Chapter 62

Xie Ling’s pupils trembled faintly. He fell silent for a moment before saying softly, “Qin Han…”

“Hm?” Every syllable from the Alpha brimmed with tender affection.

“Truth is, I’ve never really thought about spending my life with anyone—especially not an Alpha.”

Unlike his flustered panic during the last confession, Xie Ling was far calmer this time. Even though his words weren’t exactly what Qin Han yearned to hear, Qin Han tamped down his inner impatience and coaxed gently, “What about now?”

“Now…” Xie Ling scratched his head. “Let me put it this way. Growing up watching my parents, I saw how great their relationship was, but these past years haven’t been easy for them at all. And then there’s my uncle’s situation. I swore I’d stay single for life. I don’t want any deep bonds with anyone, or to be controlled by a marking. I figured life alone would be freer, more my own.”

Qin Han’s heart sank little by little with Xie Ling’s words. He could tell this was the result of serious reflection on Xie Ling’s part.

So after all that careful thought, this was his serious rejection?

“If you’re with me, I swear I won’t restrict your freedom. I won’t let you feel the slightest discomfort.”

Even if it felt hopeless, Qin Han couldn’t stop himself from trying to salvage things.

But the next moment, Xie Ling suddenly smiled—that bright, radiant smile Qin Han knew so well. “I know. Our Qin God is amazing. He’d never make me uncomfortable.”

Qin Han froze.

“But those ideas got ingrained in me over more than a decade. Sure, I’m badass, but I can’t just flip them overnight. That’s why my head’s still only half on board.”

“And we’re a perfect AO match to begin with, so yeah, physiologically and psychologically, it’s easy to get drawn to each other. You might have it all sorted out, but I’m still a mess. So…” Xie Ling swallowed his embarrassment and forced himself to meet Qin Han’s eyes squarely. “Even now, on instinct, I kinda… like you a little. But…”

He trailed off as Qin Han’s lips captured his.

Xie Ling’s eyes flew wide. He felt Qin Han’s tongue nudge against his lips, trying to pry them apart.

His mind went blank with heat—especially when he spotted shadows that looked like Xiao Yanfei and Zhang Chengrui at the hallway entrance nearby. Xie Ling shoved Qin Han away at once.

His face burned crimson as he stammered, “You… I wasn’t finished!”

Qin Han let out a muffled chuckle. “Sorry. Hearing you say you like me just made me too happy.”

Xie Ling corrected him in a small voice. “I said ‘a little.’ There’s still so much I haven’t figured out. I can’t respond to you with that mindset…”

“I can wait.” Qin Han’s heart hammered wildly as he clutched Xie Ling tight. “No matter how long it takes.”

Just hearing “kinda like” from Xie Ling’s lips was enough to make his heart explode.

But it still wasn’t enough. He wasn’t satisfied. He wanted to delve deeper, to make this person his completely—body and soul.

Xie Ling was startled by the resolve in Qin Han’s voice. At the same time, a sour ache twisted in his chest.

A guy this incredible, brought to this state because of him…

“Actually, I know I’m being pretty scummy.” Little Xie Ling started reflecting on himself. “Not giving you a straight answer but keeping you hanging. Seriously, if you ever get fed up, you have to…”

“I won’t get fed up.” Qin Han cut him off, his gaze lingering on the lips he’d just touched as he smiled. “Keep talking nonsense, and I’ll kiss you again.”

Xie Ling jumped and clapped a hand over his mouth.

“Qin God!” Xiao Yanfei and Zhang Chengrui came running out of the dorm building.

Seizing the moment before they arrived, Qin Han stole a quick peck on the back of Xie Ling’s hand in their blind spot and chuckled softly. “Good night.”

Xie Ling: !!!

He realized he never should have admitted to liking him even a little! No way! He had to keep his distance from this guy from now on!

~~~

Qin Han rested for three days on his medical excuse, but per the rules, he had to rejoin the class activities afterward.

That afternoon’s task was digging sweet potatoes in the fields—an event that counted toward their exam scores. The evaluation was brutally straightforward: the more you dug, the higher your score, capped at fifteen points.

Worried Qin Han’s injury hadn’t fully healed, Xie Ling kept him from lifting a finger the whole time. He wielded a small, battered shovel, digging double portions and tossing sweet potato after sweet potato into Qin Han’s basket whenever the patrolling teacher looked away.

The weather wasn’t hot, but the physical labor still left Xie Ling sweating from his forehead down to his neck. Qin Han watched with an ache in his chest. “Let me take over. My injury’s really fine now.”

“Don’t move.” Xie Ling smacked away the hand reaching for the shovel and whispered, “Just two more, and you’ll hit full marks.”

With that, he bent down and dug away with gusto. He’d shed his outermost army-green camouflage jacket, leaving just a long-sleeved white T-shirt tucked into his pants as required. The motion outlined a sleek, elegant line at his waist—impossible to ignore.

Qin Han’s Adam’s apple bobbed as his eyes darkened.

He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and leaned in to wipe Xie Ling’s sweat.

The gesture instantly drew countless stares their way.

It was odd, really. Over the past couple of days, he’d felt like everyone at camp—teachers and students from their school or others—was sneaking glances at them. And it wasn’t the usual “check out the hot guys” kind of look.

“No, really, no need.” Xie Ling tried to duck away. “A little sweat’s nothing for someone strong like me.”

Seeing him fidget, Qin Han murmured, “Keep squirming, and I’ll hold your hand while I wipe.”

Threat! Pure threat!

Xie Ling knew he was capable of it, so he feigned nonchalance and endured the barrage of weird stares as Qin Han dabbed at his sweat.

Once finished, Zheng Qianqian called Qin Han over to check on his injury.

From afar, Xia Yu spotted Qin Han walking off. He immediately dumped his work on Xiao Yanfei—who had snuck over from the next class to help—and sidled up to Xie Ling.

Xie Ling caught his sly, knowing grin and grinned back. “What’s got you smiling like that? Looks like Xiao Yanfei’s digging to your liking.”

He’d meant nothing by it, but Xia Yu inexplicably flushed. He pivoted fast. “Hey, how were the stars on that little hill the other night?”

“Beautiful.” Xie Ling answered before it hit him, and his eyes snapped wide. “Wait—how did you know we went stargazing?!”

Xia Yu let out a sleazy snicker. “If you don’t want anyone knowing, don’t do it. That squeaky voice you were making up there? Most folks might miss it, but Little Ruirui’s got sharp ears.”

Xie Ling: “…”

Fair enough. Zhang Chengrui might be dense most days, but he’d caught them skipping class together before—and Xie Ling had made similar noises then. No wonder he’d picked up on it.

“Hey, hey, wasn’t Qin God super romantic? Taking you up to the hill for stars. The school forum’s blown up about it. Even kids from other schools know now—they’re all saying you two are definitely a thing.”

…

No wonder the looks they’d been getting lately felt so off.

Mu Yin had even dropped hints, subtle and not-so-subtle, several times.

She must have been the one who posted about that night.

“What ‘thing’ could we possibly have?” Xie Ling’s gaze darted away as he kept his head down, digging. “Forum folks just love their gossip. Can’t take it seriously.”

“Who says it’s gossip?” Xia Yu nudged him with his shoulder. “Back then, right in front of Lin Mo, you grabbed his hand and said all that stuff. The forum’s shipping you two like crazy. Hey, you really turned Qin God down? Nothing happened after?”

The gossip flames roared. Xie Ling could tell that unless he satisfied Classmate Xia Yu’s burning curiosity, the guy would hound him till graduation.

A flash of that night crossed his mind, heating his ears. Xie Ling put on his best worldly act and deflected. “Eh, nothing much. He kissed my cheek and confessed again, that’s all.”

!!!

He’d kissed him?!

So juicy!!

“And then? Then what?”

“Then I rejected him again, obviously.”

True—he hadn’t agreed to anything. As for admitting later that he kinda liked Qin Han… best left unsaid.

Xia Yu’s face practically screamed, You rejected him twice? You actually rejected him twice?

“Anything else?” he pressed relentlessly.

Xie Ling chuckled. “What else is there?”

“Xiao Yanfei said you two came back covered in mud, Qin God’s back was hurt, your clothes were torn… so…” Xia Yu dropped his voice even lower and summed up his million-word fanfic. “Did Qin God try to force you into some outdoor fun? You resisted, he pushed, you tore at each other, tumbled down the hill together, and—mmph!”

Halfway through, Xia Yu’s mouth was clamped shut by Xie Ling’s hand.

Xie Ling eyed him with an amused half-smile. “Classmate Xia Yu, keep going, and I’ll report you to the teacher for slacking off with Xiao Yanfei digging your share.”

Xia Yu shook his head frantically, his eyes drifting past Xie Ling. “Mmph!”

Xie Ling paused, then turned to find Qin Han standing right behind him.

Xia Yu yanked Xie Ling’s hand off his mouth, flashed Qin Han a grin, and whispered to Xie Ling, “You’re on your own.”

Then he bolted.

“…” Xie Ling cleared his throat. “Uh, anyway, your sweet potatoes are all dug. Full marks, no problem.”

Earlier, Xia Yu had spoken so softly that he probably hadn’t heard.

Qin Han smiled. “Thanks.”

“No big deal.”

Good. It looked like he really hadn’t heard…

“That outdoor romp Xia Yu mentioned sounds pretty stimulating.”

Xie Ling: !!!

Leaning in close under the pretense of inspecting a sweet potato, Qin Han murmured in a voice only the two of them could hear, “But that’s too rough. You wouldn’t want it anyway, and you could get hurt. I couldn’t bear that.”

“…”

Qin Han picked up a sweet potato and fiddled with the dirt on it while smiling. “If we really end up together someday, we should do it on the bed instead. I haven’t tried that sort of thing before, but I’m a quick learner. I can definitely satisfy you…”

Xie Ling’s face flushed as red as the sweet potato.

“But if you like doing it outdoors, that’s fine too—as long as it’s in the little garden I build for you. The woods outside are filthy. If they ruined your skin, I’d lose my mind…”

“Qin Han!” Xie Ling finally snapped.

His outburst drew the eyes of their classmates, who hadn’t noticed them before. Though no one knew what was going on, they saw Ling Bro’s ears turn bright red as he faced Qin God. Remembering the rumors of the past few days, they couldn’t help stifling snickers.

“…” Everything had changed. In the past, their gazes had held only awe and admiration. But now!!

A wave of sorrow washed over Xie Ling, and he shot Qin Han a fierce glare.

Qin Han fought back his laughter. In the blind spot of everyone’s view, he slipped a milk candy into Xie Ling’s hand and whispered, “Sorry. I like you too much. I couldn’t help myself.”

Xie Ling: “…”

“During lunch break today, I made more candy for you. It took over an hour, and I even burned my hand.” Qin Han pitifully pressed more candies into Xie Ling’s palm. “They’re all for you. Don’t be mad, okay?”

Xie Ling glanced at the candies, then at the blister on Qin Han’s hand. After a long moment, he let out a soft hum. “No more nonsense next time.”

Qin Han’s smile lit up his face. “Okay.”

Xie Ling: “…” He remembered the last time something similar had happened—Qin Han had agreed just as readily.

~~~

After dinner, back in the dorm, Xie Ling replayed the day’s events in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he had no principles when it came to Qin Han.

If they were officially dating, that would be one thing. But with their current ambiguous relationship, he really ought to keep some distance.

His ears burned red as he resolved not to indulge Qin Han so much next time. Then his phone rang.

It was Qin Han.

Xie Ling: “…”

He picked up, and Qin Han’s voice came through in a whiny, coquettish tone. “Little Ling, come help me bathe tonight, okay?”

Xie Ling shot back rapidly, “No.”

Qin Han sounded surprised by his firm tone but remained patient. “The wound on my back hasn’t healed yet. It’s hard to reach. If I accidentally reopen it, it’ll bleed a ton, hurt like hell, and probably get infected…”

Xie Ling pictured it, and his resolve—which had barely lasted two seconds—began to crumble.

No! You have to stay firm, Xie Little Ling!

He forced his voice to stay even. “This afternoon, you said it was fine.”

Qin Han replied matter-of-factly, “That was just because you looked tired. It still bothers me a bit.”

“…” Xie Ling hesitated. “I think your wound shouldn’t get wet.”

“But I haven’t bathed in two days. Pretty soon, I’ll start to stink.”

“No, you won’t. It’s not hot, and you haven’t been doing any manual labor. How could you stink?” Xie Ling babbled on. “Besides, our Qin God is so naturally gorgeous that even if you didn’t bathe for ten years, you’d still smell amazing. Stink has nothing to do with you.”

Silence hung in the air for two seconds.

“…You’re really not coming?” Qin Han’s voice cracked, sounding on the verge of tears.

Xie Ling suddenly felt terribly guilty. He pressed his lips together, about to reply, when the background noise on the other end grew chaotic, as if someone were talking to Qin Han.

When things quieted down, Qin Han said, “Then rest well. I’ve got to go bathe soon. Goodnight.”

He hung up.

Xie Ling listened to the dial tone. As far as he could recall, this was the first time Qin Han had ended the call before him.

And he’d specifically emphasized the bathing part.

…Damn it. On purpose. Absolutely on purpose.

Xie Ling rolled restlessly on his bed for a moment. Then the dorm door opened.

Xia Yu was helping an Omega from their Class 7 inside. Xie Ling hopped down from his bed to lend a hand and glanced at the Omega’s swollen ankle. “What happened?”

The Omega had twisted his ankle during the afternoon activities. They’d done some emergency treatment at the time, and it hadn’t seemed too bad, but now it looked even worse.

The Omega started, “I didn’t…”

Xia Yu cut in with a sigh. “He didn’t want to trouble us, so he snuck off to bathe by himself. He bumped it again. Luckily, I ran into him and got him to the medical office in time. Here’s some more medicine they gave him.”

“That needs proper rest,” Xie Ling said. His mind wandered for a moment, then he shrugged on his jacket.

Xia Yu blinked. “Hey, Little Lingling, where are you going?”

Xie Ling waved him off. “Night run.”

~~~

The so-called night runner wasted no time after leaving the dorm. He didn’t head for the track—instead, he made a beeline for the Alpha Dorm Building.

Sure, he couldn’t keep indulging Qin Han. But Qin Han had gotten injured for his sake, after all. Out of basic decency, helping with a bath was the least he could do.

Xie Ling ran along, coming up with excuses to justify flipping his own resolution. As he rounded a corner, he heard a voice.

“I heard you got hurt. With all the activities at our school lately, I couldn’t come by sooner. I brought some medicine for you.”

Xie Ling’s pupils contracted slightly. It was that Omega named Lin Mo.

He hesitated, then pressed himself against the wall instead of stepping out. He peeked around the corner.

~~~

Qin Han and Lin Mo stood under the Alpha Dorm Building. It was free time, and most students from First High School were off bathing, so there weren’t many people coming and going. Their voices carried clearly.

“Thanks,” Qin Han said flatly. “Someone’s already applying medicine for me. I don’t need these.”

Lin Mo’s lips pressed together when Qin Han didn’t even glance at the bag he’d offered. His gaze fell on the item in Qin Han’s hand, and he smiled. “Are you heading to bathe?”

Qin Han nodded. “Yeah. I’m in a hurry, so could you step aside?”

The dismissal was obvious, but Lin Mo acted oblivious. “I passed by your school’s bathhouse on the way here. It was packed. With your injury, that might be inconvenient.”

Qin Han’s tone grew even cooler. “That’s none of your business.”

Lin Mo didn’t seem embarrassed. He kept smiling. “What I mean is, our side has a different schedule. Most people have already finished bathing. Why don’t you use the Alpha bath at our school? I know the manager there. Given your situation, one word from me, and you should be able to get in.”

Qin Han raised an eyebrow. “Our school?”

“Yeah…” Lin Mo’s cheeks colored faintly with shyness. “It’d be hard for you to manage alone anyway. We’re going to get engaged eventually. I can help you wash.”