Chapter 33
With a skewer of fruit tanghulu in each of their hands, the two walked slowly along the roadside toward home.
Ye Zhenzhen bit down so hard her teeth crunched, turning her inner grief and indignation into appetite. She treated the candied fruit in her mouth as a certain annoying guy, crunching down on it fiercely.
Ten yuan for a single tanghulu skewer, why didn't that vendor just rob people?
And this idiot actually went and bought them!
She shot a glare at Gu Ran, who was eating with great relish beside her, and couldn't help but roll her beautiful eyes.
The sympathy she had felt earlier for the old grandpa had completely transformed into a deep hatred for a crooked merchant.
In 2010, candied tanghulu were generally just one yuan a stick. For this astronomical price of ten yuan a stick, she naturally felt that only an idiot would buy it.
And as it turned out, an idiot really did buy it, and the worst part was that the idiot used her money to do it!
Thinking about how a whole week's worth of her pocket money had been scammed just to buy two tanghulu, she couldn't help but get angry. Rolling her eyes slightly, she curled her lips at Gu Ran's back and muttered, Spendthrift!
Before going upstairs, Gu Ran threw the empty bamboo skewers into the trash can and wiped the sugar residue from his mouth, perfectly destroying the evidence of the crime.
This incredibly skillful routine left Ye Zhenzhen stunned; she had a feeling this guy had the potential to be a total scumbag in the future.
After returning home, Ye Shulian had left dinner for them. Once the two finished eating, they both ducked into the same room.
Ye Zhenzhen looked at the tail following behind her, her pretty brows furrowing slightly. Why are you following me?
For tutoring!
Gu Ran was as straightforward as ever. His direct answer left her a bit unsure of how to respond.
Then don't you think I should change my clothes first?
Hearing this, Gu Ran stared at her, looking her up and down.
His gaze, like he was looking at a monkey, annoyed the young girl.
She immediately kicked off her slippers and, with her small foot clad in a cotton sock, lightly kicked Gu Ran's calf.
The force was neither painful nor itchy, but the girl's kick happened to strike a rather bizarre sweet spot for Gu Ran.
If this was how she was going to reward... ahem, punish him, then please, bring it on!
However, he was a true gentleman after all. Since Ye Zhenzhen needed to change clothes, he would just go out and wait.
Returning to his own room, he grabbed a change of clothes and took a quick shower in the bathroom. Estimating the time, he then picked up his notebooks and walked across the balcony to the girl's room.
Hearing the balcony door being pushed open, the girl sitting on the bed tying her hair couldn't help but roll her eyes. She didn't even need to turn around to know it was Gu Ran again.
She was somewhat speechless at his habit of avoiding the front door and preferring to use the back entrance.
The two sat at the desk and began to study, but Gu Ran's gaze started to drift, never staying on the books.
What are you looking at!
Ye Zhenzhen, who was earnestly explaining a problem, saw him zoning out and spoke with a bit of anger.
I'm looking to see what clothes you actually changed into.
Gu Ran was equally earnest, carefully observing the clothing on the girl's body.
It was still the same school uniform she wore during the day. She had just taken off her outerwear and socks; the rest hadn't changed at all.
It took her that long just to change this little bit?
He shook his head, expressing his lack of understanding.
None... none of your business, you pervert!
Hearing his words, Ye Zhenzhen's pretty face instantly flushed red.
Forcing her emotions to calm down, she raised a hand to elegantly tuck her hair back, rolled her beautiful eyes, and spat out a scolding remark.
Gu Ran: ???
How was he a pervert?
He just asked what clothes she had changed into...
Thinking of this, he nodded as if half-understanding, his gaze taking a hasty, fleeting glance at the girl's soft curves.
But the glance was so fleeting that Ye Zhenzhen couldn't catch him in the act, so she could only grit her teeth and lightly kick him again.
He sucked his teeth, silently cursing himself. Why on earth did he wear socks after taking a shower?
It ruined the tactile sensation!
Next time, next time he came over, he would definitely wear slippers barefoot, even if it was winter!
Once they poured their minds into studying, time flew by.
With today's tutoring tasks completed, Gu Ran started packing up his notebooks.
Ye Zhenzhen tucked her hair back and said softly, You can wake up early in the morning to memorize vocabulary or ancient poems. It helps deepen your impression of them.
It was a good method, but for a cheater like Gu Ran who had a photographic memory, he might as well go for a run instead.
But he obediently nodded to show he understood, and then asked, Do you want to go running with me tomorrow morning?
Why?
Hearing the word running, Ye Zhenzhen's small face visibly scrunched up in obvious rejection.
To exercise, of course. Look at your stamina, you pant just going up the stairs. Can you even last half an hour?
Ye Zhenzhen: ???
What half an hour?
Why did it feel like this guy wasn't saying anything decent?
I don't want to.
Ignoring the problematic phrasing of his words, Ye Zhenzhen thought about being covered in sweat after a run and instinctively refused.
Oh come on, go for it. After a run, your mind will be clear for the rest of the day, your study efficiency will greatly improve, and you can keep in shape and slim down!
It can also increase study efficiency?
Is... is it really that good?
Swayed a bit by his words, Ye Zhenzhen frowned slightly, clearly starting to feel conflicted.
Seeing this, Gu Ran pressed his advantage and said in a tone that brokered no refusal, Then it's settled. I'll come wake you up tomorrow morning. Don't lock the balcony door.
After saying that, he took his things and went straight back to his room via the balcony, leaving the dumbfounded girl behind.
Don't lock the balcony door?
Then how was she supposed to sleep?!
Gu 'Dog' Ran's intentions were known to everyone!
Staring at Gu Ran as he left, she took a moment to calm her mood before pulling out a test paper to continue working on her math and comprehensive science multiple-choice questions.
Gu Ran, on the other hand, returned to his room, turned on his computer, and started typing on the keyboard. The clacking sounds rang out like an orchestra performing.
Now, in order to go to Ye Zhenzhen for tutoring, his daily study time had increased, which meant his time for making games had correspondingly decreased.
If he wanted to launch Temple Run within the planned timeframe, he had no choice but to speed up.
With lightning speed, he pounded the keyboard loudly. Fortunately, the room's soundproofing was decent, so it didn't disturb anyone else, such as the girl earnestly doing her problems next door.
Ye Zhenzhen sat with perfect posture, her back straight at the desk, biting the end of her pen as she pondered the final multiple-choice question.
For this kind of finale multiple-choice question, the difficulty was generally very high. Even a good student wouldn't be able to solve it in a short amount of time.
Such difficult problems required a novel train of thought. They didn't rigidly test rote knowledge, but rather tested the flexible application of that knowledge.
After pondering for a long time, she filled in her choice and began checking the answers.
Her accuracy was very high, having missed only one. After quickly reading through the explanation, she looked up at the time.
Standing up and stretching, she walked over to the balcony, preparing to turn off the lights and go to sleep.
A pair of fair and slender hands rested on the balcony door handle. After a moment of turning things over in her mind, she eventually moved her hand away from the handle.
Drawing the curtains properly, she changed into her pajamas and lay down on the bed.
Hugging a giant panda plush toy, she tilted her head, her clear, cold eyes staring intently at the balcony, wondering what on earth she was thinking...
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?!
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!
] [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!"
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
