Chapter 75
Gu Ran's grandparents had passed away, and Lao Gu didn't have any siblings, so the father and son didn't need to visit relatives on this day.
But not going out to pay New Year calls didn't mean others wouldn't come to visit them.
Starting from after breakfast, subordinates from the bureau and businessmen from society kept stepping over their threshold.
Gu Ran silently counted and found that there seemed to be many more visitors this year than in the past, making him curious.
After reviewing his memories, he suddenly woke up to the reality.
It seemed that Lao Gu was going to drop the "Deputy" from his title this year!
And in less than three years, he would be transferred to the municipal bureau as a deputy director.
But he had no impression of what happened after that.
Because by that time, he had completely fallen out with Gu Xiangcheng and didn't even go home, so how could he know these things.
However, even knowing that Lao Gu would advance triumphantly all the way, he wasn't excited. After all, he had never thought about clinging to his coattails.
Lao Gu dreamed of having him apply to the University of Political Science and Law, walking the path he had planned out for him, and could provide a lot of assistance.
But he really had no interest in that. Right now, he just wanted to release his game and make money.
Feeling a bit tired of dealing with the coming and going guests, he rubbed his face, stood up, and went to the girl's room.
...
"Why are you here?"
The girl at the desk saw him come in, glanced at him, and asked.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Ye Zhenzhen had already started studying, making his scalp tingle.
Did this girl have to be so fiercely competitive?
You said you were going back to your room to rest for a while, and that meant coming to do practice questions?!
Since when was doing questions considered resting?
"I came to see how you were resting. Now it seems you are resting very well."
Replying casually, he suddenly threw himself onto the soft bed. Smelling the rich scent of osmanthus at the tip of his nose, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
Watching his actions, Ye Zhenzhen frowned, kicked off her slippers, stretched out her long, slender legs, and kicked his butt.
This guy... what did he think his older sister's bed was?
"Get up and study!"
Gu Ran: "..."
He rolled over, buried his head under a panda plushie, and answered in a muffled voice, "Ye Zhenzhen, you're a devil, aren't you!"
"Get up quickly!"
The girl made a flying leap, straddled him, and then pulled his ear to lift him up.
Gu Ran sat at the desk with a face full of resentment, yawning as he looked at the test paper in front of him, finding that he couldn't take in a single word.
Noticing the red envelope on the desk, the style was a bit plain and didn't look like something Ye Shulian had prepared. Out of curiosity, he picked it up to take a look and found the thickness inside to be astonishing.
"Ye Zhenzhen, not bad at all. Where did this come from?"
He weighed it in his hand a few times, raised an eyebrow, and turned to ask the girl beside him.
Seeing this, Ye Zhenzhen snatched it back. Rolling her beautiful eyes at him, she proudly raised her fair chin and said, "Uncle Gu gave it to me."
Gu Ran: "???"
Why didn't the old man give him one?!
Showing favoritism, right?!
Seeing his confusion, the girl gently raised her foot and kicked him. "Stop being ungrateful. Isn't the red envelope my mom gave you bigger than mine?"
Hearing this, Gu Ran nodded slightly, feeling that her words made some sense, but then he realized something.
No, Lao Gu gave this girl a big red envelope, but didn't give him a single dime!
What is favoritism?
This is it!
He stretched out two fingers and secretly pinched the thickness, and unpromising tears of envy practically flowed from the corners of his mouth.
Lao Gu must have given her his entire thirteenth-month salary!
Jealousy makes one unrecognizable. Seeing the expression on his face, Ye Zhenzhen rolled her beautiful eyes and gave him another look.
"What are you looking at? Hurry up and study!"
Saying that, she pulled the bulging red envelope over like she was hiding a treasure, turned around as if guarding against a thief, and carefully stuffed it into her own pocket.
Gu Ran: "???"
Did she have to be so stingy? As if he would covet it?
Measuring others by her own petty standards!
Turning his head back to continue looking at the test paper, seeing that he had started to study, the girl pursed her lips, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and also turned her head to dive back into the sea of questions.
Just like the Gu father and son, she and her mother Ye Shulian had nowhere to go on the first day of the New Year.
Only on the second day would Ye Shulian take her back to her maiden home, but they wouldn't stay long.
Back then, when Ye Shulian insisted on giving birth to her, things got very unpleasant with her family.
So for all these years, Ye Zhenzhen wasn't close to her maternal grandparents. Only during holidays would Ye Shulian take her back for a visit.
With nothing to do today, the sister and brother locked themselves in the room and studied for the whole day.
In the evening, Gu Ran scratched his scalp and let out a relaxed breath.
Turning to look at the girl who was still writing tirelessly, his eyelids couldn't help but twitch.
Too terrifying!
What kind of normal person studies all day on the first day of the New Year?
This wasn't just a Master expert, she was basically an Emperor of studying!
He reached out and poked the girl's waist, causing her body to tremble.
"Wh-what are you doing!"
Ye Zhenzhen turned her head in embarrassed anger, quickly covering her sensitive waist. With a slight blush of anger and her eyes flashing, she glared at him.
"Want to go out for a walk?"
Gu Ran asked, raising his long eyebrows, blinking lightly, his tone carrying an indescribable temptation.
Turning to look at the sky outside the window, the girl was somewhat moved and subconsciously pursed her lips.
As soon as he saw this action, Gu Ran knew she was wavering and quickly pressed his advantage.
"Let's go. Ye Jinliang asked me to go ice skating. You call Pei Susu, and we'll make it a f... four-person group!"
Hearing this, the girl immediately widened her eyes, which were filled with shock.
"Ice skating?!"
"Uh... is there a problem?"
He thought she had caught his slip of the tongue, but it turned out this girl's focus was on this.
He scratched his head, looked out the window, and asked in confusion, "Do you think it's a bit late? It's fine, we're going indoors. A new ice skating rink opened over by the plaza. It's open during the New Year, and it's exceptionally popular."
"Oh, oh."
Realizing she had overthought it, the girl blushed and nodded.
She had watched too many legal awareness videos recently and thought this guy was going to gather a crowd to do drugs...
Capping her pen, she stretched, revealing her perfect curves.
Sitting next to her, Gu Ran felt a bit dizzy and quickly touched his nose, afraid he might get a nosebleed.
He had eaten too much meat these past two days, causing too much internal heat, so he couldn't handle seeing this.
Also, why did it feel like her assets had grown even more?
The image of Pei Susu's flat figure popped into his mind, and he nodded to himself.
Sure enough, there's no reasoning with someone who lacks assets...
...
After dinner, they changed their clothes. One in black and the other in white, the two walked on the snow.
Ye Zhenzhen called and made arrangements with Pei Susu. They would pick her up first and then go to the ice skating rink to meet up with Ye Jinliang.
"Ye Zhenzhen, walk a bit faster."
As the streetlights just came on, Gu Ran looked back helplessly at the girl walking behind him, stepping on his shadow step by step.
But as soon as he spoke, he was kicked in the butt.
"Mind your own business when it comes to your older sister!"
Ye Zhenzhen proudly raised her chin, but then felt she was being a bit childish, which didn't fit her image as an older sister.
With her small hands behind her back, she took the lead and walked in front.
Gu Ran's mind stirred. He quickly chased after her and asked mysteriously, "Sister, can we discuss something?"
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."
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.
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.”
] [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!"
