The local Shanghai-style restaurant was a two-story building with a spacious balcony on the south side. A cool breeze greeted them the moment they stepped out onto it.
Xie Ling had come out wearing light clothing and subconsciously sniffed at the chill in the air.
Just then, a fluffy scarf draped itself over his neck.
Xie Ling froze for a moment. “No need for that. You wear it…”
“Wear it,” Yu Rong said firmly. “I brought it specifically for you.”
With that, he walked over to the balcony’s railing. Gazing down at the street below, he said, “Remember? We used to play there all the time when we were kids.”
Directly below was the Little Garden, filled with all sorts of flowers that the owner had carefully cultivated. A white swing stood off to the side. Not much had changed over the years.
“I remember,” Xie Ling said with a smile. Then he asked, “What was that about the arranged marriage you mentioned earlier? What’s the situation?”
Yu Rong could tell Xie Ling was distracted. He turned around to lean against the railing and got straight to the point. “I only heard about it from my dad recently. Your grandmother—Liu Yu—approached him and suggested pairing us up.”
Xie Ling blinked in shock. “What?!”
In that instant, he suddenly recalled what Liu Yu had said before about how he wouldn’t mind the marriage candidate too much. At the time, he hadn’t taken it seriously and assumed she was just trying to trick him. He never imagined she’d set her sights on the Yu family.
It made sense, though. Yu Rong’s father’s business had been expanding rapidly overseas, and the Xie Family and Yu family had frequent dealings. Liu Yu choosing them was perfectly reasonable.
Seeing that Xie Ling had fallen silent, Yu Rong grew a bit uneasy. “I think…”
“That’s great!” Xie Ling exclaimed suddenly, his eyes lighting up.
Yu Rong’s heart skipped a beat. Seeing Xie Ling so excited made his throat go dry all of a sudden, while adrenaline surged through his veins.
But Xie Ling’s next words were, “This simplifies everything. Just have your dad turn it down for me!”
Although Qin Han had given Liu Yu a stern warning in front of her last time, Xie Ling figured that stubborn old woman wouldn’t give up so easily. It was only a matter of time before she caused trouble, and she was surely still scheming behind his back.
“…”
Yu Rong felt like his heart had jumped for nothing. “You’re this happy… just because of that?”
“What else?” Xie Ling laughed. “I was wondering how I’d deal with whatever troublesome person she picked out for me. But since it’s you, perfect. With our pure father-son relationship, even if she locked us in a room together, nothing would happen.”
“How do you know nothing would happen?”
Xie Ling thought he’d misheard for a second. “What?”
Irritation bubbled up inside Yu Rong as he tried to figure out how to respond. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of something by the glass door to the balcony.
Vaguely, he saw someone hiding there. The shadow stretched across the wall under the light.
In that instant, Yu Rong knew exactly who it was.
Xie Ling was still puzzling over whether he’d heard right when, the next second, Yu Rong grabbed his wrist and yanked him close.
Their distance shrank in a flash. Before Xie Ling could react, Yu Rong leaned down slightly.
Just as his lips were about to brush Xie Ling’s hair, the balcony door—which had been tightly shut—burst open from the inside with a powerful force.
Oppressive, suffocating pheromones spread through the air.
Xie Ling instinctively gripped the nearby railing. Following the familiar scent, he looked over and saw Qin Han charging toward them.
“Why are you… Qin Han?!”
Qin Han gave no response. He rushed forward, seized Yu Rong by the throat, and slammed him hard against the railing.
Fuck.
Yu Rong cursed inwardly. He knew his actions just now would enrage Qin Han—and he’d done it on purpose, to provoke him—but he hadn’t expected the guy to go this berserk.
With his body under threat, Yu Rong instinctively released his own pheromones to counterattack.
In theory, both of them were top-tier Alphas, so they should be evenly matched. But under Qin Han’s furious onslaught, Yu Rong couldn’t fight back at all.
All he could do was ensure Qin Han wouldn’t choke him to death and try to ease the suffocating pressure on his throat.
Seeing things going south, Xie Ling hurriedly grabbed Qin Han’s hand. “Are you crazy?! You’ll kill him like this!”
Thanks to Qin Han’s usual reminders, he’d been diligent about using the barrier agent—always the highest quality stuff sourced from Xie Cheng or Qin Huai. Even caught in the clash of two top-tier Alphas’ pheromones, his body only felt a bit off, but he could still move.
“Let go!” This was the same Qin Han he’d seen once before, back when he’d rescued him from Zhou Haoxuan.
Depressive, violent, decadent. Every word that popped into Xie Ling’s mind deepened his worry.
When pulling at Qin Han’s hand didn’t work, Xie Ling circled behind him and hugged his waist, preparing to pull harder. But then the man in front of him suddenly twitched.
Like a tightly drawn bowstring snapping, Qin Han’s body went limp, and he collapsed straight into Xie Ling’s arms.
Xie Ling jumped in fright and quickly supported his shoulders and waist. “What’s wrong?!”
No sooner had he spoken than he heard Yu Rong coughing violently from over there. “Are you okay?!”
Yu Rong was still rubbing his neck and coughing. He waved at Xie Ling to indicate he was fine.
Qin Han’s eyes were closed, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something, but no words came out.
When he’d grabbed Yu Rong’s throat earlier, his mind had been a chaotic haze. But now, clarity was returning bit by bit.
He knew the anesthetic buried in his body—the one in the chip—had started to take effect. While it helped clear his mind, it also stripped away his physical control.
Seeing this, Xie Ling immediately called an ambulance. Once the call was done, he couldn’t help but pat Qin Han’s back soothingly. “It’s okay. The ambulance will be here soon.”
He didn’t know what was wrong with Qin Han, but he could sense something off from the fluctuations in his pheromones.
It wasn’t the crushing, ferocious violence from moments ago, nor the peaceful tenderness he exuded when comforting him usually.
Helpless, chaotic—like a child trapped in an iron cage, slamming against the bars with his bare flesh until his head bled.
“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Xie Ling kept patting Qin Han’s back. He didn’t know why he was doing it, but it seemed like if he didn’t, he couldn’t ease the inexplicable anxiety gnawing at him.
Though Qin Han couldn’t move or speak, he was still conscious. Feeling Xie Ling touch him, the little figure in his mind curved its lips slightly. Mustering all his strength, he shifted a few millimeters closer into Xie Ling’s embrace.
That tiny, almost imperceptible movement caught Xie Ling’s attention. He touched Qin Han’s hand. “Are you cold? Should we go downstairs to wait?”
Qin Han: “Mm—”
A soft sound, like a baby’s babble in sleep.
It was hard to imagine such a mushy noise coming from Qin Han. Xie Ling paused, and a gentle smile softened the tension in his furrowed brow.
Once Yu Rong had caught his breath, he saw Xie Ling trying to hoist Qin Han onto his shoulder and quickly raised a hand. “Let me.”
Qin Han: “Mm!”
Yu Rong: “…”
Xie Ling chuckled helplessly. He slung Qin Han’s arm over his own shoulder and said to Yu Rong, “I’ll handle it. You two might clash again later.”
With that, he wrapped an arm around Qin Han’s waist and headed off.
Yu Rong watched Xie Ling’s retreating back, then glanced at Qin Han leaning against him. For a fleeting moment, it felt like looking at their childhood selves.
Except the person by Xie Ling’s side was no longer him.
It was as if a piece of his heart had caved in. Yu Rong’s raised hand dropped limply. Just then, Xie Ling turned back from the doorway. “Son, come on. You’ll need to get checked at the hospital too.”
Yu Rong paused, then clicked his tongue in annoyance and followed.
~~~
Xiao Yanfei and the others had been wondering why the three of them were taking so long in the bathroom. After getting the news over the phone, they rushed down to the lobby.
Seven or eight minutes later, a car screeched to a stop outside the restaurant—but it wasn’t the ambulance.
Qin Huai strode in, his eyes scanning the room. “Little Ling!”
“Brother Qin Huai?!” Xie Ling recognized him and was shocked to see him there. “Why are you here?”
The chip in Qin Han’s body contained a nano alarm device linked to Qin Huai’s phone. Once the anesthetic leaked, the alarm would trigger, and Qin Huai’s phone would get the alert immediately.
Qin Huai stepped forward to check Qin Han’s condition. After a moment, he sighed and said to Xie Ling and the cluster of classmates around them, “Thanks for your help. I’ll take him from here.”
Xie Ling said, “I’ve already called an ambulance…”
“The ambulance won’t do much good. I’ll take him home first.”
Qin Huai’s lab was working on a major research project that couldn’t accommodate outsiders. Knowing Qin Han was in trouble, he’d already summoned all the relevant doctors to his home on the way over and brought the necessary equipment.
Qin Huai reached out hurriedly to lift Qin Han. But the moment his hand touched Qin Han’s back—
Qin Han: “Mm!”
Qin Huai: “…?”
He’d been too rushed coming in to notice earlier, but now, looking closely, Qin Huai realized something was off.
Qin Han might have looked like he was lying on the sofa, but his head and neck were actually pillowed on Xie Ling’s thigh. And when he’d sensed Qin Huai about to touch him, he’d somehow pushed past the anesthetic’s physical limits—
Hooking Xie Ling’s pinky finger with his own little finger.
He had no doubt that if the dose of anesthetic had been even a little lighter, his own little brother would have plastered himself entirely onto the other guy.
For a moment, Qin Huai wasn’t sure whether to admire Qin Han’s ironclad physique as a top-tier Alpha or sigh over his immense obsession with the one he loved.
Xie Ling noticed Qin Huai and the other classmates staring at their hooked pinkies. Feeling a touch awkward, he cleared his throat. “Brother Qin Huai, how about I go with you?”
He had realized earlier that once Qin Han went limp, his dependence on Xie Ling spiked. Anyone else who came within ten feet of him got growled away.
Qin Huai said nothing. He glanced down at Qin Han’s childish gesture. Childish as it was, if he tried to force the issue, who knew what his brother might do to push past his physical limits.
After a moment’s thought, Qin Huai stepped forward and delivered a sharp chop to knock him out cold.
Xie Ling watched in a daze as Qin Huai hauled the now utterly defenseless Qin Han off him.
The warmth from that hooked pinky still lingered on his finger. For some reason, Xie Ling stood up on instinct. “Brother Qin Huai…”
“Little Ling.” Qin Huai, supporting Qin Han, turned to look at the thoroughly bewildered boy. After a pause, he sighed softly, as if in utter helplessness. “Head back. Don’t follow.”
~~~
Once Qin Huai had taken Qin Han away, everyone else dispersed as well. Xie Ling accompanied Yu Rong to the hospital for a checkup, but his mind was entirely on Qin Huai’s expression and tone from that final exchange.
Though they hadn’t met many times, Qin Huai had always struck Xie Ling as lighthearted. He rarely looked so helpless—downright heavy-hearted, even.
Qin Huai clearly knew what was wrong with Qin Han. Could it be… could it be some kind of terminal illness?
No way. A top-tier Alpha should have a body like steel.
Xie Ling mulled it over, growing more and more restless by the second.
Just then, Yu Rong emerged from his checkup. “I’m fine. Let’s head back…”
“Good to hear. You go home and rest up first, Dad’s got something to take care of. I’ll grab you something tasty later.”
The words tumbled out of Xie Ling’s mouth. He quickly soothed his son Yu Rong and hurried out of the hospital.
~~~
After leaving the hospital, Xie Ling immediately hit up Xie Cheng for Qin Han’s address, then hopped straight into a cab.
The Qin Family Main House sat on a mountain in the suburbs of S City, surrounded by a sprawling estate of villas—all theirs. But it wasn’t convenient for getting around, so Qin Han lived in a villa downtown.
By the time Xie Ling arrived, rain had started to fall. He had no umbrella and didn’t care. He dashed right up to Qin Han’s front door.
Qin Huai happened to be seeing off a doctor from the Research Institute. Xie Ling ran up. “Brother Qin Huai!”
His breathing was ragged. “How’s Qin Han?”
Qin Huai blinked, surprised that Xie Ling had followed after all. He paused, then said, “The doctor’s checked him out. He’s fine.”
Xie Ling didn’t relax. “Can I see him?”
Qin Huai smiled. “Afraid not. He’s already resting. I’ll have him call you when he wakes up tomorrow.”
Xie Ling narrowed his eyes slightly. He might be dense in some ways, but he was sharp about most things. Qin Huai’s expression gave nothing away, yet something felt off.
Qin Huai was nearly a decade older than Xie Ling, and years of experience had made him a shrewd operator. Even so, under Xie Ling’s steady gaze, he inexplicably felt a twinge of guilt.
He averted his eyes a fraction and chuckled. “Storm’s about to hit. Come in and wait it out. I scored two volumes of that manga you love from a friend the other day…”
“No thanks.” Xie Ling casually glanced past Qin Huai at a second-floor window of the villa. He smiled. “If he’s okay, that’s a relief. I’ll head out then.”
~~~
After seeing Xie Ling off, Qin Huai headed up to Qin Han’s room on the second floor.
The room was dark. The Alpha, his limbs bound in iron manacles, slumped against the wall in the corner. Flaxen bangs shrouded half his eye, his expression one of utter desolation.
Qin Huai sighed. “The floor’s cold. Why not sit on the bed?”
Qin Han didn’t respond.
Qin Huai went on. “Little Ling was just here.”
Qin Han straightened slightly, a spark flickering in his vacant gaze.
Qin Huai added, “But I sent him away.”
Qin Han: “…”
“Second Brother…” After the doctor’s ministrations, Qin Han’s awareness, speech, and mobility had mostly returned.
“Doesn’t matter if you call me Second Brother.”
Qin Han paused. The spark that had just ignited snuffed out, and he slumped back into the corner.
Qin Huai shook his head helplessly. “You… I even warned you over the phone to steer clear of anything that might set you off. And now look at the mess.”
“…Back then, I couldn’t just let him go.”
Any other Alpha, hearing a rival talk marriage with their beloved, would’ve reacted the same under normal circumstances.
Let alone him—a top-tier Alpha in a fragile mental state, teetering on the edge of his Susceptible Period.
Not chasing after would have left him tormented by his own imagination, enough to drive him mad.
“Sigh, you did chase him down. But now?” Qin Huai rubbed his temples. “You haven’t forgotten our deal from last time, right?”
Qin Han gave the faintest nod.
Qin Huai’s heart ached at the sight, but he steeled himself. “You’re still dead set against telling Little Ling the truth?”
Qin Han fell silent for a long stretch before rasping, “No.”
“Then…” Qin Huai said slowly, “I’ll tell Grandma and ship you back to America. No objections?”
Qin Han clenched his fists, knuckles bleaching white. The taste of blood flooded his mouth from biting his gums raw in restraint.
“I…”
“I object.”
A clear voice cut in abruptly from the window.
Qin Han’s pupils dilated in shock. He looked up to see Xie Ling perched on the sill outside. Lightning cracked amid thunder, shadows dancing. In the flashes, the boy’s clothes clung sodden to his frame.
For an instant, Qin Han thought he was dreaming.
Xie Ling shoved the window open and vaulted inside with fluid grace, utterly calm as if he weren’t breaking and entering.
Dripping chill rainwater, he strode to Qin Han and crouched down.
“Look at me,” Xie Ling said.
Qin Han snapped out of his daze. A faint smile ghosted across his pale face. “I’ve never stopped.”
“Good boy.” Xie Ling smiled too. Rain trailed from his cheek to his jaw. He fixed Qin Han with a gaze both tender and commanding. “Without my say-so, you’re not going anywhere.”
