Chapter 66
December 30th of the lunar calendar, New Year's Eve.
Waking up early in the morning, Gu Ran rolled out of bed, walked to the window, and looked out at the scenery.
Through the glass, he saw that the entire residential complex was decorated with red lanterns lining the streets.
Couplets were already pasted at the entrance of the building, and the sound of firecrackers could be heard in the distance from time to time, seemingly bringing the whole city to life with noise.
The Spring Festival in the 2010s had such a strong festive atmosphere. People were already banging... I mean, setting off firecrackers early in the morning!
Walking back to his bed, he took off his pajamas and began to change his clothes.
Just as he had stripped down to his underwear, the balcony door was pushed open, and a young girl looking like a traditional New Year painting doll walked in.
"Ah!"
Seeing his state of undress, a loud soprano scream rang out.
Gu Ran gave her a helpless eye-roll and continued to put on his pants as if nobody was there.
Covering her eyes with her hands, Ye Zhenzhen said shyly and angrily, "You... you're shameless!"
Gu Ran: "???"
If he remembered correctly, this was his room, right?
Since when was it shameless to change clothes in his own room?!
"Do you want to open your eyes before you speak?"
Rolling his eyes at her speechlessly, Gu Ran finished dressing himself neatly.
"Then... are you dressed now?"
The girl asked shyly, not daring to take her hands off her eyes.
"Just open your eyes and see for yourself."
"I... I won't!"
Ye Zhenzhen's face was filled with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance, feeling like she was going to get a stye first thing in the morning on New Year's Eve.
Looking at the still-blindfolded girl, Gu Ran felt utterly helpless. He stepped forward and pulled her hands away.
Startled by his sudden movement, the girl let out a cry of alarm.
But seeing that Gu Ran was already fully dressed, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Remembering the old-man-style underwear she had just seen, her cheeks instantly flushed crimson. She subconsciously stuck out her small foot and gave him a light kick.
"Hoo... Hooligan!"
Gu Ran: "..."
How was he a hooligan?
He hadn't even called her a hooligan yet, but she was already pointing the finger at him!
However, he also knew better than to reason with girls, especially his inherently unreasonable older sister.
Looking her up and down a few times, Gu Ran chuckled. He tugged at the Nian monster hood on the back of the girl's clothes and said with a smile, "Ye Zhenzhen, you're dressed very stylishly today!"
Seeing him bring up her outfit, Ye Zhenzhen felt a bit embarrassed and unconsciously pursed her lips.
The girl was wearing a red hoodie with gold embroidery, featuring a cartoon Nian monster hood on the back. Her lower half was clad in straight, slender black jeans. She looked both festive and extremely beautiful.
But this wasn't her usual style. If she had a choice, she definitely would have chosen an elegant, light-colored outfit, making her look like a daffodil.
But she had no choice. Ye Shulian had bought this for her specifically so she would look festive for the New Year.
"Mind... mind your own business!"
Ye Zhenzhen pursed her lips and stuck out her little foot to kick him again, but the sharp-eyed Gu Ran immediately noticed something off.
Where were her usual, unchanging white cotton socks?
Why were they black!
"Stick your foot out and let me see?"
Ye Zhenzhen: "???"
What kind of request was that?
Was he a pervert?!
"No!"
Hearing his words, Ye Zhenzhen immediately shrank her small foot back into her little bear cotton slippers, refusing to expose it again.
Gu Ran, however, wouldn't let it go. He crouched down directly and stared at the girl's feet.
Ye Zhenzhen: "!!!"
It's the New Year, don't force me to beat you up!
"Shoo... shoo! What are you looking at, Gu 'Dog' Ran, you are getting more and more perverted!"
The girl hurriedly took a few steps back, avoiding his gaze.
"Nonsense, I'm very proper!"
Gu Ran coughed dryly. He also felt he was acting a bit perverted, but he hadn't thought it through just now and simply crouched down to look.
Thankfully, this girl wasn't wearing a skirt, otherwise he wouldn't have escaped a biting.
"Bah! Lying right on the New Year, have you no shame!"
The girl tilted her neck up slightly, revealing her fair little chin, and said somewhat haughtily.
Ignoring her remark, he asked in confusion, "Why did you come through the balcony door too?"
What did he mean by "too"?
Was his name written on this door?!
"Mind... mind your own business!"
The girl haughtily raised her chin again, subconsciously putting her hands behind her back, putting on the airs of an older sister.
"What did you come looking for me for? To give me New Year's greetings?"
Looking at the girl in front of him, he frowned and asked, immediately receiving a pretty eye-roll in return.
"In your dreams! If anyone is giving greetings, it's you to me. I'm your older sister!"
Hearing this, Gu Ran nodded perfunctorily, "Understood, understood, my older sister!"
Ye Zhenzhen: "???"
Why did this guy's tone feel so weird?
"Don't say weird things!"
The girl glared at him in embarrassment and annoyance, then continued, "Don't laugh at me. You have to dress like this today too. My mom already prepared it for you. I just came to bring you the clothes."
Gu Ran nodded lightly upon hearing this. Then, noticing the girl's completely empty hands, he couldn't help but ask in confusion, "So... where are the clothes?"
Ye Zhenzhen: "..."
Looking down at her own hands, her face instantly turned red, and she said rather awkwardly, "Um... well, I'll go back and get them for you right now."
Watching the girl about to flee out the door, Gu Ran quickly teased, "Were you in such a hurry to see me that you forgot to bring the clothes?"
"Bullshit!!!"
...
...
At seven in the morning, two people dressed like traditional New Year painting dolls were walking along the path by the river.
They had originally planned to go for a run, but with all the firecrackers going off this morning, the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, so Gu Ran immediately dismissed the idea.
Running in this environment would be more intense than running in a smoking room!
Ye Zhenzhen walked with her hands behind her back. Looking at the boy wearing the exact same outfit as her, a ripple of emotion unconsciously welled up in her eyes.
However, neither of them spoke. They both enjoyed the tranquility of their morning stroll.
Although the roar of firecrackers continued to sound in the distance, they felt that this moment was peaceful and beautiful, and they wanted to keep walking quietly like this forever.
Before they knew it, the two had walked out of the residential complex. Neither uttered a word; instead, they continued to stroll down the street.
Even though they weren't talking to each other, they both deeply felt the other's companionship.
"Gu Ran, do you want to go look around?"
Seeing a pedestrian street not far away packed with the most popular New Year stalls, Ye Zhenzhen gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and asked softly.
Following her gaze, Gu Ran saw the bustling crowd on the street, exceptionally lively.
Every vendor's stall was filled with all sorts of New Year goods.
He even caught a whiff of a rich, milky aroma. Turning his head toward a stall at the corner of the street, he saw an old grandmother holding a spatula, skillfully making batch after batch of small honey cakes.
Noticing that the girl's attention was completely focused on this, he smiled and said, "Let's go, Big Sister."
Hearing this, Ye Zhenzhen couldn't help but roll her eyes at him and kicked him lightly.
Sister is just sister, why call me Big Sister!
She felt like whatever words came out of this guy's mouth, their flavor completely changed...
He would definitely have a lot in common with Pei Susu!

iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.

rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!

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."

transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”