The Unwanted Roommate and the Lingering Scent

An Ran, feeling dejected, arrived at the dormitory management office with his application form.

Roughly half an hour had passed since he first came to collect the form, yet the office remained bustling, packed with new students.

After a long wait for the students ahead to finish their business, it was finally his turn, only to be informed that there were no longer any dormitories available for exchange.

The dorm supervisor auntie stated, “All student dormitories are pre-arranged by the school, separated by gender, and allocated very reasonably. There are no spare rooms left now.”

A colossal boulder seemed to be tied to An Ran’s heart, crushing him until he could barely breathe.

He had considered the worst possible outcome: that the school would, under no circumstances, agree to his dormitory transfer.

Yet, upon hearing the news firsthand, he was still dealt a tremendous blow.

This was particularly devastating given that he had already met his new roommate, their first impression of each other hadn’t been good, and to make matters worse, his roommate had even discovered his intention to apply for a dorm transfer.

Seeing his reddened eyes and the look of someone on the verge of tears, the dorm supervisor auntie could only offer comfort: “If any other student applies to switch dorms, I’ll help you arrange it. However, the school dormitories are indeed full at the moment, so please wait patiently.”

An Ran left the application form, nodding dully. “Thank you, Auntie.”

After confiding in Fu Zao about the matter, Fu Zao offered to treat him to a popsicle, hoping to soothe his wounded spirit.

The two of them sat beneath a large banyan tree near the dormitory building. Fu Zao broke the popsicle in half, handing one piece to An Ran, and consoled him, “It’s not that bad, really. Look at it from another perspective: countless Omegas and Betas would envy you for being able to share a dorm with Gong He.”

An Ran glanced at him in silence. “Does that include you?”

“Hey!” Fu Zao tapped him lightly on the head with his popsicle, laughing as he chided, “Alright, I envy you too, then! I envy that you’re the first person to say good morning and good night to Gong He.”

An Ran, though touched by the sentiment, politely refused; he had absolutely no desire to exchange greetings with Gong He.

Gong He seemed so fierce that An Ran didn’t even dare to speak to him.

The mere thought of returning to the dorm and facing Gong He made An Ran’s entire body tense with unease.

This was especially true given that Gong He had discovered his desire to switch dormitories.

An Ran felt as though he was teetering on the brink of social death (TL Note: A Chinese slang term referring to extreme public embarrassment or humiliation), unsure how Gong He would perceive him now.

He resolved to become an ‘invisible man’ in the dorm, observing Gong He’s habits and routines, and striving to minimize their encounters.

“It’s fine, really. Even if he saw that application form, he probably wouldn’t dwell on it,” Fu Zao mumbled, biting into his popsicle. “Speaking of which, I’ve only ever seen photos of Gong He; I’ve never met him in person. Is he really handsome in real life? He shouldn’t look worse than his pictures, right?”

An Ran shuddered at the thought of Gong He, yet he couldn’t deny that Gong He’s face was indeed strikingly attractive—arguably the most handsome among all the Alphas An Ran had ever seen.

However, his temper was far from pleasant, and his personality was truly awful.

The filter of beauty was severely diminished in An Ran’s mind.

Fu Zao couldn’t help but chuckle. “He’s the dream Alpha in our Omega circles. One look at his face, and you just know he’s definitely ‘big and good’ (TL Note: A Chinese slang term implying a man is well-endowed and good in bed). I wonder which lucky little Omega will end up with him. I heard he chose a local university instead of going abroad after graduating high school, which drove all these little Omegas wild; they’re all clamoring to enroll in Liu University.”

Hearing this, An Ran looked at him skeptically. “Don’t tell me that’s why you originally decided to apply to Liu University?”

Fu Zao cleared his throat lightly. “What are you talking about? I came to Liu University simply because it’s my dream institution! Wasn’t it yours too? We talked about going to Liu University together when we were very young; I didn’t even know Gong He back then!”

An Ran nodded, confirming that this was indeed true.

Ning City’s educational resources weren’t the best, so during their high school years, he and Fu Zao had pushed themselves relentlessly, determined to get into Liu University.

Fu Zao blinked, teasing, “I heard some little Omegas are already preparing to confess to Gong He, but I doubt they’ll be able to win him over. You, on the other hand, Ranran, ‘the pavilion closest to the water enjoys the moonlight first’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom meaning to benefit from proximity); you’re Gong He’s roommate, so I have high hopes for you!”

An Ran vehemently shook his head.

He much preferred gentle Betas to fierce Alphas.

Gong He was clearly not his type, and he wouldn’t dare provoke him.

‘If Gong He found out his roommate harbored ulterior motives towards him, wouldn’t Gong He be utterly disgusted?’

Wait!

If that were the case, Gong He could also apply to switch dorms!

If he deliberately disgusted Gong He, and Gong He couldn’t stand it, couldn’t Gong He then apply for a dorm transfer?!

Either he would be moved, or Gong He would be moved—a fifty percent chance!

He still had a chance!

Unfortunately, this idea lasted less than three seconds in An Ran’s mind before he abandoned it.

While he desperately wanted to switch dorms, he certainly didn’t want to get beaten up by Gong He for disgusting him.

His slender frame likely wouldn’t withstand a single punch from Gong He.

The image was so vivid that An Ran shivered. “Forget it. I don’t want to die by his hand.”

Fu Zao laughed. “Once you have his WeChat ID, remember to send it to me.”

An Ran felt speechless. “You like him?”

Fu Zao replied, “Not exactly. I just want to collect handsome guys’ WeChat IDs. You wouldn’t understand.”

An Ran.

Right, he truly didn’t understand; otherwise, his WeChat wouldn’t have fewer than 20 friends in total.

But Gong He probably wouldn’t want to add his WeChat ID.

After all, their first meeting had been truly terrible.

An Ran took a bite of his popsicle, his face etched with melancholy.

Fu Zao patted his head and smiled. “‘The boat will naturally straighten when it reaches the bridge’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom meaning that problems will resolve themselves in time); let’s talk about anything else tomorrow!”

An Ran could only nod. “Mm.”

Since he couldn’t switch dorms, he would just have to maintain the status quo.

Fu Zao hopped off the stone bench, stretched, and urged, “Come on, let’s go check out what good food the canteen has.”

Liu University’s canteens offered a wide variety of dishes; you could find anything you wanted.

Every stall was packed with curious new students.

Liu City was a metropolis, far more prosperous than a small place like Ning City, and its economic level was in a different league entirely.

An Ran felt like a country bumpkin arriving in the big city, looking around wide-eyed and a bit out of place.

He followed nervously behind Fu Zao, who ordered a serving of spicy boiled beef and some greens, just enough for the two of them.

After dinner, the two returned to the dorm to rest. With military training scheduled for tomorrow, they decided to go to bed early tonight.

An Ran returned to his dorm room with a knot of anxiety in his stomach, cautiously peeking through the window. Seeing nothing but pitch blackness, he immediately let out a sigh of relief.

This meant Gong He wasn’t in the dorm right now.

An Ran still didn’t know how he would face Gong He, and he absolutely had to quickly wash up before Gong He returned.

Although the dorm was structured as a suite with two rooms, the bathroom, balcony, and living room were all communal.

The mere thought of his roommate being an Alpha made An Ran’s entire body feel uncomfortable.

Just as An Ran finished showering and was hanging his clothes, Gong He returned.

The moment he opened the dorm door, Gong He caught the strong scent of shower gel lingering in the air. Hearing movement from the balcony, Gong He’s gaze fixed intently on the busy figure.

Recalling the dorm transfer application form he had seen in the other’s hand during their afternoon encounter, he had assumed the person would have left by now.

According to school regulations, Alphas could not possibly live in the same dorm as Omegas. Clearly, his roommate could only be a Beta.

Had he not known this rule, Gong He might have even thought the other person was an Omega.

Hearing the door open, An Ran’s heart skipped a beat. He nervously clung to the balcony door, peering towards the living room.

Gong He had returned.

Standing on the balcony, he felt a surge of unease.

He had never made an Alpha friend in his entire life, and he rarely even interacted with Alphas during his school years.

He never expected that, upon entering university, he would actually be assigned to live in the same dorm as an Alpha.

For him, it was undoubtedly a colossal challenge.

An Ran quietly sped up his clothes-hanging, and once Gong He entered his room, he swiftly tidied his toiletries and darted back into his own room.

****

****

A sliver of morning sunlight pierced through the clouds and fell upon the window, causing the room’s temperature to rapidly soar, making it stifling and breathless. An Ran fumbled for the remote control by his pillow, haphazardly pressing the power button several times until the air conditioner hummed to life.

An Ran pulled the blanket back over himself, burying his entire face in the covers, attempting to block out the dazzling morning light.

His sleepiness still lingered, as if he were still wandering through a dream, unwilling to open his eyes.

Ten minutes later, An Ran slowly sat up in bed, surveying his surroundings with a hint of confusion in his eyes.

His memories slowly trickled back.

An Ran gradually remembered that he was now at Liu University. He picked up his phone and checked the time; it was only seven in the morning, still very early, and his roommate probably hadn’t woken up yet.

An Ran tiptoed open his door and walked onto the balcony.

He didn’t even dare turn the faucet on too high, fearing the sound of the water would wake Gong He.

Gong He had a bad temper; it would be troublesome if he had morning grumpiness.

An Ran felt intensely sneaky, like he was behaving furtively.

After wiping his face, he turned around and saw Gong He standing at the doorway.

An Ran: “!!!”

Gong He merely gave him a fleeting glance before walking into the bathroom.

An Ran returned to his room, changed into the camouflage uniform for military training, grabbed his phone, and headed out. By the time Gong He returned to the living room, he only caught a fleeting glimpse of a green figure darting past him.

Gong He: “?”

‘Was he some kind of monstrous beast?’

An Ran arrived at the cafeteria, panting, to find that Fu Zao had already ordered breakfast.

Fu Zao asked, “Why are you running so fast? It’s still early.”

An Ran grabbed his soy milk and took a big gulp, only then feeling a little more at ease.

Hearing An Ran explain that he ran so fast to avoid Gong He, Fu Zao, with a steamed bun in his mouth, nearly choked with laughter. “So you’re saying you just ran off without even daring to greet him?”

An Ran nodded weakly.

Gong He seemed to have a severe case of morning grumpiness, and An Ran wondered if his washing-up sounds had been too loud and woken him.

The dormitory’s soundproofing seemed terrible; he could hear the sound of water from Gong He showering in the bathroom even with his door closed.

Fu Zao laughed, comforting him, “Alphas aren’t usually that petty, you know.”

An Ran was on the verge of tears. “I hope so.”

He hoped Gong He wouldn’t hold these small matters against him.

Fu Zao suddenly remembered something and leaned closer to An Ran, sniffing his scent.

An Ran asked, “What’s wrong?”

Fu Zao looked at him with a disappointed expression. “I thought you might have picked up Gong He’s pheromones.”

Generally, Alphas freely leave their pheromones in their own territory, and roommates living with an Alpha would inevitably pick up a trace of Alpha pheromones on themselves.

However, Fu Zao couldn’t detect any lingering pheromone scent on An Ran, only a faint aroma of soap on his clothes.

An Ran: “!!!”

‘How could Alphas be so rogue as to leave their pheromones on others!’

‘He would definitely consider buying pheromone-purifying spray!’

Fu Zao’s tone was full of regret. “Gong He’s pheromones have always been a mystery; no Omega has ever smelled his scent. I thought this unsolved enigma was finally about to be revealed by me.”

An Ran.

‘Luckily, he hadn’t picked up any strange Alpha scents.’

He suddenly recalled the lingering scent he had noticed in the air when he went to the bathroom in the middle of the night yesterday.

A very faint minty aroma, fresh and cool, a truly pleasant scent.

However, as a Beta, it was impossible for him to smell an Alpha’s pheromones, so that must have been Gong He’s shower gel.

He quite liked it.

‘Gong He’s pheromones should be like this too, right?’

‘Clean and fresh, a little cool.’