Part 2
Xia Xiaomiao was very enthusiastic, introducing the rental situation around the area to Bai He as they walked.
“This street is not far from Alpha University. To the left, there is a market and a supermarket, while on the right, there are many entertainment venues and restaurants. There are also subways nearby, very convenient.” Xia Xiaomiao walked ahead, smiling and saying, “My boyfriend used to study here. We bought this house together back then. Later, we thought it was a pity to sell it, so we decided to rent it out to students and make some extra money.”
“All right, here is the key, just one, so make sure to keep it safe.” Xia Xiaomiao pushed open the door, handed the key to Bai He, and then entered the house. “It’s a two-bedroom apartment. We haven’t lived here for over a year, but everything is still quite new. Feel free to use it.”
“The circuit breaker for the house is on the right-hand wall after you enter the door. Oh, I’ll send you the payment method for the utilities on your phone,” Xia Xiaomiao said, shaking her phone in her hand. “We have contact information, so if you have any questions, you can reach out to me.”
Bai He withdrew his gaze from observing the house and lowered his eyes. “Thank you for your help.”
Xia Xiaomiao smiled. “No problem at all. You are the first tenant in my house, so I am more than happy.”
“By the way, you are a student at Alpha University, right? Can I ask which college you are in?”
Bai He nodded. “Ideological and Political College.”
His words made Xia Xiaomiao’s eyes light up. “What a coincidence! My boyfriend is also from the Ideological and Political College! Although I didn’t study at Alpha University, my major is also in Ideological and Political education. I am currently a high school political teacher, and he is an associate professor at the Ideological and Political College of the neighboring university. We are like fellow students!”
Bai He was taken aback, nodded, and said, “Hello, senior.”
“Hehe, hello, junior.” Xia Xiaomiao smiled shyly, then asked, “How are your grades?”
Bai He: “…”
His silence prompted Xia Xiaomiao to encourage him subconsciously as an Omega, “It’s okay! Ideological and Political education is not that difficult. If you have any questions, you can ask us. My boyfriend and I are willing to help.”
Bai He pursed his lips. He didn’t want to deceive Xia Xiaomiao, but his situation was indeed a bit special. Restarting to learn a new major was not easy. Xia Xiaomiao’s appearance was a big help to him, and he must remember to thank her properly in the future.
Bai He lifted his gaze. “Thanks, Xiaomiao.”
Xia Xiaomiao chuckled again and then left after introducing some details about the house to Bai He.
Bai He stood in the living room, opened his suitcase to find his beddings, made the bed in the guest room, then proceeded to tidy up the wardrobe, dust, mop the floor, getting so engrossed in cleaning that he lost track of time. By the time he finished, it was already three in the afternoon, and Bai He realized he was a bit hungry.
Since no one had lived in the house for a year, the fridge was empty. He needed to go out to eat.
Checking his phone, Bai He saw that his balance was twelve thousand yuan.
The Bai family was not short of money, Bai Qiu was generous towards Bai He and Bai Lu, never withholding their living expenses. Following the standard student living cost, the previous owner had saved up fifteen thousand yuan. Recent expenses, including renting the house, had significantly reduced that reserve, making Bai He feel somewhat guilty.
Moreover, Bai He couldn’t stand being broke. He lacked a sense of security deep down, and depending on others to support his lifestyle made him feel disconnected from reality.
Thinking of the live streaming incident and his near-death experience from staying up late, Bai He paused.
“…”
Let’s eat first, figure out the money-making later, and there’s still a speech draft to write.
Changing into fresh clothes, Bai He headed out to eat. Following Xia Xiaomiao’s directions, he found restaurants to the right and a market to the left after stepping out.
Deciding to dine out first and then shop at the market, Bai He turned right and strolled along the street. He wore a light-colored t-shirt, feeling the warm breeze of late summer on his arms, enjoying the solitary sensation.
Once, he used to rent a place and do live streaming alone, gradually losing contact with his family. Initially feeling lonely, he eventually grew accustomed to it, even coming to enjoy the solitary life.
No constraints, a life of freedom where he could do as he pleased, Bai He now had time to truly love himself.
But the good times didn’t last, as he nearly died.
In reality, he hadn’t taken care of his basic self-love. He only cherished his soul but neglected his body, which was wrong. It was only in death that he realized his mistake.
Taking a deep breath, since he had transmigrated, Bai He decided to cherish this body properly. Though he didn’t know what happened to the original soul of this body, he had to take responsibility for it now that he was here.
No more staying up late, eat well.
Bai He entered a stir-fry restaurant and ordered three dishes for himself.
“Gong Bao chicken, stir-fried vegetables, and powdered tofu, alright, just wait a moment, young man.” The aunt who took the order handed the list to the kitchen and also brought a pot of sour plum soup for Bai He. With few customers at that time, the aunt looked at Bai He and asked, “Young man, you look unfamiliar. Are you a student at the neighboring Alpha University?”
Bai He lifted his head and nodded politely.
“Oh, I could tell you’re a student at first glance, very handsome!” The aunt chuckled, “Young man, are you in a relationship?”
Bai He hesitated for a moment and shook his head.
The aunt clapped her hands, “Do you mind if I introduce an Omega to you? Don’t worry, I won’t deceive you. It’s my nephew, studying at Omega University, a very well-behaved child!”
“Auntie,” Bai He interrupted, “I’m not an alpha.”
The aunt paused, “…beta?”
Bai He nodded, and the aunt stopped talking, her smile fading a bit, exchanged a few polite words, then left.
Bai He didn’t find it strange. The setting of this novel was just like this: in this world, the ABO ratio was severely imbalanced, Omegas were scarce, Alphas not many, and Betas the majority. Similar to the general ABO world settings, Alphas were highly esteemed, Omegas lacking in physical and other aspects compared to Alphas and Betas. But when Alphas and Omegas bonded, the children’s genes were generally stronger than those of Alpha with Beta or Beta with Beta, so Omegas were highly protected and cherished by everyone.
In people’s minds, Alphas were revered, Omegas cherished, and as Betas lacking pheromones, everything about them seemed ordinary and mediocre.
As his food arrived, Bai He ate slowly and meticulously, not forcing himself when full, then paid and left the restaurant.
He didn’t agree that Betas were just average beings. The original host was impressive, being a Beta was good enough. It didn’t have to be an Alpha, nor did it have to be an Omega. Just being true to oneself was sufficient.
After purchasing items at the supermarket and organizing them in the fridge at home, it was already five in the afternoon. Bai He went back to his room, opened his computer, and started editing his speech.
Bai He’s original field was literature, so writing a speech for him was a simple task.
In less than half an hour, the thousand-word speech was edited. Bai He sent it to his instructor, then rubbed his neck, got a glass of water in the living room, and when he returned to his room, the instructor had already replied.
Instructor: [Did you write this speech?]
Bai He paused, then replied: [Yes].
There was silence for a while, then four words came back: [Well written].
Bai He put down his phone, noticing the sky darkening outside. The live streaming bloodline in his DNA seemed to stir a bit. After some contemplation, he sat back in his chair, opened his computer, downloaded the current trending short video platform, and registered an account.
Starting a live broadcast without a fan limit was a good thing for him. Bai He edited his ID as “Good Night,” his former ID name.
There were many types of sleep aids, but he didn’t have any at the moment, so he couldn’t start the broadcast.
After some contemplation, Bai He picked up his phone and immediately ordered five types of microphones, along with various ear-picking tools and trigger sound tools. It was a hefty expense, causing a significant dent in his savings.
Feeling the pinch, Bai He patted his chest lightly and said, “It’s okay. You have to spend money to make money.”
After taking care of this, Bai He took a shower, then lay in bed to check the current sleep aid industry situation. Feeling tired before even reaching ten o’clock, he attributed it to his weak body. Being more cautious about his health now, he decided to put down his phone, turn off the lights, and sleep.
The next morning, Bai He woke up at seven o’clock. His regular routine had set his body clock accurately. After freshening up, he chose a simple t-shirt and went out for a run.
There was a park near his rented place, where Bai He had planned his exercise routine. Starting with a jog to acclimate, his body’s lack of exercise made it difficult for him. Unable to continue jogging, he switched to brisk walking.
On the other hand, Qin Yao went out to buy breakfast. It was rare for him to be up so early, but as it was Monday, the school was hosting an opening ceremony. His counselor recommended him to speak on stage, and he had only received the notice late last night, forcing him to wake up early to write his speech.
While getting breakfast, Qin Yao passed by the park and saw an acquaintance, more like someone he knew but wasn’t very close to. With a pancake in his mouth, Qin Yao stood outside the park, watching Bai He stop after just a few steps, finding his struggle quite amusing.
Having learned about Bai He’s health issues during a previous family banquet, Qin Yao was surprised to see his condition deteriorated to this extent.
Qin Yao stood at a vantage point, observing Bai He circling the park. Absentmindedly finishing his pancake, he felt a bit thirsty and bought a bottle of water from a nearby vending machine. After taking a few sips, he noticed Bai He had disappeared after his intermittent walk.
Puzzled, Qin Yao scanned the area and found Bai He sitting motionless on a bench under a tree, clearly exhausted.
Amused, Qin Yao almost laughed out loud. How did he go from walking to being unable to move? What would happen if this was during the graduation physical fitness test? As he was about to walk to Bai He, his phone rang.
“Qin Yao, have you finished writing your speech?” came the authoritative voice of his counselor.
“You only notified me last night, Director Guo. I’m waking up early to write it for you now. The ceremony hasn’t started yet anyway.” Qin Yao retracted his step, glanced at Bai He still sitting on the park bench, and turned back, saying, “Give me half an hour, I’ll finish it and send it to you.”
Feeling tired after three laps around the park, Bai He couldn’t go on. He sat on the bench for half an hour. Seeing the opening ceremony about to begin, he had to drag his weary body to school.
Having printed his speech the day before, there was a small printer in the house Xia Xiaomiao rented to him, making things convenient.
Carrying his speech, Bai He entered the school and took half an hour to find the crowded track field.
The students at Alpha College were surprisingly tall. Bai He, entering from the back gate of the track field, could only see rows of heads.
Unable to find his class, his counselor messaged him to wait next to the platform. Bai He, lingering at the back of the crowd, tiredly made his way around to the side of the platform. Finally reaching the student representative waiting area, Bai He was completely exhausted.
The student representative in front of him had already begun speaking on stage. Bai He was too tired, hanging his head, resembling a dried-up mushroom, oblivious to all the commotion around him.
Finally, the previous student representative finished speaking, and Bai He heard his name being called. He raised his eyelids, not noticing the steps in front of him. His toes hit the step, causing him to stumble forward and instinctively reach out for something nearby.
“Rip—”
The sound of fabric tearing echoed throughout the entire track field. Bai He lifted his head and saw a muscular male student in front of him, or more accurately, the one whose clothes he had torn, forcing him to bare his chest – Qin Yao…
Bai He immediately snapped out of his daze. At this moment, he couldn’t care less about being tired. Qin Yao’s top was a black half-zip polo shirt, forcibly torn open by him…
Looking at the fabric he had torn off, holding the damning evidence, Bai He felt a bit awkward. “…Should I compensate you?”
Qin Yao lightly chuckled at his words. “How would you compensate?”
Bai He pondered, “Transfer money?”
This made Qin Yao laugh. He helplessly said, “Bro, I need something to wear now, right?”
Bai He furrowed his brows at his words. “I only have one shirt on me, I can’t give it to you.”
After saying this, not only did the guy in front of him burst into laughter, but almost the whole track field of Alpha students couldn’t hold back their laughter. Bai He then noticed that Qin Yao was holding a microphone.
Great, the whole school had heard it.
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