Chapter 125 — Mu Ran Hypnotized, Falls in Love with Gu Yan

That calculating young master Gu knew perfectly well that he would eventually come to the Public Relations Department. He was essentially forcing him to play the villain.

The PR manager was the son of one of the old man Gu’s former subordinates from his military days. Elder Gu was a man who valued old loyalties. If Gu Beicheng had fired this short, pudgy man himself, the old man would undoubtedly have been furious, berating his grandson for not giving him any face. But if he, Shen Mubai, stepped in as an "uninformed party" to handle the dismissal, Elder Gu might be annoyed, but he wouldn't say anything.

"I told you, Shen Mubai, you have no authority to fire me! Until President Gu speaks, no one can force me to leave!" The PR manager doubled down on his shamelessness. Pressing his rotund body against the doorframe, he gripped the handle tightly. "What are you looking at? I am still your manager, now get back to work!"

As soon as he spoke, several employees who wanted to avoid trouble turned away, not daring to watch the spectacle any longer.

"You're certainly full of confidence." Instead of getting angry, Shen Mubai chuckled softly. He strolled over to the manager, grabbed him by the tie, and said in an icy tone, "I don't need to drag the woman out of that room for everyone to see, do I?"

The man shuddered, his voice trembling. "W-we are in true love."

A flicker of ruthlessness flashed in Shen Mubai’s eyes. He curled his lips, looking down at the man who was clinging so desperately to his position. "Check your phone."

The moment those words were spoken, everyone on the 15th floor froze. Check their phones?

"What, have your brains turned to mush after working for this fat pig for a few days? Check your phones! The company group chat!"

Shen Mubai held everything in contempt, his internal rage still simmering. How had the employees in this company become so lazy and dim-witted while Gu Beicheng was away chasing his wife for a few days? The worst part was that he was the one left to clean up this mess!

The fat man was right about one thing: Shen Mubai held no real power at the Chengxing headquarters, but he did have the authority to fire someone.

"Did you not see the announcement and the photos posted in the main group?" Shen Mubai opened the Chengxing Group’s main chat. This enterprise WeChat group included everyone from the headquarters down to the various subsidiaries.

Everyone on the 15th floor simultaneously opened their WeChat. In the group, the General Manager of the Human Resources Department had uploaded several photos. Each one clearly showed the PR manager engaging in illicit affairs with female employees within the office.

"I..." The manager was speechless.

"Get out. Now." Shen Mubai left the company with a cold face.

***

On the plane where Mu Ran was traveling.

"Mu Ran, we’ll be landing in less than half an hour." Gu Yan looked at the woman who refused to acknowledge him, his eyes filled with playful amusement as he rested his chin on his palm. "Mu Ran, there’s no need to keep me at arm's length. We could be friends."

The man persisted in provoking the woman who was closing her eyes to rest. She didn't respond to him at all, but he wasn't annoyed; instead, his amusement only deepened.

"Mu Ran, I just love how cold and aloof you are." Gu Yan chuckled, his voice sounding strangely eerie. He stopped talking and began toying with a pendant in his hand, tossing it into the air, catching it, tossing it again, and catching it again.

"Can you stop bothering Xiao Ran? You are truly detestable, full of nothing but malice. You’d better stay away from us, otherwise..." Lin Chong turned his head, his gaze fierce and full of warning.

Gu Yan was unfazed, his aura radiating a sense of provocation. "Otherwise what? Will you shave my head into a bald spot like yours?"

"You!" Lin Chong let out an angry snort and turned away, refusing to engage further. If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't commit evil acts in this lifetime, he would have long since dealt with this sinister, malevolent man!

Lin Chong gestured toward Mu Ran beside him, his eyes filled with helplessness. He sighed, then reached out a hand, signaling for her to place her own in his.

"Xiao Ran, you must be careful of Gu Yan. Some things are fated; if I try to help you, I might actually be harming you."

"What do you mean, Brother Lin?" Mu Ran placed her hand in his calloused palm. She watched suspiciously as his long fingers rested on her pulse. "You can't help me? Is Gu Yan going to do something to me?"

Lin Chong slowly closed his eyes. Through the woman's destiny, a series of images flashed through his mind: Gu Beicheng, Mu Ran, Gu Yan... This was the entanglement between the three of them. Gu Yan would hypnotize Mu Ran and claim her for himself.

But he himself... he couldn't speak! He was forced to stand by and watch!

"Brother Lin??" Mu Ran grabbed the man’s tattooed arm, her brows furrowed, her heart growing uneasy as she watched his tense expression. "Lin Chong, wake up!"

"I'm awake, Xiao Ran." Lin Chong opened his eyes; sweat had already broken out on his forehead. His hands were ice-cold—chillingly cold.

Mu Ran instinctively pulled her hand back. "Brother Lin, what did you see?" Actually, she already had a premonition of what Gu Yan might do to her.

Lin Chong took a deep breath and waved his hand at her. "There’s no way around it."

"What?"

"I said there is no way. Xiao Ran, this is a backlash from your own fate. I cannot tell you the specifics, but I can only say that you must face it; you cannot escape." A sense of powerlessness washed over him. The world was vast and full of wonders. Lin Chong considered himself a person with special abilities—in certain circumstances, he could foresee the future and peer into destinies. But he never expected to encounter someone as powerful as Gu Yan. Mind reading, hypnosis—these were lethal abilities for controlling others.

"I believe in backlash, but I don't believe in fate." Mu Ran sneered and stood up, reaching toward Lin Chong.

"What are you doing, Xiao Ran?" Lin Chong dodged, sensing a terrifying killing intent radiating from the woman. Was she angry that he wouldn't save her? But... if he intervened in the affairs of these three, Mu Ran would surely suffer an even more severe backlash! It could even be divine retribution—the pain of having her soul extracted and her body destroyed!

"Hitting someone." Mu Ran parted her lips slightly, shot a chilly glance behind her, and then curled her lips into a smile. She picked up the stainless steel thermos behind Lin Chong, aimed it at Gu Yan’s smirking face, and threw it with all her might.

"Bang!"

"Damn it, Mu Ran, are you looking to die?!" Because Gu Yan couldn't read Mu Ran's mind, he had absolutely no idea the woman would throw something at him. So crude! So hateful!

"Mu Ran, you are too weak right now. Why not be with me? If you stay with me, I will make you incredibly powerful." The man stood up slowly, his angry expression vanishing, replaced by an eerie smile. He stepped forward, placed his hands on the back of Mu Ran's seat, and leaned in, trapping her in his embrace. "The people around you are too mediocre. Gu Beicheng is just an ordinary man; he isn't worthy of you. After all, you have the aura of a rebirth, don't you?"

*How does he know about the rebirth aura?* Can Gu Yan see her destiny too? Mu Ran’s pupils trembled and her lips twitched, her eyes slowly filling with anger and sarcasm. "Mediocre? How laughable. Who isn't mediocre? You? By committing patricide—killing your own father—to gain the power of mind reading?"

The woman stared directly into the man’s evil, sinister eyes with disdain. "Gu Beicheng is not mediocre. You, on the other hand, rely on treacherous means to get what you want. You are the mediocre one!"

Mu Ran finally couldn't suppress her rising fury and raised her hand.

"Slap!"

Both sides of the man’s face were finally symmetrical, equally flushed red. Mu Ran’s blow had been forceful, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

"Hitting someone again? How spirited!" Gu Yan suddenly gripped Mu Ran’s wrists with one large hand and then slowly wiped the blood from his mouth with his thumb. He stained his fingers with the blood and rubbed it against the woman’s lip.

"Mu Ran... look at me..." Gu Yan’s voice was ethereal, and a strange, haunting light suddenly shot from his eyes. "Mu Ran, look at the pendant. Relax."

Mu Ran’s body gradually went limp; she stopped resisting. Her sharp, cold eyes slowly became vacant, even turning a bit glassy.

"Gu Yan! Get the hell away from her! Don't you dare hypnotize Mu Ran!" Lin Chong unclenched his fists, his neck straining, the artery pulsing violently. Blood seeped from his lips; he couldn't stand it! He couldn't let Gu Yan hypnotize Mu Ran! He had to stop him! Even if Mu Ran would suffer a greater backlash in the future! It didn't matter! He would find a way! He would do everything in his power to save her!

"Overestimating yourself!" Gu Yan turned around, glared at Lin Chong, and snapped his fingers in his direction. With just that one snap, Lin Chong fell into a coma.

With no one left in his way, Gu Yan’s actions became even more audacious. He turned back to face Mu Ran, who stood like a soulless puppet. He curled his lips, full of possessiveness. "Ranran, I am the one you love most. Look at me, look into my eyes. Don't be afraid. I am the one you love most. I am Gu Yan, your only lover."

"Who are you?" Mu Ran’s voice was soft and sweet, a complete departure from her original cold and aloof nature. Her eyes gradually cleared, and she seemed to wake up.

"Mu Ran, I am your boyfriend, Gu Yan. Have you forgotten? We met on 'Love in Travel,' and my grandfather is your fan..."

"Is that so?" Mu Ran’s voice remained soft. Her appearance hadn't changed, but her entire aura was completely different.

"Not enough." Gu Yan leaned into Mu Ran’s ear and whispered. "Look at the pendant. There is a little person inside the pendant. Do you see it, Ranran?"

Gu Yan swayed the pendant for a full five minutes, his voice, at once eerie and seductive, enveloping the woman. Mu Ran’s mind was completely lost.

"You are Gu Yan? My boyfriend?" The Mu Ran of now was no longer the cool, decisive "little pepper" from before; she had become a soft, innocent, and cute girl. "Gu Yan, who is Gu Beicheng? Do you know Gu Beicheng? Why do I feel like my heart is full of him, but my mind is full of you?"

As she spoke, two lines of tears flowed down Mu Ran's cheeks involuntarily. Gu Yan, who was feeling a pang of tenderness for her, was shocked. He gripped the pendant tightly, muttering in confusion, "Still not enough? Was the hypnosis not deep enough?"

A normal person would completely forget who they were after being hypnotized by Gu Yan for one minute. If he didn't lift it, this state would last for over three months. But he had hypnotized Mu Ran for five full minutes. Why did this woman still remember Gu Beicheng? *How much does she love him!*

Jealousy flooded Gu Yan’s brain; hatred, envy, and resentment erupted in his eyes. The man gritted his teeth and swayed the pendant before Mu Ran’s eyes for another two minutes. "Gu Beicheng is the person you hate the most. He hurt me; he wants to steal you away from me. But you love me, you love me very much. You cannot live without me, Mu Ran. You must hate him!"

Mu Ran tilted her head, her fox-like eyes shining with innocence. Her soft pink lips parted slightly, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Really? I love you? I hate Gu Beicheng?"

"Yes! You love me." Gu Yan curled his lips. He loved how intimate she was being. He slowly lowered his head, reaching toward her lips.

"No! Get up!" Mu Ran’s hands suddenly released him, pushing against his chest; she shoved him away with force. "Why are you kissing me! You are so annoying! I don't want to kiss!"

Gu Yan stood up and stood before her, motionless, watching her deeply. "Mu Ran? Look at me. Tell me, were you hypnotized?"

"What hypnosis? I don't even know when I fell in love with you! But I believe what you say! But I'm only 18 right now; I need a moment." Seeing that the man still looked displeased, she continued: "Give me some time, I will slowly accept you, but I just started college, I still have my studies, and I still want to go skiing."

"Gu Yan? Are you listening to me?" The woman tilted her head and grinned at him, her smile sweeter than the mountain streams in summer.

Gu Yan nodded. "I believe you."

"Be good, fasten your seatbelt. When the plane lands, I'll take you home."

The man returned to his seat, staring at Mu Ran’s back, lost in thought. Eighteen? He hadn't set her age when he hypnotized her! How did she come to perceive herself as eighteen? But Gu Yan was certain that Mu Ran had indeed been hypnotized, because a woman's gaze couldn't lie. He had hypnotized many people, and after being hypnotized, their eyes would become extremely vacant, glassy, and sometimes wouldn't even reflect an image. Mu Ran had just been like that; there was no mistake.