Chapter 37

In that instant, Qin Han felt like his eardrums were about to burst.

He hadn’t expected Xie Ling to actually say it out loud.

And with such a punchy tone, no less.

Qin Han’s throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. Before he could get a word out, Xie Ling had already pulled back, chocolate and all, from the palm of his hand.

The guy showed zero awareness that he’d just ignited a raging wildfire inside someone else’s body. Grinning, he asked, “So, happy now?”

Qin Han’s hands clenched at his sides. “Happy.”

Xie Ling was about to say that was all that mattered when Qin Han added, “Our Little Ling sounds so good when he calls like that.”

Xie Ling nearly choked on a chunk of chocolate.

“Bro, don’t you think there’s something a little off with how you phrased that?”

Qin Han blinked in genuine confusion. “I thought it was normal for a big brother to call his little brother by his nickname like that. Sorry, I’ve never had a little brother before… Was that inappropriate?”

Seeing Qin Han’s eyelids start to droop again, Xie Ling hurriedly said, “No, it’s perfect. Totally appropriate.”

In truth, there wasn’t really anything major wrong with it. It was just that Qin Han’s words felt… strangely off somehow. Pinpointing exactly why was the hard part.

Xie Ling scratched his head.

Qin Han watched his troubled expression, the corners of his mouth curving up just a fraction in secret amusement.

~~~

Perhaps because he’d finally aired out the psychological shadows that had weighed on him for years, Xie Ling didn’t have any more nightmares in the days that followed. He slept soundly every night.

But the mental fog from before might have taken more of a toll than he’d realized—his body still felt strangely off in ways he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

On Monday morning, there was a last-minute class swap, and first period turned out to be PE.

Aside from the start of term, finals, and a few fixed testing days, PE classes at First High were pretty much free rein the whole time.

Xia Yu stood at the edge of the football field, tapping away on his phone. “Hey, Little Ruirui’s birthday is this Friday. We can head out again.”

The four of them had an unspoken pact: whoever’s birthday it was footed the bill, even if it was just street food. It was always a good excuse to get together and hang out.

“Little Ruirui will probably bring Mu Yin along. Let’s call Qin God too—what do you think? We can ask him when he gets back from the competition this afternoon. Little Lingling? Little Lingling?”

“…Huh? What?”

Xia Yu blinked at him, puzzled. “What’re you thinking about? You’ve been acting weird lately.”

“Where’s the weird?” Xie Ling reached over and ruffled Xia Yu’s hair. “I was just thinking you’ve gotten even cuter lately.”

Xia Yu: “…!!!”

If he didn’t know Xie Ling so well—and know full well nothing could ever happen between them—that face and that teasing tone alone would’ve had Xia Yu falling hard.

This was bad for his heart!

Xia Yu rubbed his fragile little chest, about to retort, when a sharp cry rang out from the center of the field: “Heads up!”

Xia Yu hadn’t even processed it when Xie Ling swiftly stepped in front of him, catching the incoming soccer ball with his right hand.

“Holy shit, you okay?!” Xiao Yanfei came rushing over. He’d been lining up a shot when he spotted Xie Ling messing with Xia Yu’s hair and accidentally put too much power into the kick.

Xie Ling grinned. “Can’t you see I blocked it? How come you’re not asking if I’m okay?”

Xiao Yanfei dragged his gaze away from Xia Yu and slung an arm around Xie Ling’s shoulders in easy camaraderie. “Because I know a tough guy like you couldn’t possibly get hurt.”

“Makes sense.” Xie Ling started to return the gesture but paused when he noticed the black grime smeared across his hand.

“Tsk, bro, did this ball roll through a ditch or something?”

Xiao Yanfei defended himself stoutly. “Nah, it must be Zhang Chengrui’s foot funk. Look—it’s practically materialized.”

The man himself shouted from a distance away: “Ling Bro! You coming to kick around?”

“Nope!” Xie Ling called back with a laugh. “My hand’s contaminated by your foot stench now. I’ve gotta go decontaminate!”

Zhang Chengrui: “???”

There was a row of faucets near the gym. Xie Ling left the football field and headed straight there to wash up. Once his hands were clean, he turned to head back—but a wave of dizziness suddenly hit him.

His heat period was fully over by now, and Qin Han hadn’t stayed over the weekend, but he’d felt lightheaded again that morning. The dizziness had lingered right up until now. Otherwise, he would’ve joined Zhang Chengrui and the others for some ball the moment class started.

Was some new mystery ailment cropping up?

Xie Ling mulled it over when the door to the nearby equipment shed burst open. A shadowy figure darted out at top speed. Before his foggy brain could make out who it was, a strong arm clamped around his waist from behind, yanking him straight into the shed.

~~~

Ten minutes ticked by. First period was nearly over, and Xie Ling still hadn’t returned. Xia Yu was just about to go look for him when a sweet fragrance wafted into his nose.

It was like some kind of flower scent—clear, rich, and intoxicating. It spread slowly at first, but grew thicker with every passing second, almost seductive enough to steal one’s soul.

Xia Yu froze for a moment. Then his phone buzzed.

A message had popped up in First High’s Omega group chat—

“Holy shit, anyone in the North Building Library?! Pretty sure one of our sisters is having a pheromone outburst?!”

“North Building Library?? I’m on the South Building 4th Floor Multimedia Classroom and I can smell it too!!”

“WTF?? Aren’t those places kinda far apart?? Holy shit, I smell it in the Cafeteria!”

Xia Yu quickly typed back: I’m at the Football Field and I smell it too!! What’s going on?!

The group was in chaos when the school broadcast crackled to life with an urgent, stern warning—

“Attention all students and faculty! Attention all students and faculty! An Omega student is experiencing a pheromone outburst. The situation is serious. All students and faculty, proceed immediately to your designated isolation areas by gender! Repeat: Proceed immediately to your designated isolation areas by gender!”

A pheromone outburst from an Alpha or Omega was the school equivalent of a fire or earthquake—a full-blown disaster. They’d drilled for emergencies like this, so things didn’t descend into outright panic.

Ten minutes later, everyone had reached their assigned spots. The isolation classrooms were equipped with electronic pheromone blockers, but even those couldn’t filter out every trace of the scent.

In Omega Isolation Room 1.

Xia Yu was chatting in the group while giving a live update: “God, this sister’s pheromones are way too potent. I heard some sisters in Room 3 are still getting affected.”

“Holy crap, it’s been ten minutes. School’s gotta have found her by now, right? Why isn’t it handled?”

“But doesn’t this smell amazing? Crap, why am I, an Omega, so obsessed with another Omega’s scent?”

“Babe, you’re bending. But for real, I’ve smelled every sister’s pheromones in this school, and this is a first. Smells like rose?”

“Climbing rose. I’ve seen it at my cousin’s place—she’s into gardening. Think it’s called Free Spirit.”

Xia Yu was about to jump in when his phone rang—Xiao Yanfei calling. “How’s it going? You holding up okay?”

Xia Yu’s smugness had his imaginary tail wagging. “What could affect me? My constitution’s rock-solid. You Alphas over there, though—this top-shelf stuff has gotta be hitting you hard.”

“Yeah.” Xiao Yanfei admitted it readily. “No clue where this top-tier O came from, but in just those few minutes, several guys lost it and got dragged out. I took two shots of sedative and I’m fine. Zhang Chengrui needed seven.”

“…His brain didn’t melt?”

“He’s lying right here next to me.”

Xia Yu tsked sympathetically. “You Alphas. Can’t even hold it together.”

Xiao Yanfei chuckled. “Jealous? It’s just biology—no helping it. I still think your scent’s the best.”

“Heh, Alpha sweet-talk is as trustworthy as a fox guarding the henhouse.” Xia Yu clearly wasn’t buying it.

“No, really.” Xiao Yanfei laughed it off. “Hey, any idea where Xie Ling is? I asked around in a few rooms—no one’s seen him.”

“I’m looking for him too. During PE, he said he was gonna wash his hands and vanished.” Xia Yu sounded worried. “Wait, what if he hasn’t made it to isolation? Could this Omega be affecting him?”

“…Nah, it’s Ling Bro we’re talking about.” There was a sudden clamor on Xiao Yanfei’s end. Xia Yu heard him exchange a few words with someone nearby before he came back on. “Holy shit, word on the street—they still haven’t found the out-of-control Omega.”

“For real? Don’t the teachers have pheromone detectors?”

The devices worked like super-precise compasses, zeroing in on the thickest concentration of pheromones—which meant the source itself.

“This whole thing’s weird from the jump. A top-tier Omega outburst is one thing, but spreading across the whole school this fast? Anyway, stay sharp. I’m gonna make some calls to track down Xie Ling.”

~~~

On the school bus heading to the physics competition venue, Old Tang was holding forth from the front seat. “Our competitors this time are tough, but we’re no slouches either. Like the saying goes, stronger foes make us stronger…”

“Hey, hey, you guys see the school group chat? Major incident back at school—some Omega’s pheromones went haywire.”

Qin Han had felt a dull ache in his chest ever since boarding the bus. He figured it was the susceptible period approaching, so he simply closed his eyes to rest. But the restlessness churning inside him refused to subside. When he heard the classmates up front chatting, his eyes snapped open.

“Holy shit, I saw it! They say it’s a top-tier Omega—the scent is supposed to be amazing. It’s got half the guys losing their minds.”

“Jealous! Why did I have to come to this competition today? I wanna smell the finest scent on earth too. Hey, what does it even smell like?”

“A buddy of mine who does gardening at home said it’s some kind of climbing rose called Free Spirit. I…”

The two Alphas didn’t get to finish. A sudden chill ran down their spines, followed by an overwhelming, oppressive force that nearly knocked them right out of their seats and into the driver’s lap up front.

“Holy shit!” Both of them gripped the armrests, sweat pouring down their foreheads as they twisted around. All they caught was a shadow flashing by, accompanied by an aura that sent terror straight into their bones.

Old Tang was still flipping through his notes, passionately explaining away. “That’s the gist of it. We’ve got a little time left—if any of you have questions, feel free to ask…”

“Teacher.” A low, brooding voice cut through the air.

Old Tang jumped, then beamed when he saw it was Qin Han. “Look at Qin Han here! Top of the class and such a eager learner. What’s up? Got a question?”

“I need to get off the bus.”

Old Tang: “???”

~~~

In a small warehouse near the sports hall.

Xie Ling leaned against the wall, gasping for breath. His athletic T-shirt was filthy and torn in several places from the earlier scuffle, with abrasions dotting his elbows and shoulders.

Zhou Haoxuan stood a short distance away, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. He let out a cold sneer. “Honestly, if it weren’t for these soul-hooking pheromones, who the hell would believe you’re an Omega.”

It had been half an hour since he’d dragged Xie Ling into the warehouse. Subtract the time spent on preparations, and the remaining ten minutes had been spent trying—and failing—to subdue him with pheromones.

Far from succeeding, Zhou Haoxuan had taken several injuries from Xie Ling in the process.

Xie Ling panted through a cold laugh. “You know your daddy’s badass—now scram. Hiss—”

A thick wave of tobacco-scented pheromones crashed down on him, forcing Xie Ling to stagger back several steps. He grabbed a nearby stilt for support like a crutch, barely keeping himself from collapsing to the floor.

This little bastard hadn’t stirred up trouble for a while, so Xie Ling had thought he’d turned over a new leaf. But no—his tactics had only gotten more despicable.

How had he found out Xie Ling was an Omega?

Doubts swirled in his mind, but the situation left no room for deep thought. Zhou Haoxuan’s pheromones were heavy and choking. Trading blows with him earlier had taken everything Xie Ling had, and now his strength was nearly drained.

“…If you’ve got the guts, don’t rely on pheromones. Dare to face your daddy head-on?”

“Who said anything about facing you? If I wanted a real fight, would I bother inducing your forced heat?” Zhou Haoxuan’s raspy voice dripped with excitement as he closed in on Xie Ling step by step. “Smell yourself. Half the school must be going nuts right now.”

That included him, of course.

When an Omega was pushed into forced heat, the concentration of their pheromones spiked far beyond a normal heat. But Zhou Haoxuan never imagined Xie Ling’s would reach this level.

And that scent—it was bone-meltingly intoxicating.

“Top-tier Omegas really are something else.” Zhou Haoxuan reached out and touched Xie Ling’s face, feeling waves of heat surging through his own body.

His cheap tobacco pheromones carried raw, undisguised desire. Xie Ling’s pupils contracted sharply as the man’s intentions dawned on him.

He seized Zhou Haoxuan’s wrist and twisted it aside with all his might. Normally, the move was lightning-fast and vicious enough to snap bone, but now it only made the other man wince and let go.

Zhou Haoxuan laughed instead of raging. “What’s this? Qin Han gets to hug you, but I can’t even touch your face?”

Xie Ling froze at the sudden mention of Qin Han, then sneered. “You think you measure up to him?”

Zhou Haoxuan’s expression darkened, as if some unpleasant memory had surfaced. He reached out again, clamping Xie Ling’s jaw hard and forcing him to meet his gaze. “You weren’t like this when he first showed up. What, did a taste of his pheromones leave you hooked? You put on such a front in public, but deep down, you’re just as slutty…”

“Pah.” Contempt filled Xie Ling’s eyes. “You think everyone’s as filthy-minded as you?”

“Filthy-minded?” Zhou Haoxuan barked a laugh, as if he’d heard the joke of the century. “Xie Ling, don’t tell me you actually think Qin Han’s some kind of gentleman.”

“He’s not. You are?”

“My tricks don’t even come close to one ten-thousandth of his.”

Clang—

The stilt slammed against the side wall before swinging hard toward Zhou Haoxuan’s head, aiming straight for his temple. He caught it mid-swing with his free hand and cranked up his pheromone output even more.

Xie Ling let out a muffled grunt. The stilt—his crutch and weapon—was yanked away and flung aside. His weakened body buckled beneath him.

Zhou Haoxuan scooped him up by the waist and buried his nose in the flushed hollow of Xie Ling’s neck, inhaling deeply. “Your scent is incredible.”

Xie Ling shuddered all over.

Mustering his last reserves of strength, he drove his elbow hard into Zhou Haoxuan’s gut.

Zhou Haoxuan hadn’t expected him to have any fight left. Pain made him loosen his grip.

Xie Ling dragged his limp, feverish body toward the warehouse door, desperate to escape. He didn’t get far before Zhou Haoxuan snagged the back of his shirt and yanked him back.

Zhou Haoxuan locked his arms around Xie Ling’s waist, mashing his face into the man’s shoulder and neck as his breathing grew ragged. “Come with me, Xie Ling. I’ll treat you right.”

Soaking in Xie Ling’s pheromones had pushed him—body and mind—to the brink.

Xie Ling forced a cold laugh. “Treat me right, my ass.”

He struggled violently, jabbing his elbows at Zhou Haoxuan for all he was worth.

Zhou Haoxuan’s temper flared at his stubbornness. He wrenched Xie Ling’s arms behind his back and slammed him against the wall.

“Don’t refuse the toast and go for the penalty drink, you little shit. You think Qin Han’s some saint? With stuff like this.” From behind, Zhou Haoxuan tore open the collar of Xie Ling’s shirt. “Filthy stuff like this—he’s probably fantasized about it a hundred times in his head. Me marking you first? That’s me saving you. Otherwise, one day he’d just take you by force!”

Xie Ling’s entire nape, glands included, was suddenly exposed to the cold, damp air.

His pupils dilated in shock. Memories of Xie Lan flooded his mind like a tidal wave.

The same position—Xie Lan pinned from behind, and then…

The nightmare clawed at his thoughts once more. The man who had been fighting tooth and nail moments ago seemed shackled by invisible weights on his limbs. He trembled, but he had no strength left to strike back.

Zhou Haoxuan’s face twisted into a sinister, triumphant grin. “That’s more like it. Be good, and I’ll be gentle.”

With that, he leaned in eagerly toward Xie Ling’s glands…