Damn it, I'm surrounded by insane Alphas!

After the knocking, Wang Cheng's puzzled voice came from outside the door.

"Huh? Why is the door locked?"

Shi Ran suddenly woke up with a start and instinctively tried to push Cheng Ye away.

But Cheng Ye reacted even faster than him.

The moment he opened his eyes, a warm, large hand covered them.

When vision is taken away, other senses are instantly magnified to the extreme.

The warm, wet touch on his lips was also a reminder of how Cheng Ye even gave him a light, punishing bite.

"Shi Ran? Are you alright? Can you hear me?"

Wang Cheng raised his voice and even tried to turn the doorknob, which made a soft "click-click" sound.

Shi Ran's whole body tensed up, so frightened that she dared not move and even held her breath.

The dressing table is directly facing the door.

As soon as Wang Cheng sends someone to break down the door, he'll have nowhere to hide.

What's even more frightening is that if Gu Chen finishes the interview, he might also come looking for them...

He might just kick the door open.

Cheng Ye seemed to enjoy this immoral pleasure. Instead of loosening his grip, he kissed Shi Ran even deeper and harder while covering her eyes.

The sound of their lips and tongues entwining was exceptionally clear in the quiet lounge.

Shi Ran felt so ashamed that her scalp tingled, but because she was blindfolded, her body shamefully went limp.

Even a faint whimper escaped from his throat.

Cheng Ye whispered with a laugh in Shi Ran's flushed ear, "Be good, don't make a sound... he's listening."

After saying that, he lowered his head and lightly sucked on the collarbone that was heaving violently.

"!"

Shi Ran suddenly trembled and bit her lower lip hard to keep from crying out.

The footsteps outside the door gradually faded away, as if they were going to look for someone.

The hand covering her eyes finally loosened.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes and was met with Cheng Ye's eyes, which were filled with triumph.

"Are you crazy! Do you know how dangerous this is...?"

Shi Ran raised her hand to hit him, but Cheng Ye easily grabbed her wrist.

Cheng Ye gently kissed Shi Ran's palm, his gaze lingering on Shi Ran's face. "Stop scolding me, you know I'll feel even better."

Shi Ran was exasperated, "You little brat..."

He smiled as he got up, and before leaving, he looked back at Shi Ran one last time.

That's all for today, we'll continue tomorrow.

The door opened, and Cheng Ye's figure flashed out and quickly disappeared.

Suddenly, her legs went weak, and she vaguely looked up to see her swollen, red lips in the mirror, and...

A very conspicuous hickey on the collarbone!

Damn... if Gu Chen finds out about this, it'll definitely be a death sentence.

No, I have to slip away before he arrives.

Shi Ran immediately got up and, before Wang Cheng could find anyone, secretly left the event area.

He hailed a taxi, not knowing where to seek refuge, when he received a call from the hospital director.

"Shi Ran, if you have time, could you come to the hospital? The results are in."

The director's heavy tone made Shi Ran's heart sink: "Okay, I'll be right there... Didn't it turn out well?"

After a few seconds of hesitation, he said, "It's a bit complicated. Let's talk about it when you get here."

Shi Ran hung up the phone in a daze and changed her destination to the hospital.

He felt like he was in a dream the whole way, until he stood in front of the director and heard those words:

"I'm sorry, the chemotherapy is not very effective... The current treatment plan probably needs to be adjusted."

Suddenly, I heard a buzzing sound in my ears.

The doctor pushed the lab report over, but Shi Ran couldn't understand the dense data on it at all. He had only one thought in his mind: the money had been wasted.

All the suffering my mother endured was for nothing.

"Is there really no way out?" he heard himself ask.

The doctor looked troubled and hesitated to speak.

Shi Ran didn't ask any more questions. She just stood up, mechanically said "Thank you, doctor," and turned to leave.

He hid in the stairwell toilet, his suppressed sobs echoing in the cramped space.

Why... why Mom of all people?

He was so tired, really so tired.

She carried all of this alone, maneuvering and scheming among several men, all for that little bit of money to save her life.

In the end, the money was spent, but the hopes were dashed.

Is this some kind of cruel joke played by fate?

He couldn't help but think that he wished that system were still around.

Send him and his mother to a peaceful and tranquil instance where there is no illness, only simple happiness.

Even if it's fake, it's better than this suffocating hopelessness.

dong dong.

The knocking was very soft.

Suddenly, she stopped crying and held her breath.

"Shiran?"

It was the voice of intern Chen Yan, though it was somewhat muffled through the door.

"Are you inside? The director asked me to find you, saying there might be a new plan and he'd like to talk to you."

Suddenly, she looked up, hastily wiped away her tears, and quickly opened the door.

Seeing his red eyes, Chen Yan hesitated, then finally whispered, "Go quickly, the director is waiting for you."

Shi Ran practically ran towards the director's office.

In the office, the director saw him rush in, awkwardly took off his glasses, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Righteously, we shouldn't give you empty hope, but considering that your mother is also a long-time employee of our hospital... there's a new targeted treatment in Europe that's still in the experimental stage."

Shi Ran's heart clenched: "Will it work?"

"During the experimental phase, no one can make any guarantees."

The director admitted frankly, "But the preliminary data... is very promising."

"We'll participate!" Shi Ran said immediately, her voice urgent. "We'll try any opportunity!"

The director sighed: "The problem is, there are only three spots available for this trial worldwide, making it extremely scarce. Furthermore, participants are required to pay a substantial sum upfront for participation and monitoring costs, which are not covered by medical insurance..."

"How much?"

The director paused for a moment, then announced a number: "Two million, in US dollars."

Suddenly, he froze on the spot.

"Furthermore, the deposit must be received within seven days in order to enter the candidate pool to compete for a spot; otherwise, there will be no chance to even join the queue."

Seven days…

Of the money Gu Chen had transferred to him before, only about eight million RMB remained, which was far from enough.

But no matter what, he couldn't give up this opportunity!

This might be the only chance.

Shi Ran suddenly grabbed the director's sleeve, her eyes almost pleading: "Please, you must help me keep this spot! I'll raise the money within seven days, please, okay?"

His voice was trembling.

The director looked at him, a hint of heartache in his eyes.

She knew that this child had been working hard to raise money all this time.

Although the source of the money is unknown, two million US dollars is still too far out of reach.

"Thank you so much, thank you so much... There's one more thing..."

Shi Ran added with difficulty, her voice hoarse, "Could you please not tell my mom? Just tell her it's a charity project the hospital secured, okay?"

The director looked at him and finally nodded slowly with heartache.

After leaving the office, Shi Ran did not go to the ward immediately.

He then went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face repeatedly until there was no trace of him crying.

He stood in front of the mirror, trying to force a smile that looked more relaxed.

It cannot collapse.

At least not in front of my mother.

Pushing open the ward door, the smell of disinfectant mingled with the faint aroma of food.

My mother was leaning against the headboard, talking quietly to the elderly woman in the next bed. She looked tired, but her eyes were gentle.

"mom."

Shi Ran walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel much better. Today, Dr. Chen even took me outside to get some sun."

His mother grasped his hand in return, her eyes filled with unconcealed heartache. "Xiao Ran, am I... a burden to you?"

Suddenly, her nose tingled, and she almost couldn't hold back her tears.

He quickly lowered his head, pretending to tidy the blankets, and said in a muffled voice, "What are you saying, Mom? I only have hope if you're doing well. Besides... my work is going quite well now, so just focus on getting better and don't think about anything else."

Shi Ran looked at the grandmother in the next bed and said, "Look, it's so nice to have Grandma Liu with you."

Grandma Liu chimed in with a smile, "Yes, your son is so filial; good fortune is on the horizon."

The brief warmth in the ward was like a fragile sugar shell.

But peel back the colorful candy wrapper, and you might find a bitter pill inside.

As she stepped out of the hospital building, the forced smile on Shi Ran's face vanished instantly.

He stood on the steps, watching the cars come and go, and felt so helpless for the first time.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

It's Gu Chen.