Chapter 33: Afraid
Jiang Rong woke up hungry.
When he opened his eyes, for a moment he didn’t know what year it was—but the room filled with the scent of green lime instantly brought all his memories back.
Last night, after He Siming learned about his pregnancy, he hadn’t shown any rejection. That meant he had accepted it.
Jiang Rong buried his face in the pillow soaked with He Siming’s pheromones. It felt so good—he really didn’t want to get out of bed.
It had been a long time since he’d slept this deeply. Recently, he’d been dreaming constantly, and sometimes he even woke up in the middle of the night feeling overheated.
Jiang Rong indulged in the happiness of being surrounded by pheromones. Only when his mind gradually cleared did he realize—
He had class today!
“Crap, what time is it?!”
He immediately bounced up from the bed, slipped into his slippers, and rushed out to look for his phone.
He’d forgotten about this yesterday. At the very least, he needed to ask the class monitor for leave, or else his participation grade would be gone.
Just as Jiang Rong rushed out of the room, He Siming’s voice came from behind him:
“Why are you running around at home?”
Jiang Rong was still searching for his phone on the table. “I forgot to ask for leave.”
He Siming pointed at the computer desk. “Your phone’s charging. I already asked for leave for you this morning.”
Jiang Rong: “Just for half a day?”
He Siming: “I asked for a full day.”
He Siming had already returned to his usual calm demeanor. There was no trace of last night’s tension and fluster—he was once again the aloof campus heartthrob. However, in front of Jiang Rong, that aloofness had long since disappeared.
Jiang Rong knew He Siming was always thoughtful and meticulous.
Only now did he notice that He Siming was wearing a dress shirt at home. The last time he’d seen him in a shirt was at the library—it had been raining that day.
Jiang Rong had just woken up and clearly looked a mess. He scratched his messy, sticking-up hair. “Thank you.”
Today was the first day they both knew there was a baby. Somehow, everything felt different from before.
He Siming said, “Go wash up, then have lunch. Don’t be so polite with me from now on.”
“Oh.” Jiang Rong nodded obediently. He really was starving. Only now did he realize how surprised he was. “I actually slept until noon.”
After washing up, he changed into the clean clothes He Siming had prepared for him.
He was shorter than He Siming, so the clothes were a bit loose on him. But the fabric was comfortable—he could just treat it as an oversized fashion style. No big deal.
Only after eating and drinking his fill did Jiang Rong realize that He Siming hadn’t gone to school either.
“He Siming, why aren’t you going to class?”
He Siming was clearing the dishes. “I wasn’t comfortable leaving you home alone. I often skip classes anyway—the professors know and don’t mind.”
Jiang Rong picked up his phone and checked the messages in the class group chat and the dorm group chat.
Yao Shule and Li Yizhou had been worried that he hadn’t returned to the dorm last night. He Siming had explained in the group that Jiang Rong wasn’t feeling well and was resting at his place.
Nothing serious had happened. Everyone was still living their simple campus lives as usual.
He Siming cut an orange and placed it on the table. “Do you still want to rest this afternoon?”
Jiang Rong was just about to answer when he noticed He Siming’s phone, casually placed on the table, start ringing.
“Your phone’s ringing.”
He Siming glanced at it, thought for a moment, then answered.
The voice on the other end was loud and penetrating:
“He Siming, why are you resigning from the student union?”
He Siming said, “My coursework is too heavy, and I don’t have any time to rest. I won’t be doing student union work anymore. Senior, you can find someone else, or I can recommend a candidate.”
Student Union President: “I don’t agree!”
He Siming: “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up. Remember to sign the application.”
The student union president fake-cried on the other end: “You’re notifying me, not asking for my opinion.”
He Siming: “This is a fact.”
Student Union President: “Can we discuss it and have you resign after the New Year’s gala?” With the campus heartthrob around, everyone was much more motivated to work!
He Siming: “Sorry, I really need to rest. I have something to do—hanging up.”
Student Union President: “Wait—!”
He Siming mercilessly ended the call.
Jiang Rong had more or less understood. He asked in surprise, “You’re leaving the student union?”
He Siming said, “Yeah. I’d wanted to quit for a while but never found the right timing. Now there are more important things to do. I’ll cut out the unimportant ones—no need to waste time.”
Jiang Rong pointed at himself. “Because of me?”
He Siming bent down and leaned closer. “Do you think you’re not important?”
Jiang Rong shook his head. He didn’t know.
He used to think he was important to his parents—an indispensable child, a bridge in their relationship. Later, he realized he was nothing. To them, face and vanity mattered more than he did.
Seeing the confusion in Jiang Rong’s eyes, He Siming thought of his identity as an orphan. Children who enter orphanages are abandoned by their parents from birth. Maybe he truly didn’t know whether he himself was important.
He kissed Jiang Rong’s lips lightly. Jiang Rong had just eaten an orange, so there was still a hint of citrus on them.
“To me, you’re very important.”
Jiang Rong’s eyes immediately cleared. “Really?”
He Siming thought Jiang Rong was unbelievably easy to read—how could he be so pure? It felt like he’d picked up a priceless treasure.
He said to Jiang Rong, “Don’t belittle yourself.”
Jiang Rong nodded. “Mm, okay.”
The confidence he’d lost from his parents was slowly regaining life under He Siming’s care and encouragement.
He Siming wasn’t thinking about squeezing peach juice with Jiang Rong every second. While Jiang Rong rested, he simply made a short-term plan.
Still, whenever pregnancy came up, He Siming couldn’t help feeling a bit awkward.
Even though he’d spent an entire night accepting the reality, it still felt incredibly unreal—like suddenly waking from a dream and being told it was real.
He Siming started with the serious matters. “Well… since there’s a baby now, your body is different from ordinary people. I consulted my little uncle who works at the hospital last night. He said the doctor who examined you is pretty good. We can have her do your prenatal checkups in the future. And then… childbirth is also a problem. You probably can’t give birth naturally, right?”
He cleared his throat and added, “You’re a man—you don’t have a birth canal.” He had seen everything there was to see of Jiang Rong’s body; he hadn’t missed anything.
Jiang Rong froze for a moment, then felt a little embarrassed himself. “Y-you’ve already figured out all that?”
He Siming nodded. “Three days is enough time to figure it out—unless your body really is different.”
Jiang Rong fell silent for a moment.
In their world, female Omegas could give birth through their own physical structure, and the process wasn’t much different from women in this world. Male Omegas, however, could not. In ancient times, the mortality rate for male Omegas during childbirth was extremely high—they could only deliver via cesarean section. In modern times, with sterile surgery, male Omega childbirth was no longer something to worry about.
Jiang Rong had never imagined that he, originally just a Beta, would suddenly become an Omega and then have to face such ancient childbirth issues.
He lowered his gaze and glanced at his stomach. “I can only have a C-section. There’s no other choice.”
He Siming’s expression darkened immediately. “That must hurt a lot.”
A cesarean wasn’t just a simple cut in the abdomen. Just thinking about giving birth to a child was terrifying.
Jiang Rong nodded. “Definitely. I just hope it’ll hurt a bit less when the time comes.”
He Siming sat beside him. “I’ll be with you.”
Jiang Rong asked worriedly, “Okay… when should I get checked? My body structure might be different from others’. Will I get taken away to be a lab guinea pig?”
He Siming laughed at his concern. “A man being able to get pregnant already means you were different from others at birth. It’s just an extra organ, that’s all—not a big problem. They won’t make you a guinea pig. My little uncle is the hospital’s vice director.”
Jiang Rong’s eyes widened. “Huh? Your uncle is a hospital director?”
He Siming nodded. “Mm. He said they won’t treat you like a lab rat.”
Jiang Rong finally relaxed. “That’s good.”
He realized that He Siming always had a way to solve problems.
Once he recovered a bit, Jiang Rong felt shy looking at He Siming again and asked, “Then… are you still going to pursue me?”
“I didn’t know you were pregnant before.” He Siming smiled. “Do you want me to pursue you, or do you want to directly be my boyfriend? I’m fine with either.” He handed the choice to Jiang Rong.
If there hadn’t been a pregnancy, they would still be stuck at the stage before everything was clearly defined.
He Siming squeezed his palm and asked, “Which one do you want to choose?”
Jiang Rong thought seriously about it. He knew their pace was too fast. He had never been in a relationship before—he wanted to experience a normal life, even if he was now an Omega carrying a baby.
There was longing in his eyes as he looked at He Siming. “He Siming, can you pursue me?”
Seeing that look, He Siming’s heart melted halfway. “Okay. Starting today, I’ll pursue you—until you agree.” He’d guessed Jiang Rong would choose this answer.
Getting the answer he wanted, Jiang Rong smiled, his eyes curving beautifully. “You’re so good to me.”
He Siming pulled him into his arms. “If I’m this good to you, shouldn’t I get a little reward?” He was best at pushing his luck with Jiang Rong.
Jiang Rong was especially easygoing right now. “What kind of reward do you want?”
He Siming looked at him. “Kiss me.”
Jiang Rong cupped his face and leaned in, giving him a light peck on the lips before pulling back.
That dragonfly-light kiss was purer than any kiss they’d shared before.
He asked, as if seeking praise, “Is that okay?”
He Siming realized that Jiang Rong could provoke him at any time—his mind was going wild with thoughts of doing something with him.
But considering Jiang Rong’s current physical condition, he could only restrain himself. His gaze darkened slightly, but he still said, “It’s okay.”
Jiang Rong suddenly laughed. “If you have needs, you should say so.”
He Siming gently wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him closer, unable to resist biting the side of his neck.
He had already checked—only after three months, when the fetus was stable, could they barely do anything.
He Siming said, “You can’t right now. It hasn’t even been a month.”
“Alright.” Jiang Rong wrapped his arms around He Siming’s neck, not planning to tell him yet that Omega pregnancies were different from those in this world.
During pregnancy, Omegas no longer had heat cycles—but it was almost like being in heat all the time. Omegas constantly needed Alpha pheromones for comfort. Without them, their bodies would feel weak and unbearably uncomfortable—just like how he’d been these past two weeks.
No wonder he’d had all these reactions without realizing he was pregnant. He really didn’t know Omegas that well. Only by experiencing it himself was he slowly recalling the relevant common knowledge.
Since He Siming had mentioned a reward, maybe he could treat this as a surprise for him?
The most important thing right now was to get his body checked. If surgery could be done normally here, then it wouldn’t be a big problem.
Leaning in He Siming’s arms, Jiang Rong felt extremely at ease while breathing in his pheromones. Without realizing it, he closed his eyes. Perhaps it was also post-meal drowsiness, combined with days of intense stress—once he relaxed, he fell asleep even faster.
He Siming hadn’t expected him to fall asleep so quickly. He took a light bite at his neck, then lifted him horizontally and carried him to the bed.
He hadn’t realized pregnant people could sleep this much.
Jiang Rong woke up after sleeping for two hours in the afternoon.
They confirmed the checkup time with Doctor Liu and scheduled it for Saturday.
He still had classes tomorrow, so after dinner he returned to the dorm.
He Siming would have preferred Jiang Rong to stay at his place directly, but Jiang Rong chose to stay in the dorm for now.
The reason was simple: given Jiang Rong’s current condition, living in the dorm made attending classes more convenient. He wasn’t very good at getting up in the mornings, and school was closer.
He Siming actually preferred Jiang Rong to live with him. However, since Jiang Rong insisted—partly to avoid drawing attention—He Siming decided he’d just find another way to make Jiang Rong feel just as comfortable as at home.
Jiang Rong returned to the dorm wearing He Siming’s clothes. Yao Shule and Li Yizhou knew he’d stayed at He Siming’s place the night before and didn’t ask much—it wasn’t the first time. The last time, after climbing the Great Wall, Jiang Rong had felt unwell, and He Siming had taken him home then as well. Once was nothing; twice was no surprise.
God He was really a nice guy.
After checking in on him briefly, Yao Shule and Li Yizhou went back to doing their own things as usual.
After returning, Jiang Rong began organizing the lessons he’d missed over the past two days—his workload had increased again.
Their midterm results were already out. Jiang Rong had reviewed using the materials He Siming had organized and had barely scraped by.
Only major courses were tested in midterms. There would be final exams over the weekend, and the finals weren’t far off now.
The moment he was back at school, Jiang Rong had to start worrying about studying again.
He sighed for no reason. Sigh… life just keeps getting harder.
Seeing his troubled expression, He Siming wanted to laugh and sent him a message.
He Siming: Want tutoring?
Jiang Rong: Yes. You haven’t tutored me in a long time.
He Siming: Continue tomorrow night? Classroom or home?
Jiang Rong: Classroom. I’ll feel sleepy at home.
He Siming felt extremely regretful.
He Siming: If you want to sleep, just sleep. I can too.
Jiang Rong didn’t understand.
Jiang Rong: You can what?
He Siming: I can let you sleep.
Jiang Rong: “……”
He Siming curled the corner of his lips.
That night passed relatively peacefully.
Over the next two days, He Siming and Jiang Rong attended classes as usual. He Siming still had things to take care of, but compared to before, he was much more relaxed. He devoted all his time to Jiang Rong, tutoring him.
Jiang Rong told the café manager he was resigning. The manager acted as if the sky were falling, saying that once Jiang Rong recovered and wanted to work part-time again, he had to come back—they’d definitely give him a raise.
He Siming successfully withdrew from the student union. The process was swift, mainly because his attitude was firm—so the speed was predictable.
By the time everything was done, news of his departure from the student union finally exploded on the forum!
[The campus heartthrob has left the student union! Will we still see him host the New Year’s gala this year?]
- Why?! Aaaaaah! I refuse to accept this! If there’s no campus heartthrob, I’m not watching the gala!!!
- The sky is falling, everyone!
- Wait, why so suddenly? Does anyone know the reason?
- According to insiders, the campus heartthrob said he’s too busy and has no time to rest.
- Is it possible the campus heartthrob is dating?
- Impossible! Show evidence!
- I passed by Lovers’ Lake a few nights ago and saw the campus heartthrob holding someone’s hand. The other person was wearing a hat—I couldn’t tell if it was a guy or a girl.
- Absolutely impossible! The campus heartthrob was out of town a few days ago!
- Did I see it wrong?
- You must’ve. The streetlights at Lovers’ Lake are so dim—you can only recognize someone within two meters.
Whether or not anyone on the forum guessed that He Siming was in a relationship, early Saturday morning, He Siming drove Jiang Rong to the Municipal First Hospital.
Standing at the hospital entrance, Jiang Rong suddenly felt nervous and didn’t want to take another step forward.
He Siming asked, “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Rong said, “I’m a little scared. My body structure is different from yours.”
He Siming held his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze, and whispered in his ear, “Of course it’s different. I’m the one who got you pregnant.”
Jiang Rong: “……” He suspected He Siming was driving a different kind of car.
Still, with that interruption, he wasn’t as nervous anymore.
He took a deep breath, his expression like someone heading to an execution ground. “Then let’s go.”
Just as he was about to move, He Siming pulled him—not toward the elevator, but into an empty stairwell. They climbed one flight.
“ He Siming?” Jiang Rong said. “We’re going to the eleventh floor. Taking the stairs will be exhausting.”
He Siming said, “No rush.”
Seeing no one around, he pinned Jiang Rong against the wall and kissed him without warning.
Jiang Rong had just opened his mouth to speak when He Siming pushed in forcefully. His pheromones surged into Jiang Rong at the same time. Jiang Rong instinctively closed his eyes and endured He Siming’s invasion. The peach scent slowly intertwined with the green lime, peach juice flowing between the two of them.
When Jiang Rong needed to breathe, He Siming ended the deep kiss in time and asked, “Still nervous?”
Jiang Rong’s eyes were rimmed red, his tongue numb from the kiss. “Huh?”
Clearly satisfied, He Siming laughed. “Looks like you’re not nervous anymore.”
Jiang Rong stared at him. “…”
So… this works too?
