Chapter 2: Protagonist Halo

“……Shen Zhixiao?”

Qiu Shun rarely reacted to anything irrelevant, but at this moment, his usually impassive expression showed a rare flicker of some indefinable emotion. The words slipped from his lips almost unconsciously, in a murmur so soft it was barely more than a breath.

Yet to Qiu Sui’s ears, it rang out with crystal clarity. A powerful wave of unease surged through him relentlessly.

His eyelid twitched again. The late summer heat not only quickened his heartbeat but also left him increasingly dizzy.

They walked side by side toward the Differentiation Research College at a leisurely pace. Sunlight filtered through the interlacing branches overhead, casting shifting patterns of light and shadow. Qiu Sui stared at the scene ahead, a sudden sense of unreality washing over him.

He felt himself growing hotter and hotter, as if transported back to that night at seventeen when he’d differentiated. In the nightmare, he’d watched his entire life unfold like a bystander—no matter what the version of him in the dream did, he couldn’t wake up. Only when the differentiation ended did he finally snap back to reality, gasping like a survivor.

That absurd dream had nearly faded from Qiu Sui’s memory. But now, triggered by a single name, it threatened to come roaring back.

Fragmented memories exploded in his mind bit by bit. Time had blurred many details, leaving only a vague outline.

He tried his best to piece together the dream he’d once dismissed, hazily reconstructing its contents.

He, Qiu Sui.

Was actually a vicious cannon fodder character living in a novel world.

The novel had two protagonists: his twin brother Qiu Shun, and Shen Zhixiao.

Qiu Shun would differentiate into an S-Rank Omega at eighteen, tangle in a romance filled with love and hate with an S-Rank Alpha named Shen Zhixiao at university, and ultimately overcome all obstacles to be together happily.

Meanwhile, he would fall head over heels for Shen Zhixiao at university. Upon learning of the mutual attraction between Shen Zhixiao and his brother, their sibling bond would shatter. In a bid to ruin their Pheromone compatibility, he’d repeatedly try to harm his own brother’s Gland. Finally, desperate to become an Omega perfectly matched with Shen Zhixiao’s Pheromones, he’d use an experimental Omega Transformation Agent, only to die from second-gender rejection!

The agony in the dream had been so visceral that when Qiu Sui jolted awake, panic still gripped him—as if he’d truly died from the drug once.

But no matter how vivid and terrifying the dream, to the Qiu Sui back then, it had been just that: a nightmare.

He and Qiu Shun had been inseparable since childhood, their bond always strong. He’d chalked it up to binge-reading too many trashy novels and frying his brain. Once life returned to normal after differentiation, he’d gradually forgotten it.

Even when Qiu Shun did differentiate into an S-Rank Omega at eighteen, just like in the dream, Qiu Sui—watching his brother who was still close to him—dismissed it as coincidence.

But now, those three words—Shen Zhixiao—echoed truly and clearly in his ears, yanking him back to that disorienting morning. Panic gripped him, the boundary between reality and dream blurring into terror.

Cicadas buzzed in Qiu Sui’s ears. He walked unnaturally quietly along the edge of the path, his brain in overdrive, his steps driven purely by muscle memory.

Maybe it’s just a coincidence—someone with the same name, Qiu Sui thought hopefully, though he couldn’t shake his vigilance.

He’d long forgotten the dream’s plot details. He had no idea how the original story had him falling for Shen Zhixiao at first sight.

If it was through the photos Qiao Keren showed them, did his current utter lack of interest prove the plot had diverged?

Or had the butterfly effect started the moment he’d dreamed the novel’s outline at seventeen during his differentiation, preventing him from developing feelings like in the book?

The unknown threat robbed Qiu Sui of rational thought. Inappropriately, he wondered, I’m not the type to lose my head over a pretty face, am I?

Qiao Keren was dying of excitement at the sight of the handsome guy. He grabbed one of each of them, gossipily maneuvering Qiu Sui and Qiu Shun for a better angle, chattering away. “His Pheromone Control Ring is right at his Adam’s apple—moves when he talks. Sexy as hell……”

Coincidence?

Qiu Sui could only sense the overwhelming Protagonist Halo. They’d come this close to bumping right into Shen Zhixiao face-to-face.

If it were just Qiu Shun or Qiao Keren running into him, no big deal. But if he crossed paths with Shen Zhixiao and the plot forced him to act like those brainless side characters in novels, losing his mind?

By the time they left the School of Computer Science, Qiu Sui was thoroughly on edge.

Unlike the throngs of freshmen buzzing with excitement and anticipation for university life, Qiu Sui’s first day had thrust him into what felt like the greatest crisis of his life. Heading to the Differentiation Research College, he was hypersensitive, constantly scanning for any sign of Shen Zhixiao.

University A’s dorms were segregated by A/O genders. Betas, lacking Pheromones and unable to sense them, were lumped into the Alpha Dorm Area—some even rooming with Alphas. After helping Qiu Shun with enrollment, only Qiu Sui took the shuttle to the Alpha dorm building.

Qiu Sui arrived at the Alpha Dorm Area in a foul mood. His first instinct upon disembarking was to scan his surroundings. Only once inside the A1 Dormitory elevator did his taut nerves ease slightly.

That harassing text had bragged about waiting for him in the dorm. But on the sixth floor, the hallway was empty—no one at his door for room A613.

Qiu Sui wasn’t surprised. If the guy had real guts, he’d have shown up ages ago. Clearly, it was all bluster—petty pranks to rattle him.

Pathetic, Qiu Sui thought wryly.

Inside A613, someone was already settled. Laughter and chatter—some deep, some shrill—filtered through the door.

When Qiu Sui had rushed to snag a dorm spot online, the connection lagged. By the time he got in, standard four-person rooms were gone; he was stuck with an A/B mixed room.

Fortunately, this extra mixed quad only had three occupants. During enrollment, the advisor had warned him: his other two roommates were Alphas from other majors. Report any issues to the counselor promptly. Room changes could only be requested after military training, based on availability.

It seemed the school knew many Betas hated rooming with Alphas but still prioritized A/O zoning, shoving Beta preferences last.

Qiu Sui felt a helpless frustration at the unfairness. He knocked on the door.

The room quieted for a few seconds before he opened it. Standard bunk-over-desk setup. The wide aisle was clogged with two open suitcases.

The two Alphas had already set up their beds. They sat facing each other across the aisle, hunched over their phones, gaming.

Spotting the new roommate wheeling in his suitcase, they eyed his clear, handsome Beta features with unmistakable unfriendliness. They exchanged opaque glances, raising brows meaningfully before looking away.

Qiu Sui guessed they knew each other already. Facing their off-putting vibe, he skipped greetings, picked an empty spot at random, and silently unpacked, tidying his bunk.

As he awkwardly maneuvered toward the balcony, the Alphas made no move to clear their blocking suitcases from the aisle—pretending to be deep in a team battle.

Good thing Qiu Sui couldn’t smell the mingled Alpha Pheromones in the room, or it’d be even worse.

After dusting off his bunk, his dislike for Alphas deepened.

He grabbed a cap, pulled it on, and stepped out of the stifling A613—oblivious to carrying traces of mixed Alpha Pheromones—and headed to the convenience store across from the dorm for supplies.