The White Moonlight I Chased, the Divorce I Never Expected - Chapter 51

“Secondary differentiation?”

“A milky-scented pheromone?”

You Ranran stood not far from the bed, wearing a pheromone-blocking mask. She frowned as she glanced at the test report and then turned to her family doctor, firing off two quick questions.

She remembered it clearly: Chi Yi’s pheromone had always carried a crisp, whiskey scent.

But since earlier, a faint milky fragrance had begun to entwine with a rich floral and fruity aroma in the guest room. Even after the ventilation system had been running for quite a while, the whiskey scent had steadily lost ground.

“Yes, Miss.”

“Miss Chi’s condition is highly unusual—what we can temporarily refer to as ‘secondary differentiation.’ This phenomenon is extremely rare and usually triggered under very specific conditions. One, the glands must suffer either congenital or acquired damage; and two, the patient’s mental strength must be exceptionally high. There are currently only a handful of documented cases.”

Nearly two hours had passed since they left the banquet hall, and Chi Yi had yet to regain consciousness. Her limbs were restrained with soft bands, and though her body trembled slightly from instinct, she made no attempt to struggle.

Cold sweat beaded at her temple, her flushed lips set against a face pale as paper. Beneath her typically confident and striking exterior now lay an expression of fragile vulnerability—a different kind of beauty, haunting and silently decadent.

She looked heartbreakingly delicate, like something one might want to take apart piece by piece and hide away in a tiny box—then lock it, never allowing anyone else a glimpse of such beauty, or a taste of such fresh blood.

You Ranran’s deep green eyes momentarily froze. The shock of what she’d just learned quickly dissolved into admiration and desire, neither of which she made any effort to conceal.

Her love was obsessive and extreme—a fact her therapist had pointed out long ago. But You Ranran neither cared to change, nor believed she could. She had had partners before, ones with whom she was physically compatible, but never someone who thrilled both her eyes and her appetite like this.

Unfortunately, she was no longer hers. You Ranran averted her gaze, forcing down the burning itch in her heart beneath a veil of prideful restraint. Her tone shifted sharply to seriousness:

“Tell me everything.”

“Alphas or Omegas usually undergo their first differentiation at around fourteen or fifteen years old. A very small number experience a second differentiation, but it almost never occurs past the age of nineteen.”

“According to Miss Chi’s pheromone test report, her second differentiation likely occurred around the age of eighteen. The trigger was glandular damage that caused her to lose her original pheromone signature. Though her secondary gender remained unchanged, a new pheromone was generated.”

“Her hormone levels related to her secondary gender, previously low, are now gradually returning to normal. Additionally, she recently ingested a substance that catalyzes heat responses. Her pheromones are currently highly unstable. The outcome is uncertain.”

“…”

Lying in bed, Chi Yi was just starting to regain consciousness. She sank into the soft covers, but there wasn’t an ounce of comfort to be found in her body.

That familiar scent… the milky pheromone she had once possessed—now returned—felt like tiny, precise needles stitching her body back together, ruthlessly infiltrating her limbs and torso.

‘Secondary differentiation’… That’s exactly what the doctor had called it back then—

“Miss Chi, we’ve reviewed your case. While rare, it’s not without precedent. If you’d like to regain your pheromones, we can attempt to induce a second differentiation with the help of certain medications.”

At eighteen, Chi Yi had still been wearing a blue-and-white hospital gown. She wasn’t originally a patient in that ward but had been transferred there after noticing something unusual in her body and rushing over from the emergency department.

The Wen family estate had caught fire. She ran into the flames, only to have a burning beam collapse on her back, leaving behind a significant scar—and damaging her glands.

The events were simple enough to sum up in one sentence. Chi Yi’s expression revealed no particular distress, no different from when she had awoken in an empty hospital room after a full day of unconsciousness.

The only difference was that she now knew her body had suffered another lasting injury. Just days before, she had proposed a contractual marriage to Wen Ranqing.

“What are the chances of success?”

The young woman sat with an air of calm detachment. She was tall and slim, her features sharp and elegant, like a painting. Though her posture wasn’t perfectly upright, there wasn’t the slightest hint of despair or weakness about her—only quiet confidence.

No one would have imagined that behind her angelic appearance, Chi Yi might lose her pheromones—the very essence of an Alpha or Omega’s identity—and be unable to sense others’ pheromones at all.

Aside from retaining the capacity to be marked, her body functions were nearly indistinguishable from a Beta’s.

The doctor spoke:
“Miss Chi’s physical condition is excellent, and her mental strength is notably high. The medication would simply serve to catalyze the second differentiation. As for the outcome…”

It was the only moment Chi Yi’s composure wavered.

“Statistically, the chance of an Alpha re-differentiating into an Alpha is around thirty percent.”

There were very few precedents—only about three known cases had ever achieved such a result.

At eighteen, she had lived a life as charmed as any favored child of the heavens, only to be thrust into this cruel dilemma by a sudden and inexplicable accident. Rumor had it she had been injured while protecting an Omega, and now sat alone, fragile and exposed before the doctor.

The physician, also a female Alpha, could empathize deeply with Chi Yi’s state of mind.

Understanding the pride and solitude often innate to Alphas, she kept her eyes on the screen while entering Chi Yi’s records and calmly offered an alternative:
“If you prefer to avoid medication, I can prescribe hormonal therapy instead. With some luck and the long-term support of a partner, consistent hormone injections could help with recovery—though the chances are slim.”

Chi Yi paused only briefly before offering a faint smile and shaking her head.
“I’ll take the medication.”

Secondary differentiation had initially been thought to occur only due to rare, individual physiological triggers. However, with advances in medical and scientific research within the field of secondary gender, artificially induced second differentiation through medication had become a regulated, semi-standard treatment.

This method granted individuals another chance at fully acquiring a second gender, but the process was highly unpredictable, extremely painful, and strictly monitored by policy—so it had not become widespread.

Chi Yi’s case qualified her for application. The medication-induced differentiation typically began within a week. Long-term hormone therapy wasn’t an option—her marriage to Wen Ranqing was approaching fast.

Everything had happened too quickly. She might not yet have been the remarkable person she hoped to be—one who could stand as an equal beside Wen Ranqing—but at the very least, she wanted to face her with a whole, complete body.

That was the simple thought driving Chi Yi.

Though Wen Ranqing insisted on visiting the hospital every night despite being overwhelmed by corporate responsibilities and constant criticism from elder board members—even though her visits were punctuated by endless calls and her secretary knocking on the door nonstop—

Chi Yi eventually had to persuade her, repeatedly, to go back.

Chi Yi had undergone her first differentiation in her first year of high school. During those three years, she and Wen Ranqing were never particularly close, and since pheromones were considered deeply private, Wen Ranqing had never known hers.

It wasn’t about keeping secrets. Chi Yi just didn’t want Wen Ranqing to exhaust herself or feel guilty on her behalf. If her gender didn’t change, it would be a natural transition. If it did—then she would tell her directly.

As much as she longed for that identity, Chi Yi only wanted to selfishly borrow one week of Wen Ranqing’s time to go through this ordeal and arrive at an answer.

She was supposed to be discharged the next day, but Chi Yi couldn’t wait a moment longer.

Standing at the door to her home, she turned to Wen Ranqing’s assistant—who had been by her side day and night for a week—and said:
“You don’t need to follow me anymore. Tell my sister not to come either. I have some personal matters to handle. I’ll meet her again in a week at the earliest.”

Chi Yi’s expression was as composed as ever. The assistant followed her instruction, and Chi Yi didn’t see Wen Ranqing again after that.

On the third day of taking the medication, the secondary differentiation began. The days that followed—no matter how high her pain tolerance—were not ones Chi Yi would ever willingly revisit in memory.

And now, the exact same thing was happening again.

Chi Yi was fully conscious, her vision clear, but she lacked the strength to sit up. Her sweat-soaked body felt unbearably uncomfortable.

The second differentiation hadn’t changed her gender, but she now possessed a new pheromone signature. Over the past four years, her body had gone from rejecting itself completely to gradually adapting—until it was entirely remade, every inch, every cell.

You Ranran noticed something was wrong and moved closer.

Chi Yi’s voice was low and hoarse:
“Suppressant…”

Seeing her in such a pitiful state, You Ranran couldn’t bear to watch her suffer. At the slightest touch, Chi Yi reacted sharply, so she didn’t press further. Instead, she turned to the doctor following behind:
“Can she receive a suppressant injection in this condition?”

“Hard to say,” the doctor hesitated. “If Miss Chi is aware of her own condition…”

Her body ached like she was being stabbed by needles, especially around her swollen glands. Chi Yi couldn’t speak, but she nodded and slowly forced herself to sit up.

One of her restrained hands was released. She took the suppressant and had to try twice before injecting it correctly. Even someone like You Ranran—who normally saw herself as emotionally unrestrained—said nothing. The two maintained a respectful silence, preserving the dignity of an Alpha.

A servant knocked lightly on the door.
“Miss, the alcohol has been removed. Two guests who drank it by mistake showed mild symptoms and are currently resting in the guest rooms.”

“Understood,” You Ranran replied.

The drinks had come from a few playful friends and had been carelessly mixed in with the household’s wine supply. For once, You Ranran offered a rare apology.
“Chi Yi, this was a mistake on our part… I’m sorry.”

Chi Yi weakly waved it off.

She had already been feeling sporadic instability in her mental strength lately—originally thinking it was due to Wen Ranqing’s influence. But if her hormonal levels had truly recovered, then what happened now was just a catalyzed outcome.

This meant that Wen Ranqing would inevitably learn everything one day.

Chi Yi had kept silent back then precisely because she didn’t want Wen Ranqing to feel guilty or heartbroken.

Because of that accident, you damaged your glands? Because of me, you went through all this?
That kind of narrative would only be shameless self-sentimentalism and emotional blackmail. Chi Yi would never let Wen Ranqing carry such a burden unknowingly.

Her mind was in turmoil, foggy with emotional pain. Even after her symptoms eased, an underlying ache persisted. Still, a small part of her felt oddly relieved that this had happened sooner rather than later—at least now, Wen Ranqing would know the truth and have the option to decide.

That was what she told herself.

But her hand trembled violently when she picked up her phone—far worse than the instinctive physical reactions she’d had earlier. Maybe, deep down, she still selfishly didn’t want to lose Wen Ranqing.

Still, the longer she delayed, the more hurtful it would be for both of them—two people who had already borne their hearts to each other. So, Chi Yi opened the chat window. Wen Ranqing had sent her a few more messages.

“President Wen is still in the study. I haven’t let anyone disturb her,” You Ranran remarked offhandedly, knowing full well what Chi Yi was about to do.

Neither of them said anything else.

Instead, the family doctor, with a slightly complicated expression, chose that moment to ask,
“Does Miss Chi have a stable partner?”

The guest room fell into complete silence. Though the doctor’s question was straightforward, something about it made Chi Yi feel an inexplicable unease.

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