In an instant, Xie Ling felt the area around his ear burning from Qin Han’s breath.
Strangely, he didn’t even think to dodge. He just stared blankly at Qin Han.
Why did this guy smile like he was… actually serious about it?
“No,” Xie Ling explained. “It’s just a meme.”
When Qin Han showed no reaction, Xie Ling suddenly remembered something.
For a young master like Qin Han, who was oppressed by elders at home and couldn’t breathe a single whiff of free, sweet air, the internet probably only meant studying—nothing more. He might genuinely not know slang like this.
Xie Ling felt a pang of sympathy. He patted Qin Han’s shoulder and began to explain. “Buddy, it’s just some internet slang. Search it online, and you’ll find the origin. It basically means I like you and would have your kids.”
Qin Han’s smile deepened. “You like me?”
“Yeah. Uh, no.” Afraid Qin Han might take it the wrong way again, Xie Ling hurried to clarify. “I mean the kind of like you have for an idol, you know? I just saw how badass you were at the long jump earlier, so it slipped out.”
As he finished, he scratched his head without thinking.
Qin Han held back a laugh. This little guy was just so… fun and adorable.
Seeing Xie Ling on the verge of yanking his hair out, Qin Han finally stopped pretending and teasing him. “Oh, I get it.”
“I have a lot more I don’t understand,” Qin Han said, looking at Xie Ling with humble eyes that made him seem surprisingly well-behaved. “Can you teach me more phrases like that in the future? I want to get familiar with them.”
Xie Ling grinned. “Deal. When it comes to my dirty talk skills—hey, what’s up?”
Qin Han placed his thumb on Xie Ling’s left cheek and rubbed gently, the motion light and careful. “Getting the sand off for you.”
As he wiped, he shot a glance toward Zhou Haoxuan, who had been staring at them from not far away.
~~~
After the two left, Hedgehog Head sidled up to Zhou Haoxuan. “Brother Xuan, why didn’t you teach Xie Ling a lesson just now? And that look Qin Han gave you at the end—what was that about?”
Zhou Haoxuan didn’t reply. He pulled out a cigarette and bit it between his teeth. Seeing this, Hedgehog Head quickly lit it for him with a lighter.
The crowd that had gathered to watch the long jump had dispersed, and even the referee teacher had left. With no one around now, Zhou Haoxuan smoked openly.
“No more trouble for Xie Ling and his group without my permission.”
Hedgehog Head froze. “Why? Brother Xuan, I feel like you’ve been acting a bit…”
Zhou Haoxuan shot him a glance.
Hedgehog Head shrank back and muttered, “Got it.”
~~~
Because the Sports Festival events had different check-in times, the usual five-person lunch crew hadn’t gathered for once.
Xie Ling and Qin Han’s events overlapped heavily. After eating, they headed to the bathroom together.
Xie Ling had just finished when Qin Han dragged him into a stall.
Door shut, lock clicked—the motions flowed seamlessly.
Xie Ling was still dazed even as he got pinned against the door. “What kind of weird pre-race warm-up is this?”
Qin Han chuckled. “We’ve got the 3000 meters this afternoon.”
Ever since starting treatment, Xie Ling had followed the doctor’s orders religiously: twice a day, without fail. But with the 3000-meter run today, things were a bit different.
“This event’s too intense. I’m worried about side effects kicking in. Let’s do an extra one.”
Xie Ling let out a breath. “So you want to borrow my pheromones, huh.”
“Sorry, I got a little urgent thinking about check-in soon.” Qin Han apologized sincerely. “Did I scare you?”
Xie Ling laughed. “Nah, but if it were another Omega, maybe. With that vibe you had going, people might think you were about to force a civilian Omega.”
Given their past relationship, Xie Ling would’ve blown up a hundred percent if Qin Han had yanked him like that. But now…
Qin Han silently gauged Xie Ling’s current tolerance for him, then pulled him into an embrace.
A cool, serene sea breeze slowly wafted through. Xie Ling’s expression grew hazy, his body sinking uncontrollably into Qin Han’s arms.
Lured by the Alpha, his pheromones began to seep out—sweet, rich, and intoxicating, tugging at the heartstrings.
Qin Han felt his thoughts starting to jumble, a faint ache building in his body. To distract himself, he picked up on Xie Ling’s earlier words. “If I were forcing a civilian Omega, locking him in a bathroom stall wouldn’t be nearly enough.”
“What?”
“I’d prepare a special little black room for him. Drag him inside, make him wear only thin, skimpy clothes. Chain him up with shackles… No one but me could see him. His eyes could only look at me. His mouth could only call my name…”
Outside the teaching building, the youthful, energetic “Athlete’s March” looped on, mixed with the students’ passionate cheers. But Xie Ling heard none of it.
Qin Han’s voice wove a fine, inescapable net around his senses.
“You…” Maybe from the pheromone interference, Xie Ling felt his mind fogging up. He shook his head and let out a light laugh. “You serious?”
“Scared?” Qin Han smiled back.
“Your Ling Bro here’s not the type to get spooked that easily. You might as well tell me a couple scary jokes.” Clearly not taking it seriously, Xie Ling played along anyway. “But if I got locked up like that, I’d escape even if it meant breaking hands or feet.”
Qin Han: “What if you couldn’t escape?”
“Then I’d bash my head in.” Xie Ling didn’t hesitate. “No way I’d lose my freedom, no matter what.”
Qin Han’s pupils trembled faintly. After a long moment, he slowly closed his eyes, avoiding Xie Ling’s glands. “Yeah, the free you is the handsomest.”
Caught off guard by the praise, Xie Ling hadn’t even had time to feel pleased when something felt off.
The pheromones Qin Han released into him seemed stronger than before. It felt good, but his body was even less under his control.
He nestled closer into Qin Han’s arms, a bit worried. “If we release pheromones this strong, what if someone comes in to use the bathroom and notices?”
“It’s fine.” Qin Han held Xie Ling’s waist. “I hung a ‘Cleaning in Progress’ sign on the door when we came in.”
~~~
“Brother Xuan, you signed up for the 200 meters this afternoon too, right? Let’s go check in.”
“You guys go ahead.” Zhou Haoxuan fished the cigarette pack from his pocket. “I’ll smoke one first.”
“Brother Xuan, you…” Fatty hesitated, then nodded. “Alright, we’ll head over.”
Once his underlings were out of sight, Zhou Haoxuan could still faintly hear their discussion.
“Brother Xuan’s been off lately…”
“Shh—didn’t I say during the long jump earlier? We ran into Xie Ling right there…”
Zhou Haoxuan bit down on his lit cigarette and walked deeper into the hallway.
He knew he’d been acting strange lately—not just aware of it, but exactly why.
Xie Ling.
To him before, that name had only meant causing trouble or getting it in return. But this semester, ever since that basketball game, he’d realized everything was wrong.
He knew it, but he had no idea what to do about it.
Never mind his relationship with Xie Ling—Xie Ling still couldn’t stand him. Even if they somehow made up like Xie Ling and Qin Han had, they were both Alphas. With Xie Ling’s personality, no way it could…
“Tch.” Irritation surged inside him. Zhou Haoxuan took a deep drag and shoved open the bathroom door to his right without looking.
The moment it swung open, a wave of pheromones from inside rushed out through the crack.
Heavy and oppressive. Zhou Haoxuan nearly staggered.
He’d been hit by Qin Han’s pheromones twice before and recognized it instantly. Before he could react, a familiar voice rang out: “Give me a bit more…”
In that instant, it was like lightning struck Zhou Haoxuan.
It was Xie Ling’s voice—nothing like his usual cocky, clear tone. It was hoarse, laced with weariness and stickiness, like an Omega in heat acting coquettish.
How could Xie Ling… Wait, Omega?!
The heavy, oppressive pheromones had been so overpowering that he’d overlooked the other scent lingering in the air.
Sweet, rich, and intoxicating, blended with a unique freshness that wrapped around him thread by thread.
Zhou Haoxuan had never smelled anything like it in his life. Just a hint was enough to melt his bones.
His breathing grew heavy. He quickly dropped the cigarette, clamped his hand over his mouth to stay silent.
From the stall came Qin Han’s voice: “You go out first. I’ll use the bathroom and follow.”
The two inside hadn’t noticed him.
So what the hell was going on?
That maddening scent, enough to drive any Alpha insane—was it coming from Xie Ling?
He was actually… an Omega?
Zhou Haoxuan’s mind reeled until, drenched in sweat, he managed to close the door again. Only then did he notice the “Cleaning in Progress” sign hanging on it.
~~~
After Xie Ling left, Qin Han lingered in the stall a while longer. Only once the pain in his body fully faded and his mind cleared did he finally depart.
The afternoon events included the 3000-meter run, along with the rest of the track races—mostly sprints.
Zhang Chengrui stood at the starting line for the 400-meter race. From far away, he spotted Xie Ling waving in his direction. He couldn’t resist bragging to Xiao Yanfei, who was standing nearby. “Xiao Ge, you see that? My Ling Bro loves me so much—he came all the way here just to cheer me on…”
“Qin God, go for it!” Xie Ling’s laughter carried over.
“…” Zhang Chengrui stiffly turned his head. There was his desk mate, waving right back at Xie Ling.
Xiao Yanfei burst out laughing. He clapped Zhang Chengrui on the shoulder with deep sympathy. “Don’t take it too hard. The hardware and software gap is obvious—he’s bound to love your desk mate more. It’s only natural.”
“…Wah wah wah, Xiao Ge, you’re bullying me too.”
Qin God overheard their exchange. The corners of his lips twitched upward in amusement. But his smile didn’t last long. His gaze fell on someone standing diagonally ahead of him, and his face instantly darkened again.
~~~
“On your marks—” The referee raised the starting pistol.
Xie Ling shoved his way to the front of the crowd. The 400-meter was the only event that didn’t overlap with Qin Han’s. To repay him for lending his pheromones at lunch, Xie Ling had promised to cheer Qin Han on with the loudest voice possible.
The pistol cracked, and the runners surged forward.
Xie Ling drew in a deep breath. He unleashed the loudest yell of the century with every ounce of lung power he had. “Qin God, go—”
“Xiao Yanfei! Xiao Yanfei!” A clear, sweet, and booming voice suddenly drowned him out without warning.
???
Xie Ling whipped his head around. Somehow, Xia Yu had dragged over a stool and placed it right next to him. The guy was standing on it, megaphone in hand.
“Xiao Yanfei, go! Xiao Yanfei… Ahh, what’s wrong, Little Lingling?”
“What do you think is wrong?” Xie Ling glanced at the megaphone in Xia Yu’s hand and chuckled. “How many skincare products and candies did Xiao Yanfei give you?”
Xia Yu let out a few pitiful whines. “I didn’t want to! I borrowed the megaphone to cheer for Qin God at first. But it was only the first two hundred meters—I twisted my ankle. Xiao Yanfei carried… took me to the Medical Office. So I had to promise him… sob!”
Xie Ling paid no mind to Xia Yu’s hasty word swap. He gave the other boy an approving pat on the back. “Not bad. Repaying a favor—that’s the right way.”
Of course, this little stunt meant Xie Ling couldn’t repay Qin Han’s kindness anymore.
The 400-meter wasn’t exactly short, but for Alphas with naturally superior physiques, running a single lap was about as strenuous as a game.
Xie Ling watched as Qin Han maintained a steady pace. He overtook one runner after another—some who had sprinted out fast only to slow down, others who had started slow before picking up speed. In the end, Qin Han crossed the finish line with a record-breaking time.
The crowd around the track erupted in cheers.
Xie Ling was just about to make up for lost time by rushing over and shouting that Qin God was awesome when he saw Qin Han heading off in the opposite direction without so much as a backward glance.
~~~
Zhou Haoxuan stood in an inconspicuous corner outside the track, wiping sweat from his brow as he gazed toward Xie Ling.
In the previous Sports Festivals, whenever he competed in an event that Xie Ling wasn’t cheering for, Xie Ling would always sneak in a mocking jab during his class’s cheers. But today, even with Xia Yu’s megaphone blaring across the field, Zhou Haoxuan could tell Xie Ling hadn’t spared him a single glance the entire race. Forget mocking—he hadn’t even looked his way.
All of Xie Ling’s attention, every bit of his gaze, had been fixed on Qin Han.
A surge of irritation welled up in Zhou Haoxuan’s chest. He hurled his towel to the ground in frustration.
Just a short while ago, Qin Han’s relationship with Xie Ling hadn’t been anywhere near as close as his own. And now, in the blink of an eye…
In that instant, Zhou Haoxuan recalled the scent he’d caught at the bathroom door at noon.
Pheromones? Had Qin Han discovered Xie Ling was an Omega and used his pheromones to make him submit?
The memory of Xie Ling’s weary, clingy voice from that moment made Zhou Haoxuan’s body heat up again, the post-run coolness vanishing in a flush of fire.
No Omega, no matter how strong, could resist the allure and suppression of an Alpha’s pheromones.
If Qin Han could do it, why couldn’t he? Zhou Haoxuan narrowed his eyes at Xie Ling, who was chatting and laughing with the support group not far away. Under the sunlight, that bright, exquisite face seemed to glow.
A glint of greedy excitement flashed in his eyes. Zhou Haoxuan took a step forward—only for a voice to sound from behind him. “Enjoying the view?”
The question was light and airy, yet it carried a bone-deep chill that rooted Zhou Haoxuan to the spot.
Then, a hand landed on his shoulder. It was a hand with distinct knuckles, long and pale—a beautiful hand, by all accounts. But to Zhou Haoxuan, it might as well have been a blade.
He couldn’t move.
As the thought crossed his mind, the hand’s owner spoke again.
“Or let me rephrase that.” Qin Han’s voice was low and eerie, his cold laugh like the whisper of a demon. “Did the scent at lunchtime smell good?”
