Chapter 79: First Encounter
Jiang Rong had thought that after coming clean with He Siming, there would be many unexpected outcomes. The only outcome he had never imagined was that He Siming would want to marry him so quickly—just a few days after proposing.
In truth, He Siming only wanted a proper status. He wasn’t in that much of a rush. After all, both the person and the child were already with him—Jiang Rong couldn’t exactly run away.
What was more, for someone who blushed so easily to be willing to go public with him was already the greatest compromise. Marriage could wait.
He Siming had no intention of skipping the wedding altogether. It wasn’t just a decorative extra—it was a symbol of his public identity.
He brought the conversation back on track. “The matter of marriage isn’t urgent. Let’s talk about the real issue. It’s very hard to change your identity right now, but we can change your records.”
With He Siming steering the topic, Jiang Rong felt much lighter. “I know it’s difficult. Everyone thinks I’m Jiang Rong, and my name is Jiang Rong too.”
Jiang Rong told He Siming everything the orphanage director had said about what had happened to “Jiang Rong.”
He Siming analyzed it for him. “That’s true, but taking a step back—even if you’re using his identity, you’ve also done many good things in his name. If we think positively, if my classmate Jiang Rong went to your world, he would likewise use your identity. You just swapped identities—it doesn’t count as stealing one.”
Jiang Rong asked, “Would he really go to my world?”
He Siming replied, “Since you could come here, why couldn’t he go there? Do you know the law of conservation of energy?”
Jiang Rong nodded. “I do.”
“The total amount of energy is constant,” He Siming continued. “So wouldn’t the two worlds also be constant? You came here, and he went there.”
Jiang Rong thought about it. “When you put it that way, it does make sense.”
“And besides,” He Siming added, “if things were really as you feared—if he had gone somewhere remote to kill himself—how far could he go? A living person can’t just vanish into thin air. There are cameras everywhere now. And honestly, I don’t think he would commit suicide. From what you’ve said, he relied on his own efforts to live the life he had, even getting into Qin University. I didn’t have much contact with him, but we were roommates. I know his grades weren’t bad. Someone with that kind of resilience wouldn’t easily give up on life. From the standpoint of an ordinary person, I admire him.”
“Jiang Rong” was like a tenacious weed, growing wildly. Even after suffering domestic violence from his adoptive father as a child, he had found a way to seek help from the director. Later, he helped Xiao Gua escape from suffering and got into one of the top universities in the country. Any one of those experiences would earn admiration.
Jiang Rong’s thoughts gradually cleared. He had been worrying too much, to the point of deliberately forgetting details.
Everything that had belonged to “Jiang Rong” was left to him, while everything that had belonged to Jiang Rong himself remained in his original world.
“I was judging him by my own standards,” Jiang Rong said, suddenly sitting upright. “He’s not the same as me—I’m not as strong as he is. He Siming, you’re right. When I came here, I only had one set of clothes on me. Everything Jiang Rong owned was left to me. If someone really disappeared, they’d need an ID to take the subway, fly, or buy tickets—but all of his belongings are with me.”
“That’s exactly why you’ve managed to hide it so well,” He Siming said. “No one has ever doubted your identity—not even classmates who lived with you for a year. He must have gone to your world.”
The weight of guilt on Jiang Rong’s shoulders eased little by little. “So that means we swapped identities, and he’s living my life over there.”
He Siming knew that Jiang Rong always thought of others first, with a slightly people-pleasing, self-sacrificing personality. He didn’t know how that personality had formed, but as long as Jiang Rong could think it through, that was enough.
He gently reassured Jiang Rong, whose sense of security was fragile and whose moral standards were extremely high. “Yes. That’s what I think.”
Jiang Rong’s expression brightened. Relaxing in He Siming’s arms, he slowly shifted toward the bed.
Yawning, he said, “If that’s the case, that’s great. I even have some savings. He won’t have to worry about tuition or living expenses in college.”
Compared to how “Jiang Rong” was doing over there, He Siming was clearly more concerned about Jiang Rong’s past life.
He gently kneaded Jiang Rong’s scalp as he asked, “Then did you have to work part-time to support yourself back there? What kind of life did you live before?”
“I used to…”
Massaged into complete comfort, Jiang Rong relaxed entirely. Coupled with their earlier activity and his growing drowsiness, his mind loosened, and he fell asleep peacefully.
He Siming never heard the rest of his sentence—Jiang Rong had already fallen asleep against his thigh.
Just as He Siming was about to turn off the bedside lamp and sleep, the little one started kicking off the blanket, making soft sounds to remind him that he still couldn’t rest.
After soothing the older one, it was time to soothe the younger one—purely sweet burdens, ones he welcomed wholeheartedly.
Before they knew it, the National Day holiday had flown by.
Although the weather outside had been good these days, with plenty of sunshine, Jiang Rong only dared to hold He Shenglin to bask in the sun. He still didn’t dare take him out.
They hadn’t been idle these days either.
He Siming handed over the task of furnishing the new home to Jiang Rong. Since it was a birthday gift for him, he could buy whatever he wanted.
Jiang Rong didn’t need to worry about the big items. He first arranged for a thorough cleaning—every corner had to be spotless—and even took half a day to inspect it himself.
His glass room also began to take shape, as he planned what flowers to grow and whether to hang paintings on the walls.
He Zhixian even had a master calculate their birth dates and chose an auspicious day to move.
It happened to be right after He Shenglin’s hundred-day banquet.
Jiang Rong was busy every day, barely touching the ground.
On the last day of the holiday, the two of them returned home with the baby, and the three nannies came back ahead of time as well.
On He Siming’s first day back at school, they attended classes together in the morning. By the afternoon, he had disappeared.
Jiang Rong didn’t know what he was busy with.
Over the next two or three days, He Siming left early and came home late, his eyes bloodshot every day. Jiang Rong was worried. Before bed, he even applied warm towels to his eyes, but the next day He Siming still came back with reddened eyes.
Jiang Rong bought him eye drops and told him to keep them on hand.
His concern made He Siming very happy. Before class, he even deliberately asked Jiang Rong to put the eye drops in for him.
Pressing the corner of his eye, He Siming said with a hint of grievance, “I’m not very good at using eye drops. Can you help me?”
“Mm.” Jiang Rong focused entirely on him, not noticing the curious looks around them at all. “Tilt your head back a bit.”
Jiang Rong naturally finished administering the drops. He leaned against He Siming, while He Siming lightly supported his waist.
Jiang Rong asked softly, “What have you really been doing these past few days?”
A cool drop slid into He Siming’s eye. He blinked, and a rose-pink drop rolled down from the corner of his eye, making it look as if he were crying.
Jiang Rong wiped it away with his fingertip, marveling at how handsome He Siming was. Even eye drops looked like a beauty shedding tears.
He Siming chuckled. “You’ll find out later.” He noticed Jiang Rong staring at him, lost in thought for a couple of seconds, and figured he could indeed rely on his looks to attract him—his confidence rose a notch.
In front of Jiang Rong, he was always a bit lacking in confidence. Jiang Rong was becoming more and more outstanding, shining in more and more ways.
The two spoke softly as if no one else were around—no one could cut in.
Ever since they had gone semi-public, many classmates watched them with curiosity, clearly wanting to gossip but not daring to. Even Lin Nana and Liang Dongdong, who were closest to Yao Shule, chose to observe quietly.
Honestly—before, when they hadn’t paid attention, they’d just thought it was normal classmate interaction. Now that they looked closer, how could it be? The way He Siming looked at Jiang Rong was far too gentle.
How had they not seen it before? This was the ultimate case of hiding in plain sight.
When Jiang Rong returned to his seat and noticed everyone looking at him, his face heated up.
Usually, he made an effort to keep some distance from He Siming. They were rarely this intimate in public. This time, it was just eye drops, but he’d spoken as naturally as at home and hadn’t paid attention.
He Siming lounged back against his chair, meeting their probing gazes, and smiled. “Don’t look at Jiang Rong like that. He gets shy easily. If you have questions, ask me.”
Lin Nana’s gossiping gaze practically turned into a microphone. “Really?”
He Siming said, “Do I look that hard to talk to?”
Lin Nana replied, “Not really. It’s just that you two are so natural—it’s hard to tell.”
Liang Dongdong added, “Exactly. It feels unreal. First question—was the drone show for Jiang Rong?”
He Siming glanced at Jiang Rong, whose face was getting redder and redder. “Who else would it be for?”
The classmates around them let out a chorus of “ooohs.”
Lin Nana said, “We want to hear how you fell in love.”
He Siming smiled but didn’t answer.
Just then, class began, and everyone returned to their seats.
Jiang Rong covered his burning face. How could He Siming just tell them like that?
He Siming squeezed his hand and whispered in his ear, “Since they already know, it’s fine if they ask. I’ll answer.”
“I know,” Jiang Rong replied.
Once, under all kinds of subtle suggestions from his parents, he had thought he would become an Omega. During puberty, he had fantasized about one day dating an Alpha and how the other person would publicly acknowledge their relationship. He’d had many such fantasies. Later, when he didn’t differentiate into an Omega, he stopped fantasizing. Maybe in the future he could find a Beta and live out his life—that would be fine too.
But he had never imagined things would turn out like this: someone who, after going public, still protected him. When He Siming spoke up for him, it felt as if the sweetest honey in the world filled his heart.
His partner wasn’t an Alpha, nor a Beta, but He Siming—someone between the two, the most special person in his eyes, and the one he loved the most.
As the professor lectured up front, Jiang Rong suddenly slipped his hand quietly into He Siming’s palm. He knew that as soon as he did, He Siming would hold it tightly.
And he did. He Siming clasped his hand and looked at him in confusion. “?”
Jiang Rong smiled and interlaced their fingers.
He Siming’s hand was much larger than his, with long, well-defined fingers, easily enveloping his.
Back in high school, Jiang Rong had once imagined that if he met his partner then, they would secretly hold hands in class, hiding from teachers and classmates.
It wasn’t high school now, but that was fine. At least they were still in class, still students.
After the last class of the morning, He Siming didn’t rush home. Instead, he held Jiang Rong’s hand and led him toward Lover’s Lake.
Jiang Rong asked, “Why are we here at this time?”
He Siming replied, “Didn’t I tell you what I’ve been doing these past few days?”
A long time ago, Jiang Rong had confessed his origins to him. Step by step, He Siming had come to understand and accept his uniqueness, confirming that it wasn’t a delusion from hitting his head—after all, He Shenglin was the best proof that Jiang Rong had come from another world.
During the National Day holiday, Jiang Rong had further explained how he arrived here.
All of that was fine—He Siming had long accepted it. What he wanted now was to dispel the guilt Jiang Rong felt about borrowing “Jiang Rong’s” identity.
All he needed was proof that “Jiang Rong” hadn’t died.
He Siming spent several days straining his eyes reviewing the school’s surveillance footage from the previous year. Qin University stored footage for one year, and they were just short of that limit. Right before the footage was about to be deleted, he actually found some clues.
Jiang Rong asked, “So what were you doing these past few days?”
He Siming said, “You said you saved a child from the lake and then came to this world, right?”
“Yes,” Jiang Rong answered.
“Then how did you learn Jiang Rong’s identity afterward?”
Jiang Rong recalled, “After I fell into the lake, someone pulled me out. That student kindly handed me a backpack that had been left on the ground—it contained all of Jiang Rong’s documents. Oh, right—there was another girl who fell into the water with me. She was rescued first, then cried and was taken away by her friends. I was a bit frightened at the time and didn’t think too deeply about it.”
So the original “Jiang Rong” must have been doing a good deed as well—saving a girl who had fallen into the water?
He Siming led him to the viewing platform by the lake. “Was it here?”
“Yes,” Jiang Rong said. “It was here. It wasn’t dark yet—I remember.”
Because he remembered, in his most desperate moment, he had thought of jumping into the lake to return to his original world.
He Siming pointed to a nearby camera and took out his phone. “Let me show you a video.”
Jiang Rong seemed to guess why He Siming had brought him here.
They sat down together on a bench by the lake.
Leaning against each other, they watched the video.
In the footage, a boy with a build similar to Jiang Rong’s walked to Lover’s Lake. He took a sandwich and a bottle of milk out of his backpack, eating dinner while reading, completely absorbed.
The camera was positioned diagonally across from him.
He Siming fast-forwarded. Three minutes later, a crying girl ran into the quiet frame and, without hesitation, jumped into the lake.
Even through the video, the splash could be heard.
Jiang Rong exclaimed, “Why did she jump in?” How could someone treat their life so lightly?
“Keep watching,” He Siming said.
Another splash followed—the boy who had been sitting on the bench jumped into the lake without hesitation.
The camera was partially blocked by tree branches, and the surface of the water couldn’t be seen clearly. The sound of splashing continued for a while.
The girl, perhaps frightened by her own actions, climbed back onto the shore just as others arrived.
Someone shouted, “That boy is about to sink!”
Someone went into the water and pulled the boy out.
But the person who stood back up on shore this time wasn’t the boy in the black hooded sweatshirt from before—it was a boy in a white shirt. After being helped up, he coughed for a long time. By then, the girl who had jumped in had already been taken away.
Seeing that he was fine, the others thanked him. He waved them off. When he stood up, they noticed he looked unsteady and helped him pick up his backpack.
Jiang Rong recalled what had happened. “When I first came out of the water, I was startled by the unfamiliar surroundings. Later, I found Jiang Rong’s student ID and ID card in the backpack. I thought I’d died and my soul had crossed over. Then I even bumped into someone…”
He Siming pinched his nose lightly. “Do you know who you bumped into?” He opened another video. “Watch this.”
Jiang Rong was now certain that he and “Jiang Rong” had truly swapped worlds and identities.
“He really went to my world,” Jiang Rong said. “Then I’m not stealing his identity after all.”
He Siming gave him a definitive answer. “You’re not. He’s using your identity to continue living.”
Jiang Rong played the next clip. The image was much clearer than the previous one.
In the video, he wandered dazedly through a new campus. The signage wasn’t clear, and he couldn’t find his way at all. In his panic, he bumped into someone.
Under a sky filled with sunset light, his back collided with a male student in a black T-shirt who had just stepped out of a car.
At the time, tears completely blurred his vision. Crying, he asked the student, “E-excuse me… do you know which way Building Nine is?”
The student’s voice was low. He paused before telling Jiang Rong the direction to Building Nine. Jiang Rong then walked off with his head down, soaked from head to toe, sneezing as the lake breeze blew past.
Jiang Rong suddenly looked up at He Siming, shocked. “So it turns out…”
It turned out that the moment he arrived in this world, he had already met He Siming.
