TMDP CH 4

Chapter 4: Please Don’t Say…

On the other side, Xia Ye left the hospital and went straight back to Han Mingxiu’s apartment. Although Han Mingxiu owned his own house, after they confirmed their relationship, Xia Ye was practically in a half-cohabitation state with him. Since Han Mingxiu was returning from a business trip today, Xia Ye decided to come over and wait for him at home.

Earlier, when the doctor had said, “Congratulations, you’re pregnant,” Xia Ye was initially in shock. Only after getting home did a sense of joy gradually wash over him. So, all his recent fatigue, nausea, and lack of appetite had been because he was carrying a baby.

He was relieved to know it wasn’t an illness.

Actually, the pregnancy wasn’t entirely unexpected. That jerk Han had been coming inside him without protection for the past year. Although avoiding the reproductive cavity generally reduced the risk of pregnancy, still… he could have held back a little!

Ugh! Xia Ye blushed, biting his lower lip as he recalled that night three months ago. Han Mingxiu had been away on a week-long business trip, which coincided perfectly with Xia Ye’s heat cycle. As soon as Han Mingxiu entered the door and caught a whiff of Xia Ye’s sweet, melon-like scent, he couldn’t control himself. That night, they had stumbled from the living room to the bedroom, and right on this bed, Han had spread his legs, entered his tight channel, pushed into his reproductive cavity, and knotted inside him, marking him deeply.

Xia Ye covered his face, almost too embarrassed to think about the details. That heat cycle had lasted unusually long, a full seven days of feverish passion. Han Mingxiu barely let him leave the bed, even carrying him for bathroom trips. By the final two days, when the fever had cooled down a little, Xia Ye regained his senses, remembering how he’d clung to Han Mingxiu for those five wild days. He was too ashamed to show his face to anyone, but Han Mingxiu seemed completely satisfied, rubbing his nape and saying, “We’ll keep doing this from now on.”

Now, pulling the blanket up over his head, Xia Ye gently touched his still-flat stomach, feeling both joy and worry. How would Han react to the news? That night, after they’d knotted, he had asked Han a few times if he might get pregnant, and what they would do if he did. Han had confidently assured him that pregnancy was impossible. When Xia Ye had then asked if he even liked kids, Han had just laughed it off without giving a clear answer. Xia Ye guessed that Han wasn’t too fond of children; they could be noisy, after all. But this was their child—Han would like them, right? At the very least, he’d be pretty shocked, considering how young they both were. He, himself, was still only a senior in college, hadn’t even graduated yet, and here he was, about to become a father—and they weren’t even married yet.

Thinking of this, Xia Ye’s smile dimmed a bit. Although he and Han Mingxiu had been dating for over three years, Han had never mentioned anything about their future. Even the marking was something he always did cautiously.

Han Mingxiu would only temporarily mark him, gently breaking the skin at the back of his neck and licking the small wound to transfer his scent. He was always careful, never fully biting down on Xia Ye’s gland.

Temporary markings usually last seven to ten days, yet Han Mingxiu would often come and bite him every two or three days. Even during Xia Ye’s exam weeks, when he was too busy to go to him, Han Mingxiu would make the trip himself just to give him a bite. These constant temporary markings left no gaps. Once, Xia Ye got irritated by the frequent biting and blurted out, “Why don’t you just permanently mark me and save the trouble?”

Han Mingxiu, lounging against the headboard, gave him an infuriating smile. “Eager to be mine permanently, are you?” he teased, which made Xia Ye flush with embarrassment, wanting to storm out of bed. Only when he saw Xia Ye’s growing irritation did Han Mingxiu quickly pull him back, coaxing him gently. “In my family, a permanent mark is taken very seriously. I can’t just mark you casually. You’re still young; no need to rush,” he said, patting Xia Ye’s head with a knowing smile.

“Now we’re knotted, and there’s a baby… does that count as a permanent mark?” Xia Ye mumbled to himself under the covers. At twenty-one, he hadn’t been a fully mature Omega for more than two or three years. His Omega mother had passed away along with his father when he was young, and Xia Ye had been raised by his grandfather since he was eight. His grandfather, an elderly and weaker Alpha, wasn’t in great health, so simply raising Xia Ye to adulthood had been enough of a blessing. However, it left Xia Ye with limited knowledge about Omega physiology. Although he had read books, lacking guidance from an Omega elder made things a bit hazy for him.

Lying in bed, Xia Ye’s mind was filled with conflicting thoughts, alternating between joy and worry. The faint scent of mountain fir lingered on the sheets, soothing the pregnant Omega, and Xia Ye drifted off to sleep feeling comforted.

When he woke, it was already past eleven at night, and Han Mingxiu still hadn’t returned. Xia Ye grew anxious. He tried calling him; the first two attempts went unanswered, with the dial tone ringing until it was redirected to voicemail. On the third attempt, the call was cut off after two rings, and then the phone was switched off.

Xia Ye was worried sick, wondering what might have happened to Han Mingxiu and if he had even returned to the city. He tossed and turned all night, clutching his phone, finally drifting off again only as dawn approached.

The next morning, disregarding his morning classes, Xia Ye went straight to Yunbang Tower and headed up to the Vice President’s office on the fifteenth floor.

The employees in the large office area still seemed on edge. When the secretary saw Xia Ye approaching, she quickly came over to greet him.

“Sis, is Han Mingxiu around?” Xia Ye politely asked. Since he wasn’t an employee, calling him Vice President felt odd, so he called him “senior” instead, which felt friendlier yet not too forward.

“He’s here, but…” The secretary hesitated, as if reluctant to say more.

“What’s wrong?” Xia Ye barely had time to ask before the door to the Vice President’s office opened. Han Mingxiu walked out, arm-in-arm with a woman, looking quite intimate.

“???” Xia Ye stood there, stunned at the sight. The woman was chatting and laughing with Han Mingxiu, and when he suddenly stopped, she paused too, finally noticing the boy standing in front of them along with Han Mingxiu’s secretary.

The woman glanced at the boy, who was staring at Han Mingxiu in utter shock, and she found it odd. “Mingxiu, is he here to see you?” she asked, her tone curious. But Han Mingxiu didn’t respond. He simply looked at Xia Ye with a calm, indifferent gaze. Sensing the strange atmosphere between them, the woman became even more intrigued, and she couldn’t resist directly asking Xia Ye, “Hello, do you need something?”

Xia Ye struggled to tear his gaze away from Han Mingxiu and looked closely at the woman. She was beautiful, tall and slender, with an exquisite face framed by immaculate makeup. Dressed in a vibrant red suit, her fair, delicate skin was striking against the color, and her every move exuded an elegant aura. She held Han Mingxiu’s arm, walking with him as gracefully as if she were on a red carpet. The two of them, standing close and hand in hand, left Xia Ye feeling at a loss. What bothered him most, though, was the scent he detected on her.

It wasn’t perfume. She bore a scent similar to Han Mingxiu’s—a faint, cool fragrance—not exactly the same but unmistakably close. This made Xia Ye’s head spin. He couldn’t understand why a trace of Han Mingxiu’s familiar mountain fir scent would be on another woman. He focused carefully but couldn’t isolate the pure mountain fir aroma, which indicated that it wasn’t merely lingering from casual contact. It was a scent deeply entwined, one that could only blend with another through significant closeness. He hadn’t come home last night, so… was it possible… that this woman carried a trace of his scent from being that close?

“Mingya, you should head back first,” Han Mingxiu said, patting her lower back. “My parents have missed you; you should go visit them. We’ll have dinner together tonight.” Han Mingxiu gave her a gentle glance, and Mingya smiled in response. “Alright, I’ll head off now. See you tonight,” she said, waving as she left, nodding gracefully to Xia Ye and the secretary before walking off in her heels.

Han Mingxiu watched her retreating figure for a brief moment, then turned and walked back into his office without a single glance at Xia Ye.

Xia Ye hurried in behind him, closed the door, and immediately started questioning, “Who was that woman? Why didn’t you come home last night?” His tone was laced with fear, though he tried to sound assertive.

Han Mingxiu sat down at his desk, eyes lowered, deliberately avoiding Xia Ye’s gaze.

He took a deep breath, calming his emotions and restraining his pheromones. Even in this moment, when he should despise him, Han Mingxiu didn’t want his pheromones to harm Xia Ye—or the child.

“That’s Mingya.” He turned his pen twice in his hand before finally looking up, locking eyes with Xia Ye. “Mingya is… my fiancée.” And that’s that.

Though he, too, wished he could question Xia Ye—ask who that other man was, whether he could give Xia Ye more happiness—there was no point in saying such things now. He imagined the mocking sight of a green pasture atop his head and felt the bitterness settle in his chest. Han Mingxiu just wanted to retain a bit of his own dignity, to exit gracefully.

This was his last, desperate attempt to cling to a small, useless sliver of pride.

Xia Ye couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Fiancée? Han Mingxiu had a fiancée?

Impossible.

Han Mingxiu wasn’t someone who played with feelings. They had been together for over three years, and Han Mingxiu had always been deeply committed to him—there was no doubt about that. Whenever he had free time, he’d want to be with Xia Ye, almost to the point of clinging. How could he possibly have time to care for anyone else?

Something must have happened. To Han Mingxiu, it had to be something serious. A series of melodramatic possibilities flashed through Xia Ye’s mind: maybe his family had arranged a marriage for him without telling him, or perhaps the Han family was in trouble and needed a business marriage to save them. Or maybe Han Mingxiu was suffering from some terminal illness and, afraid that Xia Ye couldn’t handle it, was lying to make him leave…

“Don’t lie to me! We’ve been together for so long, practically inseparable. When would you have had time to be with someone else?”

“Actually, Mingya and I have known each other since childhood, and we’re well-matched. She was abroad for the past three years and just recently came back.”

Maybe it was true that Han Mingxiu and Mingya were childhood friends, well-suited for each other. And maybe she really had been overseas for three years and had only just returned. But what did that have to do with the two of them?

Han Mingxiu, in love with Mingya? Xia Ye refused to believe it. Even though that woman already bore traces of Han Mingxiu’s scent, he still couldn’t accept it.

Frantically, he spoke up. “Are you in trouble? Is it your family…? Is there something difficult you’re facing? Just tell me, and we can figure it out together. Please, don’t do this.”

Please, don’t say it…

“There’s nothing difficult,” Han Mingxiu replied, his expression indifferent. “I just… don’t love you anymore.”

…Please don’t say you don’t love me anymore.

Xia Ye’s face turned ghostly pale, as if all his strength had been drained in an instant. This was the man who had always cherished him—how could he suddenly say he didn’t love him anymore?

A dull ache began to throb in his stomach, and his hand instinctively moved to his abdomen. There was still part of Han Mingxiu here within him—a child, carrying his bloodline. Did he not want that either?

He almost blurted it out but stopped himself when he saw Han Mingxiu’s cold, unfamiliar expression. Even his pheromones were tightly controlled, showing not a trace of interest in him. What was the point of saying it now? It was meaningless.

Using a child to tie someone down was the lowest tactic. Xia Ye’s gaze drifted around the room in a daze. He noticed that all his little trinkets on the desk were gone—the photos, the painting on the wall, the small Iron Man figure, and even his prized limited-edition Bumblebee figurine he had stayed up late to secure online. The tiny Ant-Man figure he had discreetly stuck to the corner of the desk was gone, as well as the matching cups he had made by hand. On the desk was a new ceramic mug—the kind Yunbang Group had given each employee for their anniversary, tacky and hideous.

He had truly cut everything off.

Xia Ye wasn’t someone who clung on shamelessly. He had given Han Mingxiu the chance to explain, but if he said he didn’t love him anymore, then it was time to let go. He would go back to the apartment and quickly pack up his things.

“Give me back that string of beads,” Xia Ye requested, pointing to the bracelet still wrapped around Han Mingxiu’s wrist—the string of beads they’d exchanged as a token of their love. It was a bracelet made from polished fir wood beads. On their first outing together, Xia Ye had seen the beads at a small roadside stall and, finding out they were made of fir wood, had picked a string to give to Han Mingxiu. That very night, Han Mingxiu had first kissed and bitten the back of Xia Ye’s neck, marking the beginning of their relationship.

The beads themselves weren’t valuable, but Han Mingxiu had worn them for years, almost never taking them off.

Hearing Xia Ye’s request, Han Mingxiu hesitated, his expression troubled. After a brief pause, he finally removed the bracelet and tossed it to Xia Ye. Xia Ye caught it, whispered a quiet “Thank you,” and turned to leave.

He gripped the beads tightly as he left Yunbang Tower, slipping into an alleyway behind the building to catch his breath. He brought the beads up to his nose, inhaling deeply like an addict. The fir wood had absorbed traces of Han Mingxiu’s pheromones, releasing a faint, comforting scent. He knew he was being pathetic, but he couldn’t help it—his body needed this comfort. His child needed this comfort.

Gradually, his body relaxed. He tucked the beads away safely and returned to Han Mingxiu’s apartment to gather his belongings.This departure marked three years of separation.

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– End of chapter –

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