Chapter 4 - Born for You
The final line of the medical report felt like a jagged blade, slicing effortlessly into the core of Jin Yan’s heart.
*Secondary personality: Zhou Duo. Eighteen years old. Newly differentiated Omega.*
Even if these three pieces of information were stripped apart and presented to him individually, any one of them would have been enough to shatter Jin Yan’s mental fortitude. To receive them all at once, delivered in a single, devastating blow, left him reeling. He stared at the glowing screen of the electronic report for a long time, his mind struggling to process the impossible reality until the phone eventually went black in his trembling hand.
The sensation of slender fingers brushing against the screen pulled him back to the present. Zhou Shu—or rather, the person inhabiting his body—was looking at him with a shy, tentative smile, gently swaying their joined hands.
"Brother, did you get locked out? I’ll tell you the password." As he spoke, he guided Jin Yan’s hand, using the man’s own finger to tap out four digits.
*0909.*
The soft click of the screen unlocking coincided with the sharp intake of Jin Yan’s breath. He wondered how many more "surprises" his heart could endure today. Finally summoning the courage to look up, he met eyes that shimmered with an innocent light. This was the face he had known most intimately for eighteen years, the face that had haunted his dreams every night since he had left. Yet, this was undeniably not the Zhou Shu he knew. This person claimed his name was Zhou Duo.
*Zhou Duo...* Jin Yan thought, his chest tightening. *Is it because of 'Duo-duo'?*
"Zhou Duo," Jin Yan whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "You know who I am, don't you?"
Zhou Duo tilted his head, appearing confused by the question. "Of course. You’re my brother. You’re Brother Jin Yan."
The "Brother" in question was currently paralyzed. If things continued like this, the world was about to lose one Enigma to sheer mental exhaustion.
"Brother Jin Yan, it feels like I’ve been sleeping for a long time," Zhou Duo continued, his eyes welling with fresh tears of grievance. "But every time I smell your scent, I wake up. I wake up and I look for you, but I can never find you... Did I do something wrong? Do you not want to see me anymore? You said... you said that once I differentiated into an Omega, you would mark me. I’ve differentiated now. Why did you leave?"
"I..." Jin Yan found himself stripped of the power of speech.
This narrative—this heartbreakingly devoted internal monologue—felt hauntingly familiar, yet the genders were all wrong. A realization began to take root in his mind, a thought that brought equal parts exhilaration, dread, and madness. He felt a desperate urge to confirm the truth, to dig into the past, but he feared scaring the fragile soul before him. Whether it was the current Zhou Shu or this "Zhou Duo," he couldn't bear to cause either of them the slightest bit of harm.
For now, he had to offer comfort. Jin Yan gathered the trembling man into his arms, gently patting his back. In the quiet of the room, he couldn't tell if he was living through a reality or a fever dream.
As the first grey light of dawn touched the horizon, Jin Yan, worried about the other's health, went to the kitchen to prepare a bowl of vegetable congee. Throughout the process, Zhou Duo remained glued to him, refusing to let him out of his sight. Even when it came time to eat, Jin Yan had to feed him spoonful by spoonful. It was a task he performed with bittersweet devotion, his heart swelling with a painful fullness.
When he tried to coax Zhou Duo into sleeping, the younger man gripped his sleeve tightly, his voice trembling as he asked if Jin Yan would disappear again once he closed his eyes. Jin Yan held his hand, offering endless apologies and tireless promises that he was back for good. Zhou Duo eventually succumbed to exhaustion, sobbing softly as he buried his face in Jin Yan’s chest. The scent of sea salt, now laced with a delicate sweetness, drifted into Jin Yan’s senses. He could only grit his teeth and hold his breath, slowly lulling the other to sleep. It was an agonizing test of restraint; surely no Enigma had ever faced a more difficult trial.
Once he was certain Zhou Duo was deep in sleep, Jin Yan retreated to the bathroom to splash cold water on his face. He emerged with the scent of damp mist clinging to him, haphazardly dried his hair, and took Zhou Shu’s phone into the living room. Though the act of invading someone’s privacy felt shameful, he had no other way to contact Zhu Lili.
He poured himself a glass of ice water, sat on the sofa, and entered his own birthday. The phone unlocked instantly. He stared at the home screen, his mind a whirlwind of questions. Had Zhou Duo set this password, or had Zhou Shu? And if it was Zhou Duo, why had Zhou Shu allowed it? The more he thought, the more tangled the threads became.
He opened the contacts and found Zhu Lili’s name starred at the top. With a heavy sigh, he dialed. The phone rang several times without an answer—hardly surprising, given it was only seven in the morning. Just as he was about to hang up, the ringing stopped, replaced by a groggy male voice.
"Who is it..." The man on the other end was clearly half-asleep. Jin Yan froze for a second, double-checking the number. "Speak up or I’m hanging up. I’m dead tired."
"Wait..." Jin Yan’s brow furrowed. The voice was too familiar. He took a gamble. "Gou Feifei?"
Silence stretched across the line, thick with sudden, palpable awkwardness. After a long pause, a startled exclamation erupted from the phone: "Holy sh—! Sorry, I grabbed the wrong phone!"
Jin Yan rubbed the bridge of his nose. He hadn't misidentified the voice, but he was momentarily speechless.
"Uh, Brother Jin, wait a sec. I’ll have her call you back." Gou Feifei hung up abruptly.
*Great,* Jin Yan thought dryly. *Now there’s another Enigma who probably wants to flee the planet.* It seemed their rare subgender was quite united in their shared embarrassment.
A few minutes later, the phone rang again. This time, it was Julia’s voice.
"Hello, Jin Yan. So, did you have a 'happy' night?"
Jin Yan was momentarily stunned by her audacity. As expected of a top-tier Movie King’s assistant and rumored girlfriend, she was well-acquainted with the world’s complexities. He cleared his throat, maintaining his usual steady composure. "Good morning, Julia. I apologize for the early intrusion. If you have time, please come to the apartment. There are many things I need to clarify in person."
"Mm-hmm, no problem," she replied smoothly. "I’ll head over after I get ready. Is Shu-ge asleep?"
"Yes, he just fell under."
A light chuckle came through the receiver. "Alright. It sounds like you’ve experienced enough for one night. I’ll say this much for now: for your own sake, do not wake him up."
Jin Yan wanted to ask why, but he held back, simply agreeing before hanging up. Almost immediately, his own phone rang. It was his mother.
"Hello, Yanyan? You didn't come home last night."
"Yeah, Mom. I went to a bar with some friends and it got late, so I just stayed at a hotel."
"Oh, that’s fine. Get some rest and come home later. Don't forget we’re having dinner with Uncle Zhou and Auntie Liang tonight," his mother reminded him. "Your brother will be there too. You haven't seen each other in five years; it’ll be a good chance to catch up."
"Yeah..." Jin Yan thought to himself. He had already seen him. They had "caught up" all night, and his "brother" was currently sleeping in a room ten paces away.
After ending the call, a momentary silence finally settled over his mind. A man whose biological clock usually demanded sleep by ten p.m. had somehow powered through until sunrise. His head throbbed with a dull ache. He desperately wanted to check on the man in the bedroom again, but Julia’s warning echoed in his ears. Reflecting on the chaos of the previous night, he suspected that "waking up" might bring even more volatile surprises.
He carried Zhou Shu’s phone back into the bedroom, set it on the nightstand, and sat on the edge of the bed. Watching Zhou Shu’s peaceful sleeping face, he thought of the soft, clingy "Zhou Duo" who had been attached to him just an hour ago. His heart felt as though it were wrapped in layers of soft cotton, a gentle, itching warmth spreading through his chest. He allowed a small smile to touch his lips as he tucked Zhou Shu’s arm back under the covers.
But as he looked up, he realized his "surprise" was waking up.
The signs were the same as the night before—a slow stirring, a gradual fluttering of eyelids. Jin Yan mistakenly assumed it was still Zhou Duo. He softened his voice, whispering with the tenderness one might use for a child in a cradle, "Zhou Duo?"
If he could have taken those two words back, he would have.
The room fell into a heavy silence. Then, four words were uttered with chilling precision: "Who are you calling?"
The question was sharp and cold, delivered with the hostility one might show a complete stranger—or an enemy. Jin Yan finally understood what Julia meant about not waking him. To think that their first real conversation after five years of separation would be "Who are you calling?" sent a fresh wave of bitterness through his soul.
"Brother..." Jin Yan’s voice lost its warmth, dropping to a low, cautious tone.
Zhou Shu’s brow furrowed briefly. He pushed himself up, leaning against the headboard as he fixed Jin Yan with a frigid gaze. "You still remember I’m your brother?"
The words hit Jin Yan like a crashing wave, making it difficult to draw breath. When he didn't respond immediately, Zhou Shu let out a cold, mocking laugh. "It seems you really have nothing to say to me."
"No, Brother," Jin Yan denied quickly. "I was just afraid you wouldn't want to talk to me..." *Afraid you were still angry, afraid you never wanted to see me again.*
"What made you finally decide to come back from Country A?" Zhou Shu picked up the water glass from the nightstand. Though the water wasn't iced, his tone was freezing.
"I’m back for good this time," Jin Yan said, centering himself and letting out a long breath.
Zhou Shu’s eyes flickered at that statement, his posture relaxing ever so slightly, though he seemed unaware of the change. The atmosphere remained stiflingly cold until Zhou Shu threw back the covers and walked toward the balcony. He lit a cigarette, the morning light catching the smoke as it drifted upward, creating a perfect Tyndall effect in the hazy air.
He had only taken a few drags when the sound of footsteps approached. A moment later, a jacket was draped over his shoulders.
"Brother, it’s still cold in the morning."
Zhou Shu tilted his head but didn't move away or shrug off the garment. He stood there, bathed in the early sunlight, looking indifferent yet resigned. After a long silence, he exhaled a plume of smoke along with four words.
"Fine. You can leave now."
Jin Yan’s heart skipped a beat. He offered a silent, bitter smile. *Yes, this is the Zhou Shu I remember.*
But he didn't leave. The two of them stood on opposite sides of the balcony like a balanced seesaw—one side in the light, the other in the shadow.
When Julia arrived and saw the scene, she rubbed her temples in exasperation. She walked out to the balcony, noted the overflowing ashtray, then went back inside to pour a glass of water, which she brought back and shook in front of Zhou Shu.
"That’s enough. Stop smoking. You’ll ruin your throat, and you have to sing 'Rouge Drunk' for your promotions next week."
Zhou Shu shot her a look but took the water and drained half the glass; the cigarettes had indeed left him parched. "What were you thinking?" he asked sharply. "Just leaving me with 'someone else' like that?"
Jin Yan felt a sharp pang at the words "someone else." Even though he had prepared himself for this, facing the man’s coldness was still overwhelming. It reminded him of why he had felt forced to leave silently all those years ago.
Julia, however, seemed to find the situation amusing. She let out a short laugh, ignoring Zhou Shu’s warning glare. "Your eyes are swollen. Looks like you didn't sleep well. Get inside and out of the wind."
Zhou Shu’s gaze shifted uncomfortably before he threw one last warning look at Julia and retreated into the house.
A few minutes later, the three of them sat on the sofa, forming a tense triangle. Julia began discussing work for the following week. Zhou Shu responded at first, but his voice grew weaker and weaker until his eyes began to flutter shut. When he finally fell silent, Jin Yan looked over to see him fast asleep on the sofa.
"Is this..." Jin Yan turned to Julia. "Is Zhou Duo coming back out?"
"Oh, no." Julia’s eyes crinkled as she smiled, swirling the water in her glass. "I just put a little sedative effervescent tablet in his water."
Jin Yan stared at her, speechless. Ignoring his expression, Julia watched as he carefully adjusted Zhou Shu into a more comfortable position and covered him with a blanket.
"Alright, stop fussing over him," she said, unable to bear the heavy atmosphere any longer. She looked Jin Yan in the eye. "You understand about Zhou Duo now, right?"
Jin Yan shook his head. "Not really. I only know he’s an eighteen-year-old Omega who calls me 'Brother'."
Julia laughed softly. "Doesn't the scenario feel familiar?"
Jin Yan looked up sharply, and for a moment, Julia felt a flash of intense pressure. It was a cold, visceral weight, like the territorial instinct of a dangerous predator. If this was an Alpha’s pheromone suppression, it was unlike any she had felt before—it lacked overt aggression but made the very air feel thick and unbreathable.
"Ease up on the aura. There’s no need to be so surprised," Julia said, her smile remaining intact. "I know everything about what happened when you were kids. But don't worry—only I know."
Jin Yan’s brow furrowed, and the oppressive atmosphere vanished instantly, replaced by a sense of vulnerability. In that moment, Julia saw the man beneath the composed exterior: someone lost and helpless.
It confirmed her suspicions. "You love him," she stated. Outside, a flock of birds took flight, their wings catching the wind. "You left back then because of him, too."
The birds circled a few times before flying toward a distant destination. Seeing Jin Yan’s forced calm, Julia felt a surge of sympathy. He wanted to stay, yet he was afraid to reach out. These two were truly two of a kind.
Receiving no rebuttal, she took it as a confession. "Don't worry, Zhou Shu doesn't know. I figured it out myself." She took a sip of water, leaving a red lipstick mark on the rim of the glass. "Let me reintroduce myself. I’m Julia, the daughter of Zhou Shu’s psychiatrist."
Jin Yan processed this quickly, his ingrained steadiness helping him piece the timeline together. "When did he get sick?"
"When he was twenty-one. The year you left." She paused, watching him. "That year, you were eighteen, and you had just differentiated into an Alpha."
Jin Yan’s head snapped up, his eyes tinged with a desperate, bloodshot hue. His voice was a ragged whisper. "Then Zhou Duo..."
"Zhou Duo appeared not long after you left," Julia said softly. "He was born for you."
***
