Chapter 4
Like a movie playing in his mind, globally popular mobile games flashed through Gu Ran's thoughts one by one.
His inner universe was burning fiercely. He could already picture himself preemptively recreating Honor of Kings and single-handedly forging a new legend in mobile game revenue.
However, before this dream could even take root, he was suddenly yanked back to reality.
"Brother Gu, what are you spacing out for? Hurry up!"
Ye Jinliang tugged at his arm with an anxious look, as if to say: Bro, time is ticking, don't waste the half-year duration of that Barrett sniper rifle.
Every minute wasted right now was cold, hard cash!
"You go ahead. I'm going back to study," Gu Ran said with a firm expression.
Was he kidding? There were only two hundred days left until the college entrance examination. How could he possibly have time to waste at an internet cafe!
What's more, his mind was still a mess right now. He had just been reborn and hadn't even sorted out his thoughts yet. Given the time, he would rather recreate the games in his head than kill time at an internet cafe.
Hearing this, Ye Jinliang looked as if he had seen a ghost, his chubby face filled with absolute shock.
Gu Ran glanced up and saw that the boy's eyes screamed, You have betrayed the revolution!
He couldn't help but chuckle. "Study hard. Once you get into college, you can play as much as you want!"
Looking at the devastated little fatty, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly as he fed him the exact same empty promise countless parents used to string their children along.
"Uh... but didn't you tell me before that studying hard is useless, and that the only way to get ahead is to be daring, take risks, and value brotherhood?"
Ye Jinliang scratched his head in confusion, his question feeling like an interrogation of Gu Ran's very soul.
Hearing this, Gu Ran almost coughed up blood.
When did he ever say that?
He never realized he had been so naive during high school. He was practically stupid to a fault.
His face flushed with embarrassment. He coughed dryly twice and quickly changed the subject. "That's all in the past. Now we need to study hard, get into a good university, and make your dad proud."
"But... my dad doesn't have any expectations for me either. He told me a long time ago that if I can't get into college, I'll just go home and inherit the family business..." Ye Jinliang innocently delivered the ultimate humblebrag, almost causing Gu Ran to trip over his own feet.
If he couldn't get into college, he'd just go back to inherit the family business?
Was that even something a normal human would say?!
Gu Ran stared at his chubby face, took a deep breath, and said, "Don't you want to go out and broaden your horizons with me?"
"I do." Ye Jinliang blinked, his response weak.
Deep down, however, he couldn't help but wonder why these words sounded so much like a pyramid scheme pitch.
"Do you really want to be cooped up in this small county town for the rest of your life, like a frog at the bottom of a well?" Gu Ran continued his brainwashing.
"No..." Ye Jinliang blinked again, increasingly convinced that Gu Ran had secretly become a cult leader.
"Don't you want to get into a university in the capital with me, take in the most beautiful scenery our country has to offer, and admire the prettiest college girls?" Gu Ran dropped his ultimate trump card.
"I do!" At the mention of college girls, Ye Jinliang's eyes lit up, as if he could already envision a glorious future.
He was suddenly brimming with fighting spirit, acting as if he had already been accepted into a university in the capital and was currently discussing the meaning of life with beautiful college girls.
Gu Ran nodded, highly satisfied with his reaction. "Then come back with me and study hard."
"Alright! But... why are we aiming for the same city instead of the same university?" Ye Jinliang suddenly asked.
Hearing this, Gu Ran laughed. He reached out, patted Ye Jinliang on the shoulder, and said meaningfully, "Because my goal is the sea of stars."
"Speak plainly!" Ye Jinliang rolled his eyes in exasperation and swatted the hand off his shoulder.
"Alright, my goal is a top-tier university!" Gu Ran smiled helplessly.
"...Respect."
For a moment, Ye Jinliang was rendered speechless and could only give a thumbs-up to express his sheer admiration.
Bickering all the way, the two headed back to school together. Unable to go to the internet cafe, Ye Jinliang sprawled across his desk in sheer boredom, his heart aching at the thought of the Barrett sniper rifle he had just bought yesterday gathering dust in his inventory...
...
As soon as he returned to the classroom, Gu Ran headed straight for his throne, the seat in the back row next to the window.
He opened his brand-new, pristine math textbook, only to find himself completely lost. After hastily flipping through the pages, he couldn't make heads or tails of it. After all, he hadn't paid a lick of attention in class during his previous life.
Looking at these mathematical formulas and problems now was like reading ancient hieroglyphs; they were entirely incomprehensible.
To make matters worse, he couldn't even scrape together all of his mandatory textbooks and had no idea where he had shoved them.
Left with no other choice, he pulled out his literature textbook and started memorizing the ancient poems required for the college entrance examination.
After silently reading through an ancient text a few times, he closed his eyes to test his memory. To his absolute astonishment, the entire text he had just read appeared vividly in his mind.
It was word-for-word perfect. He could even remember the footnotes he had just glanced at with absolute clarity!
Triggered by this ancient text, other poems from his memory began to surface one after another. Like pulling silk from a cocoon, any ancient poem he had ever read emerged flawlessly in his mind.
Was this... a photographic memory?!
Gu Ran blinked in astonishment. In disbelief, he flipped through the entire book once more, closed his eyes, and realized he had memorized every single page!
Was this his cheat ability as a reincarnator???
He quickly dug out all the required high school reading material and read through it carefully.
He soon discovered that everything he recited was stored away in his mental library, as perfectly preserved as a printed photograph.
He wouldn't actively think about it on a normal basis, but the moment he actively tried to recall something, the information would flood back to him like a tidal wave.
Could this be the legendary, reincarnator's perk!
.......
When the bell for the final afternoon class rang, he quickly stood up, packed the books on his desk, and grabbed his backpack without a moment's hesitation, calling for Ye Jinliang to head home.
As for evening self-study... what was that?!
It wasn't just Ye Jinliang who had no desire to study; even Gu Ran refused to stay behind voluntarily.
He had worked more than enough overtime in his previous life. Now, the mere thought of not being allowed to leave when the workday was over made him sick to his stomach.
The two of them swaggered out of the classroom, bumping right into Hao Cuiyun, who was patrolling the hallway.
"The two of you... sigh, just go, just go."
Seeing two students walking out of her classroom, Hao Cuiyun's initial instinct was to loudly reprimand them.
But before she could finish her sentence, she realized who these two troublemakers were. She helplessly massaged her forehead and waved them off.
She had completely given up on these two untouchables in her class. One came from a family with power, and the other from a family with money. Both of them lived far more comfortably than she did.
All she could hope for was that they would hurry home and not stick around to distract the students who actually wanted to learn.
"Goodbye, Teacher!"
Leaving school on time was just as satisfying as clocking out of work on time. In a fantastic mood, Gu Ran waved at Hao Cuiyun and strolled out of the academic building humming a cheerful tune.
Staring at their retreating backs, Hao Cuiyun felt a wave of surprise. "Since when did this kid become so polite?"
But she didn't dwell on it. Shaking her head, she walked into the classroom and began passing out the exam papers for the evening.
.......
Meanwhile.
As they walked out of the school gates, Ye Jinliang shot a teasing look at Gu Ran beside him and asked, "So, what exactly did you learn today?"
He had almost been fooled by Gu Ran, actually believing the guy was going to buckle down and study.
Yet here they were, ditching the evening self-study session together!
He figured it was only a matter of time before the guy suggested hitting up an internet cafe.
After all, he had been keeping an eye on him all afternoon. The guy hadn't written a single word; he just sat there rapidly flipping through his pages. As if anyone could learn a damn thing like that!
But Gu Ran's response caught him completely off guard. "Hmm... I finished memorizing all the required ancient poetry, and while I was at it, I went over all the formulas and key concepts for math and science." Gu Ran replied, his face entirely serious...
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
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."
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
