TMDP CH 24

Chapter 24: Rainy Season – 4

Rainy Season—The Time of Love

The next day, Xia Ye insisted on being discharged from the hospital. Before leaving, he made sure to thank Han Mingxiu. On the other hand, due to Han Mingxiu’s mother’s insistence, he stayed for two more days of observation before being released.

Now, two weeks had passed, and Han Mingxiu noticed that Xia Ye was avoiding him.

For breakfast, Xia Ye either claimed he had already eaten and refused the meal or intentionally delayed so that Han Mingxiu couldn’t find him. At lunchtime, Xia Ye no longer went to the cafeteria. Occasionally, when Han Mingxiu managed to intercept him on the road, Xia Ye would coolly find some excuse, say a few words, and flee in haste.

Han Mingxiu was at his wit’s end, thoroughly frustrated. He just wanted to talk to Xia Ye properly, perhaps even apologize, but there was no opportunity. For the first time in his life, Young Master Han’s attempt at pursuing someone was a total failure.

The ringtone of his phone interrupted his thoughts. It was Li Mu.

On the other end, Li Mu spoke with a peculiar mix of urgency and amusement, “Han Mingxiu, get over here to the Starbucks near school right now. Xia Ye’s on a blind date.”

A blind date? What kind of blind date? He’s only a freshman! No, it wasn’t even about his age—Han Mingxiu’s anger spiked instantly.

Hadn’t Xia Ye said he wanted to start with being friends, to take time getting to know each other, and to transition from finding the other person endearing to liking them, and eventually falling in love before being together? This was someone with a clearly structured view of love, and now he was out on a blind date?

Han Mingxiu had given Xia Ye space and time to get to know him better, but now, after two weeks of avoidance, Xia Ye was out meeting someone else? Was this all just a game to him?

Enraged and flustered, Han Mingxiu rushed out. His emotions were turbulent, and his pheromones recklessly overflowed as he dashed toward the Starbucks.

The moment he burst into the café, Xia Ye didn’t even need to look up to know that Han Mingxiu had arrived.

Xia Ye, who was already annoyed, felt even more cornered. A classmate had dragged him to what he thought was a simple outing, but it turned out to be a three-on-three blind date setup. He had been so bored that he was about to doze off when the café door slammed open, and someone stormed in.

More precisely, a torrent of pheromones swept over him first, pulling him out of his stupor before he even saw Han Mingxiu stepping into the scene.

For a long time, Xia Ye hadn’t experienced this familiar presence. He sighed contentedly. It was comforting and reassuring.

Even though he had a pheromone-blocking patch on the back of his neck, the faint scent of Han Mingxiu’s cold cedar still reached him. Since discovering these new patches, Xia Ye had secretly asked the doctor to prescribe extras when he was discharged. He’d claimed it was to give his glands a proper rest. Given the intense situation between him and Han Mingxiu, the doctor reluctantly provided him with an additional month’s supply but warned him to use them only when necessary and not to wear them continuously.

But Xia Ye didn’t care. Ever since his discharge, he had worn the patches daily.

Though he no longer went into heat easily, he still thoroughly enjoyed the faint scent of Han Mingxiu’s cedarwood.

Xia Ye’s table was tucked away in a corner. From there, he watched Han Mingxiu discreetly, trying to see who he had come to find. Could it be that adorable Omega he liked so much? Hmph, I’ll see just how cute they are. Are they cuter than me? Xia Ye thought smugly. Look at me, participating in this three-on-three blind date. The Alphas across from me can’t stop competing for my attention.

While sneaking glances at Han Mingxiu, Xia Ye suddenly noticed that Han Mingxiu had locked eyes on him the moment he entered.

With an imposing aura, Han Mingxiu strode directly toward Xia Ye’s table. On his way, he passed by Li Mu, who tried to grab his wrist to stop him from acting impulsively. Han Mingxiu simply shook him off and continued walking.

The overpowering pressure of his pheromones filled the café, provoking discontent among the other Alphas. Such blatant provocation was too much. Meanwhile, the Omegas shivered in fear, unable to bear the angry and intense pheromonal waves. The café emptied quickly, leaving only a few brave—or trapped—souls behind.

Han Mingxiu stopped beside Xia Ye, his intense gaze fixed on him as he forced a smile. “What a coincidence to see you here.”

Xia Ye, sipping from his straw, slowly looked up. “Yeah, what a coincidence. Are you here on a date too?”

“Too?” Han Mingxiu feigned confusion, then pretended to understand. “Oh, so you’re on a date? I didn’t know you’d already found someone to date so quickly.”

Han Mingxiu’s sharp gaze swept over the other people at the table. His overbearing aura had reduced the others to silence. Though visibly displeased, none dared to speak up. Behind him, Li Mu, struggling against the pressure, gestured frantically to the others to leave quickly.

Once Xia Ye’s classmates left, Xia Ye stood up as well, intending to leave. Han Mingxiu, still angry, felt something was off. He hadn’t picked up any scent from Xia Ye, nor did it seem like Xia Ye was affected by his pheromones.

How could that be?

His eyes shifted to the back of Xia Ye’s neck and spotted the flesh-colored gland patch. Surprised, he asked, “Why are you still wearing that? Didn’t the doctor tell you not to keep your glands sealed all the time? It’s bad for them.”

“Why do you care?” Xia Ye retorted, sulking. “Even without pheromones, people still like me. I’m very charming, you know.”

“You—” Han Mingxiu paused, taken aback. “You’ve always been charming. What are you even talking about?”

His initial anger was beginning to dissolve, replaced by confusion. The sharp, cold cedar scent in the air softened gradually.

Li Mu, drenched in cold sweat, finally felt some relief and returned to his seat to comfort Miao Miao.

Xia Ye glared at Han Mingxiu, shoved him aside, and squeezed past him to leave. Han Mingxiu followed him all the way out. When they reached the entrance to Xia Ye’s apartment building, Xia Ye couldn’t hold back any longer. He turned around and shouted at Han Mingxiu, “Stop following me, okay? Can you stop making people misunderstand?”

“Misunderstand what?” Han Mingxiu asked, genuinely perplexed.

He had no idea what Xia Ye was angry about. When Xia Ye avoided him earlier, he first thought it was shyness. Then, he assumed it was because he had lost control and acted inappropriately that day, making Xia Ye uncomfortable.

But now, seeing Xia Ye’s sulking and frustrated expression, it seemed like neither of those reasons was correct.

Han Mingxiu made up his mind. He was determined to clear things up today.

Xia Ye turned to leave again, but Han Mingxiu grabbed his hand, spinning him around to face him. Placing his hands firmly on Xia Ye’s shoulders, Han Mingxiu looked into his eyes seriously. “Xia Ye, what’s wrong with us? Why are you avoiding me? If it’s about my losing control that day, I can apologize. But you should know I tried my best. With a compatibility like ours, I couldn’t help being drawn to you…”

“Exactly! I know it’s because of our high compatibility that you’re drawn to me against your will!” Xia Ye angrily interrupted, his voice sharp. “Now I’ve sealed my glands. You won’t be bothered anymore, and you can focus on chasing your true love while I can meet new people. Isn’t that for the best?”

The best? For whom?

“Let you chase your true love while you meet new people? What kind of logic is that?” Han Mingxiu felt his head spinning. “Why would you need to meet new people? And what’s this about me chasing someone else?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Xia Ye shouted, his voice rising. “You don’t even like me! Even with our high compatibility, my pheromones aren’t enough to make you want me. Should I stay celibate for you forever?” His face flushed with anger, he broke free of Han Mingxiu’s grip and ran off.

For a moment, Han Mingxiu was stunned by Xia Ye’s outburst, unable to process his words. But even if he was inexperienced and clueless, he instinctively knew now wasn’t the time to let Xia Ye walk away.

He chased after him, following him up to the second floor of the apartment building. Before Xia Ye could close the door to his apartment, Han Mingxiu wedged himself inside.

Xia Ye glared at him, eyes red with unshed tears. “What are you trying to do? Have you ever thought that the reason you can’t win over your Omega might be because you keep messing around with other people and making them misunderstand?”

“What do you mean, ‘can’t win over my Omega’? Who’s ‘other people’? Who’s misunderstanding what?” Han Mingxiu could hear every word Xia Ye said, but the meaning completely eluded him. Frowning, he demanded, “What exactly are you angry about? Are you mad because I… didn’t touch you?”

The moment those words left his mouth, Xia Ye’s eyes turned even redder, and his ears burned with embarrassment. As for Han Mingxiu, he couldn’t believe what he had just said.

“I’m the ‘other person.’ Your ‘true love’ misunderstands because of me. Is that clear enough?” Xia Ye was trembling with anger. “I just don’t understand why you’re like this. Is it because you feel overly responsible? Do you think you owe me something, so you act nice to me on one hand but stay loyal to someone else on the other? I don’t need that from you.”

His voice cracked as he spoke, and his words carried deep resentment. “I… I’m good enough too. I’ll meet someone who finds me attractive, someone who likes me even if I have no scent. Not like you, who—even with our high compatibility—still prefers someone else so much that you’d rather hurt yourself than…”

He trailed off, unable to continue. Finally, he squatted down, hugging his knees and breaking into sobs. He didn’t understand why he was saying all of this, why he was exposing his vulnerabilities like this.

“Xia Ye… Are you jealous?” Han Mingxiu asked in shock. “You’re jealous… of yourself?”

For the first time, Han Mingxiu seemed to grasp the twisted logic behind Xia Ye’s anger. “You think that day… I was holding back for someone else?”

At that moment, Han Mingxiu was so baffled he almost burst out laughing. If Xia Ye had just been willing, he wouldn’t have cared about the three injections he had taken that day—rendering himself temporarily powerless—to avoid hurting Xia Ye. Who else could he have been doing it for?

Han Mingxiu sat down on the floor and pulled Xia Ye into his arms. He lightly massaged the back of Xia Ye’s neck through the pheromone-blocking patch. Despite the barrier, Xia Ye’s whole body broke out in goosebumps from the touch, a mix of sourness and yearning spreading through him.

“Xia Ye, how can you be so foolish? That day… fine, if you want to call it holding back, then sure.”

Xia Ye struggled in his arms, but Han Mingxiu’s Alpha strength didn’t allow for escape. He held Xia Ye tightly and said softly, “But you need to know, I was holding back for you.”

Xia Ye stopped struggling when he heard the words “for you,” his ears perking up.

“Xia Ye, it was you who said you didn’t want to be tied together because of biological reactions. You said we should start by getting to know each other, becoming friends first. Then, gradually, we could find each other cute, start liking each other, and eventually fall in love before getting together. That’s why I’ve been following your pace, taking things slow, afraid I’d scare you by moving too fast. But now, you—”

Han Mingxiu nudged Xia Ye with his chest. “Why would you think I have someone else, huh? Answer me.”

“Senior Zhao Manqing said you couldn’t win over the person you love. She told me to comfort you and said your love interest is a very beautiful Omega…” Xia Ye mumbled, his face buried in his knees. His voice was muffled.

“That’s you!” Han Mingxiu almost wanted to howl at the sky. “My beautiful Omega is you! The person I’ve been chasing and failing to catch is also you!”

Was it Zhao Manqing’s poor choice of words, or Xia Ye’s inability to listen properly? Somehow, the two of them had created a massive misunderstanding, and he was the one suffering for it.

He couldn’t take his anger out on Xia Ye, but Zhao Manqing? She’d better prepare herself. Tomorrow, he’d ask Wang Siwen to deal with her and spank her for this mess.

Far away, Wang Siwen sneezed and rubbed his itchy eyelids. Running through the list of emotions he might feel tomorrow, he concluded something amusing was bound to happen.

After hearing Han Mingxiu’s words, Xia Ye completely quieted down. Maybe he realized he had overreacted and felt too embarrassed to lift his head.

Han Mingxiu gave Xia Ye a little shake. “Is it okay now? Am I finally cute enough for you to like me?”

A vague hum escaped Xia Ye’s knees. He finally let his entire body relax, leaning into Han Mingxiu’s embrace.

“Senior…” After a long pause, Xia Ye slowly turned his head from where it rested on his knees. Two round eyes peered up at Han Mingxiu hesitantly. “Do you also… think I’m cute?”

For so long, he’d been stewing in jealousy, always comparing himself to that ‘other person,’ always wanting to ask: Am I cuter than them? Now that he knew the ‘other person’ was himself, his stubbornness lingered. He still needed to hear the words.

Han Mingxiu burst out laughing and mercilessly ruffled Xia Ye’s hair. “Idiot.”

He had already told him before, long ago. From the very first time they met, he had said it.

“Little junior, you’re really cute.”

“Oh!” Xia Ye suddenly remembered.

By the lake, where the breeze gently stirred the grass, there had been someone. That person had given him a pink rose.

From that moment, his first love had been carefully and tenderly placed into his hands.

T/L: The following chapters will return to the present time.

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– End of chapter –

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