The Mysterious Like and an Unexpected Reunion

Why did he like his Moments post from a few days ago?

And this specific one?

Was there anything special about it?

An Ran, utterly bewildered, scrolled through his entire WeChat Moments, relieved to find he hadn’t posted anything unusual.

The matter wasn’t fully resolved, yet An Ran, after some hesitation, decided to keep H as a friend.

His WeChat contact list, previously at 22, now successfully counted 23.

In a gesture of reciprocity, as H had viewed his Moments, An Ran tapped open H’s, only to find it completely blank.

Had it not been for the message [This Moments is set to be visible for three days], An Ran would have assumed he’d been unilaterally deleted.

Over the next three days of the holiday, An Ran and Fu Zao made it a point to visit the school garden to feed the cats.

Willow University (TL Note: A common way to refer to a university, ‘Liu Da’ or ‘Willow University,’ often implies a prestigious or large institution, similar to ‘Oxbridge’ for Oxford/Cambridge.) housed several cats, each with its own unique number and name.

A donation box stood in the garden, and the school utilized these funds to spay/neuter, vaccinate, and provide check-ups for the felines.

Huahua, a new stray, had arrived pregnant.

Two months after she gave birth, the school arranged for her sterilization.

Huahua’s kittens, barely two months old, were especially adorable and loved to hide within the garden.

An Ran noticed that the broken automatic feeder had been replaced with a new one, and a new water dispenser had also been added.

After much deliberation, he opened H’s chat window and sent a few messages.

AR: Thanks.

AR: Image.jpg

H, with characteristic aloofness, replied with a curt “Mm.”

An Ran paid no mind to his indifferent attitude; in fact, he felt it was entirely in character for H.

Judging by his Moments being visible for only three days, along with his blank profile and avatar, it was clear he was a rather distant person.

An Ran had no intention of bothering him further, and so, the two silently remained on each other’s contact lists.

****

Time flew swiftly, and seemingly overnight, the weather began to cool.

The scorching summer suddenly receded, giving way to the crisp embrace of early autumn.

The leaves of the sycamore trees gradually turned yellow, and the campus paths became carpeted with fallen foliage.

A gentle breeze swept through, carrying with it a touch of coolness.

First-year courses were not particularly demanding, allowing An Ran to live a rather leisurely life.

He enjoyed reading, so on days without morning classes, he would immerse himself in the library.

Unfortunately, the corner seat was already occupied today, so he reluctantly settled for a spot with fewer people.

As time slowly passed, he only realized that the surrounding seats had filled up completely once he finished the book he was holding.

Nearby, small groups of people were conversing in hushed tones.

“What should we have for lunch?”

“The cafeteria just opened a new Cantonese dim sum restaurant. Want to try it?”

“Cantonese food, huh…”

“Someone said Gong He and Lu Ye have been seen eating there for three days straight.”

“Oh, what are we waiting for? Let’s go quickly; I’m afraid we won’t get a table if we’re late.”

“So, has anyone managed to add Gong He on WeChat?”

“Probably not. I heard Gong He changed his WeChat ID; the old one isn’t used anymore, and hardly anyone knows his current account.”

“I thought that once we got to university, we’d at least have a chance to get closer, but it seems he’s only grown more distant.”

“If you can’t get Gong He, chasing Lu Ye isn’t a bad alternative.”

“Do you think Lu Ye is easy to pursue? He seems approachable and can crack a few jokes, but if you confess to him, he’ll reject you faster than anyone.”

“Even Senior Yu was rejected, so there’s even less hope for me.”

“Which Senior Yu?”

“The super fair and beautiful Omega from the fine arts department.”

“Just check the confession wall, and you’ll know.”

The name “Gong He” kept drifting into his ears, making it impossible for An Ran to concentrate on his book.

Perhaps it was because Gong He was his roommate that he paid extra attention to him.

Hearing the words “confession wall” piqued An Ran’s curiosity.

A few days prior, Fu Zao had mentioned that the school’s confession wall was quite lively, always brimming with fresh gossip (TL Note: ‘Guas’ or ‘melons’ refers to gossip or juicy scandals, often used in Chinese web culture.).

An Ran clicked the link Fu Zao had sent him, which led to a mini-program.

The posts within were diverse, ranging from driving test tips to confessions, housing rentals, job searches, card applications, and various complaint threads.

[Cockroach killer, rat poison, ant killer—you, nobody wants you~]

[Lost my meal card, just topped it up with 500 yuan. Guess I’m a benevolent rich kid today T^T]

[Secret Crush Confessions: Rejected after confessing, heartbroken.]

An Ran clicked on this post and immediately spotted Gong He’s name, as well as the “fair and beautiful Omega senior” mentioned by the student next to him.

Many students had left comments.

1st Floor: ‘Didn’t expect even you, Senior…’

2nd Floor: ‘Is Gong He really that popular? Why?’

3rd Floor: ‘His looks alone could conquer the world.’ (TL Note: ‘Face in Jiangshan in’ is a Chinese idiom meaning one’s beauty is so great it can maintain or win an empire.)

4th Floor: ‘He’s not just about looks; his appearance, family background, academic performance—what isn’t top-notch?’

5th Floor: ‘Do you even understand what a top-tier Alpha means?’

6th Floor: ‘I bet no one can successfully confess to Gong He. Not only that, but you won’t be able to add him on WeChat either.’

7th Floor: ‘Agreed with the above. Gong He is someone who won’t even reveal his pheromones, let alone needing an Omega to get through his rut (TL Note: ‘Yiganqi’ refers to the rut period for Alphas in ABO dynamics, a time of heightened instincts and discomfort, usually requiring an Omega’s presence for comfort or stability.).’

8th Floor: ‘An Alpha like him won’t date unless he finds an Omega with 100% compatibility.’

An Ran even saw someone who had posted photos of this senior alongside Gong He’s.

As the comment on the 66th floor suggested, the two looked quite well-matched in terms of appearance.

An Ran felt a pang of disappointment; even such a beautiful Omega didn’t catch Gong He’s eye.

He had originally thought that if Gong He started dating, he might consider moving out.

It seemed this path was a dead end.

Although his current interactions with Gong He were pleasant, he still felt somewhat uneasy about Gong He’s Alpha status.

Moreover, Gong He had been acting a bit strangely lately.

His temper seemed worse.

Was his rut (TL Note: ‘Yiganqi’ refers to the rut period for Alphas in ABO dynamics, a time of heightened instincts and discomfort.) approaching?

****

The Mid-Autumn Festival fell on the day before the National Day holiday.

An Ran had little to take home, so he and Fu Zao bought tickets for the earliest bus.

For some reason, the moment he boarded the bus, An Ran began to feel incredibly unwell.

The myriad scents within the bus mingled in the air, prompting An Ran to put on his mask, though it offered little relief.

The nearly four-hour journey was particularly arduous, and An Ran’s face was pale by the time he disembarked.

Qin Xue worriedly touched his face.

“Xiao Bao, your face looks terrible.

Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

An Ran leaned against her, the stifling dizziness making him particularly uncomfortable.

“It’s probably just motion sickness; nothing serious.

I’ll be fine after a good sleep at home.”

After getting off the bus, An Ran’s mother (Qin Xue) picked him up.

Qin Xue had initially wanted to take him to the hospital for a check-up, but An Ran insisted on going home to rest.

All he wanted was to quickly get home, take a shower, and lie down comfortably.

Besides the dizziness and headache, he felt a peculiar soreness in the back of his neck.

Was his posture while reading lately problematic?

Why did it feel so sore and swollen?

Or perhaps his neck felt uncomfortable because he had slept on his side all night?

This feeling of discomfort persisted even after he arrived home.

His sense of smell seemed to have sharpened, allowing him to distinctly perceive the aroma of food wafting through the air, the incense in the house, and the scent of his parents’ perfumes.

All these mingled scents made An Ran feel incredibly nauseous.

After dinner, he washed up and went to bed.

****

By the next morning, An Ran felt as though he had come back to life.

The dizziness and headache were gone, his neck no longer felt sore and swollen, and the house was free of any strange odors.

Qin Xue brought out the prepared breakfast and placed it before him, then affectionately patted his head.

“Feeling better?”

An Ran nodded.

“I took some painkillers before bed last night, so I’m fine today.”

Qin Xue: “That’s good.

We’re going to your uncle’s house for dinner today.

I was planning to stay home and take care of you if you were still unwell.”

An Ran’s eyes lit up slightly, a hint of anticipation in them.

“Mom, when are we going?

I haven’t seen Uncle in ages.”

Qin Xue smiled.

“We’ll go right after breakfast.

Your dad has already finished eating and is waiting for us outside.”

Today was both the Mid-Autumn Festival and An Ran’s uncle’s birthday.

In previous years, Qin Xue would always take him back to her family home for a reunion.

This year, with such a rare extended holiday, they planned to stay at his uncle’s house for several days.

His uncle’s son was an Omega, with a very well-behaved personality, three years younger than An Ran, and only just starting high school this year.

Ningcheng High School’s holiday assignments were piled high like mountains; virtually the entire break was spent on homework.

An Ran had endured three years of this routine.

After his cousin finished his homework, An Ran was also responsible for checking it for errors.

An Ran felt his head ache from looking at it; the test papers grew harder each year, and he couldn’t remember how to do some of the problems, especially in mathematics.

During high school, his academic performance was severely imbalanced.

It was as if the Chinese teacher would just finish praising him, only for the math teacher to immediately launch into a reprimand.

An Ran took a picture of the problem on the test paper and posted it to his Moments:

‘How do you do this problem T^T’

‘I’ve returned all my knowledge to my teachers. *Sob-laugh emoji*.jpg’

An Ran hadn’t expected anyone to answer his question; he merely wanted to post something on his Moments.

To his surprise, ten minutes later, someone actually posted the solution in the comments section.

Gazong at the mysterious user H, with their blank avatar, An Ran’s expression froze for a moment.

He tapped H’s avatar, entering their chat window.

Their last conversation had been over ten days ago; if H hadn’t commented on his post, he would have almost forgotten this person existed.

An Ran exited the chat, returned to his own post, and sincerely replied: ‘Thank you, you’re really kind. *Cute bean emoji*.jpg’

On the other side, when Gong He received this reply, the expression on his face was indescribable.

Thus, not telling An Ran who he truly was, remained the best choice.