Damn it, I'm surrounded by insane Alphas!

In the eastern part of the city, night had fallen.

In a quiet villa area on the outskirts, one of the villas is located in the deepest part of the area, surrounded by high walls and dense trees.

This is one of Fu Yanshen's properties, which is regularly managed, but he himself rarely comes here.

Fu Yanshen carried the person into the house, and the motion-sensor lights turned on one by one.

Shi Ran slept soundly in his arms, having grown accustomed to it.

He was nestled in his arms like this in the dangerous rainforests of Southeast Asia.

At that time, his territory had just expanded to the Thai-Myanmar border, encroaching on the interests of local families.

When negotiations failed, the other party resorted to violence.

He originally didn't want Shi Ran to come along.

Canaries should stay in safe and luxurious cages, not under the chaotic gun barrels.

But he underestimated himself; the longer he stayed away from Shi Ran, the more his pheromones became uncontrollable.

After retreating following a conflict, he completely lost control.

They smashed everything they could in the house, and their eyes were frighteningly red.

None of his men dared to approach him, and finally someone secretly made a satellite phone call to Shi Ran.

He woke up after a brief period of unconsciousness and saw Shi Ran squatting beside the cot, wiping the wound on his arm with a damp cloth.

"Why are you here?"

Shi Ran looked up at him and said irritably, "Come and see who's so blind as to mess with my people."

Fu Yanshen was stunned, then couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He's always been the one protecting others; this is the first time someone has referred to him as "one of my people," and said it so matter-of-factly.

No matter how hard Fu Yanshen tried to get rid of him, Shi Ran just stayed.

Those days in the rainforest were really tough, especially after their base was exposed, they had to keep moving around.

Sometimes they stay in abandoned wooden cabins, sometimes they hide in caves, and most of the time they spend the night in those few modified off-road vehicles.

The back seat of the car was narrow, and sometimes she would curl up sideways, almost completely nestled in his arms.

The car smelled of a mixture of sweat, blood, dirt, and faint pheromones.

Shi Ran fell asleep amidst this scent, her breathing gradually becoming deeper.

After a firefight, they rested on the riverbank. Shi Ran lowered her head to bandage the wound on his shoulder, her lips pursed until they turned white.

"Are you scared?" he asked.

Shi Ran shook her head, finished tying the knot in her hand, and then looked up at him: "I was just thinking, what would I do if you died?"

Fu Yanshen felt as if something had hit his chest.

He reached out and wiped a bit of mud off Shi Ran's face.

"No, I won't die."

I won't, at least not until I've ensured your safety.

He didn't say it aloud, but Shi Ran seemed to understand.

He grabbed Fu Yanshen's hand and held it tightly.

At that moment, Shi Ran unconsciously nuzzled against his neck, and Fu Yanshen came to his senses and carried her into the bedroom.

Just as I put the person down, Shi Ran's phone vibrated again in his pocket.

The name "Gu Chen" was flashing across the screen.

Fu Yanshen glanced at it, reached out and took it, then promptly added it to the blacklist.

Originally, he and Gu Chen had no connection. Black Shield's business with Huanyu was just a normal collaboration.

But two weeks ago, the situation changed.

Jiang Tianxiong's men suddenly launched a counterattack, and several of his key strongholds were successively destroyed.

The most troublesome thing is that, after the review, his entry into mainland China was temporarily restricted.

He found it suspicious and investigated all the way to the bottom, only to find out it was this Gu Chen.

Something unusual happened.

He ordered his men to investigate further, and the clues eventually pointed clearly to Gu Chen.

His subordinates quickly delivered Gu Chen's information.

The network of relationships is clean; it seems that only one assistant is someone I'm close to.

Fu Yanshen opened the document without taking it seriously.

His breath hitched almost imperceptibly when his gaze fell on the photo on his assistant's profile page.

The person in the photo is Shi Ran.

In just one second, he understood.

This is no coincidence.

Gu Chen's targeting precisely proves his concern—an unusually aggressive concern.

Fu Yanshen closed the document, the warmth in his eyes fading.

That evening, he personally went to handle the issue of the travel permit.

He must see Shi Ran.

We can't wait a moment longer.

Fu Yanshen looked at the person sleeping restlessly on the bed, then turned around and dialed a phone.

Soon, a slender man knocked on the door.

It was Zhou Jin; he and Crow were considered Fu Yanshen's right-hand men.

Just as Fu Yanshen opened the door and left, Zhou Jin caught a glimpse of the person on the bed and paused for a moment.

Did the boss really bring back an Omega?

He absolutely refused to believe what Crow said earlier. Let alone bringing people back, no Omega has dared to approach the boss within five meters for the past two years.

"Did you see clearly?"

Zhou Jin immediately composed himself: "Yes."

"His name is Shi Ran."

Zhou Jin was completely stunned. He was Shi Ran?

That's the person the boss has been looking for for two whole years!

"I need to know everything about him, especially recently." Fu Yanshen's tone turned serious. "Investigate carefully. Has anyone drugged him or coerced him in any way?"

"Understood." Zhou Jin nodded, asked no further questions, and turned to leave.

Fu Yanshen stood there, recalling Shi Ran's prickly demeanor in the bar earlier.

"You drugged me too."

"Are you here to bully me too?"

"And what are your conditions?"

With each question Shi Ran asked, his self-blame and heartache grew stronger.

What exactly did Shi Ran go through during the two years he was away?

It's okay, now that I'm here, no one can bully you anymore.

Not long after Zhou Jin left, Shi Ran felt nauseous and sat up uncomfortably, heading straight for the bathroom.

He gagged a few times, but nothing came out.

Just then, a hand patted his back.

He looked up blankly, and when he saw Fu Yanshen, he didn't react yet. He just raised his hand and rubbed his eyes hard.

Fu Yanshen didn't move, just let him look, and handed him a wet wipe.

Shi Ran then remembered what happened at the bar that night.

"You remember everything now?"

Fu Yanshen spoke, his voice sounding particularly deep in the quiet night.

Shi Ran nodded.

"So...why do we need twenty million?"

My body tenses up from time to time.

Here we go again. He asked why again. So... even he needs conditions?

Shi Ran waited for Fu Yanshen to continue, but unexpectedly he only asked, "Is someone using this to make things difficult for you? Do you need me to help you deal with it?"

She would unconsciously look up at him.

Fu Yanshen was very humble; he even sought his opinion on helping him.

Does he really not need to exchange anything of his own? Unlike Gu Chen...

Thinking of Gu Chen, Shi Ran realized that since he hadn't returned home all night, Gu Chen would definitely investigate thoroughly, given his personality.

What should we do about the time he went to the hospital to see his mother ten days ago?

He looked up in a panic and grabbed Fu Yanshen's arm. "Can you do me a favor? But don't ask why."

Fu Yanshen looked at him and remained silent for two seconds.

Then she took a step forward, put her arm around Shi Ran's still weak waist, and gently pulled him towards her.

"I don't need to ask why."

"Just give me the orders, Ranran."

This long-lost title caused Shi Ran's last shred of defenses to completely crumble.

With a slight exertion of his arms, Fu Yanshen lifted him up horizontally.

Shi Ran was carried back to the bedroom by him. Fu Yanshen sat on the large sofa and placed her on his lap, adopting the posture of a complete listener.

Shi Ran took a deep breath and began to talk about her mother.

They talked about the illness, the exorbitant medical costs, the despair of today, and the faint glimmer of new hope.

He omitted many details, such as Gu Chen's coercion and Wen Yiheng's threats, only vaguely stating that a lot of money was needed.

Fu Yanshen listened quietly throughout, but he could occasionally feel the arm around his waist tighten slightly when he heard certain parts of the story.

Fu Yanshen was too smart, and he understood him too well.

After a long while, Fu Yanshen finally spoke: "I understand everything. Can I help Ranran?"

Suddenly, her nose tingled, and she nodded with a childlike pout.

Fu Yanshen raised his hand and gently touched the corner of Shi Ran's mouth. There was a very faint smile on the corner of his mouth, but it was stiff because it hadn't appeared for so long.

"Leave it to me, okay?"

Fu Yanshen's tone was indeed coaxing the child, "After all, I'm a professional when it comes to hiding moms."

Shi Ran couldn't help but chuckle softly, and finally nodded.

"Okay, go take a hot bath, it'll make you feel better. Are you sure you can manage?"

Shi Ran's drunkenness had mostly worn off. He nodded, got up, and walked towards the bathroom.

He heard the sound of water, followed by Fu Yanshen's footsteps outside the door, and then low conversation.

The voice made him feel at ease, but also brought a deeper sense of unease.

Fu Yanshen was still as accommodating as ever, but with one condition...

She was still his canary.

If one day he discovers someone else with whom he has an unresolved entanglement...

Could this tenderness turn into just as intense hatred?

Could these unconditional gifts also become leverage to blackmail us?