Part 2
Once the conversation shifted to a topic he enjoyed, Xia Tian quickly regained his focus, and the two of them continued on their way, leaving through the gates of Campus Two.
The new dessert shop was located just outside the second campus.
As Xia Tian had promised, the desserts were indeed delicious, and Bai He, who had a sweet tooth, thoroughly enjoyed them.
Before leaving, Bai He even packed two pieces of cake to take back with him.
Later that evening, after returning to his dorm, Bai He placed the cake in the mini-fridge and grabbed some clothes to take a shower.
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When he stepped out of the bathroom, he heard faint noises coming from outside his dorm room. Bai He’s dorm was actually in a building that used to be a faculty apartment complex. Each room was a single dorm, and the utilities were available 24/7, with no restrictions on electricity usage. However, the rent was much higher.
Bai He hadn’t accepted any money from Bai Qiu for the past month. Considering the time, he figured it was about time to send money to Bai Qiu.
He planned to repay Bai Qiu by transferring money each month, paying off the debt over a few years, and then cutting ties completely.
That was Bai He’s plan, but things didn’t go as smoothly. When he transferred money to Bai Qiu before, there had been no response—whether Bai Qiu had seen it and ignored it or hadn’t noticed it at all, Bai He wasn’t sure. Either way, Bai He didn’t care to ask. He would just keep sending the money.
But recently, Bai Qiu had called him several times and even transferred a large sum of money back to him.
In addition, Yao Lin, the butler, had reached out to him at various times.
Bai He could only think of one reason: they had discovered his transfer to another school, and Bai Qiu, upon investigating further, must have realized that he had differentiated into an Omega.
Bai He had anticipated these complications when he transferred. Some things were inevitable, and certain ties needed to be cut sooner rather than later.
After drying his hair with a towel, Bai He hung it on the balcony. He stood there for a while without leaving.
Dressed in pajamas, his pants were a bit too long, and the extra fabric bunched up around his feet. He thought about how he should take them to the tailor near the post office to have them adjusted.
Standing on the balcony, Bai He’s gaze eventually fell to the students moving things downstairs. It seemed like new residents were moving into the dorm.
Bai He lived on the third floor, not too high up. He had heard that the rooms here were originally quite large, but halfway through construction, they realized there might not be enough space, so they divided the large rooms into two smaller ones. The kitchen and bathroom were well-designed, but the balcony was only separated by a partial wall.
They hadn’t fully partitioned the balconies, leaving a gap about the width of a person’s body.
Bai He’s eyes fell on that wall. Through the gap, he could see that the light in the dorm across from him was on—someone had moved in.
After a moment’s thought, Bai He decided he would buy a large potted plant tomorrow to cover the gap.
Turning back into the room, Bai He picked up his phone and found Bai Qiu’s contact. He typed out a message and sent it.
**Death**: _[I’ll be back this weekend. I have something to discuss with you all.]_
There was no response. Bai He exited the chat and scrolled through several unread messages. Most were school-related, and after replying, he set his phone down and started drying his hair.
The phone, left on the bed, buzzed several times. Bai He picked it up again, expecting it to be Bai Qiu, but it was actually the class’s second group chat.
The second group chat didn’t include any advisors or school leaders.
Messages were flooding in, with a few students Bai He hadn’t seen much of this month chatting away.
**Li Sichang from Class Two**: _[Whoa, it’s true, guys!! Our school is really merging with Alpha University!!]_
**Zhu Yin from Class Two**: _[What? Who? Our school?]_
**Zhao Lu from Class Two**: _[Did they make an official announcement?]_
**Li Sichang from Class Two**: _[It’s on the school website, just posted. It’s fresh, even the Student Affairs Center made an announcement.]_
**Duan Nuo from Class Two**: _[No way, what the heck. Is our school going to be the third AO merged university? Why do we have to study with those bitey Alpha students?!]_
**Luo Keke from Class Two**: _[It’s the third one. It feels like the policies have been changing in recent years. Although I don’t want to study with Alphas either, I’m afraid they might just start biting people suddenly.]_
**Zhao Lu from Class Two**: _[They’re Alphas, not zombies, guys.]_
**Xin Yue from Class Two**: _[It’s not just Alphas. Starting this year, the school will begin expanding admissions for all AB and O students. It looks like our school might even change its name. It won’t be called Omega University anymore. They want to turn it into the city’s largest multi-gender university.]_
**Luo Keke from Class Two**: _[Wahhh, will Betas bite too?!]_
**Duan Nuo from Class Two**: _[I’m scared, wahhh.]_
The group chat kept refreshing with new messages, but Bai He didn’t continue reading. He had learned enough.
He put his phone down and resumed drying his hair.
Warm air blew through his hair as he half-closed his eyes, pondering the news he had just read.
The merger of schools and the expansion of admissions for ABO students—while these changes seemed ordinary at first glance, they were likely part of a broader government effort to address societal issues.
Universities were like miniature societies, and starting reforms here was a good approach.
It seemed the government was trying to change the internal inequalities between the three genders.
These decisions had probably been in the works for years. The new buildings on Campus Two had started going up several years ago.
In the original storyline, society had indeed begun to change by the middle of the timeline, but Bai He had stopped reading halfway through.
At this point, he couldn’t predict what would happen next with the main characters, the protagonist and antagonist. His presence had undoubtedly caused some butterfly effects, and some of the events he had lived through were already different from the original plot. Not that Bai He cared much.
However, speaking of which, it had been a while since he last saw Bai Lu. He had thought that being at the same school, they might run into each other, but they hadn’t. Bai Lu only occasionally contacted him via phone.
As he was thinking about this, the noise outside his dorm suddenly grew louder. Bai He paused, his hair still half-dry.
Unable to ignore the commotion any longer, he put down the hairdryer and stepped out of his dorm room. As soon as he did, someone rushing through the crowded hallway bumped into his shoulder.
He staggered backward, nearly hitting the doorframe, when a hand reached out to protect the back of his head.
Bai He steadied himself and realized that the narrow hallway was packed with people.
More students were pushing their way toward the stairs, and others were trying to come up.
The boy who had bumped into Bai He turned around and repeatedly apologized. When he saw Bai He’s face, his cheeks flushed, and he quickly disappeared into the crowd.
There were too many people, and the already narrow hallway couldn’t accommodate everyone. People were pushing and shoving, and Bai He was nearly shoved back into his dorm.
At that moment, the hand that had been protecting the back of his head moved down and, through the loose fabric of his clothes, wrapped around his waist. Bai He stiffened, unable to react, as the tall figure in front of him pushed the crowd aside and pulled him into the dorm with one strong arm.
Bai He watched as the person struggled to close the door, finally managing to block out the crowd, though not the noise.
Inside the small space, the temperature was noticeably warmer, and even the light seemed softer than the harsh lighting in the hallway. The strong arm around Bai He's waist didn’t loosen. He stared at the doorknob for a moment before his gaze slowly traveled upward to meet Qin Yao’s deep, intense eyes.
Bai He’s feet left the floor as Qin Yao lifted him up. The momentary sensation of weightlessness made Bai He instinctively tighten his grip on Qin Yao’s shoulders, wrinkling the fabric of his shirt.
Qin Yao placed Bai He on the edge of the shoe cabinet, his hands gently gripping Bai He’s waist. A tingling sensation spread through Bai He’s body.
Lowering his gaze, Bai He looked at Qin Yao, who was now standing between his legs. One of his slippers slipped off and hit the floor with a soft thud.
They stared at each other for a long time. Bai He noticed the bloodshot veins in Qin Yao’s eyes.
Those eyes held too many emotions. Qin Yao seemed to want to say something but hesitated. When he finally spoke, all he asked was, “Why didn’t you dry your hair?”
Bai He looked at him quietly, not saying a word.
The Alpha in front of him slowly lowered his head, almost as if he were burying himself in Bai He’s chest, a gesture filled with reverence. They remained silent for a long time.
“Bai He.” Qin Yao called his name softly and asked in a low voice, “Can you give me a chance to explain?”
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