Chapter 64

Friday night. Wen Ran had just clocked out from overtime when a message from Zhou Zhuo came in: tomorrow night was the store's anniversary party. If he came in to work, he could earn two extra regular points—good for the annual outstanding employee selection.

Wen Ran: How much bonus does this year's outstanding employee get?

Zhou Zhuo: Five hundred.

Wen Ran: That's laughable.

Zhou Zhuo: Seven hundred.

Wen Ran: I'll be there on time tomorrow.

Exiting the chat window that made him look incredibly pathetic, Wen Ran shut down his Computer, left the Company, and took the last Subway home.

At this hour, the Subway TV was always replaying military news. Wen Ran had figured that after the North Theater Command's final victory, things would settle down for a while, but the world was too big. Beyond the League, war still ravaged countless corners.

'...Since the middle of this month, Country Y, which borders the League's southwest frontier, has fallen into armed insurrection. The Y government has requested aid from the League government and Military Headquarters. In response, General Headquarters has recently convened and drafted a support plan. Specific troop deployments will be made public after the agreement is signed with the Y government...'

His stop arrived. The Subway doors opened. Wen Ran pulled his gaze from the TV screen and stood to walk out.

Home. He opened the door, stepped into the living room, hit the lights. The instant they came on, Wen Ran squeezed his eyes shut. It had been days and he still couldn't get used to this lamp, so much brighter than before. It felt like a dark mouse nest had been dragged out and left to bake in the sun.

Then he'd remember: Gu Yunchi had swapped out this lamp. Very big. Very bright.

Same with all the other appliances. Gu Yunchi had swapped out the fridge—Arctic-grade cooling. Gu Yunchi had swapped out the AC—silent, didn't disturb sleep. Gu Yunchi had swapped out the water heater—steady temperature, energy-efficient...

This tiny apartment was stuffed full of things Gu Yunchi had given him. Wen Ran walked over to the Fighter Jet Model. It was only on the road back from the Military Base that day that it hit him belatedly—this was probably something Gu Yunchi had picked out for him too.

Wen Ran was still confused, still worried, but he really couldn't bring himself to ask Gu Yunchi that question from the cockpit again. He'd used up every ounce of courage in his body on the first try.

These past few days, Gu Yunchi had still been dropping off breakfast before Wen Ran woke up. Wen Ran had tried refusing to eat it, but Gu Yunchi acted like he didn't hear and kept delivering. Resigned to how Gu Yunchi operated, and unwilling to waste food, Wen Ran could only obediently finish his breakfast every day.

There was another reason: food safety. The day Wen Ran refused to eat Gu Yunchi's breakfast, he skipped the buns and had fried dough sticks instead—but the whole time he was eating, he couldn't stop wondering if they'd been fried in gutter oil. Drinking soy milk, he wondered if it was just powder mixed with water. Eating veggie buns, he thought about pesticide residue... Normal people's lives couldn't be examined too closely. Once you started, it felt like there was no tomorrow.

Saturday afternoon, Wen Ran headed out early to help set up the bar. The rain a few days earlier had given City S an overnight taste of early autumn chill. Wen Ran threw on a pilling old sweater over his T-shirt, and the moment he walked into the bar, Zhou Zhuo gave him a once-over and said the broke-ass had shown up for work.

That kind of label didn't embarrass Wen Ran anymore. After all, he was currently sitting on a massive fortune of eighty-six thousand, nine hundred and seventy-one yuan and two-fifty. No matter how many times they called him broke, it couldn't change the enormous number in his passbook.

'There's a big fly in the bar.' Wen Ran glanced around and said.

Zhou Zhuo caught on instantly. 'Are you calling me a fly?!'

After changing into his uniform, Wen Ran went to the main hall and helped the others stack the liquor towers. When he was done, he glanced at today's menu and realized Zhou Zhuo the profiteer was using the anniversary's 25% off as a gimmick while quietly bumping every single item's price up by 20% first.

The raffle prizes were equally narcissistic and stingy. First prize: one kiss from the manager. Second prize: pick anyone in the bar to dance with. Only third and fourth prize were slightly decent—unlimited free drinks at Shi'er Point Bar for the month, and a 500-yuan prepaid card for any shop in City S.

By a little past seven, guests started trickling in. Servers at the entrance handed out masks and raffle number cards. Based on reservations, tonight would be packed, so Wen Ran was assigned to the bar to assist two bartenders with basic drinks.

Wen Ran stood stiffly behind the bar in his mask, braced for action. He was a little nervous—his first time officially mixing drinks for customers in years. He still remembered way back when Zhou Zhuo had been invited to taste his first cocktail and given the review: 'First time I've ever seen someone make a drink that tastes like toilet cleaner.'

Around eight-thirty, the guests had mostly arrived. Wen Ran had nervously mixed a few passable cocktails—at least no complaints. When he had a brief lull, he crouched in a corner of the bar and was shoveling down his boxed dinner when Ding Mengge, who was in charge of delivering drinks, suddenly ducked in. 'Our little bar is really graced with glory—an S-Class Alpha just walked in!'

Wen Ran winced as he swallowed the questionable bite of meat in his mouth, then blinked out an 'oh' like he'd only just registered what Ding Mengge had said.

'Super tall, you can tell he's handsome even with the mask on, and the Alphas with him don't look ordinary either.' Ding Mengge yanked Wen Ran to his feet. 'I just saw them at the door—they should be coming in any second.'

The instant he was hauled upright, Wen Ran felt the whole venue go quiet for a beat. At the same moment, four or five simply-dressed Alphas appeared at the corridor entrance.

The chatter quickly picked back up in unspoken agreement, leaving only a flood of stolen glances.

'Holy shit, did the cops come to bust us for vice crimes?' Even Lucien went light on his cocktail-shaking.

Wen Ran watched the Alpha in the black hoodie and jeans moving through the crowd. The rotating light at the corridor entrance—Zhou Zhuo had picked it out himself—turned once every twenty-four seconds, its shifting colors sliding across that masked face and picking out a cold, mechanical quality.

Their eyes met across the crowded room for a moment. Wen Ran looked down and closed his boxed dinner.

'Hey.'

The instant he set down his boxed dinner, he heard someone greet him. Wen Ran looked up, but his gaze didn't land on the customer in front of him first—it went past his shoulder to the other end of the hall, where he saw those Alphas being led by a server to a corner booth.

'Hello, what can I get you?' Only then did Wen Ran look at the customer. Masked, wearing a business suit.

'Seat C2, one White Lady.' The Alpha rested an arm on the bar, leaned in slightly, and smiled at Wen Ran.

Wen Ran remembered at once—this must be the lawyer Zhou Zhuo had mentioned.

'I don't know how to make that one, sorry.' Wen Ran grabbed a cloth and started wiping the bar, then shouted over the music to Lucien, 'One White Lady!'

'Didn't I teach you this already? Forgot again!' Lucien griped.

Wen Ran pretended not to hear, kept wiping the bar, and heard the lawyer ask, 'I don't know if you're free after your shift tonight—want to grab a late-night bite?'

'Sorry, I hope you won't waste your time on me. I'm not looking for anything like that right now.' Wen Ran stopped wiping. Clean refusal, serious tone. 'I'm in the rising phase of my career.'

Lucien beside him burst out in a loud cackle, his bar spoon flying out of his hand, and he scrambled onto the floor to retrieve it. Wen Ran shot him a glare.

The lawyer was clearly disappointed, but still asked, 'What if it's just making friends?'

'Probably not that either.' Wen Ran glanced around, confirmed Zhou Zhuo wasn't nearby, and earnestly advised him, 'So if it's because of me, you shouldn't come here to drink often. Our White Lady is fifteen yuan more expensive than at other bars. Not a good deal.'

'Okay, got it.' The lawyer was somewhere between amused and helpless. 'Thanks for the heads-up, and thanks for the clear answer. You should have received my business card, right? If you ever need anything, you can reach out anytime.'

Thinking of that business card covered in Gu Yunchi's footprints, Wen Ran paused for a beat, then nodded. 'If I ever need to sue someone, I'll definitely contact you.'

'Your White Lady.' Lucien mixed it fast and slid it over to the lawyer.

'I won't bother you then. My friends are over there, I'll head back.' Unable to fully hide his disappointment, the lawyer picked up his drink and waved to Wen Ran as he left.

'When I first walked in I was gonna say it—the server at the bar looks really good-looking. Sure enough, someone's already hitting on him.' Wei Xing took a sip of his drink.

Cheng Duó looked toward the bar. The Omega's face was stunningly beautiful even half-hidden by the mask, but somehow familiar... He turned to glance at Gu Yunchi, who was curled up on the sofa with a cold expression, replying to messages on his communicator—and understood in an instant.

Wei Xing was still gossiping without looking away. 'Ooh, looks like there's something going on. What are the little server and that guy whispering about?' He nudged Gu Yunchi with his elbow. 'Sniper, read their lips for us—your eyes are sharp.'

Gu Yunchi closed his communicator and glanced expressionlessly toward the bar.

'Uh, come on, let's drink first. It's been ages. Bottoms up.' Cheng Duó broke out in a cold sweat as he raised his glass, babbling, 'Um, friendship forever and ever.'

'Oh? That guy left.' Wei Xing, who'd once been a spotter for a high-level sniper team, was uninterrupted by anything in his observation. 'Didn't leave contact info—probably just made a plan to meet after his shift?'

Cheng Duó was about to shove fruit in Wei Xing's mouth when Gu Yunchi suddenly stood up, ignoring Wei Xing's question, and walked out. At that moment, the venue's lights dimmed. The band switched to a slow accompaniment. Zhou Zhuo—who knew which corner he was lurking in playing mysterious—let his low, theatrical voice come through the speakers: 'Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure by now you each have someone you'd like to dance with. Now, please extend your hand and invite them for a dance... Wishing everyone a wonderful evening.'

Before the words had even faded, hands full of invitation were already reaching toward Gu Yunchi. Masked strangers looked up at him in the dim light, asking. Gu Yunchi brushed past them without a care, walking toward the only spot in the whole hall still lit up—the bar. A sniper only ever had one target.

Wen Ran was bent over wiping glasses. The tuft of hair sticking up on his head caught the warm yellow light like a glowing antenna—something that belonged in a forest, guiding lost travelers.

Not like their first meeting, when he'd pushed open a door in the night wind—an Omega, animal-like, clumsy and reckless, crashing headfirst into a human world wrapped in desire and evil. Sickened to the point of gagging by some freak show performance, sitting in the moonlight with his nerves shot, carefully asking if the water here was safe to drink.

Controlled and manipulated since childhood, his personal will ground down to nothing—that explosion and 'death' had been a heart-piercing growing pain. After it, Wen Ran had finally begun to grow in earnest, spending seven years learning the rules of the normal world and completing his own socialization.

Photos from the bodyguard alone couldn't reveal Wen Ran's true inner changes. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Gu Yunchi had already missed many years of this Omega's life—the Omega who once didn't know the first thing about basic biology.

He walked to the bar and sat down. Behind him, the dance floor swayed with paired-up silhouettes.

As if sensing something, Wen Ran looked up. A pair of eyes beneath his mask met the Alpha across from him.

Among the smells of alcohol, sweets, and perfume, the Pheromone of countless people was as bland as water, indistinguishable by the brain. Only when Gu Yunchi appeared did the physiological reaction brought by compatibility always wake him up like an alarm bell, immediately.