A Day of Misfortune and Unexpected Aid

While lathering up with shower gel, he suddenly recalled the one Gong He used.

He couldn’t place the brand, but it possessed a refreshing mint scent, cool and invigorating, perfectly suited for such sweltering weather.

He found himself wanting to buy the same kind.

As An Ran pondered how to find Gong He’s shower gel, his mind also reeled from the memory of how he and Fu Zao had been gossiping about Gong He behind his back during dinner, only for Gong He to overhear them.

His thoughts tangled into a chaotic mess.

It was only when he finished showering and went to put on his clothes that he realized his pajama bottoms were missing.

Perhaps he had been too hasty when leaving his room, inadvertently leaving them on the bed.

Standing bare-legged, he glanced at his camouflage uniform soaking in the water, then pursed his lips.

He recoiled at the thought of wringing out the wet pants and putting them on; he detested the clammy, sticky sensation of damp fabric clinging to his skin.

However, his pajama top was long enough to barely cover his backside.

An Ran silently calculated the route from the bathroom back to his room.

It was only a few steps, and if he ran quickly, it wouldn’t take long at all.

Gong He had still been eating when they left, so he shouldn’t be back so soon.

Perhaps he wouldn’t even want to return to the dorm for his midday rest.

An Ran cautiously opened the bathroom door, peeking his head out to survey the surroundings.

After confirming that no one was around, he mustered his courage and took the first step.

Yet, before he could even reach his room, the dorm door creaked open from the outside, startling An Ran into a frozen stillness.

As Gong He pushed open the dorm door, his gaze immediately fell upon An Ran, who stood rigid in the living area.

He was clad only in a T-shirt, his legs bare, his eyes wide with a frantic panic as he stared back.

The air hung heavy for a beat before An Ran, recovering first, ducked his head and bolted into his room.

With a sharp “Slam!”, the door clicked shut.

Gong He’s brow arched slightly, his eyes fixed on An Ran’s door with a hint of amusement.

It seemed he had just realized his roommate reacted to him like a mouse spotting a cat.

Was he truly that terrifying?

Or had he perhaps done something to cause such a misunderstanding?

After closing his door, An Ran collapsed onto his bed in a heap of despair.

‘What was he to do?’

‘Surely Gong He wouldn’t think he was some kind of pervert who didn’t wear pants?’

He had embarrassed himself in front of Gong He yet again.

An Ran: QAQ

His clothes were still soaking in the bathroom.

‘He was doomed.’

‘Should he try to retrieve them before Gong He went in?’

An Ran gnawed on his finger, agonizing over the decision for a good while.

Before he could even make up his mind, he heard Gong He’s door open, followed by footsteps receding, seemingly heading towards the bathroom.

Then, the sound of water began to gush from the bathroom.

An Ran: “!!!”

Ignoring all else, he snatched up the pants that had fallen by his bed, swiftly pulled them on, and hurried to the bathroom door.

Fortunately, the bathroom door hadn’t been fully closed; Gong He had only turned on the faucet.

In those fleeting seconds, An Ran’s resolve built up only to crumble, a cycle repeated over and over.

The moment his eyes met Gong He’s, his thoughts scrambled into a tangled mess, and his words came out stuttering.

He pointed a trembling finger at the washbasin on the floor.

“I-I want to get my clothes back,” he stammered.

Gong He stepped back, allowing him to enter the bathroom and retrieve the washbasin.

An Ran took a deep breath, then quietly murmured, “Thank you,” his head still bowed.

Once he had left, Gong He closed the door.

An Ran felt the taut wires of his nerves finally begin to unwind.

He needed to quickly hang his clothes to dry during the time Gong He was showering.

Listening to the gentle patter of water from the bathroom, An Ran felt an inexplicable sense of disquietude.

Come to think of it, Gong He was the first Alpha he had ever encountered at such close quarters.

A woody fragrance wafted from the bathroom, spreading to the balcony and permeating the air.

An Ran took a light sniff, a pang of curiosity stirring within him.

Had Gong He changed his shower gel?

While this scent was pleasant, it was nowhere near as appealing as the minty shower gel from last night.

After hanging his clothes, An Ran swiftly retreated to his room, where the blast of cold air from the air conditioner allowed him to stretch out comfortably.

He hoped that once they both woke up, he and Gong He would have forgotten everything that had just transpired.

Praying.

****

The afternoon sun beat down with even greater intensity than the morning.

Stepping out of the dorm door, An Ran instinctively recoiled from the suffocating heat that assailed him.

However, upon hearing the faint click of Gong He’s door turning, An Ran cast aside all hesitation and stepped out into the scorching day.

Gong He: “???”

‘Had something just vanished before his eyes?’

The dorm was not far from the parade ground, yet even before reaching the assembly point, fine beads of sweat had already broken out on his forehead.

The moment the instructor’s whistle pierced the air, An Ran quickly rejoined the assembled ranks.

Just those few short steps had caused him to break out in a considerable sweat.

The afternoon weather was even hotter than the morning.

Even with a cap on, he could feel the intense heat baking his scalp.

The cap felt stifling and completely unbreathable, leaving his hair already soaked with sweat.

Fortunately, the instructor allowed them to continue their military stance drills beneath the shade of a tree, spared from the direct glare of the sun.

An Ran finally felt a measure of relief.

Occasionally, a breeze would stir, but it was swiftly swallowed by the oppressive heat waves.

Sweat dripped from his forehead into his eyes, and An Ran felt increasingly dizzy.

The view before him began to blur, and dark spots danced in his vision.

He sensed himself on the verge of collapsing, unable to control his limbs, unable even to cry out, his senses gradually fading.

Before losing consciousness, he heard the panicked screams of a classmate beside him.

When he awoke, he found himself lying in the infirmary.

The air was thick with the pungent scent of disinfectant, and several bottles of medicine hung from the rail at the head of his bed.

An Ran followed the IV tube down to his hand, realizing with a jolt why it felt numb and slightly prickly; he was on an IV drip.

A wave of nausea clogged his throat, his head swam, and his entire body felt drained of energy.

‘Had he suffered from heatstroke?’

Ever since he had woken, he could hear people conversing in hushed tones, a continuous murmur of chattering voices drifting into his ears.

An Ran’s head seemed to throb even more intensely.

He pushed aside the curtain in front of him and peered out, only then realizing the infirmary was packed with people.

His movement drew the attention of the others in the room.

Feeling their curious gazes fix upon him, An Ran hastily pulled the curtain shut again.

The students seated outside were dressed in camouflage uniforms, just like him, likely all seeking treatment for heatstroke at the school infirmary.

After the IV drip was finished, the doctor informed him that he could issue a sick leave slip.

“Your constitution is rather weak,” the doctor stated, “and you’re not suited for such high-intensity training.

Go back and get some good rest.”

A flicker of surprise and delight sparked in An Ran’s eyes.

He stifled a laugh, not daring to openly express his mirth in front of the doctor.

After collecting a pile of medicine from the infirmary, An Ran presented the sick leave slip to the instructor.

The instructor said nothing, simply granting him permission to leave.

Seeing this, Fu Zao shed tears of envy.

“Does that mean you won’t have to train for the remaining fourteen days?”

“Probably…?” An Ran nodded, though uncertainty colored his expression.

The doctor had indeed told him to stay in the dorm and rest well.

Before heading back to the dorm building, he even stopped by the convenience store to buy several bottles of electrolyte water.

Upon seeing the crowded dorm lobby, he decisively abandoned the idea of squeezing into the elevator with the Alphas.

Fortunately, his dorm was on the fifth floor; if it had been any higher, he would likely have had to wait in the ground floor lobby until most people had dispersed before taking the elevator back to his room.

However, he felt unwell all over, his only thought to return to the dorm and rest as soon as possible.

Perhaps due to the heatstroke, he lacked strength and was increasingly plagued by a feeling of unease and restlessness.

He could only lean against the wall, climbing step by laborious step.

The electrolyte water bottles he had just bought, unexpectedly, became a burden at this moment.

While not particularly heavy, they felt exceptionally so given his current weakness.

He had to pause and rest after every half-flight of stairs, his face alarmingly pale.

Lu Ye: “Seriously, you should’ve listened to me back then.

If you’d gotten someone to forge two doctor’s notes and handed them to the school, wouldn’t you have been excused from military training?

Instead, here we are, two idiots baking in the sun.”

Gong He: “Isn’t a little sun good for you?

It’ll help get rid of your bad luck.”

Lu Ye let out a frustrated laugh: “I’m not just getting rid of bad luck anymore; I’m a pancake sizzling on a hot griddle.

I’m practically f***ing cooked!”

Gong He’s indifferent voice carried a hint of amusement.

“You could still submit a doctor’s note now,” he suggested.

Lu Ye shook his head with a sigh: “No use now.

The instructor already told me that approach won’t work with him.

He told me to be honest and not to think of any excuses to skip military training.

After this morning’s incident, I’m already a thorn in his side.

He’s annoyed with everything I do now, and I just hope he doesn’t hold a grudge against me (TL Note: ‘穿小鞋’ literally ‘wearing small shoes,’ meaning to make things difficult for someone, especially out of spite or a grudge).”

Hearing the increasingly close conversation between the two, An Ran’s steps faltered.

It was Gong He and Lu Ye.

As their footsteps drew nearer, An Ran paused, leaning against the window to rest.

He moved aside, yielding the hallway to let Gong He and Lu Ye pass first.

Lu Ye was the first to spot him, nudging Gong He with his elbow.

“Hey? Isn’t that your roommate?” he asked curiously.

Gong He raised his eyes, glancing at An Ran, who leaned against the window, his face pale.

His gaze traced An Ran’s face downwards, settling on the blood-stained band-aid on his hand.

The bag of drinks had left An Ran’s fingers red and constricted.

Before Gong He could speak, Lu Ye was already offering.

“Hey, buddy, need some help?”

An Ran instinctively shook his head.

He was unaccustomed to intimacy with Alphas and even stuttered when conversing with them, so he subtly took a step back as Lu Ye approached.

“N-no need, thank you,” he stammered.

Gong He suddenly took the shopping bag from his hand.

“I’ll carry it back to the dorm for you,” he said.

“?” An Ran hadn’t even processed what was happening before Gong He had already taken a step forward, leaving him with nothing but his retreating back.

Relieved of the burden in his hands, An Ran felt his steps lighten considerably.

He quickly fell in behind Gong He, softly uttering, “Thank you.”

In that moment, An Ran felt that Gong He wasn’t as fierce as he seemed.

He was actually quite kind, a good person.

An Ran realized he shouldn’t have held such prejudices against him.