Damn it, I'm surrounded by insane Alphas!

The elevator doors slid open with a "ding," and blinding light suddenly shone in.

Faint sounds of voices and footsteps could be heard coming from the corridor outside.

Shi Ran suddenly pulled his hand away from Lu Lin's neck, and he almost pushed Lu Lin away with both hands and feet.

Lu Lin was pushed so hard that he crashed into the elevator wall with a thud, and looked at Shi Ran in shock.

You're overthinking it.

Shi Ran didn't even bother to look at him, just left those words behind, and staggered out of the elevator.

He really did escape, and he was still in a daze when he rushed into the examination room.

"Is Mr. Shi correct?"

The nurse checked with the board.

Shi Ran nodded blankly and was guided to lie down on a device that resembled a dental chair.

"This way, please. We need to extract some of your glandular pheromones. It's non-invasive, painless, and quick."

He stared blankly at the ceiling, his whole being empty.

He felt as if he were still in the elevator, and he didn't know why he had cried.

Was it a memory of the past in the dungeon, or a familiar scent from Lu Lin?

The moment the needle pierced the gland, there was only a very slight stinging sensation.

The doctor worked quickly and efficiently, completing the extraction in no time.

"Okay, please press the cotton pad."

Shi Ran nodded, not even knowing how she replied to Huanyu.

Standing in front of the CEO's office, he took a few deep breaths to make sure he only smelled of disinfectant before finally pushing the door open.

Gu Chen sat behind the desk with his back to him, without turning around.

Shi Ran sneaked to his workstation, turned on his computer, and the screen lit up, revealing his deadpan face.

Why do I feel so choked up inside...?

Lu Lin is just a worthless NPC, isn't he?

Weren't all those sweet words just something we were forced to do because of the task?

Have you forgotten everything?! What are you pretending to be all sentimental for now?!

I sometimes question myself, but the more I question myself, the more overwhelming the memories of those rented rooms become.

I don't know how much time passed, maybe a few minutes, maybe only a few seconds.

"despair."

Gu Chen closed the pen cap, the sound was not loud, but it startled Shi Ran.

Through the glass partition, Gu Chen's gaze pressed down heavily on him: "Come out."

Shi Ran obediently got up and went over.

"Is the physical exam finished?"

Then his back tightened: "Hmm."

Gu Chen's gaze fell on Shi Ran's face, and he paused for a moment when he saw the tear stains at the corners of his eyes.

Suddenly, Gu Chen reached out to him, across the table, and gently grasped his wrist.

It wasn't very powerful, but it carried an irresistible force.

"Come here." Gu Chen's voice was a few decibels lower than before.

Shi Ran was pulled by him and walked around the corner of the table in a daze.

The next moment, he was caught off guard and pulled into a strong embrace, sitting directly on Gu Chen's lap.

Gu Chen looked at him, his tone ambiguous, neither mocking nor comforting: "It's just a little pheromone extraction, and you're crying?"

Shi Ran's body suddenly stiffened, feeling a little uncomfortable.

He didn't understand why Gu Chen, who clearly hated him so much, would always intentionally or unintentionally approach him, like now.

Gu Chen raised his hand and gently wiped away the dampness under his eyes, a dampness that even he himself hadn't noticed.

This sudden gentleness made him even more uneasy than being scolded.

What Shi Ran really wanted to say was, "Don't be so good to me, I don't deserve it at all."

The tenderness in the dungeon was all an act. I'm only staying by your side now to earn money for medical expenses. If he wakes up one day and suddenly twenty million falls from the sky, he definitely won't...

Will he really resign immediately?

He was surprised by his own hesitation.

As he was thinking, Gu Chen looked at him with a somewhat helpless expression and said, "You even went out of your way to find Fuya."

Shi Ran looked up. What did he mean by "specially found Fuya"? Did Gu Chen go to such lengths to have the entire company's medical checkups done by this company because...?

"You're looking for Fuya...?"

He stopped mid-sentence and swallowed his words.

That's incredibly presumptuous of them.

Gu Chen tilted his head to look at him. "What is it?"

Shi Ran lowered her head and shook it. "It's nothing."

Gu Chen seemed to be in a very good mood today. He bounced Shi Ran, who was sitting on his lap, closer to his neck, and spoke in an incredibly soft tone.

"The company physical exam made you cry, so I'll make it up to you, okay?"

Shi Ran was startled, and subconsciously murmured, "President Gu..."

Shi Ran bit her lip and turned her face away. Gu Chen kept saying "okay?" He couldn't stand Gu Chen's half-coaxing and half-helpless tone.

It seems like there's nothing I can do about it, and I can only give in to everything.

All his grievances and lingering fears found an outlet at this moment.

His nose tingled, and his eyes instantly welled up with tears.

Really.

He only entered this stupid instance to save his mother. The men in these instances are all incredibly difficult to deal with; if you're not careful, you'll lose your life.

After finally finishing five dungeons, he thought he could go home happily, but then several devils came knocking on his door. Who could he complain to?

The blame lies with the system!

He casually mentioned the merging of world lines, but little did he know that everything would be in chaos now!

Everyone says they'll never let him go, so why don't you all come at me together!

I only have one life, you can divide it among yourselves!

Suddenly, all the grievances that had been suppressed for so many days, and even for so many years, surged up at once.

He could no longer hold on and suddenly went limp, burying his face in Gu Chen's neck.

His tears fell in a stream onto Gu Chen's shoulder.

Gu Chen felt a slight itch and warmth on his neck. His heart felt like it was being gently squeezed and then released, and even his breathing became very light.

He couldn't even imagine that he would have such a moment with Shi Ran in his lifetime.

He knew he should hate Shi Ran.

I hate him for abandoning me in front of everyone, and I hate him for so easily trampling on my sincerity when he knew how difficult it was to give my heart to someone.

His pride, his self-respect, and his calm composure all told him that he should hate the person in front of him and give him a taste of his own medicine, so that he would know what it felt like to be truly manipulated.

But he couldn't do it.

He really can't do it.

The moment he saw the tear stains in Shi Ran's eyes and the corners of her mouth pursed in grievance, he couldn't think of anything else.

All I want to do is hold the person in front of me in my arms and use all my tenderness to coax them.

Right now, he was practically coaxing a sulking child, "Alright, aren't you supposed to be the decisive and efficient Assistant Shi? Why are you secretly shedding tears in the office?"

Shi Ran wiped her tears directly with his shirt, then punched him in the chest, "I didn't..."

"Okay, let me see how much fell?"

Gu Chen tilted his head to look at the wet eyes of the person in his arms, picked up the phone on the table, and transferred 200,000 yuan to Shi Ran.

"Is this enough?"

Shi Ran stared blankly at his actions, then bit her lip with a troubled expression.

What to do? Shi Ran wondered to herself.

He really likes this.