Fine rain, driven diagonally by the wind, landed coolly on exposed skin. Shavri Vitaljevich finished his afternoon training, removing his tactical gloves, and someone immediately handed him a wet wipe to clean the gunpowder residue from his fingers. After the global cataclysm that flooded much of the Earth, humanity, now living in constrained spaces, displayed unprecedented unity. They migrated into the Beacons, fortified enclaves designed to fend off relentless attacks by primordial sea creatures that now threatened their new homes. Thus, even with limited resources, military development in the Beacons was aggressively pursued.

Antonio Green, the only son of the Minister of Education and a childhood friend of Shavri, removed his goggles and clapped a hand on Shavri’s shoulder. “What’s the matter? Not feeling it today?” The two had a strong bond despite their contrasting personalities; Antonio was cheerful and chivalrous, the quintessential gentleman that many an Omega dreamt of, in stark contrast to Shavri’s more somber demeanor.

Shavri shook his head silently, his gaze fixed on a bullet-riddled target in the distance, his thoughts drifting. —Was Chen Ci awake now? How was he resting? Was he feeling better? He checked his terminal; no new messages had arrived. Shavri sighed softly, puzzled by his own feelings.

Sitting on a bench for a break, Antonio tossed him a beer. Shavri popped it open with one hand, the foam spilling over. The faint sound of a young voice breathing, mingled with the scent of alcohol whispering “you’re so sweet,” made Shavri gulp down a few hasty sips to cover his momentary embarrassment.

“Want to go out tomorrow?” Antonio asked.

“Where to?”

“The Harbor Base. You could bring your fiancé along.” The Harbor Base, located on the waterfront near Chensha, was the closest area to the sea surface. Shavri had once mentioned it when Chen Nian had asked about the sea. Shavri interpreted this as Chen Ci being interested in visiting.

The image of the young man laughing freely under the sky was vivid in Shavri’s mind, a stark contrast to his usual demeanor, making Shavri realize this could be the perfect way to compensate Chen Ci for his troubles. “I’ll ask him,” Shavri agreed, thinking Chen Ci would be pleased to hear the suggestion.

Antonio’s smile deepened. “Such a wonderful fiancé you have, and you keep him cooped up all day. If I hadn’t seen it for myself that day, I might have believed the rumors.”

“It wasn’t convenient before, and he doesn’t like crowded places,” Shavri explained, his mind also on Chen Ci needing rest today after feeling unwell, looking forward to a day out tomorrow that could help him unwind.

Meanwhile, in the White Tower, Chen Ci had finished reading all the logs left by Chen Nian. He found himself speechless—not because Chen Nian had made many acquaintances at a royal banquet or even found a friend. He was actually quite pleased to see his brother fitting in so well.

However, Chen Nian had pushed all his classes to the week of Chen Ci’s return. “Show me the schedule for this week,” he requested.

The virtual screen unfolded before him, filled with a dense schedule from 8:30 AM to 9:00 PM. Chen Ci was silent for a moment before tapping the screen a few times. “I’m not feeling well; I won’t attend these classes.” He skipped his least favorite classes, like flower arranging and vocal music.

“Okay,” the intelligent housekeeper replied.

Chen Ci breathed a sigh of relief. He had never shirked his responsibilities before, no matter how much he disliked the classes. Inspired by Chen Nian’s carefree nature, he tried being willful for once. It seemed it wasn’t so difficult after all.

“I don’t like these two classes,” Chen Ci continued, “Don’t schedule flower arranging and vocal music for me anymore.”

“These classes have been part of your curriculum since you were twelve,” the housekeeper noted.

“I have never liked them.”

After a brief silence, the housekeeper responded, “Understood. From today onwards, they will not be scheduled for you.”

Refusing was not as hard as he had thought. He didn’t always have to respond with silence.

Chen Ci hummed in approval, reopened Chen Nian’s log, took a stylus, and circled the conclusion about “Shavri being a major jerk,” marking it with a large question mark.

Chen Nian woke up bleary-eyed. The events of the previous day had only strengthened his resolve to settle everything before switching places with Chen Ci. Moving was impractical given the short time frame and his inability to explain it to Uncle Jiang. He would definitely resign from the nightclub and sever all ties with that place. As for the other Alphas who were interested in him, he had no immediate solution.

Leaning against the headboard, he activated his terminal to read about his brother’s dignified life, trying to understand what had made Chen Ci decide to come back down. Chen Ci’s writing was as calm and concise as ever, describing events in the simplest terms. Seeing that Chen Ci had ended up with only 0.11 Ogi in his terminal account, unable to afford food or transport, Chen Nian awkwardly touched his nose. He had forgotten about this detail, and if Chen Ci hadn’t mentioned it in his log, it wouldn’t have crossed his mind now.

Chen Ci had encountered a gang of six colorful-haired thugs in an alley and taught them a lesson. At that critical moment, he had met Alpha Fu Tianhe. Chen Nian perked up at the description of the Alpha with the golden prosthetic eye—it must have been the same person who had helped him escape the previous night.

Just two hours after coming down, his brother had met an interesting Alpha.

Chen Nian’s curiosity was piqued. He controlled his excitement and continued reading.

Later, Chen Ci and Fu Tianhe had run into each other at a garbage dump in the Western District. Fu Tianhe took the slow-witted brother back to his place and even got his contact information. Naturally, it was Chen Nian’s terminal number, but that was irrelevant since they would be switching back anyway.

Every day that Chen Ci spent in the Underground City seemed to involve Fu Tianhe in some way.

Seeing that they had passed by the Transportation Department and narrowly avoided Drake, Chen Ci had skillfully dodged, while Fu Tianhe had witnessed the whole scene.

Chen Nian collapsed on the bed, laughing hysterically. No wonder Fu Tianhe had probably thought Drake was there to collect a debt the night before.

This was good; knowing less about his troubles would make future interactions between his brother and Fu Tianhe smoother.

After reading about Chen Ci, now “Jiu Yue,” and Fu Tianhe’s various interactions, Chen Nian came up with a plan.

During their identity switch, could he arrange for Fu Tianhe to look after Chen Ci?

Fu Tianhe was an Alpha and clearly had feelings for his brother. The fact that he had spent 10,500 Ogi on a pass despite barely being able to afford his own meals was proof enough, not to mention his brawl with Drake the previous night over “Jiu Yue.”

Chen Nian glanced at the stuffed bear beside his bed, a prize Fu Tianhe had won for Chen Ci at a game. The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, but he couldn’t make such a decision hastily.

He needed to test this man’s intentions further; after all, everything indicated that Fu Tianhe was primarily driven by physical attraction.

Chen Nian had seen many Alphas and knew their tactics all too well. Many were charming at the outset, seemingly ready to give their heart, acting every bit the smitten suitor. But once they got what they wanted, they showed their true colors: disinterest and carelessness, a stark contrast to their initial fervor.

Touching his chin thoughtfully, Chen Nian opened his terminal’s contacts and found Fu Tianhe’s name among a list of Alphas. Just a few hours earlier, Fu Tianhe had sent him a message.

At the time, Chen Nian had been asleep, and the notification got lost among messages from others, unnoticed.

“Got home safe? Are you hurt?” “Jiu Yue?” “Did you sleep? If you see this message, please reply, I’m a bit worried about you.”

Chen Nian scrolled through the chat history; Chen Ci and Fu Tianhe had added each other on the first day of the switch. They hadn’t talked much since then, only exchanging a location on a map the day before last, pinpointing a tattoo parlor on Commercial Street.

Knowing his brother’s way with words, Chen Nian mimicked Chen Ci’s style in his reply: “Sorry, I was resting. How about you?”

Fu Tianhe’s terminal vibrated with the alert for “Special Attention.” He snatched it from the table, almost knocking over the doctor’s water glass in his haste.

“Be careful,” the doctor frowned.

“He replied to me!” Fu Tianhe held his bandaged hand over the terminal, staring at the message from “Jiu Yue,” unable to contain his excitement. “He replied!”

“Uh-huh,” the doctor responded nonchalantly, pressing a cotton ball with tweezers against Fu Tianhe’s face, eliciting a yelp of pain from the Alpha, almost making him jump off the stool.

Tears sprang to Fu Tianhe’s eyes as he looked at the reply from “Jiu Yue,” shouting, “Gentler! You’re killing me!”

“I thought you were so happy you wouldn’t feel anything,” the doctor continued to clean the wound on his face.

The previous night, Fu Tianhe had thrown two bricks and leaped from a wall to rescue Chen Nian, who was being interrogated by Drake. They had fought from one end of the alley to the other.

Given that Drake, a clerical worker at the Transportation Department, could not match Fu Tianhe, a mechanic in physical fitness, he was soon unable to get up after being thoroughly beaten.

Gasping for breath, Fu Tianhe had climbed to his feet and fiercely warned Drake with phrases like, “Be more careful where you walk,” and “If I see you around here again, it won’t just be a beating next time.”

Unfortunately, “Jiu Yue” hadn’t seen his impressive performance.

Fu Tianhe had won the fight but had also been injured. His face was bruised, his body sported several purple marks, and his knuckles were swollen from the physical struggle.

He had messaged Chen Ci but didn’t receive a reply, so he went home to rest for a while.

When he woke up, the wound on his cheekbone looked even more pitiful, prompting him to go to a backstreet clinic for treatment.

He didn’t want the injury to linger too long; what if it affected his handsome appearance the next time he saw “Jiu Yue”?

“Be gentle, be gentle!” Fu Tianhe gasped in pain. “It wasn’t that sore until you started messing with it.”

The doctor rolled his eyes, tossing the iodine-soaked cotton ball into the trash and applying medicine to Fu Tianhe, then covering it with gauze. “There, you won’t die.”

Fu Tianhe checked his reflection in the mirror to make sure he still looked handsome with the bandage and felt somewhat reassured.

Enduring the pain in his hand and face, he replied to “Jiu Yue”: “Glad you’re okay, I’m fine too.” He paused, then added, “Don’t worry, I gave that guy a lesson he won’t forget anytime soon. He won’t dare bother you for a while.”

The doctor glanced at his terminal screen, wiped his hands, and asked, “Do you need the gene correction shot? It’s time.”

“I’m a bit short on cash right now,” Fu Tianhe looked up, somewhat troubled. “Maybe wait a couple of days?”

“If you don’t care about dying, sure, wait,” the doctor said slowly. “Or if you don’t mind being picked up by the epidemic station, go ahead.”

Fu Tianhe clicked his tongue.

“Fine, give it to me. I’ll pay you in a few days.”

The doctor chuckled, retrieving the injection from a fridge in the corner. “I had it ready for you.”

Fu Tianhe rolled up his sleeve, and the doctor shook the light red medicine into the syringe before injecting it into Fu Tianhe’s sturdy arm.

The gene correction serum entered his muscle, the needle was withdrawn, and Fu Tianhe pressed a cotton swab against the injection site, asking, “Why does your injection hurt more than a nurse’s?”

“Just hurry up and get out; don’t keep me from doing business,” the doctor retorted.

“Fine, I’m going.”

Fu Tianhe’s thoughts were filled with what “Jiu Yue” might reply next; he had no interest in arguing with the doctor. He stood up and left with a spring in his step.

Chen Nian saw the immediate reply and knew Fu Tianhe had probably been waiting for Chen Ci’s message all along.

He couldn’t meet Fu Tianhe in person, which limited his methods to test the other’s intentions. If it were merely physical attraction, Fu Tianhe would inevitably seek more face-to-face meetings, eagerly pushing for closer contact, much like Drake had done.

Thus, he could leave Fu Tianhe hanging for a few days to see his reaction, then have his brother personally verify whether this man was truly trustworthy after they switched back.

After all, he wasn’t really “Jiu Yue.”

Chen Ci possessed significant mental power, having single-handedly taken down six thugs in an alley. If Fu Tianhe became frustrated and attempted anything inappropriate, he would likely not fare well.

If Fu Tianhe maintained his current demeanor, then he could tentatively be trusted.

Unfortunately, Chen Nian couldn’t contact Chen Ci to discuss this; it would have been more appropriate to talk it over.

Deciding on his course of action, Chen Nian wrote down his detailed plan in his journal, then glanced at Fu Tianhe’s message one last time before closing their chat interface.