Chapter 1: Countdown
“I’d rather die than get married.”
Zhu Zhixi dragged his suitcase along and was pushed into the train car by the flow of people.
“Seriously, brother, stop worrying about me. No, don’t send the driver either. I’m already on the subway.”
After saying that, he hung up.
It was twelve-thirty at noon, not exactly rush hour, but the subway carriage was still packed like an overinflated can. Not only were there too many people, but pheromones were mixed together in the air as well, as if the whole carriage might explode in the next second.
But none of that affected Zhu Zhixi much.
He would rather squeeze himself in here than be picked up by the family driver. Given his current situation, he would either be sent to a Western restaurant for a blind date or dragged to the hospital for a checkup.
Two days ago, he had still been volunteering at a wildlife conservation base in East Africa, free as the wind and full of energy. For some unknown reason, while video-calling his father, he had suddenly gotten a nosebleed. He got up to find some tissue, only to faint and collapse onto the floor.
That had terrified his entire family.
The local medical conditions were limited, so his father did not waste a single word. He immediately found someone to forcibly get him back to the country.
His phone vibrated. It was still his older brother, Zhu Zeran.
[Big Zhu: I’m too lazy to care about you either. These are all tasks assigned by Old Zhu.]
He sent over several PDF files, all titled blind date profiles. Zhu Zhixi skipped over them directly, with no desire to open them.
Zhu Zeran then forwarded their father’s message.
[Old Zhu: The other party has excellent conditions. He became a professor at such a young age. Although he’s an S-rank Alpha, he keeps himself clean, and he’s extremely good-looking. His supervisor is one of Dad’s good friends and praises this student endlessly. Since Xiao Xi happens to be back, hurry up and let him look over the profile. Talk him into it. At least have him meet the person.]
After reading it, Zhu Zhixi laughed. He sat down on his suitcase and typed rapidly on the screen.
[Little Zhu: I don’t care about his conditions or his looks. I didn’t come back to the country for a blind date. I already said I came back to curate an exhibition for a museum. A proper job. Otherwise, did you really think a minor illness could tie me up and drag me back?]
[Big Zhu: Have you ever had a proper job? Back then, Dad told you to study business administration and join the group, but you insisted on going abroad to study art history. You got lucky with that exhibition and finally made a name for yourself, then suddenly quit and ran off to travel the world. You insist on suffering when you don’t have to. One moment you’re in Kenya, the next you’re in the Amazon rainforest. Finding you is harder than finding a signal in a basement. I watched your vlog. Feeding baby gorillas, looking for sea turtle eggs, almost freezing your head off while waiting to feed penguins. These are the proper jobs you’re talking about? Do they pay you?]
Zhu Zhixi laughed in anger.
[Little Zhu: We are not on the same spiritual level. I refuse to talk to a utilitarian workaholic like you.]
[Big Zhu: Do your words count? Didn’t you say before that you never wanted to curate exhibitions again?]
[Little Zhu: This time is really different! This museum is about to close down. They want to invite me to curate their final exhibition before closing. How meaningful is that? (After replying to this, I really won’t talk to you anymore.)]
[Big Zhu: Oh, a last-glow-before-death exhibition, huh.]
Zhu Zhixi was so angry that he was about to fire back.
“What is wrong with you?!”
Huh?
Who just said my inner line out loud?
He looked up in the direction of the voice. Something seemed to have happened in the middle of the carriage.
The passengers who had originally been standing in orderly fashion, holding the handrails, were now in chaos. Some covered their mouths and noses, while others rummaged through their bags. Everyone was retreating toward the doors, but the train was still far from the next station.
Putting away his phone, Zhu Zhixi stood up and looked toward the center of the commotion.
Through the chaos, he caught sight of a tall man pressing toward another thin young man.
“Can you control your pheromones? Seriously, releasing large amounts of pheromones in a public place is illegal for a high-level Alpha!”
“You have no manners at all. This is a violation of public safety. Do you know how many Omegas are on this train?”
Zhu Zhixi glanced at the Alpha’s wrists and neck. He was not wearing any suppressor. But the person being suppressed by him had an inhibitor patch on the back of his neck, so he was most likely an Omega.
Zhu Zhixi reached into the side pocket of his hiking backpack, his gaze locked on the center of the conflict.
Suddenly, the Alpha lunged forward. With a loud bang, he slammed the other person straight against the train door. The moving carriage seemed to shake violently along with it.
Screams erupted everywhere. The circle of passengers widened again, everyone avoiding them as if terrified of being dragged in.
“Let go of me!”
The Omega, whose neck was being gripped, had a face flushed bright red. He raised his hands and desperately slapped and struggled, but the Alpha easily twisted his wrist away and reached toward the back of his neck.
Riiiip—
The inhibitor patch was torn off.
The Omega’s eyes widened. In an instant, all strength left his body. His survival instinct was swallowed by pheromones in the blink of an eye, leaving only the physiological instinct of passive submission.
He stared in despair as those pale canine teeth drew closer.
“Please…”
At that critical moment, a jacket flew down from above and covered the rampaging Alpha’s head from behind. At the same time, the back of his knee was struck hard from behind. His body swayed, and he dropped to his knees.
Then, a strikingly beautiful face appeared.
His eyes were half-lowered, and between his teeth was a length of knotted blue rope. Beneath his left eye was a vivid red mole. His porcelain-white face was illuminated by the shifting light inside the carriage, bright and refreshing.
The next second, he loosened his teeth.
The rope fell, and he caught it neatly in one hand.
“Run!”
Zhu Zhixi moved fast. He grabbed the Alpha’s arm, twisted it behind his back, quickly looped the prepared handcuff knot around it, then yanked hard, tying him tightly.
Good thing there was outdoor rope in his backpack.
“Let the fuck go of me!”
What a pain.
He was quick, sure, but there was a natural gap in physique between him and an Alpha. His strength was limited, and right now he wished he could climb right onto the guy and use his whole body weight to pin down this rampaging monster.
But that was honestly a little difficult.
Zhu Zhixi quickly turned his head and called to the crowd for help. “This Omega probably doesn’t have any strength left. Could someone help and pull him somewhere safe?”
Only then did someone in the frightened crowd finally snap back to their senses. A few people stepped forward to help the victim up and bring him into the crowd, while several tall Alphas and Betas came over to help. Only then did they finally subdue the berserk Alpha.
“You should be careful too. His pheromones are already in disorder. It’s very dangerous,” one of them said.
“It’s fine.” Seeing that the man had been restrained, Zhu Zhixi got off him and took back his jacket. His smile was bright and clear. “I’m a Beta.”
The others froze for a moment and looked him up and down several times.
In that brief lapse of attention, the attacker almost managed to fight back.
Zhu Zhixi was startled. The beaded bracelet on his left wrist was almost yanked off by the man. He panicked. “Hold this guy’s legs down! He can’t break free from his hands. The more he pulls, the tighter the knot gets, but his legs can still move!”
Only then did the others come back to themselves and press down the Alpha’s legs together.
Fortunately, not long after, subway security officers rushed over from another carriage. They injected the berserk Alpha with a high-strength suppressant and took him away.
This little incident disrupted Zhu Zhixi’s trip home. He shook out his arm and felt like he had sprained it a little. His leg had probably taken a nasty hit too.
“Alphas are all dogs.”
He cursed under his breath, then suddenly realized he was currently at the police station, a place that definitely did not lack Alphas, and quickly added, “Except for the police uncles, hehe.”
After cooperating with the investigation, he walked out of the police station and found that it had started pouring outside, complete with lightning and thunder. For S City in December, this was really strange. The rain came down with fierce momentum, so heavy it was as if God had finally noticed how filthy humanity was, gathered all the angels, and ordered them to pour water down with the biggest buckets they had, determined to wash everyone clean.
What a pity. Humans were bad things, and bad things had invented wonderful things like umbrellas. Zhu Zhixi held up the umbrella kindly given to him by the police uncle and stopped letting his thoughts run wild.
A drop of water slid down the umbrella canopy and hung from the tip of the rib, swaying in rhythm with the teardrop diamond on his earlobe.
This place was completely different from the sun-drenched African savanna. The bustling streets, the staggered buildings, the festive streetlights, the black sky and earth—everything was connected and wrapped together by the rain. The world was like a giant holiday snow globe, sealed inside a glittering winter rain.
The rain was restless, car horns overlapped, and people hurried through the downpour. Their footsteps rang out sharp and fast, shattering the neon reflected in the puddles. Thunder sounded, but he suddenly heard the whimper of a small animal.
Strange.
Zhu Zhixi turned his head, and the sound appeared again. He was sure he had not misheard. And so, the enthusiastic citizen who had just helped resolve a violent incident now hunched over with his phone flashlight on, searching around the trash cans near the entrance of the police station.
It was a little white dog soaked through by the rain.
He crouched down.
The puppy was not especially dirty, but it was very thin and not young either. There was a collar around its neck, making it look like a lost pet dog.
Having dealt with animals for years, he easily gained its trust. After skillfully checking it over, he found that the puppy’s left front paw was curled up the whole time.
Was it injured?
“It’s okay. Don’t be scared, all right? Let brother take a look.”
The transparent umbrella was tucked between his shoulder and neck. He crouched on the ground and gently held the puppy’s front paw.
All of a sudden, there was a faint crackle. His hand trembled, shocked by static electricity. Thunder rumbled again, and the puppy was so frightened it shrank into his arms.
“It’s just thunder, scaredy-dog. Don’t be afraid.” He wrapped the puppy in his coat and freed one hand to send a message. Muddy water had soaked into his white sweater.
[Senior Zhixi: Xiao En, I found a puppy! Are you at the stray animal shelter? I’ll bring it over.]
Liang Yien was his junior and also the friend who had founded the stray animal shelter with him. Back when they were in school, they raised donations, held charity sales, rented a courtyard, and took in many stray animals. After Zhu Zhixi went abroad, the shelter had been entirely handed over to Liang Yien.
[Xiao En: I’m here.]
[Xiao En: Young master, you just got back to the country and already picked up a dog? What luck.]
“You’re the lucky one, aren’t you?” He touched the puppy’s forehead. “Little thing.”
Holding the dog and standing up, Zhu Zhixi suddenly felt dizzy. A hot stream surged from his nose, dripping down like rain onto the puppy’s back.
Why was his nose bleeding again?
Zhu Zhixi shielded the puppy’s head and shook his own, trying to clear his mind. Neon lights flickered. A red sightseeing bus passed by, dragging along jingling music. Under the headlights, lines of rain danced in the air. After the wave of dizziness passed, this enormous snow globe tumbled, rolled, and overturned.
He closed his eyes and fainted by the roadside.
While his mind was hazy, he had a strange dream. In the dream, everything was a vast expanse of white, filled with busy figures moving everywhere. What was strange was that all of these people had huge white wings. He tried to grab one of them.
[Where am I?]
That person looked puzzled and asked, [Are you a human or a dog?]
Who are you looking down on? He was just about to curse back, but in the next second, the ground vanished beneath his feet, and he fell into an abyss.
His body jolted, and Zhu Zhixi suddenly woke up. He smelled the strong scent of disinfectant. When he opened his eyes, he saw the ceiling and a swaying IV bottle.
“The patient in Bed 21 is awake.”
Patient?
No, why was he still at the hospital? Zhu Zhixi lay on the hospital bed, frowning. He reached around to feel for something, then his heart jumped and he sat up at once.
“Where’s my dog?”
The nurse and doctor who had just pulled open the curtain both froze. “What dog?”
“A little dog.” Zhu Zhixi gestured with his hands. “About this big, white, a little dirty. I was holding it. Isn’t it here?”
The nurse patiently explained, “You were brought here by a ride-hailing driver. You had called his car, and when he came to pick you up, he found you unconscious by the roadside, so he brought you here. As for the dog… we don’t know either.”
All the strength drained out of Zhu Zhixi’s body. His mind was full of that poor little dog.
Had it been frightened and hidden near the trash cans again?
He pulled off the blanket and tried to get out of bed. “I probably just didn’t eat properly and had low blood sugar. If there’s nothing wrong, I’ll leave first. Thank you. Happy early New Year to you all.”
“Wait.” The doctor stopped him. “Your IV isn’t finished yet, and you still need to undergo some examinations later.”
“That’s right. Look at you. You bled so much from your nose. How could this just be low blood sugar?” The nurse pulled his hand in front of him.
Zhu Zhixi lowered his head and saw that the back of his hand was covered in smeared blood, even between his fingers, mixed with dried muddy water.
What big deal was a nosebleed… He casually turned his palm over, then suddenly froze.
What was this?
A line of golden characters—60 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds—was glowing in the center of his left palm.
Zhu Zhixi frowned, closed his eyes, hurriedly rubbed his hand, clenched his fist, then opened it again.
Not only had the line of words not disappeared, it had changed.
[59 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds]
Then it kept counting down, second by second.
Wait, this was a countdown?
Zhu Zhixi was stunned.
This was clearly something that only happened in movies!
As soon as the doctor left and the nurse went to the neighboring bed, he pulled open the bed curtain with a swish and shouted.
“Sis, nurse sis, look at my hand! Why did a countdown suddenly appear on my hand?”
On the neighboring bed, a chubby little boy was lying on his stomach, his pants half pulled down, while the nurse held a terrifyingly long injection needle for his butt. The two of them looked toward Zhu Zhixi at the same time, then looked at each other.
Zhu Zhixi waved his palm and pointed at it. “It’s right here. Can you see it? A countdown…”
“I don’t want the shot!” The chubby little boy suddenly pulled up his pants and burst into tears. “Mom, there’s a crazy person here! I want to go home!”
“No, you little kid, how can you…”
Zhu Zhixi was a little speechless. He pulled open the curtain on the other side. On the far-right bed lay an old man, happily scrolling through short videos.
“Sir, could you look at my hand? Is there a countdown on my palm? It’s golden and still flashing.”
The old man opened his eyes, then narrowed them, then opened them wide again. After that, he hurriedly found his reading glasses and put them on.
Sure enough, he was not the only one who could see it! Zhu Zhixi was so excited he was about to jump out of bed and sit beside the old man.
The old man looked and looked, then said solemnly, “Young handsome man, your Mount of Venus is full, your palm is rosy, and your marriage line is deep and long. In the near future, you may encounter your destined match in romance. You must not miss this. How about this? Since we’re fated to meet, I’ll give you a proper reading. We can discuss the price…”
Huh?
The nurse stepped forward. With a swish, the old man’s curtain was pulled shut too. She turned around, stared at Zhu Zhixi, and sighed.
A crybaby, an old charlatan, and now a newly arrived lunatic. This ward really did not keep any idle people.
She opened the door and went out. “Doctor, the patient in Bed 21 is in worse condition than expected. We may need to add a brain CT.”
Author’s Note:
Enthusiastic citizen Little Zhu: Happy New Year, everyone! We finally meet! (wink) My husband will appear tomorrow, so please—mmph mmph mmph! (Mouth covered by husband for being too lively.)
