Damn it, I'm surrounded by insane Alphas!

Gu Jingwei's eyes darted back and forth between the three of them, deliberately bringing up topics that were difficult to discuss.

"Hey, I suddenly think... Brother Lu, your fiancé looks a bit like Assistant Shi, don't you think so, Brother Gu Chen?"

Gu Chen's gaze fell on Yu Siran, and at first glance, their eyebrows and eyes did indeed look somewhat similar.

But upon closer inspection, it's completely different. Shi Ran's eyes are always sharp; she's never been so docile and timid.

Sometimes I feel guilty and want to drink some soup to calm my nerves, but my hands are shaking violently.

"Splash—!"

He lost his grip on the spoon and it fell directly into the soup bowl, splashing water all over his chest instantly.

"Excuse me."

Suddenly, he stood up abruptly, apologized hastily, and hurriedly grabbed a napkin to wipe himself.

"Is he burned?" Gu Chen beckoned to the maid, "Take him to the bathroom."

Shi Ran blushed with embarrassment and hurriedly left the table with the servant.

He rushed into the guest restroom in a disheveled state, and looking at the mess in the mirror, he felt utterly exhausted.

This is only a battleground for two people, and it's already this hellish. If one day the five major sects besiege Bright Peak, he'll be splattered with blood on the spot.

He would occasionally dampen a tissue and futilely wipe the stains off his shirt.

The stain spread and became even more noticeable.

Just as he was at his wit's end looking in the mirror, "click."

The bathroom door was opened.

Suddenly his heart stopped, and he turned around abruptly.

Lu Lin was already blocking the doorway, his expression a cold, suppressed, and sinister rage.

Shi Ran instinctively closed her eyes and backed away, but the expected rage did not come.

Lu Lin just stared intently at him, her beautiful eyes, which always seemed somewhat nonchalant, now filled with only bewilderment and disbelief.

"Shi Ran...is it really you?"

Lu Lin's voice was terribly hoarse, and his gaze greedily swept over Shi Ran's face inch by inch, as if to confirm that the person in front of him was not his illusion.

"tell me…"

Lu Lin's voice was even lower and hoarse, carrying an absurdity that was almost a plea.

"How did someone who's been dead for two years end up standing in front of me again?!"

Those eyes churned with a complex mix of emotions: shock, confusion, and the pain of being deceived.

But at its deepest, there was a sense of guilt that almost overwhelmed one.

Sometimes they forget to struggle.

He had anticipated Lu Lin's hatred, his rage, and even the possibility that he might have already forgotten him...

I never expected to see such a look in her eyes, a mixture of immense shock and deep remorse.

"I…"

Shi Ran opened her mouth, but her throat was so dry that she couldn't make a sound.

What could he say? That it was a mission? That the car accident was fake?

Lu Lin didn't seem to need his immediate answer.

He simply raised his hand and gently stroked Shi Ran's cheek.

My fingertips are icy cold, trembling slightly, as I gently trace Shi Ran's brow bone, cheekbone, and jawline...

"I searched everywhere, you know?"

Lu Lin's voice was low, almost like a dream, "I've asked around in the morgue, the crematorium, even those mass graves in the middle of nowhere... They all said the car was burned to a shell, there's no way the person could have survived..."

He took a deep breath before he had the courage to say, "I thought I was the one who killed you."

Shi Ran stood there, stunned.

"If it weren't for that damn bet, if I hadn't lied to you, you wouldn't...you wouldn't..."

He choked up, and couldn't say anything more.

The immense self-blame acted like shackles, trapping him in the same place for years.

Shi Ran felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his heart tightly. He tried to explain, but couldn't find the words. "I...I never blamed you."

Upon hearing this, Lu Lin's tense shoulders suddenly slumped, as if a heavy burden had finally been lifted.

He suddenly remembered something, "That engagement was my family's arrangement. I don't like him, not at all! Really, you have to believe me!"

He spoke so fast, so eager to explain clearly, afraid that even a second's delay would lead to misunderstanding.

"That's just a pretense for the family! I can cancel it anytime! Just say the word, and I'll go out and explain things to them right now!"

Shi Ran was stunned. He didn't expect Lu Lin to explain to him so hastily, even saying that the engagement could be dissolved immediately.

This almost clumsy eagerness and frankness was completely different from the cynical and indifferent Lu Lin he remembered.

Shi Ran's heart felt as if it had been suddenly struck by something, aching and throbbing with pain.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

Just then.

There was a sudden knock on the bathroom door.

Gu Chen's icy voice came through clearly: "Are you done?"

Shi Ran jolted awake, trying to pull her wrist away from Lu Lin's grip, but Lu Lin held on even tighter.

"Let go, Mr. Gu is outside..."

"Shi Ran?" Gu Chen's voice rang out again, tinged with a hint of urging and doubt.

"Coming! Almost there!"

He turned to look at Lu Lin, frowning, and said, "Lu Lin, we're from completely different worlds. Please, just let me go."

Lu Lin stubbornly refused to let go, staring intently at him, and shook her head.

"not good."

Shi Ran softened her tone helplessly and whispered, "I promise I won't run away again, okay?"

He stared intently into Shi Ran's eyes, as if trying to determine how much of what he said was true and how much was false.

Finally, he released his hand very slowly.

He took a half step back, making room for Shi Ran to walk towards the door, his eyes still fixed on Shi Ran.

A deep, undeniably obsessive voice struck Shi Ran's ear:

"You know, you belong only to me."

Just like me, I belong only to you.

Shi Ran turned her face away with a complicated expression and quickly told him, "I'll go out first, you can come out later."

Before Lu Lin could answer, Shi Ran had already turned around and opened the bathroom door.

Outside the door, Gu Chen's tall figure stood silently. He keenly sensed the scent in the air and frowned as he asked, "Is Lu Lin inside too?"

"Young Master Lu got me a towel, and then..."

Before Shi Ran could finish speaking, the bathroom door was suddenly opened, and Lu Lin walked out leisurely with a lazy smile on his face, showing no trace of the deep remorse he had just felt.

"Then I just went to the restroom. What? Do I have to report to my brother if I need to pee?"

Shi Ran looked at Lu Lin in disbelief; his expression changed too quickly!

Dude! Who was that womanizer in the restroom just now?!

Gu Chen ignored his foul language, strode around the corner, and left.

Shi Ran breathed a sigh of relief and was about to leave with Gu Chen when a hot hand reached out from behind without warning and precisely grabbed his waist.

The immense force instantly pulled him backward.

Shi Ran let out a muffled groan as his back slammed against the cold wall of the corridor.

Lu Lin's tall figure approached, took Shi Ran's phone, tapped it a few times, and returned it with a smile.

"You're dead if you dare block me, baby."

Lu Lin's handsome, aggressive face finally revealed that familiar, unrestrained smile again.

Shi Ran couldn't help but curse, "You..."

Lu Lin suddenly lowered his head, his voice low and deep, "I don't care what happened in the past two years, since you dare to appear in front of me again, I will never let you go in this lifetime."

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping defiantly in the direction Gu Chen had left.

Even if you're my brother's man.

Shi Ran instinctively retorted, "Don't talk nonsense... I'm your brother's assistant!"

"Oh, so... you slept with him?"

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

"It's okay, it's your sister-in-law who's more exciting."

Shi Ran's whole body stiffened; he'd gone mad! Both of them were fucking insane!

He used all his strength to shove Lu Lin away, then ran away without looking back.

Lu Lin watched Shi Ran's hasty retreat and savored the lingering aroma of figs in the air.

He stood there, greedily inhaling the familiar taste.

This is not a dream.

very nice.