Damn it, I'm surrounded by insane Alphas!

Shi Ran followed Gu Chen out of the car and quietly looked around the Gu family's old house.

The old house features a spacious and grand Chinese courtyard style, lacking any ostentatious display of wealth, but rather exuding a dignified and understated elegance.

Upon entering, one can sense that this is a low-key yet heavily fortified world.

In the game, he and Gu Chen were already married, and he had never been here, because as a Beta, he was not recognized by the Gu family.

The butler led them through the grand and elegant living room toward the dining room.

A familiar scent wafted over, a strong, domineering, and luxurious aroma mixed with rum, carrying a hint of rebellious danger.

With such a flamboyant style, who else but Lu Lin could pull it off?

"Brother! You've finally arrived..."

A girl in an elegant black dress came up and took Gu Chen's arm, then her gaze was drawn to Shi Ran standing to the side.

"Hey, my brother brought people back too?"

Shi Ran quickly greeted her politely, "Hello, Miss Gu, I'm Mr. Gu's assistant."

"An assistant?" Gu Jingwei scoffed. "An assistant this pretty...who are you kidding?"

Gu Chen ignored her and looked directly into the living room.

Shi Ran looked over as well, and her heart stopped beating.

On the luxurious velvet sofa in the living room, the man leaned back lazily, with a little Omega sitting next to him.

Just then, as if sensing something, Lu Lin suddenly turned around.

Those beautiful peach blossom eyes glanced at Gu Chen briefly before fixing their gaze on Shi Ran.

Time stood still.

Lu Lin practically sprang up from the sofa, nearly knocking the Omega next to him to the ground. The Omega, dazed, called out, "Lu Lin..."

But Lu Lin couldn't hear him at all; he just stared intently at Shi Ran.

The person he had longed for day and night, who had appeared in his dreams countless times, was now standing alive and well in front of him.

Shi Ran almost instinctively shrank back and hid behind Gu Chen.

Gu Chen coldly cut off Lu Lin's gaze and said, "Congratulations, this is the first time I've seen you bring someone back."

Gu Chen's voice was like a bucket of cold water, slightly sobering Lu Lin up a bit.

He sneered, "Brother, didn't you bring one too? Who's this? He looks unfamiliar."

"You are naturally unfamiliar to me."

Lu Lin's gaze visibly turned cold. "Your...Omega?"

Just as Shi Ran was about to lose her temper, Gu Jingwei stepped in to smooth things over.

She laughed and nudged Lu Lin, teasing him, "Brother, do you also think that his relationship with Brother Gu is unusual? Actually, he's your assistant."

Lu Lin repeated the word "assistant" in a low voice, his emotions calming down a little.

Shi Ran forced a smile and said, "Hello, Mr. Lu, I'm President Gu's assistant..."

He wanted to say the name, but fearing he would completely enrage Lu Lin, he changed the subject and said the last thing he should have said.

"Congratulations, Mr. Lu, happy engagement!"

Lu Lin's eyes instantly turned cold.

"What did you say?"

He couldn't believe those words came from Shi Ran's mouth.

Didn't you threaten me in my arms back then, saying you'd bite me to death if I dared to marry someone else?

Didn't you buy those rings?! They cost you two months' salary!

Lu Lin's pheromones, which had finally calmed down, exploded again.

Gu Chen narrowed his eyes, wondering what had gotten into Lu Lin.

Perhaps he simply dislikes himself and extends that dislike to everything related to him.

He grabbed Shi Ran's wrist and pulled him behind him protectively. "Did he say something wrong?"

Two top-tier Alpha pheromones collided violently in mid-air.

Just then, the Gu family patriarch's booming voice rang out, "Everyone's here, why are you all still standing here? Let's eat!"

Shi Ran turned around and saw that the old master of the Gu family was already standing at the restaurant entrance.

Since the old man had spoken, everyone had no choice but to move to the restaurant.

But undercurrents were still swirling at the dinner table.

Shi Ran was placed next to Gu Chen, directly opposite Lu Lin, whose face was gloomy.

The somewhat timid Omega beside him also glanced at Shi Ran from time to time.

The old man cleared his throat and turned his gaze to Gu Chen.

"I've read Huanyu's financial report for the first half of the year, and it's good, especially the projects in Southeast Asia, which are very impressive."

Then, the old man's gaze swept over Gu Hongyuan, who was standing to the side, and was Gu Chen's father.

"However, the foundation must be solid. It is not easy to steer the Gu family ship. Sometimes, if you take too big a step, you will fall hard."

Shi Ran listened silently with her eyes down. Wasn't Gu Hongyuan's mistake back then due to his eagerness for quick success and instant benefits?

The old man's words, besides praising Gu Chen, also served as a warning to Gu Hongyuan.

After saying that, the old man looked at Lu Lin again and sighed, "Although you are not my biological grandson, you are now family. It's time to settle down and focus on important matters."

When Lu Lin was called out, he finally looked away from Shi Ran and absentmindedly hummed in agreement.

"Speaking of which..."

Gu Chen put down his wine glass, his voice calm and even, "I heard you were quite interested in the Swift Wind Racing Team before?"

Lu Lin looked at Gu Chen, who had always loved racing and had always dreamed of building his own championship racing team.

Gale has been gaining momentum in recent years, and more importantly, Gale belongs to Gu Chen.

He had no affection for this nominal older brother. Ever since his mother married into the Gu family, it seemed that her life consisted of only one thing: fighting for the family fortune.

But he had no interest in the Gu family's business at all, and it was obvious to everyone that although Gu Hongyuan disliked his eldest son, the old man was clearly grooming Gu Chen to be his successor.

What is he fighting for when he has no family lineage at all?

Therefore, he was also very dissatisfied with Gu Chen and wanted to snatch Jifeng away from Huanyu.

The negotiations were going very well, and we were about to sign the contract when we heard that Huanyu sent an assistant to talk to us for an afternoon, and the deal fell through.

Thinking of this, Lu Lin felt a surge of anger rising within him.

"Yes, it's a pity we were a step too late; we still renewed our contract with Universe."

"Business competition is a common occurrence."

Gu Chen leaned back in his chair with a leisurely air, his gaze falling on Shi Ran.

"Actually, the reason that contract renewal went so smoothly was thanks to Assistant Shi; he personally went to the team to negotiate."

Lu Lin's hand suddenly stopped, and he looked up at Shi Ran.

He suddenly remembered that faint fragrance that had disappeared at the entrance of the racetrack that day…

So it wasn't just an illusion after all?!

"Were you the one who came to the team and talked to Gale that day?"

He nodded stiffly.

Lu Lin stared intently at Shi Ran, and after a few seconds of dead silence, he suddenly chuckled softly.

Those around him couldn't discern the meaning behind his smile, but Shi Ran understood perfectly.

He had seen that smile on Lu Lin's face before leaving the instance.

Self-deprecation, despair, and the helplessness of being mocked by fate.

Shi Ran guessed correctly, but what he didn't know was why Lu Lin reacted so strongly.

Just like he didn't know why Lu Lin was determined to get engaged to a stranger.

This is no coincidence.

Lu Lin went racing that day because he had a big fight with his mother at home.

His mother urged him to settle his marriage quickly and even forced him to go on blind dates.

He was so frustrated that he called his friends to the racetrack to vent his anger for a few laps, and then took a nap in the lounge.

Just as I was starting to feel sleepy, someone burst into the room, causing a commotion.

Frustrated, he ripped off his blindfold, ready to yell at someone, only to find the person was already gone.

All that remained was that familiar taste that made his heart stop beating.

He almost got up and chased after him, but his friend laughed and said, "He's an Omega."

He then stopped.

How could Shi Ran be an Omega...?

Moreover, Shi Ran had already died in that car accident.

So he fell back down again.

Once again, this is the umpteenth time that I've failed.

He was fed up with the feeling of having his hopes dashed time and time again, like a dog waiting for its owner to come home.

The police have confirmed countless times that Shi Ran is dead, and his remains have not been recovered.

But he just wouldn't believe it, insisting on living on this vague and unreal illusion.

it is ridiculous.

So pitiful.

He couldn't stand himself like this anymore.

So when he got home that night, he gave up and agreed to his mother's request.

It doesn't matter, it's not Shiran anyway, it doesn't matter who I marry.

His mother shoved a bunch of photos of Omegas at him. He was annoyed and pointed to one of them that looked somewhat like Shi Ran. That was Yu Siran, whom he had brought today.

Because of this slight resemblance, he almost always granted Yu Siran's requests.

Although his mother was abroad tonight, she specifically instructed him to bring Yu Siran home with him so that his grandfather could meet her, and then the marriage would be considered settled.

But who would have thought that, at this very moment, Shi Ran would appear.

What if he had chased after them recklessly at the racetrack that day?

He would never agree to the engagement, nor would he ever hear Shi Ran say, "Young Master Lu, happy engagement."

He's fucking unhappy.

He felt that fate had played a huge joke on him, a stupid and unfortunate twist of fate.