Secondary Differentiation Result Prediction
That evening.
Xie Yun returned home from school and collapsed onto the sofa. The butler robot called him for dinner; he ate like a sleepwalker and then lay back down.
He stared at the ceiling chandelier. From dusk until nightfall, the dazzling diamond-like light pricked his eyes until they ached.
What could possibly be wrong with his body?
Xie Yun had treated Jiang Jia’s words as wind passing through his ears, yet he couldn’t stop himself from wondering since he had been so angry at the time that he forgot Xi Zhiyu was right beside him whether his brother had heard the contents of that phone call.
Later, he had observed carefully. Seeing the other party eating quietly as usual, it didn’t seem like he had heard anything.
As for his publicly released statement regarding his sexual orientation, it had been trending for several days. Since Xi Zhiyu never cared about entertainment news and likely only downloaded Weibo to keep up with scientific research updates, Xie Yun didn’t think the other would see it.
He hugged his Peanut pillow, his long, beautiful eyebrows furrowing slightly as he thought seriously and solemnly: there was absolutely nothing wrong with his logic.
Just then.
A notification popped up on his phone. Xie Yun grabbed it to take a look and saw a red dot on the friend request interface.
Hello, God. I am Fei Chuqiong. I hope we can be friends!
Aaron’s younger cousin?
Xie Yun took a screenshot and sent it to Fei Baian. The other’s film crew was having some issues, and he was currently rotting away in a hotel; his reply speed was like a rocket launching into space.
Aaron: I didn’t give it to her. You don’t like chatting anyway, why add her?
Xie Yun paused. He remembered Aaron mentioning that the relatives he stayed with in South City lived in the same residential area as Yuan Zhoulu.
Everything was likely the handiwork of that “Lava Blueberry Pie.”
Xie Yun thought for a moment and accepted the request. A long block of text immediately popped up on the screen, comparable to serving a massive plate of pre-prepared food.
Hello, God! I actually got your WeChat through President Pai at the last birthday party! But I was too embarrassed to add you directly. It was Senior Xi’s words that encouraged me. He said you’re just busy but are actually especially cute and kind in private, so I finally had the courage to add you!
Did… did Brother say he was cute?
Xie Yun’s face flushed a faint red, but before he could feel happy, he sensed something inexplicably wrong. He clicked into her Moments, and his pupils shook instantly!
Why was his brother in the group photo from the birthday party?!
What was even more ridiculous was that the big screen in the background was playing the Berlin Film Festival and that day happened to be the day he, fueled by anger over Aaron’s Weibo post, announced his sexual orientation!
Xie Yun subconsciously gripped his phone, his strength nearly crushing the screen. He could not accept a certain possibility.
Xi Zhiyu knew from the very beginning that he had claimed on Weibo to have an Omega he liked!
Xie Yun kept taking deep breaths. With just a little bit of probing, Fei Chuqiong immediately exposed everything about the birthday party: the love letter blunder, the film festival live stream, and the fact that Xi Zhiyu had witnessed the whole thing on-site.
Xie Yun: “…………”
At the same time.
Peanut, who was doing the spring cleaning, heard a muffled thud and slid over quickly. It saw the phone lying on the floor, its screen cracked at a corner, looking quite pitiful.
Xie Yun himself was slumped on the sofa, his elbows covering his eyes to block the light, his entire body radiating a gloomy aura.
Peanut emitted a nervous electronic sound: “What’s wrong with Master?!”
Xie Yun was accustomed to venting to it, and this robot was so intelligent it seemed possessed; it easily translated his state into human words.
“So, Master’s secret crush might have been exposed! The sky is falling! What should we do?!”
What else could be done?
Xie Yun quickly had Peanut request a connection. After linking with the robot at Yuan Zhoulu’s house, he suppressed his anger: “When does my brother plan to have his physical exam?”
The week Xie Yun transferred was relatively special; students were required to go to designated hospitals for physical exams over a one-week period, with flexible scheduling.
At this age, some students are at the peak of secondary differentiation and rely on medication to suppress pheromone changes; centralized exams often led to accidents on the road.
For some reason, every year there would always be classic plots that seemed to trigger game code.
To avoid the special incidents that frequently occurred in previous years, the school authorities, after heated discussion, simply modified the regulations. Based on their own conditions, students were required to complete and report their physical exams within a week.
Xie Yun: “Can’t hear me?”
“I can.” Yuan Zhoulu clicked his tongue. “Same day as me, probably.”
Xie Yun knew this person was doing a lot of things behind his back, but he wasn’t in the mood to settle scores. He kept it short: “Give me specifics.”
“What’s wrong? You want to go together?”
“Depends on the situation. There are adjustments to my work schedule, so I probably can’t make it.” Xie Yun urged, “Hurry up and say it.”
Yuan Zhoulu paused for two seconds on the other end, doing who-knows-what, and stammered: “Wednesday or Thursday, I guess.”
Xie Yun: “Got it.”
“Then what day do you plan to book?”
“Friday.”
Xie Yun took a deep breath: “You’re an Alpha; pay attention and don’t get so close to my brother all the time.”
Yuan Zhoulu sent back an emoji of a pink beaver sticking its tongue out.
Xie Yun didn’t bother responding and turned to confirm the schedule with his manager cousin. When he explained that he didn’t want to clash with Xi Zhiyu’s exam day, Jiang Jia sent back a question mark.
Yun-zai: My brother knows about the Weibo post I made, but he’s been pretending he doesn’t!
Rich and Prosperous: What?
Rich and Prosperous: Interview question: What do you think is the probability that little Zhiyu has guessed you’re secretly in love with him?
Yun-zai: I don’t know.
Yun-zai: I don’t want to guess, stop talking.
Rich and Prosperous: Fine, I know you want to escape again. Truly classic you. [Thumbs up]
Yun-zai: …
No joke even as a top-tier star-in-the-making, Xie Yun had zero confidence regarding this secret crush.
What else could he do besides escape? Was he supposed to meet him on the day of the exam and confess?
Xie Yun knew deep down that “escaping is shameful but useful.” He prepared to stagger the exam times and cool off for a few days to figure out how to face his beloved brother before returning to school.
Time flew, and it was soon Friday.
Morning. Overcast.
Xi Zhiyu, wearing casual clothes and carrying a backpack, arrived at the City Second Hospital for Physical Exams by bus.
Yuan Zhoulu was crossing the street and waved vigorously when he saw him from afar: “Zhiyu!”
Xi Zhiyu noticed him too: “Watch the cars.”
The two met at the traffic light.
Yuan Zhoulu asked him pointedly: “Why did you specifically change your exam to Friday?”
“Hmm?”
Xi Zhiyu paused. “Yun-zai took two days off and scheduled his exam for today. I thought I might run into him.”
Yuan Zhoulu smirked: “You want to see him but won’t send a message, playing the ‘accidental encounter’ game instead. Sesame, you’ve been acting a bit strange lately.”
Xi Zhiyu avoided the question: “…”
“Let’s go in for the exam first.”
Because different schools had staggered exam times and multiple hospitals across the city accepted bookings, the two of them finished at an astonishing speed. While waiting for the forms to be printed, they encountered fewer than ten peers.
Xi Zhiyu’s physical condition was special, but a basic physical exam would not detect gland diseases.
However, Xie Yun was different. His childhood friend was a healthy Alpha, and Jiang Jia’s words had caused him internal turmoil for two full days.
He worried that Xie Yun’s health might be affected because of him but didn’t want to say it directly. After much thought, Xi Zhiyu wanted to have the exam on the same day to understand the true situation.
The two soon finished their exams and returned to the second-floor waiting hall, sitting down to wait for their numbers to be called to collect their results.
However, during this time, Xie Yun was nowhere to be seen. It was unclear if he would only arrive in the afternoon.
Just as he was debating whether to send a message to ask.
Yuan Zhoulu suddenly nudged his arm: “In the past few days, have you asked Xie Yun who that Omega he likes is?”
Xi Zhiyu froze: “No.”
Yuan Zhoulu: “Then have you guessed who it is?”
Xi Zhiyu shook his head. “I probably haven’t.”
Yuan Zhoulu dropped his casual demeanor and looked at his childhood friend seriously, wondering: “Zhiyu, can you really not guess?”
Xi Zhiyu hesitated: “I…”
There were many excellent Omegas in the entire South No. 1 Middle School who had attended the same kindergarten and elementary school as him and Xie Yun. Therefore, even filtering through people they knew, he still had no lead.
However—
A certain possibility had flashed through his mind, but he quickly dismissed it, thinking his idea was a complete fantasy.
Yuan Zhoulu fell silent. Seeing that the other was simply not catching on, he thought to himself that he had practically poked a hole through the paper window—how could his genius childhood friend still be completely oblivious?
“Aiya, why don’t you think it’s—”
Right then, a medical staff member’s voice came through the pager: “Student number 68, Xi Zhiyu, please come to the nurse’s station.”
During physical exams, it was common for school-provided information not to match, so being called by the hospital for verification happened from time to time.
Last year, Yuan Zhoulu had been called once for tampering with his photo. Xi Zhiyu didn’t think anything would go wrong with his exam.
Yuan Zhoulu tilted his head: “Want me to go with you?”
Xi Zhiyu stood up, his expression not showing the slightest surprise, and said calmly: “No need, I’ll be right back.”
“Oh.” Yuan Zhoulu narrowed his eyes. “Go ahead then.”
Five minutes later.
The pager in the waiting area called a number. Yuan Zhoulu walked to the window and collected the form stamped by the Second Hospital.
Turning around, he saw Xi Zhiyu walking toward him empty-handed. His face carried a look of sudden realization, making him seem unusually quiet.
Yuan Zhoulu: “Yours isn’t ready yet?”
Xi Zhiyu’s voice was unsteady: “One of the examination pods malfunctioned, the information wasn’t very accurate. I have to come back this afternoon.”
Yuan Zhoulu: “Alright then.”
“I’m going back to school this afternoon to work on some papers, so I won’t accompany you.”
Hearing his words, Xi Zhiyu felt a sense of relief and said, “Okay, let’s go eat first.”
The two started walking out. Yuan Zhoulu, being a foodie, pulled out his phone to check nearby shops.
Meanwhile, Xi Zhiyu tucked his phone into his pocket. Before the screen went dark, it displayed a notification: “Appointment for Differentiation Department of Second Hospital successful.”
His mind was chaotic and blocked, yet the words the nurse had whispered to him a few minutes ago echoed clearly:
“Student, your various physical indicators are normal, but your secondary differentiation prediction result is not quite accurate—”
“Please come back to the Differentiation Department this afternoon for a detailed inspection.”