Damn it, I'm surrounded by insane Alphas!

Two days later, in the early morning.

A new cold front moved south without warning, causing temperatures to plummet to near zero degrees Celsius.

But the heating in the bedroom was on full blast, and Gu Chen had been working at the desk next to the bed for two hours.

The person in the bed was still wrapped in a blanket, fast asleep.

Shi Ran nestled in the fluffy down comforter, only a few strands of her black hair sticking up, rising and falling slightly with her breath.

Gu Chen glanced at the time and tapped the table to signal Shi Ran to get up.

But the person inside only made a symbolic two movements, then the computer failed to boot up and went silent again.

"If we don't get up now, we'll really miss it."

Shi Ran then woke up with a start, opening her eyes groggily with her hair all messed up.

Last night, he insisted on dragging Gu Chen to watch a horror movie, intending to scare him, but Gu Chen remained expressionless throughout the entire film, while he himself had nightmares all night.

He was stunned for several seconds before he realized that today was Yu Siran's engagement party!

He buried his face in the pillow in frustration, his voice muffled, "If I can't make it, I won't go. It's no big deal."

Gu Chen closed his laptop, got up, and walked to the bedside: "Is it that you don't want to go, or that you're afraid to go?"

"What wouldn't I dare to do?!"

Shi Ran immediately bristled, jumped out of bed, and glared at him.

Gu Chen didn't reply, but only raised an eyebrow and gestured towards the door.

The maid answered and came in. The two of them got ready and went out.

The engagement banquet was held in a highly private manor on the outskirts of the city. Before we even arrived, we were already taken aback by the grandeur of the event on the mountain road.

A whole row of black luxury cars, each with an increasingly frightening license plate.

After getting off the bus, Shi Ran was even more surprised.

Luxury cars lined the entrance, and the air was filled with the unique scent of money and power mixed together.

He instinctively straightened his back and took Gu Chen's arm.

As soon as I stepped into the brightly lit main banquet hall, I ran into He Ting and Zhou Yang. I wonder what those two Alphas are doing hanging out together all the time.

He Ting's gaze swept between the two of them ambiguously. "President Gu, did you bring your family?"

Shi Ran felt a little embarrassed and tried to pull her hand back, but Gu Chen held it tightly without making a sound.

Gu Chen glanced at He Ting and said indifferently, "Not blind after all."

He Ting chuckled, not afraid of him at all.

As the group was chatting, the band at the front of the banquet hall suddenly changed their tune, and the emcee's enthusiastic voice announced that the newlyweds were about to take the stage.

The lights in the entire venue suddenly dimmed.

A spotlight shone on the top of the spiral staircase, and Yu Siran, arm in arm with Lin Jianshen, appeared in the light and shadow.

His smile was impeccable, the epitome of happiness.

The man beside him was dressed in a well-tailored dark gray suit, with an upright posture and a perfectly measured smile on his lips. He was gentle, dignified, and impeccable.

Anyone who sees them would think they are a perfect couple.

But Shi Ran inexplicably thought of Wen Yiheng, that seemingly gentle but actually crazy and sinister man who was not easy to mess with, and by extension, he felt that this Lin Jianshen was not easy to mess with either.

The two slowly walked to the center of the stage, and many congratulatory cheers rang out from the audience.

He Ting leaned closer and whispered, "Wasn't Yu Siran supposed to be engaged to your brother? Why did she change partners? That was fast."

Zhou Yang casually replied, "After that night at the bar, didn't the two families fall out? How could they possibly still be..."

He Ting suddenly nudged him with his elbow, signaling him to shut up.

He Ting knew that Gu Chen had suppressed the incident at the bar that night, so he couldn't bring it up in person.

Zhou Yang immediately fell silent, but Shi Ran turned her head curiously: "What about the bar?"

He Ting felt a chill run down his spine and tried to brush it off with a laugh.

"It's nothing, I'm the only one here..."

He hadn't expected Gu Chen to speak up so readily, admitting, "Lu Lin was also at the bar that night, but..."

He paused, then turned his head to glance at Shi Ran.

"By the time he arrived, I had already left with you."

Shi Ran suddenly froze. That night... did Lu Lin go too?

A jumble of chaotic images flashed through his mind, and he couldn't help but wonder what if Lu Lin had arrived first that night?

Will he also mark himself? Will everything be different after that?

So the reason he's been avoiding me these past few days is because of Yu Siran?

While Shi Ran was lost in thought, the complicated ceremony on the stage finally came to an end, and next up was a small charity auction.

The items auctioned were incredibly diverse.

Besides the usual artworks and jewelry, there are also some hidden resources as targets, and these are the real highlights.

Shi Ran was too lazy to get involved in these things, so she informed Gu Chen and slipped away to the buffet.

He had his eye on a macaron and was about to reach for it when another hand, adorned with a large jade ring, reached out at the same time.

Shi Ran immediately withdrew her hand and stepped aside, saying, "Please go ahead."

"Oh, thank you so much!"

Suddenly, upon hearing the sound, I looked up and saw a plump, wealthy woman who looked like she had never worried about making a living. She happily picked up the macaron and put it into her small dish.

She looked Shi Ran up and down, her eyes crinkling, clearly appreciating his gentlemanly manners.

But the smile didn't last two seconds before her expression suddenly changed. She pursed her lips and let out a long sigh.

Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine, and his intuition told him that he should not stay here any longer.

But before he could even move his feet, his aunt's mournful eyes had already locked onto him.

"Young man..." her voice trembled.

Shi Ran asked, purely out of politeness, "Are you alright?"

Wow, that sentence is like turning on a tap.

The auntie looked up, her eyes instantly reddening: "Young man, you have no idea... how much I've suffered!"

Shi Ran was startled and quickly handed over a napkin, only to hear the aunt continue with exasperation, "You don't know, my son recently broke up with his girlfriend. He stays in his room all day, doesn't eat or drink, and seems completely lost... I'm worried about him, afraid he might do something rash!"

As she spoke, she touched the corner of her eye with a silk handkerchief.

Sometimes I feel completely overwhelmed, especially when strangers suddenly open up to me...

He wanted to find an excuse to leave, but the other person was looking at him with teary eyes, so he could only manage a few dry words of comfort: "Auntie, don't worry too much. Young people are bound to experience setbacks in relationships. Maybe she didn't break up with him on purpose."

It's possible that they've successfully completed the level and moved on to the next dungeon.

"But I'm really scared." The aunt suddenly remembered something and grabbed Shi Ran's wrist. "Child, you look kind and understanding! Why don't you do me a favor and go talk to my son and try to comfort him?"

"Oh? This...this isn't appropriate, Auntie, I don't even know your son..."

Shi Ran stared in disbelief, trying to pull her hand back.

"Just consider it making friends!" The aunt's tears flowed effortlessly, but now she smiled again. "Don't worry, as long as it can help my son cheer up even a little, I will absolutely, positively reward you!"

The jade ring on the aunt's hand flashed brightly in Shi Ran's eyes, and his heart skipped a beat.

The aunt, with her keen eye, immediately seized the opportunity and added Shi Ran on WeChat.

Friend request approved instantly.

The aunt's WeChat name is "Wealth and Prosperity in Full Bloom," her profile picture is a blooming peony, the background is a luxurious living room, and the location is Brazil.

Wow, Auntie's quite trendy.

She immediately sent her son's WeChat message:

WeChat name: 【。 】

The profile picture is completely black, and you can't see anything in the Moments section.

The auntie finally left with a sigh of relief after seeing that the person had been added to the list.

Liu Shiran looked at this abrupt new contact and felt it was both absurd and funny.

He shook his head, put his phone back in his pocket, and prepared to go out for some fresh air.