thank you for the ko-fis coco & Nichelbichel 
❤️
The next two days were packed with activities. Gu Yunchi’s trio remained as elusive as ever. Wen Ran grew increasingly anxious. He wasn’t sure if he needed to buy a gift for Lu Heyang, and if so, what he should buy—Gu Yunchi was Lu Heyang’s best friend and might be able to provide some guidance.
Finally, on the day they attended an art exhibition as a group, Wen Ran managed to corner Gu Yunchi at the entrance of the restroom in the gallery. Gu Yunchi was washing his hands and glanced at him through the mirror. Wen Ran stood behind him and said awkwardly, “There’s something I want to ask you.”
The automatic paper towel dispenser on the side was out of paper. Gu Yunchi clicked his tongue and shook his hands. He turned around to face Wen Ran with an expression that looked like he was being harassed, “You better really have something.”
“I really do,” Wen Ran said, “I wanted to ask you what gift I should get for Lu Heyang? I’ve never given anyone a gift before.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Yunchi put his left hand on Wen Ran’s shoulder. Wen Ran was startled and didn’t dare move. He stared at Gu Yunchi blankly, but Gu Yunchi acted naturally as if he was just holding an armrest. Gu Yunchi asked, getting straight to the point, “Budget.”
“Less than a hundred thousand,” Wen Ran pursed his lips, lowering his voice, “500 or so.”
He wasn’t joking. He really only had a little over five hundred at the moment. It would be great if it could be solved within this range. If not, he would have to ask Chen Shuhui or Wen Rui.
“Why not say less than a hundred million?” Gu Yunchi shifted his hand to Wen Ran’s other shoulder, “Heyang’s watches start at a million. Five hundred might get a cloth to wipe the watch face.”
It was indeed an appropriate and practical gift. Wen Ran believed it, “Where can I buy it? Would it be available in the mall?”
He asked sincerely. Gu Yunchi looked at him for two seconds and commented, “Being poor is one thing, but how come your brain isn’t good either.” Then he withdrew his hand and leisurely slipped it into his pocket, “Forget about the gift. Just treat it as if he’s inviting you for a meal.”
“Really? Will I be the only one without a gift then?”
Gu Yunchi said, “That has nothing to do with me.” With that said, he left like it really had nothing to do with him.
“…..” Wen Ran stood in place speechless. Despite his efforts to comprehend, he still couldn’t make sense of why Gu Yunchi had held his shoulders. He turned his head sideways to look at his shoulders—there was a damp handprint on each side.
Now he understood.
Wen Ran ended up arriving empty-handed at the rooftop banquet hall just after six, feeling the weight of financial constraints and desperately clinging to the last bit of trust he had in Gu Yunchi.
Upon entering, he realized that the biggest problem wasn’t the gift—everyone was dressed in formal attire, while he was wearing the old T-shirt that Gu Yunchi had wiped his hands on in the afternoon. It was like a gutter rat had crashed a high-end human party.
There were hardly any people of his age in the banquet hall. It was packed with celebrities and influential officials, shaking hands and toasting each other while chatting. Wen Ran nearly backed out to confirm he was in the right place. Suddenly, he caught sight of a face that had appeared in the news countless times—the Chairman of the Supreme Government Council of the Union, Lu Chengyu.
Wen Ran froze, realizing that Lu Heyang turned out to be the Chairman’s son.
Lu Chengyu was standing next to Wei Lingzhou. Once Wen Ran sorted out the relationships in his mind, he was astonished once again. He had known that Wei Lingzhou was having an affair, but he hadn’t known Wei Lingzhou was Lu Heyang’s brother-in-law.
Wen Ran scanned the surroundings, hoping to find Gu Yunchi so he could inform him that his buddy’s brother-in-law was cheating. However, amidst the crowd of guests, he struggled to locate him. It was also possible he hadn’t come. After all, he had previously stated he would refuse to attend if he did.
In the midst of his swirling thoughts, the venue suddenly quieted. Wen Ran followed everyone’s eyes toward the entrance—Gu Peiwen unexpectedly also attended. Gu Yunchi walked beside him, still in an all-black suit.
Lu Chengyu approached and shook hands with Gu Peiwen. Gu Peiwen exchanged a few words with him and patted Lu Heyang’s shoulder. They stood in the center of all the guests, chatting and laughing amiably.
Wen Ran was about to slip away to a shadowy corner, dreading being noticed by Gu Peiwen. However, as he looked up, he saw Gu Peiwen smiling and waving at him. Despite his fear, Wen Ran didn’t dare delay and jogged over, his mind completely blank. “Grandpa Gu.”
“It’s been a while. You seem to have gained some weight.” Gu Peiwen didn’t mind that Wen Ran had come in only a T-shirt and jeans. He kindly made small talk, “Have you been enjoying yourself these past few days?”
“Yes, thank you.”
The current situation seemed as if Gu Peiwen had unveiled an exquisite box in front of everyone, only to find a tarnished, rusty piece of scrap inside. Wen Ran could imagine how stiff and unnatural his smile must have looked without even needing to look in a mirror. All he could do was pretend to ignore the countless curious and probing gazes in order to barely maintain an appearance of politeness.
He tricked himself into thinking that maybe people would assume he was just a poor student being supported by Gu Peiwen. A thought drifted to his mind—if Chen Shuhui was there, she would surely be pleased.
“Great. Go have fun with your schoolmates and come sit next to Yunchi when it’s time for dinner.”
Wen Ran was afraid of the consequences if he even glanced at Gu Yunchi out of the corner of his eye. He replied and nodded like a puppet, “Okay.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Wen Ran withdrew from the crowd with doubts in his mind and retreated to his corner. On his way, he ran into Song Shu’ang, who looked as if his cognitive system had been completely disrupted and didn’t know what to ask. Wen Ran stayed silent.
A classical orchestra played during dinner. Wen Ran sat beside the aloof Gu Yunchi. Across from them was Lu Heyang, whose birthday party had been turned into a political and business conference, along with He Wei, who seemed to be able to cackle no matter what the situation was.
Gu Yunchi barely touched his food before getting up from the table. Shortly after, Lu Heyang and He Wei followed suit. Wen Ran ate alone for a few minutes, then grabbed some juice and prepared to find an unoccupied corner.
He hadn’t taken a few steps in the banquet hall as he encountered that elder he had noticed earlier. He was talking with someone else but as soon as he saw Wen Ran, he raised his hand to halt the conversation and walked over.
“Are you Wen Ran?”
“Yes. May I ask who you are?”
“Zhang Fangyi, Peiwen’s old friend.” He smiled, “I taught Yunchi and Heyang the violin.”
“Hello, teacher.” Wen Ran still didn’t understand the other party’s intentions, “What can I do for you?”
“Did I startle you? I was indeed a bit rude.” Zhang Fangyi’s smile faded a little. He looked at Wen Ran like he was reminiscing, “You look a lot like someone I know.”
Wen Ran felt tense for some reason and tried to smile as naturally as possible, “Is it my parents?”
“No, I used to be in the capital orchestra. Shuhui was an excellent cellist, but you don’t resemble her,” Zhang Fangyi said, “You don’t look much like your father either.”
This implied that he was no stranger to Chen Shuhui and Wen Ningyuan. Wen Ran’s palms sweated, “It might be a coincidence. Strangers can look alike too.”
“Ah… I apologize for being rude again. How can I say that a child doesn’t resemble his parents,” Zhang Fangyi waved his hand, aware of the absurdity, “Maybe it’s the alcohol talking. People tend to talk nonsense when they get old.”
“No, no. Maybe I really look like the person you mentioned.”
“Yeah, you are similar. Maybe it’s just a coincidence,” Zhang Fangyi’s smile returned, “Well, I won’t keep you any longer. I hope you won’t take what I said tonight too seriously.”
“It’s okay. I’ll go now then. Goodbye, teacher.”
As Wen Ran took a few steps, his heart started pounding in his chest. He glanced back, finding Zhang Fangyi was still standing in the same place with his head lowered as if lost in thought.
In an apprehensive mood, Wen Ran found the perfect spot—an empty and quiet small room on the western side of the banquet hall, with a grand piano positioned on the front stage. Wen Ran reached for the control panel, briefly examining the buttons before pressing the correct one. The stage gradually lit up with soft light, highlighting the piano with a brighter beam.
The hustle and bustle of the banquet hall were indistinct. Wen Ran sat down in front of the piano, raising the lid and pressing a few keys with his hand to test the sound. The sound quality was good, although nowhere near the piano at Gu Yunchi’s house. He placed both hands on the keys and began to play “Polar Night on the 19th”.
In the past, he simply liked this song, never expecting that it was initially intended as a birthday gift for Gu Yunchi. This time, Wen Ran played it flawlessly until the end.
As the last note lingered in the air, a voice suddenly came from behind, “Is this the only song you know?”
Wen Ran shuddered and turned sideways to look back. In the shadow beneath the stage lights, Gu Yunchi leisurely leaned against the wall with his hands folded, holding a glass of red wine while indifferently watching him.
“I like it and know the score well,” Wen Ran propped up one hand on the piano bench and added, “Sorry, I didn’t know Grandpa Gu would be coming. If I had known, I wouldn’t have shown up.”
“It’s because Heyang knew my grandpa was coming. Grandpa would have sent someone to fetch you,” Gu Yunchi said, “He thought it would be less embarrassing to invite you in advance than to drag you here halfway.”
“So that’s how it is.” Wen Ran finally caught on, “He was so considerate. I thought you were really angry.”
Gu Yunchi stood straight and walked up to the stage from the darkness. The constantly changing lights outlined his face. Finally, he stopped beside the piano and said, “I really didn’t want to see you.”
“Okay.” Wen Ran was dumbfounded by the fact that Gu Yunchi had walked here from several meters away just to say that. Then he remembered something important, “You should know about Wei Lingzhou, right?”
Wei Lingzhou was the brother-in-law of his good friend and part of the younger generation of the capital’s upper-class circle. Although the Wei family hadn’t reached the point of being competitors to the Gu family, they couldn’t be total strangers to each other.
“I don’t have time to know dead people,” Gu Yunchi spoke sharply.
The words were so vicious that they stunned Wen Ran. It took him a moment to continue, “Do you remember when we were in the corridor and heard someone in the lounge… doing that?”
Gu Yunchi frowned, “Which one?”
“Cheating,” Wen Ran whispered, “I was about to walk in but you pulled me out.”
“So?”
“I saw that alpha later, it was Wei Lingzhou. But the omega with him wasn’t Lu Heyang’s sister.”
“How else would it be called cheating?”
Astonished by his calmness, Wen Ran asked, “Does he cheat often?”
“Anyone in the banquet hall could tell you about his love affairs.”
Wen Ran was even more shocked, “Doesn’t the Chairman care?”
Gu Yunchi took a sip of wine, resting one hand on the side of the piano, “Do you know what a political marriage means?”
“Gotcha.” Wen Ran lightly tapped the keys with his index finger and said, “I just think Lu Heyang’s sister is innocent.”
“She has no feelings for Wei Lingzhou so she doesn’t care.” Gu Yunchi glanced at Wen Ran with lowered eyes, “You can try to seduce Wei Lingzhou. He’s not that picky, you might just succeed.”
Wen Ran felt a flicker of anger inside, but it lasted only for a second. Wen Ran looked at him, “I’m dedicated to you.”
He was dedicated to kissing up to him and clinging to him until the task issued by Chen Shuhui was declared finished.
Gu Yunchi said, “Try to disgust me again.”
“Okay, I won’t say it next time.” Wen Ran took advantage of his relatively good temper after a few drinks. He paused for a moment before asking, “Have you still been getting fevers frequently?”
This topic always irked Gu Yunchi. He shot back blandly, “Is it unbearable for you to go on without getting scolded?”
“No, I’m just worried.” Wen Ran drooped his head, his eyes falling on Gu Yunchi’s slender fingers, “I know you don’t like me releasing pheromones, just like you wouldn’t want to become dependent on a drug you hate. I promise I won’t do it again and not go anywhere outside the living room from now on.”
Gu Yunchi wasn’t moved at all and just exposed him bluntly, “Purpose.”
“Can I still come over to your place?” Wen Ran asked with some embarrassment about being seen through.
There was no way around it. Before going abroad, Chen Shuhui had mentioned it several times and questioned whether he had ruined his relationship with Gu Yunchi.
Silence fell again, and the distant clamor that had disappeared during the conversation gradually returned. The beam of light fell on them and the piano, casting a faint circle on the ground.
As if Gu Yunchi didn’t hear Wen Ran’s question, he lifted his hand from the piano, then let it fall onto the keys opposite Wen Ran, playing a melody in the other direction.
It turned out to be the chorus of the Polar Night on the 19th. He hit every note with precision. Wen Ran watched Gu Yunchi’s fingers on the piano keys, then his gaze shifted to his hand holding the wine glass, tracing up his wrist, arm, and shoulder, until reaching his face.
Gu Yunchi only played a short segment before stopping. He placed the wine glass on the piano and took two steps down from the stage. Wen Ran’s eyes followed his back as he stepped back into the dark. He caught a glimpse of Gu Yunchi pulling out a cigarette and slipping it in his mouth before vanishing through the doorway.
After staying alone for over half an hour, Wen Ran decided to return to his room. As he stepped out of the small room, he happened to see Gu Peiwen leaving. A group of people were saying goodbye to him. Wen Ran went to the door and waited. When Gu Peiwen broke free from the crowd and emerged, Wen Ran stepped forward, “Grandpa Gu.”
“Yunchi has run off somewhere,” Gu Peiwen said, “Since I have to return home early tomorrow morning, I won’t have time to have dinner with you two. We’ll meet again after you return from the summer camp.”
“Mn, take care and get some rest.”
Gu Peiwen smiled and said, “Alright.”
The birthday party continued. Wen Ran scanned the banquet hall and spotted Lu Heyang, who stood at arm’s length from an unfamiliar omega beside Lu Chengyu. Wen Ran couldn’t help but sense the same coldness and reluctance he and Gu Yunchi had when they were first forced to meet at the dinner table.
He Wei was also there—He Wei appeared to be much happier, clinging to a beautiful omega who seemed uninterested, chuckling away as he chatted. After a few words, the omega rolled his eyes at him, yet He Wei seemed pleased by it, even appearing to wag his tail.
From what Wen Ran overheard in the equipment room from He Wei’s and Gu Yunchi’s phone call, he deduced that the omega was Chi Jiahan.
After a while, Lu Heyang left the social center and went to the champagne tower on the side to get a drink. Wen Ran approached him and said politely, “I’m going back to my room. Happy birthday. Thank you for inviting me… I didn’t bring a suit with me on this trip. I didn’t mean to come dressed like this. Sorry.”
Lu Heyang lowered his eyes to look at him and smiled faintly, “No worries.”
After saying goodbye, Wen Ran left feeling at ease. He waited for the elevator for a long time, but it didn’t come. Perhaps there was a large flow of people due to the birthday party. Wen Ran decided to take the stairs down three floors to the level he was staying in.
The stairwell door was heavy, but it opened smoothly without making a sound. As Wen Ran opened the door a few centimeters, he heard a voice filled with suppressed anger coming from the stairwell. It was Wei Lingzhou.
“What good does tipping them off do? I told you to lay low, not stir up trouble and drag me into it!”
“If they suspect something, they’ll start with us anyway. Feiyi doesn’t care, so what are you afraid of?”
“The more you do, the more evidence you leave behind. Shao Ping, don’t forget how Tang Hua died. You still want to avenge him even though you’re all worked up?”
Wen Ran was stunned at the mention of that name. After Gu Yunchi’s parents’ plane crash that year, it took nearly a year for the Gu family and the authorities to finally identify the mastermind—Tang Hua.
Tang Hua was a member of the criminal underworld who made his fortune by trafficking arms and drugs. He was sentenced to death just a few years after his business was legitimized. News reports claimed that the police convoy was ambushed in an attempt to save Tang Hua on the way to the execution ground. In the ensuing fight, Tang Hua was shot dead on the spot by the police.
The sensor light in the stairwell was on due to their conversation. Based on the sound, the two were probably standing halfway down the stairs. The alpha called Shao Ping remained silent for an extended period of time. Just as the lights were about to go off, he said grimly, “Worked up? If I was worked up, I wouldn’t have waited for so many years. My boss was shot more than twenty times when he died. I must avenge him for this grudge.”
More than twenty shots… Wen Ran’s eyes widened in shock. It wasn’t a prison break; the Gu family simply didn’t want Tang Hua to die so easily and sent him off with over twenty bullets.
Wen Ran was scared witless and discreetly pushed the door opening to the minimum.
“You want revenge, but they want it even more! Where would you all be today if your boss hadn’t shouldered all the blame back then? If you don’t want history to repeat itself, wait patiently for the right opportunity!”
Shao Ping breathed heavily in silence and didn’t speak. Wei Lingzhou softened his tone, “Shao-ge, I know you want payback, but our opponent isn’t just any small fry. We need to plan everything long-term, don’t you agree? You showing up at Yunwan like this will only cause trouble if someone finds out. This could have all been avoided, right?”
“I came here today to talk business,” Shao Ping snorted coldly, “It’s all legitimate business, Young Master Wei, rest assured.”
“Of course, what I mean is we should try to avoid suspicion as much as possible when we’re out and about. If we’re…”
“What are you up to?”
A voice pierced Wen Ran’s ears and a hand patted his right shoulder. As Wen Ran’s full attention had been on eavesdropping, he was shaken to the core. He tried to muffle any sound he might make and quickly closed the door.
The staircase fell silent instantly, followed by the sound of footsteps—one retreating in haste while the other approached rapidly. Wen Ran swiftly turned around and pushed Song Shu’ang to the window, whispering, “We can’t be discovered.”
Song Shu’ang was almost knocked off balance and instinctively grabbed Wen Ran’s waist to steady himself. Immediately afterward, the stairwell door swung open and Wei Lingzhou walked out alone.
Song Shu’ang, who looked like a nerd, unexpectedly responded quickly and said to Wen Ran, “Go to the restroom if you need to throw up. That’s the staircase.”
Wen Ran kept up the act, hunching over and bowing his head like he was about to vomit. He rubbed his stomach and said, “My tummy is upset.” Then he turned to face Wei Lingzhou, who was staring at him like a snake. Wen Ran frowned and pursed his lips, “Uncle Wei?”
For several seconds, Wei Lingzhou remained motionless with the same intense gaze. Song Shu’ang raised his hand and patted Wen Ran’s back, “Sorry, I didn’t expect you to be such a lightweight.”
Wen Ran shook his head and twisted his face in pain.
Only then did Wei Lingzhou ease his grip on the doorknob and say, “Why’s a kid like you drinking?”
“Oh,” Wen Ran rubbed his nose.
Wen Ran caught sight of Wei Lingzhou walking toward the banquet hall. He whispered his thanks to Song Shu’ang, then turned his head doubtfully to ensure Wei Lingzhou had truly left.
Wei Lingzhou had fortunately gone out of sight, but unfortunately, Gu Yunchi was standing just two meters away by the elevator.
He Wei beside him let out an “Uh-oh” as he saw Song Shu’ang’s hand on Wen Ran’s back.
Author’s note:
It’s time for Young Master He to fan the flames : )
This novel contains no cannon fodder gong or shou.
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This author writes so well…loved the angsty “eternities…”, and love this comedic one too…thank you for the update🌺
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I think this older alpha knows our mc’s mother, even more maybe he’s his father?
Poor wen ran always caught in the most awkward scenes ever 😂 and poor song shuang being implicated as well haha