It was the first time Song Yize had encountered such a thing.

A beautiful Omega in the middle of their differentiation period, completely unguarded, exposing their gland to an Alpha they had known for less than a day.

If they went by what their school’s ABO physiology teacher had taught, this was practically the same as stripping naked and acting indecent.

And even asking to apply a suppression patch.

Wasn’t that equivalent to asking for a condom before doing it?

A flicker of something unreadable passed through Song Yize’s amber eyes.

So clueless. Could this guy be doing it on purpose?

“Hey, hurry up,” Ning Xi was quite frank. “Keeping my head down for too long makes my neck sore ah.”

Seeing how nonchalant Ning Xi was, Song Yize didn’t bother saying anything else. He tore open a suppression patch and simply went along with it.

Let’s just pretend that this little punk never paid attention in physiology class. It’s not like he’d ever run into him again after this.

Maybe it was because his skin was too fair, but the contours of his neck appeared delicate and thin, his slender throat glowing faintly under the light, as exquisite as a piece of translucent jade.

All of a sudden, Song Yize recalled that an Alpha staring at an Omega’s gland was a blatant sign of sexual innuendo.

A brief moment of panic flashed through him. Song Yize quickly averted his gaze and pressed the suppression patch onto Ning Xi’s gland without much thought.

“There.” Song Yize took a step back.

“Mm, thanks.” Ning Xi lifted his head and stretched his neck a little.

Song Yize picked up his bag from the side and said, “I’ll leave first.”

He paused, feeling that sounded too abrupt, and added, “There’s nothing else for me to do here.”

“Mm… okay.” Ning Xi figured it really was unkind to drag a high schooler to accompany him.

Song Yize gave him a slight nod.

*

The dim golden sunset sank heavily into the sky, its pale yellow light filtering through the window and casting a glow on the foot of Ning Xi’s bed.

The hospital room was completely silent, devoid of any noise.

Ning Xi was starving. After finishing the congee Song Yize had bought him, he found it far too bland.

He rolled over, adjusting to a more comfortable position on the bed, and idly tugged at the nearly empty IV drip line.

Ah, how boring.

Right now, Ning Xi had no phone, nowhere to go, was penniless, and was even 50 cents in debt. His face didn’t quite look like his own anymore, and on top of that, his body was weak and sickly…

Ning Xi scratched his head, too lazy to dwell on it.

He had to adapt, to adapt.

Getting too anxious wouldn’t do him any good.

“Knock, knock, knock”. A knock came from the door. A young nurse peeked her head in and said, “Bed 13, your family is here to pick you up.”

Ning Xi sat up and nodded at her.

A man stepped in from the doorway. He carried himself with dignity, his hair lightly streaked with gray. Dressed in a well-fitted suit that accentuated his solid build and smooth posture, one couldn’t really tell his age.

Was this supposed to be his father in this novel?

“Young Master, I’ve come to take you home,” the man said politely.

Ning Xi froze for a moment before slowly letting out a “hmm”.

To be honest, he was a bit disappointed.

After all, Ning Kaiwei had never once picked him up or dropped him off before. From going back and forth to school to countless parent-teacher meetings, it had always been Old Zhang—who had been in their household for ages—handling everything instead.

Ning Kaiwei didn’t seem to care about him at all.

After changing worlds, it was still the same.

“The IV is done. We just need to take your temperature one more time,” the young nurse said as she removed the needle from Ning Xi’s hand. “Although we recommend staying in the hospital for further observation, you can also recover at home if you prefer.”

“When you go back, be extra careful and try to avoid getting too close to other Alphas, or it might affect your pheromone secretion,” the young nurse said. “Once your condition is more stable, don’t forget to come in for a follow-up. It’s quite late for you to still not yet differentiate at your age, so your differentiation period will likely be more dangerous than others’. If you feel unwell, come to the hospital immediately oh.”

“Mm, got it,” Ning Xi said.

After taking his temperature and completing the discharge procedures, Ning Xi left the hospital with the man who looked like a butler.

The night had already fallen, and neon lights flickered along the streets, adding a vibrant glow to the darkness.

Although he wasn’t sure whether this person was truly on his side, Ning Xi still followed him into a Porsche.

His temperature was still slightly high, and under the stark white glow of the car’s interior lights, his overly pale skin looked even more sickly. His lips were devoid of color.

“Young Master, are you still feeling unwell?” The butler asked as he glanced through the rearview mirror at Ning Xi, who was leaning on the seat.

Ning Xi gazed at the shifting lights outside the window and muttered, “…No.”

“President Ning is currently abroad, so it’s inconvenient for him to visit you in person,” the butler said. “He asked me to pass on an apology and told you to take care of yourself in the meantime.”

Perhaps it was just a habit, but Ning Xi’s response came without a second thought: “I know.”

“Oh, right. President Ning said he’s willing to grant you one request,” the butler added. “As long as it’s not something like plucking stars from the sky, digging up meteorites, or traveling through outer space. He’ll fulfill anything that an ordinary person can accomplish.”

Ning Xi slouched lazily in his seat, his tone carrying a faint but almost imperceptible trace of irritation. “No need.”

The butler was sharp enough not to press further. He simply continued driving toward home.

In this novel, this version of Ning Xi was also a wealthy young master.

A five-story villa with an enormous courtyard, a garden so extravagant it could host a botanical exhibition.

There were actually even fountain statues.

Perhaps it was some kind of world-building buff exclusive to novels, but Ning Xi felt that an environment this overly luxurious could really turn a person’s mind upside down.

“Mm… I live here regularly?” Ning Xi couldn’t help but ask.

“No, Young Master. You usually live in an apartment on your own. President Ning just instructed me to bring you here today so you could get some proper rest,” the butler said.

“Ah…” Ning Xi glanced around again. He felt that this place was so ridiculously extravagant that calling it “splendid” didn’t even feel like an exaggeration.

Following the butler’s directions, he made his way to what was supposed to be his own room in the house.

Everything inside was well-prepared. Ning Xi took a shower and changed into fresh clothes.

Compared to the over-the-top splendor outside, his room was almost shockingly normal.

A simple layout—white wallpaper, gray curtains, wooden flooring, a desk, a wardrobe, and a bed. Plain to the point of being almost too plain.

The Ning Xi here was this kind of person.

Ning Xi sat down in front of the desk, intending to look through whatever he could find useful.

In fact, what he wanted to understand clearly now was what the Alpha and Omega in this world were.

But right now, his phone had been confiscated by the director—and it was broken anyway. He had no means of communication, and there wasn’t even a computer here.

What can he do…

At this time, Ning Xi rummaged under the bed and found a box.

The box was wrapped tightly, with some seals on it and a small lock hanging.

Most importantly, there was a label on the outside: “AO.”

There might be something useful inside.

Ning Xi thought as he dragged the box out and twisted the lock a few times, realizing it was a combination lock.

He didn’t know the code, but he also wasn’t the type to care about such things. He grabbed a carving knife from the drawer and, without hesitation, pried the lock open.

Inside was a pile of books and some disc cases, all brightly colored and vividly designed. Ning Xi picked one up and slowly read the title aloud: “<Thirty-Six Nights of AO Passion.>…”

Ha?

Ning Xi took out another one: “<My Fierce A Husband Is So Amazing>.”

“<Unforgettable AO Nights of Ecstasy>.”

“<The Crown Prince A and His Hot, Cat-Like O>.”

“<The Complete AO Marking Process [Full Edition]>… Annotation: This A is way too wild and hot???”

Ning Xi swiftly rummaged through the entire box, flipping through the contents. As he stared at the horrifyingly explicit images, he struggled to keep a straight face.

Until he rummaged through the bottom of the box and found a small leather whip.

Ning Xi: “……”

This kid was seriously wild ah.

Ning Xi stared at the chaotic pile of discs, books, and illustrations he had dumped onto the floor. The sheer intensity of the 18+ forbidden content shocked him in more ways than one.

But technically, these were books about Alphas and Omegas ah.

How about… taking a look?

Just to get a better understanding of how things worked in this world.

Ning Xi picked up the most normal-looking book he could find—“<ABO’s Intimate Relationships>.”

Yet, before he even had a chance to flip it open, the door suddenly swung open. “Young Master, I brought your phone…”

The butler poked his head inside and froze. On the floor, he saw a dazzlingly colorful no-18 allowed books and discs, and a small leather whip on Ning Xi’s hand.

Four eyes met and were silent for a few seconds. Then, the butler slowly revealed a mysterious smile.

Ning Xi immediately dropped the book and the whip, glancing around at the colorful mess. It was far too late to hide anything now. “Hey, no, these…”

The butler nodded understandingly. “It’s fine, Young Master. You’re young, full of energy, and have a lot of fire in you. Completely understandable.”

Ning Xi wanted to cover up as much as possible, but the butler simply placed the phone on the nearby table, his expression perfectly kind and composed. “Your phone was left in the car. I wanted to make sure you got it.”

“Don’t misunderstand ah, these aren’t mine ah…” Ning Xi tried to kick the colorful books behind him.

Before he could even begin to explain, the butler smiled kindly. “Take your time and enjoy. I won’t disturb you.”

Then, he added, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell President Ning. I understand~”

Ning Xi: “…”

Ah, ah, ah, ah!

It’s better to live on a different planet.

At this point, the only impression he had left on others was a certified pervert.

After saying that, the butler closed the door with a glowing face.

Ning Xi ran a hand through his hair, utterly resigned, and got up to grab this world’s phone from the counter.

Oh, and he also flipped through the book.

To his surprise, the content was actually pretty normal. It read like a typical school-life novel, and the way AOs interacted didn’t seem all that different from regular friendships between guys.

So, Ning Xi lost interest and didn’t read on.

Instead, he opened his phone and searched up “ABO” on Baidu.^[1]Similar to Google.

“Alpha: a dominant gender, possessing an innate protective and possessive instinct toward Omegas, especially those they have marked…”

What does this mean ah? Why can’t I still understand it?

Just as Ning Xi was still agonizing to decipher this so-called baike^[2]Encyclopedia entry, a message suddenly popped up in his chat window:

[Bai Xuyu: Calling Xi’er! Calling Xi’er! I’ve found you the ultimate, absolute, peerless A of your dreams la!]