The atmosphere briefly turned awkward. Wen Ran froze for two seconds, then swallowed and murmured, “Sorry, I thought the door opened this way.”
It was only as Wen Ran got closer that he realized that the alpha was really tall. His shadow engulfed Wen Ran’s entire body. Wen Ran felt as if the alpha was looking down on him from behind the mask like he was a dog. The alpha let go of the door handle and turned to walk away coldly.
Wen Ran reached out to stop the door from closing again and stepped out into the breeze. It was indeed a terrace. Sofas and round tables were arranged in groups of twos and threes. The glass railing overlooked the full view of the Huyan Mansion: trees, ground lights, lawn, and an artificial lake, all blending into the darkness of the night.
The alpha sat on a sofa near the railing with one leg outstretched, smoking and looking at his phone. Wen Ran stood about two meters downwind, but he didn’t detect the scent of burning nicotine. Instead, there was a subtle, refreshing scent mixed with a hint of bitterness.
The door creaked open once more. Wen Ran turned to see a waiter approaching with a glass of water. “Sir, I noticed you appeared unsettled earlier. Here’s a glass of warm water.” The waiter placed the water on the nearby table and then put the tray away, “Please don’t hesitate to ask if you need anything else. I won’t intrude any further.”
The terrace was left with only two people again. Wen Ran picked up the glass of water. His throat felt extremely uncomfortable. He wanted to drink it but didn’t dare. After deliberation, he could only try to inquire the alpha nearby, “Is the water here safe to drink?”
Several seconds passed without a response. Wen Ran could take the hint and decided to back off with the water. But the alpha spoke up without raising his head, “Well, it won’t kill you.”
A particularly pleasant voice with particularly harsh words.
In truth, it wouldn’t matter if it did. Wen Ran replied, “Thank you.” He tilted his head back and drank most of the water.
Wen Ran sat down on the sofa aside. He took out his phone and messaged Wen Rui to ask when he could go home. After waiting a while with no reply, he had no choice but to stare idly into the night.
Something seemed to displease the alpha. He clicked his tongue and threw his phone onto the coffee table before raising his hand to take a drag of his cigarette. Wen Ran glanced at him. Through the thin smoke, the lace-trimmed black mask covered the skin that was dyed silver by the moonlight. His profile revealed an overly beautiful silhouette.
The phone rang as Wen Rui called. As Wen Ran answered the call, there was a cacophony of noise on the other end. Wen Rui was heavily drunk and asked, “Did you finish watching?”
“No,” Wen Ran knew Wen Rui did it on purpose. He said, “It wasn’t good.”
Sure enough, Wen Rui burst out laughing, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s disgusting,” Wen Ran said, “I want to go home.”
As he said this, he caught the alpha glancing at him from the side.
“Suit yourself. I’ll send you the driver’s number, you can call him yourself.”
After hanging up, Wen Rui sent the number. Wen Ran dialed and arranged to meet the driver downstairs in five minutes. He stood up, took the water glass, and glanced at the alpha once more. He then turned to walk a few steps and push the terrace door.
To his surprise, the door opened from the inside—it was the alpha who had been napping earlier. Upon seeing Wen Ran, the alpha courteously held the door open and stepped aside to let Wen Ran pass first.
“Thank you,” Wen Ran said. Back in the hallway, he returned the glass to the waiter and asked him to take him to the elevator.
—
The house was quiet as Chen Shuhui hadn’t yet returned and Auntie Fang had retired for the night. Wen Ran went upstairs to his room. After taking a shower, he sniffed carefully but found no trace of the peculiar fragrance that had permeated the air at the mansion.
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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He couldn’t concentrate on studying as the scenes from Huyan Mansion kept flashing in his mind—its debauchery, cruelty, and perversion. The ways normal people found happiness were often simple and inexpensive. On the contrary, people of higher social status were accustomed to ordinary stimuli, raising their threshold constantly higher. It would take something exceptionally thrilling and shocking to make their nerve endings quiver even slightly.
Wen Ran belatedly realized that the most terrifying individuals in the banquet hall tonight weren’t those who were excited by the performance but those two S-level alphas—how accustomed must they be to such scenes to doze off and show disinterest.
Terrifying. The mere thought of having conversed with one of them sent shivers down his spine.
Wen Ran found himself completely unable to focus on studying, so he decided to open his phone. He clicked on the browser, and after loading, the last visited webpage appeared. It was the official website for a mechanical model. On the front page banner was a poster of a 1.5-meter blue-white helicopter model, a one-to-one transport aircraft simulation model manufactured with the approval of the Union Military. It was priced at 186,000, limited to only 100 units, and was currently sold out.
With envy for the rich, Wen Ran clicked on the details page and scrolled back and forth over the images and comments a few times. He had followed this model since it became available for pre-sale, through its preview, listing, and eventual sellout.
Wen Ran grabbed a sheet of paper and pushed down on a ruler to begin drawing a perspective drawing. Before he could make many strokes, there was a loud bang downstairs, causing the straight line under his pen to skew. Wen Ran went to the door to open it slightly and heard Chen Shuhui and Wen Rui arguing.
“You think you can relax just because I’m back in the country? Reports and contracts are waiting for your review, and you’re out drinking?”
Wen Rui said, “A few near-bankrupt companies keep you busier than major corporations. Is it worth it?”
Although it was an unpleasant remark, it was true. The director of the Shengdian Group, Wen Ningyuan, died in a car accident a few years ago. At that time, Chen Shuhui was merely a cellist with no business knowledge, while Wen Rui was a playboy who had spent over two decades learning nothing but how to indulge in pleasure. The plummet of the Shengdian Group was inevitable, and it struggled to survive to this day.
“Without those near-bankrupt companies, where would you get the capital to act like a young master out there?” Chen Shuhui retorted coldly.
Wen Rui didn’t refute and made his way up the creaking stairs. The mother and son went up one after the other. Wen Ran opened the door and called out, “Mom.”
Chen Shuhui’s expression remained cold. She glanced at Wen Ran and informed him, “We’re dining at Yunwan tomorrow. Dress formally.”
“Okay.” Wen Ran glanced downstairs. Auntie Fang had also been awakened by the argument. She was standing by the sofa, smiling at him reassuringly, as if she was accustomed to such scenes.
The following afternoon, Chen Shuhui returned from the company early to touch up her makeup and change clothes. Wen Ran took out the suit he wore yesterday and sniffed it. The scent was still present, so he opted for a different one. After putting it on, he went to the mirror to tidy up. Once again he realized the mismatch between himself and the suit—his thin frame didn’t quite fill it out.
Recalling the two alphas he encountered last night, he couldn’t help but admit that they had the perfect figures for suits—tall, straight, every inch of muscle just perfect and slender, exuding the vigor of youth.
After getting ready, Wen Ran sat on the living room sofa for half an hour. Chen Shuhui’s makeup artist came down first. It was her first time meeting Wen Ran. After greeting and introducing herself, she smiled and said, “Mrs. Chen asked me to touch you up, but it seems unnecessary.” After saying that, she found some hair gel to style Wen Ran’s hair simply and said goodbye before leaving.
Wen Ran’s initial reaction was that his face was beyond help. However, remembering that Chen Shuhui had never mentioned the word “ugly” when criticizing his various shortcomings before, he decided not to dwell on it too much.
Ten minutes later, Chen Shuhui came downstairs. The driver happened to arrive at the entrance as well and the two of them got into the car together. Wen Ran sat dutifully and listened to Chen Shuhui’s warning.
“When you’re asked a question, don’t act like a mute who doesn’t know how to speak. Don’t pretend to be dead.”
So was he mute or dead? It was unclear. Wen Ran was just uneasy. It had been two or three days since he returned to the capital, and he hadn’t had a chance to attend any social skills classes yet. Opportunities truly waited for no one.
At dusk, the center of the capital was aglow with lights. As they approached their destination, the car drove around a fountain. The letters “Yunwan” sparkled brightly in gold on a massive white landscaping stone. Among the 24 countries of the Union, Yunwan was like a symbol reserved only for the highly developed cities.
This esteemed industry was merely an inconspicuous facet of the Baiqing Group’s vast business empire. And the owner of the empire—the door to the top-floor suite of Yunwan opened. Under the guidance of the manager, Wen Ran walked through the entryway and looked at the alpha surrounded by assistants and bodyguards on the sofa in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. Wen Ran respectfully greeted, “Director Gu, hello.”
Gu Peiwen was wearing a modest satin shirt. He raised his head slightly. His eyes behind the glasses were clear and calm. A faint smile graced his lips as he addressed the younger generation, “Wen Ran?”
“Mn,” Wen Ran remembered Chen Shuhui’s instructions and added, “Hello.”
“No need to be so polite.” Gu Peiwen raised his hand, “Have a seat.”
They sat on the sofa on the side and two cups of tea were promptly placed in front of them. Wen Ran heard Gu Peiwen say, “Chongze hasn’t returned from his business trip yet. He’ll have to miss today and make it up next time.”
Chen Shuhui smiled gracefully, “Mr. Gu is so busy. You don’t need to talk to him about making it up.”
“Manners are still necessary.” Gu Peiwen suddenly said with a hint of frustration, “The younger one went horseback riding this afternoon. He might be late. We won’t wait for him to have dinner later.”
Despite his words, there was a sense of fondness in his tone.
“It’s the age of fun. Riding horses is good for your health,” Chen Shuhui said, “I’ve always said that Wen Ran is too reserved. He needs to go out to exercise more.”
“If there’s a chance later, the two of you can go out together.” Gu Peiwen looked at Wen Ran.
Wen Ran tried his best not to act dead and showed a seemingly happy smile, “Mn.”
“Director, shall we proceed with the blood draw before dinner?” A white-coated alpha approached from behind the bodyguards and asked Gu Peiwen.
“Ah, yes. I nearly forgot,” Gu Peiwen said.
Chen Shuhui chimed in, “Yes.” She turned to remind Wen Ran, “Take off your coat and roll up your sleeve.”
Wen Ran complied, removing his coat and rolling up his shirt sleeve. He placed his arm on the sofa armrest. The doctor walked up to him and drew two tubes of blood before placing the samples in a cooler. As he stood up, he nodded to Gu Peiwen, “Director, I’ll take my leave now.”
“Very well.”
After a while, the waiters began bringing in dishes. Gu Peiwen stood up, “Alright, let’s eat.”
Wen Ran still gradually became mute during the meal. Fortunately, Chen Shuhui handled everything with ease. About ten minutes in, there was some noise at the entrance, and an assistant came to report, “Director, Mr. Gu has arrived.”
Gu Peiwen said, “Tell him to come quickly and join us for dinner.”
At this, Wen Ran put down his utensils and nervously raised his head.
Before the assistant could relay the message, a tall figure emerged from the corner of the living room. The alpha, clad in a black T-shirt and jeans, walked over leisurely. He had evidently just showered as his hair wasn’t fully dry and his bangs scattered on his forehead. His left wrist, which held his phone, had a black wristband on it—aside from his strikingly handsome face, he looked simple from head to toe as if he had just come out to throw out some garbage.
“Grandpa,” the alpha walked to Gu Peiwen’s side and pulled out a chair.
The voice sounded oddly familiar, but Wen Ran couldn’t recall where he had heard it before. He pondered for a moment but couldn’t come up with the answer.
“You’re late,” Gu Peiwen said, “Yunchi, explain to our guests.”
Gu Yunchi showed no intention of explaining and simply said, “Sorry, Mrs. Chen.”
“Don’t worry about it. Just sit down and eat,” Chen Shuhui’s voice was gentle.
Amidst the aroma of the food, Wen Ran caught a faint whiff of Gu Yunchi’s shower gel from across the table. Wen Ran meticulously wore a suit to express his respect for the dinner, but in contrast, he looked like a clown with a golden-rimmed chamber pot. Fortunately, Gu Yunchi didn’t spare him a glance from the moment he walked in and sat down. Wen Ran found himself fascinated by this indifference. One of his wishes was for others never to notice him.
Of course, that wasn’t realistic. Gu Peiwen turned his attention to him after a few bites, “I heard you were sick before. Have you started catching up on your studies?”
Director Gu would never be concerned with such trivial matters. There was likely another meaning behind this question. Wen Ran answered cautiously, “I’ve only recently returned home and haven’t found a suitable teacher yet, so I’ve been studying on my own these past few days.”
It seemed like a decent answer as Chen Shuhui didn’t feel the need to add anything. Gu Peiwen smiled, “It’s not easy to find one.”
Chen Shuhui finally spoke, “Indeed. I’ve contacted several renowned teachers, but they all said they’re fully booked for one-on-one tutoring this semester and don’t have time to squeeze in.”
“In that case, you can study together at Yunchi’s place. It just so happens that he’ll be in the country for a while,” Gu Peiwen said calmly.
Wen Ran was taken aback. Amidst his astonishment, he noticed Gu Yunchi finally lifting his eyelids to look at him expressionlessly. His eyes were dark and deep. Wen Ran immediately averted his eyes. Had he known that Gu Peiwen was going to ask him to study with Gu Yunchi, he would have risked being killed by Chen Shuhui and claimed he intended to self-study.
“It would be great if you could study together,” Chen Shuhui’s smile was genuine as the progress was so smooth, “Wen Ran, quickly thank Director Gu.”
Wen Ran forced himself to say, “Thank you, Director Gu.”
Gu Peiwen chuckled, “Just call me the same way Yunchi does.”
Wen Ran changed his address, “Thank you, Grandpa Gu.”
“Director Gu, you’ve really resolved a major concern for me,” Chen Shuhui raised her glass, “Thank you so much. I’ll toast you.”
As the glasses clinked, Wen Ran trembled with fear as he glanced at Gu Yunchi, foreseeing many tragedies to come from the extremely grumpy expression on his face.
Translator’s note:
I’ll update the release schedule next week once I complete my previous TL project. From then on, there will be regular updates 
So good, I love it already! This author’s writing pulls me in so easily. Thanks for the chapter!