After Ji Shiyu agreed,
Gu Ran tried to find a place in her current home where she could fit another bed. In the end, she cleared out her small walk-in closet, which she usually used for storage and off-season clothes.
According to the floor plan, this room was actually originally designed to be a children's room for the homeowner.
Seeing Ji Shiyu's subtle expression, Gu Ran muttered, "I'm not even charging you rent. Don't live here if you don't want to."
Ji Shiyu seemed afraid she would change her mind. "Of course I'll live here."
"Just," he moved a little closer, "could you get me a bigger place later on?"
Gu Ran looked at Ji Shiyu's face.
Housing wasn't easy to buy these days. In City A, every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. She had a decent amount of money saved up, not a huge fortune but not a small sum either. She wanted to save a bit more to buy a large, high-end apartment in one go.
"I'll try my best," Gu Ran answered after thinking seriously for a moment.
...
Gu Ran told Ding Ze about letting Ji Shiyu move in.
After hearing it, Ding Ze looked a bit confused. Then he cleared his throat, looked at Gu Ran, and asked hesitantly, "Can I ask a, um, maybe more private, slightly intrusive question? If you mind, just pretend I didn't ask."
Gu Ran: "What question?"
Ding Ze: "Didn't you two, uh, back then, I mean, didn't you ever... you know?"
Gu Ran: "..."
It was indeed a private question.
Ding Ze read the answer from Gu Ran's expression and scratched the back of his head in frustration. "Then isn't you making him sleep in a separate room now a bit... uh... what's the word."
Gu Ran: "Unnecessary?"
She snorted defiantly at Ding Ze. "You just don't get it. Typical straight guy."
The past was the past, and the present is the present. The past couldn't be the same as the present.
Back then, she was a miserable little canary with no rights. Now, Ji Shiyu was the one living under her roof, the one who had to lower his head.
Ding Ze truly didn't quite understand, but he told Gu Ran that as the year-end was approaching, there would be more activities both inside and outside of Cat's Paw, and things might get a bit busier soon.
Even the game interface of "Holy Spirit World" had given all the NPCs year-end outfits and sent a set of Xing Yao's costume for Gu Ran to cosplay again during her gaming livestream.
Gu Ran posted a streamer announcement saying she would cosplay while gaming live that night, then scrolled through other news.
She went from the beauty and skincare section all the way to the financial news section. The recent headline was about Xinbo's acquisition of an investment company.
Gu Ran usually didn't care for this kind of news, but today she inexplicably clicked on it.
Sure enough, the content didn't interest her much. It mostly talked about how awesome Xinbo was, how awesome their acquisition tactics were, what awesome economic benefits it would bring, and how awesome the current president of Xinbo was.
Gu Ran scrolled to the end. Other financial news articles usually had few comments, but this one actually had quite a few.
[Huh, some people look all impressive during the day, but actually have to work as an hourly cleaner at a female streamer's house for twenty bucks an hour at night. doge.jpg]
[What's the use of earning so much money? Still doesn't have a wife. doge again.jpg]
[Wuwuwuwu when will the Hundred-Year Couple finally get sweet? The episode with the lucky male fan wdlpml on the show really made me ship them so hard]
[Who Gu Ran is really reeling in isn't that ungrateful man, it's us, right?]
[This faithful maiden is willing to alternate meat and vegetables for the rest of her life in exchange for the Hundred-Year Couple starting to get sweet today]
...
Gu Ran never expected the top comments on this news article to be like this. She looked at them, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly.
She had a secret account lurking in the Hundred-Year Couple fan group. Recently, the group's membership had grown exponentially, with all kinds of fan creations, counting down the days with immense activity.
The reason was simple. Gu Ran knew that if Ji Shiyu were a balding middle-aged man, this situation definitely wouldn't be happening.
She put down her phone and went to her room to put on makeup and change.
To match the year-end atmosphere, this cosplay outfit, while still Xing Yao's signature purple clothes and gold accessories, incorporated red design elements in the hair ribbon and earrings. So, while doing her makeup, Gu Ran used red eyeshadow to blend the outer corners of her eyes, then, following the reference from Xing Yao's in-game artwork, dotted small glitter pieces on her cheekbones.
Gu Ran's look tonight sparked a wave of excitement on the Cat's Paw forum. No matter what, your Sister Ran is still your Sister Ran. At least for now, she remains undefeated.
Gu Ran streamed for nearly three hours tonight, ending around ten o'clock. She yawned and lazily walked out of the study.
There was a several-second delay in the livestream. When Gu Ran walked out of the study, the stream had just ended on Ji Shiyu's phone.
The person on the phone screen disappeared. He looked up and saw the living, breathing person walk out of the room and appear before his eyes.
The living room was lit with warm lights. Under the soft glow, she seemed to slowly step out from an exquisite painting of a beauty and into reality.
Gu Ran's yawn was halfway done when she saw Ji Shiyu.
Noticing cut fruit on the table, the corners of Gu Ran's lips lifted slightly.
Holding her skirt, Gu Ran strode over and sat down. "Work is so tiring."
Ji Shiyu: "Yes, it is. You've worked hard."
Gu Ran picked a grape and put it in her mouth. It was very sweet.
Ji Shiyu examined the makeup on Gu Ran's face in detail. Without makeup, she looked youthful and milky-skinned; with makeup, she became even more charming. Because some time had passed, her makeup had melted slightly, blending more seamlessly with her skin. Especially that touch of red at the corner of her eye, it made one's heart itch a little.
Gu Ran noticed Ji Shiyu had been staring at her and turned her head. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Ji Shiyu smiled and answered honestly. "You're very beautiful."
Gu Ran: "..."
"Thank you." She nodded seriously. "That's a fact. Good that you know. No need to point it out deliberately."
Ji Shiyu reached out, gently wrapped his arm around Gu Ran's waist, and pulled her onto his lap.
Gu Ran tossed away the grape skin in her hand. Her fingers were a bit damp, so she wiped them directly on Ji Shiyu's pajamas.
This man had been very presumptuous since moving in, even bringing his own pajamas.
Their bedtimes were roughly the same, but their wake-up times differed. When she woke up in the morning, Ji Shiyu had long since left for work, leaving breakfast on the dining table.
Sitting on Ji Shiyu's lap, looking at his pajamas, Gu Ran suddenly felt it was all a bit unreal.
He was the headline of financial news during the day, yet here he was, squeezing into this seventy-square-meter apartment with her every day, going to and from work.
"Don't you think it's too small here?" Gu Ran asked.
Both the apartment and the place he slept now.
Ji Shiyu stroked the long hair on Gu Ran's back and said, "I think it's just right."
"But if you work hard and get me a bigger place, I'd be even happier."
Gu Ran: "..."
She suddenly had the illusion that she was earning money just to buy Ji Shiyu a bigger house.
Who would have thought that the man who could give her 370 million to buy a painting would one day be waiting eagerly behind her for her to carry him.
Gu Ran snorted. "You have your own high-end apartments and villas. If you want to live in a big place, go live there yourself."
Ji Shiyu raised an eyebrow, looking at Gu Ran with an expression that said, "You know perfectly well why I'm living here now."
Gu Ran averted her gaze and smiled quietly to herself.
The atmosphere was serene. Ji Shiyu lifted Gu Ran's chin and kissed her.
Their breaths grew slightly ragged. The hairpins in Gu Ran's hair occasionally clinked together; she was still in her full cosplay outfit. Ji Shiyu kissed the reddened outer corner of her eye, the very spot that had been tantalizing him from the start.
Gu Ran's lips parted slightly as she caught her breath, a tingling sensation lingering at the corner of her eye.
Ji Shiyu's kisses trailed from the corner of her eye down to her cheek, finally landing on the pale skin of her neck.
Just as Ji Shiyu began kissing her neck, Gu Ran suddenly came to her senses and leaned back.
His kiss met empty air. He lifted his eyelids and looked at Gu Ran's now clear-eyed face.
Gu Ran got up from Ji Shiyu's lap. "I'm going to bed."
Ji Shiyu glanced down at himself and decided that the nickname "Little Ancestor" Xu Hui had saved for Gu Ran was absolutely spot-on.
Gu Ran went to remove her makeup and take a shower. When choosing her sleepwear, she suddenly hesitated.
One option was a simple set of purple pajamas. The other was a white silk nightgown, a gift from a brand she hadn't worn yet.
Gu Ran's fingers hovered between the two choices before finally settling on the nightgown.
After her shower, she was enveloped in the scent of her body wash. The spaghetti-strap dress revealed her slender arms and shoulders, its hem just grazing her jade-like calves. The silk fabric clung perfectly to her skin, outlining the lovely curves of her waist and hips.
Gu Ran stood before the mirror, looking at her reflection.
This was a feeling Ding Ze would truly never understand. She admitted she was being a bit melodramatic, stubbornly clinging to a shred of pride she hadn't felt in years. She had liked someone for so long, someone she could only look up to from afar. Now that she was sure he belonged to her, she wanted to see him yield a little, even in certain matters.
She had been so wronged, yet her defenses had been worn down bit by bit, leaving only this one last stubborn bastion to hold onto.
However, when Gu Ran emerged from the bathroom in that outfit, towel-drying her hair, and flashed past Ji Shiyu's line of sight, he understood her intentions perfectly clearly.
She was doing it on purpose.
Ji Shiyu took a deep breath.
Gu Ran noticed the deeper rise and fall of Ji Shiyu's chest. Then she said, with practiced nonchalance, "I'm going to sleep."
Ji Shiyu looked at her, then suddenly lowered his head and chuckled.
Gu Ran stopped, not understanding how he could laugh at a time like this, feeling a bit displeased. "What are you laughing at?"
Ji Shiyu took a step forward, gently tucking the stray hairs behind her ear. He had no issue with surrendering unconditionally to her in matters like this.
"Little Ancestor," he said in a low voice, wanting to laugh yet feeling a pang of frustration. "Just how long do you plan on keeping me on the hook?"
