Damn it, I'm surrounded by insane Alphas!

The chef then served the next dish, Wagyu beef grilled to perfection.

After tasting it, Wen Yiheng gently and naturally instructed Shi Ran, "This is medium-rare, the oiliness is just right."

Suddenly, the hand holding the chopsticks froze.

Lu Lin's eyes narrowed instantly. He picked up a larger piece and placed it on Shi Ran's plate. "Assistant Shi, this one with the slightly charred edges is even more delicious!"

. . .

Is this a dining table or a stage? Can you two just shut up for a second?

Next up was mushroom soup.

Wen Yiheng took a sip and turned her head away: "The soup base is very sweet, but be careful it's hot."

Lu Lin immediately blew exaggeratedly on the bowl in his hand and handed it to Shi Ran.

that's it.

Before chopsticks were even picked up, one person on each side would introduce the dish, while the other would pick up food, and they would already be in their places.

Seeing the mountain of food piled up in front of him, Shi Ran suddenly felt a wave of dizziness.

Gu Chen, who had been observing coldly, finally spoke in a chilling tone:

"He can feed himself."

Although his words were harsh, he's on Gu Chen's side this time!

He took the opportunity to put down his chopsticks, stood up, and said, "Excuse me, I'm going to the restroom!"

After saying that, he practically fled in panic.

As soon as the main character left, the atmosphere among the three remaining Alphas in front of the board instantly plummeted to freezing point.

In the end, it was Lu Lin who broke the ice first.

He swirled his sake cup, looking at Wen Yiheng. "Dean Wen? If I remember correctly, isn't the dean of Fuya also surnamed Wen?"

Wen Yiheng calmly wiped her mouth: "It's me. I've long admired Young Master Lu."

"Seeing is believing, indeed! So young and already taking over Fuya, and so handsome... and single? Oh! My memory is failing me..."

Lu Lin feigned sudden realization, "Was that pretty little Omega your companion?"

Wen Yiheng explained with a smile, "It's just a friend introduced by an elder in my family. We're just having a casual meal. I already have someone I like."

Lu Lin feigned surprise: "What a coincidence! I've also been pursuing someone recently, so we're in the same boat now."

Gu Chen, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "Is it the one with your profile picture?"

Lu Lin grinned smugly: "Yeah, bro, you're so concerned about me, you saw that?"

He knew that Gu Chen must have seen it when he called him earlier, but he just had to ask it anyway, being the annoying person he was.

Sure enough, Gu Chen's expression turned even uglier.

"Don't be too flashy, or you'll be in trouble if your dad or your fiancé sees you."

Wen Yiheng then understood; he had heard that Gu Chen had a half-brother, and it turned out that this was the man in front of him…

Wen Yiheng seized on the key phrase in the conversation, "Young Master Lu is engaged? Then what happened just now..."

Why was he holding Shi Ran's waist just now, looking so intimate?

Lu Lin quickly changed the subject, saying, "Hey, I heard that Fuya has recently entered the medical aesthetics industry. My mom keeps nagging about it. Dr. Wen, could you..."

Gu Chen, who was standing to the side, had no interest in listening to their idle chatter and turned his face away helplessly.

Just then, his phone, which was on the table, suddenly lit up. It was a message from Shi Ran:

[Help, boss...]

He turned to look in the direction of the restroom and saw Shi Ran hiding behind the screen, waving frantically at him.

He didn't even realize that his tense expression had relaxed a little. He got up and walked straight towards Shi Ran, pulling her into the empty private room next door without giving her a chance to speak.

Shi Ran was startled and paused for a moment, "President Gu..."

Finally, the two had some alone time, and Gu Chen's pent-up anger surged up all at once.

He slammed Shi Ran against the wall; he really wanted to confront her directly.

You rode in Lu Lin's car and caused those two Alphas to fight over you. Do you even know who you belong to?

He pressed against Shi Ran, his voice low and cold: "Why did you call me here?"

She blinked occasionally, the aroma of tea filling the air: "I want to slip away first... but I feel it's impolite to leave them behind. Boss... what should I do?"

Shi Ran knew very well that Gu Chen's expression had already been quite unpleasant outside. If she didn't quickly smooth things over and offer him a sweet treat, who knew how Gu Chen might retaliate against her later?

Gu Chen stared at him, unmoved by his act, and instead sneered, "Now you know to come to me? Did you enjoy riding in Lu Lin's car?"

Shi Ran's heart skipped a beat. "Mr. Gu, I didn't want to get in his car either... but I saw Miss Gu in your car, I..."

"And what's the deal with this guy surnamed Wen? Did you two know each other before?"

"I don't know him! I really don't know him!"

Shi Ran shook her head vigorously, a master at framing others. "During the last checkup, the way he looked at me was strange..."

Gu Chen pursed his lips thoughtfully. Back when Shi Ran was still a Beta, this flamboyant face had attracted many Alphas.

Now that such sweet pheromones are available, which Alpha could resist a reaction upon smelling them?

Gu Chen leaned in even closer, almost growling through gritted teeth, "Shi Ran, why did you become an Omega...? It's so annoying, you know that?"

Yes, it's very annoying.

It's annoying that nowadays any Tom, Dick, or Harry dares to swarm around us.

Shi Ran shrank back slightly, startled by the shout. What did "change" mean...?

He's a purebred Omega, okay?!

And what are you complaining about! I didn't do anything to you!

Seeing his pitiful look, Gu Chen's anger flared up, and his pheromones even overflowed.

Shi Ran noticed the scent in the air and boldly released a little of her fig pheromones.

The sweet aroma of fig, like a soft hook, carefully wraps around the restless cedar, attempting to gently soothe it.

Gu Chen was suddenly startled. An indescribable tingling sensation shot up his spine, calming all his agitation.

Over the years, countless Omegas have taken the initiative to approach him, but none of them have ever been bold enough to use pheromones to seduce him.

This feeling is so... addictive.

Staring at Shi Ran, the displeasure he felt suddenly took on a different flavor.

It's an Omega...that seems pretty good.

Seeing that it was working, she immediately pressed her advantage, gently tugging at Gu Chen's sleeve: "I just asked the waiter... there's a back door we can sneak out through, can you take me with you?"

What is the art of language?

Take me away...

Gu Chen's Adam's apple bobbed, and he grabbed Shi Ran's wrist: "Stay close to me."

He pulled the person along and quickly walked out the back door, finally getting them back to his car.

"drive."

The driver waiting in the car was also taken aback, not expecting the dinner party to end so quickly.

"Then Miss Gu..."

Gu Chen coldly replied, "Ignore her, drive."

He had only one thought in mind: to take Shi Ran away, immediately!

The thought that Shi Ran might have their scent on her made him so irritable that he wanted to kill her, and he wished he could lock Shi Ran in a place where no one could find her or touch her.

Thinking of this, he suddenly froze.

A chill ran down my spine and up to the top of my head.

Nobody can find it...

Could it be that the two years that Shi Ran disappeared from sight were secretly hidden away by an Alpha who had the same idea?

The silhouette of that person I brushed past at the airport reappeared in my mind.

Was it Fu Yanshen? That's why his mark was left in Shi Ran's gland?

This thought, like a poisoned dagger, stabbed into the most vulnerable and darkest corner of Gu Chen's heart, and cruelly stirred it up.

lose…

Lost again…

Gu Chen's heart clenched painfully, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

The last time he acted like this was on the day his mother passed away.

The figure in his arms, whose breathing grew weaker and weaker until it turned cold, seemed to gradually overlap with Shi Ran, eerily merging together.

That familiar feeling of being out of control, enough to drive him mad, returned.

Shi Ran noticed something amiss with the person beside her and called him softly, "President Gu?"

Gu Chen snapped back to reality and met Shi Ran's gaze. "Mr. Gu, the driver is asking where you're going."

Gu Chen was a little dazed, and the deeper unease that followed the return of what he had lost instantly gripped him.

He would never allow Shi Ran to be taken away by anyone again, not even by the slightest possibility.

He reached out and gripped Shi Ran's wrist tightly. "Go back to the villa."

A villa? Shouldn't you be taking me home, bro?

I'm just giving you a gentle pat, don't push your luck!

"Mr. Gu, I'm a little tired...okay..."

"Go back to my villa and rest."

Shi Ran fell silent. What was wrong with him? Why did his expression suddenly change?

Gu Chen held onto him tightly with one hand, refusing to let go, while taking out his phone with the other and sending a message to Lu Lin. It was hard to say that there wasn't a hint of malicious revenge in that message.

[Shi Ran wasn't feeling well, so I took him home first.]

On the other side of the board, Lu Lin was still pretending to probe with Wen Yiheng, but his face darkened instantly after seeing the message.

"Hold!"

He stood up abruptly, his face dark, and threw a sentence at Wen Yiheng: "Don't fucking pretend with me here, Shi Ran was picked up by my brother a long time ago."

After saying that, he rushed out without looking back.

Wen Yiheng sat alone in the same spot, a glint of something unreadable flashing in her eyes.

It seems that these two brothers really care about his time.