Chapter 102: [ABO Side Story End]

Su Hui hadn’t done it for so long that his bones ached all over while he showered.

Through the bathroom window, the violent wind could still be heard raging outside. The air was frigid, forcing him to turn the water temperature up high, scalding the skin on his back until it turned red.

Cleaning up took a long time. Su Hui was not skilled at this; except for the very first time, Ning Yixiao had always been extremely careful—and even that first time, he had been carried to the bathroom by Ning Yixiao while he was unconscious and unaware.

His mind was hazy, pondering whether the potency of that medicine was still good or if it had expired, but then he let it go. In his current state, it was highly probable he was already infertile. Why fret over such minor details?

He washed for a long time. When he finally came out, “Little Ice Cream” was already awake, rubbing his sleepy eyes, clutching a puppy plushie.

“Eddy, the uncle is hiding…”

“Hiding?” Su Hui didn’t understand. He bent down and touched Little Ice Cream’s cheek. “Where is he hiding?”

Little Ice Cream pointed toward the room and made a “shhh” gesture.

Su Hui nodded and whispered, “The uncle is sick, too. Go back to your room and sleep a little longer. I’ll call you when it’s time to eat.”

“Mm!”

He didn’t blow-dry his hair; with a towel draped over his head, he walked slowly into his own room. In truth, Su Hui hadn’t figured out how to face Ning Yixiao. Just like the first time, after all these years, he hadn’t made much progress. But now they were trapped by the blizzard, with no chance to escape.

As soon as he entered the room, Su Hui sensed pheromones surging like waves—sea salt mixed with fir wood, suffocatingly dense. Even just sensing them revealed the unease and restlessness within.

Has the rut come again?

Su Hui followed the scent. The bed was empty; the sofa was empty. He pulled open the closet door and saw Ning Yixiao curled up inside, head buried, knees clutched to his chest. This time, he hadn’t taken all of Su Hui’s clothes out to build a “nest” like he did at nineteen. He had simply crawled into the closet, leaving the clothes undisturbed, just hiding there like a puppy afraid of being kicked out for doing something wrong.

Su Hui had thought he couldn’t feel anything anymore, but seeing this, his heart still ached.

“Can you smell my pheromones?” he asked.

After a long silence, Ning Yixiao looked up, his eyes rimmed with red. He didn’t speak, just shook his head.

The scene was so familiar it saddened Su Hui, as if they had reached the end, the capsule of time flipped again, and everything returned to the beginning. He stood silently for a long time, then bent down and squeezed into the closet beside him, huddling together just as he had the first time he took Ning Yixiao to his “secret base,” hiding together in that blue cocoon.

“How about now?” Su Hui’s voice was soft, his arm resting against his. “Is it a little better?”

Ning Yixiao fell silent. He could sense Su Hui’s pheromones—the faint scent of rain—even though he had marked him many times last night. But now, those pheromones seemed to be fading away again.

“Su Hui, what on earth happened?” Ning Yixiao’s voice was raspy.

Su Hui lowered his eyes, not knowing how to answer, so he deflected. “What about you? Why did you come here?”

Ning Yixiao laughed. “On vacation with my boyfriend.”

Su Hui said nothing, forcing a smile. So, he has a boyfriend. No wonder they couldn’t kiss. Su Hui felt a pang of relief that he still had enough restraint not to throw himself at Ning Yixiao, yet just sitting there陪ing him felt like swallowing burning oil that scorched all the way down his throat, leaving him unable to speak.

If that was the case, shouldn’t he apologize once more for his immorality and shamelessness of last night?

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know—”

Ning Yixiao interrupted, cutting off Su Hui’s apology. “When he was with me, he didn’t have pheromones either, but I fell in love the moment I saw him.”

Su Hui froze, his heart lost and hollow.

“Later, he became my roommate. He was always doing strange things—talking to himself, pacing quietly in the middle of the night. I used to run into him on the way back from the night shift every day. I had already figured it out, but I kept pretending I didn’t know.”

Ning Yixiao chuckled as he spoke. “Later, he found out I was nesting with his clothes during my rut. Instead of getting angry, he comforted me. I ended up causing him to present, and I did terrible things, but he never complained once. He even agreed to date me.”

“To avoid being separated, he wore suppressant patches every day and needed temporary marks daily. I really wanted to mark him permanently, to give him a home, but I wasn’t qualified yet.”

He rarely spoke so much, but in the highly emotional state of a rut, he couldn’t stop.

“Then he vanished, just like a gust of wind. I couldn’t contact him, as if he had never existed. I searched everywhere. I was like a tuna, just swimming and swimming, unable to stop until I found him.”

Feeling Su Hui stir as if to leave, Ning Yixiao gripped his arm and forced him to face him, his eyes red. “Tell me, where has he been for these four years? Did he fall for someone else? Why wouldn’t he see me? Did he want to break up, or did he want to vanish from this world?”

At the last sentence, Ning Yixiao’s tears finally fell, trailing along his tear mole. It was the second time Su Hui had seen him cry. He didn’t know that the first time Ning Yixiao had wept, it was also out of fear of hurting him during a rut.

Su Hui was already streaming with tears, unable to get the words out. The years had ground him down, turning him into a black plastic bag drifting in the wind.

“Look at me.” Ning Yixiao’s pheromones grew to a degree of unease and panic. “If you don’t love me anymore, you can tell me. Consider it helping me end this life, let me stop.”

Even if stopping meant dying from lack of oxygen.

Su Hui dropped his head, his shoulders trembling, biting his teeth to sob silently. He seemed capable only of shaking his head; he could never utter the lie that he didn’t love him.

How could he not love him?

He had suffered until he was nearly dead for him. Knowing he had nothing left, he still craved the illusions of his companionship, unable to let go. He knew writing letters was a bad omen, but he had written so many, never daring to mail a single one. He had wanted to live in Iceland for a few years, wait for the hallucinations to fade, and then leave.

“What does shaking your head mean?” Ning Yixiao smiled faintly, though his expression was bitter. “Don’t love me anymore?”

He cradled Su Hui’s face. “If you don’t love me, why wish me a happy birthday?”

“I love you…” Su Hui finally collapsed, facing the feelings he had buried for four years, however difficult it was.

Ning Yixiao smiled. “Good. That’s enough.”

He pushed his forehead against Su Hui’s, asking the same question as before: “May I kiss you?”

Through the tears, Su Hui looked into his eyes. Reason and inferiority pulled at him, but Ning Yixiao’s eyes were like a vortex—he couldn’t refuse. Before he could, Ning Yixiao kissed him—a deep, gentle kiss, as if protecting his fragile breath, even the movement of his tongue was restrained. Su Hui tasted tears and sea salt; the heavy, soft scent of fir wrapped around him, strand by strand, like a true cocoon.

Su Hui’s body went limp and burning hot. He grabbed Ning Yixiao’s arm, feeling his pheromones drilling into his throat, injecting into every inch of his flesh. It was only a kiss, but Su Hui felt as though he had come back to life.

In the narrow closet, Ning Yixiao held him tightly, whispering his name in their broken kisses.

“Su Hui. Su Hui. Su Hui.”

“Su Hui…”

“Little Cat.”

Hearing that name, Su Hui could barely breathe; his heart was shattered. He had almost forgotten what it felt like to be loved. Ning Yixiao kissed away his tears, pecking at his red-rimmed eyelids, remembering how he had cried just like this the night before, and pulled him closer, kissing his lips repeatedly.

After an unknown amount of time, Ning Yixiao pulled away slightly, staring into Su Hui’s eyes, his expression still cool. “I’m not getting back together with you.”

Su Hui was numb, saying neither yes nor no, just looking down, sadly maintaining his breath.

Ning Yixiao added, “We never broke up. You never said it, and I am still your boyfriend. I was then, and I am now.”

Su Hui opened his lips, not speaking immediately, trying to calm himself. “Ning Yixiao, I’m not who I used to be.”

“Neither am I.” Ning Yixiao didn’t want a negative answer. “I don’t care. I know you’ve been living alone. Even this child—I can raise him with you. I will treat him like my own…”

Su Hui frowned, eyes dazed. He looked up at Ning Yixiao, blinking slowly. “My… child?”

“Little Ice Cream.” Ning Yixiao held his hand. “I don’t mind.”

“No…” Su Hui laughed, then his smile faded. “He isn’t my child.”

He whispered, his voice raspy: “I… I probably can’t have children in this life.”

Su Hui looked up and saw Ning Yixiao’s frown. His heart twisted. He didn’t want to hide it from Ning Yixiao; after all, because of his “brokenness,” he had hidden for too long. It was time to face it.

“At first, I didn’t disappear on purpose. My family found out about my presentation and forced me home, demanding I marry an Alpha they chose. I refused. I went on hunger strikes, I tried suicide… they still insisted, even threatening your future. Later, while in the hospital, I stole high-concentration suppressants—thirty times the dose—and injected them all.”

He lowered his head and pushed back his hair, showing Ning Yixiao the needle mark on his neck.

At the time, the pain had felt like his internal organs were tearing apart; he had nearly bitten his teeth to pieces. By the time he was rushed to the ER, he was already unconscious. He only heard the doctor say it was hopeless—hemorrhage of the reproductive cavity, half had to be removed, and the gland wasn’t even worth salvaging.

Su Hui spoke with extreme calm, pausing to catch his breath, then looked at Ning Yixiao with a smile. “I was saved, but the damage to the gland was irreversible. And the marriage contract went up in smoke.”

“My grandfather was furious, saying it was because I was mentally ill, so he sent me to a mental institution for two years. After I got out, I never went back to that house; I just drifted around.”

“I wanted to find you, but I heard you were doing well, and heard your mentor introduced you to a great Omega, someone healthy…” Su Hui paused. “An Omega with a severe mental illness and a severely atrophied gland like me really didn’t need to complicate things.”

Su Hui finished and smiled. “So, I moved to Iceland. I thought, being surrounded by the sea and snow mountains every day would be like living inside your pheromones.”

He had tried—he couldn’t quit. It was the only way to be close to Ning Yixiao.

Ning Yixiao couldn’t imagine the pain. Thirty times the dosage, straight into the veins—had he nearly died? Thinking of him then, Ning Yixiao’s voice trembled. “Su Hui, how could you be so foolish?”

Su Hui didn’t speak, because if he had to choose again, he would do it. He would never marry anyone but Ning Yixiao. He didn’t care about anything else; as long as he could resist and gain freedom, he had no regrets.

But Ning Yixiao was different. He had a bright future, a healthy, popular top-tier Alpha who could choose an Omega a thousand times better; he didn’t need to waste his life on him.

“Anyway… that’s how I am now.” Su Hui tried to give Ning Yixiao a nonchalant smile. “If you feel…”

“You really don’t understand what I’m saying.” Ning Yixiao cut him off. “I only care about you—about whether you hurt, whether you’re well. Nothing else matters. I am not leaving you.”

He hugged Su Hui, kissing the needle mark on his neck, stroking his atrophied gland. “When I fell for you, you were still a Beta, remember?”

“That’s different.”

“Nothing is different. You are mine. Unless you don’t love me anymore, I won’t let you go.”

Su Hui couldn’t continue. He could never lie to Ning Yixiao and say he didn’t love him.

Ning Yixiao knew how self-conscious he was about his gland. “When I marked you last night, your gland released pheromones for me, too. I smelled it—the scent of heavy rain, it didn’t disappear completely.”

Ning Yixiao kissed Su Hui’s eyes. “Wasn’t it like this at the beginning? I marked you, and only then was your presentation induced. Su Hui, have you ever thought that maybe this is destiny? Only when we are together are we complete.”

Su Hui started to speak, the negative thoughts of his depressive phase almost tumbling out, but they were swallowed by Ning Yixiao’s gentle kisses. He sank into Ning Yixiao’s embrace and warmth. He couldn’t say that even in Iceland, he hadn’t felt satisfied; he still missed the scent of fir and sea salt, he missed Ning Yixiao—nothing could replace that.

His heat hadn’t ended, but the increasingly dense scent of fir was constantly pulling at him. Weak, Su Hui collapsed on Ning Yixiao’s shoulder, letting him kiss him from his cheek to the back of his neck. The moment teeth grazed his skin, his legs went soft.

The rain scent began to overflow, seduced by the fir into an ambiguous, warm undertone. Ning Yixiao’s hand moved down, just passing the hem of his shirt, when a child’s voice came from outside the closet.

“Eddy! Are you playing hide-and-seek?”

Su Hui jolted from his lust, pulling away from Ning Yixiao’s embrace. He reached for the closet door, but the moment his hand touched it, Ning Yixiao grabbed him, his kiss sealing Su Hui’s breath.

“Mm…”

Ning Yixiao pulled back after a deep kiss. “Just for a moment.” He pecked Su Hui’s lips and opened the door.

Little Ice Cream stood outside, hands on his hips, questioning the two adults who had been hiding. “What are you doing?”

Su Hui didn’t know how to answer.

Ning Yixiao replied with a straight face: “Falling in love.”

Su Hui’s ears turned red instantly as he shot him a look.

Little Ice Cream hugged Su Hui’s leg. “What is falling in love?”

Ning Yixiao looked down at the child, arms crossed, and said, “Beg me, and I’ll tell you.”

Little Ice Cream hid behind Su Hui’s leg, glanced at him, and refused outright. “No. You’re a strange uncle. Since you came, Eddy doesn’t spend time with me anymore.”

Su Hui’s ears turned even redder.

The blizzard lasted three full days. The world outside was in chaos, but Su Hui was nestled in the small attic, reaping warmth and love long overdue. Unable to go out to buy a cake, Su Hui stacked pancakes to make a primitive birthday cake for Ning Yixiao, which he and Little Ice Cream ate with great satisfaction.

He asked Ning Yixiao what gift he wanted, and Ning Yixiao wrote it on a slip of paper.

[Birthday gift: Su Hui must say ‘I love Ning Yixiao’ ten times a day.]

He was even serious enough to draw tally marks to keep count.

Ning Yixiao threw away all his suppressants and contraceptives, held him to sleep every night, released pheromones to soothe him, kissed him countless times, told him stories of the missing years, washed Little Ice Cream with him, played games, and made small ornaments out of crochet and yarn.

“So Ice Cream was lost? Didn’t the police look for them?”

Su Hui nodded, diligently crocheting a peach. “They looked, but no news. The police said to send him to a welfare home until his biological parents were found, but he didn’t want to go and cried so hard. I couldn’t bear it either, so I kept him. But this won’t work in the long run; it’ll be a hassle once he reaches school age.”

Ning Yixiao was silent for a moment. “Why don’t we just adopt him?”

Su Hui’s needle nearly slipped. He looked up, blinking. “Adopt?”

“Right. And I’ve grown quite fond of this kid anyway.” Ning Yixiao smiled. “If he hadn’t helped me, I might not have been able to stay—you probably would have sent me back to the hotel.”

Su Hui pursed his lips. “You really do love raising other people’s children.”

Ning Yixiao retorted, “I just love what you love. I’m not as twisted as you think.”

As soon as he finished, Little Ice Cream repeated: “Twisted, Uncle is twisted.”

Ning Yixiao pinched his cheeks. “Grown-ups are talking, don’t interrupt.”

“This is a big matter; it needs careful consideration.” Su Hui couldn’t find scissors, so he used his teeth to bite the thread.

Ning Yixiao watched him make the peach—it was beautiful. “Can you teach me?”

“This?” Su Hui nodded. “Sure.”

“I want to make a cherry,” Ning Yixiao said.

Su Hui paused, his tone obedient. “Okay, then let’s make a cherry.”

Ning Yixiao was bright; even though he hadn’t done much handicraft, he learned the diagram instantly and was extremely diligent, treating it like a work project. Even Su Hui couldn’t help but laugh at him.

“You should open a shop for me.”

“Sure.” Ning Yixiao’s expression was neutral. “And then you go become an installation artist.”

Su Hui’s heart stirred. He hadn’t expected that there was still someone in this world who kept his dreams in mind.

“Can I?”

Ning Yixiao looked at him, very naturally. “Of course you can. You’re the most amazing little cat.”

With little food left in the house, the two of them took Little Ice Cream out to shop. Coincidentally, they encountered the aurora on the way back. Little Ice Cream wanted to get out to see it, so Ning Yixiao pulled the car over and brought them out.

Su Hui looked up. Green and purple light spread upward from the horizon—beautiful enough to seem unreal. It wasn’t his first time seeing it, but it was the first time with Ning Yixiao. Even holding hands, there was a lingering unease of fear that the other might vanish.

So, Su Hui turned his head to look at Ning Yixiao.

Only then did he realize that Ning Yixiao wasn’t watching the aurora; he had been watching him the whole time.

In the instant their eyes met, Ning Yixiao leaned in and kissed him, whispering, “I’m right here.”

Su Hui felt a miracle happen to him, truly and vividly.

“By the way, take a picture of me and Ice Cream. I’m holding him.” Ning Yixiao took out his phone, tapped it, and handed it to Su Hui. He walked into the snow, stumbling, and picked up Little Ice Cream.

“Uncle, can I sit on your neck?”

“No.” Ning Yixiao refused decisively.

“But, other kids get to! You’re so tall, if I sit on your neck, I’d be really high up.”

“Call me ‘Dad’ first.”

“Dad!”

Su Hui laughed at them, looking down to take the photo, only to realize Ning Yixiao’s phone was automatically playing a video. The video was filled with golden light, the orange sunset hanging within the silhouettes of high-rise buildings, sunlight piercing every corner of the street, shining on everyone. Amidst the bustling, clamorous voices of the crowd, he heard Ning Yixiao’s voice.

[Su Hui, I’ve come to see the Manhattanhenge. There are so many people. Proposing here would probably make the news.]

Su Hui’s heart was pierced painfully.

When it finished, Su Hui saw the video file labeled “1.” There were eight such videos—four years, twice a year. Ning Yixiao went every single time, to the best vantage point they had discussed—the overpass on 42nd Street. He went there to wait for his appearance as promised, but every time, he returned empty-handed.

“Uncle, Eddy is crying.”

The snow crunched as Ning Yixiao walked toward him, pulling Su Hui into his arms and kissing his forehead and the crown of his head. Seeing this, Little Ice Cream imitated Ning Yixiao, kissing Su Hui’s crown.

“Don’t cry, Eddy. Let’s go home.”

“Mm.”

Ning Yixiao lowered his head and kissed his nose. “Next time, let’s go together?”

Su Hui nodded with a smile. “Mm, let’s go together.”

On the way back, the aurora remained brilliant, like a ribbon of light falling down to cover the dark night that once swallowed everything. They had encountered each other by fate on the street leading to the sea and the snow mountains, reunited at the edge of the world, survived the blizzard, and captured the aurora. There were many, many more things waiting for them to do together.

Hope reignited in Su Hui’s heart, as if returning to the night he had made the promise with Ning Yixiao, the one kissing in the dormitory, filled with hope for the future.

“Wash your hands first when you get home.” Su Hui opened the shop door, letting Little Ice Cream in first, then going to turn on the lights. Ning Yixiao walked alone to the Christmas tree, crouched halfway, and flipped the switch on the floor.

“Su Hui.”

Hearing his voice, Su Hui, who was taking off his scarf, turned back and looked, freezing for a second.

Adorning the fir branches that had been decorated as a Christmas tree were now covered in red cherries—every single one made by Ning Yixiao’s own hands.

“I love you.” Ning Yixiao walked over and kissed him.

So, fir trees can bear cherries after all.

“We are never parting again.”