Everything was tidied up.
Meng Yan was awakened, though his body hadn’t fully recovered yet. Secretary Wang took over the driver’s seat.
“Secretary Wang, let’s go.”
Lin Ran carefully stored the zombie core in her spatial pocket.
She didn’t plan to absorb it for now; her earlier insistence on taking the core was just an excuse for the male lead to kill the cloaked zombie.
As such, now that the cloaked zombie was dead, she wouldn’t say anything like “I don’t want the core anymore.”
Later on, this core might prove very useful.
The business car slowly started moving.
The road to the port was quieter than expected, with only a few stray zombies wandering the streets.
But with Zhou Wangye’s team’s power, clearing these obstacles was effortless.
Along the way, they found an open space.
Lin Ran released several dozen zombies she had previously imprisoned from her spatial dimension.
As the zombies hit the ground, their limbs still stiffly twisting, He Sheng’s throwing knives simultaneously struck.
“Roar…”
The zombies’ cries abruptly ended as they fell heavily to the ground.
Zombies: are you being polite?
Everyone took the opportunity to eat some food and regain energy.
Gu Xiangwan thoughtfully handed Zhou Wangye bottled water and noodles, just like the company had prepared meals for him before, even unscrewing the bottle cap for him.
Everyone in the car acted as if this was completely normal.
Though Secretary Wang and Gu Xiangwan were both presidential aides, Wang focused on business assistance while Gu Xiangwan tended more to the president’s personal life.
Lin Ran couldn’t help but feel: the male lead ending up in Gu Xiangwan’s care was no loss at all.
Who wouldn’t be moved when a woman cared for them so meticulously and wholeheartedly?
But…
She was certain that Gu Xiangwan was doing this deliberately.
Based on the memories left from her previous life, Gu Xiangwan had been explicitly instructed by the male lead to avoid approaching Lin Ran whenever possible.
After all, Lin Ran’s past achievements were quite astonishing.
So whenever Lin Ran went to the company to see the male lead, Gu Xiangwan—even when preparing meals—would have other male colleagues deliver them, to prevent Lin Ran from going crazy.
That “big sister” had a history of going berserk, slapping people or throwing water as normal behavior.
And now…
Gu Xiangwan was intentionally performing this act in front of her, even brushing the male lead’s fingers while handing him water.
Lin Ran immediately realized: Gu Xiangwan was trying to provoke her into losing her temper, just like before.
Slapping, splashing water, even pushing Gu Xiangwan into a pile of zombies—then Gu Xiangwan would have ample justification to retaliate. No one would think she went too far; after all, Lin Ran started it, and it would appear as self-defense.
If some mistake happened in the process—like accidentally pushing Lin Ran toward the zombies—it would be purely accidental. No one would see Gu Xiangwan as cruel; instead, she’d appear clever.
Thus, in the previous life, when the original character “pushed” the heroine into the zombie pile, it was actually part of a trap.
The heroine deliberately provoked her step by step to lead her to do it.
Heh.
Having realized this, Lin Ran remained expressionless, watching her performance intently.
Her clear, bright eyes fixed on Gu Xiangwan, like an amused spectator.
Zhou Wangye, feeling stared at, assumed she was about to cause trouble and said sharply, “Lin Ran, eat properly. Why are you staring at me like that?”
Of course, he shouldn’t have been gentle with her earlier.
Now, she was about to start a scene.
Gu Xiangwan pretended nothing had happened, calmly eating her noodles, but her ears perked up, wanting to hear Lin Ran get jealous and complain about the male lead, then go back to yelling at her for seducing him.
She even deliberately tilted her body, baiting Lin Ran to hit her.
But this time, Lin Ran didn’t get angry; she just popped some chips into her mouth.
“Chew chew chew… I just suddenly thought…”
“Chew chew chew… Big brother and Secretary Gu make a good pair…”
“Chew chew chew… Perfect as a couple.”
A fake, virtuous green tea girl, and a blind fool—what a match!
Hearing this, Zhou Wangye almost spat out his water.
What had he just heard?
Lin Ran—the one who always got jealous if another woman came near him—actually said this aloud.
He scrutinized her, suspicious, fearing another trick.
Lin Ran didn’t flinch under his gaze, showing not a trace of guilt.
She even added: “I was foolish before, but now I realize it. Big brother really needs a woman like Secretary Gu to take care of him. I’m truly happy for him.”
You two get along well—just don’t cause trouble for me. I want to live long!
Zhou Wangye thought she was being sarcastic and turned away, not wanting to listen.
But when he glanced back, he saw Gu Xiangwan.
The secretary looked equally shocked at Lin Ran’s words.
So just now, it wasn’t a hallucination—Lin Ran really said that.
Was this still Lin Ran?
But looking closer, he saw a hint of victorious delight on Gu Xiangwan’s face.
Could it be that the secretary actually liked him?
Gu Xiangwan, hearing her own name paired with Zhou Wangye’s, felt a quiet thrill.
But the next moment, she sensed something odd about Lin Ran.
Yesterday, Lin Ran had even spiked Zhou Wangye’s drink and shamelessly offered herself as a pillow.
Now she was saying Zhou Wangye and Gu Xiangwan were a perfect match.
Lin Ran was definitely plotting something!
Yes, another scheme.
She looked at Zhou Wangye and caught suspicion in his eyes again.
She knew Lin Ran couldn’t possibly truly believe she and Zhou Wangye were a good match.
Lin Ran was clearly full of mischief.
She just wanted Zhou Wangye to see that she liked him, and then lose trust in her.
This wretched woman!
Gu Xiangwan reminded herself to stay composed.
Her lips curved naturally, looking at Lin Ran as if at her younger sister. “President Zhou, you see, Miss Lin Ran must have misunderstood and gotten jealous. Why don’t you quickly pacify her?”
She then turned fully to Zhou Wangye, sincere, without a hint of guilt: “Later, if Miss Lin Ran throws a fit—running off in anger or shouting and attracting zombies—it will be troublesome for the team.”
Her whole demeanor suggested she was thinking of the team, but in reality, she was planting a seed in Lin Ran’s mind.
“Everyone in the company knows Miss Lin Ran likes President Zhou. I’ve been warned so many times; how could I ever fall for her?”
“Besides, I prefer a retired soldier like Brother Meng. Miss Lin Ran, don’t misunderstand.”
Everyone reacted differently to these words.
Zhou Wangye felt like he had lost his mind—how could he believe Lin Ran’s nonsense?
He glanced in the rearview mirror at Meng Yan.
After being controlled by the cloaked zombie, his face had gone pale; now it was flushed, and he kept sneaking glances at Gu Xiangwan—clearly head over heels.
Gu Xiangwan, in turn, looked gently at Meng Yan.
Wasn’t this exactly love on both sides?
A genuinely sweet couple.
He shook his head, smiling. Lin Ran had truly thrown him off.
Meng Yan never expected that his long-held crush would finally bear fruit.
The secretary’s words were no different from a public declaration of affection.
Secretary Wang joked: “I noticed Meng Yan liked Gu all along, but I didn’t expect Gu actually… haha, this is great news.”
Gu Xiangwan closed her eyes, slightly guilty: Sorry, Brother Meng, I just used you as a shield. This way, President Zhou wouldn’t suspect me.
Lin Ran smirked silently: she hadn’t expected Gu Xiangwan to find herself a boyfriend to clear suspicion—much more entertaining than the original story.
She loved watching this unfold.