Chapter 19

The next two days were packed with activities, and Gu Yunchi and the other two kept vanishing into thin air. Wen Ran was getting antsy. He wasn't sure if he needed to get Lu Heyang a gift, and if so, what — Gu Yunchi was Lu Heyang's good friend, maybe he could point him in the right direction.

Finally, on the day of the group art exhibition outing, Wen Ran cornered Gu Yunchi outside the restroom at the gallery. Gu Yunchi was washing his hands, head down, and glanced at him in the mirror. Wen Ran stood behind him, fidgeting. "I have something I want to ask you."

The automatic paper dispenser next to them was empty. Gu Yunchi made a tsk sound, shook his hands dry, and turned to look at Wen Ran with an expression like he was being harassed. "You'd better actually have something."

"I do," Wen Ran said. "I wanted to ask your advice. What would be a good gift for me to give Lu Heyang? I've never given anyone a gift before."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Gu Yunchi suddenly rested his left hand on Wen Ran's shoulder. Wen Ran jumped, but didn't dare move, just stared at him blankly. Gu Yunchi acted as natural as if he'd just leaned on a handrail, and asked bluntly, "Budget."

"Under a hundred thousand," Wen Ran pursed his lips, his voice dropping a little. "Around five hundred."

He wasn't joking. He really only had a little over five hundred bucks right now. If he could solve it within that range, great. If it really wasn't enough, he'd have to ask Chen Shuhui or Wen Rui for money.

"Why not say under a billion," Gu Yunchi switched hands, resting it on Wen Ran's other shoulder. "Heyang's watches start at a million minimum. Five hundred might get him a cloth to wipe the watch face. Could be suitable."

It really was a very suitable and practical gift. Wen Ran took him seriously. "Where do you buy that? Would a mall have it?"

He asked with complete sincerity. Gu Yunchi looked at him for two seconds and assessed, "Poor is one thing, but how come your brain's no good either." Then he took his hand back and casually slid it into his pocket. "No need to give a gift. Just treat it like he's only asking you to a meal."

"Really? What if I'm the only one who doesn't bring a gift?"

Gu Yunchi said, "What's that got to do with me." And then he really walked off like it had nothing to do with him.

"..." Wen Ran stood there speechless. He thought about it and still didn't quite understand the meaning of Gu Yunchi putting his hands on his shoulders. He tilted his head to look at his own shoulders — a slightly damp handprint on each side.

Now he understood.

Holding onto a sliver of trust in Gu Yunchi and the awkwardness of being too broke, a little past six in the evening, Wen Ran went to the top-floor banquet hall empty-handed.

Once inside, he realized the biggest problem wasn't the gift — everyone was dressed in formal wear. Only he was wearing the old T-shirt Gu Yunchi had wiped his hands on that afternoon, like a sewer rat crashing a high-end human party.

There were hardly any people their age in the banquet hall. It was full of dignitaries and power brokers shaking hands, chatting, laughing, clinking glasses. Wen Ran almost backed out to check if he'd gone to the wrong place, when he suddenly saw a face that had appeared in the news countless times — Lu Chengyu, Chairman of the Supreme Government Council of the League.

Wen Ran froze, realizing Lu Heyang was the Chairman's son.

Standing next to Lu Chengyu was Wei Lingzhou. After sorting out the relationship, Wen Ran was shocked again. He'd only known Wei Lingzhou was cheating, but hadn't known Wei Lingzhou was Lu Heyang's brother-in-law.

Looking around, Wen Ran tried to find Gu Yunchi, wanting to tell him your buddy's brother-in-law is cheating, but struggling with the number of guests, he couldn't find him right away. Or maybe he hadn't come — after all, he'd said if Wen Ran came, he'd refuse to attend.

In the middle of his chaotic thoughts, the hall suddenly quieted. Wen Ran followed everyone's gaze toward the entrance — Gu Peiwen had actually shown up. Gu Yunchi was walking beside him, still in pure black formal wear.

Lu Chengyu stepped forward to shake Gu Peiwen's hand. Gu Peiwen exchanged a few words with him, then patted Lu Heyang's shoulder. The group stood in the center of everyone's attention, chatting and laughing happily.

Afraid Gu Peiwen would see him, Wen Ran shifted his feet, preparing to hide in an even darker corner. But when he looked up, he saw Gu Peiwen smiling and beckoning to him. Too scared to hesitate, Wen Ran's mind went blank as he jogged over. "Grandpa Gu."

"Haven't seen you in a while. Seems like you've put on a little weight," Gu Peiwen didn't care at all that Wen Ran had come in just a T-shirt and jeans, speaking kindly like it was a casual chat. "Having fun these past couple days?"

"Yes, thank you."

The current scene was like Gu Peiwen publicly opening an exquisite box, only to find a grimy, rusty piece of scrap metal inside. Wen Ran didn't need a mirror to imagine how stiff and unnatural his smile was. All he could do was pretend to ignore the countless curious, probing, scrutinizing looks, barely maintaining a polite facade.

He lied to himself — maybe everyone would think he was some poor student Gu Peiwen sponsored. Then, in a daze, he thought if Chen Shuhui were here, she'd be thrilled.

"Good. Go play with your classmates. Sit next to Yunchi later at dinner."

Too scared to even glance at Gu Yunchi in his peripheral vision, Wen Ran nodded like a puppet on strings. "Okay."

Looking up again, Wen Ran noticed a gaze from the front-left. He tried to find it, and seemed to — the other person was an Alpha elder about Gu Peiwen's age. His eyes weren't appraising like the others', but somewhat focused and deep.

Puzzled, Wen Ran retreated from the crowd and returned to his corner. On the way, he bumped into Song Shuangang, who looked like his entire cognitive framework had been shattered and he didn't know what to ask. Wen Ran stayed silent.

During dinner, a classical orchestra played. Next to Wen Ran was Gu Yunchi, ignoring him. Across from him was Lu Heyang, whose birthday party had turned into a political-business conference, and He Wei, who seemed able to cackle with laughter no matter the situation.

Gu Yunchi got up and left after just a few bites. Not long after, Lu Heyang and He Wei left too. Wen Ran ate alone for a few minutes, picked up his juice, and prepared to go find an empty corner.

He hadn't gone far in the banquet hall when he ran into that elder. The other was talking to someone, but when he saw Wen Ran appear, he raised a hand to stop the conversation and walked over.

"Are you Wen Ran?"

"Yes. May I ask who you are?"

"Zhang Fangyi, an old friend of Peiwen's." He smiled. "I taught Yunchi and Heyang the violin."

"Hello, teacher." Wen Ran still didn't understand the other's purpose. "Did you need something from me?"

"Scared you, didn't I? It really is a bit abrupt." Zhang Fangyi's smile faded a little as he looked at Wen Ran, his expression seeming to recall something. "You look a lot like someone I know."

Wen Ran felt inexplicably nervous. He smiled as naturally as he could. "My parents?"

"No. I was also in the Capital Orchestra back then. Shuhui was an excellent cellist, but you don't look like her." Zhang Fangyi said, "And you don't look much like your father either."

This meant he wasn't unfamiliar with Chen Shuhui or Wen Ningyuan. Wen Ran's palms sweated. "Then maybe it's a coincidence. Strangers can look alike too."

"Ah… I'm really sorry, that was abrupt again. How can I say a child doesn't look like either parent." Zhang Fangyi waved a hand, feeling absurd. "Probably had too much to drink. When you get old, you just spout nonsense."

"It's fine, it's fine. Maybe I really do look a bit like the person you mentioned."

"Mhm, you do. Maybe it's just that much of a coincidence." Zhang Fangyi regained his smile. "Alright, I won't take up your time. I hope you won't take tonight's words to heart."

"It's no problem. I'll go now then. Goodbye, teacher."

After walking a few steps, Wen Ran's heart was pounding. He glanced back. Zhang Fangyi was still standing there, head bowed, looking thoughtful.

With an uneasy heart, Wen Ran found a perfect spot — the small hall on the west side of the banquet hall, empty and quiet. On the stage at the far end stood a grand piano. Wen Ran felt for the control panel, identified it after a moment, and pressed it. The performance area slowly lit up with a soft glow, a slightly brighter beam landing right on the piano.

The clamor and noise from the banquet hall were muffled. Wen Ran sat in front of the piano and lifted the lid. He tested a few keys with one hand. The sound quality was good, but nowhere near the one at Gu Yunchi's Residence. He placed both hands on the keys, and when his fingertips fell, he played that piece again — Nineteen Days of Polar Night.

Before, he'd just liked the piece purely. He never imagined it had once been a birthday gift meant for Gu Yunchi. This time, Wen Ran played it to the end without a single wrong note.

The last note was still hanging in the air when a voice suddenly sounded behind him. "Do you only know this one song."

Wen Ran jolted. He turned sideways to look back. In the patch of shadow beyond the stage lights, Gu Yunchi was leaning leisurely against the wall, arms crossed, holding a glass of red wine, watching him with an air of indifference.

"I like this piece, so I remember the score well." Wen Ran braced a hand on the piano bench, then added, "Sorry, I didn't know Grandpa Gu would attend. If I'd known, I wouldn't have come today."

"He knew my grandpa would come, and if he came, he'd definitely have someone fetch you." Gu Yunchi said. "Heyang thought instead of dragging you over halfway, it'd be better to invite you in advance, to avoid awkwardness."

"So that's how it was." Wen Ran was slow on the uptake. "He's really considerate. I thought you were actually angry."

Gu Yunchi straightened up and walked from the dimness onto the stage. The light traced his face as it shifted. Finally, he stopped beside the piano and said, "I really don't want to see you."

"Okay." He'd specifically walked over from several meters away just to say that. Wen Ran was speechless, then remembered something important. "You probably know a bit about Wei Lingzhou?"

A good friend's brother-in-law, and both part of the Capital City's young upper crust. Even though the Wei Family wasn't yet at the point of being a competitor to the Gu Family, he couldn't know nothing about him.

"No time to know a dead man." Gu Yunchi's words were sharp.

The remark was so vicious Wen Ran was stunned. After a moment, he continued, "Last time, remember? When we were in the hallway, we heard people in the reception room… doing that."

Gu Yunchi frowned. "Doing what?"

"Cheating," Wen Ran whispered. "I almost walked in. You pulled me out."

"And?"

"Later I saw that Alpha. It was Wei Lingzhou. But the Omega with him wasn't Lu Heyang's sister."

"Otherwise it wouldn't be called cheating."

Astonished by his calmness, Wen Ran asked, "Does he cheat often?"

"Grab anyone in the banquet hall out there, they know his romantic history."

Wen Ran was even more shocked. "The Chairman doesn't care?"

Gu Yunchi took a sip of wine and rested a hand on the side of the piano. "Do you know what a marriage alliance is?"

"I get it." Wen Ran tapped the keys lightly a few times with his index finger. "I just think Lu Heyang's sister is very innocent."

"She has no feelings for Wei Lingzhou. Doesn't care." Gu Yunchi glanced down at Wen Ran. "You could try hitting on Wei Lingzhou. He's not very picky. You'd probably succeed."

He felt a little angry inside, but it only lasted a second. Wen Ran looked up at him. "I'm very devoted to you."

Devoted to pleasing him, devoted to clinging to him, until Chen Shuhui issued the notice that the task was over.

Gu Yunchi said, "Try disgusting me again."

"Okay, I won't say it next time." Taking advantage of the fact that he'd had some wine and his temper was relatively okay, Wen Ran hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Do you still get fevers often lately?"

This topic always triggered Gu Yunchi's displeasure. He retorted flatly, "Do you just feel bad if you're not getting scolded?"

‘It's not that I feel bad, I just wanted to check on you.’ Wen Ran lowered his head, his gaze landing on Gu Yunchi's long, slender fingers beside him. ‘I know you don't like me putting out Pheromone, the same way you don't like getting dependent on a drug you hate. I promise I won't do it again, and I won't go anywhere outside the living room either.’

Gu Yunchi wasn't moved at all. He bluntly exposed him. "Purpose."

"Can I still go to your house?" Exposed, Wen Ran asked awkwardly.

There was no other way. Before coming abroad, Chen Shuhui had already brought it up several times and questioned whether he'd messed up his relationship with Gu Yunchi.

Quiet. The clamor that had faded during their conversation faintly rose again. The beam of light fell on them and the piano, casting a faint circle on the floor.

Gu Yunchi acted as if he hadn't heard Wen Ran's question. The hand resting on the piano's side lifted, then fell again, landing on the keys. Standing opposite Wen Ran, he played a melody in the reverse direction.

It was actually the climax part of Nineteen Days of Polar Night, and he hit every note accurately. Wen Ran watched Gu Yunchi's piano-playing fingers intently, then looked at his hand holding the wine glass, finally following his wrist, arm, shoulder up to his face.

He only played a short segment before stopping. Gu Yunchi casually placed the wine glass on the piano's edge, took two steps, and left the stage. Wen Ran's gaze followed that back as it stepped into the dimness again, vaguely seeing Gu Yunchi take out a cigarette and put it in his mouth before quickly disappearing out the door.

After staying alone for another half hour, Wen Ran decided to go back to his room. After leaving the small hall, he happened to run into Gu Peiwen leaving. A group of people were saying goodbye to him. Wen Ran went to wait by the door. When Gu Peiwen emerged from the crowd, he went forward. "Grandpa Gu."

"Don't know where Yunchi's gone off to." Gu Peiwen said. "I have to return to the country early tomorrow morning, no time to take you all out for a meal. Wait until the summer camp ends and you're back, then we'll get together."

"Okay. Take care, get some rest."

Gu Peiwen smiled and said, "Good."

The birthday party was still going on. Wen Ran looked into the banquet hall and saw Lu Heyang, standing distantly next to Lu Chengyu with an unfamiliar Omega. Wen Ran faintly saw himself and Gu Yunchi the first time they met at the dinner table in them — that kind of cold, forced pairing.

And He Wei — He Wei was much happier, sticking to a beautiful Omega with a cold expression, chatting and smiling. After just a few words, the Omega rolled his eyes at him. And He Wei was actually delighted by the eye-roll, his tail practically wagging.

Combined with overhearing He Wei and Gu Yunchi on the phone last time in the Equipment Room, Wen Ran guessed that Omega was probably Chi Jiahán.

After a while, Lu Heyang stepped out of the social center and picked up a glass of wine from a nearby champagne tower. Wen Ran went over then and said politely, "I'm heading back to my room. Happy birthday, and thank you for inviting me… I didn't bring formal wear on this trip abroad. I didn't mean to come dressed like this. Sorry."

Lu Heyang lowered his eyes slightly to look at him and smiled faintly. "It's fine."

After saying goodbye, Wen Ran left reassured. He waited for the elevator. He waited left and right, but it didn't come — probably because of the birthday party, the passenger flow was a bit high. His floor was only three stories down, so Wen Ran decided to take the stairs.

The stairwell door was heavy, but when he pulled it open, it was smooth and silent. He'd only pulled it open a few centimeters when he heard a voice suppressing anger inside the stairwell. It was Wei Lingzhou.

"What good does it do to alert the enemy? I told you early on to keep it down, don't cause trouble that gets me dirty!"

"If there's suspicion, it'll land on us first. Feiyi doesn't care, what are you so afraid of?"

"The more you do, the more leverage you give. Shao Peng, don't forget how Tang Hua died. You're so impatient, and you still want to avenge him?"

Hearing that name, Wen Ran froze. That year, after Gu Yunchi's parents died in the plane crash, it took the Gu Family and the police nearly a year to finally pinpoint the mastermind — Tang Hua.

A gangster who made his fortune trafficking arms and drugs, sentenced to death just a few years after his businesses had been laundered. News reports said the police were ambushed while transporting Tang Hua to the execution ground. The other side tried to take Tang Hua away. During the exchange of fire, Tang Hua was shot dead on the spot by the police.

The motion-sensor lights in the stairwell stayed on because of their conversation. Judging by the sound source, the two were probably standing on the middle landing below. The Alpha named Shao Peng was silent for a long moment. Finally, before the lights dimmed, he said coldly, "Impatient? If we were impatient, we wouldn't have waited so many years. When my big brother died, he was shot over twenty times. This vengeance, I will have it."

Over twenty shots… Wen Ran's eyes widened sharply. So there hadn't been a prison break attempt. It was just that the Gu Family didn't want Tang Hua to die too easily, so they sent him off with over twenty bullets.

Terrified, Wen Ran carefully pushed the door crack to its smallest.

"You want revenge? They want it even more! Back then, if your big brother hadn't taken all the blame alone, where would you be today? If you don't want that kind of thing to happen again, just wait quietly for the right opportunity!"

Shao Peng breathed heavily in silence, not speaking. Wei Lingzhou softened his tone a little. "Brother Shao, I know you want revenge. But the opponent isn't a small figure after all. Everything needs careful planning, don't you think? You showing up at Cloud Bay like this, if someone discovers you, it'll cause trouble again. This could all have been avoided, right?"

"I'm here today on business." Shao Peng snorted coldly. "All legitimate business. Don't worry, Young Master Wei."

"Of course. What I mean is, outside, we should still try to avoid suspicion. If we're seen—"

"What's wrong with you?"

Accompanied by a voice sounding right by his ear, Wen Ran's right shoulder was also patted by a hand. Completely focused on eavesdropping, his whole body jolted. He struggled to suppress his throat to keep from making a sound, while immediately closing the door firmly.

The stairwell instantly fell silent. Then footsteps sounded — one hurried and distant, one fast and approaching. Wen Ran quickly turned and pushed Song Shuangang under the window, whispering, "Can't be discovered."

Song Shuangang was bumped so hard he almost lost his balance, instinctively raising a hand to hold Wen Ran's waist to steady himself. Immediately after, the corridor door was pushed open. Wei Lingzhou walked out alone.

Song Shuangang, who looked like a bookworm, reacted surprisingly fast. He said to Wen Ran, "If you want to throw up, go to the restroom. That's the stairwell over there."

Wen Ran picked up the act, hunching his shoulders and lowering his head as if about to vomit. He rubbed his stomach. "Stomach's upset." He glanced sideways. Wei Lingzhou was staring at him like a snake. Wen Ran frowned and pursed his lips. "Uncle Wei?"

For several seconds, Wei Lingzhou didn't move, still with that look. Song Shuangang raised a hand and patted Wen Ran's back. "Sorry, I didn't realize you couldn't hold your liquor that well."

Wen Ran shook his head with a pained expression.

Wei Lingzhou then slowly released the five fingers gripping the door handle. "Kids shouldn't drink."

"Oh." Wen Ran rubbed his nose.

Stealing a glance from the corner of his eye, he saw Wei Lingzhou heading toward the banquet hall. Wen Ran whispered to Song Shuangang, "Thanks," then turned back worriedly to see if Wei Lingzhou had gone far.

Fortunately, Wei Lingzhou was already far away. Unfortunately, Gu Yunchi was standing two meters away by the elevator door.

He Wei, standing beside him, looked at Song Shuangang's hand on Wen Ran's back and let out an 'uh-oh'.