Not Quite Enough

After dinner, Shen Yanlang said it was too late to go home, so he drove Duan Xu back to school with him.

When they reached the dorm, Shen Yanlang told Duan Xu to shower first. Duan Xu did not refuse and took his pajamas to the bathroom.

However, just as Duan Xu finished rinsing off and was about to get dressed, everything suddenly went dark before his eyes, startling him so badly that the clothes in his hands fell to the floor.

What was going on? Was there a power outage?

"The power's out. Are you done showering?" Shen Yanlang's voice sounded from outside the door.

Duan Xu immediately relaxed. "Oh, I just finished, but my clothes fell on the floor. Could you get me a set of pajamas from the wardrobe?"

"Wait there." After answering, Shen Yanlang used his phone's flashlight to light the way. When he reached Duan Xu's wardrobe and opened it, the first thing he saw was the light blue pajamas hanging on the far right.

Shen Yanlang's nose twitched. There was that faint jasmine scent again, but he assumed it came from the laundry detergent Duan Xu used.

Shen Yanlang placed his phone face-down on the desk before taking the pajamas to the bathroom door. "Open the door a little."

Duan Xu opened the door a crack, stretched out one hand for the clothes, and poked his head out. "Thanks."

Duan Xu grabbed the clothes and tried to pull them back, but they would not budge. "Hm?"

So white.

Shen Yanlang's gaze fell on Duan Xu's arm and the sliver of shoulder exposed through the gap in the door.

The power was out, and everywhere was dark, but the moon was round and bright that night. Duan Xu's fair arm and smooth shoulder stood out especially clearly in the moonlight.

Duan Xu froze. So white? Shouldn't it be so dark?

"Brother Yan, can you give it to me?" Duan Xu called out to him.

Shen Yanlang suddenly came back to himself and released Duan Xu's pajamas. His tone was unnatural. "You're welcome."

After saying that, Shen Yanlang returned to his own spot and sat down.

He raised a hand to touch his chest. His heart felt itchy, his heartbeat a little fast, and his mind kept replaying Duan Xu's jade-white arm and smooth shoulder from moments ago.

He even unconsciously imagined the parts hidden behind the door. The restlessness in his heart grew stronger, and his pheromones began leaking out beyond his control. Still, with the inhibitor patch blocking them, very little actually drifted into the air.

The moment Duan Xu entered the room, he caught a faint scent of wood mixed with blazing sunlight. Since he had never smelled it before, he did not think anything was wrong.

"Do you smell something?" Duan Xu even asked Shen Yanlang.

Shen Yanlang paused. He, too, caught the scent of his own pheromones and was somewhat surprised. "You can smell it?"

Once he controlled himself, there should not have been enough scent in the air for a beta to notice.

"Yeah!" Duan Xu took his dirty clothes to the balcony, then turned back and said, "It smells a little like wood, but also a little like sunshine."

Shen Yanlang's heart jolted. "You can smell it!"

"What's wrong?" Duan Xu did not understand, but in the next moment, Shen Yanlang's inner voice answered his question.

Beta can't smell this little scent. Could Duan Xu not be a beta?

Duan Xu: "!!!"

Duan Xu was startled too. Only then did he realize that this was the scent of Shen Yanlang's pheromones.

Jasmine!

Shen Yanlang suddenly remembered. To confirm it, he abruptly stood and walked over to Duan Xu, wrapping an arm around him and deeply inhaling beside his neck.

Duan Xu was startled. "W-what are you doing?"

Shen Yanlang's action gave him an inexplicable sense of danger. He pushed at him with both hands, but could not move him.

"You're an omega."

Shen Yanlang was certain now. The jasmine scent was not laundry detergent, and the last time had not been from some other couple either. It had come from Duan Xu.

Duan Xu was stunned, and his pushing stopped. "How is that possible? I'm a beta."

Seeing how certain Duan Xu sounded, Shen Yanlang frowned and thought deeply. After a moment, he said in a low voice, "Could it be secondary differentiation? But you're already an adult. That's not very likely."

"It definitely can't be. Could you have gotten it wrong?" Duan Xu's heart was in turmoil now.

At that moment, neither of them noticed how ambiguous their posture was—one had the other in his arms, while the other had both hands pressed against his chest.

"Go to the hospital tomorrow." Shen Yanlang's tone was very serious, as though he placed great importance on the matter. "I'll go with you."

Duan Xu fell silent for a moment. "Okay. Thanks."

Going to the hospital to confirm it was for the best, and having Shen Yanlang with him undoubtedly calmed his panicked heart.

Only then did Shen Yanlang finally realize what he was doing and release Duan Xu. "Sorry. Go finish washing up."

If Duan Xu was already an omega, then what he had just done—sniffing his neck—could be considered sexual harassment.

"Mm." Duan Xu realized it too and felt a little embarrassed. Fortunately, the power was out, so neither of them could see the other's expression.

Besides, he was washing clothes on the balcony while Shen Yanlang was inside. As long as he did not turn back to look at him, he would not hear his inner thoughts.

Shen Yanlang went back to sit down and look at his phone, but he could not focus on it at all.

If Duan Xu really was a secondary-differentiated omega, then this matter definitely could not be kept secret. Once his differentiation was complete, he would surely move out of this dorm room.

But Shen Yanlang did not want that. He did not know why he did not want it; he simply did not. And whenever he thought of Duan Xu moving out, he became unbearably irritated.

On the balcony, Duan Xu washed his clothes while thinking. There had been no plot about him differentiating in the dream. Was this the butterfly effect caused by the change in his relationship with the male lead?

Duan Xu had calmed down, but there was still a lingering sense of unease in his heart, as if confirming that he really was going to differentiate would bring earth-shattering changes in the future.

That night, neither Duan Xu nor Shen Yanlang slept well. They did not get up until late in the morning, but fortunately, it was a holiday, so they were not pressed for time.

After breakfast outside, Shen Yanlang drove Duan Xu to the best hospital in the city center.

The hospital was crowded during the holiday. After registering, they waited nearly an hour before their number was called.

Shen Yanlang accompanied Duan Xu inside and explained the situation to the doctor. The doctor frowned. "Cases like yours do exist, but the chances are very low. Go get a comprehensive examination first. We'll know once the results are out."

"Okay, thank you, Doctor."

Shen Yanlang accompanied Duan Xu through the full examination, then took him to lunch. When they returned, they waited another two hours before all the results came out.

They found the doctor, who looked over the report and then glanced at Duan Xu in mild surprise. "It really is secondary differentiation."

Upon hearing that, Duan Xu took a deep breath. It felt as if his chest had been struck by a hammer. He could not describe what he felt; his mind had already gone blank.

Shen Yanlang's heart tightened instead. An indescribable emotion spread from his chest, leaving him strangely excited. "Doctor, what's his condition now? What should he watch out for? Could differentiating this late have any aftereffects?"

Seeing him fire off a string of questions, the doctor could not help asking, "Are you his boyfriend?"

Duan Xu had only just recovered when he heard that. Startled, he quickly waved his hands. "No, no. He's my friend."

For an instant, the corners of Shen Yanlang's mouth dipped slightly. "Mm. His friend."

Just friends? That didn't feel like quite enough.