He Siheng suddenly recalled the sports festival, when Tan Jing said he liked challenging types. But searching his memory, he couldn’t think of any Omega at school who was that hard to chase.
What if he likes Alphas? AA romance?
Like an epiphany, He Siheng got it. Yeah, that must be it!
For an S-Rank Alpha like Tan Jing, AA love was definitely challenging. Which Alpha could withstand his pheromones?
With that thought, He Siheng felt a bit of pity.
He rolled his head on the pillow, flipped over, and looked at the other bed where someone slept soundly.
Tan Jing seemed to be sleeping poorly, tossing and turning since earlier.
He Siheng vaguely heard some sleep-talk, but the rain outside was noisy, and the mutter was soft—he only caught something about a birthday.
Rare chance to catch Tan Jing talking in his sleep. He Siheng thought for a moment, then quietly got out of bed, crept over, and crouched by the bedside, ear perked.
He waited ages without the next bit of sleep-talk. Instead, the boy on the bed suddenly opened his eyes.
Barely a handspan apart, those ink-black eyes stared straight at him, swirling with just-wakened drowsiness and some unfathomable, dangerous emotion.
“You’re really sleepwalking?” The boy’s freshly woken voice was low and husky, like it had metallic grit—ice-cold.
He Siheng’s ears tingled from the magnetic tone, his eardrums itching.
Caught eavesdropping on sleep-talk, he coughed uncomfortably and made an excuse. “Sleepwalking? I saw you having a nightmare, so I came to check—caring about you, got it?”
Tan Jing let out an ambiguous huff from his nose, shifted back a bit, and lifted the blanket with his arm.
Seeing this, He Siheng asked inexplicably, “What?”
“Aren’t you caring about me?” Tan Jing looked at him matter-of-factly, speaking lazily. “I’m having nightmares. Scared to sleep alone.”
He Siheng was speechless for a moment—didn’t expect him to shamelessly play along.
“Are you a kid? Scared to sleep alone after a nightmare?”
Tan Jing hummed lowly, admitting without shame, “I’m a coward.”
Look at this guy—eats up soft and hard alike.
He Siheng witnessed Tan Jing’s thick skin again. But he’d backed himself into this corner, so he grudgingly agreed. “Fine. For lending me clothes, I’ll sleep with you tonight, you wimp.”
He resignedly climbed into bed and slipped under Tan Jing’s covers.
The blanket was warm from Tan Jing’s body heat, and He Siheng’s nose filled with a pleasant woody scent.
Tan Jing lay on his side facing him. Face-to-face felt too weird; back-to-back left his back exposed to the cold draft. So he lay flat on his back.
Eyes on the ceiling, he couldn’t sleep yet and made small talk. “What’d you dream about? So scary?”
Tan Jing gazed at his profile, silent for seconds, then said lowly, “Dreamed… the person I like wouldn’t talk to me.”
Smelling gossip, He Siheng perked up instantly, rolling to face him side-by-side. “You really like someone? Who? From our school? Omega? Alpha? Or Beta?”
Tan Jing chuckled. “Want me to grab a recorder?”
He Siheng didn’t get it at first. “Huh?”
Tan Jing said, “Don’t journalists prep recorders for interviews?”
He Siheng caught the sarcasm, tsked in disappointment, and flipped back to lying flat. “This is caring about you too.”
“Caring?” Tan Jing’s lips curved. In the dark, his low voice held no clear emotion. “You wouldn’t even talk to me. What changed? Suddenly caring?”
He Siheng choked, stubbornly retorting, “I didn’t completely ignore you, did I?”
Tan Jing, eyes closed, countered, “You did.”
Tone brooked no argument.
He Siheng’s mouth twitched. This guy’s digging up old dirt?
If it came to old scores, he had plenty too.
“Back then, it was half and half. You said you didn’t want me making other friends, scared they’d steal me away, and said those things. When I got mad and cut ties, you didn’t even come find me. And…”
He Siheng paused a long time before saying softly, “You resented me back then too, right?”
Otherwise, you wouldn’t have torn down that photo from Old Zhang’s that’s been up for years.
Tan Jing stayed silent.
He Siheng waited a bit, still no reply.
He turned to look. Tan Jing’s eyes were closed, breathing even—he’d fallen asleep again.
He Siheng sighed, muttering softly, “Says he’s scared from a nightmare but falls asleep quick.”
His gaze lingered on Tan Jing’s sleeping face, and he zoned out a bit.
He slept deeply, half his face sunk into the soft pillow, hair messy, jawline sharp in side profile.
Unprotected in sleep, he looked almost soft.
He Siheng’s nose held a faint woody scent, like a forest after rain—refreshing, heart-soothing. An Alpha pheromone with high compatibility; it always felt reassuring.
Warm nest, pleasant smell—He Siheng grew drowsy too.
Eyes closed, sleep gathered.
Half-asleep, the person beside him seemed cold, instinctively seeking warmth, shifting closer. An arm draped over his waist, hugging him.
He Siheng woke a bit, annoyed at being hugged like a doll. Eyes shut, he grabbed Tan Jing’s arm to pry it off.
But the hold was tight; his attempts failed—the arm stayed firm on his waist.
He Siheng opened his eyes, glanced over. Tan Jing slept soundly, eyelids unmoving, breaths steady and long.
He Siheng ground his teeth, then had a mischievous idea.
He smirked slyly. Under the arm’s weight, he awkwardly flipped to face him, extending an evil finger to pinch his nose.
One second, two, three…
Breath blocked, Tan Jing frowned in sleep. The hand on He Siheng’s waist finally loosened, swatting away the offending hand.
He Siheng grinned triumphantly. But then, the boy beside him reached out again, pulling him into an embrace.
At the same time, he leaned down, pressing a kiss to his lips.
“Happy birthday.”
His voice was hoarse with heavy sleepiness, like a sleep-mumbled dream.
An ice-cold yet soft sensation brushed across his lips, like a dragonfly skimming water.
He Siheng’s drowsiness completely vanished. His entire body stiffened, and his eyes widened in shock.
Ah?
Ah??
Ah???
So that sleep-talking from before was Happy birthday? Whose birthday had he been dreaming about?
No! Wasn’t he having a nightmare? The first half of the night was a nightmare, and now the second half had turned into a wet dream?
No, no, no! None of that mattered—this was his first kiss!
His* first kiss was just… gone like that???
