Chapter 24 Part 2

Qin Han’s lips curved faintly, though his eyes stayed ice-cold. “Make him rot in prison. Can you swing that?”

“…” Qin Huai rubbed his chin. “That’d mean pulling in Grandma or Big Brother. No one they bury for life ever digs their way out. Thing is, deploying those tactics on a high school punk doesn’t gain us anything. They’d probably…”

“No need to bother them.” Qin Han cut in. “Xie Ling mentioned before that Liu Chang didn’t just harass Gu Ran—he went after plenty of other Omegas too. Some got strong-armed by his dad into dropping it. So…”

“So if I drag all that back into the light, and even one badly hurt Omega steps up to testify, he’s finished.”

Omegas were rare, legally shielded. The fallout from forcing or harming one was brutal.

Qin Han smiled. “Thanks, Second Brother.”

Qin Huai froze, then let out a dramatic sniffle, his face lighting up with thrilled delight. “How many years has it been since you last called me that?”

“…” Qin Han paused. “Don’t I call you that all the time?”

“Not like this. Never this cute and sweet.” Qin Huai waxed poetic. “Not since you hit your teenage rebellion phase…”

The phrasing was a touch nauseating. Qin Han said nothing, turning and stalking off with a merciless view of his back.

Qin Huai jogged to catch up, deftly backpedaling. “Hey, gotta credit my future sister-in-law for this…”

Qin Han halted briefly, the corners of his mouth—which had been pressed thin—ticking upward just a fraction. “I’ll have him call you that from now on too.”

“He says it way cuter and sweeter than I do.”

~~~

When Xie Ling woke, night had fully fallen. The searing heat and aching void that had churned inside him were gone without a trace. His body felt perfectly fine.

The little nurse at his bedside filled him in on the details, then added, “Watch yourself once you’re home. You’re still in heat, and the inducer’s side effects make the intensity and length unpredictable. Keep suppressants handy, stay indoors as much as you can—or if push comes to shove, you’ll need an Alpha’s help.”

Xie Ling paused, then smiled. “Got it. Thanks for looking after me, Nurse Sister.”

The nurse’s heart fluttered.

Good lord! What a devastating voice! And that face! It had even swayed her, an Omega who only had eyes for strong Alphas!

“Sister?” Xie Ling prompted, puzzled after calling twice.

The little nurse snapped out of it and cleared her throat. “No need to thank me. Your classmate handled everything after dropping you off.”

She couldn’t resist a bit of gossip. “You two are a couple, right?”

Xie Ling coughed, caught off guard.

“No need to be embarrassed—high school relationships are a dime a dozen these days.” The little nurse grinned. “The state he was in when he brought you in? Total panic mode. Wouldn’t even get his own injuries treated, just stuck by your side. I’m half-convinced he’d have leveled the whole hospital if you hadn’t pulled through.”

As she ramped up with excitement, Xie Ling jumped in. “Nah. He’s my little bro.”

The little nurse: “?”

Xie Ling flashed a brilliant smile. “He’s just freaking out ’cause if something happens to me, who’s gonna have his back?”

The little nurse: “…”

She suddenly felt a deep pang of sympathy for that handsome, loaded little strong Alpha.

~~~

Once the little nurse left, Xie Ling slid out of bed to gather his things.

His heat wasn’t due for another week—he’d planned to stock up on suppressants that Saturday. He hadn’t counted on this curveball.

Xie Ling was about to head downstairs and grab some from the hospital pharmacy when he spotted several tubes of suppressants next to his backpack.

He froze for a second, a hunch forming. He pulled out his phone right away and, amid a flood of messages, found Qin Han’s.

Troublemaker: Had to bounce for something urgent QAQ

Troublemaker: Take care of yourself these next couple days. Tomorrow, three hugs? I’ll dose you with extra pheromones, just in case.

Troublemaker: Suppressants are on the table. Second Bro had ’em brought from overseas—way stronger than the local stuff.

Xie Ling remembered the nurse mentioning that Qin Han had injected him with suppressants before bringing him here. Otherwise, in that state, only a marking would’ve settled things down.

But it was odd.

Free: Thanks for today. Gift in a couple days.

Free: Why’d you have Omega suppressants on you?

The reply came almost instantly.

Troublemaker: For you.

Troublemaker: Just in case.

Xie Ling’s heart skipped. He suddenly recalled Qin Han’s apology from that day.

From a little bro angling to impress the big bro, Qin Han didn’t need to go this far.

Xie Ling pursed his lips.

Free: Thanks

Free: What gift you want? Watch? Shoes?

Free: Study guides? 53 mocks? Dragon Gate drills?

Troublemaker: You

Free: ???

Troublemaker: ‘s photo

Xie Ling: …

Free: What for?

Troublemaker: You’re ridiculously handsome. Wanna stare anytime.

!

His little tail perked up slow at first, then shot straight for the stars.

Ha, he really ought to show those fangirl little Omegas idolizing Qin Han—their god had straight-up admitted he was the hotter one.

Free: Sure, sending when I get home

He’d just switched phones a couple days back; tons of old pics still sat untransferred on the previous one.

Xie Ling picked up one of the barrier agents from the table. The packaging was all English, but he read it effortlessly.

He was a little surprised, though.

Free: This suppressant smells just like your pheromones?

One phrase translated to “Summer Sea Breeze.”

Troublemaker: Yep

Troublemaker: Don’t like it? QAQ

No Omega hated a perfectly matched Alpha’s pheromones. And Qin Han’s scent really was top-shelf.

A month ago, Xie Ling might’ve played coy. But lately, Qin Han had pulled his weight more than once.

Free: Nah, I like it [Cat propping cheek.jpg]

Qin Han was just stepping out of the car when the message hit. He nearly stomped right through the doorframe.

Qin Huai eyed his awkward stance. “You good?”

“Nothing.” Qin Han clutched his phone, shut his eyes, then opened them again, exhaling softly. “I think I need to start treatment pronto.”

~~~

Xie Ling stowed the suppressants Qin Han had given him, slung on his backpack, and headed downstairs to settle the bill. But they told him everything was already paid.

Free: How much for the medical fees? Suppressants too—I’ll send it all at once.

Qin Han didn’t reply right away this time.

Xie Ling flicked out of the chat and noticed Gu Ran had sent several messages too. He called immediately to confirm he was fine. Relieved that Gu Ran hadn’t spilled to Madam Fu, Xie Ling hung up.

When he checked back, Qin Han still hadn’t responded.

Xie Ling waited a bit, staring hopefully. Then it hit him—why was he hanging on every ping? He could always catch the reply later.

Xie Ling glanced at the chat window one more time, switched off the screen, and left the hospital.

~~~

In a treatment room at the Research Institute, Qin Huai held the report he had just received and said, “It’s not too bad—no need for electroshock therapy yet. But due to the influence of my future sister-in-law’s pheromones, we’ll have to increase the dosage of sedatives going forward.”

Qin Han had just finished his checkup and was putting his clothes back on. At those words, the corners of his lips curved up slightly.

“Don’t get too smug.” Qin Huai saw the indifferent look on his face and adopted a rare note of seriousness in his tone. “This is a serious issue. Your condition has been pretty stable for years now, and it usually only flares up during your susceptible period. But lately, it’s been influenced by my future sister-in-law’s pheromones, so even though you’re not in your susceptible period right now, you’ve still had an episode. And this is just the beginning. The more you’re exposed to his pheromones in the future, the deeper the impact will be, and the worse your condition will get.”

Qin Han had known since he was ten—ever since the foundation’s screening—that he would differentiate into a top-tier Alpha someday. He also knew he carried a certain mental illness called Krofell Syndrome. The condition was linked to his susceptible periods, somewhat like bipolar disorder but with some key differences in symptoms.

“Intense destructive urges, self-harm tendencies, loss of mental clarity during episodes…” Qin Han listed off the symptoms he’d experienced so far. “How much worse could it possibly get?”

Qin Huai nearly had a heart attack at his brother’s casual tone. He just wanted to smack a brick over the kid’s head to knock some sense into him.

Unfortunately, he didn’t dare.

“Fine, I’ll lay it out straight for you,” Qin Huai said. “If it gets worse, your destructive urges will escalate to murderous impulses that you actually act on. The self-harm will turn into full-on suicide attempts. And on top of the mental fog, you’ll feel excruciating pain surging through your body—like being run over by five trucks at once. Got it?”

Qin Han paused. “That won’t do.”

Qin Huai chuckled. He knew no normal person was immune to pain, death, or crime.

“He hasn’t fallen for me yet. I can’t go to prison, and I can’t die.” Qin Han sank back into the sofa. His shirt was only buttoned up to just below his chest, revealing a tantalizing expanse of toned muscle. He lounged there casually, without a trace of the elegant, reserved school idol he played at First High School. “Run over by five trucks at once…”

Qin Han pictured it for a moment. “Sounds pretty painful. But if it doesn’t kill me, it should be manageable?”

Qin Huai: “…” He’d almost forgotten—his brother wasn’t normal.

Seeing Qin Huai’s existential crisis of an expression, Qin Han’s lips curved up again. “Just kidding. Did I scare you, Second Brother?”

Qin Huai replied without emotion, “I should record what you just said and play it for our dear grandmother…”

“Any treatments?” Qin Han interrupted.

Qin Huai adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. “One option: stay far away from him from now on. No more helping with his condition, no contact with his pheromones. Your symptoms will gradually fade.”

“Impossible,” Qin Han said without hesitation.

“There’s another.” Qin Huai looked at Qin Han. “Mark him. Even a temporary mark will do. Marking a perfectly compatible Omega provides immense mental relief for an Alpha.”

Marking…

Thinking back to how Xie Ling had made him knock him out not long ago, Qin Han said, “No matter what our relationship ends up being, I might not mark him.”

Qin Huai blinked in confusion. “Why? A temporary mark has benefits for his treatment side effects too. And it’s not permanent.”

“I don’t know why.” Qin Han shook his head. “But he seems really scared of being marked.”

Qin Huai fell silent for a moment. “Like I said earlier, if you don’t mark him, these are the consequences next time you get close.”

“I can’t stay away from him.” Qin Han narrowed his eyes at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling, its orange glow casting a hazy light. He murmured, “But I can’t do anything else to make him hate me. Not now… and not ever.”

Qin Huai frowned slightly, about to say something, when Qin Han added, “We’ll take it one step at a time.”

“…If worst comes to worst, as long as he’s doing well.” Qin Han covered his eyes with the back of his hand and gave a weary smile. “It doesn’t matter if I die.”

~~~

Xie Ling got home just shy of nine at night. Madam Fu had gone on a little outing with her girlfriends that afternoon, leaving a note by the steamer where she’d kept his dinner warm for him.

Mom’s new recipe—give it a taste!

Xie Ling smiled. He didn’t have much appetite, but he polished off every last bite anyway.

After dinner, he headed back to his room to tackle some homework and practice problems. But the moment he stepped inside and saw the bed, his brain short-circuited.

Exhausted from the heat period and its side effects, Xie Ling didn’t wake up again until the next morning.