TMDP CH 23

Chapter 23: Rainy Season – 3

Rainy Season—The Time of Love

When Xia Ye woke up, he was already in a hospital bed, and it was dark outside the window.

“You’re awake! Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?” A young nurse, noticing Xia Ye had stirred, smiled brightly and said, “Wait a moment, I’ll go get the doctor.”

Xia Ye blinked, and the nurse had already dashed out of sight. He propped himself up to sit. Apart from feeling a bit dizzy from lying down too long and a slight dryness in his throat, he didn’t seem to have any other discomfort.

He touched the back of his neck and found something adhered there—something thin and metallic, covering his gland completely.

“That’s a pheromone suppression patch,” a doctor explained as he walked into the room, noticing Xia Ye’s puzzled gesture. “The special material of the patch completely isolates your gland from external interference. Your glands were overstimulated and are highly sensitive now. The patch is there to help them rest properly without further irritation.”

Xia Ye nodded, but when the doctor mentioned “your glands,” he couldn’t help but ask, “Um, was there someone else brought here with me? An Alpha? How is he?”

“You mean Young Master Han? He’s stable for now but still unconscious,” the doctor replied with a shake of his head and a wry smile. “He really overdid it—injecting such a high dose of inhibitors, and from different brands, no less. The overdose alone is bad enough, but the conflicting mechanisms of the drugs working simultaneously? It’s a miracle he didn’t do himself more harm. Not to mention risking… potential long-term consequences.”

The doctor gave Xia Ye a teasing look, making him nervous. “Huh? Long-term consequences? You mean he might…” Xia Ye trailed off, panicked. What if he can’t recover? What if I ruined Senior’s life?

The doctor chuckled heartily. “Don’t worry. Young Master Han has a strong constitution. He’ll recover after some time resting—it won’t affect your future ‘intimacy’.” The doctor emphasized the word with a playful grin and even winked at him.

Xia Ye’s face turned crimson as he stammered, unable to come up with a defense. All he could do was rub his nose awkwardly and murmur, “Oh.”

The doctor checked Xia Ye over as Xia Ye hesitated, then asked, “Why do you all call him ‘Young Master Han’? And someone even called him ‘Young Lord’? Is that some kind of nickname for Senior?”

The young doctor looked a bit surprised. “You don’t know who he is?”

“Of course I know. Senior is Han Mingxiu,” Xia Ye replied, still confused.

“Hahaha, of course, he’s Han Mingxiu,” the doctor chuckled at Xia Ye’s naive reaction. “Have you heard of the Han family from Yunbang? Or Han Junze? The patriarch of the Han family in Yunbang.”

Xia Ye nodded dumbly. Of course, he’d heard of them. The Han family from Yunbang was famous. He had even spent three years in high school as a recipient of Yunbang’s prestigious scholarship program, and the certificate had Han Junze’s name printed on it.

“Han Mingxiu is Han Junze’s only son,” the doctor explained with a smile. “This hospital is part of their family business too.”

“…” Oh! So he’s a rich kid? Then why was he working part-time delivering breakfast? And why was he living so frugally, eating from the school cafeteria every day? Is this some kind of strict upbringing for wealthy heirs? Really going deep undercover to experience life as a commoner, huh.

The doctor continued, “Madam Han was terrified this time. According to Head Steward Gao, when she heard he injected himself with three doses of inhibitors for the sake of an Omega, she couldn’t believe it. I can’t believe the Young Master Han could be so… romantic.”

Xia Ye forced a polite smile, though his face twitched slightly. Yes, truly romantic. Going to such lengths for his beloved, even incapacitating himself. This kind of Alpha is one of a kind, truly unprecedented.

But… his heart ached. He did keep himself chaste for an Omega, but that Omega wasn’t me. I’m just the troublemaker who drove him to lose control.

The doctor finished the examination and, confirming everything was fine, instructed Xia Ye to rest. He also mentioned that Head Butler Gao would bring him dinner soon. Then, just as he was about to leave, Xia Ye hesitated for a long moment before speaking up.

“Can I… go see Senior?” Xia Ye’s words tumbled out just as the doctor was about to close the door. “I mean, we won’t affect each other now, right? Can I see him?”

“Sure, he’s in the room next door,” the doctor said, pausing. “He’s got a suppression patch on too, so neither of you will trigger any reactions. But he’s still unconscious, so if you go now, he won’t be able to entertain you. You might find it a bit boring.”

I’m not going there to play with him, Xia Ye thought, feeling the doctor had a strange sense of priorities. Doesn’t he care about Young Master Han’s condition at all?

After the doctor left, Xia Ye sat quietly for a while before getting out of bed. His previously sweat-soaked clothes had been changed into a comfortable cotton hospital gown. He went into the bathroom to wash his face and looked at his reflection in the mirror with a bitter smile.

That old doctor had once said, “Falling in love could be a good form of therapy.”

It seems impossible after all. Young Master Han isn’t willing to fall in love with me. Therapy, huh? Look where it’s gotten us—both ending up in the hospital.

Xia Ye walked out of his room and slowly made his way to the one next door. The neighboring room was empty except for Han Mingxiu, who lay on the hospital bed with an IV drip attached to his arm.

Xia Ye pulled a chair over and sat by the bedside, gazing at his senior’s pale and weakened face. A wave of guilt surged through him.

Senior really treated him well. Even though he couldn’t love him, Senior had worked so hard to preserve their brotherly bond. And yet, Xia Ye had once selfishly entertained the thought of clinging to him. It was truly wrong of him.

Moreover, Senior wasn’t just a regular senior; he was the eldest son of the Han family. His status was so far removed from Xia Ye’s own that no one had even bothered to tell him. It was as if knowing wasn’t even necessary for someone like him.

Lowering his head, Xia Ye covered his eyes, his chest tight with discomfort.

I want him so much, so desperately… But for the sake of rejecting him, Senior had risked his own safety by injecting three doses of inhibitors. No matter how clueless he was, Xia Ye couldn’t ignore the message behind such actions.

“Xia Ye, what are you doing here?” Han Mingxiu’s hoarse voice broke the silence. “Are you feeling better?”

Xia Ye slowly raised his head to find that Senior was awake. “Senior, I’m fine. What about you? Are you feeling better?”

Han Mingxiu nodded. “I’m fine too.”

Once they had confirmed each other’s well-being, a silence fell between them. After all, they had just experienced a chaotic episode of heat together, leaving both of them feeling a little disheveled.

“I’m sorry,” Xia Ye finally spoke first. “It’s my fault. If I hadn’t forgotten to take my inhibitors, or if I hadn’t come to find you, none of this would’ve happened. You wouldn’t be like this now.” He lowered his voice. “I’ll be more careful from now on.”

“It’s not your fault,” Han Mingxiu replied. “It was my own oversight. I haven’t been in a good state lately, and I dragged you into it.”

Not in a good state? Isn’t it because you were rejected? Xia Ye desperately wanted to ask, What’s so great about that person? Even though you’re in the hospital, they haven’t even come to see you. Why are they worth all this? But he thought better of it. After all, the disastrous heat episode they’d just gone through wasn’t something Han Mingxiu would want his crush to know about.

Seeing Xia Ye’s troubled expression, Han Mingxiu wanted to comfort him. He reached out and took Xia Ye’s hand. “What are you thinking about?”

He remembered that Xia Ye had seemed preoccupied earlier when he’d come to see him. But before Han Mingxiu could ask about it, their pheromones had spiraled out of control.

Gently squeezing Xia Ye’s slender, fair fingertips, Han Mingxiu let a hint of playfulness creep into his expression. He wanted to tease him a little—and perhaps test Xia Ye’s current boundaries. Would Xia Ye tolerate this kind of intimate gesture now?

Xia Ye felt a tingle, as if a small electric current had surged through his fingertips and struck his heart directly. Such a jolt should have felt sweet, but when it stemmed from unreciprocated feelings, it only brought pain.

Abruptly, Xia Ye yanked his hand back and stood up. “I need to go. Take care, Senior,” he blurted out, his voice hurried and flustered. Then, almost angrily, he bolted out of the room, practically running into Uncle Gao in the hallway.

“Xia Ye, I’ve left your dinner in your room…” Uncle Gao called out after him, watching the student’s fleeing figure in mild confusion.

Han Mingxiu let out a long sigh.

“Young Master, you’re awake. Are you feeling unwell anywhere? Should I call for the doctor?” Uncle Gao asked with concern.

Han Mingxiu shook his head absentmindedly, but a thought struck him, and he quickly asked, “Uncle Gao, when you came to the lab earlier, what… what was the situation like?”

Uncle Gao pondered carefully before replying, “You and Xia Ye were both on the floor. Young Master, you were holding onto Xia Ye so tightly that we couldn’t pry you off. I ended up wrapping the two of you together in a blanket, and the medics helped carry you both onto the stretcher to bring you here.” Uncle Gao paused at this point, hesitating slightly.

“And then? What about Xia Ye? What condition was he in? Did I… did I do anything to him?” Han Mingxiu’s voice grew more urgent.

“No, no, Xia Ye was fine, just a little disheveled. You didn’t do anything improper to him. It’s just… you were holding onto him so tightly that he ended up with a few bruises.” Uncle Gao hesitated again before adding, “And… Xia Ye was crying the whole time.”

Han Mingxiu’s heart sank at those words.

Xia Ye… was crying the whole time.

In the end, he had still crossed the line.

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– End of chapter –

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