TMDP CH 8

Chapter 8: Please, Sir, Be a Gentleman

Han Mingxiu hid in his room, unsure of how to face the situation.

The matter of infertility was something he couldn’t explain. Even now, he still believed he was infertile. The consistent reports from two medical centers had left him unable to doubt the possibility of a misdiagnosis.

But what about Xiao Li? He was certain that child was his own flesh and blood.

Two contradictory facts stood before him, and he felt dizzy from the impact.

And the person he had hurt, Xia Ye, was now lying helpless and innocent in the hospital. What should he do? When they broke up, Xia Ye had given him a chance to explain himself, offering to work through any difficulties or troubles together, but it was him who had rejected it. It was him who coldly told Xia Ye he no longer loved him, sending him away.

Now, would Xia Ye give him another chance to explain his side?

His troubles—who had they really hurt?

All these years, he had thought of himself as the victim, thinking he was strong enough to get through it. But now, after seeing Xia Ye’s experiences, he understood what it truly meant to be a victim, and what real strength looked like.

His phone rang—it was the driver who had been staying at the hospital.

“Master, Mr. Xia has woken up. He insists on being discharged,” the driver said carefully. “Do you want to come over?”

“I’ll be there right away,” Han Mingxiu hurriedly rushed out of his room and went downstairs.

“Uncle,” Xiao Li called out when he saw him come down.

“Xiao Li, be good. Dad… Daddy is going to find your other dad. He’s sick and in the hospital. When he gets better, Daddy will bring him back,” Han Mingxiu crouched down and looked into the child’s eyes, speaking seriously. “For these next few days, Xiao Li will stay here, okay? I’m your daddy, and ‘daddy’ means ‘another dad.’ They are your grandparents, and you’ll be very safe here. Be a good boy, and Daddy will get better faster.”

Xiao Li heard that Daddy would get better, and nodded dazedly. Han Mingxiu handed the child to his mother. “Mom, Dad, I… I think I really made a mistake. Please take care of the child for me. I’m going to find Xia Ye.”

Han Mingxiu’s father was still angry, turning his head away and not looking at him. His mother’s heart softened; after all, he was her own son. She urged Han Mingxiu to go quickly and bring Xia Ye back as soon as possible.

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Han Mingxiu raced to the hospital, rushing straight into the ward. This trip had changed the way he saw Xia Ye, and now, Han Mingxiu just wanted to pick up the pieces of the broken things he had caused.

Xia Ye looked at him with a different gaze, one filled with wariness, resentment, and a little bit of anxiety.

“Where’s my son?” Xia Ye asked, pretending to remain calm. He had just woken up from his second nap, and his fever had finally subsided. His mind was still on Xiao Li, and after calling Wang Mama, he learned that the child had been taken by Han Mingxiu.

An ominous feeling rose in Xia Ye’s heart.

He had never intentionally kept the child a secret. After their breakup, he hadn’t avoided or hidden anything—he hadn’t even changed his phone number. Xia Ye continued living his life in the same routine, even though he had left school early, he quietly remained in the same city that had once been theirs.

Xia Ye couldn’t say that he had stayed in one place without any hopes.

But now, three years later, their reunion was at its worst.

If the breakup years ago had been a sudden end to their love, this reunion now destroyed all the sweetness of their past relationship. Old feelings that were once warm became sour, bitter, and ultimately worthless, leaving deep emotional scars.

Now, Xia Ye only wanted to distance himself from this person as much as possible.

“I’ve taken the child home.” Han Mingxiu said this calmly, but inside, he was feeling uncertain.

“Who?” Xia Ye narrowed his eyes, showing the signs of anger. Who was it that just said: ‘That’s not my child’? In the span of a single nap, the story changed?

“Don’t falsely claim parenthood. Xia Li is my son.” Xia Ye kept his tone cool, but the hand hidden under the blanket couldn’t stop trembling. He knew that if the Han family wanted to take the child, he would definitely lose him.

“He’s called Xia Li,” Han Mingxiu smiled bitterly. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have left you without asking anything properly. You have every right to resent me.”

“….” Xia Ye watched Han Mingxiu, who was suddenly speaking in a softer tone, feeling his words were strange. What did he mean by ‘didn’t ask clearly’? Was he supposed to force himself to continue a relationship with someone he didn’t love just because he knew about the child? Xia Ye pondered for a few seconds, then realized and almost laughed out of anger. He cursed in his heart: Shameless.

“Li, as in the ‘Li’ from ‘Liu Li’,” Xia Ye said irritably. “I hope the child’s heart is as pure and clear as glass, bright and transparent. His name isn’t meant to blame anyone, and it has nothing to do with you, so don’t misunderstand.” He said, not at all politely.

Han Mingxiu was stunned by his words. He had been so saddened by the ‘Li’ in the child’s name, thinking Xia Ye had put his regret about separation into the child’s name. But it turned out that even that sorrowful connection had nothing to do with him. It was another misunderstanding he had made based on his own assumptions.

Xia Ye continued, “Thank you for helping take care of Xia Li. I’m feeling much better now, so please bring him over. I’m ready to go home.”

“No, you can’t go back yet. The doctor just said your condition is very bad and you need a full check-up,” Han Mingxiu paused for a moment, then awkwardly added, “Last time, when… when we were together… your condition was also off. You didn’t react at all. I couldn’t smell your pheromones, you didn’t… go into heat. Is there something wrong with your glands?”

Xia Ye listened to Han Mingxiu with a blank expression. When he heard him mention going into heat, he felt slightly uncomfortable but remained calm. “I used some medication to suppress my pheromones before. Maybe the dosage was too high, and it damaged my glands.” He smiled indifferently, “Actually, it’s better this way. I’m alone now, and going into heat or pheromones, they’re both a nuisance. I won’t have heat cycles anymore, and I won’t need to rely on medication. Without pheromone discharge, it’s much safer for both me and the child.”

Han Mingxiu was shocked. Xia Ye actually thought this was for the better? How could that be good? He was so young, yet he couldn’t experience desire anymore. How could that be good? Was this still the same Xia Ye—the one who was once so passionate and bright? Didn’t he still want to love or be loved?

Xia Ye thought, since we’re already talking about this, I might as well lay it all out. “Mr. Han, now you know. I’m a flawed Omega. I can’t attract anyone, and I can’t satisfy you. As for that night in the club, what I meant was a one-time payment of a million. If you were dissatisfied with the service and wanted me to appear again, that would be an unreasonable demand. I know I didn’t do well, so I came back as you asked. But this time, it was you who asked me to come. To me, I’ve already fulfilled my obligation to show up.” Xia Ye took a deep breath, “I hope that the million-dollar transaction ends here, and we’re even. Don’t look for me again. Please, Mr. Han, be a respectable customer.”

“Xia Ye, don’t say it like that. You know I don’t see you like that,” Han Mingxiu stammered in panic. “I… I’m not a customer.” I don’t want to be a customer.

Xia Ye smiled. “No, I don’t know how you see me, and I don’t want to know. To me, you paid, so you’re just a customer. Otherwise, with your actions that night, it would be considered r*pe.” Xia Ye was still smiling, but Han Mingxiu’s face went pale.

Faced with Xia Ye’s accusation, Han Mingxiu had no words to defend himself.

Han Mingxiu stood silently in the room, racking his brain to find an excuse. Xia Ye had already gotten out of bed, insisting on being discharged.

At that moment, Han Junzhou rushed into the room. “What’s going on? The nurse said you want to leave?” Glancing at the frozen figure in the room, Han Junzhou said to Han Mingxiu, “Hey, you’re back. I was about to look for you. I know what’s going on. Wait for me outside.” He turned his attention back to Xia Ye. “You can’t leave yet! Your condition isn’t great. I need to arrange for a few more tests. You can’t leave until they’re done. Also, your respiratory infection hasn’t healed yet. If you leave now, you could easily infect others.” Han Junzhou deliberately added, “If you pass it on to the child, the treatment would be more troublesome. Kids have weaker immunity and could easily develop pneumonia…”

Xia Ye looked at Han Junzhou, feeling suspicious. From the way he spoke to Han Mingxiu, it was obvious they were in cahoots. But as a doctor, Xia Ye couldn’t ignore his advice. Even though he knew Han Junzhou was exaggerating, he didn’t dare to take the risk.

Xia Ye sighed in defeat and sat back down on the bed, helplessly saying, “I don’t need the tests, just treat the infection first.” He turned to Han Mingxiu, saying, “Please take the child back to Wang Mama’s place. She’ll take care of him for me.”

Han Mingxiu quickly said, “I can take care of him. There’s no need to trouble outsiders, right? My parents love Xiao Li too. We’ll look after him. You can rest assured.”

Hearing Han Mingxiu say this, Xia Ye became even more uneasy. Now that the Han family elders knew, things might not be so simple.

Xia Ye felt both anxious and afraid, but he couldn’t show it. He was afraid of revealing any weakness that could be used against him.

He forced himself to calm down and said flatly, “The Han family certainly has the ability to take care of a child. Thank you in advance. For the next few days, I’ll trouble you. But let me remind you, the child’s surname is Xia. He’s my son. A few days later, I’ll come to pick him up. I hope you won’t make things difficult for me then.”

Han Mingxiu hurriedly responded, “No, I won’t make things difficult for you. You just focus on getting better. The moment you’re discharged, I’ll bring Xiao Li over and take you both home.”

Han Mingxiu’s words were insincere.

He knew what Xia Ye was afraid of. But for now, Xia Li was Xia Ye’s only family, and Han Mingxiu could only despicably use the child to try to make him stay.

Using a child to hold someone hostage was the lowest trick.

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– End of chapter –

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