Chapter 3: Differentiation
The music in the bar was deafening. Men and women were dancing wildly on the floor, while bartenders wearing bunny ears wove through the private booths. The place was buzzing with energy.
Jiangnan Bar had opened near Qin University just a week ago, targeting students from nearby colleges.
Ding Yan had recently taken a liking to a junior who worked part-time here. Taking advantage of the rare free time He Siming had, Ding Yan dragged him along to boost the junior’s income—apparently, servers earned decent commissions from alcohol sales.
He Siming didn’t like being watched like prey, so Ding Yan chose a booth in a relatively secluded corner. The view was still good enough to see most of the bar.
He Siming swirled the drink in his hand but didn’t take a sip, only staring at the liquid in the glass, lost in thought.
Most of the people here were students from nearby universities. Some were surprised to see him, but once they noticed Ding Yan beside him, it no longer seemed strange—clearly that playboy had dragged him along.
Ding Yan urged friends who hadn’t arrived yet in the group chat. The moment he mentioned that He Siming was there too, people immediately swarmed over. Before long, their booth was packed.
The girls were all there for He Siming—some of them underclassmen—and no one knew when they’d gotten acquainted with Ding Yan.
They were at an age full of passion, boldness, and fearlessness.
Beside He Siming sat a girl with pink curly hair. She wore carefully applied makeup, a cropped camisole and hot pants that revealed her midriff, long fair legs paired with thin high heels. Sexy and alluring—it was obvious who she’d come for.
Holding up her drink, she struck up a conversation with He Siming, trying to get him to drink with her. The plan was clear: get him drunk and spend the night together. If she couldn’t have the campus heartthrob, a one-night stand would do.
He Siming hadn’t expected Ding Yan to call so many people over. Not wanting to embarrass the girl, he took a small sip.
After that, seeing that He Siming had drunk, others also started chatting with him. The atmosphere was passable.
Seeing that He Siming wasn’t angry, Ding Yan happily dragged the junior server along to place orders at a leisurely pace, even sneaking a feel of the kid’s hand.
After sitting there for a while, He Siming felt the girl beside him practically pressing her chest against him. To avoid her, he stood up and went to the restroom. The girl didn’t get her way and complained softly.
“Senior is way too cold. He won’t even clink glasses with me.”
“He didn’t clink with me either.”
“Forget it. Everyone knows He Siming is aloof—let’s not get our hopes up. Let’s go dance!”
“Alright. Maybe if he sees me dancing later, he’ll be moved?”
“What are you dreaming about?”
A boy in a cropped T-shirt nearby snorted—if He Siming were interested, he would’ve shown it long ago.
The jealous competition going on around him had no effect on He Siming at all.
He found it boring. After washing his hands, he was about to leave and sent Ding Yan a message.
But just as he was about to go, he saw Ding Yan stuff a drink into the hands of someone familiar.
He Siming frowned. Why was Jiang Rong here?
—
It was Jiang Rong’s first time entering a bar in this world, and he was completely lost. He’d been to bars before, but never one in this world.
Bars existed in his original world too, but management there was extremely strict. First, you had to be of age. Second, pheromone levels couldn’t exceed safety limits. For both Alphas and Omegas, going into heat in a public place was terrifying. On top of that, alcohol could stimulate pheromones.
Maybe because a bar was a relatively enclosed space with poor air circulation, the sharp smell of alcohol hit his nerves the moment he walked in. His body began to heat up—his high fever might be getting worse.
Yao Shule hadn’t told him which booth he was at. Where was he supposed to look?
The bar was noisy, the lighting chaotic. Faces were hard to make out, and finding someone wasn’t easy.
He kept calling Yao Shule on WeChat, but the other side wouldn’t pick up.
Jiang Rong only felt his body growing hotter and hotter.
Standing near the entrance, he looked around. Everywhere was dim light and blurred faces. How was he supposed to find Yao Shule, who might already be completely drunk?
A man reeking of alcohol staggered nearby, standing very close. The overwhelming stench of booze seemed to hit Jiang Rong straight in the head, making him feel even worse. He was too hot, his throat dry, as if craving something. His eyes grew unfocused—he didn’t know if it was the flashing lights overhead or his own condition, but waves of dizziness washed over him.
Would he collapse in the bar before even finding the person he came for?
Jiang Rong touched his forehead. This didn’t feel like a fever. His whole body was hot, including the back of his neck, which was burning.
The man leaning against a pillar suddenly vomited all over the floor. The stench hit Jiang Rong, and he covered his nose with his sleeve and moved forward. This time, he truly caught the scent Yao Shule had mentioned.
Why did he have a smell?
He used the cheapest soap from the campus convenience store. He didn’t wear perfume, hadn’t touched any fragrance, and he wasn’t an Omega—he shouldn’t have a pheromone scent.
As a Beta, he also couldn’t smell Alpha or Omega pheromones.
A terrifying thought formed in his mind. In the past, he might have felt a flicker of anticipation—but now, all he felt was fear.
No. Impossible. Haha.
This was too scary. There was no way the heavens would play such a cruel joke on him.
Enduring his discomfort, Jiang Rong avoided physical contact as he searched for Yao Shule among the blurry crowd, continuously trying to start a video call.
Once. Twice. Three times…
Finally, on the sixth try, Yao Shule picked up.
A flushed, drunken face filled the screen.
“Hey! Who’s this?!”
Thank goodness—he finally answered.
Jiang Rong said, “Yao Shule, where are you? I’m at the bar.”
Yao Shule slurred his words. “I’m already out. Who are you?”
“I’m Jiang Rong. Who picked you up?”
“Li Yizhou.”
“……”
In the moment of Jiang Rong’s silence, another face appeared on the screen. “Jiang Rong? I’m Li Yizhou. You don’t need to come get him—I’m taking him back to the dorm now.”
It really was Li Yizhou. Apparently Yao Shule had called him too, and Jiang Rong getting through was just a coincidence.
Jiang Rong felt awful and didn’t try to tough it out anymore.
“Alright.”
On the other end, Yao Shule rambled drunkenly, “Li Yizhou, I’m telling you, that bastard! He definitely cheated! I’m not breaking up with him—I’m gonna wear him down! That bastard! I’m gonna cut off his enoki mushroom!”
Suddenly, the phone was pressed against his face, ending the call.
Jiang Rong: “…Enoki mushroom?”
Drunk people were terrifying—they could do and say anything stupid.
Since Yao Shule was being taken care of, Jiang Rong decided to head back to campus.
No—first he needed to find a pharmacy…
Just as he turned to leave the bar, the smell made his head spin. His body swayed, and he nearly fell. A server about his height, carrying a tray of drinks, crashed into him, splashing alcohol all over his clothes.
“Don’t you watch where you’re going?”
Someone suddenly spoke up on the server’s behalf, then immediately turned to fuss over him. “Junior, are you okay?!”
Jiang Rong’s headache worsened. His face tightened, his whole body aching with discomfort. He just wanted to leave this mess as soon as possible.
It wasn’t even his fault—the other person had run into him.
The server turned back to apologize. “Sorry, sir. Are you okay?”
Jiang Rong shook his head. “I’m fine.” He turned to leave.
But that “senior” wouldn’t let it go. “Wait. You knock over the drinks and think you can just leave?”
The server said, “Senior, it has nothing to do with him.”
“No way. The drinks spilled—won’t your manager dock your pay later? He should compensate you.”
Before the server could refuse, the “senior” grabbed Jiang Rong’s arm.
The sudden yank made Jiang Rong’s arm ache. Feeling awful, he shook him off. “Let go!”
They were face to face now, and both clearly saw each other.
Ding Yan recognized him. “Why is it you, Invisible Man?”
He clicked his tongue like he’d found something amusing.
“Hey, you ran into my guy today. For Old He’s sake, just drink this glass and you won’t have to compensate the junior.”
Even though Jiang Rong felt terrible and his vision was blurred, his mind was still clear.
Holding himself together, he said, “He ran into me, and he already apologized. We’ve resolved it. What you’re doing now is unreasonable.”
Ding Yan had been drinking and was a little drunk himself. Wanting to show off in front of the junior, he felt annoyed at being contradicted. Still, remembering that this was He Siming’s roommate, he was determined to make him drink the glass.
“Since it’s a misunderstanding, how about this—I’ll treat you to a drink. You’re already here anyway. You’re Old He’s roommate, so you’re my friend too. Is it really that bad for me to buy you a drink?”
Seeing that he wasn’t trying to cause trouble and that there wasn’t much alcohol in the glass, Jiang Rong didn’t want to argue with a drunk person. “Fine. I’ll drink it, and then don’t stop me from leaving.”
Ding Yan handed him the glass. “Sure. Once you drink it, we’re friends.”
Jiang Rong took the glass and downed the small half-cup of liquor in one gulp. His throat burned immediately, and it seemed to further stimulate whatever hormones were surging in his body. Heat flooded him, an unbearable restlessness spreading through him, his breath carrying a strong scent of alcohol.
His body swayed, and he felt like he was about to collapse.
Just then, a strong arm caught him around the waist.
A cool, restrained voice sounded by his ear. “Ding Yan, what are you doing?”
Ding Yan replied cheerfully, “Old He? Your roommate came to the bar too. We had a little misunderstanding, so I treated him to a drink. From now on, we’re friends!”
He Siming glanced at him coolly. Ding Yan felt a chill run down his spine, his mind sobering considerably.
“I drank too much—just a small glass. It should be fine, right? Only twenty milliliters.”
Most of Jiang Rong’s weight was resting against He Siming. He realized he felt much better beside him—the raging heat inside him eased a little, and his vision cleared.
He Siming supported Jiang Rong, straightening him, but Jiang Rong leaned back against him again. Several classmates and juniors who had come over to watch were instantly jealous—they wanted to be held by He Siming too. If they’d known, they would’ve pretended to be lightweight and collapsed earlier.
He Siming shot Ding Yan a cold look. “I’m taking him back first. You guys have fun.”
Ding Yan: “……” Was Old He angry?
Some people really did go down after just one drink.
He Siming didn’t know why Jiang Rong had come to Jiangnan Bar, but since Ding Yan had gotten him into this state, he needed to send him back first.
Supporting Jiang Rong, whose steps were unsteady, he led him out of the bar.
Indoors and outdoors felt like two different worlds.
The wind carried away half the heavy stench of alcohol from inside.
Jiang Rong caught the scent of lime on He Siming. It reminded him of the iced lime water he’d had since coming to this world—sweet, refreshing, with a light fragrance that left you feeling clear-headed.
He Siming asked, “Can you stand on your own?”
Jiang Rong touched his forehead—it wasn’t hot. Instead, he pressed his burning nape.
After He Siming helped him stand upright, Jiang Rong felt miserable. His legs wouldn’t straighten at all.
He let out a small, animal-like whimper. “Mm… I feel awful.”
He Siming’s fingers curled slightly as he drew the swaying Jiang Rong into his arms. “……”
Jiang Rong startled at the sound of his own uncontrollable voice, his mind clearing a little. Suddenly, he remembered the physiology classes from middle school.
Back then, thirteen- and fourteen-year-olds hadn’t yet developed secondary genders—that was before differentiating into Alpha or Omega.
Everyone sat together in one classroom listening to the lecture.
Ever since his mother had taken him to multiple endocrinology departments and received the same conclusion—that he would never differentiate into an Omega—he had selectively forgotten those lessons.
Now, he remembered what the teacher had said about the early symptoms of Omega differentiation.
