Contemplating under the moonlight until midnight, Zhou Shu’s curiosity regarding the Enigma gender climbed to its peak.
While he had heard rumors about this "strongest gender" before, he had never encountered one in person, nor had he ever felt the desire to learn more. But now, the situation had completely flipped. Not only had an Enigma appeared in his life, but this Enigma was his own childhood sweetheart.
Right, he had almost forgotten—he had just been tricked into marriage by this childhood friend today.
A gust of cold wind swept past, making Zhou Shu shiver. He stood up and returned to his room, pulling the small red booklet from his coat pocket.
Jin Yan... Zhou Shu...
Their names were finally lined up together. This was something both of them had dreamed of since they were children, even if there was a significant discrepancy in the "gender" column.
Zhou Shu stared at the two names for a long time, as if trying to read into the very essence of every stroke, until the characters for his and Jin Yan’s names began to lose their meaning from over-scrutiny.
His phone rang. Zhou Shu subconsciously pressed the answer button.
"Ge..." The voice of the person in the "spouse" column drifted from the other end of the line.
"...Mm." The realization that he had answered the phone purely out of habit was stifling. It seemed too late to hang up now, so Zhou Shu chose silence.
He had expected Jin Yan to say something to coax him or beg for forgiveness, but that wasn't the case.
"I just told my parents. They’re quite happy."
"Mm."
"As for Uncle Zhou and Aunt Liang’s side, I’ll go talk to them tomorrow. You’re busy with work, so don't get distracted."
"Mm."
"The trial opening starts tomorrow. The website Jiang Rong’s people made is very professional; all the slots for this week are fully booked."
"Mm."
"Ge..." This time, the other end went quiet for a moment before Jin Yan sighed. "I miss you so much..."
Zhou Shu’s lips parted slightly. All the fortresses he had built in his heart were instantly demolished by Jin Yan’s aggrieved, wheedling tone.
Wasn't this guy an Enigma? How could there be such a clingy and cute Enigma in this world...
Seeing that Zhou Shu didn't respond, Jin Yan continued his clingy mode. "My room is still filled with the scent of your pheromones. It smelled so strong I had to take a cold shower."
"...Shut up." Zhou Shu finally couldn't help but break his silence.
Jin Yan chuckled on the other end. "Alright, I won't say it." He softened his voice, coaxing gently, "You're finally willing to say a few more words to me. My Film King brother is just too cold and aloof."
Zhou Shu’s mouth moved as he tried to explain something. After deliberating for a long while, he finally let out two low words: "I'm not."
"Mm, I’m just teasing. I know you aren't." *You are clearly the most gentle and considerate person. It’s my fault for making you wrap yourself in a cold shell.*
The two of them held their phones in silence for a long time. The stillness was broken by a knock on Zhou Shu’s bedroom door.
Jin Yan grew tense. "Who is it?"
Zhou Shu quickly explained, "Zhu Lili." He added, "She was too lazy to go back tonight, so she’s staying here. My apartment has two spare rooms."
Zhou Shu’s unprompted, long-winded explanation made Jin Yan’s mood brighten instantly. He curled his lips and pressed his mouth close to the receiver. "Are you explaining to me that you aren't committing adultery? It’s okay, I trust you."
Jin Yan’s deep, sexy voice suddenly felt as if it were right against his ear, making the tips of Zhou Shu’s ears turn red. He coughed twice, muttered a few perfunctory words, and hung up.
Adultery... how did he have the face to say such nonsense?
He had to admit, he had been stirred up by Jin Yan again—and it was a "cloud-stirring" from hundreds of kilometers away.
He stood up, adjusted his emotions, and opened the door. Zhu Lili was standing outside wearing a sheet mask.
"...Who are you trying to scare to death in the middle of the night?" Zhou Shu rubbed his brow and leaned against the doorframe. "If you have something to say, say it."
"Oh, ith nuffin. Ith jutht that my dad athked me to athk you when you’re going back for your follow-up."
Zhou Shu was speechless. He looked at the person patting her face and gritted his teeth. "Speak human."
"Dammit!" Zhu Lili ripped off the mask in frustration. "I said! It’s nothing, just that my dad asked me to ask you when you’re going back for your follow-up! How are you so useless? You’re supposed to be a Film King; who would believe those movies use your original voice if they saw you now?"
Zhou Shu snorted coldly. "Do I need them to believe it? Besides, dubbing doesn't require passing a 'hell-mode' listening comprehension test." After his retort, he turned back into the room and said nonchalantly, "Whatever. It doesn't really matter if I go or not."
"Oh, so you’re a doctor now, are you?" Zhu Lili’s voice sharpened. Zhou Shu sighed.
"Aren't we going back to Haicheng on Friday? You can arrange the schedule for the following days as you see fit."
"That’s more like it! I’m leaving then. Go to sleep early; you have a magazine cover shoot tomorrow." After saying that, Zhu Lili walked toward the door, swiping a limited-edition brooch from the bedside table on her way out.
"Wait..." Zhou Shu called out. Zhu Lili turned around impatiently.
"Oh, come on! Why are you getting stingier and stingier? I’m just borrowing your brooch for a couple of days!"
Zhou Shu felt helpless. He rolled his eyes coldly. "Who’s talking about that? Can you stop adding so much drama for yourself?" He paused, his tone becoming hesitant. "That... when you were out meeting people, did you ever meet an Enigma?"
"Wait... hold on..." Zhu Lili put one hand to her forehead and held the other palm up in front of Zhou Shu. "Are you Zhou Shu right now, or Duo Duo?"
"?"
"It shouldn't be... Duo Duo doesn't have such a sharp gaze. But if it’s Zhou Shu, why would he be closing the door to have a late-night 'sister talk' with me?" Zhu Lili pinched her chin, squinting as she studied him thoughtfully.
"Wait... hold on... make yourself clear..." It was Zhou Shu’s turn to be confused. He took a few seconds to process this, then his eyes widened as he stared at Zhu Lili. "So every time I fall asleep, what on earth are you two talking about?!"
Seeing Zhou Shu’s panicked interrogation—looking as if he were accusing her of "corrupting Duo Duo"—Zhu Lili leaned against the doorframe and laughed until she shook.
"Fine, I’m just teasing you." She finally calmed down, using her ring fingers to gently support the corners of her eyes as if to prevent wrinkles from forming. "Tell me, what do you mean by asking that? Are you finally planning to offer yourself up?"
"You freaking..." Zhou Shu couldn't help but curse, but he forced himself to swallow his anger. "I’m just a bit... *ahem*, curious."
Zhu Lili arched an eyebrow. "Curious about what? The size? The comfort level? The stamina?"
"..."
Zhou Shu surrendered completely. He waved his hand, silently signaling for Zhu Lili to shut up, and made a "get lost" gesture.
Knowing she had won, Zhu Lili gave a wicked smile and left, closing the door behind her with the brooch in hand.
Zhou Shu sat on the edge of the bed for a long time before his breathing returned to normal. He rubbed his temples a few times and climbed back into bed with his tablet.
In the end, he hadn't gained any information at all.
Zhu Lili, that "female player" among Omegas, was truly useless after all.
Thus, Zhou Shu chose to take matters into his own hands.
He searched for information on "Enigma." After browsing through over ten pages, all he found were word games that were identical to the official data; there was nothing special.
He continued to flip through the pages until his gaze landed on the words "That Night" in a title. Curiosity compelled him to click the link.
After several identity verifications, a video popped up on the webpage.
In the next second, Zhou Shu’s eyes widened, and his throat began to feel hot.
Outside the window, the colors had shifted at some point. Though it was still night, the moonlight obscured by dark clouds always lacked a bit of clarity.
Zhou Shu’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He moved his eyes away from the screen for a moment and saw raindrops beginning to hit the windowpane.
He stood up and opened the window just a crack, then, after a thought, pulled the curtains shut tightly.
Only after completing these "ritualistic" actions did he crawl back under the covers.
Before long, the rain intensified. Cold droplets snuck into the room through the crack. The familiar scent made Zhou Shu’s entire body tremble.
And the two suggestive voices coming from the screen in his hand dissolved into the strengthening sound of the rain.
And so, on a night where a fine drizzle tapped against the window, a certain Film King huddled alone under his blanket...
"Studying by the light of fireflies," "boring through the wall to steal light"...
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 囊萤映雪 | Studying by the light of fireflies and reflected snow | An idiom referring to diligent study under poor conditions. |
| 凿壁偷光 | Boring through the wall to steal light | An idiom referring to a poor student who bored a hole in the wall to use a neighbor's light to study. |
| 婚内出轨 | Adultery / Infidelity within marriage | Literally "derailing within marriage." |
| 云撩拨 | Cloud-teasing / Remote flirting | Flirting via the internet or phone (like "cloud computing"). |
| 复诊 | Follow-up appointment / Re-examination | A medical check-up after an initial diagnosis. |
