Damn it, I'm surrounded by insane Alphas!

Half an hour later, on the empty racetrack.

Round and round.

The speedometer needle kept climbing, and the enormous centrifugal force seemed to be throwing Lu Lin's soul out as well.

Only such extreme speed can temporarily numb him.

Gu Chen's condescending face, the old man's hesitant admonition, the mother's worried eyes...

Finally, the gaze lingered on her beautiful eyes, which were slightly wide open and filled with doubt.

"squeak--!"

A screeching sound of brakes rang out, and the sports car screeched to a halt at the end of the track.

Lu Lin slumped over the steering wheel; he knew he needed strength.

He needs enough power to break free from the constraints of the Yu family, enough power to contend with Gu Chen, and enough power to protect the people he wants to protect.

Now, this is his only way out.

This was a road he thought he would never walk.

He sat there stiffly for a long time before finally dialing the number he never contacted first.

The phone rang for a while before it was finally answered, and a calm but indifferent male voice came from the other end.

"What's up?"

Lu Lin's voice was dry and hoarse: "Dad."

Lu Chenglei's voice came through the receiver, carrying his usual imposing tone, "What trouble have you gotten into this time?"

Lu Lin's nails dug into his palm.

again.

always like this.

From childhood to adulthood, he was always seen as a hopeless case in his father's eyes.

He was indulging in frivolous pursuits and was a disgrace to the Lu family. He was the biggest failure in his father's otherwise perfect life.

He knew, he always knew.

Lu Lin took a deep breath and finally spoke, "In Y City, we need you to put in a good word and smooth things over."

A soft chuckle came from the other end of the phone. "Didn't you just want to play with your car? When did you start worrying about these things?"

Lu Lin resisted the urge to hang up the phone. When he left the Lu family with his mother, he had made some harsh remarks.

I've said I'll never have anything to do with the Lu family again in this lifetime, so don't interfere in my life.

The results of it?

Now they're humbling themselves to beg for help again.

But even though his knuckles were white from clenching his fists, he felt no remorse whatsoever.

From childhood to adulthood, he has used money and power to settle countless matters; self-respect has always been something with a price tag.

Two hundred thousand people stubbornly refused to kneel, but two million people all rushed to kneel down.

He never expected that one day, his self-esteem would be weighed by his own hands, and he would push it away without batting an eye for someone.

"If you help me this time, I'll agree to everything you said before."

There was silence on the other end of the phone, a silence more unbearable than any mockery.

A few seconds later, the father's voice rang out again: "Very good. Remember, you chose this path yourself. The Yu family will not and dare not reach out again."

The call was abruptly ended.

The deal was done, so easily.

The ease made him feel a chill in his heart.

---

Meanwhile, in the old house on the other side, Gu Chen received a phone call and left with a solemn expression.

He said there was an urgent matter at the company, so he asked the driver to take Shi Ran home first.

Shi Ran dozed off on the way home, but when she got home, she couldn't fall asleep at all.

He subtly inquired what time Gu Chen would be back, and Gu Chen told him to go to sleep first and not to wait.

Only then did he feel relieved enough to put down his phone.

It's rare that Gu Chen isn't home; this is a good opportunity.

Wen Yiheng's words from that day kept replaying in his mind. Although he had secretly video-chatted with his mother these past few days, he was still worried.

He decided to sneak off to the hospital tonight to see his mother.

The inpatient corridor was quiet late at night. Occasionally, I would see my mother sleeping through the small window on the outside of the ward, her face looking particularly haggard under the light.

He breathed a sigh of relief and was about to leave when he saw a somewhat familiar figure near the nurses' station.

Shi Ran's heart skipped a beat.

etc...!

Isn't this the Omega who sat opposite Wen Yiheng at the Japanese restaurant the other day?

No wonder he looked familiar; I'd seen him at the hospital before.

Just as Shi Ran was thinking about it, the doctor turned around and was also stunned when he saw him.

"Hey, you're a family member of the patient in room 302, right? I remember... your name is Shi Ran?"

Shi Ran glanced at the name tag on his white coat and replied stiffly, "Yes, Dr. Chen."

Chen Yan smiled gently and said, "Auntie's condition has been quite stable these past few days, there's nothing wrong with her."

"Thanks a lot."

He just smiled politely, closed his medical record, and seemed to be preparing to leave.

Just as he turned around, Shi Ran blurted out, almost as if possessed, "Dr. Chen, your necklace is quite unique. Is it a matching set for couples?"

Chen Yan paused in his steps. This was indeed a couple's set he had bought, intending to give one to Wen Yiheng as well.

He smiled shyly: "You could call it a couple's set. My boyfriend is also a doctor, so I chose one with the double caduceus motif, which is a little symbol of our medical studies."

He didn't know why he was so vain.

Even though Wen Yiheng and he had only eaten together twice, he lied and said she was his boyfriend, but... he just couldn't help caring about it.

She was bothered by the senior's excessive concern for the beautiful Omega in front of her.

Shi Ran paused for a moment, then laughed, "What a coincidence! Your boyfriend is also a doctor?"

"Yes, you might not remember, but we met once at a Japanese restaurant."

As he spoke, Chen Yan took out his phone, inside which was a Polaroid photo.

The background is decorated with cozy Christmas decorations. The two people in the picture are not very intimate, but Chen Yan's expression is ambiguous.

Shi Ran forced a smile that seemed to come to her senses and carried a hint of blessing. "Oh, I see... You two are a perfect match."

"Thank you! You're so pretty, you must have no shortage of suitors."

As if suddenly remembering something, Dr. Chen said, "Oh right, the head doctor is here today too. She has something to tell you. Come with me."

Shi Ran nodded blankly and followed, but at this moment he only had one thought in his mind: Wen Yiheng was really dating this Dr. Chen?

This is so convenient, it's almost creepy.

Dr. Chen was responsible for my mother's daily checkups and was practically the person who knew her condition best, while Wen Yiheng...

"The director is inside."

Chen Yan's words brought him back to his senses. He knocked on the door, signaling Shi Ran to come in, while he considerately stayed outside.

The director smiled and nodded at Shi Ran, then cut straight to the point without much small talk.

"We will be doing your mother's final round of chemotherapy next week, after which we can conduct an evaluation. The results of this test are very important."

The director paused, making sure Shi Ran was listening to her, "Simply put, it's about whether there's still a chance to control the disease and prolong survival."

Shi Ran's voice was somewhat hoarse: "Then... when will we likely know the result?"

"It will take time for analysis and consultation, maybe in ten days."

The director took out a sticky note and said, "Leave your contact information here. I will personally notify you when the results are in."

Ten days.

The countdown to the verdict.

He wrote down his number in a daze.

Seemingly sensing his fear, the director's tone softened: "Don't worry, if the test results are good, then you only need to have regular check-ups, and there's a good chance you can live like a normal person for many years."

"Really?"

Suddenly, he looked up, his eyes finally brightening.

The doctor nodded affirmatively, "Therefore, the most important thing now is to maintain confidence, cooperate with the treatment, and wait for the results."

Shi Ran thanked the director repeatedly before leaving the office.

As soon as he came out, he leaned against the cold wall and took a deep breath.

Ten days.

Those ten days must have been incredibly agonizing.

As he was thinking, a burst of laughter came from the front of the corridor.

"Senior, you really don't need to make this special trip..."

Shi Ran froze, then slowly raised his head and looked in the direction of the sound.

Not far away, in the elevator lobby, Chen Yan was smiling and talking to the person next to him.

Beside him stood a man in a well-tailored dark gray overcoat, tall and upright, with a perpetually gentle and polite smile on his face.

Who else could it be but Wen Yiheng?

Shi Ran instinctively wanted to run, but before she could take a step, someone called out to her.

"Such a coincidence? What a coincidence?"

Shi Ran paused, then braced himself and slowly turned around.

Their eyes met, and Wen Yiheng's eyes showed no surprise whatsoever, as if she had known all along that Shi Ran was there.

He smiled at Shi Ran in a very natural way.

That was an impeccable social smile.

No one could imagine that the polite and aloof face before them had gone mad just days before trying to forcefully mark Shi Ran.

He would occasionally force a dry laugh.

"Yes, Dr. Wen, what a coincidence."