What's Wrong with This Alpha? - Chapter 87

Chapter 87 – Part of The Truth

“Is he in a bad mood?” Jiang Wangshu whispered to Hao Shanshan on the first morning of the new semester, leaning in conspiratorially.

Hao Shanshan glanced at Duan Yi, who had been slumped over his desk since arriving at school early that morning, still asleep.

He hadn’t touched the breakfast Sheng Yunze had brought him—soy milk, fried dough sticks, two steamed buns, a pancake, and a tea egg, all neatly arranged on his desk.

Jiang Wangshu couldn’t decide whether to mock Sheng Yunze for treating Duan Yi like a little piglet or to marvel at how much food one person could possibly eat in the morning.

Hao Shanshan sighed. “President Duan hasn’t even touched his food. He must be heartbroken. It’s like the sky is falling.”

Jiang Wangshu replied with mock profundity, “More than that. Knowing Duan Bao, even if the sky were falling, he wouldn’t skip a meal. He’d grab his food while escaping. His dedication to eating is on par with a national model worker—the kind who deserves a ‘Top Ten Foodies of China’ medal personally awarded by the president.”

Hao Shanshan exchanged a look with Jiang Wangshu. “Could they have broken up?” she asked.

“Impossible,” Jiang Wangshu scoffed. “The shelf life of love is at least seven years. High school relationships are shorter, so let’s round it down to seven months. They haven’t even been together that long. Their love hasn’t even died its first seven days yet.”

“Your analysis is spot-on,” Hao Shanshan said.

Jiang Wangshu asked, “Why are we still bringing Xiaoduan meals after they broke up?”

“Maybe it’s his last meal before the execution?” Hao Shanshan suggested.

Jiang Wangshu glanced at her and patted her dog-like head twice. “You’re too young to be worrying about such nonsense. Just focus on your own love life.”

“Mom, before I start dating, can I borrow your physics test to copy?” Hao Shanshan asked.

“Five yuan per use,” Jiang Wangshu replied.

“Shop owner, can I get a discount?”

“I’ll discount your legs.”

Pingtou immediately leaned in. “Chairman, I’ll pay ten yuan! Let me copy first!”

Jiang Wangshu beamed triumphantly and slapped the test onto Pingtou’s desk. “See, daughter? This is your mother’s first lesson for you this new semester: ‘Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying.'”

Hao Shanshan gave him a thumbs-up. “What a corrupt official.”

“I’m earning my wealth through hard work, not corruption! Labor is glorious! If you’re so capable, don’t copy…”

The group erupted in lively chatter.

The test papers flew around the room.

The new semester had begun—the final semester of their third year of high school—and everyone was buzzing with excitement.

On one hand, they felt like they were just a rounding error away from the glorious life of university. On the other, they were still discussing their end-of-semester exam results from the previous term.

Several high-scoring students from Class Two had transferred to Class One for study sessions, while a few underperforming students from Class One had moved to Class Two. This reshuffling hit them hard.

However, if they did well on the midterm exams, they could return to their original classes, so it wasn’t a major issue.

Only Duan Yi’s seat remained untouched, with no one daring to sit within a two-meter radius. Anyone with eyes could see he was in a foul mood—or rather, an absolutely terrible one.

Duan Yi and Sheng Yunze were at odds.

This wasn’t something Duan Yi had told anyone; Sheng Yunze, with his uncanny intuition, had deduced it from Duan Yi’s behavior.

Ever since that night when Sheng Ming and Sheng Xi disappeared, Duan Yi had locked himself in his room for the entire night.

He hadn’t bothered Sheng Yunze on WeChat that day, nor had he come to find him afterward. This was completely out of character for Duan Yi, who usually reported even the smallest trivial matters to Sheng Yunze.

Even when Sheng Yunze tried to contact him, Duan Yi didn’t reply.

It slowly dawned on Sheng Yunze that Duan Yi seemed to be blaming him.

Was it because he had stopped Sheng Ming and Sheng Xi? Or because he was too cold-blooded?

Since they started dating, the two had never given each other such cold shoulders.

And so, a silent, unspoken cold war began.

At noon, Duan Yi unexpectedly didn’t join Sheng Yunze for lunch, nor did he go with Jiang Wangshu. Instead, he went to the school’s sports field alone.

By the time Sheng Yunze removed his headphones, Duan Yi’s seat was already empty.

The first day of classes at Second High School wasn’t particularly demanding. The morning was spent distributing textbooks, leaving the afternoon free for independent study or extracurricular activities.

Sensing that Duan Yi might prefer some solitude, Sheng Yunze lingered in the classroom for a while before heading out of the school gates.

Along the way, many parents were escorting their children to register, lugging suitcases and bulky bedding into the school.

Someone recognized Sheng Yunze, and several girls gazed at him in awe before pulling out their phones, seemingly exchanging messages. Sheng Yunze could clearly feel himself being photographed.

When he reached the bus stop, an Omega boy who had been sitting and listening to music immediately stood up, covering his mouth in surprise.

Sheng Yunze was used to people staring at his face, but he had never seen such an overreaction.

The Omega boy’s ears flushed crimson. Judging by his uniform, he was likely a second-year student—Sheng Yunze couldn’t distinguish between the First-Year and second-year uniforms.

“Senior… please, take my seat,” the boy said, shifting slightly to the left with his shoulder bag.

Sheng Yunze, focused on hailing a taxi on his phone, didn’t even glance at him. The screen lit up to reveal Duan Yi’s ridiculously goofy selfie.

His phone contained hundreds of such selfies, not to mention the various “ugly” photos Duan Yi had secretly taken without his permission.

While waiting for the car, the Omega student mustered his courage and asked Sheng Yunze, “Senior, do you… do you remember me?”

Sheng Yunze glanced at the screen and saw the car wouldn’t arrive for another six minutes. So far away? he thought irritably, completely missing what the student had said.

The student’s voice was clear and pleasant. “I confessed to you at the cafeteria last time…”

Sheng Yunze, wearing earbuds, barely heard him.

The Omega student raised his voice, and Sheng Yunze finally tilted his head slightly. “Are you talking to me?”

The student’s face paled. Sheng Yunze clearly didn’t remember him at all.

…Though, considering the circumstances, that was hardly surprising.

The Omega junior didn’t seem to have harbored much hope that Sheng Yunze would remember him anyway.

Forget it, he thought. I should just give up on this.

The junior was remarkably self-aware: The High Mountain Flower isn’t something we mortals can pluck. It’s enough to admire it from afar.

But then, during those few minutes of waiting, Sheng Yunze suddenly broke his usual silence and asked, “Do Omegas care a lot about their children?”

Senior… are you sexually harassing me?!

The junior was momentarily stunned, unsure whether to be more surprised that Sheng Yunze had actually initiated a conversation with him or that he would ask such a question.

His mind froze for a moment, and after a long pause, he could only manage a confused, “…Huh?”

Sheng Yunze, too, had been swept up in the moment, throwing caution to the wind. When he realized what he’d asked, he was somewhat speechless himself.

The junior swallowed nervously and replied, “I… I think so? After all, Omegas are pretty… well, they give birth themselves, right? How could they not care?”

Sheng Yunze pondered, “What if her husband threw her child away?”

That’s probably how it feels, he thought. It’s not like two children could just vanish without a trace.

The junior: !!!

Senior, what kind of wild, savage things are you saying?!

This is a crime! Snap out of it!

Sheng Yunze seemed oblivious to the earth-shattering implications of his words.

Before the junior could respond, the car arrived.

The junior hurriedly blurted out, “She’d definitely be furious…”

Sheng Yunze’s back stiffened. He opened the car door, climbed in, and sped off, leaving the junior with only the aloof, cool-guy silhouette of his retreating figure.

The taxi dropped Sheng Yunze off at a renowned hospital in the city.

The main entrance bustled with activity. Sheng Yunze followed a man in a wheelchair to the elevator and, trusting his intuition, rode up to the third floor.

The gynecology clinic was on the right, its double doors marked with large characters: “Men Prohibited.”

Sheng Yunze stood at the entrance for a moment before turning to leave, only to be stopped by a young nurse. “Hello, sir. Please wait here for a moment.”

“I’m looking for Dr. He,” Sheng Yunze stated bluntly.

The nurse hesitated, then answered a phone call. After a brief exchange, she returned to guide Sheng Yunze. “Sir, please follow me this way.”

As they moved away from the gynecology clinic, Sheng Yunze noticed they had reached the fifth floor: the neurosurgery department.

Before he could even step inside, a young man’s voice, melodramatic and overly serious, boomed from consultation room number one, “Professor, you’ve finally arrived!”

Sheng Yunze: ……

He stepped into the room, which was an office.

A swivel chair faced away from him, then slowly turned to reveal a man in a white coat. The right side of the coat bore his name: Dr. He.

Dr. He clasped his hands across his chest and exclaimed excitedly, “What do you think? Wasn’t that line great? Mysterious and imposing, right?”

After speaking, he paused to savor the moment. “It still feels like something’s missing. Why don’t you go out and try again? What do you think of that line?”

Dr. He regarded Sheng Yunze with an inscrutable gaze, his voice deep and resonant. “Professor, you’ve arrived sooner than I anticipated. Should I say, ‘You truly live up to your reputation’?”

Sheng Yunze ignored Dr. He’s theatrical performance, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

“Sheng Xi told me to come find you,” he said, meeting Dr. He’s gaze directly. “Did you bring them here?”

Dr. He smiled faintly. “By now, they should have already returned.”

“What exactly is going on?” Sheng Yunze pressed.

“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time,” Dr. He replied. “Seeing you here confirms that you’ve already sensed something. Why don’t you tell me what you think?”

Sheng Yunze placed a red ribbon from his backpack on Dr. He’s desk—the same ribbon he and Duan Yi had found beneath a ginkgo tree during their last mountain hike, inscribed with both their names.

He also laid down a news clipping about a car accident that would occur seven years in the future—a document he had discovered in his father’s study.

“Duan Yi told me he had a car accident during summer vacation, transmigrated to the ‘real world,’ and then returned. He and I married there, had children, and lived for over a decade.”

Dr. He nodded.

Sheng Yunze asked, “Duan Yi was wrong. This isn’t a parallel world, is it?”

Dr. He nodded again. “That’s right. What did your son tell you?”

Sheng Yunze hesitated. “Duan Yi is in a coma.”

Dr. He straightened up. “Duan Yi is indeed in a coma, and he did have a car accident. In ‘that world,’ he’s been unconscious for half a year and hasn’t woken up yet. Stop, you don’t need to continue. Your deduction is correct. The world you and I are in is artificial. To be precise, it’s two segments of consciousness uploaded to a computer—you can think of it as a holographic MMORPG.”

Sheng Yunze had already figured this out himself, but hearing Dr. He confirm it was a different matter entirely.

He spoke, “This place is Duan Yi’s consciousness—his memories. You and I are just two other segments of consciousness that have entered his mind. Of course, artificially constructed memories will always have some discrepancies compared to real ones. I haven’t had a chance to introduce myself to the current you yet. I’m He Yu, a psychologist whose dream is to become a great gynecologist. In the real world, you found me and asked me to do something for you.”

Sheng Yunze immediately understood. “Are you hypnotizing me?” he asked. “Did you leave yourself an NPC explainer in this world?”

Dr. He smiled. “Close enough. I’m responsible for hypnotizing you. Through biotechnology and information technology, we transferred your and Duan Yi’s minds into the computer.”

He pointed to the two items on the table. “The newspaper and red ribbon were clues you left for yourself. Because this technology is still in its early stages—and you activated it prematurely—there was a slight error when your consciousness entered Duan Yi’s mind. That’s why you’ve lost some memories. You left these clues to find me. Duan Yi must be experiencing the same thing. Doesn’t he have trouble remembering many things?”

Sheng Yunze remained noncommittal, but a storm raged within him.

Dr. He continued, “Think carefully. After Duan Yi woke up from the car accident during his third-year summer vacation, didn’t he exhibit many strange behaviors around you?”

Sheng Yunze immediately recalled the strange things Duan Yi had done when school first started.

Dr. He smiled faintly. “Professor Sheng, your twisted sense of humor hasn’t changed a bit, from reality to here.”

Sheng Yunze’s brow twitched, sensing Dr. He was alluding to something he didn’t know.

Dr. He changed the subject. “The rest is a long story. It’s better if you remember it yourself. Then you’ll understand everything.”

Sheng Yunze asked warily, “What do you mean?”

Dr. He smiled gently. “Professor Sheng told me that if his high school self ever found me, I should do one thing: restore your memories.”

Author’s Note:

The professor-flavored school beauty is about to make his entrance…

Professor Sheng (self-righteously): “What does high school Sheng Yunze’s cold war with my wife have to do with me? He’s not giving me the cold shoulder, is he?”