Chapter 316
The phone in Gu Ran’s pocket rang urgently, the piercing tone shattering the atmosphere between them.
He pulled it out and answered.
The smile on his face tightened into a frown; his expression turned serious and anxious, and even his posture straightened up.
After hanging up, he turned to look at Ye Zhenzhen, his tone rushed and full of apology.
“Sorry, Zhenzhen, something came up at the company—a major problem with the servers. I need to go back right away.”
Ye Zhenzhen was startled by the sudden turn of events, her shock quickly giving way to concern.
Without hesitation, she held his hand back, her gaze firm and unwavering.
“I’ll go with you. No matter how big the problem is, I’ll be by your side. We’ll face it together.”
On the way, Gu Ran walked ahead with a grave expression, his pace brisk and his brows knit together, as though strategizing a response to the crisis.
(In reality, his heart was pounding with nerves, terrified that his acting might not be convincing enough. ヽ(≧ω≦)ﾉ)
Ye Zhenzhen followed closely behind, afraid to interrupt his thoughts, not daring to say a word, her heart in her throat.
The two hurried to the sixth floor via the elevator, then walked swiftly to the door of his room.
Just as Ye Zhenzhen turned to go back to her own room to pack, Gu Ran grabbed her wrist.
“Come to my room first—I need to grab a few things. We’ll pack later.”
Her mind fully occupied by the supposed company crisis, Ye Zhenzhen didn’t think twice. She nodded obediently and followed him to the door.
Gu Ran steadied his breathing, pulled out his key card, and swiped it with a soft beep, then stepped aside.
Ye Zhenzhen was puzzled by his gesture, but still didn’t think much of it.
She took a step forward, then froze completely in place.
Under the warm, amber light, the ceiling was covered with pink and white balloons, and a thick layer of lush rose petals carpeted the floor.
A path of lit heart-shaped candles stretched ahead, their flickering glow leading toward the bedroom, dreamlike and enchanting.
Ye Zhenzhen covered her mouth, her eyes instantly welling up.
That scoundrel had actually planned to propose?!
And she had almost ruined it for him over the past two days.
The girl, filled with regret, followed the candlelit path slowly. She noticed small things tied to the balloon ribbons on either side.
Instinctively, she reached out and lifted one, holding it in her palm to see.
Tears began streaming down her cheeks, dripping onto the back of her hand, surprisingly warm.
“This is…”
She couldn’t finish her sentence. She turned to look at the person behind her.
Gu Ran, who had quietly closed the door, had been following her without a word.
He didn’t speak; he just nodded his chin, signaling her to continue.
Ye Zhenzhen walked slowly, looking at the photos hanging from the balloons, unable to stop her tears.
Each photo captured a moment from their shared journey.
She recalled the time they sneaked off on a trip together, only to run into her mom and Uncle Gu.
Scenes from their memories flashed through her mind, and some funny ones even made her chuckle between sobs.
Watching Ye Zhenzhen’s back, Gu Ran felt his palms sweat from nervousness.
He had expected her to cry, but laughing and crying at the same time?!
Soon, Ye Zhenzhen reached the bedroom door. She gently pushed it open—it was already slightly ajar.
Her eyes landed on the massive pair of white angel wings displayed against the headboard, pure and dreamlike.
On the wide double bed, two swans, formed from heart-shaped red rose petals and pristine white towels, lay intertwined, startlingly lifelike.
And right at the center of them, an open velvet box sat quietly.
A dazzling diamond sparkled under the light, catching her eyes.
Gu Ran walked over to Ye Zhenzhen and looked at her tear-streaked face.
He pulled out tissues he had prepared in advance and gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
The thoughtful gesture, which was also a bit of a mood-breaker, made her laugh through her tears. She gave him a playful pout.
“So this is the secret you’ve been hiding from me all these days.”
She took the tissues and dabbed at her cheeks.
“Not bad—at least you remembered to prepare tissues to dry my tears.”
Gu Ran smiled along with her, his tone carrying his usual pride and tenderness, his eyes deep with affection.
“Who do you think I am? My wife gets emotional, so of course I have to take care of her. Can’t let you turn into a little raccoon.”
He took her soft hand in his, his playful demeanor giving way to a seriousness that was unprecedented.
“Truth is, I was really nervous. To keep this secret from you the last couple days, you put me through the wringer.”
He gently pinched her nose.
“I had a whole long, heartfelt speech prepared. But when I saw you cry, I forgot every word.”
Ye Zhenzhen laughed through her tears and squeezed his hand, her eyes tender and steady as she looked into his.
“Who told you to act so secretive? You almost gave it away the other day, you idiot~”
She listened to his clumsy explanation, first doubling over with laughter, then growing serious as she spoke word by word.
“I don’t care what you say, Gu Ran. I love you. I don’t need any rituals to prove that.”
She lifted her head to look at him.
“What matters is you—just you. That’s enough!”
Moved by her straightforward confession, Gu Ran felt his heart soak in warmth like a bath of gentle water.
He shook his head gently, stubbornly insisting on his own sense of ritual, unwilling to compromise.
“No way. If other girls get it, you have to have it too.”
He wrapped an arm around her waist.
“And it has to be the best in the whole world!”
“I know our situation is different from most people’s. Being a blended family means we have more to worry about.”
He bent down and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“But don’t be scared. Our family’s hearts are all together—there’s nothing we can’t get through.”
Gu Ran looked into Ye Zhenzhen’s tear-brimming eyes, laying out the most steadfast conviction in his heart without reservation.
“Deep down, I’ve always been certain—I love you.”
He held her hands tightly. “No matter what gossip anyone spreads, it won’t change my determination to spend the rest of my life with you.”
As he spoke, under her expectant gaze, he slowly lowered one knee onto the petal-covered carpet.
He picked up the velvet box from the bed, his heart pounding like a drum.
Word by word, he spoke with solemnity, his voice somehow rising above the firecrackers outside.
“Zhenzhen… will you marry me?”
Moonlight spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows into the room.
Just then, a massive, brilliant firework bloomed outside, scattering thousands of stars across the night sky.
Tears once again rolled down Ye Zhenzhen’s cheeks.
She beamed—a radiant smile glowing in the light of the fireworks, dazzling and incomparably beautiful.
Slowly, she extended her right hand and offered it to Gu Ran, her voice clear.
“Why would you lack confidence, Gu Ran?”
“Yes~ Yes, I do.”
The diamond ring slid smoothly onto her ring finger.
Outside, the crowd counting down for the New Year burst into cheers.
The toll of the New Year’s bell resonated through the air, vibrating in everyone’s hearts.
In an instant, countless fireworks exploded simultaneously in the night sky, turning the world as bright as day—a breathtaking sight.
Gu Ran rose to his feet and pulled Ye Zhenzhen tightly into his arms.
The curtains slowly drew closed, shutting out the dazzling commotion beyond.
...also covering a pair of intertwined hands inside the room and two blazing hearts pressed tightly together.
(The main text ends)
......
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
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."
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
