TMDP CH 36

Chapter 36: I Have a Question. Do You Dare Answer?

At 2:30 a.m., Xia Ye sat at his desk for a final review. Once everything was confirmed to be in order, the cursor hovered over the send button. With a press of his index finger, the final version of his thesis was sent to his advisor. He closed the computer and leaned back into his comfortable chair, letting out a long sigh of relief. After more than a month of hard work, it was finally done. Now, all that remained was waiting for his advisor’s approval, the printing process, and preparing for graduation.

He sat there blankly. His body was exhausted, but his mind was abuzz. This was the culmination of over two years of effort—finally, he had accomplished it. At this moment, all he wanted was to let his mind drift aimlessly and celebrate in silence.

But as much as he intended to space out, his hand involuntarily reached for a notebook nearby. This notebook had been sent to him by Han Mingxiu after that snowy night visit. When Han returned to his home country, he had mailed it to Xia Ye, explaining that it was his old thesis notes. Though outdated, it contained valuable insights and logical frameworks that could be helpful.

Xia Ye had read through it once before. Back then, he even secretly scribbled something on it while Han Mingxiu wasn’t paying attention. Whether Han had noticed or not remained a mystery, and over time, Xia Ye himself had forgotten about it. Until recently, as he revisited the notebook, he stumbled upon the crooked writing in the margins and was suddenly reminded of his mischief.

Now, flipping to that page again, Xia Ye stared at the lines of text. The first line bore his childish handwriting:
“Senior Han must love Little Xia forever ♡”
He had even drawn a cringe-worthy little heart next to it.

Beneath that, a response had been added in faded blue ink, showing its age:
“As you command.”

It was obvious that Han Mingxiu had written it long ago.

In youth, “forever” was a word easily spoken—one dared to say it, and the other dared to answer. Yet now, not even considered old, neither of them could bring themselves to utter such words anymore.

No one dared to say it. No one dared to respond.

Xia Ye traced the words “As you command” with his finger, chuckling quietly at his own dramatics. What was this talk of hesitation? Hadn’t he already declined his advisor’s suggestion to pursue a doctorate? Deep down, his decision had been made. Still, he pretended not to notice Han Mingxiu’s handwritten inquiry beneath the words “As you command.”

“When spring grasses turn green next year, will Xia Ye return?” Han Mingxiu had asked.

Even though Xia Ye had already refused his advisor’s offer, even though he had slowly begun packing his things, and even though he had circled the character for return, when Han Mingxiu finally couldn’t resist asking over the phone whether Xia Ye intended to continue his studies, Xia Ye had responded:

Yes, I do intend to.

“Not returning,” he had said.

Han Mingxiu had said at the time, “Oh, pursuing a doctorate isn’t a bad idea. The academic environment is still relatively simple. If you want to continue your studies, we’ll fully support you.”

He had sounded disappointed, yet his willingness to support Xia Ye was sincere.

During that phone call, Han Mingxiu had rambled on, changing the subject to Xia Li. He talked about how Little Li was about to start elementary school and mentioned that he had selected a few good schools, giving a lengthy summary of each school’s educational features. Finally, he asked if Xia Ye had time to come back and help choose a school together.

It had been over three months since the parking lot incident, but even as Han Mingxiu kept trying to find topics to talk about, he never once mentioned his injured leg. It seemed he didn’t even dare to play the sympathy card.

Flipping further into the notebook, Xia Ye came to the last few pages. Han Mingxiu hadn’t used these, so Xia Ye had claimed them for himself a few days earlier. On the left page, Xia Ye had written about the benefits of staying to pursue his doctorate. Line after line, he had filled three-quarters of the page, listing dozens of reasons—even frivolous ones like “the campus is beautiful” and “the advisor is very kind.”

The right page, however, had a single heading:
“Reasons Not to Stay.”

Underneath, only three bold characters filled the entire page:
“Han Mingxiu.”

It was something he had impulsively scribbled on the night he learned about Han’s injury.

Xia Ye shrugged. What could he do? The name took up the whole page—”not staying” had won. That very night, he had called his advisor to announce his decision. The advisor had been regretful but respected his choice, saying, “I’m sure you’ve thought it through thoroughly. I won’t try to persuade you further. I wish you the best and hope your decision is worthwhile.”

“No, I haven’t thought it through at all. But I desperately need your blessing,” Xia Ye thought guiltily.

Now, that moment of impulse had long passed. Regret? He couldn’t deny it entirely. But it wasn’t as if there weren’t opportunities to change his mind—the spot with his advisor was still open. If he turned back now, his advisor would grumble and lecture him but would still take him back.

Yet, he hadn’t. Instead, he continued to pack.

He packed his belongings, his emotions, and the grievances and frustrations buried in his heart.

He was trying to rationalize Han Mingxiu’s cruel actions in light of his infertility.

Han Mingxiu was the strongest of all Alphas—a leader among leaders, like the most dominant lion in the pride, with every advantage imaginable.

He had everything. Everything but the most basic ability of a male: the ability to reproduce.

A careless and unethical mistake had led him to mistakenly believe he was infertile.

His restlessness, insecurity, and paranoia weren’t entirely unfounded.

And while he was silently bearing the shame of this secret, his partner got pregnant.

It was undoubtedly a devastating blow.

Thinking about this, Xia Ye could understand just how much pain Han Mingxiu must have been in at the time. He could convince himself that Han Mingxiu had been driven mad by his anguish.

But that was the limit. Xia Ye’s empathy could only extend so far—it couldn’t go beyond that.

Because if he thought about it any further, Han Mingxiu’s three years of madness would only make Xia Ye feel like screaming: You absolute idiot, bastard, and rotten egg! Foolishness at its finest!

If eating more fish really could boost intelligence, then the Han family needed to send a whaling ship out to sea so that Young Master Han could eat a pair of whales every day.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

---

Han Mingxiu.

Xia Ye glared at the three bold characters with burning frustration.

I’m coming back. I have a question for you—do you dare to answer it?

You’d better give me an answer that’s worth coming back to hear.

---

Several days later, Han Mingxiu learned from his father, Han Junze, that Xia Ye was coming back. Overwhelmed with joy and disbelief, he impulsively picked up the phone to call Xia Ye without checking the time.

It was 3 a.m. where Xia Ye was. Half-asleep, he was startled awake by Han Mingxiu’s call in the middle of the night.

“Xiao Xia, Dad said you’re coming back?” Han Mingxiu blurted out without preamble.

Xia Ye, trying to shake off his drowsiness, heard Han Mingxiu’s absurd middle-of-the-night call. Realizing it was just to ask such a trivial question, he was so angry he wanted to throw his phone.

“Han Mingxiu, what’s wrong with you? Do you know what time it is here?” Xia Ye snapped, his tone full of fury.

“…I’m sorry,” Han Mingxiu stammered, caught off guard. After a long pause, he finally managed to say, “I was just… too happy.”

“Happy about what? It’s not because of you!” Xia Ye barked back.

Han Mingxiu froze for a moment before his grin widened, and even his voice carried the sound of a smile. “When the time comes, can I pick you up?”

“Whatever!” Xia Ye growled, slamming the phone down and turning over to continue sleeping.

---

Han Mingxiu held the phone in his hand, savoring Xia Ye’s words: It’s not because of you. His smile grew so wide it almost disappeared into his face.

Deny it all you want; you’re not fooling anyone. His Xia Ye hadn’t changed one bit.

---

The Xia Ye who hadn’t changed one bit buried his face into the pillow, which smelled sweet and fresh like melons. Even with his eyes closed, a small smile began to form on his lips.

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– End of chapter –

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