In November, Guangzhou City did not show any respect to the beginning of winter. For young boys, they could just wear a short-sleeved shirt and go out to have fun.

Zhao Yexi played ball all afternoon, enjoying himself to the fullest. His teammates were all strangers, a common occurrence on the court: a single game could create a fake friendship between two strangers.

Zhao Yesi patted his friend's arm and said, "You played well, brother. Are you also from Zhongda University?"

The player clutched the basketball in one large hand and panted, "I'm only 15 years old, still in junior high school."

Looking at his teammate's muscular body and the stubble on his chin, Zhao Yesi laughed dryly and said, "Don't joke like that, brother."

My friend said, "I'm not kidding, I'm really 15 years old."

Zhao Yexi's smile gradually faded. He turned to another player and asked nervously, "You must be a college student, right? Tell me you are!"

Player number two said, "I'm only in sixth grade!"

Zhao Yexi: "..."

So he'd spent an entire afternoon playing basketball with a bunch of elementary and middle school kids, and they were evenly matched?! It felt like someone was choking him—he was suffocating.

"How about you, buddy?" asked the first golfer. "Which grade are you in?"

Zhao Yesi's face was numb: "Senior year."

Teammate number two was surprised and said, "You look smaller than me!"

Zhao Yesi's heart ached: "No, it's because you guys are developing too well. Can I ask what you usually eat?"

Saying that he was a high school student was Zhao Yesi's last act of stubbornness. In fact, he was already... in his third year of graduate school, and this year was his zodiac year.

Zhao Yexi's face hasn't changed much since high school. Most people who first met him would think he was only sixteen or seventeen. His classmates, who worried about their hairline and beer belly, would be envious of his youthful, brimming face with collagen. But only he knew the bitterness within.

He would always be stopped at the door when going to bars or internet cafes, and his ID would be checked even after entering. When kindergarten kids called him "brother" on the subway, he would always say with a smile, "Call me uncle, thank you."

Today, his baby face dealt him another fatal blow: he has fallen to the point where he is happy playing ball with elementary school students.

To be honest, having a baby face is not sad. What is sad is having a baby face but wanting to be a macho man.

Golfer No. 1 took out his phone and said, "Let's add each other on WeChat and play together next time."

Friend number two was not happy. "My phone is with my mom. I won't get it until the weekend. I'll add you then."

Zhao Yesi didn't think there would be a next time, but he still gave the QR code. Friend No. 1 scanned Zhao Yesi's message, was stunned for a moment, and asked uncertainly, "'Is it a macho man?'"

Zhao Yesi nodded calmly, "It's me, is there a problem?"

Teammates No. 1 and No. 2 looked at each other, then looked at Zhao Yesi and laughed out loud.

Zhao Yesi felt incredibly depressed. After saying goodbye to his golfing buddies, he headed straight for the milk tea shop. "A cup of Zhizhi Taotao, normal ice, normal sugar, and double the milk!"

Zhao Yesi got the milk tea and took a big sip of the milk cap. He immediately felt healed. He found a seat and browsed his phone while drinking milk tea. A piece of news caught his attention.

A sudden burst of fire erupted over a region in northwest China, followed by a massive meteorite crashing into an uninhabited area, creating a mushroom cloud of dust and smoke. Netizens in various locations witnessed the fire – click to view the video.

Zhao Yexi clicked on the link and a prompt popped up: If you want to view the full news, please download the news client APP first~

...Goodbye.

When Zhao Yexi returned home on the weekend, he ignored his father who was watching TV in the living room and shouted, "Mom, I'm back."

Zhao's father looked at Zhao Yesi with the same eyes as if he was looking at barbecued pork, and said, "Your mother is on a business trip."

"A sudden business trip? Why didn't you tell me in advance?"

"Didn't a meteorite fall? She went to the scene."

Zhao Yexi's mother was a physics professor at his school, specializing in all sorts of high-brow research. Zhao Yexi had been deeply influenced by her since childhood and hated physics. Although he majored in science in high school, when it came time to choose a major, he refused to follow in his mother's footsteps and chose a more liberal arts major.

Zhao's father said: "I heard from your mother that this meteorite doesn't seem to be an ordinary meteorite."

Zhao Yexi thought of the plot in the movie and asked in anticipation, "Could it be aliens?" If that were the case, he wouldn't have to write a paper. His paper had already been rejected by the professor twice, and if it happened again, he probably would have to hang himself on the electric fan.

A few days later, Zhao Yesi was working on his thesis in his room when his father called him out: "Zhao Yesi, come see your mom! She's on TV!"

Zhao Ma had appeared on TV a few times before, participating in programs like "Approaching Science" and "I Love Invention." Zhao Yexi walked into the living room with a cup of milk tea. The press conference about the Northwest Meteorite was playing on TV, and he immediately saw Zhao Ma speaking.

Father Zhao frowned: "Has your mother lost weight?"

"It seems so." Zhao Yesi sat down next to his father. "What did she say?"

Zhao Ma said the meteorite came from a spiral galaxy 15 million light-years from Earth. His team discovered a new element in the meteorite, and research is ongoing.

"Meteorite? A completely new element? No, this sounds too much like the beginning of a doomsday movie." Zhao Yexi was a little panicked. "Dad, should we go to the supermarket to stock up on some supplies?"

Father Zhao squinted at him and said, "Even if it really is the end of the world, you have to flee with your master's degree, and then get your doctorate for me while you're fleeing."

Zhao's mother had been away on a business trip for more than a month, and she hadn't returned even when Zhao Yexi had almost finished revising his thesis.

In December, when Suicheng was on the verge of winter, Zhao Yesi finally put on long sleeves.

When Zhao Yexi came out of the library, he received a call from his good friend Tao Qiaosheng. Before he could even say "Hello", Tao Qiaosheng started babbling incoherently: "My...my cat...ah!"

Zhao Yexi said, "You finally took action against your cat."

Tao Qiaosheng was horrified: "It wasn't me! No matter how crazy I am, I can't get a tomcat pregnant!"

Zhao Yesi didn't quite understand, "Hello?"

"My cat, a tom—he's pregnant!"

Zhao Yesi had never been so speechless in his life. He was silent for two seconds and said, "I have something to tell you too."

"you say!"

"I'm pregnant too."

Tao Qiaosheng was silent for a few seconds, then muttered, "Has animal-to-human transmission already occurred? Wait, you're pregnant... Holy shit—who's the other father of this child!!!"

"Your uncle. Tao Qiaosheng, I haven't offended you recently. Why do you treat me like a fool?"

Tao Qiaosheng frantically said, "I'm fucking serious! Didn't you see the trending searches today?"

"I'm busy with my thesis lately, and the village has access to the internet."

"Go see it now, damn it!"

Zhao Yesi hung up the phone and before he could open Weibo, he heard someone calling him.

"Zhao Yexi."

Zhao Yesi turned around and saw a boy wearing a black sweatshirt and a baseball cap.

The boy has broad shoulders and long legs, and is very tall. His facial features are deep and a little ostentatious. His short hair on his forehead is pressed down a little by his hat. He wears an inconspicuous silver earring on his left ear. He has an unpretentious and unbridled handsomeness.

Zhao Yesi greeted him coldly, "What's up?"

The boy looked at Zhao Yesi, his gaze shifting from Zhao Yesi's face to her belly, and said, "Congratulations—how many months has it been?"

Zhao Yesi looked down at his stomach, "...Fuck."

The boy's name was Lu Huangzhi, and he was Zhao Yexi's junior in the same major. Their mentors were two bigwigs in the academy. Because of their different academic and political views, the bigwigs had been at odds with each other for most of their lives, and even the students who inherited their political views also disliked each other.

When Zhao Yexi first enrolled, he listened to his seniors tell stories about two professors who loved and hated each other, and his expression was like, "Really? I don't believe it!" Later, when he witnessed the professors' battle firsthand, he felt, "That's not possible." It wasn't until he participated in a debate and was completely defeated by Lu Huangzhi, a junior, that he deeply understood the seriousness of "political differences."

Take Lu Huangzhi, for example, who has different political views from him. He is talented and popular, and is superior to him in every way. He is also handsome.

Damn it.

Zhao Yesi said coldly: "It's been two months, and the baby is your father."

Lu Huangzhi raised his eyebrows and nodded, "Then tell me when you give birth."

Zhao Yesi looked alert, "What do you want to do?"

"Accompany the birth." Lu Huangzhi said, "and cut the umbilical cord."

"Who are you? Why should you accompany me during childbirth?"

Lu Huangzhi said in a natural tone, "Because you are pregnant with my father?"

"..." At this moment, Zhao Yesi once again recalled the fear of being dominated by Lu Huangzhi's brutal killing in the debate competition.

If he keeps talking nonsense to Lu Huangzhi, he will be called a dog.

Zhao Yexi ignored Lu Huangzhi. He opened Weibo, and the top trending search was the one Tao Qiaosheng had urged him to look at: [Mammals in many regions have developed a second sex; the cause is still under investigation.]

A second gender…? Zhao Yexi was confused. He clicked on the trending search and read the comments.

My mom hasn't hit me in three days: @Rongcheng Third Psychiatric Hospital, Aaaaaaaaa look! I'm not crazy, my rooster really laid an egg! Let me out!

Rongcheng Third Psychiatric Hospital: Roosters are not mammals. Please continue receiving treatment. Thank you.

I'm not a primary school student: What does "second gender" mean? Can any class representative give a summary?

Why hasn't cilantro become extinct yet? It's probably because they've added some functions to the original sexes, like roosters laying eggs and hens crowing. This is my personal opinion, don't argue, because if you argue, you're right.

[Calabash Brothers: I was so scared that my gourd fell off. Is this caused by a virus? Can it be transmitted to humans?]

Darwin: Oh, my coffin lid is about to burst.

…

Zhao Yesi was watching intently when he suddenly felt someone tug at his collar from behind. The person's hand was a little cold, and the touch of their fingertips on the back of his neck made him tremble inexplicably.

Zhao Yesi turned around: "?"

Lu Huangzhi grabbed his collar, pulled him to his side, and said, "Watch the road."

Although there were no motor vehicles on this road, it was indeed unsafe to play with a mobile phone while walking. Zhao Yesi did not respond. He was still in great shock and even forgot to be a little angry with Lu Huangzhi.

"Have you seen the news about the second gender?" Zhao Yesi asked.

Lu Huangzhi was very calm, "I see."

Zhao Yesi stared at him, "Do you believe it?"

Lu Huangzhi shrugged, "The official announcement has already been made. There's nothing I can do if I don't believe it."

Zhao Yesi was stunned for a long time, his worldview shattered. He decided to make a final stand and sent a WeChat message to Tao Qiaosheng.

[It's a tough guy: Where is he? ]

Xiaoqiang is trying to become Qiao: At the veterinary hospital, giving my son an ultrasound. (Life is hopeless.jpg)

[It's a tough guy: Give me your address and I'll come find you.]

Tao Qiaosheng sent an address, and Zhao Yesi turned and left. Lu Huangzhi asked, "Where are you going?"

"Go ask for the hammer of the second gender."

"Take me with you," Lu Huangzhi said, "I'm curious too."

"No, stay away from me." Zhao Yesi quickened his pace. "If the professor finds out that I'm with his sworn enemy's favorite student, I'm not going to pass my thesis anymore."

This was actually an exaggeration. Professors would never interfere with students' social interactions, no matter how much they disagreed. But he had to say it, to make Lu Huangzhi feel rejected.

Lu Huangzhi smiled. "That's easy. If we get caught, just say I forced you." He took off his baseball cap and casually put it on Zhao Yesi's head, pressing down the brim for him. "You fought desperately, but unfortunately you failed."