Zhou Yu noticed that He Siheng’s complexion was off and asked with some concern, “Heng Bro, what’s wrong? Your face is so pale.”
He Siheng was not just pale; he was practically drenched in cold sweat.
To think that he had been running around naked in front of everyone all along!
Only he and Zhou Yu knew about that alt account in the game, so He Siheng hurriedly asked Zhou Yu, “That alt of mine—did you tell anyone about it?”
Zhou Yu was a bit confused. “Nope.”
He Siheng pressed, “Think carefully. Did you maybe let it slip at some point?”
“I’ll stake my reputation on— ” Zhou Yu suddenly lost confidence in his own loose lips and faulty memory. “Crap, now I’m not so sure.”
He Siheng: “…”
Zhou Yu glanced around furtively and lowered his voice. “Did you get exposed in the group?”
He Siheng hung his head in despair and knocked it against his desk. “Worse than that.”
If Little Strawberry had known who he was from the start and approached him on purpose, then there had to be an agenda behind it.
He still didn’t know what Little Strawberry’s goal was, but since the guy was close enough to Tan Jing to chat with him casually, there was a good chance he’d go straight to Tan Jing with the info.
That would be… mortifying enough to make him want to emigrate to Mars.
He Siheng covered his face. Damn it, who the hell was this Little Strawberry?
He Siheng tried sending Little Strawberry a message. The guy, who usually replied in seconds, showed no response all the way until school let out.
Judging by Tan Jing’s demeanor, he seemed oblivious to the whole thing, but having his secret in someone else’s hands was like a ticking time bomb. He couldn’t just sit there and wait.
During gym class the next day, He Siheng took the chance while fetching a ball from the equipment room during free activity to corner Wang Yizhou.
“Who was Tan Jing close to back in junior high?” Wang Yizhou found the question baffling and pointed at himself. “Me, obviously.”
He Siheng: “…Besides you.”
Wang Yizhou thought for a moment. “People Tan Jing got along with—no one ranked above me, but below me? That’d be tomorrow, if you catch my drift. Our Jing Bro would be the ultimate heartthrob top in any drama.”
He launched into a nonstop stream of rainbow farts praising Tan Jing.
He Siheng’s eye twitched. Asking this single-celled organism for intel had clearly been a bad move. Song Lin was too sharp to fool.
He Siheng cut off Wang Yizhou’s rambling and narrowed the scope. “An Omega with a lively personality and super cute way of talking—ring any bells?”
He paused, then added, “Probably speaks in a really sweet, cutesy voice.”
Wang Yizhou racked his brains and looked utterly puzzled. “Someone like that?”
He Siheng felt exhausted too. “Think harder?”
Wang Yizhou exhausted his scant brain cells and still shook his head. Then he asked, “Why are you asking about this?”
He Siheng trotted out the excuse he’d prepared. “Nothing much. Just vaguely suspect Tan Jing might be into that type.”
The excuse was full of holes, but more than enough to fool Wang Yizhou—which was exactly why he’d tried breaking through via him.
Wang Yizhou bought it hook, line, and sinker, waving his hands emphatically. “No way. I know Jing Bro inside out. He’s a total siscon. He goes for mature big-sis types, not cutesy little sweet Omegas with that baby voice.”
“Sis… siscon?”
He Siheng was stunned, as if he’d stumbled onto some major intel.
Wang Yizhou was surprised by his reaction too. “You didn’t know? Every time you chased after Sister Wan back then, Jing Bro got all sulky. He couldn’t stand you hitting on his sister.”
He Siheng: “…”
Could it be that Tan Jing had been jealous over his sister?
So all those times the guy sniped at him and tripped him up while he pursued Tan Wan weren’t about a friend turning into a brother-in-law—it was jealousy.
He Siheng pressed down the corners of his mouth.
Wang Yizhou suddenly realized something. “A lively personality with that cutesy sweet talk—that sounds right up your alley.”
He Siheng blinked. “Me?”
Wang Yizhou nudged his shoulder, his face screaming gossip. “Be real with your bro. You got a crush on some Omega? An old acquaintance of Jing Bro’s? Planning to chase them?”
He Siheng: “…No.”
Wang Yizhou didn’t buy it one bit. He leaned in ambiguously, winking. “Don’t be shy. What’s there to hide? Spring’s here—time for some spring fever, right?”
He Siheng shoved him away, stone-faced. “Not interested. Bye.”
Communicating with a single-celled organism was tough; with one in the throes of spring fever, it was impossible. In the end, He Siheng got nothing useful out of Wang Yizhou.
Three days passed, and messages to Little Strawberry sank without a trace. The account stayed offline, as if it hadn’t logged in.
On Friday evening, Tan Jing sent him a photo of Great Handsome decked out in a leash.
This was their unspoken signal since getting together: keep distance at school, avoid people at home, but evening dog walks were the perfect chance for some alone time.
Late at night, no risk of running into acquaintances.
He Siheng changed into workout clothes and was about to head out when He Yunlang spotted him and called him back. “What’re you doing out so late?”
He Siheng crouched by the door, tying his shoelaces without looking up. “Night run.”
He Yunlang was skeptical. “You’ve been heading out for these night runs pretty often lately.”
He Siheng paused, suppressing a twinge of guilt. “Gotta stay in shape.”
He Yunlang eyed him and bought the excuse. “Yeah, you do. You’re a whole head shorter than that Tan kid.”
“…”
He Siheng shot to his feet, indignant. “Not a whole head! It’s just five centimeters, and I’ve still got growing to do!”
The comparison killed his date mood entirely, turning his fake night run into a real one.
Tan Jing waited at their usual spot with Great Handsome on the leash. He spotted the sullen boy approaching from afar, resentment practically materializing around him.
“What’s up?” Tan Jing asked.
He Siheng looked up, silently comparing their height difference, and tsked. “Can you stop growing already?”
Tan Jing paused, then got it. “Uncle He picking on height again?”
