumped for joy, and the corridor was filled with shouts of "Generous boss!" and "President Gu is awesome!"
Su Wan stood in the corner, looking at this indestructible team cohesion.
She silently calculated the terrifying future growth potential of this company in her heart.
Gu Ran returned to his office in a great mood.
He leaned comfortably in his boss chair, took out his phone, and opened his photo album.
On the screen was a photo of Ye Zhenzhen dozing off on her desk last night.
The young girl's fair cheek was pressed against a thick medical textbook.
A few drops of crystal-clear drool hung from the corner of her mouth, completely devoid of any image.
Holding back his laughter, Gu Ran decisively uploaded the photo to his WeChat Moments, specifically adding the caption:
My little fragrant pig.
To prevent being beaten up by a certain someone, his strong desire to survive made him set it to "Only visible to her."
At this time, in a classroom at the Qinglin University School of Medicine.
Ye Zhenzhen had just finished class and picked up her phone to check the time.
The moment she tapped into WeChat Moments, a disastrously ugly photo of her sleeping face struck her soul.
A massive social death scene!
The young girl's tender white cheeks instantly flushed red, and her chest heaved violently with anger.
Zhao Xiaoxiao leaned over to take a look and immediately clutched her stomach, laughing so hard she couldn't stand straight.
"Zhenzhen, your sleeping posture is too wild! I have to thank your Gu Ran for this, otherwise I would never have known you had this side to you, hahaha!"
Ye Zhenzhen angrily slammed her phone on the desk, turning around to look for a handy weapon.
Gu 'Dog' Ran, you are dead!
Even if the King of Heaven comes today, he can't save you!
...
The autumn sun filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows on the asphalt road.
The young man originally wanted to pick Ye Zhenzhen up from class, but as soon as he reached the gate, he saw a certain someone holding a broom she had grabbed from who knows where.
She was walking toward him with a face full of murderous intent.
On the sunny, tree-lined avenue, Ye Zhenzhen chased wildly after him, the stray hairs on her forehead soaked in sweat.
"Gu 'Dog' Ran! You are either dead or deceased today, stop right there!"
The air was filled with the faint scent of osmanthus, mixed with the crisp laughter and scolding of the young people.
Gu Ran ran extremely fast in front, not forgetting to turn his head and make a highly punchable grimace while running.
"Dr. Ye, I kindly came to pick you up from class, and this is the treatment I get!"
Ye Zhenzhen waved the broom vigorously and protested loudly.
"Cut the crap! Hurry up and delete that Moments post! Otherwise, you are dead tonight!"
Gu Ran continued to sprint forward.
"Deleting is impossible. This is my precious historical collection, it has to be passed down as a family heirloom!"
The two played a chaotic game of cat and mouse on campus.
Passing students stopped in their tracks, letting out bursts of good-natured laughter.
A few boys gathered together and shook their heads.
"This bowl of dog food, the physical damage is low, but the insult is extremely high."
Gu Ran knew well the principle that a wise man does not fight when the odds are against him.
When he ran to the entrance of the cafeteria, he tactfully hit the brakes, turned around, and obediently admitted defeat.
Ye Zhenzhen rushed forward angrily with the broom raised. Gu Ran quickly put his hands together and raised them above his head.
"Sister, I was wrong! I'll treat you to a luxurious seafood buffet for lunch, plus a full package of shoulder massages and leg rubs tonight!"
Ye Zhenzhen proudly turned her head, gave a cold snort, and casually tossed the broom aside.
The young girl stepped forward, stretched out two slender fingers, and gave Gu Ran a vicious twist somewhere on his body.
"Glad you know what's good for you. Eating is one thing, but you can't escape this beating. Take this!"
"Hiss! Mercy, have mercy!"
At noon, Gu Ran kept his promise and took the young girl to a highly-rated seafood buffet restaurant.
The store's decor was antique, matching the design of the entire floor.
The reception area and the queueing area at the entrance formed a long corridor, flanked by two rows of dark brown pillars and red-painted wooden benches.
Above the storefront was an eave made of stacked tiles.
Below it hung a huge plaque with several large golden characters written in flamboyant calligraphy.
Weixianju
There were many people, and they needed to wait for their number to be called. When they arrived, there were already five tables ahead of them.
A good meal is worth the wait. Seeing the person beside him constantly staring at the surrounding environment, her eyes unable to hide her amazement and fondness, the young man held Ye Zhenzhen's hand.
"Sister, let's go for a stroll first. The sixth floor was just renovated, and we haven't walked around there in a long time."
Hearing this, the young girl indeed became happy and excitedly hugged Gu Ran's arm.
"Really? Then let's go quickly! Otherwise, when our number is called, we won't be able to see it!"
The young man smiled and walked up to ask the waiter at the reception desk.
"Hello, we are number 36. Could you tell me how much longer the wait is?"
The waiter looked at the handsome man and stunning woman standing before him, his eyes instantly lighting up.
"Hello! When it is almost your turn, we will make a store-wide announcement five minutes in advance. Please make sure not to wander too far, though—if we call your number three times with no response, your spot will be skipped."
Gu Ran nodded in thanks, took the hand of the "older sister" beside him, and led her out of the restaurant.
......
] [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!"
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
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."
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
