On the day of the Art Festival, Xie Ling’s class play was scheduled for the afternoon, so they spent the morning in the auditorium as audience members.
The first play was from Xiao Yanfei’s class: Cinderella. Their class’s original Cinderella was an Omega, but that classmate had suddenly come down with acute gastritis while changing and had been rushed to the hospital.
None of the other kids in their class had much talent for acting. But Xia Yu had played Cinderella in his class back in freshman year, so Xiao Yanfei had boldly crashed the other class and dragged him over to star in it.
“Ling Bro, Ling Bro! Over here!” Zhang Chengrui had snagged a prime viewing spot. He’d left the seat to his left open for Mu Yin, and the two to his right were saved for Xie Ling and Qin Han.
Xie Ling slid into his seat, and Zhang Chengrui glanced around. “Huh, Ling Bro, where’s Qin God?”
“The teacher needed him for something. He’ll be here later.”
“Oh.” Zhang Chengrui pulled a pack of spicy strips from his pocket. “Want some, Ling Bro? New flavor, new packaging.”
“Thanks.”
Xie Ling smiled and reached for them, but Zhang Chengrui suddenly looked toward the side door. “Hey, isn’t that Qin God and Lin Mo?”
Xie Ling paused and followed his gaze. Sure enough, Lin Mo and Qin Han were walking in together.
Qin Han’s expression was the same as always, but Lin Mo kept chattering and laughing beside him. Midway through, as if sensing something, Lin Mo suddenly glanced toward Xie Ling.
Xie Ling couldn’t be bothered to spare him a look. Instead, he waved at Qin Han, motioning him over.
Qin Han smiled, but just then, Lin Mo said something to him.
The smile faded slightly from Qin Han’s face. Xie Ling watched as Qin Han tapped away on his phone for a moment, then turned without a word and headed in the opposite direction.
Xie Ling froze for a second, then quickly checked his own phone. A WeChat message from Qin Han popped up.
Universe’s Second Hottest Guy: Got something to handle. Won’t sit with you guys. Go easy on the spicy strips—they’ll give you heartburn.
Xie Ling looked up to find Lin Mo in their spot, grinning and waving at him.
“Why didn’t Qin God come over? And why’d that Lin Mo drag him off? They’ve been hanging out a lot lately.” Zhang Chengrui sounded puzzled. Seeing Xie Ling just sitting there silently, he pushed the spicy strips closer. “Ling Bro, eat up.”
“Nah, I’m good.” Xie Ling lowered his gaze, then abruptly stood and shrugged on his jacket. “Gonna step out for a bit.”
“Huh? Where you going? You skipping Xiao Yanfei and Xia Yu’s show?”
Xie Ling didn’t answer. He vanished from Zhang Chengrui’s sight in a flash.
Just then, Mu Yin arrived. Zhang Chengrui let out a heavy sigh.
“What’s up?” Mu Yin asked.
Zhang Chengrui looked pitiful. “I’m wondering if I’ve fallen out of favor. Lately, Ling Bro hasn’t played ball with me, hasn’t called me up for late-night gaming, hasn’t even ditched class with me anymore. Waaah.”
Mu Yin patted his head. “I know how to get you back in his good graces.”
“Really?!”
“Mm-hmm.” Mu Yin flashed a deceptively sweet smile. “Just go beat the crap out of that little shit Lin Mo.”
Zhang Chengrui: “???”
~~~
Xie Ling snuck out of school and headed straight to the convenience store across the street, where he bought two packs of cigarettes.
With the Art Festival in full swing, Director Cai was run off his feet and had no time to patrol for First High students breaking the rules nearby. Xie Ling bought his smokes without issue and crouched at the mouth of a nearby alley to light up.
He’d only picked up the habit in the last couple of weeks and wasn’t used to it yet. Before long, he was coughing his lungs out.
It sucked. He still couldn’t handle it. And yet, Qin Han had always made it look so elegant…
Qin Han.
Xie Ling didn’t know what crossed his mind, but he started puffing away harder.
He lost track of time. By the time both packs were nearly gone, his phone buzzed.
He picked up. It was Xiao Yanfei. “Xie Ling, you seen Xia Yu?”
Xie Ling coughed, his voice hoarse. “Nope. What’s up? I’m not at school.”
“Shit…”
“What happened?” Xie Ling caught the hesitation and chuckled lightly. “You’re hemming and hawing—not like you.”
“Well, he’s playing Cinderella in our class today, right? I’m the prince. On stage, he looked so damn good, I couldn’t help but really kiss him. Even confessed. Then he bolted—probably freaked him out.”
Xie Ling let out a shocked “Holy shit,” but before he could process Xiao Yanfei’s bold words, he blurted, “You confessed to him? Since when do you like him?”
Silence. Xiao Yanfei wasn’t about to argue the point with this dumbass. “We’ve got stuff going on in class. If you see him, talk him down for me. He listens to you.”
Xie Ling agreed without hesitation. He hung up just as Xia Yu—who’d clearly snuck out too—came into view.
Xie Ling called out to him. Xia Yu jogged over, eyes still a bit red. When he spotted the scattered cigarette butts at Xie Ling’s feet, he looked horrified. “Little Lingling! When did you start smoking?!”
“Just recently.” Xie Ling brushed it off casually and changed the subject. “Xiao Yanfei just called. He’s freaking out. What’s the deal with you two?”
Xia Yu hesitated, then hugged his knees and sat beside Xie Ling. He glanced at Xie Ling’s weary expression and began recounting an old story.
Back in middle school first year, Xia Yu had learned he was an Omega through genetic testing. There was an Alpha in his class back then, and by coincidence, they were a perfect match. Even better—or worse—that guy was the son of his mom’s friend.
They’d hung out a lot before that because their families were close, and they’d gotten along great. Then the Alpha said he wanted to pursue Xia Yu.
“I didn’t really feel anything for him—just saw him as a friend. I didn’t take his pursuit seriously until third year, when we Differentiated for real…” Xia Yu trailed off, clutching his shirt tighter.
Not long after they Differentiated, the families went on another trip together. That night, they were staying in a hotel. Xia Yu was dead asleep when he felt someone kissing him—and a hand slipping under his clothes.
“I freaked out. Opened my eyes, and it was him. Unlike you, Little Lingling, I don’t have any fighting skills. If I hadn’t screamed my head off and woken my mom and the others…” He shuddered as he spoke.
Xie Ling had never imagined sunny Xia Yu had been through something like that. His heart ached. He cursed under his breath. “What a scumbag. Where’s that little bastard now?”
“After that, our families cut ties. No idea where they went.”
Xie Ling finally got why Xia Yu loved ogling hot guys, why so many had chased him, but he’d never said yes. That incident must have left a deep scar.
No wonder he’d reacted that way to Xiao Yanfei’s kiss and confession.
Xia Yu was shaking harder now. Xie Ling instinctively reached into his pocket, meaning to pull out a piece of candy to comfort him. All he found was the wrapper.
A milk candy wrapper. The milk candies Qin Han had made for him were long gone; only the wrapper remained.
Xie Ling wasn’t sure why he still carried it. He just remembered Qin Han saying he’d printed and made the wrappers himself.
Xia Yu had noticed Xie Ling sneaking candies before and guessed they were Qin Han’s homemade milk candies.
Seeing him stare at the wrapper now, Xia Yu asked, “Little Lingling, do you like Qin God these days?”
Xie Ling hadn’t expected the conversation to turn on him. After a moment’s silence, he tugged at his lips. “What’s the point? He doesn’t like me anymore anyway.”
Ever since Lin Mo had said whatever he’d said that day, Xie Ling had thought about it a lot. He knew Lin Mo was up to no good, but Qin Han’s change in attitude was real. What else could it mean besides falling out of like?
Xia Yu watched Xie Ling’s hand clench tighter. “We all saw how much Qin God likes you. I don’t think that’s changed.”
Xie Ling gave a wry smile, about to reply, when Xia Yu continued. “You told me before that you kinda like Qin God, but you worried it was just because you’re perfectly compatible. I wanted to tell you my story back then.”
“Instinct is powerful, sure, but perfect matches can hate each other too—like me and that guy. If you really didn’t like Qin God, no amount of compatibility would’ve made you admit you kinda did.”
Xie Ling went still.
“Little Lingling,” Xia Yu said, turning to him with earnest eyes, “you’re our Ling Bro. Dodging problems isn’t your style.”
Before the words had even settled, a shout came from across the street: “Brother Qin Han!”
They looked over. Qin Han had emerged from the school gates, glancing around like he was searching for someone. But just as he started to look their way, Lin Mo chased after him.
Lin Mo said something—two sentences—and reached for Qin Han’s hand. Qin Han sidestepped, but instead of coming over, he turned back toward the school as if he’d heard Lin Mo out.
“Fuck,” Xia Yu muttered. “I’ve put up with that little shit for too long. What the hell? Can’t he see Qin God doesn’t want to deal with him?”
Just thinking about how Lin Mo had been clinging to Qin Han lately, leaving Xie Ling in such a poor state, made Xia Yu fume with anger. He was already in a foul mood that day, so upon seeing this, he rolled up his sleeves and made to dash back to school to teach the guy a lesson. But suddenly, a hand blocked his path.
Xia Yu paused, looking up. “Little Lingling?”
Xie Ling didn’t know when he had stood up, but he was grinding a pile of cigarette butts underfoot. He gazed toward the school gate and said to Xia Yu, “You should call Xiao Yanfei back first. He’s probably losing his mind by now.”
“But that little slut…”
“Didn’t you just say Ling Bro never shies away from problems?” Xie Ling turned to him with a smile—bright, bold, confident, and sharp, just like the Xie Ling etched in Xia Yu’s memory.
~~~
Though Class 7’s performance wasn’t until the afternoon, they had to head to the backstage early to change clothes and do makeup.
But at this critical moment, the actress playing the female lead—the one with the most elaborate costume—had gone missing. Qin Han had searched every possible spot in the school where Xie Ling might be, but there was no sign of him. Figuring he must have left campus, Qin Han was about to head out when Lin Mo caught up and dragged him back to the classroom.
The other students had either gone to prepare their acts or to watch as audience members, leaving the classroom completely empty.
Qin Han said flatly, “I’m very busy right now. I don’t have time to tutor you.”
“Busy looking for Xie Ling?” Lin Mo smiled. “Brother Qin Han, didn’t you promise to keep your distance from him?”
A flash of malice crossed Qin Han’s eyes. “Don’t push your luck.”
“Oh, don’t be mad.” Emboldened by the leverage he held, Lin Mo wasn’t afraid of Qin Han at all. He grinned. “Brother Qin Han, why don’t you mark me?”
Qin Han stared at him, his face expressionless.
Lin Mo had always considered himself quite charming, and objectively speaking, he was good-looking. In the past, a mere crook of his finger had been enough to hook any Alpha. But lately, even though he’d spent plenty of time with Qin Han and dropped all sorts of hints, Qin Han only ever taught him lessons—never an extra word, let alone any physical contact.
His initial plan with the blackmail had been to force some time together, then gradually win Qin Han over with his own allure.
Yet there had been zero progress so far.
As expected of the Alpha he desired—not so easy to claim. But that was what made it exciting.
Lin Mo smiled and, with no one else around, released his pheromones.
The air instantly filled with a cloying white lotus scent.
Any other Alpha would have been driven wild-eyed with arousal by an Omega’s pheromones laced with such blatant seduction. But Qin Han’s expression didn’t even flicker. If anything, a hint of mockery appeared on his face. “When I first walked in, I thought the classroom was stuffy with some weird smell because it wasn’t aired out. Now that you’ve released your pheromones, I realize I was overreacting.”
Lin Mo’s face fell. What did that mean? Was Qin Han saying his pheromones were worse than the classroom’s stale odor?
Remembering the longing for Xie Ling’s pheromones that Qin Han had written about in the diary, the comparison hit Lin Mo like a massive insult.
He curled his lips into a smirk and shot back a smile of his own. “Brother Qin Han, you’re marking me today, no matter what.”
Qin Han ignored him and turned to leave.
“If you walk out that door,” Lin Mo called after him, “I’ll tell Xie Ling everything from your diary.”
Qin Han’s footsteps halted. He whipped around, glaring at Lin Mo with icy coldness. “You’d better not push me too far.”
Lin Mo chuckled. “You don’t need to warn me about the consequences. I just want to achieve my goal right now. As long as you mark me, I’ll do anything you ask.”
“Or I could just expose it all. With his personality, guess how much he’ll end up hating you? You two might as well end up like Persephone and Hades.”
Qin Han clenched his fists, his breathing growing erratic.
Alphas were inherently susceptible to Omega pheromones—it was simple biology. Up until now, he’d resisted Lin Mo’s influence because he was a top-tier Alpha with powerful mental strength and specialized training.
But Lin Mo’s words had stabbed right at his deepest fears.
As his breathing grew disordered, sweat beaded on his forehead. Qin Han gripped the edge of a nearby desk, desperately fighting off the interference from Lin Mo’s pheromones.
Yet such barriers were like a dam holding back a flood. Once a crack formed, the breach only widened.
Seeing Qin Han succumbing to his influence at last, excitement gleamed in Lin Mo’s eyes.
Finally, this man would be his… He should have tried this tactic sooner, but it wasn’t too late now.
His eyes sparkling, Lin Mo lunged forward to wrap his arms around Qin Han’s waist from behind—only for someone to yank him back by the collar.
His back slammed into the wall with a burst of sharp pain, and his throat constricted from the sudden pull, leaving him nearly choking.
He coughed violently and looked up to find Xie Ling standing right in front of him.
“In heat, are we?” Xie Ling loomed over him with a thin, chilling smile. “If you want to throw yourself at someone, pick another target. Don’t touch what’s mine.”
Lin Mo’s eyes widened in shock.
Qin Han, who had just started to steady his breathing nearby, was utterly dumbfounded. He even wondered if his ears were playing tricks on him.
Xie Ling turned to him. “Qin God, that expression doesn’t suit you at all.”
Qin Han’s lips parted. “What you just said…”
“Didn’t catch that?” Xie Ling laughed. “Let me make it crystal clear.”
With that, he seized Qin Han by the collar and, under the other’s wide-eyed shock, leaned in and kissed him.
