Chapter 3

Chen Cheng suddenly realized that the relationship between his two roommates seemed to have developed a rift. However, given the current situation, there didn't seem to be any obvious conflict.

The sound of Little Whirlwind entering the room interrupted Chen Cheng's probing gaze. Dong Ku slammed on the brakes, looked up, and realized everyone was there.

"I'm so moved! It's been ages since our dorm was this full. Perfect, I don't have to notify you all individually about my good news."

Chen Cheng was shocked. "Did you get cast too?"

He thought he was the only one. Turns out, good news was being handed out like wholesale, one for everyone.

"Huh?" Dong Ku shook his head. "No, I got selected as the understudy for a play. It's just one performance, but it's a real stage production!"

Dong Ku's eyes sparkled. Unlike the other three roommates, he loved theater most and spent most of his time in the drama club.

"Looks like today is a lucky day for our dorm. Sannan, my audition was successful."

Zhong Jin announced his good news with a grin, then looked at the others.

Shang Yansi: "I'm in too."

Chen Cheng: "I got the lead role in a web drama."

Dong Ku cheered. "Wow! This day must be etched in the annals of 319! Let's go celebrate with a feast!"

This moment called for a celebration, and Dong Ku's enthusiasm was palpable as he looked at his brothers.

Chen Cheng eagerly joined in, and Zhong Jin readily agreed. All three pairs of eyes turned to Shang Yansi.

Shang Yansi was held captive by three pairs of eyes for a full three seconds before he nodded.

"Let's go!" Dong Ku declared.

With no hesitation, they hailed a taxi to the nearest barbecue joint, not caring about the calorie count.

Dong Ku ordered two dozen beers. Before the food even arrived, they clinked glasses, each downing at least half a bottle.

Dong Ku grinned, "This is great! I hope we can all do what we love and do it well."

While they were still sober, the conversation remained grounded in dreams and goals. Shang Yansi, as usual, spoke little, but no one minded; they were used to his quiet nature and didn't find it dampening. Zhong Jin also remained mostly silent, primarily playing the role of the hype man.

As they grew drunker, the conversation shifted to wild future fantasies.

Dong Ku slammed the table, slurring, "From now on, I'm... hic... the King of Theater!"

Zhong Jin, also tipsy, chimed in supportively, "Yeah, yeah! Have a sausage—you'll be the King of Kings of theater!"

Chen Cheng raised his beer bottle with boisterous conviction, "I'm definitely not sticking to web dramas anymore. I'm gonna blow up—a massive explosion of fame!"

Zhong Jin nodded vigorously, like a chicken pecking at rice, and sang his praises: "Mmm-hmm-hmm, you're that fire! Burning bright and warming me up!"

Shang Yansi silently raised his phone higher, continuing to record.

Dong Ku, slumped over the table, looked at Zhong Jin and asked, "Second Brother, what about you?"

"Me?" Zhong Jin shook the wine bottle, thought for a moment, and said, "I'll definitely be able to give an acceptance speech someday."

The acceptance speech he had never uttered, this time, he would surely deliver.

His voice was soft yet firm, drifting on the wind and echoing in another person's ears.

Shang Yansi gazed at the young man, his cheeks flushed with alcohol, and suddenly met those almond-shaped eyes, which were slightly misty.

"Are you filming me?" the young man asked, his vision blurred by drink, tilting his head. "Are you?"

Shang Yansi instinctively answered, then corrected himself, "Not just you."

"Oh, I see," Zhong Jin drawled, propping his face on his hand and looking at him. "What about you? You haven't said what you'll do in the future."

The two semi-conscious men at the table immediately chimed in, "Yeah, tell us!"

"Boss, spill it!"

"I'll... I'll..."

Zhong Jin stared blankly, shaking his heavy head. He saw the thin lips of the person nearby moving, but couldn't make out the words.

Watching the drunken, passed-out figures, Shang Yansi stood up to pay the bill.

As Shang Yansi pondered how to get the three of them out of there, he heard Zhong Jin muttering something. He walked over and heard Zhong Jin say he was thirsty.

Shang Yansi glanced at the half-finished drinks on the table, then turned and went into the shop to buy Zhong Jin a carton of milk. He opened it, inserted a straw, and placed it in front of him.

Zhong Jin's feverish cheeks touched the cold carton, and the straw poked his cheek. As if realizing what it was, he stuck out his tongue to reach for the naturally upturned rigid straw.

Shang Yansi quickly averted his eyes and lowered his head to check his phone, searching for nearby hotels.

He couldn't carry all three of them alone, so he decided to have them rest at a hotel for the night.

After finding a hotel, Shang Yansi started calling for a taxi. The area was crowded, so his requests went unanswered for a while. He finally hailed one by offering a higher fare, but the driver said it would take at least ten minutes to arrive.

The night wind swept through the flickering neon lights. A street singer's muffled tune drifted from a block away.

As the taxi approached, Shang Yansi put away his phone. When he turned around, he was startled—Zhong Jin and Chen Cheng were still there, but Dong Ku had vanished.

Shang Yansi scanned the surroundings and breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted a figure leaning against a lamppost not far away. He walked over to retrieve him.

As Shang Yansi dragged him away, Dong Ku shouted, "Come on! Enemies, friends, rivals, lovers! All of you! Come on!"

His voice, ringing with emotion and passion, drew everyone's attention. Even the delivery driver passing by turned to steal several glances.

Shang Yansi, his face impassive, continued dragging the man backward. He heard a light chuckle nearby.

He looked up and saw Zhong Jin biting on his straw, watching him. Zhong Jin looked innocent drinking his milk, but the lingering smile on his face betrayed him as the source of the laughter.

Noticing Zhong Jin's clear eyes, Shang Yansi asked, "Are you sober?"

Zhong Jin nodded. He metabolized alcohol quickly. After drinking beer, milk, and being chilled by the night air, he had regained some of his senses.

"Back to the dorm?" Shang Yansi asked.

"Okay," Zhong Jin replied.

Zhong Jin helped Dong Ku up. The man was still passionately reciting lines from a play. Zhong Jin patted his round cheek and said, "Wake up. The curtain's down."

Dong Ku mumbled drowsily, "Oh... the curtain's down."

He quieted down and let Zhong Jin pull him into the car. Shang Yansi helped Chen Cheng into the back seat and took the passenger seat himself.

The taxi ride to the changed destination was quick. After waiting ten minutes for the car, they reached the school in just seven minutes.

At the dorm, Zhong Jin struggled to wake his two roommates, only letting go once he saw them climb into bed.

The two men collapsed into sleep, completely unconscious.

Zhong Jin grabbed his pajamas and was about to ask Shang Yansi who wanted to shower first when Shang Yansi answered before he could.

"You go first. You smell strongly of alcohol."

Shang Yansi frowned involuntarily, puzzled.

They'd only drunk beer. Why did Zhong Jin's body give off the sweet scent of fruit wine?

Zhong Jin, his nose stuffy, couldn't smell anything. But he figured it couldn't be pleasant, so he didn't say anything else and entered the bathroom. He wanted to shower first anyway.

It was only March, and a cold wind should have been blowing at night, so why was it so hot?

The showerhead hissed as water cascaded down, carrying faint, low moans within the spray.

Water droplets raced down the curve of the youth's spine and the pale pink of his elbows, splashing into the drain in a flurry of spray.

Zhong Jin pressed his face against the cool tiles, trying to cool down. The cold water cascading over him offered little relief.

It felt like being trapped in a humid Southern summer, the inescapable stickiness and heat clinging to him.

He could hear a rhythmic thrumming in his eardrums, like the breathing of rapidly surging blood.

Could beer really have such a delayed reaction?

Zhong Jin licked his dry, cracked lips. Despite his condition, he didn't feel thirsty.

Haha, if I wasn't sure I'd already crossed back, I'd think my heat was coming.

Zhong Jin's smile froze on his face. He took a deep breath and reached behind him, muttering three curse words starting with F.

Fine. Fuck. Funny.

The shimmering threads on his fingertips were washed away by the water, but the tangled, clinging strands didn't disappear completely, clinging to his wrinkled, waterlogged skin.

Only then did Zhong Jin finally smell the familiar scent of plum wine filling the shower stall. He couldn't help but close his eyes, temporarily shutting off the windows of his mind to escape this world.

This was the scent of his pheromones when he was an omega.

No one told me the golden finger had side effects like this! Why did this setting come back with me?!

New Human omegas have a monthly heat cycle after reaching adulthood, a trait with a certain degree of atavism—an animalistic instinct.

Fortunately, it didn't always require a mate to resolve; a single dose of suppressants was enough.

But this is Earth! No omegas, no suppressants! This isn't the ABO's domain! Is anyone even in charge of this?!

Zhong Jin struggled to lift his weak, trembling hand to the back of his neck. There was nothing there—no hidden glands beneath the skin. Where was the pheromone coming from?

His brain, on the verge of shutting down, couldn't process such a complex biological mystery. Zhong Jin tilted his head back blankly, his eyes landing on the showerhead working diligently. The inappropriate memory of a joke about strangling gay men surfaced in his mind.

Of course, he wouldn't do that, and it wouldn't be necessary anyway.

A wetness distinct from water trickled down his inner thighs. Zhong Jin tried to turn off the shower, intending to have his roommate call 120, but a sudden wave of dizziness struck him, and the room spun violently.

Before losing consciousness, Zhong Jin felt genuine pity for the lucky, clear-headed Chosen One still awake outside.

Though, he really didn't mean to be sprawled naked in front of the homophobe.

Splash—

The water continued to flow, relentless as a downpour.

Shang Yansi checked the time. Zhong Jin had been in the bathroom for at least twenty-five minutes, ten minutes longer than usual. Remembering Zhong Jin had been drinking earlier, Shang Yansi knocked on the door.

There was no response, only the sound of running water.

Shang Yansi wrinkled his nose. The smell of alcohol was growing stronger, as if Zhong Jin had knocked over a bottle of fruit wine in the bathroom. The cloying sweetness filled his nostrils, making his head feel increasingly heavy.

"Zhong Jin?"

The call went unanswered.

Shang Yansi's breathing grew shallow, his heart pounding so hard it ached.

Suppressing this inexplicable sensation, he pressed his lips together and knocked on the bathroom door again.

The alcohol seemed to invade his brain with each breath, leaving a tart-sweet plum wine flavor on his tongue.

The unlocked door swung open easily, then clicked shut.