Damn it, I'm surrounded by insane Alphas!

(Given the enthusiastic requests from our group members, I'll be writing a few more side stories, hehe, including some about Doctor Wen~ Please leave your comments! Love you all!)

It's been almost a month since I came to this new instance.

He spent almost every day holed up in that run-down internet cafe outside the school, the keyboard clattering away, his game character dying and coming back to life, mechanically clicking the mouse, his mind completely blank.

Because just thinking about it hurts, and it reminds me of that person.

Two months ago, he had spent more than three years in Fu Yanshen's alternate world.

More than 1,100 days is enough time to win over Lu Lin twice.

But Fu Yanshen's heart-fluttering value remained at 90, unmoved.

The system reminded him that there was a maximum time limit for the strategy; if the time limit was exceeded, the strategy would be considered a failure.

He took a risk and came up with a stupid plan.

He deliberately exposed his whereabouts to lure Fu Yanshen into having his family kidnap him.

He wanted to give Fu Yanshen a little stimulation, to make him lose his sense of reality a bit, so that he could leverage those last 10 points of excitement.

But he forgot that Fu Yanshen's rivals were no pushovers either.

Those people didn't want money or weapons; they just wanted Fu Yanshen to come and exchange for them.

It was only when I was blindfolded and locked in some unknown place that I truly panicked.

Fu Yanshen wanted to hear his voice first, so he held the phone to Shi Ran's ear and heard Fu Yanshen call out "Baby".

His voice was still the same, gentle and soft, just like when he came back from outside and Shi Ran was nestled on the sofa waiting for him.

Shi Ran's eyes immediately turned red.

"Um." His throat tightened, he paused, and added, "I'm sorry."

"They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"No." Shi Ran sniffed. "Don't come, Fu Yanshen."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

Then, a very soft laugh was heard, sounding like helplessness, or perhaps like something that had already been decided.

"But I miss you."

Suddenly, tears streamed down her face.

The phone was taken away.

The hood was put back on, and everything went dark. The voices gradually faded away.

He was locked in a sealed warehouse, where the air was cold and damp, with a rusty and musty smell.

He asked the system if Fu Yanshen would die.

The system remained silent for a long time before saying it could not guarantee it.

He then asked if he could quit the game now.

If Fu Yanshen dies in the game, will he be affected in real life?

He asked a lot of questions, one after another, as if as long as he didn't stop, the answers on the other end wouldn't be too bad.

Later, he cried so much that he couldn't speak.

The system stopped making any noise.

The intense tension of the past ten-plus hours had drained him of all his strength, and he fell into a deep sleep.

I don't know how much time has passed.

The hood was suddenly ripped off, and blinding white light pierced the eyes.

Shi Ran squinted, her gaze slowly focusing, and saw that the person squatting in front of her was Zhou Jin.

Zhou Jin was covered in sweat, his eyes were red, and he was untying the ropes for him.

Shi Ran stared blankly at him, her ears ringing, the sounds around her sometimes near and sometimes far.

He suddenly grabbed Zhou Jin's wrist. "Where's Fu Yanshen?"

Zhou Jin opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Suddenly, a "buzz" went through my mind.

He doesn't remember how he got to the hospital.

The bright incandescent lights in the corridor were blinding, and he was stopped outside the emergency room.

Who are Fu Yanshen's family members?

Suddenly, he pounced on her.

"I am who I am."

Someone handed him a piece of paper, and when he looked down, he realized it was a "critical condition notice".

"The patient was shot twice and is still undergoing emergency treatment."

Shi Ran leaned against the wall and slowly slid down to sit on the ground.

There were many people standing in the corridor: Fu Yanshen's subordinates, his legal team, and some faces he didn't recognize.

Someone came over to help him, but he waved his hand and refused to let anyone touch him.

The system kept talking to him, but he didn't hear a single word.

He kept staring at the emergency room door, above which was a red light that was always on.

He later learned that Fu Yanshen had made a will before coming to rescue him.

After his death, all his property was left to Shi Ran.

That person really came prepared to die.

Shi Ran sat on a plastic chair in the corridor, buried her face in her palms, and trembled for a long time without making a sound.

The emergency room door finally opened.

When the hospital bed was wheeled out, Shi Ran looked over and her whole body trembled.

He saw the chest of the person under the blanket still rising and falling, and saw that the face was not covered with a white sheet. His legs went weak, and he could hardly stand up.

Only when tears fell did he realize that he had been holding his breath the whole time.

At that moment, he wasn't thinking about anything.

What heart rate, what strategy, what dungeon, none of that matters anymore.

All he wanted was for Fu Yanshen to live.

Fu Yanshen was in a coma for many days.

He would not allow anyone to come and would personally guard him.

Only Zhou Jin and a few others were allowed to go in and deliver the items.

He doesn't let anyone keep him company, and he doesn't eat much, so he loses weight very quickly.

In just one week, her weight dropped back to the level it was when she first met Fu Yanshen.

The doctor said to talk to the patient more, and the patient could hear him, so he would hold Fu Yanshen's hand and talk to him patiently.

He was best at chattering away in front of Fu Yanshen, even if the other party didn't respond at all.

He said, "Actually, I spotted you at the auction back then."

At that time, I thought, "Wow, this guy is so handsome. I wish he could buy me."

He said that the garden at home is now very well maintained, and the flowers by your bedside were all planted by me. You will see them when you wake up.

If you don't wake up, they'll wither away, which would be a real shame.

He said, "I've lost weight again, even less than when I first met you."

Aren't you most afraid that I won't eat? Most afraid that I'll lose weight again? Then wake up quickly, scold me, and discipline me, okay?

His voice trailed off as he spoke, and he fell asleep by the bedside, holding Fu Yanshen's hand.

Tears still clung to her eyelashes, drying on Fu Yanshen's knuckles.

He woke up to a very light touch.

Something was touching his eyebrows.

Suddenly, he raised his head.

Fu Yanshen was staring at him with his eyes open.

His eyes were still cloudy and lacked any sparkle, but he was definitely looking at Shi Ran, with a very faint smile on his lips.

Shi Ran stood there, stunned, her mouth open but no sound came out.

Fu Yanshen spoke, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible: "My heart is breaking."

He slowly raised his hand, his fingers touching Shi Ran's cheek; it was very cool.

"If you don't wake up soon, you'll become so thin you'll disappear."

Suddenly, all the grievances burst forth at that moment.

He rushed over, buried his face in Fu Yanshen's neck, and cried uncontrollably.

Fu Yanshen raised his hand and slowly placed it on the back of his head, gently patting it.

Shi Ran was crying so hard that she didn't notice a very soft notification sound in her mind.

The sound only lasted for a moment, as if it had been cut off.

Fu Yanshen is getting better day by day.

He has changed a lot.

The workaholic who used to want to work 24 hours a day has started turning down all kinds of social engagements and business trips.

He rarely leaves home, and even when he does, he always takes Shiran with him.

He began to teach Shi Ran how to use a gun.

Starting with the most basic gun-holding posture, I corrected his movements again and again.

He also taught him some self-defense skills, how to break free from restraints, and how to protect himself in dangerous situations.

When Shi Ran got impatient with studying, he would pinch the back of his neck and tell him to be good.

Learn a little, just for my sake.

One afternoon, Fu Yanshen took him to register their marriage.

It wasn't a special day.

It was an ordinary day at the Civil Affairs Bureau. I waited in line for a while and filled out a few forms.

When I came out, there was a beautiful sunset on the horizon, orange-red, which gently bathed the whole street in its glow.

Fu Yanshen hugged him, resting his chin on his shoulder, and spoke in a low voice.

"Ranran, we have a home now."

"I'm not alone anymore."

Suddenly my eyes welled up with tears, and I took out my phone to record the day.

He opened the calendar, saw the date, and his finger paused.

The system's deadline is tomorrow.

He stared at the screen for a long time until the phone automatically turned off.

In my mind, the system notification finally sounded, but it didn't say anything about the countdown.

Congratulations, the strategy guide is complete.

Shi Ran was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening.

From the moment Fu Yanshen woke up in his hospital bed, his heart rate was already at its maximum.

He lowered his eyes and looked at Fu Yanshen's arms wrapped around his waist.

"What if," Shi Ran thought softly to herself, "I don't leave tomorrow?"

The system seemed to pause for a moment as well.

[Timeout will result in mission failure, all dungeon scores will be reset to zero, and the game will end.]

Shi Ran didn't say anything more.

That night, Shi Ran kept pestering Fu Yanshen to stay awake.

He asked Fu Yanshen what he was like as a child, where he went to school, and what happened when he was in the army.

He asked very detailed questions, down to what you were doing on a specific day, month, and year, and who was with you.

He wanted to know more, even if it was just a little bit.

He nestled in Fu Yanshen's arms, tracing his eyebrows and eyes with his fingers.

Brow bone, bridge of nose, cupid's bow, over and over again, as if trying to carve these lines into the bone.

Fu Yanshen seemed to sense something.

He was more talkative than usual, calling him "baby" over and over again.

Every time his name is called, he responds without getting annoyed.

"Fu Yanshen".

"Um."

Do you love me?

"Love you."

"real?"

"real."

Say it again.

I love you, I love you so much.

Shi Ran buried her face in his chest and mumbled something.

Fu Yanshen didn't hear him clearly and asked him, but he didn't repeat himself.

Later, both of them couldn't hold on any longer and drifted off to sleep.

When Fu Yanshen woke up again, the other side of the bed was empty.

He glanced out the window instinctively.

There was no one in the garden downstairs, only the flowers were still blooming, red and white, quietly.

He got up and went to look for it.

There was no guest room, no study, no kitchen.

His heart sank. He turned on the locator and found Shi Ran's phone lying quietly under the pillow in the bedroom.

He stood in the middle of the empty bedroom, his pheromones overflowing uncontrollably, making the entire floor feel suffocated.

Zhou Jin and the others stood by with their hands at their sides, none of them daring to speak.

"Find him," Fu Yanshen said. "Even if we have to turn Hong Kong upside down, we must find him for me."

His subordinates responded and all went to carry out their tasks.

Fu Yanshen was the only one left in the room.

His back looked extremely disheveled.

His back was still straight, like an unbreakable bone, but his shoulders had completely collapsed.

It was as if something had emptied him from the inside, leaving only an empty shell standing there.

He just stood there, motionless, like a stray dog.

No, even a stray dog ​​can at least find its way back to its den by following its scent, but he doesn't even have a den anymore.

He remembered last night.

Shi Ran, contrary to her usual behavior, clung to him, not letting him sleep, asking him all sorts of questions.

Fu Yanshen closed his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing violently.

So that was already a farewell.

But why? Why today of all days?

He had even made plans with his mother to take Shi Ran to meet her tonight.

He waited so many years, finally found a home, why...?

Why must everyone he cares about be taken away?

He suddenly grabbed Shi Ran's pillow, his fingers sinking deep into the soft fabric, burying his face in it, almost greedily inhaling the lingering scent.

The fig flavor was so faint it was almost nonexistent.

He inhaled deeply, his chest heaving violently, like a drowning man grasping at the last piece of driftwood.

But the remaining warmth couldn't soothe him; instead, it made his heart ache even more, as if it were being gripped, twisted, and wrung by an invisible hand, so painful that he almost had to bend over.

Then he saw the note under his pillow.

His hand paused.

Was it left behind by Shi Ran?

He pathetically deceived himself, wondering if it was a surprise prepared by Shi Ran, a calculated move to build suspense before revealing his true intentions? Was it another of his wicked schemes? Had he conspired with Zhou Jin and the others to deceive him?

Fu Yanshen almost burst out laughing.

The smile rushed to his throat, making his eyes burn, and the corners of his mouth even turned up slightly.

He was almost convinced that it was all just a cruel joke, almost convinced that someone would suddenly jump out from somewhere and say with a grin, "You got fooled, didn't you?"

But when he saw the words on the note, all his hopes shattered in an instant.

There are only two sentences above.

I love you too.

But I'm sorry.

Fu Yanshen's heart suddenly clenched with pain, so painful that he couldn't breathe.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out; only a low, hoarse, broken breath escaped from his throat.

At the same time, in that pure white spiritual space, Shi Ran suddenly knelt on the ground in pain.

Cold sweat streamed down his forehead, and his internal organs felt as if they were being twisted together by some force, causing him to curl up in pain.

Their spiritual connection remains.

He dared not imagine how much pain Fu Yanshen was in at that moment.

The system voice sounded, "[The new dungeon is now open. The link will disappear automatically, so you don't need to...]"

"Wait a little longer."

He didn't know what he was waiting for.

Should I wait until the pain subsides, or wait until I'm finally willing to cut this last thread?

Perhaps neither is true.

He just wanted to remember this pain.

It's as if he's still by Fu Yanshen's side, sharing his pain.

Two days later, Fu Yanshen's instance was completely shut down.

Suddenly, he was forcibly transported to a new world.

As usual, the system pushed a bunch of information to him, but he didn't even look at it.

He found an internet cafe near the school and didn't attend any classes, sleeping there every day.

If I get really bored, I'll take a stroll around the school and get some sunshine.

There is an artificial lake behind the school's foreign language building, which he always liked to go to because it was quiet and less crowded.

The rest of the time was spent in internet cafes.

I stared at the screen, my eyes dry and sore, but no tears came.

He had no more tears left.

He felt he had shed all the tears he had in his life when he was with Fu Yanshen.

Just then, the door to the internet cafe was pushed open, and two people came in and sat down next to him.

"Just one hour today, it's a deal," a voice said.

"Why? Because it's four hours."

"Get lost. If you don't go to my class soon, you'll lose your participation grade, and what if you fail the final exam?"

The man paused, then said, "Hey, you're always at internet cafes, aren't you afraid of failing your courses?"

Another voice said with a hint of smugness, "Hmph, someone's paying to take my class for me."

"What do you mean? You're not... one of those Wen-something generalists, are you?"

"That's right."

"Wow, you actually managed to get a spot? I remember it cost several hundred yuan to get his class through a proxy, and I heard the campus network crashes every time it opens for bookings."

"Oh dear, it's just a little water."

Shi Ran paused for a moment, holding the mouse, when something suddenly popped into her head.

[System?]

The system's voice immediately rang out, tinged with surprise: "You still remember me?"

Shi Ran didn't respond to that. [Am I a student in the dungeon setting again?]

Yes, and if you don't go to class tonight, you'll lose your participation grade and might fail the course.

Shi Ran frowned slightly.

He now has an instinctive aversion to dungeons; why should he have to do whatever the system tells him to do?

Why should he be forced to jump into another place immediately after being pulled out of one?

But he also knew that failing the course would be a big problem.

He remembered that his target this time was a teacher, and he was worried about leaving a bad impression because of failing a course...

Frustrated, he closed all the open windows one by one, then took a deep breath and finally opened the guide information provided by the system, only to find out the name.

Wen Yiheng.

Isn't that the very same Mr. Wen, the heartthrob that the two people next to me were talking about?

Shi Ran slowly sat up straight, turned off the game, paid the bill, picked up her coat, and finally walked out of the internet cafe.

Let's meet this Teacher Wen.