Chapter 60
The jarring ringtone shattered the deathly silence of the room, like rapid drumbeats assaulting his eardrums.
Bai He bolted awake, his bloodshot eyes staring blankly at the phone on his pillow. His teeth had bitten through his lower lip, blood slowly oozing out, but he seemed oblivious to the pain.
A single character on the screen identified the caller: his biological mother.
Bai He felt as if his soul had been sucked out of his body. The phone rang, stopped, and then rang again—relentless, like a death knell.
Finally, trembling all over, Bai He mustered all his strength to pick up the phone and answer.
He said nothing. The voice on the other end was endlessly gentle, not at all angry at his delay.
“Xiao He, are you still sleeping?”
Bai He suppressed the excruciating palpitations in his chest and hummed a response. The person on the other end hesitated, but maintained a soft tone. “We understand your work requires you to stay up late, but it’s afternoon now. Haven’t you gotten up to eat something?”
“…”
Bai He’s eyes were filled with blood vessels, dry and stinging. His lips moved slightly as he asked, his voice laced with exhaustion and endless complexity, “What do you want?”
Silence.
After a long while, his mother sighed. “Mom is worried about you. You don’t take good care of yourself. Do you want me to come over and cook for you?”
Bai He remained silent. This wasn’t the first time he’d used silence against his parents, and it always worked.
Receiving no response for a long time, his mother finally lost patience. She carefully chose her words, keeping her voice soft, but it wasn’t a discussion—it was a statement, a notification.
“Bai Ning is going to a private middle school, and he also has piano lessons. Your dad and I plan to use that money for your brother’s tuition first.”
That money?
Bai He recalled, his gaze suddenly turning cold. “The money I sent you? You didn’t use it all to pay off the debt?!”
His voice rose, and the person on the other end immediately went quiet. Then, the phone changed hands. After some rustling, a middle-aged man’s voice came through.
“Your mom and I decided. The repayment plan allows for installments anyway; there’s no rush to pay it all off.” His father’s voice was deeper and more righteous than his mother’s. “We can’t have zero savings. What if we need money someday? Your brother is going to middle school now. His grades are good, and we think that private school is a good fit, so we’re letting you know.”
Bai He’s chest tightened painfully. “You’re just notifying me?”
“You’re part of the family, and you’re Bai Ning’s brother. Of course we have to tell you,” his father said. “Your mom and I also discussed moving in with you for a while. That way, your mom can take care of you.”
“You discussed it?” Bai He let out a trembling laugh. The sound vibrated painfully in his chest, a metallic taste rising in his throat as if he were about to cough up blood.
This feeling was bad, triggering alarm bells for Bai He, who had enjoyed a period of good health.
He pressed a hand to his chest, articulating clearly words he had never dared say to his parents before.
“Since I graduated, I’ve sent you a total of 2.2 million. I told you to pay off the debt, but you didn’t. Now you’re telling me you’re using that money for Bai Ning’s private school and extracurriculars? What about the rest of the debt? Are you going to ask me for more?”
“I don’t owe you anything, and I won’t send you any more money. You have hands and feet but don’t work. Staying at home is fine, but don’t think I don’t know Dad is still gambling!”
“You want to move in with me? Take care of me?” Bai He scoffed, his laugh filled with sarcasm. “Is it really about taking care of me? Or are you afraid I won’t give you money? Afraid you can’t control me anymore?”
“Mom, Dad.” Bai He’s voice trembled, his emotions reaching a breaking point, his voice thick with tears. “I mentioned wanting to go to a private school before. You said private and public schools were the same, and I compromised. But I wanted to go. I wanted to take extracurricular classes too. I love reading, I studied literature. My job makes money, but staying up all night livestreaming is trading my life for money. You don’t know any of this.”
Silence on the other end. After a long while, Bai He heard his father sigh and shove the phone back to his mother.
“…Xiao He,” his mother’s voice trembled, tearful. “Mom didn’t know you were in so much pain. Mom is genuinely worried about your health. Let’s stop livestreaming. Our Xiao He is capable; you can make money doing other jobs. As for your brother…”
She paused, sounding troubled. “Before your brother came along, it was our first time being parents too. We had no experience. Back then, we had no money, so… actually, private and public schools are the same. You’re sensible. Yes, you’ve always been sensible. Xiao He, you’re the older brother. You know how Mom and Dad treated you when you were little was wrong. We can’t use the same wrong parenting methods on your brother now, right?”
Bai He closed his eyes, feeling like a bird crashing into a ravine. “Right. You’re right.”
His mother laughed through her tears. “Then Mom will come over in a few days…”
“You know how to educate children now,” Bai He said, his voice calm with a sense of finality. “Since I was your trial run, from now on, use your so-called parenting methods on Bai Ning. Take responsibility yourselves. Don’t expect another cent from me. I don’t owe you anything.”
“Mom, I’m your child too.” Bai He lowered his head, staring at the bedsheet. “Why don’t you know how to feel sorry for me?”
“Mom does feel sorry for you! Mom can come take care of you—”
Bai He hung up. His phone, uncharged for so long, finally died. The black screen and the gray room felt lifeless.
Time seemed to stretch. Bai He’s vision blurred and focused. The woody scent in the room mixed with a faint fragrance, pulling his dazed mind back from the brink of collapse.
His pupils slowly contracted. In a trance, he raised his hand to cover the back of his neck. The gland was warm beneath his skin, marked with a faint ring of teeth marks.
Qin Yao’s mark hadn’t faded. The scent Bai He smelled was Qin Yao’s brandy.
He still had a gland on the back of his neck.
Bai He threw off the thin blanket and scrambled out of bed. Stumbling barefoot across the floor, he rushed into the bathroom. Facing the mirror, he saw his own face.
Traveling to Qin Yao’s world, Bai He had discovered he looked exactly like the original host. But he had never actually seen the original host; he had only assumed it was a soul transfer.
What if the original host didn’t look like him at all?
Could it have been a physical transmigration?
If it was physical, why didn’t anyone find his changed appearance strange? Or did he become part of that world upon arrival, accepted by everyone as someone who belonged?
Was that it?
But the gland he later acquired couldn’t have been brought from this world.
What was going on?
Lost in thought, Bai He suddenly remembered the original novel.
His breathing became erratic. He rushed back to the room, rummaged through the bed for his phone, plugged it in, but couldn’t turn it on immediately. He had to turn on the computer, anxiously connecting to the internet, opening a browser, and typing the words with trembling fingers before clicking search.
The screen lagged for a few seconds before displaying a list of irrelevant results. The small text at the top was glaring: No search results found. The following related terms are provided.
Bai He’s brain froze.
He tried various browsers and reading websites, both domestic and international, but the result was the same: the novel This Alpha is Super Bad didn’t exist.
The proof that that world existed was gone. Only Bai He knew that the ring on his hand couldn’t lie, and Qin Yao’s mark couldn’t lie.
He racked his brain but couldn’t understand. Returning here for no reason, unable to find the original novel—everything was enough to drive him mad.
Bai He curled up in the chair, hugging himself, trying to retain Qin Yao’s lingering pheromones. But they were fading and would disappear completely in a few days.
He had just promised Qin Yao.
He was back, but what about Qin Yao? Would Qin Yao be sad?
Bai He buried his head in his arms, digging his nails into his palms until they bled.
At dusk, the fully charged phone lit up. Bai He numbly raised his head and saw a message from his father.
Dad: [We’re coming over later. We didn’t make it clear on the phone today. You have to believe that Mom and Dad love you.]
Bai He stared at the text. The screen went dark, and the light in his eyes vanished.
After a long time, Bai He’s stiff body moved. Once the numbness in his legs faded, he slowly stood up, took a set of clothes from the closet, changed, and left with his phone.
His parents knew where he lived. Bai He went out without a destination; he just didn’t want to see those two people.
It was still summer in this world. The night wind was hot and sticky. There were no stars or moon in the sky, only layers of black clouds. It was going to rain.
Bai He wore a white T-shirt and walked along the riverbank, his phone damp with sweat from his palm.
It was hot and stuffy, but Bai He’s back was covered in cold sweat. His steps were unsteady, as if he were about to collapse.
His health was poor, his mood at rock bottom. Everything had returned to square one.
He had touched love for a brief moment, only to lose it again.
Bai He felt incredibly guilty towards Qin Yao. He had never thought he would actually leave Qin Yao one day, and how much pain his departure would cause him.
He stopped, his red eyes staring at the wind-whipped river surface. For a moment, he had the absurd thought: if he died again, could he return to that world?
Bai He’s ridiculous thought was interrupted by a cat’s meow. He shuddered as if electrocuted.
Suddenly, the gentle wind turned fierce, ripples spreading across the vast river. A flock of homing pigeons skimmed the water’s surface, sweeping past Bai He. The wind tugged at his black hair and clothes. As if responding to something in his heart, he turned with the wind. Beside a streetlamp that was lighting up from afar, he spotted a large cardboard box in the corner. The weak meowing stirred a wave of emotion in Bai He’s heart.
He didn’t approach, his legs rooted to the spot as if filled with lead. The wind calmed, and the meowing from the box subsided. After a moment, Bai He struggled to take two steps forward. Suddenly, he saw a paw clinging to the inside of the box, scratching twice. The box toppled over with a loud, heavy thud.
Bai He stood dazed. Suddenly, a cat walked out of the box—a black tabby Maine Coon.
The Maine Coon took unsteady steps, shaking its head as if dizzy from the fall. After swaying out of the box, it looked around. Finally, its gaze landed on Bai He.
Night fell. The Maine Coon’s deep blue eyes were like crystal-clear gems, glowing faintly. Those eyes stared straight at Bai He. One cat, one person, gazing at each other from a distance.
Bai He forgot to breathe.
The cat moved first. The Maine Coon slowly approached Bai He, rubbing against his calf. Its fluffy tail wrapped around Bai He’s leg, standing upright. It looked up, its long, thin meow seemingly trying to say something.
Bai He’s heart trembled.
He finally squatted down, raising his hand to slowly stroke the Maine Coon’s head. Then, his palm was nudged by the cat. The Maine Coon licked the ring on Bai He’s left hand.
“…Lingling?”
“Meow~~”
Bai He suddenly laughed, a laugh that sounded like crying. His nose stung terribly, and tears fell uncontrollably, landing on the Maine Coon.
“Why is your voice still so pinched?”
Bai He laughed and cried at the same time. The Maine Coon climbed onto Bai He’s knee, trying hard to rub its head against Bai He’s eyes, meowing softly and continuously, as if saying: Don’t cry, I’ve found you.
The heavy clouds dispersed, and moonlight spilled down. It didn’t rain that night. The moon had just been hiding; it hadn’t disappeared. It was always there.
Bai He carried Lingling home late at night. There were dozens of missed calls on his phone. Only after confirming those two people had left did he return home.
The moment the door closed, the Maine Coon in his arms jumped to the ground. In an instant, a human figure pressed against Bai He.
Without seeing how Qin Yao turned back into a human, Bai He only felt the other’s urgency. He was gently pinned against the door by Qin Yao, overwhelmed by a torrential kiss.
Bai He’s legs went weak from the kiss. Unable to stand steady, he was picked up by Qin Yao. The kiss was filled with urgency and the deep pain in both their hearts.
Although they hadn’t been apart for long, they had felt the tangible reality of each other’s disappearance. They had been separated by a world.
And now, Qin Yao had miraculously appeared in Bai He’s world.
The palpitations of regaining what was lost, mixed with the worry and anxiety of their recent separation, all melted into this fierce and intense kiss.
Bai He wrapped his arms around Qin Yao’s neck, cooperating fully with his movements.
Moonlight broke into the room. In a trance, Bai He realized Qin Yao wasn’t wearing any clothes.
Breathing heavily, they finally separated. Bai He was held by the waist by Qin Yao. They rested their foreheads together, silently calming their breathing.
After a long time, Bai He pinched Qin Yao’s earlobe, his voice hoarse. “Lingling.”
“Mn.” Qin Yao touched Bai He’s nose with his own. “I’m Lingling.”
Bai He pressed his lips together. “How did you get here?”
“To find you,” Qin Yao said. “To take you home.”
“Qin Yao, aren’t you afraid you can’t go back?” Bai He’s voice trembled slightly. “You have family—Brother Nan, Uncle Qin, Diandian, and Grandpa Qin. What if you can’t go back?”
Qin Yao kissed the corner of Bai He’s mouth reassuringly. “I can go back, and I can take you back with me. Trust me.”
Bai He’s eyes were hot. He wrapped his arms around Qin Yao’s neck, burying his head in the other’s shoulder, letting Qin Yao carry him to the bed.
“Xiao Bao.” Qin Yao kissed his eyelids, the tip of his nose, slowly moving downwards. “I said I would find you.”
Qin Yao really found Bai He, and he found him very quickly.
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