Chapter 13 Secondary Differentiation Tendency

Chapter 13: Secondary Differentiation Tendency

When Gu Zhen woke up, it was still before seven in the morning, the sky just beginning to lighten.

His arms were empty, and he instinctively reached out, but the space beside him was also empty.

Where was Zhu Shinian? Was he angry, or had I overslept and already gone to work at the military headquarters?

Gu Zhen frowned, reaching for his communicator to send Zhu Shinian a message asking where he had gone. As he propped himself up to sit, he noticed the person slumped by the bedside.

Gu Zhen was stunned.

Zhu Shinian was sitting on the carpet, asleep, his forehead resting against the edge of the bed, wearing only a thin pair of pajamas.

How could he have fallen asleep here?

Gu Zhen didn’t know whether to feel distressed or scold him. He quickly got out of bed, crouched down, and reached out to feel Zhu Shinian’s forehead.

His forehead wasn’t hot—it didn’t feel like a fever. Gu Zhen then touched his gland and found it burning hot.

When his fingers touched the gland, Zhu Shinian seemed to sense it and flinched fearfully.

Gu Zhen knew better than to take chances. He immediately got up, dressed, wrapped Zhu Shinian in his coat, picked him up in his arms, and carried him to the hospital.

They arrived at the private medical center just after seven. The sky hadn’t fully brightened yet. While parking, Zhu Shinian woke up and asked why they were there.

“Do you remember where you slept last night?”

“I... went to your nightstand to look for my necklace. After I found it, I wanted to sit and rest for a bit, but I guess I was too tired and accidentally fell asleep.”

“There’s no need for a checkup. I’m probably just tired, and after drinking, I might be dizzy again.”

Falling asleep? He had passed out.

Gu Zhen felt that sometimes reasoning with Zhu Shinian was completely impossible. Besides, his gland was burning like this—how could he feel at ease?

He had bitten his gland like this before, more than once, but only this time...

Maybe it wasn’t just this time. Gu Zhen thought about it, and the more he thought, the more frightened he became.

He only knew that biting another alpha’s gland couldn’t truly mark him, but he never realized it would make Zhu Shinian suffer so much.

Gu Zhen did like Zhu Shinian. He cared about him.

Although this affection wasn’t enough to make him give up power and status, or to abandon his engagement with the Jiang family just because Zhu Shinian was unhappy, compared to those in his circle who treated lovers like toys—summoning and dismissing them at will—Gu Zhen considered himself genuinely sincere toward Zhu Shinian.

Why did Zhu Shinian always endure everything in silence? Wasn’t Gu Zhen good enough to him?

If Zhu Shinian had told Gu Zhen that it hurt and was painful when his gland was bitten, would Gu Zhen have continued to force him?

“Major General,” Zhu Shinian saw Gu Zhen’s displeasure and nervously wondered why he was angry. “Please don’t be angry. I won’t... see Mr. Jiang anymore. I’ll behave. I won’t cause you any trouble.”

Gu Zhen’s expression darkened even more. Even though they had known each other for years, Zhu Shinian had always been terrible at guessing what Gu Zhen was thinking.

“I won’t join the reorganized Arctic Wolf Squad,” Zhu Shinian continued. “I’m not trying to leave you just because Grandma’s illness is now treatable. No, that’s not it... I just wanted to look into the Arctic Wolf Squad’s old case files. After I finish, I’ll apply to withdraw. I think my teacher was wronged, and I want to clear his name...”

As soon as Gu Zhen heard him bring this up, he couldn’t help but feel displeased. “Tao Juan is now a leader of the resistance. Do you think he’s innocent? Was he colluding with the resistance back then?”

“That was after my teacher was framed!” Zhu Shinian was getting anxious. For once, he raised his voice at Gu Zhen, something he rarely did.

“You—” Zhu Shinian had always been docile in front of Gu Zhen. Being spoken to like this caught Gu Zhen off guard. He knew Tao Juan had taught Zhu Shinian and had assumed their relationship was just casual. But he never expected Zhu Shinian would raise his voice for someone else. In his shock, he forgot to get angry.

“Case number 1001, Zhu Shinian, come in for your checkup.” A mechanical woman’s voice sounded at just the right moment, interrupting a storm that was almost fully brewed. Gu Zhen’s face darkened but still stood up to support Zhu Shinian and walked in with him.

It was still early; Zhu Shinian was the first patient of the day. The doctor briefly asked about symptoms, and Gu Zhen scowled and answered them one by one.

“An S-class alpha? His self-healing ability should be good. Probably nothing serious. But if you’re worried, get a blood test and bring me the results to check if your pheromone levels are normal.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Zhu Shinian said, feeling embarrassed even though the doctor was just trying to reassure him. “I feel relieved now, so I won’t get the blood test.”

“Better to do it,” Gu Zhen said flatly from the side. “I’ll bring him back to see you later.”

In front of Gu Zhen, Zhu Shinian never had much say. Since Gu Zhen insisted on the blood test, he could only let himself be taken to the lab.

Because there were few people, there was no line. After the blood draw, Zhu Shinian and Gu Zhen sat waiting for the report.

Zhu Shinian knew he had just yelled at Gu Zhen and should apologize. But the apology that usually came so easily now stuck in his throat.

His communicator rang. Zhu Shinian saw the name on the screen and froze for a moment.

“Hello, this is Zhu Shinian.”

“Why so formal?” Chen Yueming grumbled, then quickly lowered his voice. “Are you with the Major General?”

“Yes, what’s up?”

“Oh, got it,” Chen Yueming’s tone shifted immediately. “I was calling to... apologize. Your application to the Arctic Wolf Squad probably won’t go through.”

“I know,” Zhu Shinian said calmly.

“Did the Major General tell you? Sorry, it’s the major general’s decision, I can’t change it.”

It’s okay, you can’t blame yourself. I understand.

That was what Zhu Shinian wanted to say, but afraid Gu Zhen might sense something, he just mumbled “It’s fine.”

They’d been classmates and comrades for a few years but had no special bond. Zhu Shinian was already grateful that Chen Yueming risked calling him despite Gu Zhen being there.

“Shinian, when you applied to join the Arctic Wolf Squad, was it because you really wanted to go, or... did you have other intentions? Such special operations units are quite dangerous. I remember you have family in the capital. Were you trying to... access Teacher Tao’s old case files?”

Zhu Shinian hadn’t expected him to ask so directly. Unsure of Chen Yueming’s intentions, he dared neither admit nor deny.

“Don’t feel any pressure. I was thinking that if you wanted to look into the old case, I could introduce you to a senior classmate. He’s the one in charge of those files. If you just want to know about that matter, you can ask him. He’s been in the Eighth Theater all these years. He’ll be at headquarters today. Talk to your superior and see if you can be assigned to receive him.”

“But Shinian, you need to be prepared for one thing: even if Teacher Tao was wronged, getting his case overturned... is impossible now. He’s already a member of the resistance. Even if he was wronged before, he’s now an enemy of the empire.”

“I know,” Zhu Shinian said with difficulty. “Okay, I’ll head back to headquarters right away.”

Chen Yueming said nothing more and quickly hung up. Gu Zhen turned to look at Zhu Shinian. “Does the military need you for something?”

“Yes, I can get there by eight,” Zhu Shinian said calmly. When it came to such matters, he could lie without batting an eye. “It shouldn’t delay anything.”

In fact, there were indeed duties at the headquarters, so he wasn’t exactly lying.

“Go ahead. I’ll wait for the report and take it to the doctor.”

Zhu Shinian nodded, turned, and quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Gu Zhen sat alone on the bench, waiting for about ten minutes before the results were ready.

“Are you a family member of the patient?” The doctor frowned after reviewing the report, choosing his words carefully. “The patient’s pheromone levels show abnormal fluctuations, and there are some anomalies in his gland structure. He may ... be showing signs of secondary differentiation into an omega.”

The alpha before him was dressed in civilian clothes, but his demeanor made it easy to guess that he was someone of wealth and status, likely from the military. The doctor, good at reading expressions, became even more cautious, fearing he might offend.

“What does that mean? Does it have anything to do with another alpha injecting pheromones into his body?”

The doctor gave a bitter, awkward smile. “That’s ... difficult to say. Generally, high-level pheromones entering the body can be one of the triggers for secondary differentiation, but it’s hard to determine whether that’s the specific cause here.”

Gu Zhen’s mind went blank for a moment, and then a dangerously subtle thought silently surfaced in his mind.

Omega, he thought.

If Zhu Shinian were an omega, then he could have a biological child of his own with Zhu Shinian.

Zhu Shinian was clever and sensible; their child would surely be beautiful, well-behaved, and particularly endearing.

Perhaps Gu Zhen was really getting older. Before this, he had never considered having children, but now he found himself unusually drawn to the idea of a life with a wife and kids at home.

But he quickly realized that such a thought was somewhat dark and selfish.

Granted, Zhu Shinian was gentle, meek, and delicate in his presence, almost indistinguishable from an omega. But that was only in front of him.

In the military and elsewhere, eighty percent of the people who saw him would respectfully salute and address him as Colonel Zhu.

Zhu Shinian had excellent physical fitness, endured hardships, and never feared exhaustion. Every rank in his military career was earned through his own merits. Gu Zhen had certainly helped along the way, but only by bringing Zhu Shinian to the same starting point as others.

Otherwise, given his background from the 26th District, no matter how many military achievements he had earned, his efforts would have only benefited others.

Gu Zhen knew better than anyone else how much effort Zhu Shinian had put into reaching his current position.

Zhu Shinian himself ... would not be willing.

Author's note: