Chapter 2

When Xie Ling emerged from the hospital room, Xia Yu was sitting on a bench outside, waiting for him. Worry filled his almond-shaped eyes. “Little Lingling, are you okay? The doctor said you fainted from anemia.”

The gender inducing agent was an extremely expensive drug, and it was hard to find on the market. Anyone who could afford it usually came from a wealthy family, the kind ordinary people couldn’t afford to offend. Moreover, it was a major privacy issue for the patient, so the doctor hadn’t disclosed Xie Ling’s condition. Since it resembled anemia, he’d simply used that as an excuse.

“I’m fine.” Xie Ling ruffled Xia Yu’s hair and grinned. “We top-tier Alphas have pretty active nightlife. I got up late today, skipped breakfast, and it was hot out, so I just had a little dizzy spell. Pure strategic misstep.

“That’s a relief. You have no idea how many girls’ hearts broke when they saw you faint…” Xia Yu clutched his chest dramatically, then suddenly remembered something and changed his expression in an instant. “Oh, right—I just ran into Senior Gu Ran here. He said he’d come see you after his checkup.”

“He got bullied into the hospital?!”

“No. Senior said he wasn’t bullied at all. He didn’t come find you because something urgent came up, his phone died, and he couldn’t contact you. The whole bullying thing was just rumors spread by Zhou Haoxuan and his crew, which got you and Qin Han all worked up…”

When Xia Yu mentioned Qin Han, he instinctively glanced at Xie Ling.

Sure enough, Xie Ling’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Xia Yu proceeded cautiously. “Little Lingling, they say you and Qin Han weren’t on great terms back in middle school. But this time, he was pretty decent. He didn’t take advantage while you were down and even used his family’s car to bring you to the hospital…”

“…Where is he?” Xie Ling looked around.

“He was hanging around here just a bit ago. Then he got a phone call, and I overheard something about going back to America…”

Xie Ling’s phone buzzed in his pocket.

He reached for it, and something fell out onto the floor—a piece of chocolate wrapped in gold foil.

Xia Yu looked puzzled. “Don’t you hate sweets? Why do you have chocolate?”

Xie Ling’s phone buzzed twice more.

Three WeChat messages had popped up on the screen.

Troublemaker: Anemia means you need more sugar. Chocolate—your favorite brand. Consider it a little reunion gift.

Troublemaker: You didn’t block me?

Xie Ling: “…”

Qin Han’s contact name was one he’d changed himself years ago. This account hadn’t sent a message in a full three years.

In those two seconds, another message from Troublemaker followed up: I’m really happy.

Happy my ass.

Xie Ling felt like Qin Han had changed somehow since coming back.

He unlocked his phone and replied: Didn’t block you because your Ling Bro’s too busy to remember insignificant nobodies.

Xie Ling: Thanks for getting me to the hospital.

Xie Ling: Blocking you now.

Xie Ling: [Cat smirking.jpg]

After sending, Xie Ling felt something was off.

Why had he sent Qin Han an emoji?

Even a smirk? Did he deserve it?

The more Xie Ling thought about it, the more irritated he got. He quickly withdrew the emoji and mercilessly dragged Troublemaker into the blacklist.

Refreshing!

Xia Yu blinked at Xie Ling.

For some reason, he thought Little Lingling looked kind of cute furiously tapping away at his phone.

Xie Ling had no idea his image had flipped because of a few “chats” with Qin Han. He bent down to pick up the chocolate from the floor. His gaze lingered for a few seconds on the cute little squirrel on the wrapper, then he placed it in Xia Yu’s hand.

“Probably Mom stuffed it in my pocket by mistake this morning.” Xie Ling smiled casually. “We strong Alphas aren’t into sweets. Here, you take it. I’m off to check on Brother Gu Ran.”

~~~

Xie Ling rested at home for two days, and then the first day of school arrived.

After the flag-raising ceremony, instead of heading back to class with the crowd, Xie Ling slipped to an inconspicuous corner of the sports field and called his dad, Xie Cheng.

He’d been taking the medication the doctor prescribed to ease the side effects for two days now. According to the doctor, it would hold him over for maybe two months at most, and even then, it wouldn’t completely prevent flare-ups. After that, the side effects would worsen.

In other words, Xie Ling had to find that top-tier Alpha with over 98% compatibility within two months and get his help.

Xie Ling gave his dad the rough situation over the phone. There was a long silence on the other end.

After a good while, Xie Cheng’s voice choked up. “I’m sorry, Little Ling. If I hadn’t let you take that inducer back then, you wouldn’t…”

“Dad.” Xie Ling cut him off with a smile. “I wanted that shot myself. Besides, without it, I wouldn’t even be here now.”

Hearing his son’s lighthearted, unburdened tone, Xie Cheng’s heart ached. “Don’t worry. I’ll hurry and track down the guy for you.”

Xie Ling agreed with a smile, his voice breezy and casual.

But the hand not holding the phone unconsciously rose to his nape.

That was the site of his Omega glands.

Xie Ling rubbed that patch of skin twice, his fingertips trembling slightly.

He knew this was his only option right now. Otherwise, before long, not only would his strong Alpha persona crumble—he might not even measure up to a weak Omega and end up a crippled one.

He’d felt a bit dizzy just during the flag-raising ceremony earlier.

But once he took this step, a stranger—an Alpha—would know he was an Omega. He’d be affected by that person’s pheromones.

The side effects meant he’d crave Alpha pheromones more than other Omegas. After the first time, he’d always need it.

Xie Ling leaned back against the cold wall behind him. The hand on his glands dropped, and after a moment, his fingers clenched tightly into a fist.

“Little Ling, I know that incident back then left you…” Xie Cheng paused, then didn’t continue. He just said worriedly, “You might be scared at first, unable to accept the marking. But the doctor said basic physical contact works too, right? Just borrow his pheromones for now.”

“I’m not scared.” Xie Ling gripped his fist tighter, forcing a smile. “It’s just a bite, Dad. Don’t worry—I’m not a kid anymore. I’m super strong.”

His tone betrayed no weakness; the last four words even carried a cheerfully over-the-top bravado.

Xie Cheng seemed to relax a little. “Anyway, don’t stress. Even if it comes to marking, I won’t let him dare pressure you with pheromones, and he sure as hell won’t breathe a word about you being an Omega.”

Xie Ling thought of the Xie Family’s power and wealth, a mocking smile flickering across his face. He said nothing.

“And…”

“Mom’s doing great.” Xie Ling glanced at the crescent marks his nails had dug into his palm, his voice light and upbeat. “I’ll take good care of her. You take care of yourself too.”

~~~

Jiangning No.1 High School had twenty-six classes per grade. When sophomores advanced from freshman year, they divided into arts and sciences tracks. Classes 1 and 2 were the Science Comprehensive Experimental Class, Classes 3 and 4 the Liberal Arts Comprehensive Experimental Class, and the rest were regular classes. Each class had around thirty students.

The first period was a school-wide homeroom. When Xie Ling returned to the classroom, the teacher hadn’t arrived yet, and the Class 1 students were chatting in small groups.

Coincidentally, the topic revolved around Xie Ling and Qin Han’s failed showdown that day.

“What? You didn’t go that day? Such a shame—you missed a historic scene.”

“Sigh, I regret it too. They say that Qin God was super handsome. True or not?”

“Truer than pearls. He radiated this holy light us mortals can’t approach. Only Ling Bro could get within ten feet.”

“Hey, but Ling Bro’s been ruling the roost for years, slaying foes left and right. He runs into Qin God and gets anemia? What does that say?”

“It says Qin God’s lucky.” Xie Ling appeared behind that classmate, smiling lazily. “Otherwise, he’d be the one in the hospital from blood loss.”

“Ling Bro!”

“Ling Bro’s here!”

“Have a seat, have a seat.” Xie Ling waved them off, looking every bit like a national leader visiting a rural outpost to greet the masses. “I know you all admire me, but no need to be so formal.”

Laughter erupted in the classroom.

Xie Ling headed to his seat in the back row.

The classmates continued whispering: “Whoa, the big shot’s even nicer than I thought.”

“Yeah, our Ling Bro’s pretty approachable. I was in his class freshman year. Even if some idiot provoked him, he’d handle it quick and move on, no hard feelings. So I was surprised at first to hear he and Qin God had bad blood from middle school. There must be more to it—not just a simple big-shot clash storyline…”

Their voices trailed off. At least, Xie Ling didn’t hear as he settled into his seat.

His mind was fixed on one thought: Qin Han had stolen his spotlight again.

Xie Ling didn’t usually care much about attention. From childhood on, wherever he went, he was the center of it. He’d grown so used to it that it felt as natural as breathing. Until middle school, when he met Qin Han.

Xie Ling didn’t consider himself petty. At first in middle school, even though Qin Han siphoned some of his spotlight, he hadn’t minded much. His irritation started when Qin Han began targeting him.

From then on, he’d competed with Qin Han over everything.

Thinking back to all that had happened on showdown day—and how he’d fainted at the crucial moment—Xie Ling pursed his lips.

That guy used to abuse his authority with a straight face, but now he had turned downright sleazy. Thank goodness they weren’t at the same school. Though Xie Ling still had no clue from start to finish why Qin Han had suddenly returned—let alone shown up in that little park—they probably wouldn’t cross paths again.

“Ling Bro! Ling Bro!” A figure zipped into the classroom. “We’ve got an insanely handsome new transfer Alpha in our class!”

Xia Yu, who had been sitting next to Xie Ling and glued to the group chat, snapped his head up. “No way—for real? How handsome are we talking?”

Zhang Chengrui gestured toward Xie Ling with both hands, his expression utterly devout. “If you ask me, only our Ling Bro can hold a candle to him.”

“Hold a candle to me?” Xie Ling chuckled. “Little Rui, nice job on the hyperbole. Ling Bro gives you full marks.”

“Not hyperbole…”

“Alright, everyone back to your seats! Time to introduce our new transfer student!” Zheng Qianqian, the homeroom teacher for Class 1, swept into the room in a whirlwind.

The students hurried to their places. Zhang Chengrui circled around to the seat behind Xia Yu and plopped down.

The new student stepped in—a face so strikingly handsome it took the breath away. His phoenix eyes held a hint of amusement, his pristine uniform shirt hugged his frame, and his flaxen short hair gleamed under the sunlight.

Xie Ling: “???”

The class fell silent for two beats before erupting in a barrage of “Holy shits.” A few especially piercing “Aaaah, he’s so hot!” screams rang out.

Zhang Chengrui craned his neck toward Xie Ling and Xia Yu up front, grinning ear to ear. “See? Told you—only Ling Bro can match him!”

“…” Xia Yu didn’t dare glance at Xie Ling’s face. He beckoned Zhang Chengrui closer and whispered, “You didn’t go watch Little Lingling’s fight on the day you got back to school, did you?”

“Nah, the PE teacher had all us athletes in for a talk that day. I regret it so much now…”

“That’s Qin God.”

Zhang Chengrui: “…”

Zhang Chengrui: “???”

In the blink of an eye, the classroom had descended into chaos.

Up at the podium, Zheng Qianqian smiled at Qin Han. “Go ahead and introduce yourself.”

“Hello, everyone. I’m Qin Han. Nice to meet you all—looking forward to getting to know you.” It was the most ordinary self-introduction imaginable, but coming from Qin Han’s lips, it somehow sounded magnetic.

Zheng Qianqian: “What are you all doing, just sitting there? Give him a round of applause!”

The students raised their hands, poised to clap—then, as if on cue, every eye swiveled toward the third row from the back.

Zheng Qianqian blinked in confusion. “I said welcome Qin Han. Why are you looking at Xie Ling?”

“Teacher, do I even need to explain?” Xie Ling propped his chin on his hand and lazily swept his gaze over Qin Han at the front. He smiled. “Obviously, they think I’m better-looking than this guy.”

His tone carried zero warmth.

In a panic, Zhang Chengrui jabbed his pen into Xia Yu’s back. “If I write ‘Ling Bro is the handsomest’ a hundred times right now, you think that’ll get me leniency?”

Xia Yu shot him a look of pure sympathy. “I don’t think a hundred’s gonna cut it.”

Zheng Qianqian sensed something was off in the air but didn’t have time to dwell on it before Qin Han spoke up politely. “Teacher, where’s my seat?”

She instantly shoved the weird vibe out of her mind and glanced around casually, pointing to the empty desk right behind Xie Ling. “Right there. You two handsome lads sit close together—makes class way more pleasant for your teacher to look at.”

The classmates: “…” You sure there won’t be a bloodbath first?

Xie Ling opened his mouth to protest, but Qin Han was already striding over, backpack slung over his shoulder.

In a flash of heat, Xie Ling kicked the crossbar under his desk hard. The momentum sent his body and chair sliding backward with a screech, yanking the desk behind it along too. Qin Han’s spot instantly shrank to a narrow slit.

Everyone sucked in a sharp breath.

Qin Han eyed his assigned seat—empty behind it but piled high with stacks of books and random junk. Then he looked at Xie Ling in front, who had invaded his space and was now presenting only the back of his head.

“Scoot up a bit?” Qin Han smiled at Xie Ling.

Xie Ling smiled right back. “Plenty of room. Trust me—your skinny frame can squeeze right in.”

Qin Han’s eyebrow arched faintly. He took two steps forward, his pale, slender hand pressing down on Xie Ling’s desk.

Zhang Chengrui poked Xia Yu frantically, whispering, “Holy crap, holy crap—are they about to throw down? I’m freaking out!”

Xia Yu swatted the pen away. “What are you, an Alpha, scared of? I’m the one who’s terrified—he’s just a fragile little Omega, boo-hoo!”

But the brawl everyone imagined never materialized.

Qin Han braced himself on the desk and leaned in close to Xie Ling’s ear. “If you don’t move forward yourself, I’ll just pick you up and move you.”