The Person He Likes Seems to Be Me
He… how could he have differentiated into an Alpha?!
This sudden conclusion fell like a sledgehammer from the heavens, smashing into Xi Zhiyu so hard he slumped heavily into his chair, utterly speechless. He didn’t hear a single word of the conversation between Dr. Jonson and the department head; his ears were buzzing with a constant, droning static that pierced his very soul.
“Zhiyu.”
After an unknown amount of time, Jonson tucked the report away for him and asked softly, “Are you alright?”
Xi Zhiyu was terrifyingly quiet. His voice was hoarse as he said, “I’m sorry. I… I don’t think I can accept this right away. I want to know, will the results of this secondary differentiation affect my condition?”
Jonson sighed. “It will.”
He explained that while the differentiation prediction wasn’t one hundred percent certain, the result of him becoming an Alpha was essentially settled. Consequently, their treatment plan would have to be adjusted. Since Xi Zhiyu was currently in the early stages of secondary differentiation, a final plan couldn’t be determined immediately, but he would have to be equipped with a specialized Alpha pheromone detection wristband.
“I understand.”
Xi Zhiyu lowered his face, doing his best to hide his uneasy emotions. He had always believed he would be an Omega and would remain one forever. For this reason, he had kept secrets from his family and his childhood friend, avoiding traditional pheromone treatments and performing a great deal of secret work. Now, it felt as though God had played a cruel joke on him. Telling him he would differentiate into an Alpha meant that the road ahead was filled with endless variables. Even the most mild-tempered person would likely find such a prank impossible to accept.
As for the physical examination report, all current information would be kept confidential for the time being. At least until the secondary differentiation actually occurred, his father and dad would not know.
After leaving the differentiation research department, the two walked toward the elevator bank. Jonson suddenly asked him about the conscious imagery he saw inside the examination pod, explaining that if the day came when they had to rely on a medical chip pod after the treatment plan changed, today’s consciousness would provide corresponding help.
Xi Zhiyu told him the truth. He couldn’t quite describe the species of the black feline, only murmuring, “The other consciousness that was hallucinated… it looked a lot like that friend I mentioned.”
Jonson looked thoughtful. “That Alpha of the same age?”
Before he could ask anything more, the elevator arrived with a ding.
“They didn’t follow us; we should be able to shake them off.”
The elevator doors opened, and a clear, youthful voice drifted out with the air, sounding as though he were on a phone call. That voice was exceptionally familiar. Xi Zhiyu turned his gaze, and the moment he saw that face, his breath hitched. “…Yun-zai?”
Hearing his voice, Xie Yun, who had originally looked somewhat impatient, met his eyes. His voice turned raspy with a hint of astonishment: “Brother?!”
“Why are you here?”
Both of them reacted strongly. Jonson, standing to the side, watched them quietly, sensing the obvious tension in both teenagers. The doctor knew his patient well; he immediately pretended to be a stranger, entered the elevator, and pressed a floor button in one fluid motion. However, as they brushed past each other, his gaze swept over the brown-haired boy’s wristband. His expression flickered with surprise, looking as though he wanted to say something but held back.
Xi Zhiyu noticed this as well, but he didn’t give it much thought. He made up an excuse to Xie Yun: “I’m here to pick up some things for my classmates.”
As the class monitor, he was already tasked with collecting physical exam forms, so it didn’t sound like a lie. Xie Yun didn’t care about the truth or falsehood of the statement; a sense of urgency was etched between his brows as he explained quickly.
“A sasaeng fan followed me to the second floor. My cousin told me to take a detour to the other building before she picks me up.”
Xi Zhiyu asked, “Are you looking for the direction of the corridor?”
“Yeah,” Xie Yun replied.
“I’ll take you there.”
Xi Zhiyu was relatively familiar with the layout. Without another word, he led Xie Yun toward the end of the corridor. Fortunately, it was in the opposite direction of the differentiation department, so he didn’t have to worry about his secret being exposed.
Both were tall and long-legged with comparable stamina; they ran the whole way without losing their breath. However, the side effects of the examination Xi Zhiyu had undergone were significant. Due to the intense physical activity, he couldn’t control the pheromones leaking from his gland. It was only a faint scent at first; even he didn’t notice it himself.
It wasn’t until they went down through the pitch-black emergency stairwell that the sound of their close-range breathing seemed to have its own amplifier. Turning his head, he saw Xie Yun holding his phone and sending messages, his breathing growing increasingly heavy. He even wiped his face, unexpectedly wiping away a layer of hot sweat. Under the light of the screen, his face appeared flushed red.
Xi Zhiyu hurriedly looked away. “…Are you feeling unwell?”
“Huh?”
Xie Yun, having been busy outwitting the sasaeng, was slow to react, assuming it was just a chain reaction from running too fast. “I’m fine. I’m just asking my cousin where she is.”
Their footsteps slowed simultaneously. The stairwell was dimly lit; the phone’s flashlight cast their shadows onto the walls. Xi Zhiyu’s phone also chimed. He pulled it out with trembling hands and saw a message from Dr. Jonson, asking if he needed him to wait in the garage so they could go to the clinical center together to get the wristband.
Xi Zhiyu’s eyelids were throbbing with pain. There had never been a moment where he needed to wear an Alpha wristband more than right now. But… if he truly was going to differentiate into an Alpha, then the presence of his pheromones should make Xie Yun feel repulsed or disgusted. Yet, looking at him again with bated breath, he couldn’t detect a trace of aversion in Xie Yun’s eyes.
Xi Zhiyu took a deep breath, guessing that because it was the early stage of secondary differentiation, the pheromone composition was complex and its effects were difficult to predict.
As he fell into silence, the two had reached the entrance to the underground garage. Xie Yun appeared busy, but in reality, his brain felt as though it were covered in a thin mist, leaving him unable to organize his words. Hearing during the exam that a sasaeng had arrived, discussing a strategy with his cousin, and taking separate detours this was a routine operation he had experienced countless times. But coincidentally, encountering the appearing Xi Zhiyu had thrown him off balance, leading him to blur out a strange invitation he hadn’t anticipated.
“Brother, do you want to get in the car with me?”
Xi Zhiyu: “…”
“I don’t think I can.”
His voice was very low, perhaps because his mood was downcast. He turned his face slightly, his shadow encroaching and casting a sense of pressure. Xie Yun followed his gaze and looked back. But as his fingers tightened, the screen with the flashlight turned off. In the darkness, his senses were amplified, making him even more aware of the Omega brother in front of him, who was emitting an unprecedented aura of danger.
Strange…
Xie Yun instinctively touched his wristband to confirm that the special mode was on. The screen emitted a faint glow. Looking up again, he vaguely sensed his brother’s gaze falling on the back of his neck. For a moment, the boy was dazed.
“Let’s go our separate ways,” Xi Zhiyu said, clutching his phone, his breath fanning across the younger boy’s cheek. His tone was very light. “Don’t let fans take pictures. If it gets posted online, it will be misunderstood.”
Xie Yun nodded blankly. At that moment, he was 100% certain that Xi Zhiyu had seen the content of his Weibo post.
“Yeah,” Xie Yun’s heart felt like a tangled ball of yarn, messy and confused. “I know.”
Just then, Jiang Jia drove up and honked the horn in a hurry. The two didn’t even have time to say much more, only exchanging a look by the glare of the headlights.
“Then I’m leaving first.” Xie Yun couldn’t afford to delay; with the sasaeng around and his cousin in the car being even more anxious, he could only push forward. “What about you, Brother?”
Xi Zhiyu managed a forced smile. By now, he could lie without needing a script, saying he had driven his father’s car over and that the parking spot wasn’t far. He signaled for Xie Yun to get in the car first, not even having time to greet Jiang Jia. The shadow of the car disappeared from sight. Checking his phone, a message from Xie Yun sent from the car popped up.
Xi Zhiyu had no idea how to reply. He pretended not to see it and contacted Dr. Jonson to ask for his specific location.
After a while, Xi Zhiyu found the SUV in the garage, climbed into the passenger seat, and buckled his seatbelt. He felt guilty, not expecting to cause more trouble. “I’m sorry. I didn’t expect to run into a friend.”
Jonson: “Don’t be so polite all the time. You are my big client, after all.”
That was the truth, but it didn’t do much to comfort him. After the results of the physical exam came out, Xi Zhiyu felt as though even breathing took all his strength. Neither spoke again as the SUV sped toward the Differentiation Clinical Center. As they passed over the city bridge, Xi Zhiyu glanced out the window; the sky was dark and looked as though it were about to rain.
About half an hour later, they arrived at the center. The rain began to pour, as damp and heavy as his terrible mood. At this hour, there weren’t many patients. Jonson, dressed in casual clothes, sat with Xi Zhiyu in the consultation room, explaining that the treatment plan would be adjusted but couldn’t be finalized immediately.
“We’ll keep the original medication for now but increase the monitoring of pheromone changes. Only then can we determine the next steps.” The doctor handed over a specialized, reinforced detection wristband. “From now on, you must wear this and keep the 24-hour monitoring mode on. Keep in touch with me daily.”
Xi Zhiyu reached out to take it, instinctively looking at the instruction manual and noticing the words “For Alpha Use.” “Thank you.” He then asked, “Is there anything special I need to pay attention to?”
Jonson hesitated for a moment. “There is one function you can learn a bit about.”
“What is it?”
“Partner Protection Mode.”
“Okay.” Xi Zhiyu kept his head down. It took a long moment for him to realize those three words sounded like a joke. He said hoarsely, “What… what did you just say?”
Too much had happened in a single day; his brain was too full to process anything else. But what he could never have imagined was.
Jonson: “The boy we ran into just now is the Alpha kid we talked about last time, right?”
Xi Zhiyu: “…Yes.”
“He seems to really like you. Back at the elevator, his eyes lit up the moment he saw you.” Jonson continued in a professional, scientific tone, “His wristband has a function set it’s an Alpha’s protection mode for an Omega. It activates automatically the moment he encounters you. This requires a pre-set heart rate frequency to achieve that level of precision.”
Xi Zhiyu’s spine suddenly stiffened. He stared at the doctor in disbelief, wondering if he was hallucinating. Having been an Omega for eighteen years, he couldn’t immediately grasp the purpose of that protection function. He guessed it was similar to a warning function for a simulated electronic muzzle.
Then, he was startled by the thought and hurried to flip through the wristband manual, confirming that the function was almost exactly what he had imagined. This was a function typically activated by an Alpha for someone they liked and with a specific heart rate frequency added, it was far more than just “ambiguous.”
A faint blush rapidly spread across his cheeks. Xi Zhiyu had never encountered such a difficult problem. From disbelief to rationalization to acceptance, it felt as though an entire century had passed. Then, his skin suddenly felt as though it were burning.
He suddenly remembered the countless reminders and hints from Pai Pai, all of which seemed to be pointing deliberately in one direction.
Could it be that the Omega Yun-zai likes… is me?