I Have To Love【Abo】 Chapter 16
byPink Face Takes the Stage
The young man parked his bicycle by the roadside, and his long legs covered the distance to Xie Qiao in two strides. The dim yellow streetlamp slanted across his deeply sculpted face. He crouched down, and Xie Qiao, following his movement, lowered his head to meet his gaze.
Xie Qiao’s eyes darted around, and he waited woodenly for the young man to speak first.
“What happened?” The young man glanced at the man on the ground, then looked back at Xie Qiao, his tone gentle.
Tears welled up and spilled from Xie Qiao’s eyes. He answered with a trembling, suppressed voice, “He tried to… assault me.”
The young man smelled the sticky, inducing Alpha Pheromones in the air. The omega’s face and hands were covered in injuries. The blood-stained gauze that had been on the alpha was now scattered in winding trails across the omega’s trembling palm.
He frowned, noticing that Xie Qiao’s body didn’t quite look like a typical omega’s. “Are you an omega?”
Xie Qiao nodded. “Yes. I just came out of the boxing gym and ran into him. He was drunk and just… But luckily, I know a bit of boxing. I lost control and ended up hurting him.”
The omega sniffled, his hands still shaking. “Will he die?” Two clear lines of tears fell from his pitiful eyes.
An alpha attempting to forcibly assault a weaker omega and failing—according to the newly enacted omega protection law, this was enough to earn a criminal record and a year in jail. He had truly caught a good time for this to happen.
In the past, the law was difficult to define. There is a natural attraction between alphas and omegas, and it was hard to determine whether an encounter was induced, consensual, or if an omega was suffering during their Heat/Estrus Period and an alpha offered assistance. Judges and police would not simply believe one side of the story, allowing those skilled in debate to exploit legal loopholes. However, due to various reasons in recent years, incidents of harm to omegas have become increasingly frequent. The legal community, which constantly advocates for the human rights of released criminals, finally remembered that omegas also have human rights. Thus, the new law had just been implemented on the first of this month.
The young man checked the man’s breathing. “He’s still alive. I’ll call an ambulance. Are you coming with me?” The young man looked at him. “Do you need to call your family?”
Xie Qiao paused. “I can.” He took out his phone, hesitated, and then put it away. Su Tai might be busy right now, and he didn’t want Su Tai to know about this. Su Tai preferred soft omegas. “My family… I don’t really have family here. My only older brother is abroad.”
A poor omega without even family nearby.
The young man looked at the person who was clearly terrified, with injuries on his hands and face, and felt pity. “Come with me. We can treat your wounds too.”
Only then did Xie Qiao realize that the gauze on his body had fallen off.
The young man recalled seeing Xie Qiao kneeling beside the alpha earlier, fiddling with the gauze. “Was the gauze on the ground for bandaging him?”
Xie Qiao didn’t understand why he would think that; perhaps he was just naive. He nodded blankly.
“Being too kind isn’t good.”
The alpha was taken into the treatment room. The young man stayed by Xie Qiao’s side, looking at the dazed omega whose eyes were red and whose face and hands were injured. He wanted to offer comfort but didn’t know what to say.
“You should go get your wounds treated too.”
Xie Qiao looked up at him, his small face pale, tear tracks already dry, and his eyes bloodshot. He must have been terrified.
He led Xie Qiao into another treatment room. The injuries were minor and quickly dealt with. “Are you hungry?”
Xie Qiao nodded, then shook his head. The young man was about to ask more when his phone rang.
“Brother.” The omega’s voice was soft, seeking comfort from his family. The young man discreetly stepped aside.
He didn’t know what the person on the other end asked, but the omega inquired, “How did you know?”
Just as he finished speaking, two bodyguards in suits and uniforms walked through the corridor and stood before the omega. “Young Master.”
Without needing more words, the young man re-examined the omega. He was dressed in designer clothes, and his skin was delicate—clearly someone who had been well cared for.
A child raised solely by his older brother, lacking parental affection. His brother must work hard, and the child saw it, which is why he didn’t inform his family immediately when something happened, afraid of troubling his brother abroad. Thinking this, the young man felt a surge of sympathy.
Xie Qiao said to Su Tai, “Brother, you don’t need to.”
“Let them stay with you. When the police question you, just tell the truth. I’ve already notified the legal department to rush over. They will help you resolve any issues,” Su Tai paused, then continued, “Or I can return home.”
Su Tai had instructed the bodyguards to protect Xie Qiao discreetly today since Xie Qiao didn’t want them following him openly. He hadn’t expected trouble to arise the one day they weren’t visible. Su Tai was relieved that Xie Qiao was okay, thankful that Xie Qiao had insisted on learning boxing. He couldn’t bear to think what might have happened if Xie Qiao hadn’t learned or if the bodyguards hadn’t been nearby.
He was pacing anxiously in his office, like a spinning top, and finally risked calling to check on Xie Qiao, despite the risk of Xie Qiao discovering his secret surveillance.
Xie Qiao actually thought the latter option was better, but he couldn’t say that. “I understand.”
Hanging up the phone, Xie Qiao walked up to the young man. “I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Xie Qiao, the ‘Qiao’ from bridge.”
A bridge, a towering, winding structure. Thinking of the alpha who had been knocked down, the young man felt the name suited him.
“Han Zheng, the ‘Zheng’ from governance.” Han Zheng introduced himself briefly. “As a witness, I’ll go with you later.”
There were surveillance cameras all over the city’s streets and alleys. The police station would receive notification as soon as an incident occurred, and the paramedics would clarify the situation during the rescue. An attempted assault on an omega would certainly be reported to the police.
“That’s too much trouble.”
Han Zheng smiled. “It’s my pleasure to help others.”
Inside the police station, Xie Qiao and Han Zheng briefly recounted the events. The questioning officer didn’t entirely believe Xie Qiao’s account, especially since the surveillance footage showed Xie Qiao knocking the alpha down with a single punch.
Han Zheng, however, was astonished by Xie Qiao’s strength. He had assumed Xie Qiao hit him several times, not that he was taken down with one blow. He looked at Xie Qiao with open admiration and disbelief in front of the police officer. “Your boxing is that good? Wow, A’Qiao, I didn’t realize.”
Xie Qiao felt Han Zheng was a bit too familiar, and he smiled shyly.
The officer coughed, telling Han Zheng, “Be serious.” He then turned to Xie Qiao. “We need you to be more detailed. The injury report indicates that some of your wounds were not sustained during that incident.”
Xie Qiao looked at the officer, his voice very small, appearing intimidated by the officer’s tone. “Some of them were from training at the boxing gym. I had just left the gym.”
The officer continued, “Based on the surveillance footage, he did not inflict substantial harm on you, but the victim is currently hospitalized. We might consider this excessive self-defense later.”
With a slap, Han Zheng jumped up, indignant. “Are you saying an O injuring someone who was harassing them counts as excessive self-defense?!”
The officer glared at Han Zheng. “This is a police station. We follow procedure.”
Han Zheng dropped his smile, his expression polite but his tone steady. “Officer, is an omega taking down an alpha so unbelievable? It’s highly possible for someone who knows boxing and is under duress to knock down a drunken pervert driven by lust. Don’t judge an omega as incapable based on natural physiological differences. I hope you maintain professionalism. An individual enforcing the law who judges with an already biased scale is a trampling of justice.”
“It is mandated by law that we must thoroughly inquire about the process. Furthermore, the severely injured party is an adult male alpha.”
Han Zheng chuckled. “Is an adult male alpha some kind of rare animal, or the reincarnation of Hercules? You know well whether you’re questioning with prejudice or if it’s legally mandated. Humanity has evolved for thousands of years, yet we remain this stagnant. We might as well revert to being cavemen.”
The officer’s face cycled between purple and red, but he couldn’t do anything about Han Zheng.
A forensics officer approached with the test results. “There were indeed inducing alpha pheromones present.”
Following closely behind was a lawyer from the Hengling Group’s legal department. “Officer, hello. I am Xie Qiao’s lawyer.”
The lawyer placed a black business card on the table. The four characters for Hengling Group were embossed in gold, standing out prominently.
Five minutes later, Xie Qiao walked out.
“Han Zheng, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I just couldn’t stand his attitude, acting like an omega is too weak to take down an alpha.”
Xie Qiao looked at the righteous young man, who was himself an alpha, and smiled. “You’re right.”
Han Zheng froze, realizing how beautiful Xie Qiao was, especially his upturned eyes. When he smiled, it was as if the snow had melted.
He snapped back to reality, pretending to check his watch, his ear tips turning red. He spoke haltingly, “I have to go. I have class tomorrow. Oh, right, let’s exchange contact information. I study at Tancheng University. You look like a student too. Where do you go to school?”
The two exchanged contact details. “Tancheng University, Law Department.”
“You’re in Law? Did I just show off in front of you?”
“No. The law guarantees freedom of speech for citizens. Besides, I think what you said was quite reasonable.” Xie Qiao asked, “Where is your bicycle? How will you get home?”
“I’ll take a taxi to pick up my bike.”
“Let me have someone drive you.” Xie Qiao gestured to the bodyguard nearby, but Han Zheng refused. “No need.”
“Consider it my thanks. Otherwise, my brother will say I’m thoughtless.”
Han Zheng stopped being difficult and told Xie Qiao he would see him at school.
After a busy night, Xie Qiao wanted nothing more than to sleep when he got home. Aunt Wang followed anxiously behind him. “You’ve only been out for a little while, and you have so many injuries. Have they been treated?”
Xie Qiao replied, “They’ve been treated, Aunt Wang. Don’t worry. I’m going up to sleep now, I’m exhausted.”
“Alright, go on and sleep.”
Going up to the second floor, Xie Qiao finally relaxed completely when he saw Su Tai’s room. He missed Su Tai; his chest felt tight, and his emotions were unsettled.
Xie Qiao didn’t hesitate to push open Su Tai’s door and enter. The alpha had been gone for a long time, and the pheromones in the room were pitifully scarce. He turned on the light and stood at the doorway. Su Tai’s jacket was hanging on the rack. Xie Qiao desperately needed his pheromones.
He walked over, his nose cautiously inching closer, slowly burying his entire face in the jacket. The stiff suit fabric felt soft against his skin. He inhaled the scent with the devotion of a puppy, the sweet licorice filling his nasal cavity, making his entire body feel weak.
After a long time, only when that area was covered in his own scent, did Xie Qiao get up and walk toward the bathroom. It wasn’t the first time he had used Su Tai’s bathroom. Every item was neatly arranged. Xie Qiao felt like a thief, but a justified one. He showered in the bathroom and climbed into Su Tai’s bed.
He hid under the covers, wrapping himself tightly, as if Su Tai were holding him. The fresh omega scent spilled out. He felt an unbearable longing for Su Tai throughout his body.
He rustled around under the covers for a long time before being startled by the vibration of his phone system. His face flushed, and he peeked out from under the blanket.
[Brother]
“Brother.” Xie Qiao hadn’t fully recovered from the heat, his voice sticky and slightly breathless.
In the video, Su Tai could only see Xie Qiao’s eyes and the pillowcase above his head. Su Tai stared for a moment. “Where are you?”
Xie Qiao felt guilty for doing something wrong. Su Tai’s voice brushed over his body like a feather, making him tremble. “Nowhere.”
“In my room?”
“Mhm.”
Su Tai heard the unusual tone in Xie Qiao’s voice. “Let Brother see where you’re hurt. Is your Gland bothering you?”
The bodyguard had sent the hospital’s medical report to Su Tai, and the lawyer had reported everything as well.
Xie Qiao’s pheromones were already unstable, and this incident was sure to cause problems, which is why he called.
“Yes.” Xie Qiao’s hand shook, and the camera dropped, briefly flashing his fair, flushed skin before being covered by the sheet.
Su Tai felt a sudden tightness in his chest, stunned by the brief image he saw. He had prepared himself, yet he was still surprised. Xie Qiao had only been marked by him, and only his pheromones could calm him. It was normal for Xie Qiao to enter his room at this time. He held his breath and spoke softly, “A’Qiao, open my bedside drawer now.”
“What?”
“There is an extract of my pheromones inside. It will help you.” Since the last Temporary Mark, Su Tai had gone to the hospital to have this prepared, just in case.
As the alpha who had marked Xie Qiao, his pheromones were the best medicine to alleviate the symptoms of Xie Qiao’s pheromone disorder.
Hearing that it was Su Tai’s pheromones, Xie Qiao immediately got up, opened the drawer, and pulled out a small bottle. “Found it.”
“You can open it and smell it, or ask Aunt Wang to pour you a glass of water and drink a little. Not too much.”
“I know.” The omega’s pheromones and his longing for Su Tai were affecting Xie Qiao. He truly felt like the soft omega controlled by pheromones. His nose stung.
“I miss you.”