The price of overindulgence was that all morning long Bai Ziyuan curled up in Gu Qianran's arms whenever she had a free moment and asked Gu Qianran to rub her lower back, sometimes sucking in a breath from the soreness.
Bai Ziyuan glared at her. "Gu Qianran, does your promise from yesterday still count?" How had she never noticed that Gu Qianran had this much stamina? After going on for so long, did Gu Qianran's tongue not go numb?
Knowing she had pushed too far, Gu Qianran conscientiously massaged her girlfriend's back. At the question, Gu Qianran gently soothed her. "Of course." Yet to Bai Ziyuan, who had been worked over the whole night, that gentle face looked full of bad intentions.
"In that case, you said it yourself. Also, let us take a break this week. Do not make it too frequent…" Her voice grew smaller and smaller. She had only just gotten her new driver's license, so she was still a bit shy about using it.
Gu Qianran narrowed her eyes. "Naturally."
Bai Ziyuan: !!! That familiar expression. Every time Gu Qianran thinks up something wicked she looks exactly like this.
Sorry, Gu Qianran, I do not believe a single word you are saying right now.
Watching the two of them being sticky-sweet, Ji Tang finally could not take it and coughed twice. "Gu Qianran, a fresh batch of your love letters landed on my desk." Ji Tang pulled several crumpled envelopes out of the desk pocket.
Gu Qianran's smile froze. Bai Ziyuan skimmed the letters, her eyes turning dangerous. "Gu Qianran, it is that construction-site English again? He really is persistent, is he not?"
Gu Qianran: danger.
Ji Tang had to be doing this on purpose, right? Why open with a full blast the moment she speaks? Does she not know the scariest thing in the world is a jealous woman?
Although Bai Ziyuan was usually soft and cuddly, once she got jealous she was stubborn as a mule. Several of Gu Qianran's attempts to coax her back into bed had all failed.
Learning from painful experience, Gu Qianran decided to coax Bai Ziyuan properly. She still underestimated a woman's combat power. Bai Ziyuan solemnly criticized and educated Gu Qianran for the length of one long recess and successfully won a one week "rest" period for herself.
Told that there would be no fun for a week, Gu Qianran shot Ji Tang a murderous look. Ji Tang shrugged and flopped onto her desk to daydream. Strictly speaking she was now related to Gu Qianran, so the big boss could not touch her.
Xu Wei, at the next table, kept feeling that something was off and quietly asked Ji Tang, "Class monitor, are Gu Qianran and Bai Ziyuan…?" Without even lifting an eyelid, Ji Tang snorted. "Showing off their love, that is all. If my wife were in my class, I would be doing the same."
Ji Tang was not fussed about it. It was not anything unspeakable. Since a classmate had asked, Ji Tang would not dodge. Because Ji Tang treated it casually, she missed the shock and dimming in Xu Wei's eyes.
So the class monitor's person must be that upperclassman. Xu Wei smiled bitterly in her heart and silently observed a moment of silence for her own unrequited crush.
A month later, on Saturday. Without meddling from Gu Qianran and Li Junze, Li Junsheng successfully closed a large overseas deal in the gaming sector. In high spirits, Li Junsheng went to the office and told the secretary to begin the handoff.
He stroked the armrest of his leather chair, privately full of disdain for Gu Qianran. In the end she was just a girl. The Li Group was still an old-line company. Even if gaming was a new frontier, that little girl could not stop him.
Children play at business. For true succession, his eldest son was still the best choice. So the eldest son had some history with women, but what man does not?
That proud eldest son, Li Junyao, now sat pale-faced and staring at the main trading screen.
"A total loss. Not a cent left. Why, why, how could Gu Qianran be wrong? No, even without her, the numbers were excellent across the board. Why?"
Hundreds of millions had been wiped out. Li Junyao could not imagine how he would face Li Junsheng. Half the Li family's capital was gone. Without liquidity, how could the Li Group compete with rising companies?
He began to panic and called Li Junze. No answer. He called Liu Cuimei. When she heard the news she fainted on the spot.
Li Junyao slumped to the floor. What should he do? He did not even have the strength to think. He was just a playboy. Sooner or later he would pay for his arrogance.
Then a cold voice sounded. "Li Junyao, cooperate with me, and I can save your Li family."
Unable to think at all, Li Junyao agreed on instinct. A white light flashed, and he collapsed onto the bed.
Staring at a sea of red on her screen, Gu Qianran felt no ripple in her heart. She had set aside ten million for this exact moment. It was a game investment that looked like a sure thing. Seeing that she had put money in, Li Junyao would conclude he had a perfect chance, and in order to multiply his profit and suppress her returns, he would pile in everything he could.
He never realized it was a trap waiting for him. The "partner" game studio was none other than ZhangYou, the new name of Storm and Palm working together.
Making a good game is hard. Phoning it in to make a bad one is very easy. Three days ago, the 3D epic "The Story of Lei Feng 1" launched and promptly set the all time low on the platform. With vivid plot and abstract characters, it portrayed the arduous evolution from odd creature to human being.
It was easy to foresee that such a title had the power to vaporize hundreds of millions.
Gu Qianran's lips curled. The Lis were likely to collapse for real this time. Among the native residents of the Li household there was not a single good person, especially the so-called male lead. Anyone who tried to invade her life would be struck back at, hard.
Seeing Gu Qianran smiling oddly at the computer, Bai Ziyuan scooted over and nuzzled Gu Qianran's stomach. "Gu Qianran, what are you looking at? You are not even keeping me company."
Gu Qianran patted her head, her gaze warming. "Investments." How could such a cute little thing be the female lead, and the kind the male lead was meant to ruin. Perhaps the reason she came to this world was to save the female lead.
I will protect this silly girl for a lifetime, Gu Qianran thought.
The two held each other. Bai Ziyuan rested her head on Gu Qianran's stomach with a lazy yawn. Gu Qianran wrapped her arms around her with a touch of indulgence and gently patted her back. Just as Gu Qianran was enjoying the tender moment, a familiar voice suddenly rang in her mind. "Host, what a calculation."
Gu Qianran's pupils tightened. The System was back at a time like this. Had it not vanished for a long while?
The System continued in that odd mechanical tone. "Host, you have seriously interfered with this world's main storyline. The male lead aura is weakening. Corrective measures are about to initiate."
Gu Qianran froze. The male lead aura weakening. Could it be… She glanced at Bai Ziyuan in her arms and had a bold guess. Then she smiled slightly, looked at the monitor, and replied silently. "System, I have not interfered with the world. I have been consolidating my persona. I obstruct the male and female leads, I often bully the female lead to tears, and I have a relationship with the male lead that is unlike the rest. I am not only a qualified vicious supporting actress, I am carrying the vicious supporting role to the very end."
System: !?
So it had only been stuck in a temporal glitch for a while, and this person's mouth had gotten this slick. Even more absurd, what she said actually made a twisted kind of sense.