Damn it, I'm surrounded by insane Alphas!

(Sorry for the wait! After being penalized with a 7,000-word ban, it's finally here! See you at the usual place for the full version!)

Teacher Wen has finally revealed his true colors. Friends who don't like crazy criticism, please choose to leave, haha. Those who like crazy criticism, please type "I love you, boss" in the chat.

If loving someone is like growing flowers, then Wen Yiheng is definitely a national-level horticultural master.

After the winter vacation started, he completely began raising Shi Ran like a little pig, feeding her three meals a day with different dishes to coax her to eat.

There's even a small whiteboard on the refrigerator, so you can order food anytime.

Shi Ran's cheeks had gotten a bit rounder from being fed so much. One day, after washing his face and looking in the mirror, he pinched his cheeks, turned around, and shouted into the kitchen, "Wen Yiheng, have I gained weight again?"

Wen Yiheng, wearing an apron and grilling steak, didn't even turn her head: "No, you were too thin before, now you're just right. Your weight hasn't increased at all, has it?"

Shi Ran stepped off the scale, puzzled. Yes, he was eating and drinking like this without exercising, yet his weight hadn't increased at all. It was really strange.

He was completely baffled. Wen Yiheng, in the kitchen, stared at the data on the electronic scale on the app and breathed a sigh of relief.

Shi Ran proudly took a picture of the entire dining table and posted it on her WeChat Moments. It featured three dishes and a soup, comparable to the level of a private chef.

Less than three minutes after it was sent out, Song Yu immediately smelled the aroma and rushed over.

[You're home? Wow... your mom's cooking is amazing! Why don't you ask her if she needs another son?]

Shi Ran was biting into a rib when she saw the message and almost choked on her laughter.

"Teacher Wen, do you want a son?"

Wen Yiheng completely misunderstood him. She put down her chopsticks, stared at him intently, and said, "I have a friend who is doing research in beta reproductive medicine. The experiments are already..."

Shi Ran was startled, and the spoon fell into the bowl with a thud. "Where did you say it went?"

"Didn't you ask me...whether we wanted a son?"

Shi Ran rolled her eyes at him and said defiantly, "Sure, I'll have ten kids. Can you support a basketball team? You won't have to do anything every day. Don't write lesson plans, don't go to the lab. Just cook in the kitchen from morning till night. I won't have any problem with that."

Wen Yiheng's greatest talent is making witty remarks in a serious manner, like right now.

"If we were to have ten children at the appropriate age for childbearing, we would indeed have to work from morning till night every day."

Shi Ran's hand froze in mid-air. Finally, he managed to stammer out, "You're not really in trouble? Are you even capable?"

That is indeed the problem.

They've been living together for so long, yet they've never had sex, and he's never even met Xiao Wen.

Is this reasonable?

Every time Shi Ran reached down, Wen Yiheng would grab his wrist, saying things like, "It's too late today," or "It's not time yet," offering all sorts of excuses but refusing to give it to him.

He's someone who's been through the previous levels; the phrase "tasting the marrow and savoring the flavor" is an understatement. But now, he's guarding a top-tier Alpha every night, yet he can't get what he wants.

He's really going crazy.

He questioned Tongzi in his mind with utmost seriousness, "Did he say he's impotent?"

System: [No way, the probability of a top-tier Alpha being incompetent is extremely low... almost zero.]

[You said "almost" yourself! What if? What if he's the chosen one? No, I have to find a chance to try.]

In the following days, Shi Ran began his seduction plan.

On the very first day of the plan, Shi Ran chose the wrong battlefield.

He had planned it well. Wen Yiheng took a shower every night at ten o'clock without fail. Once the bathroom door was closed and the water started running, that was the best time for him to commit the crime.

At 9:50 p.m., Shi Ran was curled up on the sofa pretending to be scrolling through her phone, but her eyes kept following Wen Yiheng's back.

Wen Yiheng walked into the bathroom right on time, and Shi Ran immediately jumped up from the sofa, went in, and turned off the light with a snap.

The bathroom was plunged into darkness instantly.

Shi Ran slipped inside, but fate played a trick on Da Se Mi. His foot slipped, he lost his balance, and he fell straight forward.

Fortunately, Wen Yiheng caught him instinctively and pulled him into her arms.

Shi Ran instinctively placed his palm on Wen Yiheng's chest, the contours of the muscles clearly visible beneath his palm, every inch pressed against him.

In the darkness, no one can see anyone else.

But no one can lie to anyone else. Their heartbeats collided through two layers of skin, and Wen Yiheng's heartbeat was not much slower than Shi Ran's.

Shi Ran lay in the darkness, nestled in Wen Yiheng's arms, as water poured from the showerhead, soaking him completely.

He had been completely exposed, so exposed that he had no room for excuses, so he decided not to make excuses.

"Why didn't you call me to take a shower?"

He was so self-righteous it was absurd.

Wen Yiheng held onto his arm tightly, smiling helplessly, "I was wrong, I'll definitely do it next time."

Shi Ran felt his chin resting on the top of her head. The way he hugged her was so gentle that Shi Ran almost forgot why she was there.

But he didn't forget.

"Will an apology do any good? Won't Teacher Wen compensate me?"

...If you see me, it means I'm stuck here...

In the darkness, his eyes widened suddenly.

The showerhead was still pouring water over his head, and water was running down his face, but he felt that his face was much hotter than the water.

"I'll go."

Shi Ran was shocked, angry, and heartbroken. Heartbroken for all the sleepless nights she had spent in her youth. "No... Wen Yiheng, are you even human? With your looks, what's there to hide?"

Wen Yiheng's breathing also changed, and his hand, still on Shi Ran's waist, tightened a little.

If one could sense pheromones, the scent of Wen Yiheng would be so strong in the bathroom that it could overwhelm a person.

Any Omega who enters will have their legs go weak and they won't be able to stand.

Unfortunately, our Shi Xiaoran is a Beta, so he can't smell anything.

He only felt that Wen Yiheng's breathing was a little trembling, and her body pressed against his palm was unbearably hot.

Wen Yiheng closed his eyes briefly in the darkness, then sighed, "Not yet, be good."

Just as Shi Ran was about to retort, she was already wrapped in a bath towel and pushed out by her shoulders.

This is a defeat.

In the second phase of the seduction plan, Shi Ran changed tactics.

He spent the entire afternoon lounging on the sofa reviewing the situation, and his conclusion was: he couldn't force things; he had to proceed gradually.

We need to change our approach and catch Wen Yiheng off guard.

The opportunity came sooner than he expected.

Wen Yiheng took on a research project on short notice, a joint project with an affiliated hospital, and there were several key data points that needed to be compiled before the end of the year.

That afternoon, he told Shi Ran that he would have an online meeting for an hour that evening to check the data. His tone was indifferent, and he added at the end, "It won't be too long. I'll make you a midnight snack after the meeting."

Shi Ran nodded obediently, but a wicked idea was already brewing in her mind.

This online meeting doesn't require turning on the camera, just the microphone; it's perfect timing, location, and people.

The meeting started promptly at 8 p.m.

The study door was closed but unlocked. Wen Yiheng was speaking when the door was suddenly pushed open, and Shi Ran walked in barefoot, carrying a glass of water.

Wen Yiheng looked up at him, paused slightly, and then continued speaking, but her gaze did not return to the screen.

Shi Ran wore his shirt specially tonight; it was white, made of thin cotton, and the outline of his body was faintly visible under the table lamp.

The top two buttons of her collar were undone, revealing her collarbone in the shadows of the collar, which rose and fell slightly with her breath.

The hem of her shirt barely covered her upper legs, and her bare legs shone brightly against the dark floor.

Shi Ran didn't go to the sofa. Instead, he walked to the desk, leaned against the edge, and placed the water glass next to Wen Yiheng.

Then he turned slightly to the side and met Wen Yiheng's gaze.

Wen Yiheng was still listening intently to the questions coming through his earphones. A leader kept pressing him on his part, and he patiently answered, but his Adam's apple bobbed noticeably.

Shi Ran pretended to be interested in the documents on the table and leaned down to look at the screen.

This pose leaves his shirt collar completely open, revealing his collarbone, chest, and even the curve of his thighs.

Wen Yiheng turned her head away, finding the leader very annoying.

Shi Ran wisely kept quiet, but took a half step back and went around to the back of the desk.

He bent down from behind, resting his chin on Wen Yiheng's shoulder and his cheek against Wen Yiheng's earlobe, in a posture that resembled a small animal being affectionate.

Through the thin fabric, he could feel Wen Yiheng's back tense up.

The leader on the other end finally relented, and when it came to the next person's turn, Wen Yiheng raised her hand, pressed the mute button, and turned her chair around.

He took a half step back, but before he could regain his balance, Wen Yiheng's hand had already gripped his waist, her forearm across his lower back, pulling him forward.

...If you see me, it means I'm stuck here...

Wen Yiheng looked up at him, her gaze sliding from his eyebrows to his collar, and finally spoke, "You're wearing my shirt."

"Hmm." Shi Ran sat on his lap, looking down at him, a smile playing on her lips. "Don't you like it?"

He reached out and slowly unbuttoned the third button, his breath catching slightly as he deliberately asked, "Isn't Professor Wen still in a meeting?"

Wen Yiheng did not answer, but just smiled softly.

He reached out, hooked his fingers around the third button of Shi Ran's shirt, and slowly pushed it past the buttonhole to unbutton it.

Shi Ran pursed her lips and deliberately asked, "Isn't Teacher Wen still in a meeting?"

"Yeah, right." Wen Yiheng looked up at him; his fingers had already moved to the last button. He smiled and said, "But if someone can even button their shirt wrong, can I just ignore it?"

Shi Ran glanced down and then froze.

He definitely buttoned it wrong. He was so eager to come in and seduce people that he didn't even look closely. The hem was uneven, one side was longer than the other, which was quite ridiculous.

He actually walked right up to Wen Yiheng like that, and swaggered around for so long.

Wen Yiheng's smile deepened slightly, and then he unbuttoned the last button that had been fastened incorrectly, as if he were unwrapping a gift with crumpled wrapping paper.

Shi Ran's shirt was completely open, exposing a large expanse of skin from her collarbone to her lower abdomen under the table lamp.

Wen Yiheng didn't touch him, but leaned back in her chair and leisurely looked him over.

Her gaze slid from her collarbone to her chest, over her ribs, and down to the spot on her waist where he had just pinched her.

Shi Ran's face flushed. He subconsciously raised his hand to cover the front of his shirt, but as soon as his fingers touched the fabric, he heard Wen Yiheng say, "Don't pull."

Wen Yiheng looked at him, the smile still on her lips, but her eyes had changed.

Shi Ran was unaware that his deliberate exposure would make Wen Yiheng's breathing quicken. That's right.

But his slight guilt after being caught, his momentary panic and forced composure, were the fatal blow to Wen Yiheng.

So captivating.

Like a fawn caught in a trap, it walked into the snare on its own, yet a flicker of fear flashed in its eyes when the hunter's gaze fell upon it.

The panicked creature said: "I'm here, but could you please be gentler?"

Wen Yiheng wanted to shut down her computer right now, put the meeting aside, and actually do something that would make Shi Ran panic.

I want to see his eyes widen, I want to see him shrink back and then be pulled back, I want to hear that soft, muffled sound coming from his throat, I want to see him go from being the one who seduces to being the one who gets punished, I want to see all his plans fall apart, leaving only his most instinctive reactions.

But he didn't.

What he wanted was never a hasty, careless, or casual handover.

He wanted Shi Ran to wait.

He wanted to whet Shi Ran's appetite to the extreme, like a string being tightened and tightened again, until it made a faint sound as if it was about to break.

Then, at that critical point, he gave it to me.

That's not doing it, that's a gift.

He wanted Shiran to never be able to leave him again.

Shi Ran was unaware of his malicious intentions and returned home disappointed once again.

Just when he thought there was no chance for him and Wen Yiheng, he suddenly received a package.

Wen Yiheng was not home that afternoon; she said she had gone to the school to handle some administrative matters.

Shi Ran was curled up on the sofa playing games when the doorbell rang.

The courier handed me a small cardboard box. The recipient was listed as Wen Yiheng. The packaging was very secure, with no logo or product name.

Shi Ran hadn't originally planned to open it, but he walked around the living room three times, glancing at the box every time he passed by, and finally picked it up anyway.

He told himself he was just curious when he was taking it apart.

This little cardboard box is so strange. It makes no sound when you shake it. It doesn't look like a book, nor does it look like clothes.

He tore open the tape, revealing a layer of black, soft foam padding underneath. Lifting the foam padding, Shi Ran blurted out, "I copied..."

...If you see me, it means I'm stuck here...

Shi Ran held it over and over, examining it carefully, before she dared to believe it.

At this moment, the man's abstinent persona showed its first real crack.

...If you see me, it means I'm stuck here...

When the door opened, Shi Ran jumped up from the sofa and went over.

Wen Yiheng looked up and saw Shi Ran standing at the entrance of the corridor. She smiled and asked, "What's wrong?"

Shi Ran didn't say anything, but just looked at him with her eyes curved.

Wen Yiheng's gaze shifted from his face, swept over the opened delivery box on the coffee table in the living room, and then returned to Shi Ran's face.

Wen Yiheng paused for a moment.

Shi Ran thought, this is the second he's been waiting for.

He took half a step forward, looked up, and said in a slightly ingratiating tone, "Thank you for the gift, teacher. I've already used it."

His heart was pounding like a drum when he said that. He waited for Wen Yiheng to show that expression—the expression of someone who had endured for too long and could finally let go, the expression of someone who would wrap his arms around his waist and pick him up, or at least laugh and say that he was too brave, and then carry him to the bedroom.

He could imagine this scene because his longing for Wen Yiheng was real.

But Wen Yiheng did not.

He looked down at Shi Ran, his expression changing.

He suddenly reached out and grabbed Shi Ran's wrist. The grip wasn't strong, but Shi Ran felt as if her wrist was being locked by an invisible handcuff.

"Shi Ran," Wen Yiheng's voice was very soft, "Did the teacher allow you to use it without permission?"

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Shi Ran's head.

Shi Ran froze for a few seconds, then abruptly pulled her wrist away from Wen Yiheng's grasp. "Didn't you buy it for me? Then who did you buy it for?"

Wen Yiheng did not answer.

He simply looked at Shi Ran, calmly and patiently waiting for him to come to his senses.

Shi Ran hated that look in his eyes the most, as if he were saying, "I have no obligation to explain to you, figure it out yourself."

"Say something!" Shi Ran's eyes reddened, not from wanting to cry, but from anger. "You reject me every day, and then you secretly buy this kind of thing yourself. I even delivered it to your door, and what kind of face are you giving me? What are you pretending for, Wen Yiheng?"

Wen Yiheng bent down, picked up the opened delivery box from the entryway cabinet, closed it, and put it aside.

Then he turned around and looked at Shi Ran.

"Take the item out now."

Shi Ran stared at him, her gaze shifting from anger to disbelief, and then from disbelief to a defiant, reckless attitude.

"You're dreaming."

Wen Yiheng took a step forward, and Shi Ran took a step back.

"Whether I take it or not is none of your business. I decide what I put in there." Shi Ran pushed Wen Yiheng away, rushed to the entrance, opened the door and ran away.

He glanced back as the elevator doors opened, but the corridor was empty; Wen Yiheng hadn't chased after him at all.

Okay, so you're finally stopping pretending, huh?

The elevator doors closed, and his face was reflected in the mirrored stainless steel.

He pressed the button for the first floor and leaned against the elevator wall.

...If you see me, it means I'm stuck here...

He almost cried out for a moment, then quickly bit his lip and stood up straight.

Shi Ran hailed a taxi and returned to school.

He genuinely had nowhere else to go; he didn't choose the school out of spite.

He could count the number of people he knew in this city on one hand. Song Yu had gone home for winter break, and Yu Dian had also gone back to his hometown. The dormitory building was mostly empty, but at least he still had a key.

He swiped his card to enter the dormitory building, pushed open the door to his room, and sat on the edge of his bed, finally feeling a little safer.

My phone vibrated.

He looked down and saw that the message was from Fei Shen.

Fei Shen spent a semester as an exchange student in Macau. He occasionally posts a few photos on his WeChat Moments, and the two haven't seen each other for a long time.

"Shi Ran? I just got back to school and saw you downstairs. Didn't you go home for winter break?"

Shi Ran paused for a moment, walked to the window and looked down. Fei Shen was standing at the entrance of the dormitory building, waving at him.

Ten minutes later, Shi Ran sat on the edge of the flower bed next to Fei Shen. Fei Shen talked a lot, and Shi Ran listened, occasionally nodding or humming in response, but mostly staring at the ground.

"Are you not very happy?" Fei Shen suddenly asked.

She looked up and met his eyes.

Fei Shen is different from Wen Yiheng. Fei Shen's concern is written on his face, and you can see it at a glance.

"No," Shi Ran said.

"Let's go," Fei Shen stood up and patted his pants. "A few of us who stayed on campus tonight are going to karaoke. You should come too. It's been a long time."

Shi Ran opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything.

Then his hand touched the phone in his pocket. He knew that Wen Yiheng had installed a tracking device on his phone.

One afternoon, Wen Yiheng went to school on errands and went to the park by himself. During dinner, Wen Yiheng casually asked, "Where did you go this afternoon?"

He didn't ask how you knew, he just hummed in response.

He didn't turn off location services because it was a form of possessiveness from Wen Yiheng, which he didn't actually dislike, but today was different.

"Okay." Shi Ran went all out.

The KTV is located on the commercial street outside the east gate of the school, a ten-minute walk away.

The private room was small and filled with smoke. Seven or eight people were crammed onto the sofa, some singing, some drinking, and some playing dice.

Fei Shen sat next to Shi Ran, poured him juice, and blocked two drinks offered to him. Shi Ran specifically chose songs with high notes, one after another, shouting out everything that was stuck in his throat.

When he wasn't singing, he would huddle in the corner of the sofa with his phone in his pocket, and it never vibrated.

He took it out and glanced at it; there were no messages or missed calls.

He placed the screen face down on his knee, then flipped it over after half a minute, but still nothing.

Even if a dog is lost, people would come out to look for it, right?

He thought to himself.

After saying that, he found himself funny. In Wen Yiheng's eyes, he was probably just a pet.

You feed your pet carefully, groom it regularly, and worry about it more than anyone else when it gets sick, but its wishes don't need to be respected.

Pets just need to be obedient, stay at home quietly, and wait for their owners to come home.

He stared blankly at the music video on the screen. What was Wen Yiheng doing now? Was she sitting in the living room, or did she not care at all? Anyway, the location was on, he couldn't go far, and he would eventually have to go back.

Someone inside whispered to Fei Shen, "What's going on between you two? Did you invite him?"

Fei Shen neither denied nor admitted it; he simply smiled.

The people around them got even more excited, urging the two of them to sing a duet. Shi Ran, feeling agitated, got up and said he needed to go to the restroom.

He stood up, pushed open the door to the private room, and was greeted by a blast of cold air from the corridor.

Suddenly, a jolt ran through my body.

It was as if it was intentional, calculated to be the exact moment he took his first step out of the private room.

The vibration frequency was not high, but it pressed directly on the most sensitive spot, coming without warning. Suddenly, my legs went weak and my knees bent.

A hand supported him.

Shi Ran looked up and met Wen Yiheng's eyes.

He finally came out to look for him.

Wen Yiheng stood in the corridor, still wearing the dark gray coat she had worn that afternoon, with her scarf still on, as if she had come directly from the car.

The KTV corridor was lit by an ambiguous dark red light. Wen Yiheng's face was half bright and half dark in the red light, with a smile on her lips, just like usual.

But his eyes were icy cold, and Shi Ran felt cold sweat seep from the back of her neck as she looked at him, and she quietly swallowed.

Wen Yiheng's voice rang out, low and eerily deep, "What time is it?"

Shi Ran glanced at her phone screen unconsciously; it was 12:03.

He had promised Wen Yiheng that he would be home before midnight no matter what happened.

He said this himself the day he moved in; Wen Yiheng didn't ask for it, it was his own promise.

Go say goodbye to your friends.

Shi Ran held his arm and whispered, "No need, let's just go home."

Wen Yiheng stared at him.

There was another jolt, this time even stronger than before.

Shi Ran almost cried out, biting her lip tightly, her whole body practically hanging on Wen Yiheng's arm.

"You're crazy... I told you I'd go home with you."

"I already said that." Wen Yiheng looked down at him, her smile unchanged. "Tell Fei Shen that you're going home."

Shi Ran's tears were about to fall.

He couldn't go back. He couldn't do it in front of Fei Shen, in front of all those people in the room.

He looked up at Wen Yiheng, his voice strained out, almost pleading, "I know I was wrong. Let's go back, okay?"

Wen Yiheng looked at him for a moment, then released her grip on Shi Ran's hand and turned to walk towards the elevator.

Shi Ran was stunned for a moment, then immediately followed obediently.

Silence fell over the car.

Shi Ran sat in the passenger seat, his legs tucked together, his hands gripping the seatbelt tightly. Every bump in the road made him grit his teeth.

...If you see me, it means I'm stuck here...

Shi Ran washed his hands, splashed cold water on his face, turned the tap off, took a deep breath, and pushed open the door.

Wen Yiheng was standing at the door.

The corridor lights were off. He leaned against the door frame, standing there for an unknown amount of time.

He looked at Shi Ran, seemingly a little impatient, more like weary, "You're really disobedient."

Shi Ran wasn't afraid of him anymore. He crumpled the tissue he used to wipe his hands into a ball and threw it into the trash can, raising his chin: "What's wrong? Why should I listen to you?"

Wen Yiheng looked at him, not angry, and smiled slightly. "I have a gift for you."

He turned and walked towards the bedroom.

Shi Ran hesitated for a moment at the toilet door, but still followed.

There really was a gift box on the bed, dark gray in color, tied with a ribbon of the same color, neatly knotted.

Shi Ran stood by the bed looking at it, then turned back to look at Wen Yiheng.

Wen Yiheng leaned against the bedroom door frame, her hands in her pockets, her chin slightly raised, gesturing for him to open it.

Shi Ran walked over hesitantly, still wondering what day it was today, an anniversary? It hadn't even been three months yet, just a few days past two months.

Valentine's Day?

When the lid was lifted, there was a pair of handcuffs inside.

It was made of silver, heavy, and very beautiful. Each ring was engraved with patterns of vines and thorns, and it gleamed with a cold metallic luster under the warm yellow light of the bedroom.

They look pretty good, but who the hell would give handcuffs as a gift?

Shi Ran turned around in confusion, and then—bang!

The bedroom door closed in front of him.

The latch clicked softly and crisply, and the room fell silent instantly, as if the entire house had held its breath.

Or, it's as quiet as a prison.