Chapter 47

Xie Ling was just about to agree when Qin Han spoke up. “Wouldn’t it be a bit inappropriate for an Alpha and an Omega to share a room?”

The guy had clearly forgotten how he’d been whining pitifully just a while ago about having nightmares and needing Xie Ling to sleep with him.

“You don’t get a say in this,” Yu Rong shot back irritably. “When he and I shared a bed, you were probably still off somewhere grinding through elementary math flashcards.”

Qin Han’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Things are different now.”

Xie Ling: “…” He could see it plain as day—these two were dead set on butting heads over everything.

It was strange, really. He’d always thought Yu Rong and Qin Han clashed because of him and Qin Han’s rocky history, with Yu Rong picking sides. But now that he’d cleared the air with Yu Rong, the two of them seemed even more at odds than before.

Was this some kind of instinctive repulsion between top-tier Alphas?

Xie Ling glanced at the pair, the air between them thick with rivalry. He figured jumping in to smooth things over might just make it worse, so he quietly bent down to change his shoes.

Kids had to learn to handle their relationships on their own someday. They couldn’t rely on him, their old dad, for everything. Let them cool off first. If things got out of hand, he could step in later.

Xie Ling pondered this with great solemnity, completely oblivious to the fact that his two “kids” were one step away from starting a pheromone pissing contest—only holding back because they didn’t want to affect him.

Yu Rong shoved his hands in his pockets and sauntered over to Qin Han, his voice low enough for only the two of them to hear. “Don’t think everyone’s as filthy-minded as you, obsessing over that kind of stuff all day.”

Qin Han’s eyebrow arched slightly. He flashed Yu Rong a smile that was downright chilling. “You gonna pretend you haven’t thought about it?”

Those eyes of his, when they locked on seriously, made everything feel exposed, with nowhere to hide.

Yu Rong felt a surge of irritation under that gaze. He jerked his head away with a click of his tongue.

~~~

With two teenagers suddenly in the house, Madam Fu was over the moon. That evening, she whipped up a massive feast and ended up stuffing herself silly.

After dinner, as Madam Fu prepared to head out for a walk to settle her stomach, Xie Ling offered, “Mom, I’ll go with you.”

“No, no, you go do homework with Little Han and Little Rong.” Madam Fu touched up her lipstick in the mirror, then leaned in close to whisper in Xie Ling’s ear, “I’m going with your dad.”

Xie Ling blinked, noticing the girlish smile lighting up her face. His expression softened instantly.

Ever since his dad had that talk with Liu Yu at the Xie Family Mansion last time, he’d been in touch with his mom more often than before.

“Alright then. Have fun with Dad—no need to rush back. We can handle breakfast tomorrow.” As he spoke, Xie Ling brushed a stray hair from her neck and straightened her collar. “You look great. No wonder Dad’s so smitten with you.”

Madam Fu blushed. “Flatterer. No surprise…”

She sneaked a glance at Qin Han and Yu Rong, who were hunched over their homework at opposite ends of the dining table, and sighed wistfully. “You know, I was tempted to stick around and watch the sparks fly.”

Xie Ling: “?”

Madam Fu patted his shoulder. “I’ve come around, son. As long as you’re happy, an AA romance is no big deal.”

Xie Ling: “??”

“Seize the moment—these top-tier Alphas don’t come along every day. But school comes first right now.”

“???”

“I’m off! Bye-bye!”

“…”

~~~

After Madam Fu left, Xie Ling settled at the dining table with his backpack. He’d just pulled out a math worksheet when Qin Han and Yu Rong—who’d been at opposite ends—suddenly scooted over.

In the blink of an eye, they flanked him, one on each side.

Xie Ling: “…What are you two doing?”

Yu Rong: “Stuck on a problem. You do yours—I’ll ask later.”

Xie Ling said “oh” and turned to Qin Han. “You stuck too?”

Qin Han lowered his eyelids slightly. “Nah. It was cold over there. Warmer by you.”

Xie Ling eyed the heater blasting at 78 degrees and thought he might need to get Qin Han a turtle soup to warm him up sometime.

It took Xie Ling an hour and a half to finish two full math tests. Glancing at Yu Rong, who was idly spinning his pen beside him, Xie Ling opened his mouth to say something—then his body jolted.

Yu Rong noticed. “What’s up?”

Xie Ling didn’t answer him. Instead, he turned to Qin Han, ears heating up. “What was that?”

Just now, it felt like Qin Han had brushed his leg under the table…

But Qin Han stayed perfectly calm, as if it hadn’t happened. He just smiled. “Nothing. I just realized there’s a better way to solve that math problem you answered in class today.”

“Really? I thought mine was the simplest.”

Math was Xie Ling’s favorite subject, and he had a real passion for tackling tough problems with the most elegant methods. He’d always been on a quest to crack the hardest ones as simply as possible.

So when Qin Han mentioned it, his attention instantly shifted away from Yu Rong.

“Yeah, right here—instead of algebra, combining numbers and shapes gets it faster.”

“Where? Move your hand a bit—lean in closer, I can’t see.”

Qin Han’s lips curved. He scooted right up against Xie Ling, their bodies nearly pressed together.

But Xie Ling was too absorbed in the math to notice anything off about their position.

Yu Rong’s face darkened. He itched to yank them apart. But he knew Xie Ling might look laid-back, but when he studied, he was dead serious and hated interruptions. So Yu Rong just sat there stiffly, watching.

If only his own grades were better.

Then it wouldn’t be Qin Dog plastered to Xie Ling like that.

Big deal if you were good at school?

The more Yu Rong watched, the more annoyed he got. He finally shoved away from the table.

Qin Han multitasked effortlessly, catching Yu Rong’s sour exit. His mood soared—he could’ve burst into song.

But his good cheer didn’t last.

Once they wrapped up the problem, Yu Rong hauled over a big cardboard box.

He’d dropped it off that morning before they went to register at First High School—back when Xie Ling was already at class, so he hadn’t seen it.

Yu Rong unpacked a few items onto the table. Xie Ling’s eyes went wide.

“Holy crap, where’d you score this DVD?” Xie Ling snatched up a disc of an old anime. The show was so controversial it’d been banned online in China. He’d scoured everywhere for it but only found grainy bootlegs—let alone a physical copy.

Seeing Xie Ling’s excitement visibly softened Yu Rong’s fierce features. “You know how the French love their Japanese anime? Dad braved a blizzard last Christmas to hunt this down for you from a little shop in Paris. And this out-of-print manga—remember? You took it to the pool when you were six, it fell in, and you bawled your eyes out. Uncle Xie and I…”

“Who bawled?” Xie Ling cut in hastily. “I told you, water got in my eyes from bad swimming form.”

Xie Ling rummaged through the box like a little squirrel digging for nuts, his eyes lighting up with surprise after surprise. Yu Rong leaned on the table nearby, chatting and smiling.

From afar, they looked perfectly in sync.

Qin Han’s grip tightened on his pen, nails digging into his palm without him noticing.

It hit him all at once: he knew so little about Xie Ling.

He knew Xie Ling liked comics but not which ones or what he needed. And that was just the tip of the iceberg—anything tied to Xie Ling’s childhood was a total blank for him.

Those little “secrets” he prided himself on—like Xie Ling’s love for chocolate and plushies—probably meant nothing to Yu Rong.

Because they’d spent far more time together than Xie Ling ever had with him.

The Omega who matched him so perfectly had grown up alongside another top-tier Alpha, in a time before Qin Han even existed.

The realization crushed his Alpha possessiveness like nothing before, sending his emotions into overdrive.

He shot to his feet, and before Xie Ling or Yu Rong could react, he yanked out two sedatives and locked himself in the bathroom.

~~~

That night, Yu Rong ended up in the guest room after all.

At one a.m., Xie Ling rolled over happily in his sleep, clutching his Polar Bear Plushie—only for his foot to bump something warm and soft.

“Hm?” Still half-asleep, Xie Ling felt something off. He blearily cracked his eyes open. Moonlight filtered into the room, and once he made out the shape beside him, he nearly tumbled off the bed.

“W-what are you doing here?!”

Qin Han hugged a pillow. Roused by Xie Ling’s yelp, he rubbed his eyes and sat up.

He wore a bathrobe, its belt loosened from sleep, leaving the front gaping open to reveal his chiseled chest and abs.

Xie Ling hurriedly averted his gaze, then felt silly about it and forced his eyes back.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to barge in.” Qin Han apologized sincerely first. “I had a nightmare tonight and couldn’t sleep, so…”

As he spoke, he sneakily—but obviously enough for Xie Ling to notice—squeezed the little pillow in his arms.

Xie Ling caught the gesture, and his heart melted. “Fine, whatever. Lie down—it’s late, and we’ve got school tomorrow.”

Qin Han obediently lay back down. After a moment, he asked, “Can I hold you?”

Xie Ling trailed off into silence. He remembered Qin Han mentioning that being held while sleeping seemed to ward off nightmares. Xie Ling had pondered this before and figured it was because their bodies fit together so perfectly on a physical level.

“Alright, you can hug—”

The words had barely left his mouth when strong arms wrapped around him firmly from behind.

In that instant, Xie Ling went completely silent.

He wasn’t sure if it was because Qin Han’s body heat was so intense and radiated so strongly, but the moment he was embraced, a flush of warmth surged through Xie Ling’s body, and his heartbeat began to race wildly.

This sensation wasn’t unfamiliar. The last time, in the villa home theater with all those people around, Qin Han had held him the same way, triggering the exact same reaction.

But this time, it felt even more intense.

Sensing something was off, Xie Ling scrambled for a distraction. “What kind of nightmare did you have?”

“I dreamed you got a new little buddy and stopped paying attention to me,” Qin Han’s voice murmured softly in the darkness. “I chased after you, begging you not to leave me behind. Then I accidentally fell into the deepest, darkest ocean abyss. Seaweed wrapped around my body, and no matter how I struggled, I couldn’t break free. I was stuck in that pitch-black void for year after year…”

“What a bizarre dream,” Xie Ling interrupted. “I’ve got tons of little buddies right now—do I ignore you?”

Qin Han paused, his tone pointed. “What if someone comes along later who understands you perfectly, who’s exactly your type?”

Xie Ling couldn’t fathom why Qin Han would think that way, but hearing it made his chest ache.

Qin Han had always been popular since middle school, yet Xie Ling could tell he didn’t really have any friends. Back then, amid their misunderstandings, Xie Ling had assumed he was some aloof flower on a high peak, too proud to mingle. But now, considering Qin Han’s family background and Ye Shuanghua’s attitude toward him that day, it suddenly clicked: maybe Qin Han had never truly known how to make friends his own age.

That would explain why he was always so alone, haunted by such desperately lonely nightmares.

His heart wrenched as if gripped hard by an invisible hand. Xie Ling instinctively clasped Qin Han’s hand where it rested on his waist. “No matter what kind of little buddies I end up with, I won’t ignore you.”

“You’re one of a kind,” came the boy’s steady, resonant voice from the darkness, each word landing like a soothing balm on the Alpha’s heart, which had been in turmoil all night.