After he finished asking, the doctor put down his pen, his tone gentle yet firm.
“Currently, there is no reliable way to stop secondary differentiation. This is the body’s natural adaptation process to external stimuli. Forcibly interfering may instead damage the unformed gland and leave sequelae.”
He looked at Shen Qi’s tense profile and added, “I know it is hard for you to accept this right now. The transition in identity from a Beta to a potential Omega is indeed unsettling. But rather than obsessing over whether it can be stopped, you should focus on how to get through it smoothly. Taking your medicine on time, avoiding high-level Alphas, and maintaining emotional stability will all make the differentiation process smoother and reduce the pain. Look, many people who experience late-onset differentiation still manage to live their lives very well in the end. The key is not to fight against your own body.”
“Tsk, but…”
“But what?”
Shen Qi grew excited for a moment, thinking there was a way, but the doctor merely waved his hand, and his heart sank back down.
“It is nothing. I just feel that this secondary differentiation of yours came about rather unreasonably, as if it were deliberately triggered.”
Shen Qi’s differentiation fever was indeed abnormal, and the doctor did not quite understand the reason behind it.
Originally, he had not wanted to mention it, but driven by professional ethics, he could not help bringing it up before comforting him once more.
“However, do not worry too much. The precursors to differentiation are completely in line with physiological laws. Just recuperate well according to what I told you.”
Shen Qi opened his mouth, wanting to ask more, but swallowed the words back. Even the doctor said there was no way, so pressing further would only be in vain.
He nodded silently, thanked the doctor, and walked out of the consulting room, his fingertips gripping the prescription paper until it was wrinkled.
The doctor’s words weighed heavily on his chest, yet he had no choice but to accept this undeniable reality.
He was really going to differentiate.
When he walked out of the hospital after collecting his medicine, the sun had already climbed high, yet it carried little warmth when it fell upon him.
Shen Qi walked slowly along the roadside, his mind drifting involuntarily back to the past.
In the past, he had always envied those who could smell pheromones, especially envying the Omegas who could perceive Cheng Yanzhou’s pheromones.
At that time, he used to foolishly think that if only he could smell them, even just once, he could at least truly experience the scent on Cheng Yanzhou, rather than having to rely on the Gimlet at the bar and desperately searching for a phantom bit of solace within the alcohol.
Although that kind of thinking had not passed for very long, he sincerely believed that he had been so foolish back then.
Now, the opportunity to be able to smell pheromones had truly arrived, yet he could not feel happy at all.
This was not the way he wanted it.
He raised a hand to wipe his face, attempting to suppress those bitter and sour emotions.
Pulling out the suppressants prescribed by the doctor, he looked at the instructions reading “take once daily, avoid close contact with Alphas” and took a deep breath.
Fortunately, the customers at Mrs. Lucy’s dessert shop were mostly children and middle-aged or elderly groups, so he probably would not come into contact with too many high-level Alphas.
Besides, he wore a mask in the shop, which should also reduce pheromone contact to a certain extent.
Thinking about all this, he prepared himself for work.
He fished out the pheromone-masking spray from his backpack, sprayed his collar twice more, and confirmed that the green lime scent was completely covered before hailing a cab toward Sunny Bite.
When he had introduced himself to Mrs. Lucy and everyone else previously, he was accustomed to saying he was a Beta. If he suddenly changed, others would feel uncomfortable, right?
When he arrived at the shop, Mrs. Lucy was busy packing cookies for a customer. Seeing him arrive, she waved with a smile.
“Maxie, you came just in time! You haven’t eaten, have you? The freshly baked bread is still hot, come eat one to line your stomach first.”
Afraid of delaying his checkup, Shen Qi had not eaten anything that morning and happened to be hungry, so he generously accepted it.
Taking a bite, the sweet, buttery aroma instantly spread through his mouth, slightly easing the heaviness in his heart.
He did not mention going to the hospital, only saying that he had felt a bit unwell in the morning but was fine now. Then, he washed his hands skillfully, put on his gloves and mask, and helped display the desserts.
Throughout the entire day, he tried his best to keep himself busy.
Wiping the storefront glass, operating the register, helping customers pack items, optimizing promotional plans, he filled his brain completely with trivial work to avoid thinking about the secondary differentiation.
As evening approached and customer traffic slowed down, Mrs. Lucy casually brought it up while tidying the workstation.
“By the way, Maxie, let me tell you something. Miles already flew back to New York this afternoon. Before leaving, he deliberately praised you to me, saying you are gentle and capable, and expressing regret that he couldn’t chat more with you about China. When he comes back next time, you two should have a good chat.”
Shen Qi’s movements stopped for a fraction of a second, and a sense of relief washed over him in his heart.
He had actually been wondering how he would decline if he were invited to dinner again tonight.
Now that Qi Yuan had returned to New York, it meant he would not be seeing him in the short term, so he no longer needed to worry about being stimulated by the S-class Alpha pheromones on him. This was undoubtedly good news for him right now.
He faintly curved the corners of his mouth and asked nonchalantly, “Did he leave in such a hurry? Not staying a few more days to accompany you?”
“Goodness, he is just too busy with work,” Mrs. Lucy smiled and shook her head.
“He said there are still things to handle at the laboratory over in New York. The kid grabbed some cranberry cookies his wife loves and hurried off. Such a loving couple. Right, those cookies were baked by you and me together.”
Mentioning the word “wife,” Shen Qi thought once again of that jasmine-scented partner, but he quickly lowered his gaze, not dwelling on it too much as he continued wiping the ceramic plates and replied softly, “That certainly sounds quite exhausting.”
Night gradually crept into the shop. Shen Qi helped Mrs. Lucy lock the door and turned to walk toward his apartment.
The night breeze brushed across his cheeks, carrying the chill of the evening.
The burning sensation at the back of his neck had faded a lot, likely because the medicine he took in the morning was taking effect.
He looked up at the night sky where there were a few more twinkling stars than the previous night.
Upon returning to his apartment, he first organized his suppressants, sorting the daily doses into a small box.
Then, he sat down on the sofa and took out his phone.
Opening WeChat, Yu An’s name remained pinned at the top, striking as ever.
He hesitated for a long time before opening the chat box, typing a few words, deleting them, and finally sending a single white lie:
[How have you been lately? Everything is great on my end, just a bit of a cold.]
Before long, Yu An replied: [Drink more hot water if you have a cold, don’t push yourself. By the way, Cheng Yanzhou has secretly expanded his search radius. I’m keeping an eye on it constantly and will notify you the moment there’s any situation.]
Shen Qi looked at the message, a trace of warmth welling up in his heart.
Having Yu An was truly wonderful.
Only, he still lacked the courage to tell him about the secondary differentiation, fearing he would worry.
After chatting idly for a bit longer, he put down his phone and walked over to the window, watching the streetlamps downstairs.
As the night grew deeper, the lamplight cast a soft glow over the ground like a warm veil.
Letting differentiation happen was fine. He had already died once, so he was no longer afraid of anything.
He thought to himself.