The Online Confession and a New Beginning

He was accustomed to saying good morning and good night to H every day, accustomed to sharing the trivialities of his life with H, and accustomed to instinctively seeking H’s input whenever he encountered a problem.

He found it impossible to accept such an abrupt, complete cessation of communication.

Whether it was deleting H as a friend or blocking him, he simply couldn’t bring himself to do it.

He could not deny that, in just a few short days, H had carved out a significant place in his heart.

[AR: I really don’t care if you have a partner or not.]

[AR: But if you do have a partner, then I won’t chat with you anymore.]

Gong He couldn’t help but chuckle at the messages An Ran sent. ‘So, this is what he calls “not caring”?’

[H: You’re quite domineering.]

[H: What about you? Do you have a partner?]

[AR: No!]

[AR: I have no intention of dating.]

[H: Is that so?]

[H: What a pity.]

An Ran was utterly bewildered.

‘Pity about what?’

‘Why would H think it was a pity?’

He felt as if he had latched onto a crucial point, pressing relentlessly. ‘What’s a pity?’

[H: What do you think?]

[AR: I don’t know.]

A vague answer flickered in An Ran’s mind.

However, he dared not explore it too deeply.

Gong He had initially only intended to tease An Ran, yet An Ran’s persistent questioning on that particular phrase had rendered him speechless.

‘What exactly was he finding a pity?’

‘Was it a pity that An Ran didn’t want to date, or a pity that An Ran didn’t want to date *him*?’

‘Just as An Ran cared whether he was dating someone else, what about him?’

‘Would he care if An Ran dated someone else?’

He knew An Ran enjoyed spending time with that Omega named Fu Zao, and he had never seen an Alpha appear by An Ran’s side.

He found it incredibly difficult to picture An Ran standing with another Alpha.

An Ran, having misunderstood his morning remark about dating, had taken an unusually long time to reply to his message.

‘Did he not care?’

‘He clearly cared to the point of agony.’

It took Gong He a considerable amount of time to come to terms with this realization.

‘He seemed to care deeply for An Ran.’

‘Regardless of whether An Ran was a Beta or an Omega.’

‘It wasn’t, as An Ran had suggested, merely “great kindness and being a good person,” but rather a genuine, willing desire to treat An Ran well.’

When An Ran had first added him, he had simply thought that since they were roommates, he would keep An Ran on his friends list, choosing not to delete him immediately after the matter was resolved.

Subsequently, An Ran would occasionally reach out for a chat, and while Gong He initially replied very slowly, sometimes even reading without responding, he would eventually, when bored, remember An Ran’s messages and slowly type out a reply.

He was not, by nature, a person who enjoyed chatting.

Gradually, however, he seemed to have grown accustomed to An Ran seeking him out daily for conversations, listening to An Ran share trivial everyday matters, and promptly offering answers whenever An Ran was perplexed.

Therefore, when An Ran was unusually late in replying to his message today, he had grown anxious, prompting him to send a message asking if An Ran was deliberately ignoring him.

He had initially thought An Ran had discovered his identity and was angry with him.

He had never expected the reason to be something entirely different.

****

Gong He, observing An Ran’s recent post on his Moments, patted Lu Ye’s shoulder and asked blandly, “Got a cigarette?”

Lu Ye shot him a surprised glance. “Don’t you not smoke?”

With a weary expression, Gong He retorted, “Cut the nonsense.”

Lu Ye pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and tossed it to him. “I was wondering why you showed up looking like a dead man. Aren’t you single? Why do you look like you’ve just been dumped?”

Too listless to bother with him, Gong He snatched the lighter from Lu Ye, bit down on a cigarette, and took a deep drag.

He and Lu Ye were in the second-floor corridor of the teaching building, from where they could see the entire sports field below.

Lu Ye clicked his tongue. “What have you been up to lately? I haven’t seen you online in games, and you won’t even come out for dinner. Are you actually dating someone?”

Gong He exhaled a white plume of smoke, his gaze fixed on a passing figure below, when he suddenly froze.

Recalling An Ran’s past remark about disliking the smell of smoke, he instinctively extinguished the cigarette, not wanting An Ran to discover him smoking.

“What are you looking at? I’m talking to you.” Lu Ye followed his gaze but saw nothing.

Seeing Gong He stub out the cigarette, Lu Ye fumed, stomping his foot in genuine distress. “Hey, hey, hey, is that what you call smoking? Just one puff?”

Gong He replied, “Your cigarettes taste bad. Try a different brand.”

Lu Ye: [???]

‘What was wrong with his Liqun (TL Note: A popular Chinese cigarette brand) cigarettes?’

Gong He watched An Ran’s retreating back, suddenly feeling utterly ridiculous.

‘Was it even necessary for him to put out the cigarette?’

‘An Ran cared about H, the H who chatted with him every day.’

‘It certainly couldn’t be him, his gruff Alpha roommate.’

‘If An Ran knew that H was him, would he still chat with him?’

Gong He recalled the dormitory transfer application form he had seen on the first day of school, and a self-deprecating smile touched his lips.

‘Perhaps once An Ran knew he was H, not only would he delete and block him in one swift motion, but he would also reapply to the school to have him, his roommate, replaced.’

At this thought, Gong He’s face darkened to the color of ink.

[AR: It’s so cold today!]

[AR: I’m wearing a hoodie, but I still feel chilly.]

[AR: Stay warm and don’t catch a cold.]

Following several consecutive days of rain, the weather rapidly cooled, and Liucheng officially announced its entry into winter.

This year, winter arrived earlier than in previous years.

An Ran hadn’t brought enough winter clothes and planned to go shopping with Fu Zao on Saturday to buy some thicker garments.

[AR: I think winter in Liucheng is much colder than in Ningcheng.]

[AR: In Ningcheng, a thick sweater and a down jacket are usually enough, but in Liucheng, even a three-piece set doesn’t feel warm enough.]

[AR: Maybe I should stock up on heat patches (TL Note: Disposable, self-heating adhesive patches used for warmth).]

An Ran finished a class, but H still hadn’t replied to his message.

Mimicking H’s tone, he sent a message, questioning him. ‘Are you deliberately not replying to my messages?!’

[AR: Playing it cool.]

[AR: Humph.]

An Ran’s remark about “playing it cool” amused Gong He.

[H: I was in class just now and didn’t check my phone.]

[H: I wasn’t deliberately ignoring your messages.]

[H: If the weather’s cold, wear more layers, don’t catch another cold.]

[AR: It’s the season for roasted sweet potatoes.]

[AR: Tonight, I’m going to eat barbecue with my friends!!]

[AR: I’ve been saving my pocket money for ages, and it’s finally time to use it.]

[H: [WeChat Transfer] Please accept 1000 yuan.]

[H: My treat for barbecue.]

[AR: ???]

[AR: [Transfer returned]]

[AR: I have pocket money.]

H’s sudden transfer, especially such a large sum, left An Ran flustered, and he quickly returned it.

Although H said he was treating him to barbecue, a single meal wouldn’t cost that much.

The cost of living in Liucheng was slightly higher than in Ningcheng, so An Ran was usually quite frugal, always eating in the cafeteria, where the portions were generous and filling.

Yet, he wasn’t so poor that he couldn’t afford a barbecue meal; he had simply been joking.

[H: Didn’t you say you needed to buy clothes?]

[H: Is your pocket money enough?]

[AR: It’s enough.]

[H: Alright.]

[H: Can’t you spend my money?]

[H: Do you feel awkward, like it’s a burden?]

[AR: !!!]

[AR: How can I spend your money?!]

[AR: .]

An Ran had never expected H to voice the question so directly.

‘Had their relationship truly progressed to the point where they could casually spend each other’s pocket money?’

‘Even he and Fu Zao, who had grown up together, weren’t that close, were they?’

Ever since An Ran had asked H if he had a partner, their chat dynamic had grown strangely ambiguous.

Sometimes, H’s messages made him feel a subtle hint of intimacy.

Just now, H transferring money to him and asking, “Can’t you spend my money?” felt like it had crossed the boundaries of friendship for An Ran.

[H: Then how can you spend my money as a matter of course?]

[H: Be my boyfriend?]

[H: I’ll buy you anything you want to eat.]

[H: I’ll buy you anything you desire.]

An Ran was even more astonished that H would so directly ask him to date.

He was momentarily stumped, unsure how to respond.

Several times he tried to type something, deleting and revising, but couldn’t send a single coherent sentence.

[H: Playing it cool?]

[AR: .]

[H: Is it that you don’t like me and don’t want to date me, or that you’re not ready to date me?]

[AR: .]

[AR: Can you be a *little* more subtle?]

[H: Alright, I’ll be a little more subtle then.]

[H: Will you enter a relationship with me?]

[AR: !!!]

[AR: You call *that* subtle?!]

An Ran buried his face on the desk, his cheeks flushed crimson.

He had never imagined things would escalate to this point.

‘Was H confessing his feelings to him?’

An Ran had never been in a relationship and lacked experience in such matters.

Moreover, he never befriended Alphas, actively avoiding them.

Even if an Alpha showed interest, they would invariably give up due to his evasive attitude.

‘If he rejected H, would their connection simply end here?’

After a long pause, An Ran finally replied, [I don’t think I can refuse you, but I’m also not ready to be in a relationship with you.]

[AR: I’ve never thought about dating anyone.]

[AR: Do you want to have an online relationship with me?]

Just as Fu Zao had said, they didn’t even know each other’s names or secondary genders; it was just like an online relationship.

An Ran didn’t deny having a good impression of H, but it hadn’t reached the point of love.

At the very least, he had never considered dating H.

However, he felt conflicted, not wanting H to have anyone else. ‘Was it simply because he had too few friends?’

‘Was his possessiveness over his friends too extreme?’

Yet, he didn’t feel this way about Fu Zao.

Fu Zao was an ‘E’ personality (TL Note: Referring to an extroverted personality type, often contrasted with ‘I’ for introverted), and besides him, had many other good friends.

[H: If you find the online relationship format more comfortable, we can try dating online first.]

Gong He could easily guess An Ran’s thoughts and knew he would make such a choice.

He had been aiming for an online relationship from the very beginning.

He knew that if it were an online relationship, An Ran wouldn’t be able to refuse him.

As long as he was dating An Ran, whether it was online or anything else, it didn’t matter.

Gong He only needed An Ran to fall completely in love with him during this online relationship, to the point of being unable to leave him.

Even if An Ran eventually discovered he was H, he wouldn’t easily break up with him.

He simply needed to wait patiently.

Gong He’s lips curved into a slight smile, an irrepressible glint of amusement in his eyes.

Lu Ye, who had been watching him for a while, felt a shiver run down his spine at the sight of his smile.

‘How unsettling!’

‘How could this person be sulking one moment and then smiling so eerily the next?’

It seemed Gong He’s susceptibility period (TL Note: A period of heightened emotional sensitivity and physical discomfort experienced by Alphas, often leading to irritability or mood swings) was approaching, tormenting him to the point of madness.