Chapter 21: He’s Angry
Sunday, 12:30 p.m.
He Siming stared at his phone, which hadn’t shown any activity at all, and couldn’t help feeling puzzled.
He’d woken up at ten in the morning and sent Jiang Rong the photos he’d taken of him yesterday. Two hours had passed, yet Jiang Rong hadn’t responded at all.
Had Jiang Rong not seen his message—or had he not gotten up yet?
He Siming had originally planned to pan-fry himself a steak, but now he had no appetite for lunch at all. Jiang Rong wouldn’t possibly be hanging out with that guy named Jiang Jie, would he?
He grabbed his car keys and dorm keys and headed straight out.
At that moment, the boys’ dorm room 519 was unusually quiet.
Even if students in other dorms stayed up late, there would usually be one or two who got up earlier. But today, from morning until now, no one from 519 had opened the door.
A student shuffling along in slippers spotted He Siming. Seeing him appear in a form-fitting shirt amid a dorm full of college boys that didn’t suit him at all, he almost thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Qiu Feng said, “He-God, why are you back at this hour?”
He Siming replied, “Something came up. They’re not up yet?”
Qiu Feng said, “Probably not. Haven’t seen anyone come out. Yao Shule and Li Yizhou sleep even more than the guys in our dorm.”
He Siming had a key, so he opened the door.
The moment he did, a mix of alcohol fumes hit him in the face. Yao Shule and Li Yizhou had been drinking last night; the air they breathed out reeked of alcohol. With the doors and windows shut tight, the room was stuffy and poorly ventilated.
The curtains on all three occupied beds were drawn.
Yao Shule and Li Yizhou hadn’t woken up, which He Siming could understand. They usually slept like the dead, and on weekends even thunder wouldn’t wake them.
But Jiang Rong’s bed curtains were drawn too. Had he not gotten up yet? Or had he gotten up and then fallen back asleep?
He lowered his head to look at the floor. The slippers were placed where they usually were, and his going-out shoes were still on the shoe rack. He hadn’t gone out.
Still holding the keys in his hand, He Siming lifted a corner of Jiang Rong’s bed curtain, unease creeping in. What if he was sick?
The dorm curtains hadn’t been opened, so the light inside was dim. When He Siming pulled back Jiang Rong’s bed curtain, a sliver of light fell on his face—fine, soft fuzz visible in detail. This wasn’t the first time He Siming had seen Jiang Rong sleeping up close, but it was the first time he’d seen him sleep so restlessly.
He Siming reached out and touched his forehead. Normal temperature—no fever.
He didn’t know what Jiang Rong was dreaming about, but his brows were tightly furrowed, beads of sweat dotting his forehead.
What kind of dream was he having?
At that moment, Jiang Rong was caught in a dream that nearly scared him out of his wits.
He dreamed that he’d returned to his original world, back to his own university, continuing life as a sophomore. But unlike before, now everyone knew he had differentiated into an Omega.
As an Omega, he could no longer continue living in the same dorm as his former Alpha classmates. The school reassigned him to a new dorm with a new set of roommates.
On top of that, the school informed his parents that he had differentiated into an Omega.
When his mother found out, she was overjoyed. She called him immediately, so excited that her words came out jumbled. But she didn’t ask whether he was feeling okay. Instead, she kept emphasizing that he absolutely had to seize the opportunity to get close to the Alphas at his school who came from good families.
A few days later, she started introducing him to one Alpha after another, pushing different Alpha social media accounts onto him—college students, elite professionals, even famous upperclassmen from his own university.
There was no escape. Nowhere to hide.
Alpha pheromones surrounded him, lingering everywhere. He didn’t like these Alphas—their pheromones were terrifying. Steel, durian, pickled cabbage—none of them were fresh or natural, none smelled pleasant.
Even worse, the campus heartthrob at his university said he wanted to date him. The guy immediately pinned him against a wall, disinfectant-scented pheromones exploding around him and nearly choking him. Jiang Rong screamed for help, kicked the guy away, and ran.
But no matter how he ran, his mother would appear in every corner of the campus, catch him, and drag him back to meet yet another Alpha.
She even said, If this one won’t do, the next will be better. You have to marry an Alpha from a good family!
Jiang Rong was restrained, completely unable to move. He shouldn’t have climbed the Great Wall yesterday—his legs were too sore. He couldn’t run at all.
He begged his mother to let him go. He didn’t want to marry those Alphas. He already knew an Alpha.
His mother said, You mean that He Siming who doesn’t even know what a heat cycle is?
He said, Yes. Him.
His mother sneered. Hah. He won’t do.
Jiang Rong thought to himself that He Siming was actually pretty capable.
Suddenly, a familiar lime scent slipped into his nose—the smell of He Siming’s pheromones.
That wasn’t right. How could He Siming possibly be an Alpha in that world?
Jiang Rong jolted awake in fright.
He opened his eyes and saw He Siming’s hand resting on his forehead.
Just waking up, he was still a little dazed, his voice hoarse. “He Siming?”
It took him two seconds to realize that returning to his original world had just been a dream—and that this world was where he was now.
Then he remembered thinking in the dream that He Siming was “pretty capable,” and he felt a bit embarrassed to meet his gaze.
He Siming’s voice softened slightly. “How did you sleep until noon without waking up? It’s almost one.”
“I don’t know. Maybe climbing the Great Wall yesterday was too tiring. I kept dreaming and couldn’t wake up.” Jiang Rong didn’t sit up right away. Lying on his pillow, he could look straight at He Siming, his mind still fuzzy.
“Are you getting up or not?” He Siming asked.
“I am. I’m hungry.” In his dream, all the blind dates with Alphas had been in restaurants—he’d been starving, but those stinky Alphas absolutely wouldn’t let him eat.
He Siming stepped back. “Then get up and wash up. I’ll take you to eat.”
Only then did Jiang Rong get up. He didn’t really have pajamas—just old T-shirts and shorts. In a rush to use the bathroom, he hadn’t changed into long pants. When he climbed down, his pale, long legs fell right into He Siming’s line of sight.
It had been several days since he’d last seen them. All He Siming could think of was the image of those legs wrapped around his waist.
He Siming turned his gaze away, sat down at his own chair, and unlocked his phone.
With some movement in the dorm, Yao Shule and Li Yizhou also gradually woke up—both awakened by hunger.
When Li Yizhou got out of bed and saw He Siming in the dorm, he thought he still hadn’t woken up.
“He-God, am I dreaming? Why are you back?”
Yao Shule was startled too. “Yeah, you scared me.”
Normally, they wouldn’t see him once a week, but these past few days felt like the holidays—seeing him every day.
“I had something to take care of. What do you want to eat? I’ll order delivery for you.”
Li Yizhou asked, “You’re treating us?”
He Siming nodded. “Yeah. Ding Yan said he had a great time chatting with you guys last night.”
Li Yizhou and Yao Shule laughed.
“Really ordering for us?”
“Really.” He Siming opened the delivery app. “How about this place? I heard you say their grilled prawns are good.”
Li Yizhou gave a thumbs-up. “He-God, generous as always. If you ever need anything, just say the word. This place is perfect—I’m not picky.”
Yao Shule said, “I like it too.”
He Siming placed the order, selecting several big dishes. “If you can’t finish it, call the class monitor and Qiu Feng to come eat together. I just ran into them at the door.”
Li Yizhou said, “Sounds great!”
The two were practically dizzy with joy at the thought of food and rushed off to wash up, ready to wait for the delivery.
He Siming opened all the dorm windows. The air instantly felt much fresher, and standing by the window helped him calm down a bit too.
When Jiang Rong finished washing up, he was already dressed.
He asked, “Aren’t we waiting to eat with them?”
“No need. I ordered delivery for them.”
“Huh? Then am I eating delivery too?” Jiang Rong pounded his sore thighs lightly.
Seeing that he didn’t want to walk, He Siming said, “I’ll drive. No need to walk.”
After washing up, Li Yizhou and Yao Shule came out and realized that He Siming and Jiang Rong were gone.
Li Yizhou asked, “Where’d those two go?”
Yao Shule said, “Jiang Rong was just in the bathroom. I forgot to tell him He-God’s treating. Did he go to the cafeteria?”
Li Yizhou said, “I’ll call him back in the group chat. Saving a meal is still saving money.”
Jiang Rong saw the group message but didn’t know how to reply right away.
He glanced at He Siming, who was driving and watching the road and pedestrians, and replied: I went out to eat.
Li Yizhou didn’t press further: What a pity. We’ve got prawns and boiled fish! Then we’ll eat it ourselves! Thanks to our food sponsor, He-God! @He Siming
Seeing the words “prawns” and “fish,” Jiang Rong swallowed. He really was starving.
He Siming merged onto the main road. Seeing Jiang Rong staring at his phone, clearly craving food, he asked, “See something tasty?”
“They’re eating prawns and fish. I want some too.”
“No need to envy them,” He Siming said. “I’ll take you to eat freshly grilled lamb chops.”
Jiang Rong lifted his gaze. At that moment, light appeared in his eyes. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
Jiang Rong covered his empty stomach and asked carefully, “Then when can we eat? I’m so hungry.”
He Siming handed him a piece of fruit candy—lime flavored. “Hang on for now. Fifteen minutes. The lamb chops are already grilling.”
Afraid of low blood sugar, Jiang Rong unwrapped the candy and tasted the slightly sour sweetness.
He wanted to ask why He Siming was taking him out alone to eat.
He Siming didn’t lie. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at a Western restaurant.
Based on Jiang Rong’s limited understanding of He Siming, he’d thought He Siming would choose a quiet, upscale restaurant. Instead, this place was tucked away in a more secluded spot—hard to find if you didn’t know it. A winding path leading to a hidden gem.
The restaurant occupied a massive courtyard. Even at one in the afternoon, there was a long line. Servers hurried back and forth with dishes, the place bustling with activity.
“Do we need to line up?” Jiang Rong asked.
“No.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, a manager came over to greet them and led them straight to a private room on the second floor.
The so-called private room was really just partitioned off with simple folding screens.
The manager, very perceptive, asked, “Mr. He, shall we start serving the dishes now?”
“Yes.”
The manager immediately arranged for the food to be served.
Jiang Rong could tell—the manager knew He Siming.
He Siming explained casually, “A friend of my dad’s runs this chain. All the lamb here is fresh, shipped straight from Inner Mongolia. It doesn’t taste gamey. You should like it.”
Jiang Rong said expectantly, “Mm. I’m not picky.”
When they first walked in, the aromas of grilled meat had already flooded his keen sense of smell. The more he smelled, the hungrier he got.
The food arrived quickly. He Siming exercised regularly and had a good appetite—better than Jiang Rong’s, even.
Seeing the fragrant grilled lamb sprinkled with cumin, Jiang Rong no longer felt tempted by the grilled prawns Yao Shule and Li Yizhou had sent photos of in the group chat.
The manager was good at reading the room. Since they were the boss’s friends, he personally brought them two cans of the restaurant’s specialty milk tea.
Jiang Rong’s appetite surged. “It smells amazing.”
He Siming picked up a lamb chop for him first. “Eat up. It won’t be as good once it cools.”
Jiang Rong put on gloves and started eating.
He Siming had been hungry for a long time too. He’d planned to eat lunch earlier, but when Jiang Rong didn’t reply to his messages, he’d lost his appetite. Now, he was starving.
Besides the lamb chops, there were other dishes as well, all of which the two of them polished off—true clean-plate action.
It was the first time Jiang Rong realized he could eat so much. And decisively, he ate himself full.
After finishing the last sip of milk tea, he felt utterly satisfied.
This was the fullest he’d eaten since coming to this world—and the most delicious meal too. “This milk tea is really good as well.”
After the meal, they naturally left. Plenty of people were still lining up outside.
He Siming led Jiang Rong out of the courtyard. “There’s a river behind here. Want to take a walk?”
Jiang Rong rubbed his stuffed stomach. “Yeah. Perfect for digestion.”
To be honest, since coming to this world, he hadn’t truly relaxed even for a single day—let alone gone out strolling.
He Siming led him along, introducing the surrounding area as they walked. Jiang Rong listened attentively, not even needing to check his phone.
“Are you a local, He Siming?” Jiang Rong asked. “How do you know this place so well?”
“I was born here. Later, my parents got busy with business and moved elsewhere. We left when I was in elementary school. Now it’s kind of like revisiting old ground. Technically, I still have a local household registration—I even came back here to take my college entrance exam.”
Jiang Rong hadn’t yet learned what household registration meant. “Does that mean the location on your ID card?”
He Siming laughed. “Did you bump your head and forget what household registration is too?”
“Yeah,” Jiang Rong said. “Can you explain it to me?”
Seeing the eager look in Jiang Rong’s eyes, He Siming’s heart couldn’t quite handle it. His voice softened. “Household registration is your official identity in this country.”
“I get it,” Jiang Rong said. Like an ID card back where he came from.
“Anyway, it’s very important,” He Siming continued. “After getting married and having kids, having household registration in this city is extremely useful. A lot of people fight tooth and nail to get registered here.”
“Why?” Jiang Rong asked.
“Because this is the capital. The educational resources are good.”
“So that means if my future child wants to go to a good school, they’ll need a good household registration?”
He Siming paused. “Who do you want to have children with? Do you like girls?”
“What?” Jiang Rong froze. That wasn’t what he meant at all.
They were standing under a tree by the riverbank. He Siming’s face darkened slightly, his displeasure plain to see.
Standing in front of Jiang Rong, He Siming frowned and asked again, “Do you like girls?”
Jiang Rong shook his head honestly. “No.”
He Siming pressed on. “Then who do you want to have children with?”
Jiang Rong pushed at the He Siming standing too close to him. “I don’t know…”
He Siming didn’t like being pushed away. “Don’t know what?”
Jiang Rong pressed his lips together and stared straight at him.
He Siming said, “Mm?”
Jiang Rong said, “If I were pregnant right now, the child would be yours.”
He Siming laughed. Every time Jiang Rong talked about having his baby, it was amusing.
Jiang Rong got anxious. “I’m serious! If we don’t use protection properly, I really could get pregnant!”
“Mm, mm, mm. I know,” He Siming replied.
Jiang Rong said firmly, “You don’t.”
He Siming chuckled. “Then how about you get pregnant first and show me?”
Jiang Rong felt that He Siming wasn’t taking this seriously at all. He walked past him in big strides.
He Siming: “……”
How did he end up angry?
He never should have teased Jiang Rong into this state. Another day, he really ought to take him for a brain CT scan. With a sigh, he hurried after him.
