Wash Your Brain, Ye Zhenzhen

Chapter 308

At 3:30 in the afternoon, the car pulled into the parking lot under the guidance of the resort attendant.

The luggage was handled by dedicated staff and would be delivered directly to the room.

The four of them approached the front desk to check in and collected their room keys.

Ye Shulian glanced at the card in her hand and looked at Gu Ran with a hint of confusion.

"Xiao Ran, didn't they mess up the rooms?"

She pointed to the number on the key card.

"How come our floors are different? You two are on the sixth floor?"

Gu Ran kept his composure, launching into a flawless performance.

"With so many people during the New Year, there was only one suite with a private hot spring left on the first floor."

He looked at the two elders with sincere eyes.

"I thought it'd be more convenient for you and Dad to use, so you wouldn't have to walk far and risk catching a cold in the weather."

Gu Xiangcheng and Ye Shulian nodded repeatedly on the surface, praising the thoughtful arrangement.

But inside, both of them were quietly cracking up.

This kid's little scheme was practically screaming in their faces!

He just wanted to get the elders out of the way so he could flirt openly, didn't he?

The old couple saw through it but didn't call him out, playing along as they took their key cards and prepared to leave.

As the saying goes, see through it but don't say a word, and you'll still be good in-laws—oops, good spouses.

Before they left, Gu Ran gave one more reminder.

"Dad, Aunt Ye, the herbal hot spring will be open on the back hill tonight."

He glanced at his watch.

"I've booked a room, so let's meet up on the first floor at nine o'clock."

Under their gazes, Gu Xiangcheng led Ye Shulian toward their room.

Once they were out of sight, the younger pair also headed for theirs.

Ye Zhenzhen looked at Gu Ran walking ahead of her, leading the way.

The two stepped into the elevator together, the small space holding only the two of them.

For some reason, she suddenly remembered what Gu Ran had accidentally let slip the other night.

The girl bit her lip, her overwhelming curiosity driving her to speak.

"Gu 'Dog' Ran, is there something you're hiding from me?"

Watching her blink with those big eyes, Gu Ran's heart skipped a beat.

"What secrets could I possibly keep from you? Don't you know everything about me?"

He forced himself to stay calm, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Well... if you want to talk about secrets..."

The girl looked expectant, waiting for his next words, never expecting his shamelessness.

Gu Ran slowly spoke up.

"I'm wearing a leopard-print underwear I've never worn before today."

Ye Zhenzhen's face flushed crimson at his brazen comment.

"Pervert! Who cares what you're wearing!"

She grew a little flustered, unsure why—the more Gu Ran avoided telling her, the more she wanted to dig deeper.

Though she had a vague idea in her heart, she still wanted to hear him say it outright.

"I want to know about the messing around you did to brush me off the other night, and the stuff you hid this morning—are you planning to..."

Her words trailed off, and just then the elevator reached the sixth floor with a crisp ding.

Ye Zhenzhen looked at the boy's calm eyes, her heartbeat skipping.

"Plan to do what?"

Gu Ran turned her question back on her, trying to stay collected.

Seeing him like that, Ye Zhenzhen suddenly lost her confidence.

His counter-question sent her thoughts into a tangled mess.

Forget it, she thought, maybe I'm just imagining things—how awkward would that be?

Feeling a surge of frustration, the girl shoved past Gu Ran, who was blocking her way.

She snapped out a stiff line.

"Nothing. I can't be bothered with you. I'm going to my room."

She trotted quickly out of the elevator, not looking back as she searched for her room.

Watching her retreating figure, Gu Ran felt cold sweat trickling down his back.

This girl's intuition was way too sharp—he'd almost blown it.

No, he absolutely couldn't get caught.

The proposal had to wait until New Year's Eve, after their relationship was made public. That was the ritual meant just for the two of them.

He'd have to keep his tail hidden tight for the next couple of days.

Gu Ran took a deep breath, steadying his racing heart.

He grabbed his suitcase and strolled slowly after Ye Zhenzhen.

"Sis, you're going the wrong way. Our rooms are over here."

He kindly offered a reminder.

Ye Zhenzhen froze mid-step, rooted to the spot.

She smacked her forehead in frustration, then turned and shot him a glare.

"Mind your own business! I'm just scoping out the area."

She stubbornly dug up an excuse to save face.

Gu Ran couldn't help but laugh at her sassy attitude.

"Right, right. Dr. Ye thinks ahead—I was out of line."

He walked up beside her and casually took her bag.

"Now that you're done scoping, can you deign to come check out the room with me?"

Ye Zhenzhen humphed softly, lifting her chin as she walked ahead.

She swiped her keycard to open her suite door, with Gu Ran following close behind.

The girl was used to it by now and didn't react much, instead excitedly admiring the room.

The first thing she saw was an incredibly lavish setup, a spacious living room connected to a huge terrace with a view.

Ye Zhenzhen was instantly drawn to the scenery, running to the balcony with a gasp.

"Wow, this view is amazing!"

Gu Ran put down the luggage, stepped up behind her, and joined her in gazing at the distant snowy mountains.

"Think this is beautiful? Wait until tonight when we soak in the private hot spring—there's even better to see."

Ye Zhenzhen turned to look at the boy so close to her.

His eyes reflected the snowy peaks, clean and bright.

"Gu 'Dog' Ran, this is by far the happiest New Year I've ever had in my whole life."

Gu Ran slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her gently into his embrace.

"This year is just the beginning. It'll only get happier from here."

Hearing this, Ye Zhenzhen felt a little shy and pushed lightly against his chest.

"It's broad daylight—behave yourself."

Instead of letting go, Gu Ran held her tighter.

"What's not proper about what I said? Ye Zhenzhen, you need to clean out your head."

Blushing, the girl raised her fist and lightly hit him.

"What nonsense! My brain is the purest thing ever!"

Gu Ran suddenly leaned in, whispering near her ear, his warm breath sending a shiver through her.

"I don't think so—you might need to add something to clean it out properly."

Ye Zhenzhen groaned internally, annoyed that she'd caught his meaning.

Damn it, why did she always understand too fast!

"Pushing your luck~"

Though her words were playful, her body softened, and she stopped resisting.

The two stood quietly on the balcony, embracing, savoring a rare moment of peace.

A sudden phone ring broke the silence.

Gu Ran reluctantly let go, pulled out his phone, and glanced at the caller ID.

It was Li Sinan.

"Ah, the blessings of being a capitalist—always right behind you," he muttered in complaint.

Ye Zhenzhen laughed at his put-out expression.

"Well, you're the big boss. 'The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility,' right?"

She gleefully turned and went back to the living room to start unpacking.

Gu Ran watched her cheerful back and shook his head helplessly.

This girl, switching moods so fast.

But that's fine—when New Year's Eve comes, let's see if she can still laugh so carefreely. It'll move her to tears!

He answered the phone. "What's up, Professor Li?"

A crisp voice came through the line from Li Sinan.

"President Gu, the final test report for the payment interface is out. Everything's normal, you can rest easy."

Good news kept coming one after another. Truly, when your mood lifts, everything goes smoothly. The young man smiled.

"Thank you for your hard work. Now all that's left is the New Year's Eve red-envelope system maintenance. Once that's successful, WeChat can finally get on track."

"After it's done, everyone gets triple bonuses and a company-wide holiday!"

Hearing Li Sinan's excited response on the other end, Gu Ran added softly,

"Thanks for your hard work, Professor Li. And... Happy New Year."

Li Sinan paused, and for some reason, her eyes grew slightly misty.

"Happy New Year... Gu Ran."

Gu Ran hung up the phone, walked up behind the young woman, and wrapped his arms around her slender waist from behind.

He rested his chin on her shoulder, his hands clasped together in front of her.

The two held each other tightly.

In Qinglin City,

Li Sinan stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of her office, gazing down at the bustling traffic below.

The phone screen slowly faded to black, and her heart likewise settled into calm.

......