Chapter 18: Let Me Have a Taste
He Siming knew Jiang Rong was good-looking. On the rainy night when they returned to the dorm and stayed there, after washing his hair and standing in front of the mirror blow-drying it, flipping his bangs aside, he had already clearly seen Jiang Rong’s face. Plus, they had spent three days together—inside and out, everything that could be seen and everything that shouldn’t be seen had been seen thoroughly.
He just hadn’t expected that Jiang Rong, after changing his hairstyle, would be even more attractive. He didn’t mind Jiang Rong wanting to hide his good looks—having a bit less trouble from the outside world was a good thing. Now that Jiang Rong had gotten a new hairstyle, he fully supported it, and it genuinely amazed him. Jiang Rong seemed to be tailor-made to his tastes.
While He Siming was focusing on Jiang Rong, he almost ignored Jiang Jie, who was walking with him—but only almost.
His mood wasn’t as wonderful as when he had first arrived. Sure enough, beautiful people were easy to covet. He cast Jiang Jie a cool glance.
Jiang Rong happened to spot He Siming and walked over with a smile. “He Siming, have you been waiting long?”
He Siming looked at his hairstyle and noticed out of the corner of his eye that Jiang Jie hadn’t come forward. He shifted his body to block Jiang Rong from Jiang Jie’s line of sight and said, “We just got here. The new hairstyle looks great.” He meant it sincerely.
Warmth spread in Jiang Rong’s heart, and he naturally returned the compliment. “Your jacket today looks really handsome too.”
He Siming was wearing a baseball cap, a black lightweight sports jacket, a plain white T-shirt underneath, and gray sweatpants with black side stripes—very casual. Actually, it wasn’t much different from his usual style, but Jiang Rong still thought he looked handsome today. After all, he was the campus heartthrob—he’d probably look good even in a burlap sack.
Jiang Rong knew He Siming wasn’t the skinny type. He had eight-pack abs, a perfect inverted triangle build. Once clothed, you couldn’t really tell how solid his muscles were, but beneath that strong physique was smooth skin with an incredible feel.
Ahem—his thoughts were drifting.
He Siming smiled. “Just the jacket?”
Jiang Rong felt his face heat up under his gaze. “You’re handsome too.”
Ding Yan chimed in, “Ugh, don’t you think it’s kind of gross how you two are praising each other?” He couldn’t break his habit of being sharp-tongued, though he did love doubling words.
Jiang Rong wanted to bury his head in He Siming’s chest. “…Ding Yan is so annoying.”
“Complimenting others is a virtue. Stay away from me,” He Siming said bluntly. Not wanting Jiang Rong to see Jiang Jie, he nudged him forward. “Let’s go—the ticket checkpoint’s up ahead.”
That completely left Jiang Jie behind them.
This time they had chosen the northern side of the Great Wall; reaching the top could take around three hours.
With so many people moving together, enthusiasm was high. It was lively—who they’d come for didn’t seem so important at this moment.
Still, there were girls who wanted to walk with He Siming, so they followed them to the checkpoint.
It wasn’t Jiang Rong’s first time witnessing He Siming’s charm. Even Yao Yin was there—and today she’d put on full makeup, every strand of hair meticulously styled.
A team full of young, attractive men and women was always pleasing to the eye.
At his old school, Jiang Rong rarely joined large group activities. Betas faced intense competition after entering society, unlike Alphas and Omegas, who naturally had roles suited to them. Alphas, strong-bodied, were ideal for the military. Omegas, gentle by nature, were well-suited for softer roles—teachers, doctors, and even being a homemaker wouldn’t draw criticism. Betas, on the other hand, were like worker bees—most numerous, with many possible jobs, but also the fiercest competition. For example, if a civil service position suitable for Omegas had an acceptance rate of one in ten, then one suitable for Betas might be one in a thousand.
With that time, it was better to do a few more practice tests in the library or memorize a few more words. That was the Beta survival rule: grind down everything that could be ground down.
Looking at the Great Wall stretching endlessly ahead, Jiang Rong experienced for the first time that group activities could simply be about having fun.
He quite liked the university students here. They were not only simple, but full of vitality.
Just then, Yao Shule’s energetic voice rang out. He waved at them. “Jiang Rong, He God, don’t go in yet! Our dorm’s taking photos at the checkpoint!”
Li Yizhou came over too.
The photographer was the group leader, Feng Yu, who also did photography on the side—something Jiang Rong had learned from Jiang Jie on the way.
Jiang Rong was happy. He turned to He Siming and said, “Let’s go take pictures.”
He Siming nodded. His gaze stayed on Jiang Rong’s cheerful face. He’d never seen him this happy at school—right now he looked like a kid on his first autumn outing.
So Jiang Rong smiled this brightly when he went out. His little fang even showed.
He Siming felt his throat go a bit dry, like he needed to bite into a juicy piece of fruit to quench it.
Yao Shule was very lively. He pulled Jiang Rong to stand beside him. He Siming naturally stood on Jiang Rong’s other side, with Li Yizhou on Yao Shule’s other side.
Feng Yu said, “I’m taking pictures now—strike some fun, good-looking poses!”
Yao Shule raised his hand in a V-sign, Li Yizhou followed suit. Jiang Rong slowly raised his hand to make a V as well. Suddenly, He Siming placed his black baseball cap onto Jiang Rong’s head and made a V-sign above it.
Jiang Rong suddenly had a cap on and turned to look at him. “Why did you give me your hat?”
He Siming said, “Wear it. The sun’s strong.”
Jiang Rong gave a soft “oh.” It felt like the sunlight had shone straight into his heart. The cap still held He Siming’s warmth—so warm it made his chest ache.
He turned back to continue posing, his smile even brighter than before.
Feng Yu pressed the shutter at that moment. Knowing Yao Shule was picky, he fired off dozens of shots.
“I took a lot—pick the ones you like later.”
Afterward, he returned the phone to Yao Shule and added, “Your dorm’s visuals are pretty strong.”
Yao Shule said, “Of course. You’ve already experienced He God’s pulling power. Jiang Rong’s our newly promoted handsome guy—jealous?”
Feng Yu glanced at the group of girls waiting to go through the checkpoint with them and said excitedly, “I’ll call you guys for every future event. Your dorm’s amazing—girls are already asking about Jiang Rong. They’re probably adding him on WeChat in the group.”
Everyone lined up together for security.
After more than ten minutes, they entered and officially began the Great Wall climb.
It was a real test of college students’ stamina.
At first, people chatted and took photos. Later on, some girls started falling behind and splitting off from the main group.
Feng Yu asked the outdoor club members to look after the girls who dropped back. Yao Shule and Li Yizhou deliberately stayed toward the rear. Li Yizhou even volunteered to carry girls’ bags, earning lots of praise and new WeChat contacts—his grin never faded the entire way.
Jiang Rong and He Siming kept heading upward together, stopping and starting.
Whenever Jiang Rong got thirsty, they stopped to drink water and rest. Somehow he was sweating a lot. His fitness couldn’t be this bad—he’d placed fifth in the class on the 3,000-meter run last time.
He turned to look at He Siming, who was walking with him, and saw that he looked completely unfazed.
Jiang Rong stopped to drink water and asked, “How are you not sweating at all?”
He Siming replied, “My stamina’s good. You know that.”
Jiang Rong: “…” He rummaged through his bag. “I brought water for you.”
He Siming said, “I brought a sports drink. Give me your water.”
Jiang Rong handed him the water he’d brought for him. He Siming then asked for the bottle Jiang Rong was holding. “This one too.”
“I can carry it myself,” Jiang Rong said. “It’s not like I can’t manage a little water.”
Seeing Jiang Rong’s face looking a bit pale, He Siming became firm. He took the water and put it in his own backpack. “If you want to drink, take it from me. Do you have anything really heavy left? Put it in my bag.”
Jiang Rong shook his head. “Nothing else.” He didn’t want to push himself—he knew his own body.
Seeing him still catching his breath, He Siming said, “Alright. Rest a bit more.”
Jiang Rong sat on the steps to rest. His fitness was actually fine—climbing shouldn’t have tired him out like this. But for some reason, he kept sweating today and felt more fatigued than usual. Could it be because he hadn’t exercised for over a month?
And they’d eaten breakfast; only two hours had passed since leaving campus, yet he was already hungry.
He pulled out a bread roll he’d bought at the supermarket, wanting to eat a little to replenish energy.
Seeing he was hungry, He Siming took out a beautifully packed box of sandwiches. “Eat this. I brought sandwiches.”
The sandwiches looked far more appetizing than the bread in his hand, which suddenly felt bland.
“If I eat yours, what will you eat later?” Jiang Rong asked.
“Ding Yan’s got other food. If I’m really hungry, there’s a food street at the foot of the mountain—we can just grab something,” He Siming replied.
Their group snacks were in Li Yizhou’s bag; Jiang Rong’s bag only had bread.
He Siming opened the box and let Jiang Rong take some himself. Jiang Rong didn’t stand on ceremony.
He was genuinely hungry. He quickly finished one—ham and egg flavor, palm-sized. There were eight in the box.
He Siming passed the box over again. Jiang Rong ate two more, then stopped.
“I’m full,” Jiang Rong said.
“Mm,” He Siming replied.
Jiang Rong took another sip of water. Wearing He Siming’s hat, he wasn’t feeling much sun. He asked, “Are you this nice to everyone?”
He Siming looked at him. “Who have you seen me treat this nicely?”
Jiang Rong had just arrived in this world—how would he know?
He answered honestly, “I don’t know.”
“I’m only nice to idiots,” He Siming said.
“I suspect you’re calling me an idiot,” Jiang Rong said. He felt a bit happy, but didn’t want to show it. He wasn’t dumb.
He Siming stood up. “No need to suspect.”
Jiang Rong: “…” He didn’t want to talk to He Siming anymore.
After resting enough, they continued upward.
The higher they climbed, the heavier Jiang Rong’s legs felt, as if filled with lead. After half an hour, He Siming decisively took his backpack too and strapped both packs to his own chest.
He Siming grew anxious. “Why is your face so pale? Low blood sugar? Feeling dizzy?”
Jiang Rong nodded. “A little dizzy, but not too bad.”
He Siming unwrapped a piece of candy meant for hypoglycemia. “Hold this in your mouth. We might’ve climbed too fast—your brain’s a bit oxygen-starved, and you just ate.”
As Jiang Rong took the candy, He Siming’s fingertips brushed his soft lips. They were pale now, which made his chest ache.
“Can you still walk? If not, we’ll head back down,” He Siming asked.
Jiang Rong sat and rested a few more minutes. The sandwiches probably hadn’t fully digested yet, but after eating the candy, the dizziness faded.
“I’m fine now,” he said.
He Siming peeled another candy and popped it into his mouth. “Have another.”
Because Jiang Rong had gotten hungry, then dizzy, and rested twice, people caught up to them from behind. He felt embarrassed—he hadn’t expected himself to be this fragile.
“This candy’s really good,” Jiang Rong said. “Why did you bring so much?”
“When I was little, I went hiking with my family and almost fainted from low blood sugar halfway. Since then, I always carry some,” He Siming said, handing him a fistful of colorful candies. “Eat them on the way.”
Jiang Rong was really tired and didn’t feel like talking much. “Mm.”
Among those who caught up were Yao Yin and her girlfriends. Seeing He Siming, she even discreetly reapplied her lipstick.
“He Siming, could you help me carry my bag? I really can’t climb anymore,” Yao Yin asked.
“I’m already carrying two,” He Siming replied. “I can’t carry more—sorry.”
Yao Yin: “…” She remembered that bag being Jiang Rong’s.
Before she could say anything else, He Siming said to Jiang Rong, “Let’s keep climbing.”
Jiang Rong nodded. “Okay.”
They continued upward at a steady pace.
Left behind, Yao Yin bit her lip as she watched He Siming’s back.
One of her friends said, “Don’t be mad. He God’s hard to crack. Didn’t Lin Nana find out he won’t be with the campus belle? You still have a chance.”
“Isn’t he way too hard to deal with?” Yao Yin muttered.
With the help of He Siming’s candy, Jiang Rong didn’t have any more issues and gradually recovered his stamina. They were among the first group to reach the top.
Some classmates asked He Siming for photos or wanted to take pictures with him, and he agreed to all of them.
Jiang Rong took back his backpack and rested his hand on the wall, admiring the scenery. The winding Great Wall looked like a giant dragon coiled across the mountains.
The red autumn leaves were beautiful, refreshing the spirit.
So beautiful.
No wonder people traveled during holidays no matter how crowded it was.
Facing such scenery, the fatigue, dissatisfaction, and hesitation along the way all vanished.
He Siming stood behind him with his phone. “Jiang Rong, turn around.”
Jiang Rong turned, and He Siming snapped a photo.
In the photo, Jiang Rong stood by the wall facing the sunlight, smiling at him as the wind tousled his hair.
“Were you taking pictures of me?” Jiang Rong asked.
“Yeah. I’ll send them to you later,” He Siming said.
A girl nearby offered, “He God, I can take a photo of the two of you.”
He Siming handed her his phone. “Thanks.”
He walked over to Jiang Rong, naturally placing an arm around his shoulder.
Jiang Rong leaned toward him instinctively. Being close to He Siming again put him in a good mood.
The girl, excited to be holding the campus heartthrob’s phone, did her best to take great photos.
What a pity it was the heartthrob’s own phone—otherwise she’d definitely post them on the forum for everyone to admire!
After they finished taking photos, more people gradually reached the top. Luckily, they were all energetic college students—no matter how tired, everyone made it.
The four from Jiang Rong’s dorm also took a group photo on the Great Wall.
Afterward, they rested a bit, ate some food to replenish energy, and headed back.
With many girls in the group, most chose to take the cable car down.
Jiang Rong checked the ticket price. With his limited funds, he was about to choose to walk down when He Siming said, “Come on, we’re taking the cable car too.”
“But I was thinking—”
He Siming cut him off. “You have low blood sugar. You’re not walking. The tickets are already bought—no refunds.”
“…Okay.” Jiang Rong couldn’t refuse. He owed He Siming so many favors—how long would it take to repay them all?
Yao Shule said, “Then I’ll take the cable car too. Don’t feel like walking.”
Li Yizhou said, “Let’s go together.”
“Let’s go, let’s go—down the mountain to eat!” Yao Shule said.
Ding Yan added, “Helping those girls carry stuff almost killed me. I’m not walking down—I’m taking the cable car!”
The PE students weren’t done playing yet and chose to walk down. This distance was nothing to them. So the group split up.
After getting on the cable car, Jiang Rong felt drained and barely spoke the whole way.
Li Yizhou wanted food and went straight to the food street after getting off.
The smell of grilled sausages filled the air.
Jiang Rong realized he seemed to want to eat again. Was he some kind of bottomless pit?
He Siming asked, “Want grilled sausage? My treat.”
Everyone replied, “Yes!”
Everyone who came down together got grilled sausages on He Siming’s dime—Jiang Rong included. Their world didn’t have this kind of food.
One bite in, the grilled meat juices burst with fragrance in his mouth, satisfying his taste buds.
The street was crowded, so they walked mostly in pairs. He Siming paid and walked behind with Jiang Rong, staying on the outside to shield him from the crowd.
Watching Jiang Rong eat, his lips looked like they’d been glossed—smooth and moist. “Jiang Rong, let me have a taste.”
Jiang Rong was very focused when eating and didn’t notice He Siming had no sausage in hand. “Didn’t you get one?”
“No. I’m not really hungry,” He Siming said.
“But I’ve already eaten this,” Jiang Rong whispered.
“I’ve already eaten plenty of your saliva,” He Siming replied calmly.
Jiang Rong: “…” How could someone say that so casually? He quickly held the sausage up to He Siming’s mouth and muttered softly, “Stop talking—here, eat.”
He Siming took a bite and felt it wasn’t as tasty as the bite Jiang Rong had eaten.
Seeing how Jiang Rong looked afraid of others finding out, He Siming smiled. “I ate your sausage—shouldn’t you eat it back too?”
Jiang Rong stared at him in disbelief. “You—” His face burned as he wondered if he was thinking of the same “sausage.”
He Siming’s smile never faded as he watched Jiang Rong’s cheeks turn pink. “Yeah.” It was all written on his face.
Jiang Rong: “…”
