A soft, childish voice pulled Qin Yao out of his melancholic thoughts. He looked around before noticing a little girl with pigtails tugging at the hem of his pants.
The little girl, even younger than Dian Dian, was holding a white rose. "I’m giving you a flower, big brother, so don’t be sad."
Qin Yao squatted down and smiled, glancing at the nearby flower shop. "Thanks, little one, but this flower is from your family’s shop. I can’t just take it."
The girl was silent for a moment before honestly replying, "Actually, I was hoping to give you one flower first and then ask if you’d like to buy more."
Qin Yao: "…"
He chuckled softly. "I can buy some, but answer a question for me first."
"Okay!" The little girl nodded earnestly, her expression serious. "I’m ready. Ask away!"
"Is it that obvious that I’m sad?" Qin Yao asked.
"Mm!" The little girl nodded and even gave an example. "You look exactly like my older brother when he got dumped."
Qin Yao: "…"
He forced a smile, trying to maintain his composure. "Alright, I see. Thanks."
"You’re welcome." The little girl beamed. "Big brother, my mom says that breakups aren’t scary. You’ll meet someone who truly loves you one day!"
"Thanks… but big brother hasn’t been dumped," Qin Yao tried to salvage his dignity.
"But you look like you’re about to cry," the little girl pointed out, giving him no room for escape. She shoved the white rose into his hand and patted his hand. "Take this, big brother. If you really like them, why don’t you try again? White roses represent pure and sincere love. Their meaning is beautiful: if you’re honest about your love, you’ll be a good match."
Qin Yao was stunned for a while, staring at the little girl in her fluffy coat. A gentle smile spread across his face. "You know quite a lot."
He lowered his gaze to the pure white rose in his hand, its cup-shaped petals thick and milky white—a symbol of purity.
Qin Yao’s mind filled with the image of Bai He’s gentle face. Bai He would look good with white roses, but Qin Yao shook his head, smiling bitterly. He muttered to himself, "No, I’m not worthy of him right now. He’s incredible, so talented."
Then he smiled ruefully. "And I’ve even made him mad."
"Then you have to work hard, big brother!" The little girl didn’t fully understand, but she still spoke earnestly and innocently. "There’s no time to be sad! You have to become excellent too, so you can be worthy of him. If you’ve made him mad, show him your sincerity and apologize with all your heart!"
"You’re right," Qin Yao finally smiled, feeling lighter.
Even children understood the simple truth: if you like someone, be brave and pursue them. If you make a mistake, apologize sincerely.
Qin Yao patted the little girl’s fluffy head and stood up. "Alright, wrap up some white roses for me."
"Yay!" The little girl jumped up and down excitedly, then turned and ran back to the flower patch. "Mom, there’s a big brother who wants to buy flowers! The prettiest ones!"
Qin Yao’s mood lifted even more. Holding the wrapped bouquet of white roses, he walked lightly toward the underground garage, unconsciously picking up his pace, eager to return to school.
As he turned a corner, a mix of familiar yet repulsive scents hit him, bringing him to a slow halt. Several alphas standing near the parking garage entrance looked up.
Guan Jiayu, with a scar still fresh on his face, stared at Qin Yao with a look full of malice, his pheromones completely unchecked.
"Oh, isn’t this Young Master Qin?" Another alpha, whose name Qin Yao didn’t bother remembering, stepped forward, tilting his head as he scrutinized Qin Yao. "What a coincidence. Are those flowers for some little omega?"
Qin Yao’s expression turned cold. Ignoring the alpha who spoke, he fixed his gaze on Guan Jiayu and sneered. "Has the young master of the Guan family still not learned how to control his pheromones in public?"
Guan Jiayu glared at Qin Yao, clearly looking for a fight. He didn’t smile, his eyes fixed on the flowers in Qin Yao’s arms, a storm brewing in his gaze.
"Does Bai He know you’re sick?"
Upon hearing those words, Qin Yao was first taken aback but not entirely surprised. "I'll tell him, but this doesn't seem to be your business."
"Heh." Guan Jiayu sneered, his smile ugly. "Qin Yao, you owe me a leg."
"Oh?" Qin Yao raised an eyebrow at that. "You can’t be that weak. It's been months, and you're still not healed?"
As he spoke, his sapphire-blue eyes flashed with disdain. "What should I do about it? You owe me a life. Can you return that to me?"
Last time, Qin Yao had been cornered by this group and nearly beaten to death—what they called being "beaten back into cat form" in beastman terms. Normally, he wouldn’t have been in such bad shape, but due to a recent illness and several sleepless nights, his body was utterly exhausted, leaving him vulnerable to Guan Jiayu’s trap.
Guan Jiayu wasn’t someone to mess with, and neither was Qin Yao. The two families had been at odds for years due to various disputes over interests, their enmity reaching its peak.
The reason Guan Jiayu had ambushed him was simple: a clash of interests. Qin Yao had helped Qin Wei snatch a project right out of Guan Jiayu’s hands. That project had been Guan Jiayu’s ace, a bargaining chip to use in his family’s internal strife against a few of his brothers.
To say "snatch" isn’t quite accurate; the project wasn’t Guan Jiayu’s to begin with. It was just normal business competition. Qin Yao had won fair and square, but Guan Jiayu couldn’t swallow his defeat. Everyone knew who the real schemer was.
The atmosphere grew tense. Qin Yao glanced around, then turned to place the bouquet of flowers on the steps behind him. As he turned back, he flexed his wrists, an unmistakable ferocity flashing in his eyes. "Let’s get this over with. I’m on a tight schedule."
…
That afternoon, Bai He had some free time and went to the recruitment fair, registering with the game development club.
With no evening classes and most of his tasks for the day completed, it was time for a livestream.
Since transferring schools, Bai He’s livestream schedule had become irregular due to his busy life. Whenever he had free time, usually between 9 and 11 PM, he would go live.
After finishing dinner at 7 PM, Bai He returned to his dorm, quickly washed up, changed into pajamas, and sat at his desk, adjusting the microphone.
Recently, his streams had mainly featured various trigger sounds, with occasional requests from viewers. Each request was challenging, but Bai He always managed to fulfill them.
Still, Bai He wasn’t used to role-playing, even after all this time.
With half an hour left before his stream at 9 PM, Bai He opened the livestream software but didn’t start the stream yet. As he sat there, a sudden craving for cake hit him.
It was a random, inexplicable craving, but it was strong. The cake he had bought with Xia Tian had already been eaten the same day they got it.
Bai He loved sweets, though he didn’t indulge often.
Instinctively, he pressed his lips together, planning to drink some water to suppress his craving. Just then, there were two light knocks on the dorm door.
The knocking was soft and slow, almost tentative, as if testing the waters, careful.
Bai He paused, already guessing who it might be.
He remained silent for a long moment, sighing inwardly.
Bai He walked to the door and opened it. No one was immediately visible outside, so he stepped out and turned his head to look around.
Qin Yao, thinking Bai He wouldn’t open the door, had already started walking back to his room. Hearing the door open behind him, he felt a surge of joy and quickly turned around to see Bai He leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed.
Bai He quietly observed Qin Yao, his gaze slowly drifting to Qin Yao’s hands. In them, he held a messy bouquet of flowers, their leaves disheveled and petals damaged. They appeared to be white roses.
"Bai He," Qin Yao stepped forward, handing over a small cake from his other hand. "I bought you a cake, and also…"
The alpha smiled bitterly. "I originally planned to give you flowers, but something came up. I’ll bring you a proper bouquet of white roses next time."
Bai He looked at the items Qin Yao was offering but didn’t take them. His gaze slowly swept over Qin Yao’s body, finally landing on the high-raised zipper of his jacket. "Who did you fight with?"
Qin Yao was momentarily stunned but didn’t hide it. "Guan Jiayu. You probably know him."
His expression darkened, as if there were many things he wanted to say but ultimately settled for a simple explanation. "Last time, I fought him too, didn’t win, turned back into a cat, nearly died. Luckily, you found me. Thank you, Bai He."
Bai He froze for a moment.
Qin Yao’s breathing grew heavier. "Bai He, I didn’t understand things before, but now I do."
He seemed to hold his breath. "I’ve never been in a relationship before, so I didn’t know what it felt like to like someone. My illness is related to pheromones, and I misunderstood things. I wanted to be close to you, to stay by your side, drawn to you—not because of pheromones. Whether as your cat or your friend, I don’t want to be apart from you. I—"
He took a deep breath, looking into Bai He’s eyes, his heart pounding so hard it made his ears ring. He lowered his voice, sincere and serious. "I realize it now. I like you."
Bai He stared at Qin Yao, his face still expressionless, though his lips were pressed into a thin line, and his palms had begun to sweat.
"Qin Yao, you’re making this really pointless. You were the one who rejected me," Bai He’s voice was slightly hoarse.
"I know." Qin Yao forced a smile. "It was all my fault before. Today, I just wanted to say it. You don’t have to respond, and you don’t need to forgive me, but…"
He paused, speaking cautiously. "Could you give me a chance to pursue you, to properly apologize? Is that okay?"
Bai He didn’t respond.
Qin Yao lowered his gaze. Even without an answer, he wasn’t discouraged. He smiled softly, using a coaxing tone. "But can you at least not be mad at the cake? The cake didn’t do anything wrong, right?"
He extended the cake further towards Bai He, and that’s when Bai He noticed the wounds on Qin Yao’s hand.
Bai He’s eyelashes trembled slightly. He turned and walked back into the dorm without closing the door, his voice neither loud nor soft. "Come in."
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