TMDP CH 20

Chapter 20: Flower Season – 2

Flower Season — The First Meeting

“Be good, let me hold you for a little longer. I’ve already asked my friend to go back to the lab and get the suppressants, he’ll be here soon,” Han Mingxiu comforted as he held the person, “Sorry for being rude, just hang in there a bit longer.” He tightened his embrace slightly.

Xia Ye, feeling grateful, nestled in the arms of this unfamiliar Alpha. He understood that in this situation, it was he who needed Han Mingxiu’s comfort more than the other way around. The other person was kindly bearing this weak, out-of-control side of him, alleviating Xia Ye’s embarrassment.

“He’s coming, he’s coming,” Wang Siwen ran over, panting heavily, “I was afraid I grabbed the wrong one, so I brought your entire bag.” He threw the bag into Han Mingxiu’s hands, then, seeing the two of them still in a tight embrace, he didn’t hesitate to turn and run off. “You two take your time, I’m going to the gym. If I don’t hurry, all the girls will be taken…”

Han Mingxiu gently guided Xia Ye to sit on the grass beside him. Xia Ye, still feeling weak, leaned against him. Han Mingxiu had no choice but to support him with one hand while rummaging through his bag with the other. He always kept some universal suppressants in his bag, just in case something like this happened.

“It’s the suppressant.” Han Mingxiu held up the syringe for Xia Ye to see, giving him a chance to confirm. Xia Ye tried to focus but couldn’t make out the words on the label. He shook his head. “I can’t see it clearly, but it’s okay, I trust you.” Right now, it was the only choice he had—to trust him.

Han Mingxiu looked at Xia Ye’s shirt, apologized again, and then quickly unbuttoned the first three buttons of his shirt. He tugged at the collar, exposing Xia Ye’s shoulder. Skillfully, he disinfected the area, pinched the muscle on his upper arm, and injected the suppressant.

It stung a little. Xia Ye half-closed his eyes, allowing Han Mingxiu to rub his arm. After a few minutes, the medication started to take effect, and Xia Ye gradually regained his clarity. He opened his eyes and found Han Mingxiu staring at him intently. Xia Ye, feeling puzzled, looked down at himself and then realized his shirt was disheveled, and most of his shoulder was exposed.

“Uh…” Xia Ye hurriedly straightened up, buttoning his shirt back into place. He awkwardly said, “Thank you, I’m fine now.” He stole a glance at Han Mingxiu and noticed the noticeable bulge between his legs. Embarrassed, he asked, “Senior, are you okay?”

“It’s fine, just relax, I’ll take care of it later too.” Han Mingxiu managed a difficult smile, pulling out a bottle of unopened water from his bag and handing it to Xia Ye. “Drink some water, after what just happened… hydrating will make you feel better.” He then casually took out a light jacket and draped it over his lap, adjusting his sitting position.

Xia Ye took the water, opened the cap, and without any image-consciousness, gulped down nearly half the bottle. Han Mingxiu watched the movement of his Adam’s apple as he drank, feeling parched himself. Xia Ye, realizing Han Mingxiu’s undistilled gaze, stopped drinking awkwardly, feeling a bit flustered. Han Mingxiu, noticing him set the bottle down, asked, “Not drinking anymore?” Xia Ye, embarrassed, nodded. Han Mingxiu, without hesitation, took the bottle back, drank the remaining water straight from the same opening where Xia Ye had just drunk from.

“Uh…” Xia Ye’s eyes widened, unable to understand how Han Mingxiu could be so unhygienic, but then again, Han Mingxiu had already finished it.

It seemed that Han Mingxiu didn’t think his actions were strange at all. He put the empty bottle back into his bag and asked Xia Ye, “Want to sit with me for a while? Or do you need to rush to the gym?” Glancing at his watch, he added with a hint of regret, “It seems like the afternoon activities are already over.”

“Sorry for holding you up,” Xia Ye hesitated for a moment before adding, “You and your friend were going to hit on girls, right? Sorry for making you miss it.”

Han Mingxiu looked at Xia Ye’s moist lips, froze for a second, and then chuckled lowly, his voice deep with a slight rasp. Xia Ye, for a moment, felt somewhat lost in the sound of it.

“You’re saying that… If we had just met, I’d think you were jealous,” Han Mingxiu teased with a smile, his eyes curving into crescent shapes. Xia Ye, who had just started to feel his cheeks cool down, felt them heat up again in an instant.

“I’m not jealous! Why would I be jealous?” Xia Ye’s voice was soft, but his words were firm. “I don’t like guys like you. The highest compatibility? I really hate it.”

“Oh!” Han Mingxiu, immediately slapped in the face, puffed up his cheeks like a pufferfish, and threw himself backward, lying down on the grass, sulking as he blew out air in mock frustration.

The two of them fell into a quiet pause for a few minutes. Xia Ye looked at the leisurely figure lying on the grass and couldn’t help but ask with a worried tone, “Senior, what if we run into each other again on the street? Will we experience the same situation as before?” Thinking about how he had been suddenly triggered in just a few minutes, Xia Ye felt mortified. He now really wished he had a map of escape routes to avoid this terrifying Alpha senior.

“No, that kind of forced match will only happen the first time you meet a highly compatible target. Unless you meet another Alpha with an even higher compatibility than ours, only then will your body react and trigger the match again.” Xia Ye looked at him, stunned. Han Mingxiu smiled slightly, “But I don’t think that’ll happen. The odds of that are really low.” Xia Ye sighed with relief. He didn’t even want to think about encountering someone else. What if that person wasn’t as gentlemanly or kind-hearted as this senior?

As if reading Xia Ye’s unease, Han Mingxiu went on to explain more thoroughly, “When we meet again in the future, your body will recognize me. Although we’ll still be sensitive to each other, it won’t be like just now, with an immediate rush into heat. As long as we’re prepared, we should be able to handle it.” Han Mingxiu reassured him, wanting to ease Xia Ye’s worries. “Don’t worry, I’ll be here to help.” Xia Ye looked up at his senior, who seemed to know so much, feeling both admiration and a little pathetic in comparison, knowing so little about all this.

“Ugh, this is really annoying,” Xia Ye sighed exaggeratedly to cover up his feelings, sitting beside Han Mingxiu and picking at the grass. One by one, he tossed the blades onto Han Mingxiu’s lap. “Senior, don’t you hate this kind of situation?” Xia Ye asked cautiously. “Two strangers, just because of pheromones or whatever, being easily tied together. Isn’t that scary?” He mumbled to himself, “Shouldn’t you first get to know each other? Like, ‘Hi, I’m Xia Ye, hi, I’m Lin Xiaoming,’ blah blah blah… starting as friends, then gradually realizing how cute the other person is, and then slowly developing feelings, liking each other more and more until you fall in love, and then truly being together. That’s real happiness. Relying only on pheromones is the weirdest thing! It’s like we’re animals, being controlled by instinct—how lowly is that?”

With a scowl, Xia Ye angrily threw a handful of grass at Han Mingxiu’s head.

“Who’s Lin Xiaoming?” Han Mingxiu paused for a moment, then shook his head and combed his hair back. “Yeah, it’s pretty annoying. I don’t like it either. Sometimes when I’m walking down the street and suddenly come across an Omega in heat, it’s really troublesome.” He agreed with Xia Ye’s point and then smirked, adding, “That’s why I always carry suppressants with me, in case of unexpected situations.”

Xia Ye was left speechless for a moment, but after catching on to Han Mingxiu’s implied meaning, he pouted in frustration.

Lying on the grass, Han Mingxiu squinted as he watched the various expressions on Xia Ye’s face change. Then, suddenly, he propped himself up and reached out a hand to Xia Ye, his expression focused yet gentle. “Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Han Mingxiu, Ming from ‘Ming De,’ which means ‘clear and virtuous.’”

“Uh… Hi, nice to meet you too,” Xia Ye was caught off guard by his sudden movement, looking dazed and flustered as he shook Han Mingxiu’s hand, imitating his introduction. “Uh… I’m Xia Ye, the ‘summer’ from ‘summer wildfires.’ I… also… nice to meet you.”

Han Mingxiu chuckled. “Now we’re friends.” He gazed at Xia Ye, who was bathed in the backlight, his hair edges shimmering with golden rays. The shadows framed his brow, making his expression look adorably tangled.

A fresh pink rose that had just fallen from a nearby bush was blown over by the wind. Han Mingxiu picked it up and placed it in Xia Ye’s palm, saying, “Junior, you’re really cute.”

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– End of chapter –

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