TMDP CH 21

Chapter 21: Rainy Season – 1

Rainy Season—The Time of Love

The rain had been falling on and off for two weeks. A boy stood under the library’s front corridor, watching the drizzle fall relentlessly, feeling both helpless and annoyed.

Xia Ye had just stepped out of the library only to discover he had lost his third umbrella of the rainy season.

“Look at this!” The usually well-behaved, studious boy tried to avoid swearing but couldn’t stop a frustrated exclamation from escaping. Taking a deep breath, he assessed his current situation.

Earlier, when he left home, the rain had been pouring. Despite having an umbrella, his clothes still ended up a bit wet. Inside the library, the chilly draft had made his entire body cold. Now, if he dashed through the rain again—especially after the soaking he got a couple of days ago—his body surely wouldn’t hold up.

To make things worse, he was carrying a bag full of books. The librarian had already warned him that if he returned any more water-damaged books, his borrowing privileges would be suspended for a week.

What to do? Xia Ye’s gaze shifted toward the Zhishan Building on the right.

The library and Zhishan Building were connected, with most of the school’s research labs located there, including Han Mingxiu’s lab, Room 302. It was on the third floor, the second room from the right. Xia Ye had been there several times over the past two months.

He decided to borrow an umbrella from Senior Han. The timing seemed perfect; he could even ask if Senior Han wanted to have dinner together. As Xia Ye entertained the idea, a smile unknowingly crept onto his face.

He strode toward Zhishan Building. Just as he stepped onto the corridor connecting the library and Zhishan Building, a group of people emerged from the hallway on the other side, laughing and chatting lightheartedly.

It turned out the entire 302 research lab team had just stepped out. At the front were Senior Li Mu and Senior Wang Siwen, and at the back, standing a head taller than the others, was Senior Han, walking leisurely.

Xia Ye was about to greet them when he saw Senior Miao Miao suddenly run up from behind and hook her arm around Li Mu’s.

Xia Ye paused in his steps, squinting his eyes to get a better look. Sure enough, Senior Miao Miao’s good friend, Senior Zhao Manqing, was there too.

The last time Xia Ye had visited Senior Han to borrow some notes, he had seen Zhao Manqing sitting in Han Mingxiu’s seat, casually playing on his computer while Han Mingxiu sat beside her, reading. It had been such a picturesque and peaceful scene, the kind of idyllic harmony that seemed to radiate springtime bliss.

That time, Xia Ye had quickly left after borrowing the notes, but not before cheekily cheering Han Mingxiu on, wishing him success in winning the beauty’s heart.

Since then, Xia Ye had run into them several times. Although they were always in a group, Zhao Manqing consistently walked beside Han Mingxiu, chatting and laughing with him.

It wasn’t strange, though. Despite Zhao Manqing being a Beta, she came from a prestigious family; her parents were both professors at the university. She herself was sweet, pretty, and had a lively yet gentle personality, earning her the title of a campus goddess. She and Han Mingxiu did seem like a good match.

Xia Ye kept squinting at them as the group walked across the corridor, opened their umbrellas, and began descending the steps. Yet, he stayed silent, not calling out to them.

It was Senior Li Mu who noticed him first, catching sight of someone standing in the far end of the hallway out of the corner of his eye.

“Xia Ye!” Li Mu waved at him.

Han Mingxiu turned to look as well, recognizing Xia Ye and smiling before halting his steps to walk toward him instead.

“Good evening, seniors!” Xia Ye called out energetically. “And good evening, senior sisters!”

“Good evening, Xia Ye,” Miao Miao replied with a smile, while Zhao Manqing, standing behind, also nodded and smiled politely.

Watching Han Mingxiu approach, Xia Ye suddenly felt a little flustered. He waved awkwardly and shouted, “I’m heading back now! Bye!” Without waiting for a response, he turned and prepared to run off.

“Where are you running to? Come back here!” Han Mingxiu called after him. Xia Ye could only stop and turn back with an embarrassed grin.

Han Mingxiu quickly strode over, stopping in front of Xia Ye and ruffling his hair. “Why do you keep running away every time you see me? What’s your deal?” he grumbled, clearly annoyed.

Once again, Han Mingxiu caught a faint trace of that sweet scent. Pulling a scent blocker from his bag, he casually sprayed it twice in Xia Ye’s direction before nonchalantly asking, “Where’s your umbrella?”

Xia Ye flattened his hair, which Han Mingxiu had just messed up, and sniffed at his collar. Muttering to himself, he said, “There’s hardly any scent at all. Do you really need to be this cautious?” Then, glancing at the group walking behind Han Mingxiu, he added softly, “Oh.”

Ah, so he’s just worried about making a fool of himself in front of Zhao Manqing, Xia Ye thought with an inward glare. Still, his face maintained a warm and polite smile.

“What do you mean, ‘oh’? I asked where your umbrella is,” Han Mingxiu said, noticing Xia Ye’s distracted demeanor.

Xia Ye scratched the back of his head and replied, “My umbrella was stolen.” His tone was both frustrated and exasperated. “That’s the third one this season! I’m seriously considering reporting it to the police.”

The rest of the group had caught up by now. Upon hearing Xia Ye’s complaint, Senior Wang Siwen joined in indignantly, “Where did it get stolen? I lost an umbrella at the library once too—it was a Burberry! I was so mad.”

“Exactly! I’ve already lost two at the library and another one at the cafeteria. I went in for a meal, and by the time I came out, it was gone…” Xia Ye and Wang Siwen bonded over their shared frustration, ranting back and forth in quick succession.

Meanwhile, Han Mingxiu stood to the side, watching Xia Ye with an amused smile.

No matter the situation, Xia Ye always seemed brimming with energy. Even when he was upset, he glowed with vitality.

Han Mingxiu was watching Xia Ye, while Zhao Manqing was watching Han Mingxiu. She was a bit taken aback; when had she ever seen Senior Han smile so tenderly? Amused by her own discovery, she stepped forward and offered her floral umbrella to Xia Ye.

“Here, junior. You can borrow my umbrella,” she said sweetly. “The weather’s chilly now, so don’t let yourself get caught in the rain again.”

Faced with Zhao Manqing’s warm smile, Xia Ye couldn’t refuse. Reluctantly, he accepted the umbrella and muttered, “Thank you, Senior Sister.”

Zhao Manqing hooked her arm around Han Mingxiu’s and smiled playfully. “Senior, let’s go. I’m starving,” she said, winking at him mischievously.

Han Mingxiu was startled by her sudden action and instinctively tried to pull his arm away, but Zhao Manqing held on tightly, not letting go.

Xia Ye opened the floral umbrella, hurriedly descending the steps. He waved at them cheerfully. “Senior, Senior Sister, you two go enjoy your meal. I’m heading back now.”

Before Han Mingxiu could even ask if he wanted to join them, Xia Ye had already dashed off, disappearing from view.

Han Mingxiu sighed internally and said to Zhao Manqing, “Alright, let’s go.”

Sheltered under the umbrella, he silently mouthed to Zhao Manqing, “You owe me one.”

Peeking out from under the umbrella, Han Mingxiu noticed Wang Siwen’s gloomy expression.

Zhao Manqing playfully stuck out her tongue and whispered back, “Who owes who? Your little friend looked so sour he could hardly smile.”

Han Mingxiu shook his head, sighing again. If only that were true.

That kid Xia Ye was so oblivious. Last time he came to borrow notes, after seeing Zhao Manqing, he wouldn’t stop praising her. “Senior Sister Manqing is so pretty! Senior, why don’t you hurry up and pursue her?”

What a little fool. Can’t you tell I’m pursuing you?

Han Mingxiu even had Xia Ye’s class schedule memorized. Twice a week, Xia Ye had an 8 AM class. Worried the boy would oversleep and miss breakfast, Han Mingxiu had been delivering breakfast to him for nearly two months. The kid thought Han Mingxiu was working part-time as a delivery driver and even tried to pay him.

Knowing Xia Ye’s habit of eating at the school cafeteria to save money, Han Mingxiu often waited there for him. If he ran into him, they ate together. If not, Han Mingxiu ate alone, frustrated.

One time, after four consecutive days of not seeing Xia Ye at lunch, Han Mingxiu finally couldn’t take it anymore. He called Xia Ye to ask where he was and why he hadn’t been at the cafeteria.

Xia Ye said he was tired of the cafeteria food and had gone out for ribs and noodles. He even asked Han Mingxiu how he could eat the same cafeteria food every day without getting bored and praised him for his endurance!

Thinking about it now made Han Mingxiu so angry he could spit blood.

Still fuming, Han Mingxiu followed Li Mu and the others to a noodle shop near campus. It was the same shop that served the fried ribs Xia Ye loved so much—crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

The more Han Mingxiu ate, the faster he finished his meal. Once done, he asked the owner to pack another portion to go. He gave detailed instructions to package the noodles, ribs, and soup separately to prevent them from getting soggy.

Han Mingxiu carried the takeout noodles and casually settled everyone’s bill. He then turned to Wang Siwen and said, “I have something to take care of, so I’ll head out first. Make sure you send Manqing back later.” With that, he pushed open the glass door and left.

The rain had stopped, and the sky was completely dark. Han Mingxiu walked quickly toward Xia Ye’s rented apartment, intending to deliver the steaming hot fried rib noodles and take the opportunity to ask him something.

Did Xia Ye ever consider him seriously?

When he reached the apartment building, he rang the doorbell for a long time, but no one answered.

He called Xia Ye, and it took several rings before the call was picked up.

“Hello…”

Han Mingxiu was startled. The person he had just seen an hour ago now sounded hoarse.

“Xia Ye?” Han Mingxiu asked hesitantly.

In the background, a woman’s voice could be heard saying, “Mr. Xia Ye, your prescription is ready.”

“Xia Ye, what’s wrong? Where are you?” Han Mingxiu asked urgently, catching the mention of medicine and the sound of a notification chime. His tone sharpened with worry.

“I’m at the hospital, but I’m fine now,” Xia Ye replied. The sound of rustling paper bags accompanied his hoarse voice. “I’m heading home soon.”

“You were fine earlier this afternoon. What happened to send you to the hospital?” Han Mingxiu’s voice was filled with concern as he stepped into the street, flagging down a cab. “I’ll come pick you up. Which hospital are you at?”

“No, no, there’s no need,” Xia Ye quickly declined. “I’m already getting in a car. I’ll be home soon. Senior, you should go back to what you were doing. Weren’t you eating with Senior Sister Manqing? Take your time; there’s no need to come over.”

“…” Han Mingxiu felt helpless, caught off guard. “I’m already downstairs at your place. I’ll just wait here for you.”

“Uh… Senior, I’m really fine. Please go back,” Xia Ye insisted weakly but firmly. After saying this, he hung up the call without even saying goodbye.

Han Mingxiu became even more worried. He was about to call back when a message from Xia Ye popped up:

“I think my heat period might be starting. I’m really fine. Please leave my apartment building immediately. I’m almost home, and I’m afraid we might affect each other if we meet.”

Xia Ye had already received a suppressor injection at the hospital, which would normally make him harmless to others. But Han Mingxiu was different. Their pheromones were highly compatible—if one of them entered a full heat while they were together, no suppressor in the world would work.

The first time they had met, it had merely been a coincidence that their heat cycles were close. Even so, their mutual attraction had almost spiraled out of control.

Fortunately, that time Senior Han had administered a suppressant to himself in advance. And it was also lucky that Senior Siwen had delivered a universal suppressant just in time for Xia Ye.

Most importantly, Han Mingxiu, this Alpha, didn’t seem to have any feelings for him, an Omega. Xia Ye thought gloomily.

Han Mingxiu frowned as he read Xia Ye’s message. So that’s what it was—Xia Ye must have gone to the hospital to get a suppressant. He replied:

“Alright, I’ll leave now. Let me know if anything happens. Stay in touch. I brought you some fried rib noodles and left it hanging on your door. Don’t forget to take it in.”

When Xia Ye got out of the car, Han Mingxiu had already left. However, Xia Ye’s sensitive nose still caught a faint trace of cool cedar in the air. “He sure left in a hurry,” Xia Ye murmured, pressing his lips together as he covered his nose and mouth. He picked up the bag hanging on the door handle and quickly went into his apartment.

Han Mingxiu emerged from behind the neighboring building. Earlier, he had sprayed half a bottle of scent-blocking agent on himself and hidden nearby. He needed to see Xia Ye safely enter his home before he could relax.

Once Xia Ye was inside, Han Mingxiu finally caught a glimpse of him. But watching Xia Ye cover his nose like that made Han Mingxiu sigh softly.

Still so resistant.

Han Mingxiu couldn’t help but recall their first meeting and Xia Ye’s declaration:
“I don’t like people like you at all. This so-called ‘perfect compatibility’? I hate it the most.”
“Don’t you find it terrifying, Senior? Two strangers, bound together so easily just because of pheromones. Isn’t that frightening?”

It seemed Xia Ye truly despised pheromone-induced bonds.

Han Mingxiu looked up at the lit window on the second floor, feeling a small weight lift from his heart. He watched silently for a while and thought:

Two strangers, bound together because of pheromones—it really is terrifying.
But Xia Ye, if it’s with you, I’m not afraid at all. When will you stop being afraid of me?

A pang of sorrow welled in Han Mingxiu’s chest as he lowered his head, dejected, and left.

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– End of chapter –

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