After Getting Pregnant, I’m Divorcing My Alpha - Chapter 7

“I’m heading out, thanks for letting me crash the meal.” Wei Yi chuckled with a childlike grin that made it impossible to stay mad at him.

“Then get lost already.” An Xiangdi picked up another ear of corn from the basin.

Wei Yi quickly retreated to the door. “I’ll be back next time. See you!”

As the door slammed shut, An Xiangdi muttered, “If all Alphas in the world were like him, we’d be doomed.”

“What about someone like me?” Shen Xiao asked with a smirk.

An Xiangdi was caught off guard by the question. After a moment, he turned away, blushing. “Nonsense, there’s no one else like you.”

Shen Xiao’s smile widened as he took the damp corn from An Xiangdi’s hands. “Let’s make some sweet soup to bring back to the set tonight.”

Wei Yi, full and content, happily made his way home, swinging his arms and bouncing his legs. If his fans saw him like this, they’d probably think he looked downright punchable.

However, his cheerful demeanor vanished the moment his phone rang.

“Wei Yi! I heard you accepted ‘Survival’? That’s fantastic! I always thought this variety show would let fans see a different side of you. I didn’t bring it up again after you turned it down last time, but I’m glad you changed your mind. This is great!” Wei Yi’s agent was as talkative as he was, rambling without pause.

Wei Yi froze. “Survival” was the wilderness survival show he’d mentioned to An Xiangdi. “Wait, no, I turned it down!”

There was no way he was spending two weeks with bugs!

“Don’t mess around. The show’s director already sent the electronic contract to your email. If everything looks good, reply to them ASAP. You know the consequences if you back out now.” His agent’s tone turned serious. The director of “Survival” was a highly respected figure in the industry, and the production team was renowned for their quality work.

Wei Yi’s hands trembled. If he had already agreed, there was no backing out. Refusing now would ruin his reputation in the variety show circuit.

“O-okay, fine, I’ll do it. Just remember to collect my corpse.” Wei Yi felt like crying. How had a simple meal led to him being roped into a show he’d already refused?

In the days that followed, filming on Cao Xuan’s set proceeded smoothly. An Xiangdi had finished all his scenes in the research lab, and the entire crew had moved back to the film studio.

An Xiangdi finally had some time to rest. Though he still had a few scenes to shoot each day, his schedule was much lighter compared to the other leads.

Since he had an appointment at the Omega Rehabilitation Center on Saturday evening, An Xiangdi privately informed Cao Xuan in advance. The director didn’t ask any questions and readily agreed, as An Xiangdi had no scenes scheduled for that afternoon.

“Cut!”

“That was perfect.” Cao Xuan had been praising the two leads nonstop lately, increasingly convinced that casting them had been the right decision. Their acting was superb, their chemistry seamless, and they exuded a compelling on-screen couple vibe.

At lunch, An Xiangdi pulled Shen Xiao aside. “I need to go back to Zongming this afternoon. My agency has some matters to discuss. Don’t wait for me for dinner.”

“Alright.” Shen Xiao replied slowly.

Despite the lie, An Xiangdi maintained his composure. Afterward, he bid farewell to Cao Xuan and left the film studio alone.

The plane landed at Zongming City’s airport at four in the afternoon. An Xiangdi got into the pre-booked car and stared blankly at the drizzling rain outside the window.

“It’s been raining a lot lately,” the driver, a Beta, remarked idly. Having noticed that the destination on the navigation was an obscure location in the suburbs, almost directly south of the airport, he tried to strike up a conversation.

“Yeah,” An Xiangdi replied after a long pause.

Every spring, Zongming City experienced a long stretch of drizzling rain. Though it was only a light rain, seeing it so often was enough to irritate anyone.

“Where are you headed? The navigation doesn’t even show the name of the destination.”

“A private clinic,” An Xiangdi murmured.

“Are you sick?” The driver’s voice rose slightly, but An Xiangdi didn’t respond again. Realizing he wasn’t going to get anywhere, the driver put on his headphones and drove while listening to music.

The rain, however, stirred memories in An Xiangdi.

At birth, everyone is initially categorized by male or female gender. Upon reaching adulthood at eighteen, they enter the differentiation period. Eighty percent of people differentiate into Betas, who neither produce nor perceive pheromones. The remaining twenty percent differentiate into Alphas or Omegas, who possess pheromones.

Alphas and Omegas can establish marking relationships by biting the scent gland or forming a knot. If they are fortunate enough to encounter someone with highly compatible pheromones, it often seals their fate for life.

Alphas are typically strong, exceptional individuals who hold higher social status and accomplish tasks with ease due to their innate advantages. Omegas, on the other hand, are often fragile and sensitive. Despite their capabilities, societal factors prevent them from being employed in certain specialized industries.

Almost everyone speculates about their post-differentiation gender before the process begins, and An Xiangdi was no exception before he turned eighteen.

Especially after Shen Xiao, who had grown up with him, differentiated into a powerful Alpha, An Xiangdi grew even more eager to learn his own differentiation outcome.

But it wasn’t until he turned twenty-one that his differentiation period arrived, as if playing a cruel joke on him.

That day, it was also raining, with thunder rumbling and raindrops pounding loudly against the window. Crouched in pain on his bed, he endured the differentiation period alone, not daring to tell anyone, and forced himself to endure until it passed.

After twelve grueling hours, An Xiangdi realized he seemed to be an Omega. In Shen Xiao’s presence, he could smell the other’s brandy-like pheromones and found his heart racing because of them.

Yet, he was different from other Omegas. He couldn’t detect anyone else’s pheromones except Shen Xiao’s, and his own pheromones had no scent.

Although Shen Xiao always insisted that his pheromones were sweet.

“Sir, we’ve arrived,” the driver said, stopping the car and reminding An Xiangdi, who remained motionless in the back seat.

“Thank you.” An Xiangdi paid and stepped out of the car.

After discovering the issues with his body, An Xiangdi forced himself to stay calm and found this private rehabilitation center specifically designed for Omegas.

On the surface, the center specialized in helping Omegas remove markings. Though the service was expensive, their confidentiality measures were impeccable. Occasionally, they also took in special patients like him.

An Xiangdi scanned a code at the self-service kiosk, deftly bypassed the front hall, and took the seldom-used special elevator for unique patients up to the fifth floor.

Outside the elevator stood a beautiful Beta nurse. “Hello, please follow me.”

An Xiangdi followed her to the door of the consultation room at the end of the hallway. The nurse respectfully knocked for him. “Dr. Qiao, the patient is here.”

“Come in.”

“Have a seat.” Dr. Qiao was a middle-aged Alpha nearing forty, highly accomplished in the ABO medical field and the doctor who had been treating An Xiangdi all along. After leaving the public hospital, he had opened this rehabilitation center on his own.

An Xiangdi had been here many times, but he always felt nervous. He removed his mask and hat, let out a sigh, and waited for Dr. Qiao to speak.

“If only you could bring your Alpha along,” Dr. Qiao said with a smile. He had made this suggestion more than once.

An Xiangdi pressed his lips together and didn’t respond.

Shen Xiao knew he was an Omega, but he wasn’t aware of some of the special circumstances surrounding his condition.

“Never mind, I might sound annoying if I keep bringing it up,” Dr. Qiao joked, steering the conversation elsewhere. “How have you been feeling lately?”

“Still can’t smell anything, but the discomfort isn’t as intense as before.” Psychologically, An Xiangdi felt a strong aversion to Alphas other than Shen Xiao. Even though he couldn’t detect their pheromones, his body instinctively reacted with discomfort.

In the past, it had been so severe that he could hardly interact with them. He still remembered his first visit to Dr. Qiao, when he couldn’t hold back and ended up vomiting. Fortunately, he could now manage normal interactions, though he still felt nauseous if the pheromone concentration was too high.

“Hmm, there’s improvement.” Dr. Qiao made notes as he continued, “As I’ve mentioned before, the fact that you can detect your Alpha’s pheromones likely means your compatibility is very high possibly over ninety percent, or even a hundred percent. So, spending more time with him is beneficial.”

“I know.”

“Let’s start with a blood draw. Talking about it won’t reveal much; checking your pheromone levels is what’s most important.” Dr. Qiao pressed the bell on his desk.

An Xiangdi was taken to have two tubes of blood drawn, then quietly waited in Dr. Qiao’s office for the results.

Once the needle mark stopped bleeding, An Xiangdi glanced at his phone and noticed Shen Xiao had sent him a message half an hour earlier.

Xiao Xiao: What time will you be back tonight?
Xiao Xiao: Should I pick you up from the airport?

An Xiangdi hesitated before replying.

Dizi: It’s too late. Don’t you have an early morning shoot tomorrow?
Dizi: Get some rest.
Xiao Xiao: It’s fine.

An Xiangdi knew that if he refused again, the other might immediately fly to Zongming City, so he reluctantly agreed.

Dizi: If the flight isn’t delayed, around midnight.
Xiao Xiao: Okay, see you tonight.
Dizi: See you tonight.

“What’s up?” Dr. Qiao asked as he returned with the report, noticing the faint smile on An Xiangdi’s face a rare sight. In his memory, An Xiangdi was always serious during visits.

“Ah it’s nothing.” An Xiangdi put away his phone.

Dr. Qiao guessed it was about his Alpha. “Your Alpha’s pheromones are greatly beneficial to you. In short, he is indispensable for your well-being.”

“How are the results?” An Xiangdi didn’t really want to discuss this topic. Though he never said it out loud, he truly loved Shen Xiao. It was just that whenever Dr. Qiao spoke like this, it made his relationship with Shen Xiao feel somewhat artificial.

Dr. Qiao shrugged. “The report shows mostly benign results. Your condition has improved a lot compared to six months ago half of your indicators are back to normal.”

“What about the pheromones.” An Xiangdi unconsciously widened his eyes.

“The situation where you and others can’t smell each other’s pheromones hasn’t changed, but” Dr. Qiao pointed at several data points on the report. “These indicators represent pheromone levels, and yours are all normal.”

“What does that mean?” An Xiangdi didn’t understand.

“I’ve been thinking if you can only smell that Alpha’s pheromones, then he should be able to smell yours too. Your pheromone compatibility is high. Perhaps it’s a relationship you chose you chose him, so you release your pheromones specifically to him.”

An Xiangdi froze.

“Of course, this is just speculation,” Dr. Qiao added. “It’s also possible that your pheromones are inherently very faint, almost undetectable like water, for example. Only someone with high compatibility would be able to sense them.”