TMDP CH 45

Chapter 45: Xia Ye Removes the Ring

A day and a half later, Johnny’s senior and boyfriend finally returned, bursting into the apartment with an overwhelming citrus scent.

“Hold on, hold on—” Xia Ye raised his hand to stop the citrus-scented Alpha. “Let me head home first.” Xia Ye rushed out of Johnny’s house and returned to his own apartment, feeling a little dizzy.

For the past few days, Johnny’s pheromones had been continuously filling the air. Xia Ye felt like he was drowning in fizzy water. While Omegas don’t trigger each other’s heat cycles, their pheromones can still cause mutual interference. The hormones emitted by a heat-ridden Omega can disrupt the hormonal balance of another, throwing off their cycle and inducing an early heat.

Fearing such an effect, Xia Ye immediately administered a suppressant after returning home.

After days of taking care of Johnny during his heat, Xia Ye grabbed a quick brunch and then fell into a deep, disoriented sleep. That nap lasted straight through dinner, and he didn’t wake until dawn. Upon waking, he begrudgingly threw himself into a long stretch of overtime work. Before he knew it, the weekend had arrived.

On Saturday, Xia Li’s school held a welcoming camp activity. Despite being only in first grade, the school organized a two-day, one-night camping event. Students and teachers pitched tents on the school grounds and enjoyed a campfire party. Xia Li had been looking forward to it for weeks. Bright and early, he pestered Uncle Han to send him off to school.

After dropping Xia Li off and watching him run excitedly into the school, quickly blending into the camp activities, Han Mingxiu felt a pang of bittersweet pride at seeing the child’s growth. But mostly, he was disappointed that their usual family day would be canceled this weekend.

That little rascal… Now I have to come up with another excuse to see your lazy dad.

Just as Han Mingxiu was scratching his head for an idea, Xia Ye called him, inviting him to dinner at the Yun Jing Hotel that evening.

Oh wow. This was Xia Ye’s first invitation in so long, and it seemed very formal. Han Mingxiu was both thrilled and nervous. To calm himself, he took his large dog out for two laps around the neighborhood and then jumped into a cold shower to regain composure.

The entire day, Han Mingxiu was in a daze, feeling as though he were walking on clouds. Whenever he sat down, he would smile foolishly to himself. Tang Xi couldn’t bear it anymore and asked him what on earth had happened, urging him to share the good news so they could celebrate together.

“Mom, Xia Ye asked me out to dinner tonight,” Han Mingxiu said.

“And then?” Tang Xi looked equally excited.

“That’s it,” Han Mingxiu replied.

“…” Tang Xi rolled her eyes. “Haven’t you had meals with him before? You two used to have dinner and late-night snacks together all the time, didn’t you?”

“This is different! This time, he asked me out,” Han Mingxiu said with excitement. “It’s been so long—almost half a year since he came back to the country—and this is the first time he’s asked me out for dinner. Don’t you think this means my chances of winning him over have gone up a bit?”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Tang Xi said, too lazy to entertain his excitement further as she turned her attention back to her TV. “Haven’t I told you before? As long as he’s still wearing that ring, it means he hasn’t met someone he’s truly interested in yet. I don’t know why you’re so nervous all the time. Just be brave and go after him. If you keep hesitating and overthinking, Xia Ye might lose interest in you altogether.”

Tang Xi’s words echoed in Han Mingxiu’s mind, but he hadn’t expected the nightmare she hinted at to come true so quickly.

At 6 p.m., in the private dining room of Li Xuan Hall at the Yun Jing Hotel, Han Mingxiu stood at the doorway wearing a formal cobalt-blue suit and a long black coat. His expression was complicated as he looked at Xia Ye, who was already seated on the sofa inside the private room, smiling and waving at him.

Xia Ye was dressed casually in a white V-neck sweater and jeans, looking somewhat underdressed.

Xia Ye rose from the sofa to greet him. “Senior, come in!” He waved Han Mingxiu over and waited for him to join him.

“Aren’t you cold?” Han Mingxiu felt a little self-conscious, realizing how overdressed he was. Even the coat seemed excessive compared to Xia Ye’s thin wool sweater. As he handed his coat and suit jacket to the waiter to hang in the room’s wardrobe, he took his seat.

“It’s all indoors. Why would I be cold?” Xia Ye noticed his puzzled look and explained, “The walls of my apartment started leaking, so the landlord has people working on it these days. I rented a room upstairs for now. I’ve been staying at the hotel since last night and just came down from there. I’ll probably be at the hotel for a few more days.” Xia Ye playfully raised an eyebrow at him. “I’ll have to trouble you, Senior, for a discount when the time comes.”

“Oh, so that’s why you asked me here for dinner,” Han Mingxiu said, both amused and exasperated. “Didn’t I already tell you? Just give my name, and they’ll open a room for you directly. What’s the point of asking for a discount?”

“Come on, I’m way too good-looking. It’s obvious I’m not you. How could I just use your name to book a room? Do you think your hotel’s front desk staff are blind?” Xia Ye teased.

“…” There were so many issues with that statement that Han Mingxiu didn’t know which part to refute first. “Of course, they know you’re not Han Mingxiu. But they also know you’re my—”

“Hmm?” Xia Ye interrupted Han Mingxiu mid-sentence while flipping through the menu. “I’m your… what?” Xia Ye tilted his head slightly and gave Han Mingxiu a sidelong glance over the top of the menu. The lower half of his face was hidden, but his eyes sparkled with mischief—a blend of playfulness, provocation, and a subtle warning that said, ‘If you dare say something reckless, I’ll deal with you.’

“Ahem, a good friend,” Han Mingxiu coughed lightly, conceding. “The staff all know that Xia Ye is a good friend of Han Mingxiu and an important guest of the Han family. They wouldn’t dare treat you poorly.”

Xia Ye burst out laughing and waved the menu at him, signaling for him to stop talking nonsense and hurry up to order.

Han Mingxiu chuckled as well, lowering his head to look at the menu. But something felt off—the faint, sweet watermelon scent in the air. As Xia Ye gestured with his hand, the air stirred, and the familiar woody undertone that usually accompanied the watermelon scent was absent.

Han Mingxiu looked up at Xia Ye, who was still smiling warmly, his cheeks slightly flushed as he spoke to the waiter to place his order.

“The same as him,” Han Mingxiu said when the waiter turned to him after noting down Xia Ye’s medium-rare New York strip steak. The waiter nodded and left, but Xia Ye stopped him, asking Han Mingxiu, “Should we open a bottle of red wine?”

Han Mingxiu, distracted, nodded absentmindedly. Xia Ye immediately named a bottle, his eyes gleaming as he glanced at Han Mingxiu. Was it his imagination? Han Mingxiu wondered if Xia Ye’s cheeks looked even redder than before.

Xia Ye seemed to be in an excellent mood. Ordering wine… what was there to celebrate? Han Mingxiu’s gaze fell to Xia Ye’s smooth, slender fingers. But instead of feeling celebratory, he felt a growing sense of unease.

Without the cover of the synthetic pheromones from the mukjingshi ring, Xia Ye’s natural scent—a rich, mature watermelon sweetness—had started to fill the small private room. What had once been faint and barely noticeable had, in just twenty minutes, grown more intense. It was a scent Han Mingxiu hadn’t smelled in its pure form for a long time.

When they first reunited, Xia Ye’s glands were damaged and couldn’t secrete a significant amount of pheromones. Even when they did, it was an immature, faint green melon scent. Later, after learning that Xia Ye’s glandular treatment had been successful, Han Mingxiu noticed the synthetic pheromones from Xia Ye’s ring masking his natural scent.

This was the first time in a long while that Han Mingxiu had been exposed to Xia Ye’s unfiltered, familiar sweetness. It was more mature, more intense, and more intoxicating than before.

Before every meeting with Xia Ye, Han Mingxiu always made sure to take both suppressants and blockers. Yet today, he was still overwhelmed. He knew Xia Ye wasn’t deliberately releasing large amounts of pheromones—it was simply the effect of their high compatibility. Previously, the synthetic pheromones offered some protection, but without them today, Xia Ye’s pure scent had Han Mingxiu on edge. His body reacted immediately, even as his mind fixated on one heartbreaking realization:

Xia Ye had taken off the ring.

Han Mingxiu had assumed that tonight’s dinner invitation meant their relationship was progressing, maybe even that Xia Ye was ready to give him a final answer. After all, Han Mingxiu had confirmed that there was no one else by Xia Ye’s side. Shouldn’t this mean his chances were better?

But instead, Xia Ye’s decision was to remove the Han family’s ring.

Xia Ye continued smiling as he watched Han Mingxiu. His heat cycle wasn’t due until next week, but Johnny’s cycle had disrupted his rhythm. He suspected his heat might arrive early. He had been taking suppressants regularly during work, but he stopped taking them the night before. He even made an excuse to book a room upstairs at the hotel…

“A good room,” Xia Ye thought nervously, “Given how strongly the two of them are attracted to each other’s pheromones, there’s a real risk they might lose control during dinner.” He prayed they could hold out at least until they finished the main course.

Because of his nerves about tonight’s dinner, Xia Ye had barely eaten anything all day and was now starving. “If I don’t eat something, I might not make it through the night,” he thought, his face reddening at the implications.

He could feel his body changing now—his neck’s gland began to tingle and itch slightly, and even he could smell the wafting watermelon aroma emanating from himself. Mixed into it was that ever-present fir scent—sweet and cloying, entangling with his own scent in a relentless dance. Under the table, Xia Ye shifted uncomfortably, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Stealing a glance at himself, he realized his body had already reacted. The telltale bulge in his pants was undeniable, creating a small tent. If he was like this, then there was no question about Han Mingxiu—he was probably already pitching a circus tent, teetering dangerously on the edge of losing control.

But Xia Ye gradually became confused. While Han Mingxiu’s gaze had been burning at first, it was now cooling. Though beads of sweat were visible on Han Mingxiu’s forehead, his expression had dimmed.

What’s going on? Doesn’t he like it? Didn’t Director Han say that Han Mingxiu was no longer averse to watermelon scents?

“What’s wrong?” Xia Ye asked softly, feeling his body heat up and his head growing slightly fuzzy. “Why aren’t you saying anything?” It wasn’t like Han Mingxiu to let silence linger between them.

“You took off your ring,” Han Mingxiu forced a smile, though the stiffness in his voice betrayed him. “The wooden crystal ring. Why aren’t you wearing it anymore?”

“Oh, you noticed?” Xia Ye replied shyly, laughing lightly. “Because I don’t need to wear it anymore.” Isn’t that because I have you now?

“Don’t need it anymore?” Han Mingxiu’s emotions were a whirlwind of unease and uncontrollable desire. Clenching his jaw, he pressed on, “Is it because you’ve found someone who makes your heart race?”

Under the table, Xia Ye fidgeted again, his face reddening further, his body heating up more and more. He could no longer deny his growing… situation. Trying to hide his embarrassment, he coughed lightly and gave a small nod.

Han Mingxiu closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath before reopening them. For a fleeting moment, Xia Ye seemed even more enchanting, his shy smile brimming with allure. His own pants were growing unbearably tight. Watching Xia Ye shyly risk so much to take off the ring—for someone who had captured his heart—ignited a pang of jealousy so intense it almost turned physical.

No. Xia Ye’s scent was too intoxicating, and Han Mingxiu was losing control. If this was the end of their story, he needed to leave quickly. He had vowed to wish Xia Ye well. If Xia Ye had already made his decision, then Han Mingxiu had no reason to stay and prolong the agony. If he didn’t leave soon, he would cross a line he couldn’t uncross.

“I see,” Han Mingxiu nodded, his tone tinged with sadness. “So the reason you asked me here today is to…” Xia Ye was just about to nod, but Han Mingxiu’s next words left him stunned. “…return the ring to me?”

“Huh? Return what to you?” Xia Ye blinked in confusion, thinking he’d misheard.

“Strictly speaking, you’re returning it to my mom, aren’t you?” Han Mingxiu let out a bitter laugh. “That’s fine. I can pass it along for you.”

The watermelon-scented pheromones surged suddenly, causing Xia Ye’s knees to go weak as he nearly collapsed onto the table. Seeing his state, Han Mingxiu knew Xia Ye’s concentration had reached its peak—he was officially entering estrus. Han Mingxiu was caught in a dilemma, too panicked to either sit back down or leave. In his flustered state, he pushed back his chair and stood up.

“Sit down,” Xia Ye hissed, gripping the edge of the table to steady himself. “You bastard, sit down!”

Han Mingxiu didn’t dare sit, but neither did he dare move. In a rushed voice, he said, “Xia Ye, since you’ve already made it clear that there’s someone who’s captured your heart—and you’ve even taken off the ring—I get it. I said I’d wish you well, and I won’t go back on my word. But right now… if I don’t leave, it’ll be too late. I don’t have that much self-control when it comes to you, Xia Ye. Don’t make me make another mistake. I don’t want you to hate me even more later.”

Slumped over the table, Xia Ye squinted at the towering “circus tent” in Han Mingxiu’s pants. For a moment, he was torn between storming over to tear it down or breaking the pole holding it up. His anger made him momentarily dazed.

Just then, a waiter entered the private room with a bottle of wine. He approached the table, holding up the label for their approval, but couldn’t help sensing the odd atmosphere between the seated and standing guests. As a Beta, he couldn’t smell the raging pheromones flooding the room.

However, his trained eyes weren’t blind. The standing man’s legs were spread wide, with an unmistakable bulge in the center, while the seated man’s flushed face, awkwardly hunched posture, and mix of sultry and angry glares told their own story. Clearly, something was up.

“Sir, are you alright? Do you need any help?” The waiter cast wary glances at Han Mingxiu out of the corner of his eye, as though bracing for the tall man to suddenly lose control and charge.

“Put the wine down and get out,” Xia Ye snapped, his usual mild demeanor nowhere to be found, whether due to anger or lust. He rudely dismissed the waiter. “Don’t bring in the rest of the courses.”

At this point, it was clear that no one was in the mood to eat.

T/L: UGH THESE TWO FRUSTRATE ME SO MUCH!! LOL
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– End of chapter –

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