"Qing-ge."
When the door opened, Xie Bing stood there, looking slightly awkward after several days of absence. Her hand was still resting on the doorbell, as if she had been about to press it again.
Li Qingliu’s feverish mind cleared in an instant. "Xiao Xie? Why are you here?"
He glanced at the security keypad. Xie Bing knew the code, yet she had chosen to ring the bell. Did she feel they had grown distant?
"Qing-ge, I..."
Just as Xie Bing was about to explain her visit, she caught the faint scent of pheromones. She frowned, looking at Li Qingliu’s flushed face. "Are you in heat?"
"Huh? Am I?" Li Qingliu sniffed the air, trying to catch his own scent. "I didn't know."
He reached up to touch the back of his neck; it was indeed burning hot. Since his marking removal surgery, his heat cycles had become erratic, and his sensitivity to his own pheromones had significantly dulled.
"Get inside first." Xie Bing glanced warily at their surroundings before pushing Li Qingliu back into the apartment. Her previous hesitation vanished, replaced by a firm, commanding presence as she stepped through the doorway. "Do you have suppressants? Where are they?"
She led Li Qingliu to the sofa, making him sit down, before turning to look for the first-aid kit.
"Suppressants? I’m not sure if I have any left..." Li Qingliu tried to recall. Because his cycles were so irregular—sometimes skipping two months entirely—and because suppressants had a short shelf life, he had lost the habit of keeping them in stock.
"How can you be so careless with your own body?" Xie Bing stood over him, her brow furrowed in disapproval.
Li Qingliu was already feeling low, and being scolded only made a wave of grievance surge in his heart, carrying with it all his unresolved emotions. He grabbed a throw pillow from the sofa and buried his face in it. "Why do you care? Who are you to me anyway?"
Xie Bing was left speechless. This was the first time Li Qingliu had ever snapped at her. She pursed her lips, a hint of regret flickering in her eyes. *Was I too harsh just now?*
Watching the older Omega hide childishly behind a pillow, radiating a "leave me alone" aura, Xie Bing hesitated for a moment before sitting down beside him.
"Qing-ge, I'm sorry," she said.
"Hmph," Li Qingliu grunted, drawing out the sound in dissatisfaction.
"Qing-ge..." she called his name again, but followed it with silence.
Li Qingliu began to feel nervous. *What does she want to say? No, wait, what I should be thinking about is why she’s even here. Why did she suddenly come to find me?*
He held his breath, surreptitiously listening for any movement from her. Xie Bing remained silent, only shifting her sitting position occasionally.
Now that she had pointed it out, the fierce heat began to ravage his body. Li Qingliu felt his limbs grow weak, and his emotions became increasingly uncontrollable.
*What is this? You come here and then say nothing. Can't you just be decisive? And you call yourself an Alpha. Truly, young people are so difficult; they can't even figure out their own hearts. I’m a fool too, chasing a girl so much younger than me.*
Li Qingliu grumbled internally, venting his frustration. Suddenly, a hand with a slightly cool temperature grabbed his hand and pulled the pillow away. His flushed face was exposed to the air.
"?" Li Qingliu was dazed.
"Qing-ge, what kind of relationship gives me the right to care?" Xie Bing asked. "Is this kind of relationship okay?"
She leaned over and pressed her lips against Li Qingliu’s forehead.
*That’s it?* Li Qingliu thought in shock. *What does a forehead kiss mean? What kind of relationship is this supposed to be?*
He widened his eyes, searching Xie Bing’s gaze. "What kind of relationship is 'this kind'?"
"Ah," Xie Bing said blankly. "A relationship where we like each other."
The heavy stone weighing on Li Qingliu’s heart suddenly dropped. He desperately tried to suppress the corners of his mouth from curling upward, but he failed.
Amidst Xie Bing’s flustered expression, he stood up, pressed her down against the sofa, and kissed her directly. "This is what you call a relationship where we like each other."
He cradled her head, passionately prying open her defenseless teeth.
"I don't want suppressants," he whispered against her lips. "I want you to mark me."
***
In a suburb thousands of miles away from Zhunnan City and Xi'an Street.
The small gate of a prison opened, and a tall but unremarkable-looking man walked out.
The prison guard handed him his belongings and said, "Remember to be a good citizen from now on. Follow the law and don't come back."
The man smiled and nodded as he took his things. "Thank you, Officer. I certainly will."
He turned to face the vast world, his eyes burning with intensity. *I’m finally out.*
"Is that Brother Xing Wen?" A middle-aged man with a beer belly stepped out from a car parked nearby and asked cautiously. "I'm Su Qiang's brother, Su Jin. He sent me to pick you up."
The tall man turned slightly, glanced at him, and said, "Su Qiang’s brother? Fine."
His gaze quickly swept over Su Jin, and he immediately categorized him: alcoholic, lazy, a bully who feared the strong. Useless.
He hadn't expected that the man he met in prison—a man capable of enduring humiliation while possessing a ruthless streak—would have a brother like this. But none of that mattered to him. Now that he was out, he only needed to fulfill one promise, and the rest of his life would be his own.
"Yes, yes. Please, this way. This is my car." Su Jin nodded repeatedly, ushering the man into the back seat before climbing into the driver's side.
Along the way, Su Jin stole glances at the cold man in the rearview mirror, his heart filled with dread. *Is this really the man my brother talked about?*
He recalled the instructions Su Qiang had given him. Su Qiang had once accidentally helped Xing Wen in prison, saving his life. Only later did he learn that this unremarkable-looking man was actually responsible for multiple homicides and possessed a natural antisocial personality. He was simply an expert at hiding himself and camouflaging his nature. After entering prison, he had worked hard and stayed out of trouble, even earning a sentence reduction.
However, Su Qiang believed Xing Wen was far from the pushover he appeared to be. Many of those who had bullied Xing Wen in prison later met with mysterious "accidents." Su Qiang was certain Xing Wen was behind it all.
After Su Qiang helped him, Xing Wen promised to do him one favor once he was released. Then, they would be even.
Su Qiang had immediately thought of the person who had landed him in his current predicament and formed a plan. Having been released several years before Xing Wen, Su Qiang had been operating in the shadows, growing his business to heights he had never reached before his incarceration.
Now that everyone was in place, it was time to begin his revenge.
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 发热期 | Heat | The periodic physiological state of Omegas in the ABO setting. |
| 信息素 | Pheromones | Biological scents used for communication/attraction in the ABO setting. |
| 抑制剂 | Suppressants | Medication used to control or delay an Omega's heat or an Alpha's rut. |
| 标记 | Mark / Marking | The act of an Alpha biting an Omega to create a biological bond. |
| 标记祛除手术 | Marking removal surgery | A procedure to surgically remove a permanent bond/mark. |
| 邢温 | Xing Wen | A newly introduced character; a dangerous ex-convict. |
| 苏金 | Su Jin | Su Qiang's brother. |
| 苏强 | Su Qiang | A character mentioned as having a grudge; previously in prison with Xing Wen. |
| 圳南 | Zhunnan | The city where the main story takes place. |
| 希安街 | Xi'an Street | A specific location/street in the story. |
