Chapter 68: 第 68 章

Safe and sound.

Wen Ran's wishes always seem so plain and sincere. Seven years ago he wished for Gu Yunchi's swift recovery. Seven years later, he prays for Gu Yunchi's safety.

All of them about Gu Yunchi.

Gu Yunchi could perfectly picture Wen Ran's devout expression while writing the Prayer Plaque. He'd seen it long ago.

"No, wait... what do you mean you were engaged in high school? Is it the thing I'm thinking? An Engagement?" Zhou Zhuo was still in the aftershock, his gaze drifting. "You got engaged right after you came of age — you're kidding me, right..."

Gu Yunchi hadn't heard a word of his mumbling doubts. He lowered his eyes, silent for a moment, then signaled the bodyguards to untie him.

"You can head back now," he said.

Zhou Zhuo rubbed his aching arms. He wanted to ask more to get clarity, but he was afraid this unapproachable officer would execute him into an early grave. So he reluctantly chose to trust him for now: "Then take good care of him. I'm going to top up his card." He stumbled when he stood, then slowly went downstairs.

Back in the room, Wen Ran was fast asleep. The flush on his eyelids and the tip of his nose hadn't faded. His left hand was outside the blanket, thin delicate fingers slightly curled. Gu Yunchi sat on the edge of the bed, squeezed that soft palm, and tucked it back under the covers.

Probably because he'd just been marked, his body in sleep quickly recognized the Alpha's scent. Wen Ran stirred, rolled over, reached out with both hands to find Gu Yunchi's waist, and rested his head on his thigh.

This position wasn't great for sleeping. Gu Yunchi watched Wen Ran for a moment, gathered the thin blanket, wrapped him up entirely, and lay down holding him through the covers.

Throughout, Wen Ran showed zero signs of waking. Half his face buried in the blanket, like a caterpillar curled quietly in its cocoon, breathing shallow and peaceful.

Gu Yunchi lay face to face with Wen Ran's lashes, recalling every physical exam report he'd received from Wen Ran over the past three years. Every six months, punctual as clockwork, all of them piggybacking on the Preparatory School and Company checkups. From every standard test, nothing abnormal.

But routine means not thorough enough—especially Wen Ran's Gland. Standard exams are too crude for his situation. The biggest problem now is Wen Ran's willingness, because once they dig deeper, the artificial Gland and the sex-change fact would come out.

That runs directly counter to Wen Ran's effort to live like a normal person. Even if he promised no results would leak, it would still make him feel low, defeated, panicked.

When he'd seen that box of Inhibitor Injection, he had thought about dragging the guy straight to the Hospital — let Wen Ran cry, let him scream, he'd force him through every test. But once he'd calmed down, like right now, who could bring himself to be that heavy-handed with a little caterpillar.

Gu Yunchi had countless ways to make Wen Ran obedient and compliant, past or present. But no one knew better than him how many years Wen Ran had been forced into obedience.

His thumb brushed beneath Wen Ran's eye. Gu Yunchi held him and, in the little house sealed off from autumn wind, got a brief but complete sleep.

Two in the afternoon. Gu Yunchi woke. Wen Ran had shifted in his arms—from his side to flat on his back, still sound asleep.

It seemed to be raining outside, the pattering endless. Gu Yunchi got up very gently, tucked the covers around Wen Ran. As he finished, his hand accidentally rested on Wen Ran's lower belly. The motionless Wen Ran suddenly covered his stomach under the blanket and rolled to face the other way.

He walked to the living area, picked up the comm unit and Mobile Phone from the dining table, and pushed open the window. Yes, raining—the whole residential block was a pale gray haze.

He scrolled through and replied to messages on the comm unit. Then he opened his Mobile Phone and saw a message from Xu Ze sent at noon.

Xu Ze: Sorry, was a bit busy this morning.

Xu Ze: Would Major Gu happen to have a card number for me? Back in high school, Colonel Lu put over two million into my grandma's Hospital account. I'd like to trouble you to help me transfer it back.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, all of Lu Heyang and He Wei's large transactions in the past had gone through Gu Yunchi's account. Before entering the military academy, to make sure Xu Ze's grandma's medical fees were covered, Lu Heyang had paid enough into the Hospital and the nursing home.

And then? Gu Chongze fell, the Wei Family got cleaned out, Tang Feiyi vanished. Lu Heyang used himself as bait, left the Military Base alone to draw them out. The lofty chairman, wanting to grind his son's edges down, chose to hold his position and wait for Lu Heyang to come begging.

The result, of course, was a miscalculation. Lu Heyang suffered brain damage and lost his memory, and Xu Ze was simply forgotten by him.

After that, He Wei's cousin, tangled up with Tang Feiyi, crashed off a cliff while fleeing. He Wei holed up in Cloud Bay drinking the days away. When Chi Jiahán came looking, Gu Yunchi gave him a room card.

He figured someone had to get comfort. If not him and Lu Heyang, then it should be He Wei.

Too bad Chi Jiahán and He Wei ended up missing each other too.

Too much happened that autumn and winter. Wen Ran's death. Lu Heyang's amnesia. He Wei's collapse. Fate just lightly flipped its palm, and they crashed to the ground. By the time they got back up, every direction they'd planned was useless, every plan fallen through.

Nobody walked out of that chess game whole and smiling.

The only lucky thing: the people who scattered seven years ago were slowly, maybe with difficulty but unstoppable, finding each other again.

Without replying to Xu Ze right away, Gu Yunchi called Lu Heyang first. It took a while to pick up.

"Xu Ze reached out to me."

Lu Heyang paused on the other end. "What about?"

"Asked me for a card number. I don't know what you mean by it, so I called to ask." Gu Yunchi looked back through the partition bookshelf at Wen Ran in bed. "Looks like Colonel Lu isn't doing so well. Made Dr. Xu go through a middleman just to return money."

Lu Heyang asked instead: "Has Major Gu finished the self-criticism report for missing the last post-battle meeting? I hear it has to be at least five thousand words."

"What, you planning to write it for me?"

"No experience writing self-critiques. Can't help. Sorry."

Gu Yunchi said, deadpan: "Then don't bring it up."

"Have Dr. Xu transfer the money to you." Lu Heyang returned to the original topic.

Out of habit, Gu Yunchi pulled out a cigarette and asked casually: "Does that mean it's just... over?"

"I just want to let him handle it in whatever way feels comfortable for him."

He bit the cigarette between his lips, hummed "mm," then flicked open the lighter.

"Can you not smoke?"

A voice sounded suddenly behind him—scared, but also very firm.

A completely different person from the omega who'd ordered Gu Yunchi not to smoke a few hours ago.

Gu Yunchi turned around and saw Wen Ran standing by the bookshelf, hair a mess, eyes a little swollen. His T-shirt was oversized, the neckline washed crooked and drooping, exposing his whole collarbone. He'd also deliberately put on long pajama pants, the soft hems bunching up over his slippers.

Basically, he looked like a crumpled ball of tissue paper. Pitiful, but stubbornly standing.

Three-way silence. A few seconds later, Gu Yunchi took the cigarette out and told Lu Heyang: "Hanging up."

After hanging up, Gu Yunchi sent a message, then looked up to see Wen Ran staring at him. Wen Ran seemed to want to come closer but was holding himself back for some reason, his thin body swaying with the contradiction.

Gu Yunchi asked him: "How do you feel."

The question immediately threw Wen Ran into panic and confusion: "Wh-what do you mean, how do I feel?"

Clearly awake now. Gu Yunchi walked to the table, sat down, and pulled out another chair, looking at Wen Ran.

Wen Ran hesitated for a few seconds, then walked over and sat. But once seated, he grabbed the chair with both hands and scooted back a bit. Then, glancing to the side, he finally saw two pitch-black handguns on the table.

Only one thought in his head—I'm dead. He didn't know if Gu Yunchi was planning to torture him about the Inhibitor or hold a gun to his head and tell him to mind his own business, etc., etc.

While he was fretting, Gu Yunchi suddenly reached over, his thumb carefully feeling around Wen Ran's Gland a few times. His whole body went numb instantly. Wen Ran shivered and hunched his shoulders, eyes wide, staring at him.

"Does it still hurt?" Gu Yunchi asked.

"A little." The two guns on the table made Wen Ran very well-behaved. He asked carefully: "Did you give my Gland an injection?"

"Marked you," Gu Yunchi said. "Temporary. It'll fade in a week."

Wen Ran's mouth fell open in surprise. Softly: "Okay." After thinking, he asked: "Did I say anything weird?"

"What counts as weird?" Gu Yunchi stared into his eyes. "Does saying you missed me count?"

That nearly made Wen Ran jump out of his skin. He jolted hard, the chair kicked back ten centimeters, scraping the floor with a screech.

"Impossible...!" Red from face to ears to neck, Wen Ran's breathing quickened. He denied it, stammering: "I-I could never have told you that. Don't make stuff up!"

The word "told" was worth savoring, but considering Wen Ran was still in heat, Gu Yunchi didn't plan to push him further. He grabbed Wen Ran's chair, dragged him and the seat back in front of him, placed a gun in his hand, and said: "Watch."

Then he picked up the other one himself. Pressed the release, removed the magazine. Pulled the trigger, hit the slide lock, slid off the slide. Broke out the rear takedown pin, pulled out the barrel... A field strip that should've taken five seconds, Gu Yunchi took almost a full minute, unhurried. In the end, the gun was just a pile of parts on the table.

"Try it," he said to Wen Ran.

First time holding a real gun. Solid, cold weight. Wen Ran glanced at Gu Yunchi, lowered his head, and started stripping his own.

He'd always been good at disassembly and assembly. His eyes and brain had memorized the steps Gu Yunchi taught him, so he stripped it smoothly and laid the parts out neatly on the table. Then, without waiting for Gu Yunchi to speak, Wen Ran started reassembling in reverse, and soon the parts were a heavy handgun again.

Wen Ran couldn't help feeling a small sense of accomplishment. He pressed his lips together and turned to look at Gu Yunchi.

He didn't know he looked like someone who'd completed a mission perfectly and was now standing tall, waiting for praise, with a quiet pride. Gu Yunchi didn't disappoint: "A-grade score."

Wen Ran asked: "What's the highest grade?"

"A-grade is the highest."

"Oh." Wen Ran pressed his lips together again, looking down at the gun.

"Let's compete," Gu Yunchi said. "For fairness, I'll close my eyes."

Only now realizing Gu Yunchi's purpose, Wen Ran sat up straighter and asked: "After we have a winner?"

"The winner gets to make one demand. The loser has to do it, no questions." This kind of competition fit the part of Wen Ran's personality that craved order—he wouldn't refuse. Gu Yunchi looked at him: "If you win, you can demand I never show up again. Disappear completely."

Eyes lowered, quiet for a moment, Wen Ran said: "Okay."

After he stripped the gun again and lined up the parts, Gu Yunchi closed his eyes.

Three seconds later, Wen Ran called "Start."

Rain came and went outside the window. Inside, only the crisp clicks of gun parts snapping into place. Even with his eyes closed, Gu Yunchi's movements stayed sharp, fast, methodical. Field-stripping blind was part of daily training.

He slid the magazine into the grip. Click. Gu Yunchi opened his eyes. A dark gun barrel was already aimed between his brows.

Wen Ran held the gun in both hands, shooting stance, face dead serious.

Gu Yunchi half-smiled, raised his hands, played along with a surrender, his gaze going past the gun to Wen Ran's face.

"You can make your demand," he said. "If you want me out of your life, this is the only chance."

Wen Ran held the gun, faced him off for a moment, then lowered it. No words. He turned away, elbows on the table, looking down at the gun.

After ten-plus seconds, he said: "You lost on purpose."

Gu Yunchi didn't admit it. He just reminded him: "So you're giving up this chance."

Wen Ran kept fiddling with the gun, not looking at him. No direct answer, just: "I didn't win."

Knock knock knock. Gu Yunchi—who lost the match but won the gamble—stood to open the door. A Cloud Bay-uniformed server walked in with meal boxes, set them on the table, then went to clean up the broken injection bottle in the bedroom corner, and left quickly.

Gu Yunchi opened the meal boxes one by one. The smell filled the room. Wen Ran sat beside him, watching intently. When Gu Yunchi handed him utensils, he smoothly said "thanks" and buried his head in this extremely food-safety-guaranteed meal.

He ate with real appetite, not wolfing it down. Looked pleasant and hungry—honestly had mukbang potential.

Finished, content and satisfied, Wen Ran put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, met Gu Yunchi's eyes for a second, then said: "I'm full."

"I can see that," Gu Yunchi said. "A doctor will come by later to draw blood and Pheromone samples. They'll give you meds—take them on time. For the next few days, Cloud Bay will deliver three meals a day to your home or the Company."

"Is this your demand as the winner?"

"No."

"Okay." He knew it wouldn't be that simple. Wen Ran nodded.

"Starting tomorrow I have a mission. About a week. I'll tell you when I'm back. Don't pretend you didn't see."

"Why are you telling me all this... in such detail?"

Gu Yunchi propped his face on one hand, looking at him: "Reporting in."

The first second he heard those two words as "baby," Wen Ran was shocked, froze for a moment, then realized his mistake. Still confused: "Why are you reporting in to me?"

Tapping the table with a fingertip, Gu Yunchi said: "Shouldn't you report in to family before a mission?"

"Wha..."

Before Wen Ran could say anything about "family," Gu Yunchi gathered his things and stood: "Heading out. Meeting this afternoon."

At the door, he opened it and glanced sideways. Wen Ran had followed him. Seeing Gu Yunchi look at him, he awkwardly averted his eyes: "Can you leave me one of the guns to play with?"

"You want me locked up by Military Headquarters?"

Wen Ran asked: "How long would they lock you up?"

"..." Gu Yunchi said, "I'll bring one next time for you to play with."

"Next time—is that after you finish your mission and come back?" Wen Ran, in the most clumsy way possible, finally got the words out: "Then you have to come back safe and sound. Quickly."

After saying it, he stood there with his hands tucked in, not moving. Gu Yunchi watched him for a moment, then turned around: "Hug me."

Wen Ran, with his bird's-nest hair, stood there stunned. After a long while: "What do you mean?"

"After a mark, the Alpha gets dependent on the omega too. Be considerate."

"Is that how it is?" Wen Ran was too embarrassed to say it, but actually, from the first moment he woke up and saw Gu Yunchi, he'd wanted to get close. The more he tried to control it, the more his chest and hands itched, an unbearable itch. He hadn't expected the Alpha to feel it too. A heaven-sent excuse—Wen Ran said, as flatly as possible: "Fine then."

He glanced up at Gu Yunchi, reached out, and very lightly hugged his waist, chin resting on his shoulder.

Gu Yunchi raised a hand to hold Wen Ran's back. The omega's skin temperature came through the thin T-shirt into his palm.

"Come back safe," Wen Ran said again.