I Have To Love【Abo】 Chapter 13
byPink Face Takes the Stage
Su Tai hadn’t slept all night, and his gland, which had been releasing pheromones for hours, felt exhausted.
Around seven o’clock, Su Tai ate breakfast. Aunt Wang stood nearby. “Aunt Wang, call A Qiao a little later this morning. Also, pay extra attention to his physical condition. Have the doctor ready so we don’t have to repeat the work like last time.”
“Oh, and he slept in my room last night.”
Aunt Wang’s expression remained neutral. “Yes.”
When Xie Qiao woke up, the other side of the bed was already cold. The strong scent of licorice still lingered. He rubbed his neck, and as his thoughts returned, he remembered that his gland had been too hot last night, prompting him to hug his pillow and seek out Su Tai.
It was instinct for an omega to automatically seek out the alpha who marked him.
His brother actually let him in. Xie Qiao curled his lips, staring at the other pillow.
“Young Master, Young Master?” Aunt Wang knocked on the door.
Xie Qiao got dressed and out of bed. “I’m up, Aunt Wang.”
Xie Qiao returned to his own room to wash up, changing his Suppressant Patch. The medication maintained his omega gender, but he could never fully return to being an alpha. Looking at himself in the mirror, he left the room.
He habitually looked outside, waiting for Su Tai to return from his morning run, but then suddenly realized Su Tai had left long ago. Breakfast became dull and tasteless.
“Is this enough for you to eat? Have a little more,” Aunt Wang watched him eat like a kitten, her face showing concern.
“I don’t have much appetite.”
Xie Qiao went up the stairs. Past the second-floor corner, Xie Qiao stopped feigning calmness. Step by step, he walked to Su Tai’s bedroom, placed his hand on the doorknob, slowly opened it, and walked inside.
The alpha’s room was large, sunlight falling across the widened double bed. The bed had already been cleaned by the maid. Xie Qiao closed the door, leaned against it, and carefully examined every inch of the room. He closed his eyes, his mind filled with Su Tai’s image.
The warm licorice scent entered Xie Qiao’s body with the breeze. He remembered Su Tai’s first Susceptibility Period. The young alpha locked himself in his room, the sound of smashing things clearly audible on the first floor.
Not long after, Su Tai started dating. On his way to school, he saw Su Tai kissing that omega. It was the first time he knew what Su Tai looked like when he kissed—just like in an idol drama. In the pre-dawn morning, in the garden corridor, the tall alpha held the omega’s waist, pulling their two bodies close, and lowered his head to kiss her.
Xie Qiao’s memory lingered on that morning kiss. After a long time, he opened his eyes, opened the door, and left.
Tancheng University covered over four thousand acres. The ginkgo trees were turning yellow, and after the gates opened, the crowds were like weaving threads. Xie Qiao got out of the car at the school gate and walked toward the teaching building. A middle-aged woman approached him and asked, “Young man, which cafeteria in your school is good?”
Cafeteria, good. Xie Qiao took a full five seconds to react, his brain practically flipping through all the cafeterias on campus. Under the auntie’s expectant gaze, he replied, “…None.”
There really wasn’t one. Xie Qiao wasn’t lying. Before Tancheng University’s cafeterias were outsourced, they at least had the advantage of being cheap. Since the outsourcing, they had lost even that sole advantage. He didn’t want to damage the school’s reputation, and if they found hair or plastic bags while eating, it would be troublesome. Although that was the cafeteria’s issue, out of morality and responsibility, he felt “none” was the best answer.
From the classroom, one could see the golden ginkgo garden. Yellow leaves covered the ground, and another layer fell with every gust of wind.
The desks and chairs in the classroom must have been decades old. Many seats were broken, and the tabletops were carved with the sincere words of previous generations. Even the stone tablets in the school garden, carved with words and exposed to the elements, looked newer than this.
Xie Qiao finished class and went to eat with his classmates in the cafeteria, then went to the library to study. He had an exam this afternoon.
The library heating was strong, and the study rooms were packed with people. The various messy smells made people frown. Xie Qiao found an empty seat and glanced at his phone. His brother hadn’t reached North America yet.
After the exam, Xie Qiao opened his phone and received a message from Engineer Chen.
“It’s time for your check-up today.”
With the new medication observation period, Xie Qiao had to go.
Xie Qiao took a taxi to the Biological Research Institute. The people inside were all familiar with Xie Qiao. He went upstairs to Engineer Chen’s office, where people were already waiting for him.
“I thought you’d be a while.”
Xie Qiao sat down on the chair. Engineer Chen stepped forward to examine his Gland. He was already accustomed to Xie Qiao’s temperament and didn’t care about the response.
Engineer Chen put away his examination tools. “How do you feel after taking the medicine?”
Bendoxisodium was the latest drug. The components for treating glandular nerves were constantly being improved, but something that was already broken wouldn’t be fully restored no matter how much medicine was taken.
“Your medicine is getting less effective.”
Engineer Chen frowned.
“The duration that I maintain omega characteristics after taking the medicine is shortening. To be precise, my Alpha Pheromones suddenly appear, and my Gland often hurts. I can’t control the overflow of Alpha Pheromones.” Xie Qiao spoke expressionlessly, as if describing someone else’s illness, even though his Gland was hurting right now. “I almost exposed myself in front of my brother.”
He could neither fully become an omega nor return to being an alpha. If it weren’t for the suppression of the medication, he would only become a monster that was neither alpha nor omega.
“You should minimize contact with alphas.”
“After more than ten years, you should have some results by now. I hear some scientists spend their entire lives researching nothing. I hope you aren’t one of them.”
Engineer Chen looked at the pale, lifeless child. His heart was also filled with guilt. This research originated from experiments by black market human traffickers who forcibly turned alphas into omegas. The state, unable to cope, asked researchers like them to conduct studies. To find a cure, they tested everything from animals to humans. The first time they operated on a newly differentiated child, they were so terrified they couldn’t sleep for nights. Some researchers committed suicide due to moral condemnation. Xie Qiao was sent there at that time, for a research fee of five hundred thousand.
“A Qiao… I want you to understand one thing: from the moment you participated in the research, you were destined not to become an alpha.”
Xie Qiao looked up at Engineer Chen, who was packing up his tools, only showing his profile. “Don’t look at me like that. Crocodile tears. I never wanted to become an alpha.”
Xie Qiao used to deeply detest the omega gender. Omegas were pets of love manipulated by pheromones. He knew about underground trades that specifically hunted omegas for pleasure. But he also clearly knew that if he wanted to survive, he could only be an omega. He once clawed at his Gland to resist, but when he realized he had fallen for Su Tai, he chose to accept it. An alpha would forever be constrained by the omega they marked. If he could be possessed by Su Tai, what did it matter if he was an omega?
From that moment on, he stopped resisting. Realizing he loved Su Tai, he seemed to gain the ability to accept this entire fate. He was no longer fragile, no longer suicidal. It was as if his troubled life finally had a guiding light, making him feel like he would be saved.
Engineer Chen looked at Xie Qiao, lost in thought, and sighed. “We are currently researching medication for complete transformation, and surgery might also be necessary.”
“As long as I won’t die.”
“You are still so pessimistic.”
Xie Qiao looked at him, his expression dark and unclear. “How come I didn’t know about this?”
Xie Qiao scrutinized him. “When I entered, I saw someone holding Hengling Group documents. Are you cooperating with them?”
Hengling Group contracts had special markings, but what Xie Qiao smelled first was the faint licorice scent on the documents, as diluted as plain water.
Engineer Chen’s hand paused. “You have sharp eyes. Hengling is cooperating with another professor, not me.”
“Understood. If there’s nothing else to say, I’ll be leaving.” He picked up his bag and stood up.
Engineer Chen suddenly called out to him. “Bendoxisodium affects the nervous system. Do not overdose.”
“I know.”