As soon as Shen Qi finished speaking, a chime rang out from the kitchen, signaling that the oven had finished baking the first pizza.
Mrs. Lucy walked over holding an insulated tray, her tone breezy. “Don’t just stand here chatting. Freshly baked pizza is the best, and if you are any later, the cheese will lose all its warmth.”
Qiyuan withdrew his gaze and turned naturally to help Mrs. Lucy retrieve the pizza, cutting off the conversation right there.
Shen Qi pinched the unfinished strawberry in his hand, feeling a cool sensation at his fingertips, but he did not pursue the matter further, silently following them to help place the dishes on the table.
The atmosphere during dinner was very lively. Mrs. Lucy was in high spirits, constantly adding pizza and pouring juice for the two of them. Qiyuan occasionally brought up interesting anecdotes about New York, while Shen Qi mostly listened quietly, only offering soft replies when asked about Chinese customs.
It wasn’t until a little past eight that Shen Qi said his goodbyes, using the excuse that he had to get up early for work the next day.
Back in his apartment, Shen Qi put the food they had warmly gifted him into the refrigerator and slumped lazily onto the small sofa.
Staring at the ceiling, he couldn’t help recalling what Qiyuan had said about jasmine-scented pheromones.
Come to think of it, he had heard that Shi Nian also carried that exact scent.
“It must just be a coincidence.”
He raised a hand to press at his temples, forcing himself to sweep away the distracting thoughts.
There were so many Omegas in the world. Having similar pheromones was completely normal. Besides, China was so vast, so how could Qiyuan possibly have any connection to Shi Nian?
Moreover, didn’t Shi Nian already have Cheng Yanzhou’s child? How could he possibly be someone else’s partner?
Thinking along these lines, Shen Qi’s tension gradually eased.
After washing up, he got into bed and drifted off to sleep before long.
4:00 AM.
Unknowing how long he had been asleep, Shen Qi was suddenly jolted awake by a wave of intense heat.
He opened his eyes abruptly. In the pitch-black room, a searing pain flared across the back of his neck, feeling as though a ball of fire were burning beneath his skin.
He instinctively reached up to touch the spot, his fingertips recoiling with a sharp gasp the moment they brushed against the skin of his nape.
It was not only scorching hot, but slightly swollen, as if something was trying to push its way out.
What is this?
What made him even more panicked was that the fresh lime scent was drifting from his body once again, far more potent than any previous instance, practically wrapping around him in suffocating layers.
Shen Qi quickly sat up, fumbling to turn on the bedside lamp, cold sweat beading on his temples from the pain.
He had no idea what to do.
If it were just an ordinary fever, he could attribute it to sickness.
However, the recurring pain in his back neck and the undeniable presence of pheromone scents left him completely at a loss.
After taking a few deep breaths, he stumbled into the bathroom, stripped off his pajamas, and turned on the showerhead directly overhead, letting cold water beat down on the back of his neck. The chill seemed to diminish the burning sensation slightly.
Yet the lime scent did not weaken at all. Instead, it grew increasingly distinct, even drifting into every corner of the room.
“How could this happen.”
Shen Qi’s voice trembled.
In a state of utter disarray, he collapsed back onto the bed, his body stiff beneath the covers, his fingertips ice-cold.
His thoughts spinning wildly, he reviewed everything that had happened during the day to find a breakthrough.
Qiyuan.
The last time this had happened was in the elevator with Cheng Yanzhou, but this time, it happened after interacting with Qiyuan.
He carefully recalled his interactions with Qiyuan during the day. While chatting idly at the dinner table, he had learned that Qiyuan was an S-class Alpha.
Cheng Yanzhou was also an S-class Alpha.
Could it be that contact with S-class Alphas was what triggered this condition in him?
The moment this thought popped into his head, Shen Qi panicked even more.
The health teacher in middle school biology classes had taught them that some people underwent secondary sex differentiation due to external stimuli, but such cases were extremely rare. How could he possibly encounter it?
The burning sensation at the back of his neck grew fiercer. Shen Qi curled up on the bed, his hands gripping the sheets tightly, his mind in complete chaos.
Tomorrow.
He had to go to the hospital tomorrow to get checked out.
Shen Qi clenched his teeth, forcing his eyes shut in an attempt to fall back asleep, but the pain in his neck and the lingering lime scent made it impossible for him to find any peace.
As dawn broke, Shen Qi got out of bed.
He had barely slept. Every time drowsiness crept up on him, he was jarred awake once more by sharp waves of pain. Even though he was utterly exhausted, he knew he had to visit the hospital right away.
He changed into a high-necked black sweater that thoroughly concealed the back of his neck, sprayed a pheromone-masking spray he had recently ordered online over himself, and once he confirmed the lime scent was practically imperceptible, he picked up his backpack and headed out.
He apologized to Mrs. Lucy, letting her know he would arrive a little later than usual, and headed straight to the nearby hospital.
When registering at the front desk, the nurse asked which department he needed. He hesitated for a moment before answering in a low voice, “Omega specialty clinic.”
The nurse glanced at him and smiled. “Is your pheromone acting up? It is spring right now, and many Omegas experience pheromone instability. Don’t worry too much.”
Shen Qi managed a forced smile and stayed silent.
Sitting in the waiting area, his palms remained drenched in sweat.
He pulled out his phone, flipping through his contacts until his finger lingered on the name Yu An for a long time. In the end, he slid his phone away.
Never mind, I will talk to him after I get the results.
“Maxie?”
The nurse’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
Shen Qi stood up abruptly, took a deep breath, and walked toward the examination room.
The moment he pushed the door open, he silently prayed in his heart. Please don’t let it be secondary differentiation. Please.
The doctor in the examination room was a genial middle-aged man with Western features who looked thoroughly professional.
Seeing Shen Qi enter, he smiled and pointed to the chair opposite him. “Sit down. Tell me about your situation.”
Shen Qi sat down, pulled his collar down slightly to expose the back of his neck, and spoke in a tight voice, “Doctor, the back of my neck suddenly started getting hot last night, and it started giving off a scent that feels a lot like pheromones.”
“Pheromones?” The doctor looked down at the registration slip only after hearing him out. “You are a Beta?”
Shen Qi briefly explained all the details.
The doctor reached out to touch the back of his neck, pulled out a device to test his pheromone concentration, and frowned slightly. “It is indeed pheromones. Furthermore, your pheromone concentration is much higher than normal, and the gland at the back of your neck is somewhat swollen.”
Shen Qi’s heart sank.
I have pheromones?
How could that be? Wasn’t he a Beta?
The doctor put down the device. Seeing that Shen Qi was struck speechless and looked completely dazed, he continued, “This is a classic precursor to secondary sex differentiation. Generally speaking, secondary differentiation does not always happen naturally. It can be triggered by external stimuli.”
“By the way, Maxie, high-level Alpha pheromones have a very strong catalytic effect, especially in late-blooming cases like yours. It is very easy to trigger secondary differentiation. Have you been in contact with any high-level Alphas recently?”
“Secondary differentiation?”
Shen Qi’s voice was shaking. Before he could process the previous question, he asked anxiously, “Then what will happen? Will I turn into an Omega?”
“Why else would you book an appointment in our department if you weren’t suspecting you might differentiate into an Omega?”
The doctor chuckled softly in response. To alleviate the patient’s anxiety regarding differentiation, he reassured him, “Try not to be too nervous. It is true that undergoing secondary differentiation at this age is uncommon, but you need to approach it with a calm mindset. We will have to wait for the final results to confirm the exact differentiation outcome.”
He pulled out a form and handed it to Shen Qi.
“I will prescribe some pheromone suppressants for you first. Take them on schedule, and try to avoid contact with Alphas recently, especially S-class Alphas. Come back for a check-up every week to monitor when the differentiation process will manifest.”
Shen Qi accepted the form, his fingers trembling slightly.
He never imagined that he would actually undergo secondary sex differentiation.
Yet he had lived twenty-four years as a Beta. Why did he have to change now?
He asked earnestly, “Doctor, excuse me, is there any way to stop the secondary differentiation?”
He did not want to differentiate. Whether he turned into an Alpha or an Omega, neither outcome spelled anything good for him.
Differentiation meant he would face special periods requiring a partner, and he might even fall victim to gland-related diseases.
He had staged a death escape precisely to live a peaceful life. Why was fate working against him like this?
His anxiety mounted, leaving his heart suspended in a state of restless panic.