Within three seconds of sending the WeChat message, the group chat exploded with activity.
There weren’t many people in this group – aside from Gu Ran, there were only five others – and now all of them had been drawn out by the message.
The most recent response came from Second Brother.
“Little Junior Sister, what’s wrong? Did that man bully you? Don’t be afraid, I’ll come to Beicheng tomorrow to teach him a lesson. How dare he bully my little junior sister? I’ll make him bedridden for six months.”
This was immediately followed by a message from Eldest Brother. Being older and farsighted, he found typing inconvenient and always sent voice messages.
“Little Junior Sister, we all miss you very much. Master said that since you’ve made your decision, we all respect your choice. But if you’re wronged while you’re out there alone, don’t endure it silently. You must tell us – your senior brothers will stand up for you.”
Hearing that familiar, gentle voice after so long, Gu Ran remembered how Eldest Brother used to take her hunting in the mountains when she was young, always saving the best treats for her. To Gu Ran, Eldest Brother was like a father figure, providing the paternal love she lacked during her childhood.
Gu Ran continued reading. The next message was from ‘Little Old Man’.
“Girl, your master was just angry and confused that day. No matter what, you’ll always be this old man’s most beloved youngest disciple. Remember, don’t be afraid of trouble when you’re outside – whatever happens, your master will bear the responsibility for you.”
By this point, Gu Ran was crying uncontrollably. Fortunately, there was no one else around, or the entire Tan Palace would have been thrown into chaos.
After composing herself slightly, Gu Ran didn’t go into detail about what had happened over the past two months, simply replying:
“I’m doing very well in Beicheng. Also, I have no relationship with Han Muze whatsoever. As for the reason, please don’t ask for now.”
Then, Gu Ran put down her phone, placing her left hand on her right wrist to check her pulse. After a few minutes, a cold glint flashed in her eyes. She picked up her phone again and @-mentioned her Second Brother in the group.
“Second Brother, bring me some Qingdu Pills when you come tomorrow.”
Seeing this, Second Brother immediately sent a message:
“Little Junior Sister, what’s wrong with you?”
Afraid of worrying everyone in the group, Gu Ran quickly explained:
“They’re for a friend, not for me.”
After chatting with the group members for a while longer, Gu Ran felt no sense of estrangement despite their previous arguments and despite having lived through this life once before. It was as if these people had always been by her side.
After catching up with them, Gu Ran opened another chat group labeled ‘Coders Struggle Group’, which was also unusually active.
However, compared to the sentimental atmosphere in ‘Barefoot Doctors, One Family’, this group was much more lively.
When Gu Ran first came to Beicheng, she hadn’t told anyone. Since she often disappeared from this group chat, no one found her two-month absence strange.
But now Gu Ran needed someone from the group to handle something for her, so she asked directly in the chat:
“Is Old A here?”
The moment Gu Ran surfaced, the group erupted again. The chat had already been lively, but with Gu Ran’s appearance, it felt like the phone screen might crack from the activity.
“Boss?”
“Ahhh! Boss, you’ve finally appeared! Wuwuwu…”
“Boss, what have you been doing these past two months? Flower Demon said you found a man?”
“What? The boss found a man? Is there anyone in this world worthy of our boss?”
…Gu Ran stared at the rapidly scrolling new messages, feeling utterly dazzled. Without a word, she exited the group chat and privately contacted Old A.
“Help me investigate something. The Han family in Beicheng, with focus on Han Muze. Also look into the cause of death of the second master of the Gu family in Beicheng, Gu ***.”
A reply came quickly from the other end.
“Boss, what’s going on? Hua Yao said the man you’re seeing is Han Muze. Did he play you?”
“Stop with the nonsense. Curiosity killed the cat, remember? Just do as I say.”
“Alright, alright. But boss, wouldn’t it be easier for you to investigate this yourself?”
When it came to hacking skills, Old A only dared claim second place in their organization – the top spot unquestionably belonged to his boss.
He recalled years ago when, young and ignorant, he’d challenged this thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl to a one-on-one showdown. He’d proudly presented a firewall he’d spent a month building, only to watch her breach it in under a minute. At that moment, his entire worldview had shattered.
Since then, Old A had acknowledged this young girl as his boss, even though she was five or six years his junior.
Gu Ran would have preferred to investigate herself, but she had more important matters to attend to. As the saying goes, make the best use of everything – when someone could handle tasks for her, why bother doing it personally? True experts only made grand appearances when everyone else was stuck.
“I have other matters to attend to. Resolve these two issues as quickly as possible.”
As Gu Ran prepared to exit the chat window, Old A seemed to anticipate her move and sent a voice message.
“Boss, wait! There’s one more thing. Shadow Base wants to hire you to build a firewall. They place an order every half month, and they’ve placed another today. They’ve already offered five billion.”
Gu Ran wasn’t initially interested in this job. As rumored in their circles, she only accepted jobs based on her mood.
But just as she was about to refuse, she heard the final amount – five billion – and immediately changed her attitude.
“Five billion? Just for building a firewall?”
Gu Ran’s mind raced. In her previous life, she’d only focused on maintaining family ties with the Gu family and avenging her father’s death, ultimately betraying those who truly cared about her.
Now, Gu Ran had broader aspirations. Everything she hadn’t completed or had abandoned midway in her previous life – she would accomplish it all in this lifetime.
As her thoughts whirled, another message from Old A came through on WeChat.
“Boss, you still there? Should I take the job? Tianlong has been demanding funds recently – their research is burning through money like crazy.”
Well, since he’d put it that way… Gu Ran typed back:
“Ten billion. One week.”
Those brief words nearly made Old A jump out of his chair with excitement.
“Great, boss! I’ll contact Shadow Base immediately. But isn’t ten billion too much? We’re not exactly black-hearted merchants…”
“Hmph… Am I black-hearted? Should you be responsible for funding Tianlong next time then?”
Complete silence fell over the chat group after that.
Gu Ran checked the unread messages in her WeChat again. Initially in good spirits, her entire demeanor turned icy when she saw those particularly offensive names. Though already in the depths of winter, the atmosphere now felt frozen for miles around.
Han Muze and Gu Yao – these two who had completely deceived her in her previous life – had been sending constant messages these past few days.
Gu Ran suddenly felt grateful to Fu Sijue for taking away her phone. Otherwise, these days would have been much more irritating, having to endure the disgusting antics of this scumbag and white lotus pair. It would have been utterly nauseating.
Speak of the devil. Just as Gu Ran was contemplating how to deal with that wretched pair, light footsteps sounded from behind.
Gu Ran concealed the gloom in her eyes, looked up, and turned around to see Xiao Ya entering.
“Miss Gu, Miss Gu Yao is here. She says she wishes to see you?”
How prompt of her. Gu Ran hadn’t even decided when to pay a visit, yet the other party had already delivered herself to the doorstep.
However, Gu Ran was in no hurry to go downstairs. Instead, she glanced out the window. The sunlight was bright, but it couldn’t withstand the howling north wind.
Although Nan City was located in the south, its winters were exceptionally cold—a damp, penetrating chill that seeped into the bones.
Staying outside for just a short while, no matter how warmly dressed, one could feel the cold air creeping straight into the body.