Chapter 32: Who Is She Talking To? Part 1

Zhu Lexing instinctively parted her lips to apologize. “I—”

But what was she supposed to say?

She shouldn’t have lost her mind after her Differentiation Period hit yesterday, inexplicably dragging Yan Mian into it and somehow ending up with… intimate contact.

Wait! Who said they’d had any intimate contact?

Her memories of last night were a little hazy, sure, but Zhu Lexing clearly remembered collapsing right beside Yan Mian before blacking out. At least while she was still conscious, she hadn’t done anything to betray her.

Stubbornly, Zhu Lexing said, “I went through my Differentiation Period yesterday.”

Yan Mian hadn’t expected that response. She raised an eyebrow, gazing at her.

Dappled sunlight fell across the girl’s profile, highlighting her high nose bridge and thin red lips.

Zhu Lexing’s attempted excuse caught in her throat.

“…Sorry,” Zhu Lexing said. “I—”

Yan Mian’s expression shifted.

Amusement had lingered in her eyes at first, as if she were listening to some fresh joke. But once “sorry” landed, the mirth faded. She watched Zhu Lexing quietly and asked, “You don’t remember?”

Zhu Lexing: “…”

She couldn’t read Yan Mian’s tone and took the question at face value.

Remember what? She didn’t remember anything!

Couldn’t she just get it over with, like Louis XVI chopping off heads without all this suspense?

Zhu Lexing lifted her eyes cautiously, and Yan Mian spoke casually under her gaze. “You differentiated yesterday and passed out midway. Auntie Liu came home and called the doctor, Zhu Lexing.”

“You’re an Alpha now.”

Zhu Lexing nodded along with her words on instinct.

In truth, she’d noticed upon waking that her body no longer ached. But unlike those novels where someone wakes up with perfect clarity and eagle-sharp vision, she was still just herself—body and all.

The difference was that she could now pick up pheromones in the air: gardenia, lily of the valley… and a very faint lemon scent.

…Lemon? Whose pheromones smelled like lemon? That was unique!

It took her wandering thoughts a few seconds to circle back, and Zhu Lexing finally realized she really hadn’t done anything!

So why had Yan Mian been so serious? Was she just messing with her?

…When had their relationship gotten to the point where they could tease like that?

Zhu Lexing watched Yan Mian proficiently hang the IV bag. Her movements were still a touch clumsy, but clearly not her first time.

Per what Yan Mian had said, Liu Su had summoned the doctor, so the doctor must have changed the dressing. So why was Yan Mian the one standing by her bedside now? Had she really not laid a hand on her?

“Auntie Liu had to head out for work. The doctor’s still downstairs—I’ll let her know you’re awake in a bit.”

Yan Mian’s words caught Zhu Lexing off guard. She mumbled an acknowledgment, and Yan Mian glanced at her again. “Want something to eat? Aunt Liu made porridge.”

Zhu Lexing: “…”

Was Yan Mian actually talking to her like this? Why the sudden warmth?

“I-I could eat,” Zhu Lexing said, biting her tongue to steady her voice. But she couldn’t resist asking, “If not porridge, what else is there?”

Yan Mian asked gently, “What do you feel like?”

Her tone was even, but Zhu Lexing caught a whiff of take-it-or-leave-it.

She figured she was reading too much into it but caved anyway. “Anything’s fine.”

“Right.” With the conversation winding down and Yan Mian about to leave, Zhu Lexing suddenly remembered her original goal from last night. Stubbornly, she pressed on. “That message I sent you yesterday—it was actually—”

“I know,” Yan Mian said. “Group text. You accidentally hit my name. Qiao Qiao stopped by earlier. I deleted it. No big deal.”

Zhu Lexing: ?

She misheard for a second, thinking Yan Mian had cut her off completely, and blurted, “Why’d you delete me?”

Her hard-won friend, vanished just like that.

It felt like grinding through an endless storyline only to forget saving and quit the game outright.

The pain hit harder than her differentiation.

Yan Mian gazed at the bewildered Alpha, and all her old memories of Zhu Lexing blurred into nothing. In their place rose the image of someone… well-liked, hardworking, and endearingly dim.

Like a hedgehog with every quill plucked—nothing but soft underbelly, poke it wherever.

Yan Mian figured the differentiation haze must be getting to her too. “I mean I deleted the message. Not you from my friends list.”

Zhu Lexing’s ears burned red as she stammered, “Oh. Uh. Yeah.”

“Rest up.” The one silver lining was that Yan Mian didn’t pry further. She nodded faintly, half-closed the door, and left.

The moment she was gone, Zhu Lexing clutched her pillow and rolled across the bed, burritoing herself in the covers until she was a sweltering cocoon, her face burning hotter than ever.

So embarrassing!!!

Why did everyone else’s redemption arc get the heroic protagonist swooping in, while hers ended with an instant game over?

Even Hell Mode wasn’t this brutal!

Stubbornly, she grabbed her phone and unlocked it, determined to rag on Qiao Qiao for some relief.

The screen lingered on Qiao Qiao’s blessing video—it autoplayed the second she unlocked. Zhu Lexing was about to close it when Yan Mian’s head poked back through the door. “Oh, and last night—”

The words died mid-sentence.

“Today you differentiate~ Here’s my blessing~” trilled the catchy tune.

Yan Mian stared at the cocooned lump on the bed. After a few seconds of silence, she finished her thought. “Thanks.”

It was only a few seconds, but Zhu Lexing caught the fleeting smile on Yan Mian’s face. She realized in a flash that Yan Mian had already seen the video!

Zhu Lexing killed the screen and played dead.

The door clicked shut, and this time, Yan Mian didn’t turn back halfway.

Zhu Lexing hauled herself free from the tangled sheets and summoned the willpower to freshen up. By the time the doctor knocked on the door, she had even planted herself at the desk. Pen in hand, she struck a dramatic pose in front of an upside-down book.

The doctor paused for a few seconds upon taking in her disheveled state, her tone softening considerably. “First off, congratulations, Miss Zhu. You’ve differentiated into an Alpha.”

It felt to Zhu Lexing like the moment after coming of age when the elders lectured her about acting like a responsible adult from then on.

Until the doctor added, “However…”

Only then did Zhu Lexing realize this wasn’t some coming-of-age rite. No, this was straight out of a melodramatic family soap opera—the doctor outside the operating room forcing her to choose between two impossible options.

“Miss Zhu, did you use an Omega inhibitor before differentiating?”

Zhu Lexing froze. She hadn’t expected that question. “Yes.”

“Your pain tolerance is far below the normal level for an Alpha,” the doctor explained. “That’s due to having used that inhibitor. If I’m not mistaken, an Omega soothed you with pheromones last night. Someone you’re very familiar with.”

She delivered the information matter-of-factly. Zhu Lexing felt a flush of embarrassment but couldn’t deny it, so she listened quietly.

Until the doctor continued, “You should have more contact with that Omega.”

Zhu Lexing: ?

She racked her brain trying to figure out how the conversation had veered there when the doctor asked seriously, “How many pheromones can you sense in this room right now?”

Zhu Lexing gave a bewildered recount of what she’d noticed earlier.

“Lemon and gardenia are yours and Miss Qiao’s pheromones,” the doctor said. “Lily of the valley comes from Yan Mian. But this house also has traces of hyacinth Omega pheromones lingering.”

Zhu Lexing had only just differentiated, so her senses couldn’t have dulled that quickly—she simply wasn’t picking them up.

“In other words,” the doctor continued, “right now, you can only detect one Omega’s pheromones. If you don’t maintain regular contact with her, the symptoms will worsen until you can’t sense even that single Omega anymore.”

“Because you can only perceive Alphas, you’re very likely to end up in an AA relationship,” the doctor warned gravely. “That’s a devastating blow for an Alpha.”

Zhu Lexing: “…”

What was that saying? Plant a coin in spring, harvest a mountain of gold in autumn.

This was it exactly!

Being unable to sense Omega pheromones was basically no different from being a Beta.

Having half her wish granted so suddenly, Zhu Lexing decided to forgive the world.

She didn’t bother hiding her glee. The doctor frowned at her delighted expression. “Miss Zhu, this is a serious condition—”

Zhu Lexing nodded along with vague ums and ahs, only half listening.

After her long lecture, the doctor finally left. Zhu Lexing let out a huge sigh of relief, finding a sliver of solace in this wretched world.

Outside the window, the sky was clear and bright, with birds occasionally flitting past.

As long as she avoided contact with Yan Mian, she could lose the ability to sense Omega pheromones entirely—and no longer have to fight her “instincts.”

Once she maxed out Yan Mian’s favorability, she’d be free!

Zhu Lexing was lost in these rosy plans for the future when the System suddenly chimed in: 【But that means the Host will need even more contact with Yan Mian.】

Zhu Lexing: ?

“Didn’t you hear her?” She was alone in the room, so to avoid the linguistic chaos from last night if Yan Mian showed up, Zhu Lexing spoke bluntly. “I won’t need to sense Omega pheromones anymore after this.”

【The condition she described is clinically known as Pheromone Disorder Syndrome,】 the System replied. 【The repulsion between Alphas is extremely severe. Without prompt treatment, Host…】

It chose its words carefully: 【will die.】

Zhu Lexing: “…”

The smile didn’t fade from her face.

“Haha,” Zhu Lexing said. “A-Tong, it’s only been a day, and you’ve gotten so much funnier.”

Silence answered her.

Zhu Lexing’s smile cracked. “You’re serious?”

“I would’ve been cured by then anyway, right?” she said, dazed. “It won’t get that bad.”

【In this world, there’s no better treatment besides AO contact. The progression depends on the level of contact.】

“This is too ridiculous!” Zhu Lexing shot back. “And I only got sick because you dropped the ball! If you were doing your job, would I have to go all out like this?”

The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to pick a fight with the System.

But the bombshell left her reeling. She checked her progress since transmigrating into the book—it had reset to square one.

Contact Yan Mian or die.

She hadn’t changed a thing. At best, she was just a slightly better student now—a minor loser!

【Host’s progress isn’t zero,】 the System said. 【Your relationship with Yan Mian has advanced tremendously. You’re just unwilling to admit it.】

“Admit what?”

The room was bright and clean.

Yan Mian set the bowl on the tray and smiled at Aunt Liu. As she stepped out of the kitchen, the doctor was on the phone with Liu Su.

“Yes,” the doctor said. “There are definite signs of Pheromone Imbalance.”

She noticed the doctor’s gaze lingering on her for a few seconds.

Yan Mian smiled. Right above her head was the surveillance camera. Last night, by the time Liu Su returned, Zhu Lexing was already asleep. Her forehead felt a little warm, and the compress towel still held some heat.

Yan Mian had sat quietly beside her, reading her book.

Liu Su had reviewed the surveillance footage on the way back.