Chapter 12: Possessiveness
He Siming didn’t know what Jiang Rong had gone through to change himself. He was no longer gloomy, quietly worked hard at his studies, and then, one day, suddenly amazed everyone.
That fluent spoken English just now had given him confidence—it was impossible not to notice him.
Ding Yan said, “Come to think of it, when he lifts his head and straightens his chest, he actually looks pretty good.”
He Siming glanced over at Jiang Rong, his gaze landing squarely on Jiang Rong’s chest.
He shot Ding Yan a sideways look. “Why are you staring at him for no reason? Pay attention in class. Don’t comment on him.”
Ding Yan muttered, “You’re actually defending your roommate? I’m your friend, you know.”
He Siming said, “Mm. You don’t have to be my friend.”
Ding Yan had always been simple-minded and never thought too deeply. He immediately reflected on himself. “Alright, alright, I won’t say anything. I’ll change.”
Gossiping really wasn’t right—but then again, why had He Siming suddenly started being so nice to this roommate of his?
Yao Yin also knew that Jiang Rong’s spoken English used to be terrible. She was completely thrown off by him. His arguments were well-reasoned; every single point left her with no way to refute it. She almost failed to respond, and in the end her rebuttals came out halting. Even the teacher later felt a bit sorry for her and smiled as he told them to sit down.
Jiang Rong stole a bit of the spotlight. He remained calm and composed, but the looks that Yao Shule and Li Yizhou—sitting beside him—gave him had changed.
Li Yizhou said, “Jiang Rong, your spoken English has improved so much.”
Jiang Rong thought to himself that he’d forgotten to ask how “Jiang Rong’s” English used to be. Had he just broken character?
He quickly came up with an excuse on the fly. “I’ve just been practicing more—checking in every day on an English-learning app.”
Yao Shule was also impressed. “666.”
Li Yizhou felt motivated. “Send me that app. I’ll practice seriously too.”
While the three of them were chatting quietly, the English teacher moved on to the next part of the lesson.
The English teacher said, “The two students just now set a good example. The next debate topic is: Will mobile payments cause cash to disappear? Who wants to go?”
Yang Qin, who was sitting next to He Siming, took the initiative to stand up. “Teacher, I’d like to choose He Siming as my debate opponent.”
Li Yizhou said, “Holy shit—campus belle vs. campus heartthrob. Looks good. Love to see it.”
Yao Shule said, “She’s not really here for the debate.”
Jiang Rong quietly pinched his thumb. He saw the pretty girl sitting next to He Siming. When his name was called, He Siming slowly stood up.
Not everyone in this class was from the Computer Science department. There were also students from the Finance and Foreign Languages departments taking the class together. The campus belle was from the Foreign Languages department. She was also a top student, majoring in English and minoring in French.
When He Siming stood up, amid the low buzz of the classroom, a CP-shipping girl lowered her head and said softly, “He Siming, if you win the debate, do you have to go home and kneel on a washboard?”
Yang Qin and He Siming were both members of the student union and often went in and out together. They’d even co-hosted the New Year’s Gala last year. A handsome man and a beautiful woman—once their photos were posted on the forum, people started shipping them as a couple.
He Siming had always turned a deaf ear to such remarks. Before, they’d just go in one ear and out the other. But today, he glanced toward Jiang Rong—only to see him with his head lowered, seemingly lost in thought, expressionless.
Yang Qin had already started the debate.
He Siming responded to each point calmly.
Hearing He Siming’s flawless English pronunciation, Jiang Rong couldn’t help lifting his head. Like the other students, he turned to look toward the back. Doing so didn’t make him stand out at all.
But for some reason, hearing that girl tease He Siming and the campus belle made him feel a little uncomfortable.
Maybe it was the pheromones at work. He was still carrying traces of He Siming’s pheromones, which affected him—and gave rise to possessiveness.
That was normal. Once he finished burning through the residual pheromones He Siming had left behind, he wouldn’t have thoughts like this anymore.
The debate between the two top students went back and forth. In the end, Yang Qin was no match for He Siming and conceded defeat. When she sat down, there was a hint of shyness about her, her delicate charm obvious—any straight guy would be dazzled by her.
With the campus belle and campus heartthrob participating in the debate, the two English classes passed in high spirits. After all, there was new gossip to discuss.
After class, Yao Shule and Li Yizhou headed off to the supermarket together.
Jiang Rong wanted to talk to He Siming about the group assignment. He went to the doorway intending to wait for him, but found himself surrounded by people.
Girls laughed sweetly, Ding Yan cracked jokes, and everyone got along harmoniously.
Jiang Rong slung his backpack over his shoulder and went downstairs alone. Forget it.
When he reached the first floor, his phone vibrated—a WeChat message came in.
He Siming: Wait for me on the first floor. Let’s discuss the group assignment.
Jiang Rong’s mood instantly brightened. He no longer felt dejected. He straightened his back and even felt that the little yellow flowers swaying in the flowerbed looked like a beautiful scene.
He replied: I’m by the bronze statue.
He didn’t wait long before He Siming appeared.
There was no one behind him—just him alone.
He Siming was simply too popular. Wherever he went, people stopped him; even if they had nothing to say, they’d still block his way just to say hello.
Yet Jiang Rong felt that He Siming wasn’t as approachable as he appeared.
When He Siming saw Jiang Rong, he said, “Come with me.”
Jiang Rong asked, “Where to?”
He Siming said, “To find an empty classroom.”
At this time of day, if there were no scheduled classes, classrooms were usually empty. In the evenings, many students came to self-study. Staff typically locked the doors after eleven at night and reopened them before morning classes.
He Siming logged into the school app to check classroom availability and found a small classroom that was currently free.
The small classroom was usually used for major-specific courses; large classes were generally held in lecture halls.
The entire building was very quiet. Jiang Rong had never been here before.
The two people who shouldn’t have intersected again were brought together by a group assignment.
He Siming chose a seat in the middle and took out the laptop he always carried with him.
Jiang Rong slowly edged over to the seat next to him, feeling a bit at a loss.
He Siming pressed the power button. “Why aren’t you talking? You’re so quiet.”
Outside of his heat period, Jiang Rong was much less talkative.
Jiang Rong said, “I’m usually quiet.”
He Siming looked at him deeply for two seconds. “I don’t believe that.” At least in bed, he’d been quite chatty.
Jiang Rong hesitated. “He Siming, there’s something I should tell you first—kind of a heads-up.”
He Siming said, “Are you talking about not teaming up with Yao Shule and the others? I was actually pretty curious why you refused.”
Jiang Rong bit his lower lip and came up with a universal excuse. “I hit my head a while ago and forgot all my major-related knowledge.”
He Siming stared at him for a moment, then smiled. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re really bad at lying?”
Seeing that he didn’t believe him, Jiang Rong decided to go all in. “I don’t know how to do the assignment.”
He Siming said, “So you don’t know how—big deal. I’m not going to laugh at you. If there’s something you don’t understand, you can ask me. I can teach you.”
Jiang Rong was surprised that He Siming didn’t doubt him. “Really? I can ask? I thought you were just being polite.”
He Siming said, “I don’t have extra time to be polite with you. Besides, if you haven’t asked, how do you know I wouldn’t teach you?”
Jiang Rong replied with the same two words he’d used earlier. “Don’t believe it. You’re a busy guy.”
He Siming said, “Then tell me—how did you get through these past few days? Who kept you company?”
Jiang Rong was rendered speechless. His face immediately heated up. Why bring that up?
He Siming chuckled softly. “Go on—who spent three days sleeping with you?”
Jiang Rong was mortified and whispered a weak defense. “I didn’t want that.”
He Siming said, “Mm. I did.”
Jiang Rong quickly changed the subject. “Hurry up and teach me how to do the assignment.”
He Siming said, “Which part don’t you understand?”
Jiang Rong shook his head. “All of it. You can treat me like a complete outsider—a first-year freshman.”
Watching Jiang Rong seriously take notes in his notebook, He Siming realized that he really didn’t know anything.
“Did you really hit your head that badly?”
Jiang Rong nodded like a little chick pecking at grain. “Mm. Really, really.”
He Siming suddenly understood. No wonder Jiang Rong had so many strange, whimsical ideas. Thinking about it made him want to laugh—it turned out he’d hit his head.
He Siming’s top ranking in the major wasn’t for show. He first explained the framework required for the assignment, the underlying logic, and how everything fit together.
Writing a group assignment wasn’t difficult for him at all. By the time dinner rolled around, he’d already finished about a third of it.
Jiang Rong spent the entire time essentially just accompanying him—keeping him company, chatting, and having lessons explained to him.
Late autumn was approaching. Just after five-thirty, the sky was already half dark.
They hadn’t turned on the lights, and the classroom grew dim, lit only by the glow of the screen.
He Siming said, “Let’s stop here for today. If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask me later.”
Jiang Rong agreed obediently. “Okay.”
He Siming closed his laptop, and the classroom suddenly went dark.
In the dim room, only the silhouettes of the two of them remained.
Neither spoke, but they could hear each other’s breathing.
Suddenly, He Siming turned toward Jiang Rong and leaned closer, stopping when there were only ten centimeters between them. Their eyes met.
“Jiang Rong, I’m teaching you professional knowledge. How are you going to repay me?”
Jiang Rong clutched the leg of his pants, his heart inexplicably racing. The lime scent on He Siming seeped closer and closer, tightly wrapping around him.
Snap.
Just as Jiang Rong was about to speak, the classroom lights suddenly turned on.
Someone said, “There are people in here—scared me.”
Jiang Rong: I was scared too.
