Damn it, I'm surrounded by insane Alphas!

Meanwhile, Shi Ran's black van had already arrived at the resort.

Neither he nor Wang Cheng bothered to check in; they went straight to the command center.

After the initial information was compiled, some general outlines emerged.

Shi Ran stood in front of the whiteboard, rapidly directing the division of labor among the various departments.

Public relations, legal, and information teams.

With clear division of labor, no one wasted words, and everyone quickly dispersed to do their own thing.

Shi Ran dared not relax for a moment, and stayed in a hotel room with Wang Cheng, scratching her head and trying to come up with tomorrow's PR statement.

I wrote and deleted, deleted and wrote, and kept going until 2 a.m.

Suddenly, Wang Cheng's phone rang loudly, startling the two of them.

He glanced at the screen, his expression changed slightly, and he quickly sat up straight.

"President Gu?"

A cold voice came from the other end of the phone, "Where's Shi Ran? Is he with you?"

Wang Cheng's eyes flashed. "He's revising the PR statement with me, Mr. Gu... is there something you need?"

Gu Chen was silent for a few seconds. He had called Shi Ran several times, but no one answered.

His heart sank deeper and deeper.

I couldn't help but worry, what if it suddenly disappeared again?

He vanished like he did two years ago, leaving him digging like a madman. What should we do?

The more he thought about it, the uglier his face became. He only regretted not installing a tracking system on Shi Ran's phone.

Fortunately, Wang Cheng's call went through and didn't disappear.

My heart, which had been in my throat, finally settled down.

"Then why can't I get through to his phone?"

Wang Cheng covered the microphone and mouthed to Shi Ran, "President Gu can't get through to you."

Shi Ran took out his phone and saw that it was indeed out of battery and shut down.

He rubbed his temples helplessly, took the phone, and got up to walk to the balcony of the suite.

The night breeze was slightly cool. He leaned against the railing and answered Gu Chen's call, suddenly feeling a little dazed.

There was silence on the other end of the phone, and you could almost hear the other person's suppressed breathing.

Why aren't you answering the phone?

"I was busy revising the press release and didn't realize my phone was dead."

"From now on, you're not allowed to turn off your phone. You need to make sure I can contact you 24/7, understand?"

Gu Chen's tone was frighteningly cold, almost like a reprimand.

Shi Ran reluctantly agreed, "Okay, Mr. Gu, I will pay attention in the future."

After a brief silence, Gu Chen's voice seemed to soften a bit, "I've finished dealing with things here. My flight is tomorrow afternoon... I'll come see you."

Shi Ran tightened her grip on her phone. "Are you looking for me?"

You're here to handle work, why are you making it sound like you're looking for revenge?

Another silence fell, even deeper than before.

Occasionally, one could hear Gu Chen on the other end of the phone seem to take a breath and then slowly exhale, as if he was hesitating.

"You know..."

Gu Chen's voice carried a rare hint of hoarseness, "What day is it today?"

Perhaps it was Gu Chen's momentary unusual behavior that made Shi Ran remember it almost instantly.

Today is the anniversary of Gu Chen's mother's death.

Gu's mother had passed away before he entered the instance, but it was said that she came from a scholarly family and was gentle and kind, but her relationship with Gu Chen's father was not harmonious.

I heard they were a perfect couple back then, a match made in heaven.

But not long after, Gu Hongyuan regretted it, regretting that he hadn't married a wealthy woman who would have been more helpful to his career.

Gu Chen's mother gradually realized that she was out of place in this profit-driven circle and became increasingly depressed and despondent.

Finally, she moved away from the Gu family with Gu Chen and raised her son to adulthood on her own.

Her long-standing emotional distress took a toll on her health, and she later developed heart problems, passing away within six months.

Shi Ran remembered that in the game, one day Gu Chen didn't get home until the early hours of the morning. He pushed open his bedroom door, reeking of alcohol, which startled him.

He subconsciously thought that Gu Chen wanted to take something, so he obediently moved closer as usual, trying to please him with kisses and tenderness.

But Gu Chen grabbed his restless hand.

The next moment, Gu Chen pressed down with his entire weight, burying his head deep into the crook of his neck and gently rubbing against him.

"Don't move, and don't ask me anything... just let me hold you for a while."

Shi Ran stood frozen in place, not daring to move.

Then, he heard Gu Chen whisper in his ear, "Two years ago today, my mother passed away."

At that moment, Shi Ran realized for the first time that this iceberg-like man could also feel pain, lose control, and have a vulnerable weakness just like everyone else.

Perhaps it was because she was thinking of her own mother who was bedridden, that Shi Ran was able to empathize with her.

He slowly raised his hand, which had been hanging by his side, and wrapped it around Gu Chen's neck, holding the distraught man in his arms tightly.

"I'm here," he heard himself say softly.

He could feel the person in his arms stiffen for a moment, and then hug him even tighter.

Shi Ran had a deep impression of that night because it was the first time Gu Chen had revealed his vulnerability to him.

From that day on, Gu Chen would sleep with him. Before that, even if they did it, Gu Chen would go back to his own room afterwards.

Memories from the dungeon suddenly flooded back, and Shi Ran couldn't help but choke up.

Hearing the soft breathing sounds coming from the other side, Gu Chen couldn't help but call out in a low voice, "Shi Ran?"

Suddenly, a lump formed in her throat, and the words buried deep in her memory escaped her lips: "I'm here."

Gu Chen's fingers tightened suddenly as he gripped his phone.

Shi Ran's voice was too soft.

Light as a feather, so fleeting that he almost thought it was an auditory hallucination under the influence of alcohol, or a delusion caused by his excessive longing.

He spoke, his voice trembling slightly, "What did you say?"

Shi Ran opened her mouth, but the words "I said I'm here" got stuck in her throat, and she swallowed them back in the end.

He hates me so much that all those pretentious words of comfort he used to offer now seem even more ironic and ridiculous.

So, Shi Ran could only manage a dry, curt "I said, Mr. Gu, you've worked hard."

These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly freezing the softness I had just felt.

Gu Chen's voice turned icy cold again: "Hang up."

The busy signal came through, crisp and efficient.

Shi Ran awkwardly walked back and returned the phone to Wang Cheng.

Wang Cheng took the phone and teased him, "President Gu has never cared about me this much. This really chills the heart of an old general."

"Then, old general, could you finish the manuscript for me?"

Wang Cheng immediately admitted defeat, "This favor is too much for an old general like me to receive."

At 3:30 a.m., the press release was finally finalized.

Both of them were exhausted, so Wang Cheng pulled out a folder and handed it to Shi Ran.

"Oh, by the way, I have an appointment with Black Shield tomorrow. Here's the information."

Shi Ran was so sleepy that her eyelids were drooping. "I'll talk about it tomorrow. I'm going to die from exhaustion."

He dragged his aching body back to his room, threw the documents on the table, and went to sleep.

The folder lay quietly on the table.

On the cover, "President - Fu Yanshen" shimmers quietly in the night.

Sometimes he sleeps soundly until the sky is completely dark.

They knew nothing about the impending storm.