A World Asunder - Chapter 8

Tao Qiaosheng thought Zhao Yexi was having a stroke. His own fever was practically scared out of him; he abandoned his duvet and knelt beside Zhao Yexi, shaking him frantically. “Xi-zai? Xi-zai, pull yourself together!”

Zhao Yexi stared at the ceiling, motionless, looking as if he had been turned to stone.

“It’s just being an Omega; you’re not the only one who differentiated. If you don’t want to have kids, we just won’t have them. Didn’t your campus heartthrob say it? Male pregnancy still requires sexual reproduction. You just have to be on guard against men from now on.” Tao Qiaosheng advised earnestly, pulling two tissues from the box on the nightstand to plug his nostrils.

A meticulous boy like Tao Qiaosheng usually cared deeply about his image; he only displayed such ungraceful behavior in front of Zhao Yexi or his mother. Normally, Zhao Yexi would have definitely snapped a photo for the archives. But currently, his mind was in a trance, already imagining himself as a lab rat. What right did a rodent have to take photos of a human?

“Besides, medicine is so advanced these days. I’m sure it won’t be long before they can turn you back into a normal person.”

“…”

“Your dad is the Director of the ABO Research Institute. What are you afraid of with him there?”

Zhao Yexi continued to play dead.

Tao Qiaosheng pulled out his trump card: “Zhao Yexi, wake up! You haven’t finished revising your Master’s thesis yet!”

Zhao Yexi’s fingers twitched; he finally had a reaction. He rolled over, propped himself up, and crawled laboriously across the bed like a villain in a TV drama making a final struggle before death. He reached out a trembling hand toward the empty air and let out a blood-curdling cry: “You can’t; you can’t do this to me; NO!”

Tao Qiaosheng couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing, accidentally snorting the tissue from his nostril onto the pregnant male Ragdoll cat curled up at the foot of the bed.

Ultimately, Zhao Yexi accepted reality. What else could he do? He couldn’t actually hang himself from the ceiling fan and spin around.

Tao Qiaosheng poured him a glass of warm water. “Here.”

Zhao Yexi said weakly, “Thanks.”

“Look at you. Who’s the sick one here exactly?”

“You just have a cold and a fever. What about me?” Zhao Yexi protested. “I’ve freaking transitioned!”

Tao Qiaosheng picked up the Ragdoll cat, placed it on his lap, and stroked its large belly. “I’d love to have this kind of transition.”

Zhao Yexi re-read the test report. It stated that his genes had officially mutated and he was currently in the early stages of differentiation. His glands were still growing, so they wouldn’t secrete pheromones for the time being. Once the glands were fully formed, he would have his own scent and encounter his first Susceptibility Period.

Every differentiation report was recorded in the ABO Research Institute’s database. He could use the report to claim free odor blockers at designated hospitals, and medical insurance would cover 90% of all treatment costs during his Susceptibility Period.

Tao Qiaosheng squeezed in next to Zhao Yexi to read along, sighing, “The benefits are actually great.”

Zhao Yexi said woodenly, “Do you want these benefits?”

“Yes! I’d give anything for them!” Tao Qiaosheng said. “I guess it’s a case of the man with bread wanting none, and the starving man wanting all. Xi-zai, once my son has his kittens, I’ll give you one. A Ragdoll is a must-have for a macho man.”

Zhao Yexi said coldly, “Do I look that easy to fool?”

Back home, Zhao Yexi didn’t even turn on the lights; he just collapsed onto the sofa. Even though he knew it was likely useless, he sent a message to the small group chat with his parents.

It’s a Macho Man: Dad, Mom, I’ve differentiated. It’s a Macho Man: [Meme: Distressedly hugging my tall and strong self.jpg]

The last message in the group was from two months ago. Ever since the differentiation appeared, he hadn’t received a word from them. It didn’t really matter; he was twenty-four, not fourteen, and he could take care of himself. But with something as life-changing as differentiation, he still wished he had someone to share the burden with.

At this stage, the emergence of ABO differentiation was a massive challenge to human society. Since the era of the cavemen, humans had only two genders; the sudden appearance of six meant that medicine, society, and law all needed time to adapt. Even though officials repeatedly emphasized that differentiation was a widespread, non-contagious phenomenon, a minority of people stubbornly viewed Alphas and Omegas as freaks, ostracizing them. Conspiracy theories flooded the internet: nuclear leaks, biological weapons, intentional viruses, divine punishment. Zhao Yexi reported every single one he saw.

But one thing was clear: the future for Alphas and Omegas was uncharted territory. Whether Alpha, Omega, or undifferentiated, everyone’s life was about to change drastically because of ABO.

Zhao Yexi touched the back of his neck, feeling a sense of peace.

Peace, my foot. Out of all the low-probability events in the world, he could never pull a rare card in a video game to save his life, so why did he have to be “lucky” enough to differentiate? Young Master Zhao was not convinced!

A WeChat notification popped up. Seeing the familiar avatar, Zhao Yexi suddenly remembered that he and Lu Huangzhi had their physicals on the same day. Lu Huangzhi’s report should be out too.

Huang: [Image]

Zhao Yexi clicked the image. It was Lu Huangzhi’s report. Just like his, there was a checkmark next to “Differentiated,” but Lu Huangzhi’s direction was Alpha.

It’s a Macho Man: One more lab rat joined the crew. It’s a Macho Man: Senior is so Alpha-like, are you an Alpha too? It’s a Macho Man: … Huang: Understood.

Zhao Yexi wasn’t in the mood to reply, but unexpectedly, Lu Huangzhi called him directly.

Zhao Yexi answered listlessly, “What is it?”

“I happen to be near your place,” Lu Huangzhi said. “Want to come out for a drink? To celebrate our mutual differentiation.”

“No. Go away.”

The wind was a bit strong that night, so Zhao Yexi wore a thick hoodie. Lu Huangzhi’s car was parked at the entrance of the complex with the windows down. Lu Huangzhi sat in the driver’s seat; under the dim lighting, the sharp lines of his profile were quite captivating.

Zhao Yexi steadied his nerves, opened the door, and sat in the passenger seat.

The car smelled faintly of cigarettes. Lu Huangzhi asked, “What made you change your mind?”

“Considering we’re both suffering from the same misfortune.” Among the people his age he knew, only Lu Huangzhi was a confirmed case.

“Differentiation isn’t a disease.”

“Easy for you to say,” Zhao Yexi said gloomily. “Alphas don’t have to deal with heat or having kids. You’re just standing there talking while my back is breaking.”

“How do you know my back never breaks?” Lu Huangzhi turned and grabbed a can of beer from the back seat, opened it, and handed it to Zhao Yexi.

“That’s it?” After mocking the simple offer, Zhao Yexi tilted his head back and took a gulp.

Sitting next to Lu Huangzhi, Zhao Yexi looked tiny. When he drank, the can covered two-thirds of his face.

Lu Huangzhi watched him for a while before starting the car. “Even with just this, I feel a bit guilty.”

Zhao Yexi: “?”

“I have the illusion that I’m luring a minor into drinking.”

Zhao Yexi’s face went cold. “Oh.”

As the car drove toward the edge of the city, Zhao Yexi felt something was wrong. “Where are we going?”

“The ABO Research Institute,” Lu Huangzhi said. “To be lab rats.”

Zhao Yexi: “…” Is it too late to jump out of the car?

It was quite late by the time they arrived. Lu Huangzhi got out first and walked around to open the door for Zhao Yexi. “After you.”

“Wait, do lab rats have to crawl into the lab themselves these days?”

“If you don’t want to crawl, would you rather be carried?” Lu Huangzhi leaned down. “Or do you want to be held?”

Zhao Yexi was completely overshadowed by Lu Huangzhi’s silhouette. “Move.”

Lu Huangzhi suddenly asked, “What do you smell like, Senior?”

“None of your business.” Zhao Yexi pushed past him and got out. “Which lab is it?”

Lu Huangzhi laughed. “You actually took it seriously?”

Zhao Yexi knit his brows. “What do you mean?”

Lu Huangzhi pointed to an apartment building nearby. “These are the apartments the institute arranged for staff. When do you plan on moving in?”

“In a few days.” Zhao Yexi looked at the building, puzzled. “Why is it pitch black in there?”

“Turn your head,” Lu Huangzhi said.

Behind Lu Huangzhi were the main building and the research labs of the ABO Institute. Even at this hour, every floor of every building was brightly lit. Shadows could be seen moving past the windows occasionally.

“Professor Liang said that every single person in the ABO Research Institute works over 18 hours a day.” Lu Huangzhi opened a Coke for himself. “Complaining is useless. Just trust them; they won’t let you stay in heat forever.”

Zhao Yexi looked at him like he’d seen a ghost. Was that a consolation? It was, wasn’t it? Lu Huangzhi was actually comforting him?! What was even more ridiculous was that he actually felt comforted.

So many people were working hard to handle the sudden appearance of the second gender, and he was about to become one of them. He couldn’t stay this depressed.

“Not bad, Lu Huangzhi,” Zhao Yexi said, giving him a rare smile that showed both his dimples and his canine tooth. “I’ll cross off one entry from my little notebook for this.”

Lu Huangzhi caught the key phrase: “What little notebook?”

“Nothing,” Zhao Yexi ducked back into the car, feeling guilty. “Let’s go home, let’s go home.”