Unexpected Rain, Unexpected Kindness, and a Midnight Fever

It was not until past five in the evening that he reluctantly set down his book, intending to head to the dining hall for dinner.

Upon reaching the entrance, An Ran discovered, to his surprise, that it had begun to rain.

The heavy rain had started without any warning, and having forgotten his umbrella, he could only wait beneath the eaves for it to subside.

It was the first rain of autumn, a gentle drizzle accompanied by a cool breeze that brushed against his cheeks, prompting An Ran to involuntarily sneeze.

The temperature had plummeted too quickly; earlier that afternoon, it had been over 20 degrees Celsius, but now it hovered in the teens, a chilling crispness in the air, bordering on cold.

An Ran rubbed his arms, leaning against the cold wall, his eyes betraying a mix of helplessness and weariness as he watched the hurried pedestrians outside.

Fu Zao had gone out for the day, making it impossible for him to bring an umbrella.

The rain showed no signs of stopping anytime soon, leaving him with only two options: retreat to the library or make a dash back to his dorm, braving the downpour.

An Ran, who hadn’t yet messaged H today, couldn’t resist opening their chat window to vent his frustrations.

[AR: So unlucky.]

[AR: [Soybean pouting.jpg]]

[H: What’s wrong?]

[AR: It’s raining.]

[AR: It was perfectly fine when I left, but now I can’t get back.]

[AR: The heavy rain came out of nowhere.]

[H: Didn’t bring an umbrella?]

[AR: The weather was too good this afternoon; I never imagined it would rain.]

[AR: [Puppy crying.jpg]]

[H: Your friend couldn’t bring you an umbrella?]

[AR: He went out today.]

[H: Are there no umbrellas for sale nearby?]

[AR: No, I’m at the library.]

[AR: I’ll wait a bit longer; once the rain lightens up, I’ll make a dash for the dorm!]

[AR: I’ll have to shower when I get back anyway, orz.]

After waiting for quite some time, H sent no further messages, likely preoccupied, given it was Saturday.

The rain persisted, the sky remained overcast, and as the temperature steadily dropped, An Ran’s anxiety began to mount.

An Ran lowered his head.

Suddenly, a pair of legs appeared in his field of vision.

An Ran looked up in surprise to find Gong He standing before him, holding an umbrella, his expression impassive.

“Take this.”

‘???’ An Ran, momentarily stunned, fumbled to take the umbrella he offered, stammering, “Th-thank you.”

Gong He said nothing, simply opened the other umbrella he held, and walked away.

An Ran stood there blankly, holding the umbrella, his gaze fixed on Gong He’s retreating figure, gradually lost in thought.

‘Why was Gong He here?’

‘And why would he suddenly give him an umbrella?’

An Ran remained somewhat quiet on his way back.

[AR: Someone brought me an umbrella.]

[H: Oh, really?]

[H: Well, congratulations on not having to brave the rain then.]

[AR: I don’t quite understand.]

[AR: The person who brought me an umbrella was actually my roommate.]

[AR: I never expected to run into him here, and he had two umbrellas in his hand; he just gave me one and left without a word.]

[H: Perhaps he was just passing by.]

[H: Who cares who it was, at least you didn’t get drenched.]

[AR: Hmmm, you’re right.]

[AR: It’s just that I owe him another favor now, which feels a bit awkward.]

[AR: From now on, I’ll tell everyone that “my roommate is a handsome and kind-hearted good Alpha.”]

[AR: I’ll never badmouth him behind his back again.]

[AR: He really is a good person.]

Gong He’s phone vibrated incessantly, forcing him to halt his steps.

Lu Ye was still fuming and grumbling about Gong He having snatched his umbrella.

Gazing at the messages An Ran had sent on his phone screen, Gong He couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

‘He’s a good person again, is he?’

Lu Ye, still enumerating Gong He’s ‘crimes’ as the rain poured down, suddenly stopped, glancing up at the sky, then turning to look at Gong He, who remained rooted behind him.

“Lu Ye: ‘???'”

“Lu Ye: ‘No, Gong He, what are you doing?'”

“Lu Ye: ‘We’ve known each other for so many years, and I still can’t tell if you’re a human or a dog.'”

Lu Ye was thoroughly soaked, looking like a drowned rat.

Gong He put his phone away, gave him a faint glance, and, holding his umbrella, sprinted off.

“Lu Ye: ‘???'”

“Lu Ye: ‘Gong He!!!'”

“Lu Ye: ‘It’s bad enough you stole my umbrella, but now you’re pulling this stunt?!'”

Gong He vanished from sight, with Lu Ye hot on his heels.

He cursed as he chased.

****

When An Ran returned to his dorm, the rain was still falling.

Fortunately, his clothes hadn’t gotten wet, or he would have had to wash them all over again.

An Ran took all his small potted plants outside to bathe in the rain, knowing that rainwater was the best natural fertilizer for them.

Had he possessed an extra washbasin, he would have collected a basin of rainwater to nourish his little flowers and plants.

However, the weather forecast predicted rain for the foreseeable future, so An Ran dismissed the idea.

He placed Gong He’s umbrella on the balcony, planning to dry it and then return it to him.

Gong He emerged from the bathroom, and their eyes met.

“An Ran: ‘!!!'”

‘Why is he not wearing clothes again?!’

‘Is this even appropriate?!’

Gong He had a towel wrapped around his waist; he had rushed back and gone straight into the shower, forgetting his pajamas.

Noticing An Ran’s increasingly flushed face, he couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

An Ran’s gaze darted away; unwilling to look at Gong He, he hurriedly skirted past him.

It wasn’t until An Ran retreated to his room that he began to unleash a torrent of messages to H.

[AR: AHHHHHHHH]

[AR: My roommate really isn’t a good person at all!]

Droplets of water from Gong He’s hair slid down his cheeks, blossoming into tiny splashes on the back of his hand.

He read An Ran’s message, let out a scoff, and tossed his phone back onto the bed.

‘Just moments ago, he said he wouldn’t badmouth him behind his back anymore.’

‘Liar.’

By the time Gong He returned after drying his hair and checked his messages again, An Ran had already retracted the one about him “not being a good person.”

[AR: How can I remind my roommate to be mindful of his image in the dorm? He can’t just walk around without pants, without clothes… QAQ]

[H: Was he completely naked?]

[AR: Not quite. [Pouting kitten.jpg]]

[H: How does that affect you?]

An Ran racked his brain, eventually managing to type out: [AR: When he doesn’t wear clothes, I start to suspect he’s trying to seduce me!!!]

Gong He stared at the message, utterly stunned, unable to recover for a long while.

‘Him?’

‘Seducing An Ran?’

‘Huh?’

‘He didn’t misread that, did he?’

[AR retracted a message.]

[AR: It doesn’t really affect me, it’s just…]

[AR: I’m a very shy person.]

[AR: I’m not very used to seeing people bare-chested and undressed.]

[AR: Uhm… I don’t know how to explain it.]

[AR: It’s just that his habit is not good!]

[H: So you felt shy seeing him without clothes?]

An Ran stared at the message, frozen for a good while.

A faint blush crept across his face, and he was slow to reply to H’s message.

‘No, no, no, that wasn’t shyness!’

‘He was clearly just annoyed!’

[AR: I don’t want to talk to you today.]

[H: .]

[H: Maybe he just forgot his clothes.]

[AR: How can you take his side?!]

[AR: You should be on my side, united in indignation!]

A few minutes later, H sent a message: [H: He really isn’t a good person.]

An Ran, satisfied, sent him a string of adorable emojis.

[AR: But he lent me his umbrella just now; if it weren’t for him, I might not have gotten back to the dorm so quickly, and I might have been drenched like a drowned rat.]

[AR: [Piggy sighing.jpg]]

Gong He typed out a message with an impassive expression: [H: An occasionally soft-hearted bad guy.]

[AR: It’s not *that* bad, I guess…]

An Ran felt a pang of guilt.

[AR: I’m trying to figure out how to repay the favor.]

[AR: It’s so difficult for me.]

[AR: I really don’t know what my roommate needs or likes.]

Gong He suddenly recalled the excessively sweet osmanthus mung bean cake from last time.

[H: Perhaps for him, it was just a small matter, and you don’t need to dwell on it.]

[H: There’s no need to give him any small gifts; if he needs something, he’ll buy it himself.]

[AR: You’re right.]

[AR: It’s just that I still feel like I owe him.]

…

…

An Ran drifted off to sleep as he chatted.

****

In the middle of the night, a sudden heavy rain began to fall outside.

The ‘ding-dong-ding-dong’ of raindrops drumming against the windowsill woke An Ran, who had been sleeping uneasily.

An Ran groggily climbed out of bed to close the window, his eyelids feeling heavy as lead, refusing to open fully; he could only rely on muscle memory to navigate and shut the window.

‘Hiss—’ On his way back, An Ran accidentally kicked the bedpost, nearly tripping, and a piercing pain shot through his toes.

An Ran was jolted awake by the experience, and outside, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled; a sudden clap of thunder made him jump.

“Why is it raining so heavily?”

An Ran sat by the bed, hugging his leg, still half-asleep and parched, his every breath feeling hot.

This familiar sensation made An Ran wonder if he was coming down with a fever.

A few minutes later, seeing the thermometer display 37.5 degrees Celsius, An Ran rubbed his weary eyes; no wonder his head felt heavy and his limbs were sore and weak.

He truly had a fever, it seemed.

However, he had run out of fever medicine.

It was the dead of night, with a furious storm raging outside, and the infirmary was closed; his only option was to take a taxi to the hospital.

Alternatively, he could order fever medicine via delivery, but delivery services wouldn’t bring it directly to the dorm building, meaning he’d have to walk a considerable distance to retrieve it.

Neither option was particularly appealing to An Ran.

He was so drowsy and disoriented, terrified that his fever would worsen and he would eventually pass out.

Left with no other choice, An Ran reluctantly mustered his courage and knocked on Gong He’s door.

Gong He opened the door, a hint of surprise on his face, his voice lazy and hoarse with sleep: “Something wrong?”

An Ran’s face was flushed with an unnatural redness, and he spoke weakly: “I’m so sorry to bother you at this late hour, but I’ve run out of fever medicine. Do you have any? Could you spare me a tablet? It’s pouring outside, and I can’t go out right now…”

“Wait here.”

Gong He scrutinized him closely, his brows furrowed, then found a box of fever medicine in his first-aid kit and handed it over.

Suddenly, another clap of thunder struck, making An Ran flinch back in alarm; Gong He promptly steadied him, asking, “Are you alright?”

An Ran’s heart pounded furiously, startled by the blinding flash of lightning.

Once he regained his composure, he subtly withdrew his hand and softly murmured, “I’m fine, thank you for the medicine.”

Gong He watched An Ran’s swaying figure, instinctively reaching out to steady him, but ultimately stopped himself, remaining rooted as he silently watched An Ran retreat into his room.

An Ran’s body was far more fragile than he had imagined.

This seemed to be An Ran’s third time falling ill since enrolling.

The sudden rain and sharp drop in temperature that afternoon, when he lent An Ran the umbrella, he had noticed An Ran was dressed quite lightly; perhaps he had caught a chill from the cold wind then.

As he turned to go back to his room, he caught a faint scent of pheromones.

Gong He paused, intending to discern the scent more clearly, but a gust of cold wind swept in, largely dispersing the lingering aroma in the air.

‘Perhaps it was his imagination.’

Gong He didn’t dwell on it, closing his door, and as he instinctively shut his window, that sweet, clear scent of pheromones once again filled his nostrils.

It was like an unripened peach, subtly sweet with a hint of tartness.

This scent emanated from his hand, the very hand that had just touched An Ran.

Alphas are naturally sensitive to scents, often playfully called ‘dog noses.’

Gong He remembered that An Ran didn’t use perfume, nor were there any diffusers in his bedroom, and his laundry detergent and shower gel weren’t peach-scented.

So, where did this scent on him come from?

Gong He lay on his bed, the scent disturbing his sleep.

‘An Ran, is he a Beta or an Omega?’

Gong He scrolled through his chat history with An Ran; they had never discussed pheromones.

Coupled with the academy’s regulations, Gong He had never doubted An Ran’s identity, automatically assuming him to be a Beta.

He suddenly recalled the application form An Ran had held on their first day of meeting.

‘Could the school have made a mistake?’

The sweet, clear scent lingered in his nostrils, and a restless, agitated heat gradually spread within his heart.

‘So fragrant.’