ATPCN – Chapter 20

An unprecedented crisis.

Zhuang Chi struggled to move to a corner—the position farthest from Gu Ximian. If this differentiation of hers had happened at a different time and place, she might have been able to find some joy in her misery, happy that she wouldn’t be taken away by scientists for research. But in the current situation, the awareness that she was being forced to differentiate as a tool to advance the plot was intensely strong, leaving Zhuang Chi with exceptionally complicated feelings.

This was just awful. She was turning into an Alpha.

The blood under her skin felt like it was boiling as it coursed through her body, with the hottest spot, of course, being the back of her neck. Zhuang Chi hadn’t noticed it when Gu Ximian mentioned it earlier, probably because the differentiation had just begun, and the nascent pheromones weren’t very strong; only Gu Ximian, as an Omega, could smell them. But now, only a few short minutes later, Zhuang Chi could faintly detect a strange scent. She couldn’t say what it was exactly, only that it had a hint of clean bitterness.

…If she had to say what it was like, it was a bit like the scent of coffee. Zhuang Chi thought vaguely. Right now, she felt like a steaming hot mocha… What was this? She thought her pheromones would be something… sweeter, or perhaps a gentler scent…

Ah, her brain was about to burn out. This was not the time to be thinking about these things. Zhuang Chi closed her eyes, then forced herself to look around. Was it possible that there were Alpha inhibitors in the sports warehouse by chance… That was probably a bit too much to hope for. Her plot arrangements wouldn’t be so kind.

But there were some things here that might be useful. Zhuang Chi reached out and pulled a piece of cloth from a pile of junk. It seemed to be an old flag, dirty and covered in dust, but she couldn’t be bothered with that now. She gave it a random shake and was about to press it to the back of her neck and tie it. Although this ordinary cloth was surely less effective at blocking pheromones than Gu Ximian’s specially made choker, it had to be better than just pressing it with her hand—

“Don’t.”

Just as she raised her hand, she was stopped by Gu Ximian’s sharp command. Zhuang Chi looked over in response and saw the person who had been standing there silently now looking straight at her, her eyes turbulent with complex emotions. She first shook her head gently at her. “…It’s best not to touch your glands during differentiation, let alone press on them forcefully like that… One wrong move could cause irreversible damage.”

Zhuang Chi’s movement paused. She hesitated for a long moment, but when she moved again, she was still reaching for the back of her neck, her lowered eyelashes trembling slightly with nervousness.

“…Zhuang Chi!”

But she didn’t succeed. The cloth in her hand was snatched away. Zhuang Chi was startled and her first reaction was to jump back in the opposite direction, bumping into the shelf next to her. Although the shelf wobbled quite a bit and a lot of dust fell off, thankfully it didn’t topple over. She regained her footing, a little disheveled, and said in a panic, “You, why did you come over here? It’s dangerous!”

“…” Gu Ximian pressed her lips together lightly, placed the snatched cloth aside, and said in a low voice, “…It is indeed very dangerous. Did you hear what I just said? Are you not afraid of a lifelong disability?”

A disability… Zhuang Chi blinked. For the people of this world, damaged glands were probably a very big deal, but for her… at worst, it would just be like in her previous world, being a person without glands, right? That didn’t seem to matter much.

Of course, it wasn’t that Zhuang Chi particularly wanted to go down that path. After all, pain was still pain, and what Gu Ximian said was no exaggeration. She had already felt discomfort when she was covering it with her hand. But…

…Things were already this desperate and dire, how could she worry about so much? Zhuang Chi first moved to another corner of the warehouse. Seeing that she had put some more distance between herself and Gu Ximian, she felt a little relieved and replied hesitantly, “…I’m not talking about that. You… you don’t need to worry about me, just stay away from me.”

The only fortunate thing was that Zhuang Chi still retained a certain degree of rationality, and Gu Ximian’s choker was indeed of very good quality. At least Zhuang Chi hadn’t smelled any of Gu Ximian’s pheromones yet, only her own overflowing, clean, bitter scent. If Gu Ximian got close to her, she would definitely smell it too, Zhuang Chi thought. No, speaking of which, Gu Ximian’s reaction to Alpha pheromones… seemed to be…

“Stay away from you…” Over there, Gu Ximian indeed did not come any closer, but she didn’t seem to have simply taken Zhuang Chi’s words to heart. She repeated them softly, her eyelids lowered, concealing the thoughts in her eyes. Then she gave a light laugh and said in a joking tone, “What’s wrong, it’s not like I’ll do anything to you.”

…Of course, that wasn’t what she was worried about. Zhuang Chi was a little anxious and replied, “It’s not your problem, what I mean is—”

“—Meaning you’ll do something to me?”

Her words were cut off halfway. Gu Ximian spoke in a low voice, then suddenly raised her eyes to look at her. Her gaze was like a clean and sharp wind, blowing towards Zhuang Chi from the other side of the dimly lit warehouse.

“You’re an Alpha, I’m an Omega. The door won’t open, and the warehouse is only so big, with nowhere to hide. If it came to a fight, I doubt I’d be a match for you.”

She spoke slowly, each word and sentence in a flat tone, as if she were stating some unrelated facts rather than listing her own disadvantages. She even smiled faintly, like a thin and delicate flower, revealing a beauty and fragility that seemed unable to withstand a single touch.

“You’re in a lot of pain right now, so what will you do to me?” Gu Ximian’s voice was very soft, almost an inaudible whisper by the end, as she silently called her name, “…Zhuang Chi.”

But she received no answer. The person whose name she called didn’t seem to be looking at her. Gu Ximian noticed that Zhuang Chi’s gaze was subtly fixed above her head, which made her curious. She was about to look up when she heard Zhuang Chi’s exclamation: “Watch out—”

Then came a dizzying spin, mixed with the incessant sound of objects falling. When Gu Ximian came to her senses, the first thing she saw was Zhuang Chi’s face, less than ten centimeters away, her usually gentle features now tightly furrowed above her.

Only then did she realize she was lying on the floor, having been tackled to the side by a rushing Zhuang Chi. And beside them was a mess of debris that had fallen from the already unstable shelf, scattered all around them. She was under Zhuang Chi’s arm, completely untouched by any of the falling objects.

“…Ah… found it now,” Gu Ximian saw Zhuang Chi, who had clearly shielded her from the falling objects, take a shallow breath. A faint trace of pain still lingered between her brows, yet she first smiled helplessly, then propped herself up slightly and picked something up from the side. “A tennis racket. So it was on top of that shelf. No wonder we couldn’t find it.”

This time it was Gu Ximian’s turn to be at a loss. She couldn’t be bothered with pheromones and differentiation anymore. She quickly sat up straight and reached out to touch the back of Zhuang Chi’s head, saying frantically, “You… are you okay? Where did you get hit? Especially your head, you—”

“I’m fine, my head wasn’t hit.” Gu Ximian’s proximity scared Zhuang Chi into shrinking back again, but this time Gu Ximian wouldn’t let her. She held her firmly and, ignoring her words, insisted on feeling the back of Zhuang Chi’s head herself to make sure there was no serious injury before letting go slightly. This made Zhuang Chi, who was already hot all over, blush even more, her words stumbling out, “…It just sounded loud, most of it fell to the side. Only a few things hit me…”

It was thanks to her memory, which would awaken at critical moments, that Zhuang Chi had been able to suddenly recall this event ten seconds before it happened. At that time, there was no room for her to devise some alternative correction to the plot where Ling Jing was supposed to rush over and shield Gu Ximian; she only had time for a desperate dash.

She had at least remembered to protect Gu Ximian’s head—after all, Gu Ximian was the one falling, and if she hadn’t protected her, she really would have hit the floor. So she had no extra hands to mind herself. Fortunately, she had lunged far enough that she only took a few hits on her back and legs, which was nothing serious.

…She didn’t know how to put it, but wasn’t she a bit too unlucky? Zhuang Chi thought silently. Every time she got involved with the plot… it seemed she always got hurt a little…?

But the current situation was hardly suitable for deep thought on the matter. Zhuang Chi brought her thoughts back to reality. Both of them were still sitting on the floor, a bit disheveled from what had just happened. Gu Ximian didn’t speak. Zhuang Chi scooted back a bit, patting the dust off her sleeves, her mind belatedly recalling that she still hadn’t answered Gu Ximian’s earlier question.

‘What will you do to me?’

“…”

Zhuang Chi’s movements froze. An indescribable emotion welled up in her chest, making her suddenly look up. “I, I will control myself, I—”

Her words came to an abrupt halt. Zhuang Chi’s eyes widened silently, staring fixedly at Gu Ximian, or rather, at Gu Ximian’s hand pressed against her neck, at the broken black silk ribbon.

As if scorched by her gaze, Gu Ximian’s fingers curled slightly, wrinkling the cloth that could no longer function properly, before slowly relaxing her grip.

She slowly looked at Zhuang Chi. She probably wanted to appear calm, but Zhuang Chi noticed. She noticed Gu Ximian’s finely trembling eyelashes, the slight tremor in her seemingly calm voice, her tensed body.

“…It broke.” Gu Ximian said softly. “It probably got caught on something when I fell just now… What terrible timing for it to break.”

No. Zhuang Chi thought. I can’t breathe right now.

To be honest, she had no idea how pheromones worked, nor did she know if holding her breath was effective at all. She also hadn’t considered how long she could last. Zhuang Chi only knew that the best thing she could do right now was to hold her breath and do nothing, because it seemed that any movement from her would frighten Gu Ximian.

If she took a breath now, she would probably smell her favorite scent. Zhuang Chi bit her lip hard and slowly lowered her eyes. But… but some things, you just can’t do.

This was not good. The back of her neck felt hotter and hotter. What was going on? Could the pheromones in the air directly interact with her glands? She had already closed her eyes, so why was Gu Ximian’s presence becoming more and more intense?

She was very clearly aware that she wanted to get close to Gu Ximian right now.

Get close. Was it just getting close? And what did she want to do after that? Her mouth was so dry. Her blood was thick but flowing fast. The back of her neck felt like it had grown a second heart.

Holding her breath seemed to mess with her sense of time. Zhuang Chi gradually felt her thoughts become chaotic, wondering if it was due to a lack of oxygen to her brain. She knew she couldn’t go on like this, so what should she do? No matter what, no matter what…

She had said she would control herself.

Zhuang Chi suddenly stood up. Her head was spinning, and she practically lunged to the side, forcefully pulling a bundle of jump ropes from the pile of junk. Then she knelt down and presented it, along with her own clasped hands, to Gu Ximian.

“…Tie me up,” she said softly. “Gu Ximian, tie me up.”

Her voice was slightly hoarse. Speaking inevitably meant inhaling air, and Zhuang Chi felt her mind grow more chaotic with each passing second, forcing her to speed up her words. “Tie a dead knot. You should be able to find others over there. You can use them to tie my feet too, and that flag I found earlier… you can stuff it in my mouth.”

“You can hold the tennis racket as a weapon. If you still feel uneasy… then you can incapacitate me first.”

“It’s okay, Gu Ximian, don’t be afraid.” Zhuang Chi’s head was splitting, and she felt like she was about to explode from the heat. She forced herself to continue, “I won’t… I won’t hurt you.”

There seemed to be a period of silence. Zhuang Chi’s memory of this part was a bit hazy. She only remembered that Gu Ximian eventually did it, tying her hands together securely, but she didn’t go on to tie her feet or gag her with the flag as she had suggested. The two of them sat quietly in opposite corners of the sports warehouse. No one spoke, and the entire space seemed to be gradually filled with something viscous, as if time itself was flowing slowly through it.

And Zhuang Chi felt like she was experiencing a bizarre, high fever. It was as if an unknown fire was burning inside her body, which then coalesced into a monster, constantly telling her how thirsty she was, and how alluringly sweet Gu Ximian was. She was at a stalemate with this monster every second of every minute.

This is so hard. Zhuang Chi thought hazily. Gu Ximian… Gu Ximian must be suffering too.

So this is what it’s like to be an Alpha. It’s really… If only she had differentiated into a Beta, then this wouldn’t…

She didn’t know how much time had passed when the door was finally rammed open from the outside. Zhuang Chi’s consciousness was already very blurry by then, but the influx of fresh air brought her a moment of clarity. She propped up her fever-reddened eyes to look at the doorway. Several people came in, both teachers and students. They seemed to be saying something, but Zhuang Chi didn’t hear a single word. She just widened her eyes to watch the people rushing to Gu Ximian’s side to help her up. Only after confirming that those people were genuinely just helping Gu Ximian did she lower her eyelids in relief.

Once she relaxed, the tension she had been holding onto seemed to suddenly give way. Zhuang Chi’s vision went black almost before she could think. Before completely losing consciousness, Zhuang Chi, who had been stubbornly insisting on breathing through her mouth, finally took a subconscious sniff.

How could she describe what she smelled? It was like the gentlest flowers and a spring day.

---

When she opened her eyes again, she was in a hospital bed.

The unfamiliar ceiling made Zhuang Chi stare blankly for a few seconds before she came to her senses. She blinked slowly and subconsciously tried to sit up. The moment she lifted her head, she felt a strange sensation from her neck, a tight, uncomfortable feeling of being bound.

She dazedly raised a hand to touch it, feeling the smooth texture of leather.

“You’re awake.”

Still in a state of confusion, Zhuang Chi was startled by a voice from the doorway. The speaker was a doctor in a white coat who walked from the door to her bedside and explained, “Your differentiation is over, and your physical condition should be stable for now… Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere else?”

It seemed she had been taken to the infirmary. Zhuang Chi’s mind slowly began to turn, and only then did she gradually recall what had happened before. Right now, apart from feeling weak, she felt basically fine. The deadly high fever had also subsided at some point. So she shook her head, wanting to say she was fine, but the movement pulled at her neck, making her frown again.

“Ah, you might have to wear this Pheromone Blocking Collar for a while,” the doctor noticed her discomfort and explained thoughtfully. “Right after differentiation, there’s always a period where you can’t fully control your pheromones. You’ll slowly learn how to control them after you take the Alpha physiology classes. You’ll have to wear it until you can fully control them.”

“It probably does feel a bit uncomfortable, but generally, this period won’t last more than a month,” the doctor gave her a reassuring smile. “Just bear with it for now.”

…Pheromone Blocking Collar, so that was its proper name. Zhuang Chi thought of the choker Gu Ximian wore every day and pressed her lips together tightly. So this is what it feels like. It’s really… not comfortable at all.

“How is Gu Ximian?” The thought of her made Zhuang Chi unable to sit still. She asked, not caring that her voice was still a bit hoarse, “The girl who was locked in the warehouse with me… is she okay?”

“Don’t worry, she’s much better off than you are.” Fortunately, the doctor’s words put her at ease. He continued, “We gave her an inhibitor shot right away. She should be almost fine by now.”

Almost at the same time as the doctor’s words faded, a soft knock sounded at the door. The ajar door was then pushed halfway open, and Gu Ximian, who had just been mentioned, peeked in from behind it and asked softly, “Can I come in and see—ah.”

Before she could finish her sentence, her eyes met with Zhuang Chi’s, who was still lying in bed. A shallow smile of relief spread across her face. “So you’re already awake.”

Seeing with her own eyes that Gu Ximian was fine, Zhuang Chi finally felt completely relieved. She suddenly felt embarrassed to keep lying down and propped herself up into a sitting position. The doctor looked at her, then at Gu Ximian, and with a very understanding expression, he stepped back and smiled. “The person you were worried about is here now. I’ll let you kids talk alone.”

He then gave a few more instructions like “but you can’t take off the blocking collar” and “call us if you need anything” before leaving, really leaving Gu Ximian and Zhuang Chi alone in the room. Zhuang Chi actually felt it might have been better with another person there, but she had no reason to keep the doctor, so she silently watched Gu Ximian walk to her bedside and sit down, after which they fell into a somewhat subtle silence.

“…How are you feeling?”

The one to break the silence was Gu Ximian. Her gaze swept over Zhuang Chi’s face again and again, her voice slightly deep. “You were unconscious for a long time. It was much more intense than a normal differentiation… Was it very painful?”

So not everyone has to go through this kind of ordeal during differentiation? Zhuang Chi thought blankly, but not wanting to worry Gu Ximian too much, she just vaguely glossed over it. “It wasn’t that bad… I fainted anyway, so I didn’t feel much.”

Perhaps noticing that her voice was a bit hoarse, Gu Ximian got up to pour her a glass of water. Zhuang Chi thanked her and gulped down half of it, feeling both her body and spirit nourished for a moment, and she squinted her eyes happily. Gu Ximian watched her from the side the whole time. She seemed unusually hesitant, as if there were some things she didn’t know whether to say or not. This hesitation was so obvious that even Zhuang Chi could see it. After waiting patiently for a long while, she finally heard Gu Ximian speak softly.

“I heard from the doctor earlier…” A complex emotion flashed in her eyes, but she continued anyway, “…Because your glands were pressed during differentiation, although it wasn’t too severe, it might affect your future pheromone grade.”

She was talking about when she had pressed the cloth against the back of her neck to reduce her pheromone release. Affecting her pheromone grade meant… Zhuang Chi recalled the biology lessons she had taken in high school here and vaguely remembered that Alphas and Omegas would be graded a month after completing their differentiation.

Zhuang Chi thought with no small amount of regret that from this perspective, differentiating into a Beta was the most trouble-free option. She nodded and replied, “I see, I understand.”

“…” Seemingly startled by her light tone, Gu Ximian was clearly taken aback, but then she still frowned. “…If that really happens, it will most likely be irreversible. I—”

“It’s, it’s fine,” feeling like Gu Ximian was about to say something like “it’s my responsibility,” Zhuang Chi was alarmed and quickly interjected, “It’s really fine, I don’t really care about that grade… Really, I’m not just putting on a brave face.”

Perhaps for the residents of this world, this grading was a very important matter… After all, a higher grade generally meant stronger overall qualities. But for Zhuang Chi, it didn’t matter at all—she had already differentiated into an Alpha, destined for a low status and miserable treatment in the future, so why would she care about some grade?

This matter was far more worrying than the grade. The thought of it gave Zhuang Chi a headache. She stole a glance at the person who would cause the aforementioned result in the future, but her peeking skills were subpar, and she met Gu Ximian’s gaze head-on. Zhuang Chi could tell from Gu Ximian’s expression that she hadn’t let it go yet, so she forcefully changed the subject. “How… how are you? I heard from the doctor that they gave you an inhibitor shot…”

“…Mm.” Her expression still wasn’t bright, but Gu Ximian followed along and replied, “It’s nothing serious. We weren’t locked up for very long, and the effect on me was manageable. It’s just…”

Her speech slowed down, eventually stopping completely as she lowered her eyes in contemplation.

…It felt like she was hesitating to say something again. Gu Ximian’s worried look made Zhuang Chi a little anxious, and then she had a sudden epiphany—

Speaking of which, there seemed to be a setting that… all Alpha pheromones smelled terrible to Gu Ximian.

…Why on earth did she come up with such a setting back then? It was probably to create a contrast with Gu Ximian’s own pheromones, which everyone loved. The result was that everyone’s pheromones became extremely unpleasant to Gu Ximian. It served no purpose other than to lower Gu Ximian’s favorability towards all Alphas, and now it had tripped her up as well.

Although she didn’t know what her pheromones smelled like to Gu Ximian, it must be unpleasant… Zhuang Chi pursed her lips and lowered her eyes with considerable guilt. In that case, wasn’t Gu Ximian being hurt by her both physically and mentally in the sports warehouse earlier?

Thinking about it made her feel dispirited again. Her lowered gaze fell on the glass of water Gu Ximian had poured for her. She held the glass a little tighter and said in a low voice, “…I’m sorry, I…”

She started to apologize, but then she didn’t know how to continue. Zhuang Chi felt there were so many things she needed to apologize to Gu Ximian for: for the trouble her sudden differentiation had caused, or more fundamentally, for the plot design that had forced Gu Ximian to go through this ordeal. The apologies she could say and those she couldn’t mixed together, leaving Zhuang Chi momentarily lost, not knowing where to begin.

“Why are you suddenly apologizing?”

All sorts of complex feelings mixed together, and when Zhuang Chi heard Gu Ximian’s gentle voice, the guilt in her chest bubbled up, making her too embarrassed to even look at her. Perhaps seeing her like this, Gu Ximian softened her voice even more, saying warmly, “You didn’t do anything to hurt me from beginning to end, just as you promised me. You already did very well, so why are you apologizing to me?”

“Although I haven’t actually experienced what you were feeling at that time, but… I can probably understand that it wasn’t a simple thing. Not every Alpha can endure it like you did—”

“…” At this point, Gu Ximian paused and gave a light laugh. “…Or rather, perhaps only you…”

She said this last sentence very softly, and Zhuang Chi didn’t hear it clearly. But Zhuang Chi could still sense that Gu Ximian seemed to be faintly suppressing some emotion. She looked up uneasily and saw Gu Ximian give her a faint smile, saying in a tone as if she were about to make a joke, “Back then, if you hadn’t been able to hold back, I would probably have been marked by you by now.”

…Marked.

Hearing this word brought a slight sense of discomfort, making Zhuang Chi subconsciously frown. She hadn’t actually come to a clear understanding of her identity change since waking up, but upon hearing Gu Ximian’s words, she finally, dully, realized… she was now an Alpha who possessed this function.

This feeling was not good. Zhuang Chi thought. It was as if she had suddenly been given a weapon. Even if she didn’t want it, she had to carry it with her at all times. A weapon like this… one that could hurt Gu Ximian, one that would make her wary.

It was as if she was suddenly no longer just “Zhuang Chi.” She had become “Alpha Zhuang Chi”—how terrible. Even if she did nothing, she would be disliked by Gu Ximian just for having this extra identity.

She didn’t know how to explain her current feelings, and she knew that no matter how much a person with a knife explained that she wouldn’t hurt anyone, it would seem pale. But for some reason, Zhuang Chi still spoke up, her voice tinged with frustration as she said in a small voice, “I… I wouldn’t…”

“I know.”

Before she could finish explaining, she was interrupted by Gu Ximian. Zhuang Chi looked at her blankly, falling into those quiet eyes.

“No matter how many times we do it over, you would never do something like that,” Gu Ximian said softly, her gaze deep. “I know.”

Zhuang Chi stared at Gu Ximian in a daze. The frustration that had filled her just a moment ago was subtly lifted, like a deflated balloon slowly being filled with air.

She met Gu Ximian’s gaze for a good while before remembering to feel embarrassed. She hastily averted her eyes, turning the water glass in her hands over and over, hurriedly trying to think of a reply that would make her seem composed. But before Zhuang Chi could come up with a response, Gu Ximian had already changed the subject abruptly. “Zhuang Chi, did the doctor tell you what your pheromones smell like?”

Zhuang Chi honestly shook her head. Although she wasn’t very clear on the procedures after differentiation, it seemed she would have to go to a proper hospital for a full check-up later, at which point she would receive a detailed report on her pheromones, including the scent profile and activity cycle (i.e., the possible timing of her Susceptible Period). It probably wasn’t something that could be handled in the infirmary.

Logically, Gu Ximian should be more familiar with this process than she was, so why was she suddenly asking her? Zhuang Chi looked at Gu Ximian with some confusion, only to see that there was no hint of a smile on her face or in her eyes. She just watched her quietly, the light in her pupils shifting minutely before she lowered her eyelids.

“…A little bitter.”

Very suddenly, Zhuang Chi heard Gu Ximian say this softly.

“But it’s not the kind of strong, repulsive bitterness like Chinese medicine… and there’s no astringency,” as if recalling it at the same time, Gu Ximian’s speech was very slow, yet her tone had an indescribable focus. “It’s a very… clear scent. And very gentle, it feels like it would relax one’s mind…”

“It’s not bad.”

She concluded with this sentence and looked at Zhuang Chi again. “…It’s a likable scent.”

She had been stunned since hearing “a little bitter.”

Even after hearing the end, she still couldn’t react. Zhuang Chi stared rigidly at Gu Ximian, a tempestuous storm raging belatedly in her mind.

…Huh? Didn’t this mean Gu Ximian had smelled the true scent of her pheromones?

What, had she remembered wrong? Was there actually no setting where all Alpha pheromones would smell terrible to Gu Ximian…? What was going on? Was her memory this unreliable? The one thing she managed to remember turned out to be wrong…

“Zhuang Chi?”

Suddenly being called by name, Zhuang Chi figured she might have been staring blankly for a bit too long and hurriedly looked up with a sound of acknowledgment. Gu Ximian, who had just given a review of her pheromones, smiled at her kindly and said something truly incredible in a very gentle tone: “Can I smell it again?”

“…”

What was she saying?!

Those words were almost identical to what Ling Jing had said at the school gate before—completely unlike something Gu Ximian would say. It sent Zhuang Chi’s pupils into an earthquake. Her hand trembled, nearly spilling the remaining half glass of water. Gu Ximian swiftly took the glass from her. Their hands inevitably touched in the process, causing Zhuang Chi to flinch uncharacteristically, her body temperature immediately starting to rise again.

“…Did I scare you?” Gu Ximian, on the other hand, appeared much calmer. She stood up, placed the water glass properly on the nearby table, and didn’t sit back down by the bed. She just stood there looking at Zhuang Chi, then lowered her eyes with a slightly awkward expression. “Mm… I really should have explained first.”

“All this time…” After seeming to choose her words carefully, Gu Ximian finally said, “I haven’t been able to smell Alpha pheromones normally.”

“It doesn’t matter what the actual scent is; to me, it always turns into a nauseating smell.”

“To this day, you are the only exception.”

Her voice was low and slow, like a stream in the dark night. She said softly, “…So I want to confirm it again, to see if this was just a chance coincidence, or if…”

Gu Ximian didn’t continue. She let out a soft breath, then slowly walked over and sat down beside Zhuang Chi, leaning in to meet her gaze.

“Is that okay?” Gu Ximian said, her gaze slowly falling to the black leather collar around Zhuang Chi’s neck. “…Just loosening it for a moment will be enough.”

And the person being asked… Zhuang Chi didn’t dare to breathe.

…So she hadn’t remembered wrong. Zhuang Chi struggled to mobilize her thoughts in her blank mind, thinking dazedly. Then, then what was this situation? Why was she, of all people, so special?

She couldn’t figure out the answer for the moment, and Gu Ximian, who was already right in front of her, was clearly a more pressing matter. Zhuang Chi subconsciously retreated a little, then quickly realized she was leaning against the bed and had nowhere to escape. She looked at Gu Ximian, at a loss, feeling like this person was about to directly reach out and loosen the collar around her neck any second now, sending her into a panic.

“W-wait a minute…” For some reason, even her tone of voice became weak, as if they were doing something they shouldn’t be. “The doctor… the doctor just said… this can’t be taken off yet…”

“That’s because you can’t control your pheromones freely yet, and he’s afraid that if you take it off, it will affect other Omegas.” Gu Ximian’s response, however, was exceptionally calm. She met Zhuang Chi’s gaze frankly and said, “But right now, I’m the only Omega here, and I don’t mind. So the only remaining question is whether you yourself are willing.”

“…” It sounded very reasonable, and it would be a simple thing to do, but Zhuang Chi still felt that something wasn’t quite right. She added, “…But what if you’re affected…”

“I won’t be.” However, this weak resistance was immediately dispelled by Gu Ximian’s nonchalant reply. “I’ve had an inhibitor shot. I won’t be affected for a short period of time.”

“And I only need it undone for a moment…” She paused, and when she looked over again, her eyes were slightly moist, as if she were a little uneasy. She asked softly, “…Is that not okay?”

“…”

…This was not good. Zhuang Chi thought. Not about this matter… but about seeing Gu Ximian with such an expression. It seemed she could no longer say anything to refuse.

Of course, this matter was also very not good. Although Zhuang Chi could certainly understand why Gu Ximian would want to do this, but… no matter how you looked at it, this method of verification seemed to carry an indescribable air of ambiguity, leaving her at a loss, trying to suppress the accelerating beat of her heart as if she were fighting with herself.

She didn’t answer. And Gu Ximian seemed to take this as a tacit agreement. Zhuang Chi saw Gu Ximian press her lips together tightly, and then, very slowly, she raised her hand.

Perhaps to give her enough time to dodge, Gu Ximian’s movements were very slow, inching closer to Zhuang Chi’s neck. The moment Zhuang Chi saw her raise her hand, she panicked. Not wanting the Gu Ximian in front of her to sense it, she held her breath, her gaze subconsciously following Gu Ximian’s hand.

…This is… a bit like it was in the sports warehouse. Zhuang Chi thought vaguely. Her heart was beating fast, her body temperature was rising, and her breathing was…

At that moment, Gu Ximian touched her collar. Both of them flinched.

Wait a minute, this seems even more… than in the warehouse. Zhuang Chi’s body went rigid, her fingers curling tightly as Gu Ximian slowly reached behind her neck to undo the clasp. This time she was fully conscious… Hey, speaking of which, couldn’t she just undo it herself? Why was it necessary for Gu Ximian to do this—

But it was too late to think of that now. Amidst the chaos, Zhuang Chi heard a soft click, and the restraint around her neck suddenly loosened, making her subconsciously take a breath.

…Ah, I can really smell it. Zhuang Chi thought. A faint, clean, bitter scent.

She had been avoiding eye contact, but at this moment, she looked at Gu Ximian as if guided by some ghost. The other girl’s eyes were slightly lowered, her exquisitely beautiful face calm, showing no emotion. And Zhuang Chi saw her long eyelashes flutter once, then she suddenly looked up at her, a faint smile appearing as their eyes met.

“That’s enough,” Gu Ximian’s hands re-fastened her collar, and she also retreated to her original position. “Thank you.”

Her approach had been slow, but her departure was decisive, leaving Zhuang Chi unable to react for a moment. Zhuang Chi touched her neck to confirm that it was really securely fastened before letting out a slight sigh of relief, though she didn’t fully relax—so what was it? Did she smell it normally this time? Just looking at Gu Ximian’s expression, she couldn’t tell anything at all…

“Zhuang Chi.”

Fortunately, Gu Ximian quickly spoke again. Zhuang Chi looked over in response and saw her let out a light breath, her gaze inexplicably solemn. “I’m about to say some things that you’ll find very strange.”

…This feels very formal. Zhuang Chi’s heart pounded, but she could only nod, at a loss. What was going on? Did her pheromones smell terrible again? But even so, it shouldn’t make Gu Ximian so…

“You probably won’t believe me when I say this,” Gu Ximian said out of the blue, the corners of her lips curling up, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. She said, “But this world is actually a novel, and we are all characters in it.”

“And…” Gu Ximian raised her breathtakingly beautiful eyes to look at her and smiled lightly. “You seem to be the official match Alpha the author wrote for me.”