Chasing Husband

The hospital corridor was dimly lit. Si Qi clutched the genetic test report, his knuckles turning white. The medical jargon danced before his eyes: "Traces of gene editing... Embryonic intervention... Artificial matching of pheromone receptors..." Each word struck his temples like a hammer.

Twenty years ago, someone planned all of this when they were still embryos.

Si Qi rushed into the hospital bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. The man in the mirror had bloodshot eyes, a scraggly chin, and gauze wrapped around the left side of his neck from the surgery—30% of the glandular tissue had been lost there to save Shao Wei.

To save someone who might have been deliberately placed in his life.

My phone vibrated. It was a message from my secretary: "We've found your mother's belongings, specially marked with a date from twenty years ago, as you instructed."

Si Qi dried his hands and quickly walked to the private reading room in the hospital library. After locking the door, he opened the cardboard box his secretary had brought him. Inside were a dozen neatly stacked leather diaries, the top one labeled "2003"—the year before he and Shao Wei were born.

He took a deep breath and opened the diary.

"April 15, 2003. Today, we officially signed the 'Twin Alpha Project' agreement with the Shao family. Mr. Shao shares my concerns about the declining fertility rate of the Alpha population. If we can prove that Alpha pairs created through gene editing can overcome pheromone repulsion, it will rewrite the entire structure of human society..."

Siqi's fingers began to tremble. His mother, the gentle woman who had died when he was ten, was actually one of the architects of all this?

"September 3, 2003. Embryo implantation was successful. Wanrou (Mrs. Shao) and I became pregnant at the same time. If all goes well, these two children will be perfectly complementary genetically, becoming the first Alpha couple in history to be able to naturally unite..."

The pages rustled in Si Qi's hands. He slammed the diary shut, his chest heaving violently. So his meeting and marriage with Shao Wei, even the attraction he'd thought was destined, were all programmed in a laboratory twenty years ago?

The ward's automatic door slid open with a soft hum. Shao Wei was awake, leaning against the headboard, sipping water with the help of a caregiver. Sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting streaks of light on his face, making him look almost transparent and fragile. The surgery had been a success, but the glands would take time to recover.

Shao Wei looked up and saw Si Qi. His ice-blue eyes lit up slightly, then he regained his composure: "You're here."

The voice was weaker than usual, yet still held the restraint characteristic of Shao Wei. Si Qi suddenly remembered the words in his notebook: "Life is inherently boring," and a sharp pain pierced his chest. What if even boredom with life was designed?

"How do you feel?" Si Qi walked to the bedside and took the cup of water from the nurse.

"Much better." Shao Wei's eyes fell on the gauze on Si Qi's neck, and his brows frowned slightly. "Does it hurt?"

Si Qi shook his head. The nurse tactfully left, leaving the two of them alone. For a moment, the only sound in the ward was the regular beeping of the monitor.

"Wei Wei Shao." Si Qi took a deep breath, "We need to talk."

He pulled his mother's diary and the genetic test report from his briefcase and briefly explained his findings. As he spoke, Shao Wei's face paled, his fingers unconsciously clutching the sheets.

"So," when Siqi finished speaking, Shao Wei's voice was as light as a feather, "we were designed to be like this."

Si Qi nodded, his throat tightening: "Starting from the embryonic stage."

Shao Wei suddenly laughed, and that laugh made Si Qi shudder - he had never heard Shao Wei laugh like this before, it was sharp and broken.

"How ridiculous." Shao Wei said, his eyes shining unusually. "I thought at least... at least my feelings for you were real."

These words stabbed Si Qi's heart like a knife. He reached out to grab Shao Wei's hand, but was dodged.

"Our glandular compatibility," Shao Wei continued, his voice growing shaky, "our pheromone compatibility, even that damn attraction between us... all data from a lab?"

"No, wait—"

"Do you know what's the most ironic thing?" Shao Wei interrupted him, his icy blue eyes finally showing a ripple. "I'd rather believe this is fate, even if it's a cruel fate. But now you're telling me this isn't even fate, but just a carefully planned experiment?"

Si Qi had never seen Shao Wei like this before—emotionally exposed, almost hysterical. The always calm and composed Shao Wei was falling apart before his eyes.

"Our relationship isn't something that can be designed through an experiment." Si Qi said anxiously, "All the things you did for me, the knife you blocked, the poison you took, and what you wrote in the notebook—"

"How do you know those aren't part of the program?" Shao Wei's voice suddenly dropped, carrying a desperation Si Qi had never heard before. "What if even 'love' is coded?"

The question hit Siqi like a punch. He opened his mouth to retort, but found himself speechless. If genes determine pheromone matching, then what about emotions? What about free will? Of all the heartbeats, struggles, and sacrifices they thought were theirs, how much of it truly "belonged" to them?

Silence stretched between the two of them. Shao Wei turned away and looked out the window. The sunlight shone on his thin face, outlining a fragile outline.

"I want to be alone." Shao Wei said finally.

Si Qi wanted to protest, to insist on staying, but when he saw the desolate look in Shao Wei's eyes, all the words got stuck in his throat. He stood up silently and walked towards the door.

"Siqi."

He turned his head suddenly. Shao Wei was still looking out the window, his voice so soft that it was almost inaudible:

"If one day you discovered that all your feelings for me were just a trick of genes... would you leave?"

Si Qi's heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand. He didn't answer, because at this moment, he wasn't even sure what was real. Those moments when his heartbeat raced for Shao Wei, those times when he woke in the middle of the night and couldn't help but hold him tighter, those impulses that made him willing to sacrifice his glands, even his life—how much of that was his own choice?

Leaving the ward, Si Qi leaned against the wall, feeling the world spinning. The news was playing on the television at the nurses' station. The sweet voice of the female anchor rang out, "Lin's Group announced today the successful acquisition of the Gulf project abandoned by Si's Enterprise. The stock price has surged..."

Lin Mu. Si Qi suddenly stood up straight. If he and Shao Wei were set up, then what role did Lin Mu's poisoning of Shao Wei and his coveting of the Gulf project play in this conspiracy?

He needed answers, and there was only one person who could provide them.

The glass curtain wall of the Lin Building gleamed in the sunlight. Si Qi rushed directly into the top floor office, ignoring the secretary's attempts to stop him. Lin Mu was standing by the French window, sipping wine. When he saw him, he raised his eyebrows exaggeratedly:

"Oh, isn't this Mr. Si, the man who gave up his kingdom for love? How's your glandular surgery recovery going?"

Si Qi grabbed his collar, and pheromones burst out uncontrollably, instantly filling the entire office with an oppressive Alpha aura: "You know the 'Twin Alpha Project'."

This wasn't a question. Lin Mu's expression changed, then he put on that sickening smile again: "Finally found it? Three years later than expected."

"Explain." Si Qi tightened his fingers.

Lin Mu slapped his hand away and adjusted his tie. "Simply put, you and Shao Wei are a pair of Frankenstein babies. Twenty years ago, your mother and the Shao family masterminded a crazy plan to create a perfect Alpha partner through gene editing to solve the problem of declining Alpha fertility."

He walked over to the wine cabinet and poured himself another glass. "The experiment was a success, and your pheromone compatibility broke all records. But then the two families fell out, and the plan was shelved until a business marriage brought you together three years ago."

"What's the matter with poisoning?" Si Qi said in a low voice.

Lin Mu took a sip of his wine and smiled slyly, "My uncle was one of the investors in the project back then. When they found out that you two 'samples' were still alive and had actually developed feelings for each other... well, some people were very unhappy. Alphas mating with Alphas? What about Omegas' privileged status in society?"

So that was the motive. Si Qi sneered, "To protect your Omega 'privileges', you're willing to kill people?"

"Don't be so harsh." Lin Mu curled his lips. "I just wanted to test how strong the so-called 'perfect match' is. As it turns out..." He glanced meaningfully at the gauze on Si Qi's neck, "It's stronger than you thought."

Si Qi turned and left. He needed to get back to Shao Wei, immediately.

"You know the most interesting part?" Lin Mu called out from behind him, "Gene editing can only determine physical attraction, it can't create feelings. If you truly love each other... that's your choice."

Si Qi ran frantically in the hospital corridor. Lin Mu's last words echoed in his mind - if you really love each other, it's your own choice.

At the door of the ward, he suddenly stopped. Through the small window on the door, he saw Shao Wei standing in front of the window, holding something in his hand. When Si Qi pushed the door open, Shao Wei quickly stuffed the thing under the pillow, but Si Qi still recognized it - it was the sapphire cufflinks he gave to Shao Wei.

"You're back." Shao Wei said, his voice unnaturally calm.

Si Qi walked directly to the bedside and took out the cufflinks from under the pillow: "Why did you hide them?"

Shao Wei turned his face away, his ears slightly red: "...I'm used to it."

This little lie warmed Si Qi's heart. Shao Wei never disdained lying. If he said, "I'm used to it," it was because hiding his feelings for so long had become a habit. It wasn't a behavior genetically engineered, but a character shaped by three years of real life.

"I met Lin Mu," Si Qi said, observing Shao Wei's reaction. "He admitted to poisoning and explained why."

Shao Wei's shoulders tensed. "What's the reason?"

"Because we're too perfect." Si Qi smiled bitterly. "Two Alphas, genetically engineered pheromones that match, and even capable of developing genuine feelings...that threatens the interests of certain people."

Shao Wei finally turned around, his eyes gleaming with complex emotions: "He said...real feelings?"

"Genes can only determine attraction, they can't create love." Si Qi took a step forward. "The knife you blocked for me, the poison you were poisoned with, the words written in the notebook... no genes could design these."

Shao Wei's breathing became rapid, and he shook his head: "How can you be sure——"

"I'm not sure." Si Qi interrupted him, "But I know that when I think about the possibility of your death, here—" He grabbed Shao Wei's hand and pressed it against his chest, "it hurts like being torn apart. There is no gene that needs to design this kind of pain."

Shao Wei's hands were shaking. Si Qi could feel the warmth from his palms, and his accelerating heartbeat. This had to be real, it couldn't be anything else.

"And this." Si Qi suddenly turned around, with his back to Shao Wei, and did a move that would shock any Alpha - he lowered his head, completely exposing the glands on the back of his neck to another Alpha.

This was the ultimate gesture of submission between Alphas, the equivalent of handing one's life over to the other. Si Qi could feel Shao Wei's breath on the back of his neck, warm and rapid.

"What are you doing?" Shao Wei's voice was hoarse.

"Prove my choice." Si Qi remained in this position. "Genes may have brought us together, but the choice I make now is entirely my own. I am willing to bow my head for you, Shao Wei. Not because I was designed to be this way, but because... I love you."

The last three words were so soft that they were almost inaudible, but they resonated in the ward.

Shao Wei's hand gently caressed the back of Si Qi's neck, his fingertips lingering on the edge of the gauze. Then, unexpectedly, he leaned over and placed his lips on the wound, a kiss as soft as a feather.

"Does it hurt?" he asked in a low voice.

Si Qi shook his head, turned around and hugged him. Shao Wei's body stiffened for a moment, then slowly relaxed, and finally rested his forehead on Si Qi's shoulder.

"I had a dream." Shao Wei's voice was muffled by Si Qi's clothes. "I dreamed that I could sense where you were and even your emotions. After waking up... I realized it wasn't a dream."

Si Qi pulled away a little and looked into his eyes: "What do you mean?"

Shao Wei frowned, as if searching for the right words. "It's like... a connection. I knew it when you came into the hospital just now. And when you went to see Lin Mu, I felt a surge of anger... that wasn't my emotion."

This is incredible. Si Qi held up Shao Wei's face and asked, "Is this a side effect of the surgery?"

"I don't know." Shao Wei shook his head, his expression suddenly twisted, and he pressed his hand on his solar plexus, "hiss——"

"What's wrong?" Si Qi asked nervously.

"A headache." Shao Wei gritted his teeth. "It's been happening since I woke up. It comes and goes... It feels like someone is... trying to cut something off."

Si Qi immediately rang the bell for the doctor. Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a dark figure flashing past the ward door. He rushed out, but the corridor was empty, filled only by the smell of disinfectant and the sounds of conversation at the nurses' station in the distance.

But there was a business card on the ground. Si Qi picked it up. There was only one word on it: "Watchman" and a phone number.

After examining her, Dr. Li suggested that Shao Wei's headaches could be a normal reaction to the gland transplant, but they could also be a sign of rejection, requiring further observation. She recommended temporarily reducing pheromone stimulation and avoiding deep contact.

This meant they would be apart for a while.

"No." Shao Wei rarely disagreed with medical advice. "My headaches are actually relieved when I'm with Siqi."

Doctor Li looked at them in surprise: "This doesn't conform to medical common sense... unless..."

"Unless what?" Si Qi asked.

"Unless your glandular connection is deeper than you thought," Dr. Li said thoughtfully. "I'll arrange more tests."

That night, Si Qi insisted on staying in the ward. He curled up in the accompanying chair, watching Shao Wei's sleeping face. In the moonlight, Shao Wei's eyelashes cast a tiny shadow on his face, and his breathing was steady and quiet. Si Qi couldn't help but reach out and gently touch his fingertips.

At this moment, Shao Wei suddenly opened his eyes, his ice-blue pupils gleaming in the darkness: "He is watching us."

Si Qi felt cold all over: "Who?"

"I don't know." Shao Wei's voice was vague and dreamy, "But I can feel... someone is watching us. Through here." He pointed to his solar plexus.

Si Qi immediately remembered the mysterious business card. "Watcher." Someone was watching them, and it was likely connected to the experiment from that year.

He held Shao Wei's hand tightly: "No matter who it is, no matter what the experiment is, we will face it together."

Shao Wei looked at him and suddenly asked, "If one day we find out that we are really just experimental subjects...will you hate me?"

Si Qi shook his head, leaned over and placed a kiss on his forehead: "I will love you even more. Because that means that we have overcome all the schemes and chosen each other."

Outside the window, a full moon hangs high in the sky. On the roof of a building, the lens of a telescope reflects a cold light.