I Have To Love【Abo】 Chapter 15
byPink Face Takes the Stage
Su Tai called three times a day to ask about Xie Qiao’s physical condition. Xie Qiao laughed, saying he was overly worried, but Su Tai insisted that he would take him to the hospital for a thorough checkup as soon as he returned.
Xie Qiao was basking in the sun under the phoenix tree in the courtyard. After two days of heavy rain and several days of overcast skies, the sun had finally appeared today.
During the video call, Su Tai asked Xie Qiao to stand up and turn around, only relaxing once he was sure the person was truly fine.
“Brother, I’m really okay.” Xie Qiao stared at the face on the screen. Su Tai had been gone for over ten days, but Xie Qiao felt like he hadn’t seen him in centuries. “Brother, have you lost weight? Is the food in North America not very good?”
Su Tai was taking a break in his hotel room, dressed in slacks and a shirt, with the top two buttons of his shirt undone. “It’s fine. You worrying less about me is better than anything else.”
“I didn’t mean to worry you,” Xie Qiao said softly.
The secretary swiped the card and entered the room. Seeing Su Tai on the phone, she simply bowed slightly and waited a few meters away.
“I know you didn’t mean to. I need to get back to work now. You rest well.”
Hearing the coaxing tone, the secretary basically confirmed who was on the other end of the line and waited patiently for him to hang up.
Xie Qiao gazed longingly at the screen, only reluctantly withdrawing his hand after Su Tai ended the call.
The fish in the pond swam slowly. Sunlight fell on the water, and the flicking of their tails created tiny ripples. The stone paths in the garden were swept clean by the servants, without a speck of dust, yet the fallen leaves seemed endless.
Next to the garden was the Su Residence’s surveillance backup data room, where every corner of the house was clearly recorded. Xie Qiao watched for a long time before getting up. The long stone path gave Xie Qiao time to think. Spots of light fell at his feet, and he stepped over them; once he started walking, he couldn’t stop.
There was someone inside the data room. Xie Qiao naturally wasn’t stopped from entering; he was one of the only two masters of this house.
“Young Master,” the manager, Qian Jiang, stood up to greet him.
“Mm.”
Qian Jiang asked, “Are you looking for something here?”
Xie Qiao looked composed. “I lost something and wanted to check the surveillance.”
“Let me help you find it.”
Xie Qiao pulled out a chair and sat down. “I want to see the surveillance records from the 11th, from 3:30 PM to 4:20 PM, specifically from the left corner of the back garden to the back-right side of my house.”
Qian Jiang operated the computer, locating the area, selecting the time, and playing the surveillance footage as Xie Qiao requested.
Xie Qiao observed his search steps, staring intently at the screen, not missing a single spot, as if he truly had lost something and was searching for it.
He watched the time in the bottom right corner of the computer jump to 12 o’clock. “Shouldn’t you be taking your lunch break?”
Qian Jiang nodded. “Yes, but I should help you find your item first.”
Xie Qiao was understanding, showing a pure and harmless smile. “Go rest. I can manage myself. I might not find it, and I don’t want to waste your time.”
As an employee, Qian Jiang felt it improper to let the master search alone. He wanted to refuse, but Xie Qiao added, “Come back half an hour early to help me search, but go eat first.”
The data room was dimly lit, making Xie Qiao’s delicate face in front of the computer look even more refined, his eyes bright and lively.
“Alright, I’ll try to come back as soon as possible.”
As soon as Qian Jiang left, Xie Qiao followed the search steps he had just used, inputting the time from six years ago. As expected, there were no records.
Six years ago, three indoor surveillance cameras were repaired, but not all of them were broken. There might still be clues.
Xie Qiao didn’t have much time. He glanced at the keys hanging on the wall, took them, and headed upstairs.
The door to the upstairs data room clicked open. Inside were six or seven tall racks. Xie Qiao checked the time classifications and found that the latest records only went back five years. The longest current memory storage record was ten years, but the Su Residence’s surveillance was regularly processed and might not be kept that long.
Xie Qiao scanned rack after rack. Suddenly, his gaze fell on the bottom corner of one shelf. The outer packaging was noticeably newer than the surrounding ones. Xie Qiao took it out and found that it was wrapped in a new cover.
Records from six years ago.
Xie Qiao took a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped away the dust. A black data card lay inside the box.
He pried out the black memory card, wrapped it in the handkerchief, and put it in his pocket. He left the data room before Qian Jiang returned.
Everyone said that Xie Renqing’s fall down the stairs was an accident. Xie Qiao had seen the impact injury on the back of his head before the burial. There were witnesses and physical evidence.
But Xie Qiao didn’t believe it. Xie Renqing would do anything to survive, and he had no underlying health issues; it was impossible for him to die instantly from a fall—the stairs at the Su Residence weren’t that high.
The computer gradually displayed the surveillance footage from six years ago, scene after scene, until it abruptly cut off a few seconds before Xie Renqing’s accident.
Xie Qiao’s eyes felt strained. He grabbed eye drops nearby, applied two drops, and continued watching.
He repeatedly rewound the time segment before Xie Renqing’s accident, watching it five or six times at 0.5x speed. In one frame, he caught sight of a piece of clothing.
A black corner of a garment.
Xie Qiao zoomed in on the image, staring hard enough to burn a hole through the screen.
This was… Su Tai’s clothes.
This thought instantly flooded his mind like water. Xie Qiao’s breath hitched, unable to utter a word. He remembered that Su Tai shouldn’t have been home that day.
He weakly closed the computer. His body was supported by the chair, and the events surrounding that time replayed constantly in his mind.
Su Tai had never shown Xie Renqing a pleasant face since he moved in, and he rarely came home. Moreover, Su Tai was busy at that time; it was impossible for him to be home.
It was too hasty to conclude it was Su Tai based on just a corner of clothing. It could also be Su Kun’s mistress. A frivolous person like him would more likely have a mistress show up than his son come home.
Xie Qiao rubbed his face, took a deep breath, and called Cheng Yong. “Help me investigate whether Su Kun was keeping anyone outside before Xie Renqing’s death—what kind of person, what clothes they liked to wear, where they lived. I want everything.”
His tone was urgent, on the verge of losing his temper.
Cheng Yong had just dispatched his subordinates to monitor the doctor. “Yes,” he replied.
His chest rose and fell violently. Xie Qiao closed his eyes, trying hard to calm down. The Alpha Pheromones were stirring restlessly again. He took medicine from the drawer and swallowed it. The heat had nowhere to dissipate, and his fists were clenched painfully.
If the Alpha Pheromones couldn’t be relieved, he would end up like he did that night. He might become disabled or die due to nerve damage.
A few minutes later, Xie Qiao sped out in his car, heading towards the Suburban Boxing Gym. He still had enough sense not to run red lights and cause an accident; he didn’t want Su Tai to have to collect his corpse, nor did he want to cause trouble for himself.
The basement of the boxing gym housed the new fighting ring. Xie Qiao went straight to the backstage, ordered someone to prepare the gloves he needed for the match, and stepped onto the ring wearing a hoodie and casual pants.
The Datura Pheromones surged uncontrollably through his body, stimulating Xie Qiao like an adrenaline shot. He ground his teeth. His opponent was a big guy, but he just wanted to knock him down—or anything, as long as it could take a beating.
Alpha Pheromones suppressed those of lower rank. Datura Pheromones were rare and had hallucinogenic effects. This type of pheromone was usually used as an anesthetic for treatment, though it was too expensive for most people to afford.
The Underground Fighting Ring had no formal rules, only the requirement to win.
Xie Qiao had been taking medication for years, and his body was far from what it used to be, but all he needed to do was beat someone up.
If there were a bet, he would bet on himself.
Xie Qiao fought with bloodshot eyes. Half an hour later, his face was bruised, and his opponent lay motionless on the ground, blood pouring from his mouth and nostrils.
An attendant handed Xie Qiao water. Xie Qiao took a sip. The water slid down his dry throat, and his body slowly recovered.
“Save him. I’ll pay the medical expenses and give him 100,000 in compensation.” Xie Qiao removed his gloves and left the ring.
The turmoil in his body subsided. The Alpha Pheromones had been released, and the Omega Scent gradually took over. Whether it was his imagination or not, this medication was less potent than before, and gentler, but the Omega Scent could naturally replace the Alpha Pheromones.
Xie Qiao left the basement and walked upstairs. The lobby was quiet. The pure white decor and the fresh air above ground were completely different from the stuffiness below.
Xie Qiao sat on a sofa in the lobby. An attendant brought iodine and gauze to treat his wounds.
The Beta woman, wearing a professional suit and trousers, knelt beside him, carefully lifting his injured arm to wipe the wound. The bruising would likely take a long time to fade; an Alpha certainly wouldn’t bruise this easily.
When she reached the injury at the corner of his mouth, Xie Qiao turned his eyes to look at the Beta’s hand, which paused a few centimeters away.
His hair was damp with sweat and stuck to his forehead. It was evening, and some lights were turned off as per regulations outside of operating hours. The Omega on the black sofa was expressionless, making the attendant uneasy.
“Sir, do you need me to treat this?” The Beta lowered her head, afraid to look at Xie Qiao.
Xie Qiao saw the woman trembling slightly in front of him. “Sorry, I’m not used to people suddenly getting close. Please help me treat it.”
Only then did the Beta step forward to wipe his wound.
The employees here were trained in medical procedures, so treating this kind of injury was quick.
“Sir, it’s done.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you need me to arrange a car for you to go back?”
“No need.” Xie Qiao stood up and strode out. He glanced in the direction of the parking lot, a slight lift at the corner of his mouth. If his brother were here, it would be great.
The streets in the suburbs were sparsely populated at night, and in late autumn, no one was out for a walk, leaving the area quiet.
When Xie Qiao missed Su Tai, he would look up at the stars. When Su Tai wasn’t home, he liked to walk and didn’t want to return. He had no home; he had been wandering since birth. If Su Tai was willing to give him a home, only then would he have a place to stay.
“Xie Qiao, you still need to confirm the debate process for tomorrow night.”
Xie Qiao scrolled through his chat history with Su Tai and saw the new message. “I’ve confirmed it. I’ll send you the file. Ask the committee member in charge of notifications to send it out one last time.”
“Thank you for the trouble.”
“You’re welcome.”
Suddenly, Xie Qiao was grabbed and slammed against a tree. His back hit the rough trunk hard, leaving him numb with pain.
“What an Omega.” The stranger’s voice and the suffocating, oppressive Alpha Pheromones made Xie Qiao deeply uncomfortable. At this moment, he was just an Omega. This damned biological evolution created people without morals who gained power and harmed society.
Xie Qiao’s Gland felt hot under the Alpha Pheromones.
The man’s rough hand groped his waist. “Nice body. Walking alone this late at night, aren’t you afraid a bad guy will eat you up?”
The man’s greasy face and voice made Xie Qiao’s body prickle. “What do you want?”
“What do I want? Of course, I want to help you have some fun.” The man laughed.
Xie Qiao felt disgusting insects crawling on his restrained wrist and struggled hard. “Fun? How do you plan to have fun?”
“Of course, by fucking. Brother will fuck you well later.”
Before the man’s face could get closer, Xie Qiao’s bandaged hand instantly broke free from the restraint, and he punched the tall man, sending him crashing onto the sidewalk. His entire body hit the ground with a thud, even bouncing up slightly due to inertia. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and half his face swelled up like a purple, bloated eggplant.
In that moment, nothing was more powerful than anger and fear.
“Fun?” Xie Qiao shook his hand. His Gland ached slightly. He took a pill from his pocket and swallowed it.
He turned to look at the man on the ground, crouched down, his expression like a demon from hell. “Are you having fun now?”
The gauze fell away. His slender, blood-stained fingers swept across the man’s cheek. “Still an Alpha.” When injured, the Alpha’s oppressive pheromones leaked out uncontrollably. Xie Qiao pressed his hand onto the Gland on the man’s neck. The unconscious Alpha immediately woke up in pain, letting out a scream.
“A low-ranking Alpha daring to walk alone at night? Aren’t you afraid someone will eat you alive?”
There were plenty of people who took pleasure in exploiting Alphas; there were no absolute strong people in this world.
Xie Qiao inadvertently looked up and saw someone across the street. His hand paused.
A young person riding a bicycle. Their eyes met, and the person came over.