Chapter 74: The Second Heat
The next day.
Jiang Rong slept until he woke naturally. The spot beside him was still warm, and the sound of running water came from the bathroom.
He vaguely remembered that He Siming had gone to bed later than him last night and had even gotten up once to feed He Shenglin. Why was he up so early?
When He Siming came out with his hair still damp from washing his face, Jiang Rong was already fully awake—and so was He Shenglin, who had slept in their bed the night before.
When Jiang Rong looked up, he was met with He Siming’s resentful expression.
He Siming said, “He can’t sleep in our bed tonight. He refused to go back to the crib last night.”
Jiang Rong widened his eyes in disbelief. “He shouldn’t even have that kind of preference yet, right?”
“But every time I moved him, he’d whimper and refuse. As soon as I put him down, he’d keep sleeping,” He Siming said.
Jiang Rong chuckled. “That’s normal. Being picked up makes him uncomfortable.”
Hearing that, He Siming felt he might be overthinking things. Still, asking questions when he had doubts was just his nature.
“Can babies smell their dads’ pheromones?” He Siming asked.
Jiang Rong shook his head. “Of course not. He’s not even three months old—his bones aren’t fully developed yet. Even if he really has an Alpha or Omega secondary gender, he wouldn’t enter puberty until fourteen or fifteen. Only after the secondary gender manifests can they smell pheromones.”
Besides, between the two of them, only Jiang Rong had obvious ABO traits. He Siming wasn’t a true Alpha, so there was a high chance that He Shenglin wouldn’t differentiate a secondary gender at all.
If He Shenglin inherited He Siming’s gender, that would be ideal—a one-in-four chance. Hopefully, they’d hit it.
Whenever it came to Jiang Rong or He Shenglin, He Siming tended to worry excessively. Jiang Rong, on the other hand, took things much more calmly.
Seeing He Siming’s brow finally relax, Jiang Rong went to wash up.
The cooking aunt had already prepared breakfast, and Aunt Yang was waiting outside to take over caring for He Shenglin once they got up.
With the aunts around, He Siming and Jiang Rong stopped discussing the child’s gender.
On the way to school, Jiang Rong glanced at He Siming several times, but he didn’t seem to notice.
After midnight tonight would be Jiang Rong’s birthday, yet He Siming seemed completely unprepared for it.
But it wasn’t really his fault.
He Siming was extremely busy—running between home, school, and the company every day, then staying up late to work overtime at night. Jiang Rong felt sorry just watching him. It was only a birthday; he shouldn’t put too much pressure on him.
He hadn’t forgotten… right?
The two of them going in and out together had already become a curious sight on campus.
If He Siming hadn’t posted a Moments update during the summer, people would still think he liked girls and already had a child—no one would naturally associate him with Jiang Rong.
Their classmates had long gotten used to seeing them together and simply thought they were close friends.
Only four people at school knew about Jiang Rong’s surgery, and only Yao Shule and Wen Chengxu knew they had a child.
One was tight-lipped, the other socially anxious—neither would spread their business.
That morning, Jiang Rong listened attentively in class. By the fourth period, He Siming was called away by a phone call and didn’t say anything to Jiang Rong. Used to his busyness, Jiang Rong didn’t ask.
At noon, He Siming had things to do and wouldn’t come home to eat, so he had someone bring the car keys back to the classroom for Jiang Rong.
But Jiang Rong couldn’t drive; the keys were useless in his hands.
Yao Shule immediately understood He Siming’s meaning.
During class, he accepted the red envelope He Siming sent him. “He’s not telling you to drive yourself—he wants me to take you home.”
“Great,” Jiang Rong said. “Then come eat lunch at my place.”
They forgot there was someone else right beside them.
“I can drive too,” Li Yizhou said.
Fortunately, Yao Shule was quick-witted and immediately made up an excuse. “Jiang Rong and I have some private girl talk to share. What are you going for?”
Li Yizhou shrugged and didn’t insist—after all, he couldn’t exactly chat with Jiang Rong about He Siming.
Truthfully, Yao Shule hadn’t seen He Shenglin in a while and wanted to visit the little guy.
He’d gotten his license right after graduating high school, and during their summer road trip, he’d driven more than half the distance. His driving skills were solid.
He was actually pretty excited to drive He Siming’s luxury car.
What they didn’t expect was that even though they’d dodged Li Yizhou, they ran into Ding Yan, who had rented the parking space next to He Siming’s this year.
Jiang Rong hadn’t seen Ding Yan for a while. He and He Siming almost went home every day, and they’d declined several dinner invitations from Ding Yan. Luckily, Ding Yan was easygoing and hadn’t taken it personally.
“Yao Shule, why are you driving Old He’s car?” Ding Yan asked.
Yao Shule came up with another excuse. “I’m giving them a ride—we’ve got something to do.”
Ding Yan was all enthusiasm with familiar faces. “I’ll treat you guys to lunch!”
Yao Shule rolled his eyes and told the truth. “We’re going back to their place to eat something simple and talk about little gay-guy topics.”
Jiang Rong nodded along. “Yeah, yeah.”
They thought Ding Yan would understand the hint.
Who would’ve thought Ding Yan would be even more excited? “I’m gay too! Come on, come on—I’ll join in. No need to worry about me!”
Yao Shule glanced at Jiang Rong and winked urgently, signaling him to get in the car.
Jiang Rong immediately did so—Yao Shule really was sharper.
“We’re talking about stuff between zeros,” Yao Shule said coolly. “Have you switched to zero, or what?”
Ding Yan: “……”
When it came to verbal sparring, no one could beat Yao Shule.
Jiang Rong smiled. “How about next time? When He Siming’s home, we’ll invite you all over for dinner.”
“Fine, fine,” Ding Yan said—for the sake of a one’s dignity.
Yao Shule quickly started the car and drove off, enjoying the power of the luxury vehicle and praising it all the way.
Jiang Rong had never learned to drive, but in that moment, the urge peaked.
He remembered that he’d actually signed up for the school’s group driving lessons and already paid—only to transmigrate here right when he was about to start.
Looks like learning to drive had to be put back on the agenda. It’d be more convenient once the child grew up.
Yao Shule and Jiang Rong returned home.
After changing his shoes, Yao Shule immediately headed inside. “Huh—where’s little Linlin?”
“He should be in the bedroom,” Jiang Rong said.
Not wanting to intrude, Yao Shule hesitated, and Jiang Rong added, “Just tell the aunt if you want something to drink.”
Jiang Rong went home for lunch every day. He Shenglin slept in the mornings and woke around noon to eat, so the family’s schedules were roughly aligned.
Yao Shule had come to see the baby, so Jiang Rong picked up He Shenglin, who was lying in the crib kicking his legs.
The little guy was getting heavier by the day. Nearly three months old now, his features had started to fill out.
Seeing him, Yao Shule’s voice unconsciously turned soft. “Long time no see, Linlin~ Where’s Linlin? Uncle Lele’s here to play with you~”
Aunt Yang was holding a bottle, about to make formula. “You’re back, Mr. Jiang.”
“Mm. Did Linlin fuss this morning?” Jiang Rong asked.
“No, he was very well-behaved,” Aunt Yang replied.
She reported how much milk the baby had drunk, how long he’d slept, and whether he’d pooped. Jiang Rong listened carefully.
Suddenly, Aunt Yang needed to use the restroom and handed the formula-making over to Jiang Rong.
The cooking aunt finished preparing the dishes, plated the food, and set it on the table.
As both aunts left one after the other, Yao Shule watched Jiang Rong hold the baby with one hand while preparing the formula with the other—his movements smooth, yet clearly busy.
Yao Shule couldn’t stand being idle while someone else was busy. “You hold the baby—I’ll make the formula.”
He Shenglin weighed over twenty pounds now; holding him with one arm for long made Jiang Rong’s arm sore. “Sure. There are measurements on the bottle—I’ll teach you.”
“Easy, I know how!” Yao Shule said confidently as he started.
Jiang Rong reminded him about the water temperature and shaking the powder evenly.
“…That’s complicated,” Yao Shule muttered. Fortunately, he learned fast and got it right on the first try.
Jiang Rong had to hold He Shenglin while feeding him. “You eat first, or the food will get cold.”
“Sure. After I eat, I’ll help you hold him. Linlin’s grown so much since last time—those arms are like little lotus roots,” Yao Shule said.
Whenever Jiang Rong talked about his son, he was animated. Yao Shule listened patiently; the two of them never ran out of things to say.
After Yao Shule finished eating, He Shenglin finished a bottle too, and Jiang Rong handed the baby to him.
He was much more relaxed than the first time—at least the baby’s neck wasn’t so floppy anymore.
As Jiang Rong ate, he chatted with him about He Shenglin.
Halfway through, Yao Shule wrinkled his nose. “Did your son poop? It smells awful.”
Jiang Rong looked helplessly at his son. “Probably.”
“Milk-fed poop still smells this bad?” Yao Shule complained.
The little guy must’ve been offended by his own smell—he started whimpering uncomfortably.
Jiang Rong put down his chopsticks and began changing He Shenglin’s diaper.
Yao Shule handed him tissues from the side.
After a flurry of clattering, they finally finished changing him.
Yao Shule rested at Jiang Rong’s place until it was almost time for class before returning to school. During that time, Jiang Rong even let him experience changing a diaper himself—the little guy pooped again before they left.
Watching from the side, Yao Shule felt it looked exhausting. “Taking care of a baby is really not easy!”
“It is,” Jiang Rong laughed. “Want to learn too?”
“Me?” Yao Shule asked.
“You learn fast. If we’re busy someday, you can help us babysit,” Jiang Rong said.
“Sure. I’ve basically learned everything already—no problem. I guarantee I can take good care of Linlin,” Yao Shule said confidently.
“Deal,” Jiang Rong replied.
They both treated it as a joke, never expecting those words to come true just a few hours later.
In the afternoon, Jiang Rong didn’t see He Siming in class. He messaged him but got no reply—no idea what he was busy with.
Near the end of classes, He Siming rushed back briefly, took the car keys from Jiang Rong, and left again.
Before he went, Jiang Rong asked, “Are you coming home for dinner tonight?”
“Not sure—might be pretty late,” He Siming said.
Then he disappeared.
Jiang Rong went home alone, feeling down.
That evening, he really did eat dinner by himself. He Siming didn’t come back at all—it was rare for him to work this late.
Had he forgotten Jiang Rong’s birthday? Would he even hear “happy birthday” at midnight?
Jiang Rong almost never saw He Siming come home this late. He couldn’t bring himself to work on his thesis.
He Shenglin woke and slept, finished another round of milk—and He Siming still hadn’t returned.
Close to eleven, Jiang Rong couldn’t hold out anymore and fell asleep on the bed with He Shenglin.
He was shaken awake by He Siming.
“Jiang Rongrong, wake up.”
Half-asleep, Jiang Rong saw a faint smile on He Siming’s lips. “Mm?”
He Siming handed him a set of clothes. “Get changed. Quickly.”
Jiang Rong’s mind was foggy. “Wh-what’s wrong?”
Lowering his voice as if afraid He Shenglin would hear, He Siming said, “Just change first. We’re going out.”
Jiang Rong followed his instructions in a daze. “Where to?”
“You’ll find out,” He Siming replied.
After changing out of his pajamas, Jiang Rong suddenly remembered something. “If we go out, what about Linlin?”
“I asked the aunt to come watch him for a bit. We’ll be back soon,” He Siming said.
Before they even left, Aunt Yang entered using the passcode. She must’ve been woken up halfway through her sleep—her face looked pale.
“How long will we be out? Auntie doesn’t look too well,” Jiang Rong said.
He Siming checked the time on his phone. “About half an hour.”
“Okay,” Jiang Rong said. That was fine.
He started to think—was He Siming preparing a birthday surprise?
But when He Siming drove toward the school, Jiang Rong wasn’t so sure.
“Why are we going back to campus?” Jiang Rong asked.
“You’ll see,” He Siming said.
He parked the car by Lover’s Lake.
There were less than five minutes until midnight.
Jiang Rong remembered that the last time he’d come here with He Siming was last year, when he’d been on the verge of breaking down and had considered jumping into the lake to try returning to his original world.
That day, after he hadn’t answered calls or replied to messages and had sunk into despair, He Siming had rushed back from another city just to find him.
“Why are we here?” Jiang Rong asked.
October hadn’t arrived yet, but the capital’s night air was already cooling. He Siming had brought an extra light jacket.
A breeze rippled across the lake, streetlights reflecting off the water in shimmering waves.
The night wind brushed their faces—much cooler than daytime, but not cold.
Holding Jiang Rong’s hand, He Siming said, “Of course we had to come here. This is where we fell in love.”
Jiang Rong noticed the sign behind him, and the memory became even clearer. “‘I miss you so much at Lover’s Lake’?”
“Yeah,” He Siming said. “Have you ever thought that we haven’t gone out alone in a long time? Maybe you’ve forgotten—I’m still just your boyfriend.”
Even if it was only half an hour, in the quiet of the night, time with just the two of them felt rare.
He Siming squeezed Jiang Rong’s fingers. “So?”
“So?” Jiang Rong echoed.
“As your boyfriend, I need to secure some romantic benefits for myself,” He Siming said.
Jiang Rong understood. Standing here, they weren’t He Shenglin’s dads—they were a couple madly in love.
“Alright, then, classmate He,” Jiang Rong teased. “What have you been doing all day today?”
He Siming looked up at the sky. “Obviously… look up there.”
Jiang Rong followed his gaze—and heard a faint buzzing.
The sky suddenly lit up with countless points of light, like fireworks blooming in the night. Then he realized—
There was no explosive sound of fireworks shooting upward.
“Are those drones?” Jiang Rong exclaimed.
“Yes,” He Siming said.
As soon as he spoke, the drones surged into the night sky like fireworks, forming a blue river of stars. Then they transformed into a beautiful boy.
The boy stepped through the night sky. In his confusion, a hand reached out to him from afar, giving him a point to aim for.
Two tightly clasped hands turned into two fruits—one a peach, the other a lime—which merged into a small seed.
The seed gained a beating heart and slowly grew. When the fruit ripened and fell, it became an adorable little baby.
In the blink of an eye, three hands stacked together appeared in the sky—two large, one small.
The starlight rearranged into a beautiful picture of a happy family of three, framed and brimming with warmth.
[Happy Birthday]
[Be Happy Forever]
[Thank You for Coming into My Life]
[I Will Always Love You]
[Will You Marry Me?]
Finally, a huge engagement ring shimmered in the starry sky.
The drone show ended.
At that moment, Jiang Rong remembered exactly when his heart had first raced for He Siming. His heart pounded violently as he clutched He Siming’s hands.
He couldn’t put his excitement into words.
So He Siming hadn’t forgotten his birthday—he’d been carefully preparing all along.
He Siming opened a pearlescent white ring box.
He took out a silver-white ring he’d prepared long ago.
“Happy birthday,” He Siming said.
Seeing Jiang Rong stand there wordlessly, He Siming held one of his hands and continued, “I don’t know what you’ve been through before, what kind of life you lived, where you lived, or where you came from. But from now on, I’m willing to be your lover, your partner, your family—and raise our precious son with you.”
“I’ll love you for the rest of my life,” He Siming said.
“Will you marry me, Jiang Rong?” he asked.
“Jiang Rongrong?”
With both tenderness and anticipation, He Siming said, “Don’t cry. I just wanted to give you an unforgettable birthday—and, by the way, secure a little benefit for myself. I want to marry you.”
“I—I’m just so moved,” Jiang Rong said. “No one’s ever treated me this well before. No one’s ever put this much thought into my birthday. These past few days, you were staying up late writing the program for this, weren’t you? I even thought you were busy with work and had forgotten my birthday. I’m sorry—I didn’t know.”
He wiped away the tears that kept falling. “He Siming, I don’t know what to do. You’re too good to me…”
He Siming asked again, “Will you marry me?”
Jiang Rong nodded, joy overflowing. “Yes.”
He slipped his ring finger into the ring—it fit perfectly.
He Siming lowered his head to kiss him. Jiang Rong leaned in to respond—but suddenly, a wave of heat swept through his entire body. His legs went weak, and he fell into He Siming’s arms.
He Siming steadied him. “What’s wrong?”
Grabbing his shirt, eyes wet, Jiang Rong looked up at him. “He Siming… my heat has started.”
