Chapter 35: Words as Fierce as Tigers and Wolves
At this moment, there was nothing else left in He Siming’s eyes.
His Adam’s apple kept rolling; his throat was dry in waves, his tightly wound body having nowhere to vent its tension.
He could imagine how sweet the peach scent on Jiang Rong’s body would be as he lay in his bed, how fragrant and tempting Jiang Rong’s lips would be.
When he went out earlier, he still felt like he was “eating vegetarian,” but today he couldn’t even get that much.
After making sure there was no one in the restroom, he lowered his voice and said, “Jiang Rong, if you keep doing this, you’re going to make me want to sleep with you.”
Jiang Rong was still savoring the feeling of being wrapped head to toe in the lime-like scent when he suddenly heard He Siming say something so explicit to him for the first time. Half his face buried itself in the blanket as he blinked at He Siming on the video.
He said, “But I want your pheromones. Otherwise I feel really uncomfortable. Being pregnant needs a lot of them—you’re half responsible.”
“Yes, I’m responsible. It’s all my fault for being too capable.” He Siming’s breathing grew heavy. His responsibility was not pinning Jiang Rong down on the bed and flipping him over like a pancake before going out. Now there were only one huge words left in his heart: regret.
“…” Hearing his breathing, Jiang Rong’s ears heated up as well. The two of them were both in very quiet environments; even through the screen, He Siming’s breathing sounded especially clear. “He Siming, are you okay?”
“What do you think? You’re wearing my clothes and sleeping in my bed.” He Siming deliberately blamed him. “I’m in so much pain—it’s pure torture.”
“V-very painful? I didn’t mean to torture you.” Jiang Rong was also a man and understood his situation very well, but he had only put on a piece of clothing; he hadn’t expected it to cause He Siming such a physical reaction.
He Siming gave a low chuckle. “What do you think? You’re really good at…” controlling him.
Jiang Rong hadn’t slept well these past few nights. Finally burrowed into a nest full of He Siming’s pheromones and listening to his deep voice, his eyelids began to droop.
He murmured back, “Good at what? He Siming, then I’ll wait for you to come back.”
He Siming put on a show of grievance. “Even when I come back, we still can’t do anything.”
Muffled under the blanket, Jiang Rong said softly, “We can.”
He Siming thought he’d misheard. Afraid Jiang Rong might think he was really suffering, he hurried to comfort him. “I’m not that uncomfortable. Everything online says you can’t do it within the first three months.”
Jiang Rong insisted, “But I’m an Omega—it’s different. Babies grow faster when there are pheromones.”
He Siming figured he must be sleepy and talking nonsense, so he coaxed him. “We’ll talk about pheromones when I get back.”
Jiang Rong said, “Then I’ll sleep for a bit. I’ve been so tired—without you here these two days, I haven’t slept well.”
The thoughts He Siming had just barely suppressed were stirred up again. “I’ll be here every day from now on.”
Jiang Rong rubbed his face against the blanket. “That would be wonderful.”
He Siming’s heart trembled from being teased like this. His fingertip tapped the screen. “Mm, sleep.” Let him be alone here in peace.
Jiang Rong really did seem exhausted. Listening to He Siming’s low voice, he closed his eyes, pressed his face into the blanket, and fell asleep.
The phone happened to land on the blanket, the camera angled toward his beautiful profile. His long, curled eyelashes—each one distinct—were captured with crystal clarity. The pink flush on his face from being teased hadn’t faded yet; even the most tender peach of spring couldn’t compare.
He Siming sighed. How could there be someone whose sleeping face alone made others crave him?
His mouth watered; his gums itched. He didn’t just want to bite—he wanted to bite several times. This wasn’t just about nibbling anymore.
Looking at Jiang Rong on the screen, He Siming kissed the screen once, then started recording.
He murmured, “Sleep well, little dummy.”
Then he took out his earphones, put them on, turned the volume to maximum, and listened to Jiang Rong’s soft breathing. He stayed in the restroom for a while before leaving.
Jiang Rong slept alone in the dorm all afternoon, half of the accumulated sleepiness and fatigue of the past few days washed away.
He picked up his phone and realized it was already 6:10 p.m.—he had slept a full four hours.
Yao Shule and Li Yizhou hadn’t messaged him, nor had they returned to the dorm. It was so quiet.
After finishing the video call, He Siming hadn’t sent him any messages either, but Jiang Rong noticed their call duration was actually an hour, and the battery indicator in the top right corner showed only ten percent left.
He’d forgotten to hang up the video call after falling asleep—had He Siming not hung up either?
Jiang Rong looked at the call’s end time, then buried his face back into the blanket that still carried He Siming’s pheromones.
After spending the afternoon sleeping while breathing in his pheromones, he felt much more energized, and his stomach was growling with hunger.
Knowing the little seed in his belly was working hard to absorb nutrients and grow, he decided to use He Siming’s card to order takeout from that restaurant. He could shortchange himself, but he couldn’t shortchange the little seed. After he called, the other party responded warmly and politely, promising to deliver dinner to his dorm within thirty minutes.
Jiang Rong sent He Siming a message to report in: I woke up and called the same restaurant as last time to deliver dinner.
He Siming didn’t reply. Jiang Rong wasn’t worried—He Siming must be busy.
Half an hour later, Jiang Rong was eating dinner. Yao Shule and Li Yizhou still hadn’t returned.
Having more or less integrated into collective dorm life recently, he asked in the group chat.
Yao Shule replied instantly: We’re out eating hotpot!
Yao Shule: [picture][picture][picture]
Li Yizhou: Brother Yan dragged us out the moment class ended!
Yao Shule: He said he got dumped and needed us to keep him company, so we could only come out to comfort him. So tragic.
Li Yizhou: Have you eaten? We’re still at the hotpot place.
Jiang Rong: I ordered food.
Li Yizhou: Feeling any better?
Jiang Rong: Slept for a bit—much better.
Ding Yan: I’m not that tragic. @YaoShule
Yao Shule: Huh? Why are you in our group?
Ding Yan: Weren’t you the one who added me?!
Yao Shule: Oh right—you’re our Dorm 519 honorary member!
Jiang Rong: You’re sitting together and still chatting in the group?
Yao Shule: Hahahahaha, so dumb!
Ding Yan: [utterly speechless.jpg]
He really was speechless.
That afternoon in class, he’d been listening quite seriously. Then, out of the blue, he received a message from He Siming during class. Normally He Siming never disturbed anyone during lectures, but today he broke that rule—and the reason was to ask him to take Yao Shule and Li Yizhou out to dinner, preferably for a long time.
At first, Yao Shule and Li Yizhou refused. It wasn’t until he said he’d been dumped that, out of sympathy, they agreed. The entire time, they comforted him. Yao Shule kept emphasizing that he shouldn’t casually spend money on others anymore, and Li Yizhou said they were all brothers and that asking them for help was the right thing to do.
So he could only drag the two of them along, keeping them from going back to the dorm.
What was in Dorm 519?
Wait.
Jiang Rong was sick and resting in the dorm. He Siming asked him to take Yao Shule and Li Yizhou out to eat dinner—was it so Jiang Rong could sleep undisturbed?
Ding Yan felt like five lemons were being squeezed in his heart. He was going to die of sourness—so sour!
Old He had indeed been treating Jiang Rong pretty well lately. But Jiang Rong wasn’t his wife—was there really a need to dote on him this much?
Jiang Rong smoothly got through another day. It was hard to imagine how he’d endure it if He Siming had to leave school for a whole week.
It seemed he could only smell He Siming’s pheromones and not anyone else’s. Meanwhile, Yao Shule and the others didn’t seem to be able to smell his pheromones either, and none of them had mentioned it again.
He Siming added a small extra shift and finally resolved the project’s difficulties. The person in charge of the company even wanted to treat him to dinner, but He Siming declined. He had already made plans to eat with his parents at a restaurant—and these two were hard to schedule. Their dining time was extremely precise; if he was late, they wouldn’t wait even a minute. To them, time was money.
He had never understood how two people this busy had managed to give birth to him.
In his view, his parents’ marriage was more like a union of strong equals. If someone insisted it was for love, his parents would probably be the first to jump out and refute such nonsense.
He chose today’s meeting place. As their son, he at least had the right to choose where they met.
When he arrived, his parents were already there. He could tell as soon as he walked in—he saw their assistants seated outside the main hall.
He Siming: “…” They were still as high-profile as ever.
He entered the private room.
His parents were sitting together, discussing whether a certain project was worth investing in.
There was not a trace of everyday life about them.
“Dad, Mom.” He Siming sat across from them.
His mother, Xu Mingqin, was a beautiful, intellectual woman not yet fifty. Her hair was meticulously pinned up, and she carried the aura of a powerful career woman. She spoke concisely, with strong logic, and her gaze was sharp. She had a pair of eyes full of wisdom.
His father, He Zhixian, was also good-looking and tall. Half of He Siming’s good genes came from him. Compared to his more severe wife, he seemed gentler—at least he smiled more often.
He Zhixian poured water for Xu Mingqin. “Son, how do you have time to come back? Have you finished your courses and are you preparing to graduate?”
He Siming reminded him calmly, long used to it. “Dad, I’m a sophomore this year.”
He Zhixian: “……”
Xu Mingqin cleaned her hands with the hot towel the waiter brought. “So we’re just eating a meal?”
He Siming said, “Not exactly. I have something to tell you.”
He Zhixian spoke a bit more than Xu Mingqin. “Let me guess—you’re starting a company and don’t have enough capital, so you need us to support you a bit?”
He Siming said, “No.”
He Zhixian asked, “Then what is it?” In his mind, that would have been something important enough for his son to ask them for help.
The waiter began serving dishes.
He Siming said, “Let’s eat first.”
Xu Mingqin glanced at her son and spoke succinctly. “Fine. Let’s eat first.”
The family of three ate with focus and speed. They finished in less than twenty minutes. He Siming noticed his mother check the time—she probably had somewhere to be.
Sure enough.
Xu Mingqin said after checking the time, “I have an international online meeting in half an hour.”
He Zhixian added, “I have a gala tonight—I need to show my face.”
This was a clear hint for He Siming to get to the point.
He obliged, saving time for his parents, and delivered the concise version: “You’re going to be grandparents.”
Xu Mingqin: “……”
He Zhixian: “……”
Their expressions froze for a few seconds.
In their impression, their son had a clear plan for his life. This news didn’t quite fit his usual style. It was a bit sudden—but still acceptable.
He Siming wiped the corner of his mouth. “An accidental pregnancy.”
He Zhixian asked, “Really?”
He Siming replied, “Really.”
Xu Mingqin was more rational than her husband. “If you’re telling us proactively, it means you’ve already made arrangements. Are you planning to marry the other party?”
“He’s a student like me. I’ll follow his wishes—if he wants to marry, we’ll marry; if not, we won’t for now.”
He Zhixian said, “Then do as you see fit. As long as the other person’s character is fine and you like him, that’s enough.”
Xu Mingqin added, “Then another day, let’s have a meal together in the capital and meet the other side’s parents?”
He Siming said, “He’s an orphan.”
He Zhixian & Xu Mingqin: “……”
Xu Mingqin said, “Whoever you want to marry is fine with me. I respect your choice. Let us know when it’s convenient for us to meet.”
He Zhixian said, “Congratulations, son—you’re going to be a father.”
The two of them lowered their heads and operated their phones at the same time. He Siming’s phone immediately received two notifications of funds transfer.
He thanked his parents. “Thanks, Dad, Mom. If you have things to do, go ahead.” This was their most common way of expressing themselves to their son.
This time, though, they did want to sit with him a bit longer. But they had been busy with their own affairs for years. They’d barely attended parent-teacher meetings and sometimes couldn’t even remember what grade their child was in.
Xu Mingqin said, “Your uncle is in the capital. He should know a lot about pregnancy. I’ll give him a call later.”
He Siming replied, “We’ve already been to his hospital. The prenatal checkups were done there.”
Xu Mingqin, still a mother at heart, said, “Alright. If you don’t understand something, ask him. Congratulations on becoming a father. I’ll be heading out then.”
He Zhixian said, “Son, where are you staying? I’ll give you a ride back.”
He Siming said, “I’m going home tonight to grab something.”
The three of them left the restaurant together. Xu Mingqin and He Zhixian each got into their own cars, and He Siming got into He Zhixian’s.
He Zhixian dropped He Siming off at home on the way.
On the road, He Zhixian said, “Don’t blame us for not caring enough about you. We gave you the freedom to grow.”
He Siming replied dryly, “Then… thanks?”
He Zhixian laughed and patted his shoulder. “Congratulations. Without realizing it, you’ve reached the age to be a father.”
“Isn’t it a bit early?” He Siming asked.
“It is early,” He Zhixian admitted, “but within a reasonable range. We were just a bit surprised.”
He Siming didn’t think they were that surprised.
His parents were just like this—focused only on their own affairs, seemingly immune to worldly matters.
He was used to it.
He’d even heard from his uncle that when his mother’s cervix was only one centimeter dilated, she was still reviewing contracts—a textbook career woman.
He Siming didn’t have many demands of his parents. They didn’t even care much about who he married.
He had known it would be like this.
Still, he did receive two sizable sums of money—consider it the grandparents’ pocket money for their future grandchild.
He handed the money over to Jiang Rong to manage.
Tuesday morning.
After class, the class monitor privately sent Jiang Rong an application form. He opened it—it was for next year’s hardship student grant.
He didn’t know whether he should still fill it out.
But he really didn’t have any source of income. He used to be able to work part-time, but now with a baby in his belly, he couldn’t work.
He started feeling anxious again.
Yao Shule and Li Yizhou called him to go eat at the cafeteria.
During the meal, the two of them discussed arranging a performance.
Yao Shule said, “What should we do? I don’t really have much musical talent. How about we play or blow instruments together? Or each pick a short section, then combine them at the climax?”
Li Yizhou said, “I think that sounds pretty good.”
Jiang Rong asked, “Have you picked the pieces yet?”
Yao Shule replied, “We picked a few—some cheerful ones, some classical, and some popular right now. Which do you like?”
Jiang Rong said, “Send them to the group. I’ll listen. He Siming doesn’t know yet either.”
Although the differences in knowledge and culture between the two worlds weren’t huge, the historical backgrounds were different, and so were the musical styles.
Yao Shule sent the pieces he’d chosen to the group. “Oh right. If we do something different, do you think everyone will see He-god differently?”
Jiang Rong wanted to see He Siming play the violin. In this world, his classmates had already seen him shine as a host, but Jiang Rong hadn’t yet seen his most dazzling moment.
He was confident in his own cello skills, but he’d still need to relearn the pieces from this world. Half a month should be enough.
He Siming hadn’t appeared in the group all morning, nor had he sent Jiang Rong any messages. Jiang Rong didn’t know if he was done being busy yet.
In the afternoon, they had a major-related class in the computer lab. Jiang Rong currently had to listen to the teacher while trying hard to digest everything—it was quite difficult.
Just as he was about to lose focus, a hand reached out from his side and poked his waist.
Jiang Rong stiffened instantly and sat up straight. “!”
“It’s me.” He Siming lifted his chin slightly.
Jiang Rong was surprised he’d returned so quickly. Thankfully, this class was about to end.
After the teacher announced a ten-minute break and the classroom grew noisy, Jiang Rong finally asked him.
With delight, Jiang Rong said, “You came back so fast. I thought you wouldn’t be back until tonight.”
He Siming explained, “I finished things yesterday, so I came back early. Hungry?”
He knew that Jiang Rong was now eating for two and needed to bring snacks to class to tide himself over.
Lunch had been around noon. It was now three in the afternoon—of course he was hungry.
Jiang Rong nodded. “Mm, really hungry.”
He Siming took a box out of his bag and handed it to him. “Bought this over there. This box has pancakes; there’s another box with fresh meat mooncakes. They might be cold—heat them up tonight.”
Jiang Rong felt the joy of receiving a gift. “Then I’ll eat the pancakes first and have the meat mooncakes tonight.”
Before He Siming knew he was pregnant, he had already brought him fruit before. Was he already pursuing him back then?
Thinking of that possibility, Jiang Rong’s heart suddenly started racing. Had his reaction been a bit slow? He hadn’t noticed at all—so dumb.
With that newly discovered sweetness in his heart, he took a bite of the pancake. It was sweet and soft, crispy on the outside—so delicious.
After eating the pancake, Jiang Rong’s mood lifted noticeably. When he looked at He Siming, his eyes were smiling.
Seeing crumbs at the corner of his mouth, He Siming raised his hand and wiped them away.
Jiang Rong was already used to it. As long as he wasn’t kissed in front of everyone, it was fine.
The class monitor appeared out of nowhere, ready to ask about their performance song progress, and accidentally saw the interaction between He Siming and Jiang Rong.
He blurted out, “You two are really giving it to each other.”
Jiang Rong’s face flushed; he almost choked on the pancake. He Siming, however, was much calmer. He unscrewed Jiang Rong’s thermos and handed him water.
Smiling, He Siming asked the class monitor, “Does it look like it?”
The class monitor thought he was joking. “Like crazy, okay? Except for my wife, I wouldn’t wipe anyone else’s mouth.”
He Siming looked at Jiang Rong. “Is that so? Then he’s my wife.”
Jiang Rong’s face was practically boiling.
W-wasn’t this supposed to be courting?
The two girls sitting nearby widened their eyes.
What kind of ferocious tiger-and-wolf words were these from the campus heartthrob?!
