The lights in the living room were on as Auntie Fang dragged Chen Shuhui’s suitcase to stand awkwardly on the side. She was unsure whether to leave or try to persuade her.
“The world is really turning upside down! He’s letting just anyone into the house!”
Chen Shuhui wore a simple yet elegant outfit that made her look expensive and classy. But her tone dripped with contempt and hatred. Fang Yisen stood calmly by the coffee table, his face devoid of emotion.
Wen Ran quickly positioned himself in front of Fang Yisen, “It’s my brother who insisted on locking Assistant Fang here. He can’t leave even if he wanted to.”
Wen Ran felt the intense stare on his face as Chen Shuhui asked, “Are you lecturing me?”
“I’m just trying to explain so you don’t get too angry.” Wen Ran could hear Fang Yisen’s steady, soft breathing behind him, which seemed to give him courage, “As long as my brother agrees to release him, there’s no need for you to get so upset.”
“Who knows if it’s all an act. You’d be amazed at what some people do to climb higher.”
This sentence was obviously most fitting for the Wen family. Wen Ran questioned, “Is there anything in our family worth climbing for?”
Perhaps he too had lost his mind, having been family to two lunatics for so long. It was highly probable he wasn’t normal either.
Chen Shuhui flung her bag onto the sofa with a thud and glared at Wen Ran, “Have you forgotten who you are? The Wen family has raised you for years, providing you with food and drink. Do you think you’ve hitched yourself to the Gu family and found a backer?”
In Chen Shuhui’s mind, resistance had to be based on some support. A battle with bare hands was nothing but a joke of overestimating one’s abilities.
Fang Yisen’s hand on Wen Ran’s shoulder was ready to push him away at any moment. But Wen Ran stubbornly stayed in place, refusing to move.
“I haven’t hitched myself to the Gu family. I’m stating facts.”
Chen Shuhui appeared to scrutinize Wen Ran’s face for a moment before laughing scornfully as if insinuating something, “Betas are indeed a bunch of delusional fools.”
“Still better than a lunatic omega like you.”
A deep voice cut in as Wen Rui stepped into the room. Despite the exhaustion on his face, his expression was disturbingly cold.
“I brought him here. Vent whatever anger you have on me.” Wen Rui walked in front of Wen Ran, his tall frame completely shielding him from Chen Shuhui.
“Vent it on you?” Chen Shuhui sneered, “Would you even listen? Do I still matter to you?”
“You treat everyone like pawns but expect acknowledgment in return. Isn’t that too greedy? Do you not realize you’ve turned this place into a prison?” Wen Rui showed no intention of backing down, “Instead of going crazy at home, I suggest you focus your energy on better things and figure out how to fix the mess you’ve created. What’s the point?”
“A mess? Is the mess something I created alone? Do you think it’s no longer your business?”
“Quit always pointing a finger at me. Have you guys done any less dirty deeds? If it comes down to it, just call it quits before it’s too late. I’m fed up anyway.”
Chen Shuhui scoffed, “You think you’re so righteous. You’re clinging to a beta, but isn’t he just a substitute?”
Wen Ran felt the hand on his shoulder twitch. Glancing at Wen Rui’s back, he recalled hearing that Wen Rui had had an omega first love many years ago. Due to their mismatched family backgrounds, Chen Shuhui had opposed it, causing the omega to leave the country and never be heard from again.
Wen Ran suddenly understood why Wen Rui had fallen for Fang Yisen at first sight and resorted to such extreme measures to keep him by his side—even threatening to implant omega glands into Fang Yisen, which turned out to be part of the plan to make the substitute more desirable to him.
Wen Ran wondered if everyone in the Wen family had some obsession with omegas, from himself to Fang Yisen. The difference was that he was forced to become an omega for profit, while Fang Yisen was a genuine victim of circumstance—imprisoned, humiliated, and even at the risk of gender reassignment, all because of a similar face.
“So what? How do you know if I’m using him as a substitute or if he’s himself?” Wen Rui continued as if fearing not being able to provoke Chen Shuhui, “Bringing him home this time was for no other reason than to conveniently inform you that I’m going to marry him in the future.”
Wen Ran felt Fang Yisen’s grip on his shoulder tighten.
The next moment, Chen Shuhui slapped Wen Rui with a “smack”, sending his head to the side.
In the dead silence, Chen Shuhui enunciated each word, “Don’t even think about it.”
Her heels clicked sharply as she retrieved her bag from the sofa and ascended the stairs swiftly. Auntie Fang cast a worried glance at Wen Rui before taking her suitcase and following.
“Insane.” Wen Rui wiped his face. He turned around, tilting his head to look at Fang Yisen behind Wen Ran, “Pack your things. We’re leaving.”
“Where?” Wen Ran asked instinctively, dreading that Wen Rui would be enraged by Chen Shuhui’s slap and drag Fang Yisen straight to the surgery.
With the imprint of the slap on his face, Wen Rui calmly looked at Wen Ran and said, “Back to his house.”
Then, he grabbed Fang Yisen’s hand that was clasped on Wen Ran’s shoulder and dragged him away.
The powerful mother, the uncaring older brother, and the incompetent younger brother formed such a ludicrous and bizarre family that made normal people want to steer clear, let alone those familiar with the inside story like Gu Yunchi and Fang Yisen. One was trapped in an arranged engagement, the other forcibly detained—Wen Ran thought he should still have some conscience left; otherwise, why did he always feel guilty to face them?
Wen Ran sat at his desk in his room, deeply lost in thought. Li Qingwan’s name and face kept popping into his head.
He picked up his phone and searched for “Li Qingwan”. The first thing that caught his eye was a photo of her performing, which was much clearer than the group photo. Wen Ran stared at the picture for a while before scrolling down to read the text.
Li Qingwan, female, beta, graduate of the Capital Music Academy, former associate principal of the first violin section in the Capital Symphony Orchestra.
“Beta…” Wen Ran repeated unconsciously. He had thought that a violinist as beautiful and talented as Li Qingwan would be at least an A-level omega. He never expected her to be a beta.
He browsed through all the search results. Most of them were articles about awards and performance. All the honors had stopped seventeen years ago. The later news consisted of sporadic speculation about the sudden disappearance of this genius violinist, which eventually faded away with time and no further updates.
Wen Ran stared at his phone until it automatically turned off. His face was reflected in the pitch-black screen—a face that looked so much like Li Qingwan’s.
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.
Was it a mere coincidence? Could two completely unrelated strangers resemble each other to such an extent?
Dbat Jtfc Vtetel jcv Ol Hlcukjc tjv yffc lc atf Jjqlaji Ygmtfragj, bcf jr j nlbilclra jcv atf batfg jr j mfiilra. Jtfc Vtetel mbeivc’a qbrrlyis yf ecjkjgf bo Ol Hlcukjc’r fzlrafcmf. Vb vlv rtf vfmlvf ab jvbqa tlw cba bcis yfmjerf tf rtjgfv atf rjwf yibbv asqf jcv wbif jr atf vfmfjrfv Qfc Ejc, yea jirb yfmjerf tf gfrfwyifv Ol Hlcukjc?
Did she hate Li Qingwan? If so, why would she adopt someone who looked so much like her? Wen Ran couldn’t understand. During the first few years in the Wen family, Chen Shuhui hadn’t been particularly affectionate toward him, but she hadn’t shown any aversion either. It was only after Wen Ningyuan’s death that her demeanor changed.
There were too many questions. Perhaps the answers could be learned from Chen Shuhui, but unfortunately, Wen Ran was in no position to ask.
—
Although Wen Ran’s heat hadn’t completely passed, its effects were mild enough for him to return to school on Monday. Before he could enter the classroom, Tao Susu intercepted him in the hallway. She asked with her voice lowered, “Is my hair messy? Look, is it?”
“No.” Wen Ran was puzzled, “What’s up?”
“That’s good.” Tao Susu let go of him and twirled around, beaming like a flower at the alpha approaching from behind, “Xu Ze!”
The alpha looked at her and nodded politely without saying a word.
After he passed, Tao Susu asked Wen Ran, “Isn’t he handsome?”
Wen Ran replied sincerely, “Handsome as hell.”
Indeed, he was handsome as hell. Shortly after starting school, Wen Ran had seen Xu Ze ride past him on a broken bicycle with bandages covering his body, looking out of place. Wen Ran watched his figure for a long time, feeling a kinship like a gutter rat encountering a lone stray dog amidst all the lions and tigers of the Preparatory School.
Then one day, he saw Xu Ze leaving school with Lu Heyang, the atmosphere between them made it hard to believe their relationship was purely that of schoolmates. Wen Ran felt like a clown.
Tao Susu giggled happily, covering her face. Wen Ran hesitated, wanting to tell her that Xu Ze seemed to be dating Lu Heyang, but considering it was his privacy, he ultimately kept his mouth shut.
Except for slight dizziness, Wen Ran felt fine and got through three classes without a hitch. He headed to the office to hand in the test papers he’d missed due to his absence. Just as he walked out of the classroom, he saw He Wei at the side of the hallway, holding a megaphone that seemed to have popped out of thin air. He Wei grinned over the railing before flipping the switch on the megaphone.
“A warm welcome to Young Master Gu for visiting our school! We shall be greatly honored by your gracious presence! It’s a great honor! A warm welcome to Young Master Gu for visiting our school! We shall be greatly honored…”
He Wei’s prerecorded voice blared through the megaphone, amplified to sound passionate and powerful, reverberating instantly through the entire third-year students’ building. Wen Ran glanced downstairs and saw Gu Yunchi, who had been walking by the flowerbed, halt his steps and glare upward at the initiator of evil. His grumpy expression turned cold.
Within thirty seconds, the batteries were gouged out of He Wei’s megaphone. He Wei himself was dragged into the classroom by his school uniform, leaving behind an agonizing cry, “Heyang, save me—!”
Wen Ran walked to the back door of He Wei’s classroom, pretending to be passing by but actually spectating the battle. However, something more intriguing than He Wei’s head being stuffed into a desk drawer appeared in front of him—the drone in Song Shu’ang’s hands.
Wen Ran ran a couple of steps forward, glancing left and right before asking, “Is that yours?”
“Yeah. It takes up a bit of space, so I kept it in the teachers’ office for a few classes. I’m planning on filming in the library during lunch break.” Song Shu’ang gently placed the drone on the floor, “Wanna take a look?”
“Thank you.” Wen Ran crouched down to examine it, “Is it safe to film indoors?”
“It’s been slightly modified by adding components like a laser radar for more accurate positioning.”
“Are you filming alone? Can I come along?”
“Sort of alone… and sort of not. Tao Susu’s coming too.” Song Shu’ang’s expression was slightly apprehensive, “She asked me to shoot a video of her dancing on the library rooftop.”
The thought of Song Shu’ang, who only wanted to film books, being roped into shooting a dance video by Tao Susu was unexpectedly amusing. Wen Ran couldn’t help but smile. Just then, Gu Yunchi, having finished dealing with He Wei, walked out the back door on his way to class. Wen Ran, still smiling, met his eyes.
Wen Ran felt nervous for some reason and quickly suppressed his smile. He stood up and said to Song Shu’ang, “I’ll meet you in the library after lunch.”
“Sure,” Song Shu’ang picked up the drone and glanced at Gu Yunchi before heading back to his class.
Wen Ran was aware that Gu Yunchi disliked others knowing about their relationship, so he didn’t try to strike up a conversation. He simply stood there, watching until Gu Yunchi returned to his class with a cold expression. Only then did Wen Ran proceed to the office with the papers.
The last class of the morning was a self-study session, but Wen Ran’s mind was elsewhere. He kept replaying his thoughts. He sneaked out his phone and sent a message to 339 for the first time.
Wen Ran: 339, can you give me his phone number?
339: This is the first time you’ve messaged me, but it turned out to be asking for the young master’s phone number! (heartbroken for a second) I don’t have the authority to disclose the young master’s personal information. I’ll ask his permission. Please wait!
To his surprise, 339 had to ask Gu Yunchi, which was rather embarrassing. However, it was too late to intervene. Wen Ran had no choice but to wait awkwardly.
339: no
After realizing that 339 had forwarded Gu Yunchi’s reply directly, Wen Ran pressed on: Is he in self-study now?
339: does it concern you
Wen Ran: I want to ask him something. If he’s free now, can he go to Classroom 109?
339: no
Wen Ran: Okay…
After locking his phone, Wen Ran started working on schoolwork. A minute later, his phone vibrated.
339: come over
Wen Ran was taken aback and quickly closed the pen cap. In order to avoid suspicion, he even brought his notebook. Tao Susu was using her phone to spy on her kangaroo through the surveillance at her family estate and looked up, “Where are you going?”
“S-self-study room.”
“The whole class is self-studying. Is it necessary to go to the self-study room?”
Wen Ran flashed a guilty smile and slipped out of the classroom.
The hallway was quiet, and even the whole building was devoid of noise. Wen Ran opened the door to the self-study room. It was empty except for Gu Yunchi leaning back on a seat in the front row, looking at his phone. The verdant trees outside the window created a shade, dyeing the entire classroom in a serene deep green.
“I thought you wouldn’t actually come.” Wen Ran placed his notebook on the desk in the second row, feeling his heart beating inexplicably faster.
Gu Yunchi didn’t say anything. He tapped on his phone a few times before handing it to Wen Ran to show the screen.
339: Xiao Ran wants your number. Which one should I give, young master?
Gu Yunchi: no
339: ToT Wuwuwu~ Sooo are u in self-study now~
Gu Yunchi: does it concern you
339: I have something to ask you~ Can you come to Classroom 109 now plz~ I’ll be there too~♡
Gu Yunchi: no
339: Pretty pwease~ I wanna talk to youuu~ Come on come on~♡♡♡
Gu Yunchi: come over
The ghastly tone sent shivers down Wen Ran’s spine. He clarified, “I obviously didn’t say that, it was 339.”
“I know.”
That’s good. Wen Ran sat down on a chair and looked at him, “Are you in a bad mood today because He Wei used the megaphone?”
“Just say what you want.”
“Oh.” Wen Ran hesitated before asking, “I was wondering, when you have people investigate someone or something, how do they do it?”
Gu Yunchi glanced at him, “They investigate like the police do.”
“Is it expensive?”
“Money isn’t an issue.”
Come to think of it, even if money was an issue, the problem was that Wen Ran didn’t have any to begin with.
Giving up, Wen Ran said offhandedly, “Then you should be able to find out anything.”
“There are exceptions.” Gu Yunchi looked out the window, “Specifically, when nothing suspicious is found, even though it seems there should be.”
Wen Ran pondered this and asked, “Could it be that there was no problem to begin with?”
“Sometimes no problem is the biggest problem. It means someone doesn’t want me to know, and it’s not just one person.” Gu Yunchi turned his head to look at him, “What do you want to investigate?”
“Nothing, I just got curious so I asked.” Wen Ran quickly changed the subject to avoid arousing Gu Yunchi’s suspicion, “Did you find out anything about the bodyguard on the yacht?”
“Someone kidnapped his daughter and threatened him to act as an insider.”
Wen Ran was instantly alarmed, “How is his daughter now?”
“Safe. The ones we caught were scapegoats, but it doesn’t matter. The timing wasn’t right anyway.”
“How will the bodyguard… be dealt with?”
“Grandpa let me decide. After all, the bodyguard had been with me for six years and was forced to do it.” Gu Yunchi lowered his eyelashes, looking at the ugly handwriting in Wen Ran’s notebook, “But it’s impossible to keep him around and continue employing him. He was given some money to resettle his family abroad.”
Wen Ran laid his head on the table, examining Gu Yunchi’s lowered eyes. He thought that perhaps Gu Yunchi wasn’t entirely unaffected by betrayal and deceit. Six years was a long time, occupying one-third of his life so far. How could he not feel sad about it?
Six years was also short, too short for the parents who passed away when he was six to leave behind more memories.
“The bad guys are the wrongdoers. You’re good, exceptionally good.” Wen Ran reached out and patted his waist reassuringly. Then he changed the subject again, “My mom came back yesterday. She was so angry when she saw Fang Yisen that she had a big fight with my brother.”
“Your home is quite lively.”
“I also heard them mention a mess. I wonder if something happened at Shengdian again.”
“Then you should know that your brother used to be close to Wei Lingzhou and Tang Feiyi,” Gu Yunchi said, “When he was struggling, he called them brothers, but ended up sucking up to their biggest enemies behind their backs. Of course, he’d get into trouble.”
Wen Ran suddenly realized, “I understand.”
“Shengdian is now officially connected to Baiqing through shares, projects, and foundations. This is a complete betrayal of Wei Lingzhou and Tang Feiyi.” Gu Yunchi leaned against the window with his arms crossed. “I advise you to be careful in the future. Whether it’s because you’re from the Wen family or because of the marriage with the Gu family, you’ll be an easy target, especially since your brain isn’t that good.”
“Do you mean something like kidnapping?” Wen Ran didn’t feel particularly scared. He lowered his head to look at the notebook. “Kidnapping me… wouldn’t be useful anyway. I don’t pose a threat to either side. The Wen family can continue to run the company without me, and it should be better for you if the Gu family loses me.”
Gu Yunchi asked, “Better how?”
After thinking for a few seconds, Wen Ran said, “Maybe not better. My pheromones are still of some use to you, right?”
Gu Yunchi looked at him for a moment. After that, he raised his hand to open the window ten centimeters to let some air in and said, “You must have cheated to rank 28th in the finals.”
“?” Wen Ran suddenly sat up straight, “I did it myself. I studied hard.”
“Such dedication, going to the library right after lunch.”
“The library?” Wen Ran remembered, “I’m not going there to study. Song Shu’ang wants to shoot a video and I’m going to watch the drone. Tao Susu’s coming too.”
“You have a good relationship.”
“Yes, Tao Susu cares a lot about me and Song Shu’ang is very kind.”
“Why don’t you ask him for pheromones then?”
“Huh?” Wen Ran had begun to be sensitive after being educated in sexual knowledge. His eyes widened, “He and I are just friends. How could I ask for his pheromones? Isn’t it offensive for you to say that?”
Gu Yunchi casually said, “I thought you’d forgotten everything, but you remembered that.”
“Of course I remember. I remember most of it,” Wen Ran said with certainty, then added somewhat unconfidently, “Your words just now were hurtful. To make it up, can you give me your phone number?”
“What do you need my number for?”
Wen Ran dodged the question, “I heard Tao Susu mention that someone was secretly selling your phone number for a high price. I don’t know if it’s genuine.”
Gu Yunchi said, “Give it a shot.”
“You haven’t even given me your number yet, and you’re already threatening me?”
This time, Gu Yunchi didn’t refuse outright. He looked at Wen Ran’s face, “You want it?”
Wen Ran hummed, “Yes.”
“Hand, pen.”
It took Wen Ran a second to react. He passed the pen over and then held out his palm.
Gu Yunchi pulled Wen Ran’s hand, his palm holding the back of it. In comparison, Wen Ran’s clean and fair hand was at least two sizes smaller. As the pen tip touched the skin, Wen Ran flinched from being ticklish, but Gu Yunchi clasped his hand firmly. “Don’t move.”
“Oh.” Wen Ran looked at their hands, then glanced at Gu Yunchi’s eyelashes and nose. All of a sudden, he said, “Why do I feel especially happy when I’m with you?”
The pen that was writing the ninth digit paused briefly, then continued. Gu Yunchi released Wen Ran’s hand and lowered his eyes. He closed the pen and said, “After all, you like sneaking around.”
“……”
Wen Ran looked at the number in his palm and blew on it to make sure the ink dried. The number was upside down from his perspective, but that didn’t matter. He could still memorize it after repeating it twice in his mind.
“Will you answer when I call you?”
“No.”
“What about messages?”
“No.”
Wen Ran said, “But you’ll read them, right? It’s fine as long as you read them. You don’t have to reply.”
Gu Yunchi didn’t respond and just looked at him. Wen Ran didn’t avoid his gaze. The leaves outside rustled softly. After a while, Gu Yunchi spoke, “I’m going abroad soon.”
“Is something wrong?” Wen Ran was surprised.
“For vacation.” Gu Yunchi stopped looking at him and turned to gaze at the trees outside the window, “I might be gone for a while, and I’ll be traveling a lot in the future.”
Wen Ran felt strange and complicated feelings, like sadness, reluctance, and uneasiness, which he couldn’t understand. He looked at the number in his hand and nodded, “I hope you’ll have fun.”
He then asked, “If you don’t have anything else to do, can you stay and do assignments with me for this class?”
Gu Yunchi turned around and said, “I’m busy.”
Wen Ran smiled and started doing his schoolwork.
The empty, shaded classroom was left only with the sound of wind blowing through the leaves. Gu Yunchi leaned against the window, watching Wen Ran’s calm and concentrated profile as he bowed his head to write, sitting amidst the cool green hues like a tranquil tree.
Author’s note:
Young Master Gu: Long-distance relationship.
Ran: Friend! Take care!
(Only a few bits of campus life left, I’ll wrap it up and start moving the plot forward. I’ll try to move it along as quickly as possible.)
here’s fan art for the Xu Ze cameo (don’t post anywhere without the artist’s permission): https://weibo.com/6479926740/OcStLqLWa
Thx for the chapter🙏!
Thank you for the update! And the link 😍
Thank you author! ❤️
I mean ttranslator too, uugghh
Aaa Xu Ze! Miss you! Come over often! QAQ