After a brief moment of surprise, He Xingzhou’s eyes became evasive.
“I just want to know an objective fact,” he said, “Yes or no. There’s no need to read too much into it.”
But Xiao Can was insistent, “I just want to know your real thoughts.”
After saying that, he paused, then with a more determined tone and a strong attitude, he asked, “Do you want to mark me?”
Seeing He Xingzhou frowning and not responding or looking at him, he stepped forward boldly, “Do you, or do you not?”
He Xingzhou’s lips moved slightly, he rubbed his face with his hand, and resignedly replied, “At that time… I definitely wanted to…” Then he attempted to explain, “After all, I was… my whole self was…”
Xiao Can interrupted him, “And now?”
He Xingzhou pursed his lips.
“Do you want to now?” Xiao Can pressed.
He seemed aggressive, but it was just a show of force.
If he couldn’t finish speaking in one breath, he was afraid he wouldn’t have the courage to touch on this topic again.
Beneath his bold exterior, his heart was pounding fiercely, and his hands unconsciously clenched into fists, trembling slightly.
Fortunately, He Xingzhou didn’t have the leisure to notice these details at the moment.
“What do you mean?” he asked Xiao Can.
“Don’t you understand?” Xiao Can licked his lips, “Do you need me to explain it in detail?”
“I… who usually thinks about these kinds of questions?” He Xingzhou turned to the side, “Which decent Alpha would prioritize thinking about whether they want to mark an Omega when they see them… we… we’re not in that kind of relationship…”
“All that’s just nonsense,” Xiao Can said, “But you’re thinking about it now.”
“…”
“Do you or don’t you?” Xiao Can insisted.“
He Xingzhou’s hand was half-supported on the nearby table, his fingers tapping quickly on the table as if playing nonexistent piano keys.
Xiao Can wondered if this was He Xingzhou’s way of relieving stress.
After a moment, He Xingzhou finally had an answer, “This question is not valid. Before marking, the first thing to consider should be whether I am willing to establish a long-term stable romantic relationship with you.”
He finished and turned back to look at Xiao Can, saying word by word, “I am willing.”
Xiao Can’s heart skipped a beat, he hastily avoided his gaze, and stuttered, “Y-you mean… you want to mark me.”
“You can’t interpret it like that!” He Xingzhou was a bit anxious, “It’s a gradual process, we both have to feel…”
Xiao Can interrupted him, “If I say it’s okay—”
He Xingzhou was dumbfounded.
“It’s okay.” Xiao Can couldn’t hold back anymore, his voice almost inaudible, “If you also accept, it can happen now.”
He Xingzhou seemed to hear it clearly, or maybe not.
After a long silence, he incredulously asked, “What are you saying?”
Xiao Can closed his eyes in frustration.
With He Xingzhou’s personality, he would never agree, and he was undoubtedly humiliating himself. Perhaps he should explain his dilemma. But for some reason, Xiao Can found it harder to speak about that than to ask He Xingzhou to mark him.
“What are you thinking?” He Xingzhou asked, “I’m starting to not understand you at all.”
“No, let’s forget it,” Xiao Can said.
After saying that, he turned and left.
His bluff was just a thin shell, meticulously crafted and hard, but ultimately fragile.
Those moments had exhausted all his courage.
He Xingzhou caught up to him.
“If… I mean…” He followed behind Xiao Can, “We should be together first and then consider those things.”
“I don’t want to.” Xiao Can answered without hesitation, “I won’t be with you.”
“Because… you hate me?”
“Do you like me then?” Xiao Can stopped and turned around, “You only feel indebted to me and want to take responsibility. Is it meaningful to force ourselves together with a false label? You’ve been with Tan Zhen for six months. Do you think you did well?”
He Xingzhou was speechless.
Xiao Can turned around and continued walking.
He Xingzhou caught up again, “Then why do you want me to mark you? That… doesn’t make sense.”
Xiao Can evaded the topic and changed the subject, “Why isn’t Tan Zhen here yet?”
During their conversation, they returned to the living room.
Xiao Can sat on the sofa, picked up his phone, feeling regretful and frustrated about what he had said in haste earlier.
Charlie obediently jumped onto his lap.
The little guy seemed perceptive; despite the tense atmosphere earlier, he remained quiet.
“How long until he arrives?” He Xingzhou asked.
Xiao Can racked his brain but couldn’t recall.
They looked at each other blankly, and Xiao Can asked, “Didn’t you contact him?”
“I didn’t,” He Xingzhou said, “I thought you would.”
“…”
“You didn’t either?” He Xingzhou asked.
Apparently, they had both waited for a long time without anyone notifying Tan Zhen.
Xiao Can was speechless, shaking his head, and opened his contacts list, “What time is it—”
He Xingzhou reached out and held his phone, “Wait.”
Xiao Can looked up at him.
“Instead of calling him here, I’m more curious now about why you want me to mark you,” He Xingzhou insisted.
Xiao Can stared at his face for a moment, then suddenly laughed.
“Are you subconsciously thinking that as long as I give you a reasonable excuse, you can go along with it?”
He Xingzhou was startled and leaned back, “I’m just curious!”
“What obligation do I have to satisfy your curiosity?” Xiao Can asked.
“Xiao Can,” He Xingzhou looked at him helplessly, “can you be a bit calmer and talk to me calmly when facing me? This aggressive attitude makes it impossible for us to communicate.”
“…”
“Everything has a reason,” He Xingzhou said, “Is your reason more difficult to say than your request?”
“Maybe I’m just a very casual person,” Xiao Can said.
“You’re not,” He Xingzhou asserted.
“…”
“And logically, if you were really casual, you would only demand to have a relationship with me and then prohibit me from marking you,” He Xingzhou said, “Because that would affect your ‘casualness’.”
Xiao Can couldn’t argue.
He silently repeated He Xingzhou’s words in his mind.
The reasons for needing to be marked weren’t as embarrassing as he couldn’t say them; it was more of a peculiar reluctance. Admitting it would make him appear vulnerable to He Xingzhou. And it wasn’t just that. He didn’t want He Xingzhou to feel even more guilty towards him.
This thought was strange, even to Xiao Can himself, and he couldn’t understand the reason behind it.
“Do you have some strange illness?” He Xingzhou asked, “Do you need to be marked by an outstanding Alpha to recover or something?”
Xiao Can raised an eyebrow, “Outstanding?”
He Xingzhou completely ignored the sarcasm in his tone, “After all, I’m undoubtedly the most outstanding Alpha within your reach, so you chose me.”
“…”
Xiao Can thought to himself that he had been rendered speechless too many times today.
“Just said ‘relatively’ outstanding, you’re quite modest,” he said.
He Xingzhou smiled and admitted it.
Charlie suddenly got excited and shouted, “Outstanding! Outstanding!”
He Xingzhou nodded in satisfaction, “Not bad, finally learned a good word.”
“Do you still want to call Tan Zhen?” Xiao Can picked up his phone.
He Xingzhou pondered for a moment, “I’m more interested in why you need me to mark you.”
It was endless.
Xiao Can sighed heavily, lowered his head, and closed his eyes.
“Because you marked me permanently that day.”
His lips trembled slightly, and his heart contracted as he spoke.
After finally saying these words, he suddenly felt a sense of relief.
He Xingzhou was dumbfounded. “…”
“I took some suppressor pills, but I bought the wrong medicine, and the effect wasn’t good,” Xiao Can closed his eyes and continued, “The mark left behind wasn’t complete. After taking the medicine for several months, I still couldn’t wash it off successfully. Do you remember when I invited you for supper that day?”
“…I remember.”
“At that time, my body was almost collapsing, needing your pheromones,” Xiao Can said, “I had no choice but to find a way to meet you.”
“…,”
“The doctor said that the mark on my body is difficult to remove through surgery now,” Xiao Can finally looked at him, “The best way is to complete it first and then have surgery.”
“Meaning…”
“I need you to mark me again.”
Contrary to expectations, Xiao Can was extremely calm when recounting these things, devoid of any emotion.
Compared to the tension and anxiety when suggesting the marking earlier, at this moment, he felt calm inside.
Many things, when faced head-on, aren’t as scary as imagined.
He thought that He Xingzhou must be feeling even more remorseful now.
This usually self-assured Alpha was speechless for a while, his sharp brows and eyes losing their edge, just staring blankly at Xiao Can. There was a faint mist in his eyes.
Xiao Can was surprised. “You… that… “
“You shouldn’t have hidden this from me,” He Xingzhou shook his head, smiling self-deprecatingly, “I’m like a fool.” Then he corrected himself, “No, not like. I am.”
“Anyway!” The brief calm was shattered completely, and Xiao Can became flustered again, “It’s just… that… so I need… need…”
“Marking,” He Xingzhou finished for him.
Xiao Can nodded.
He Xingzhou glanced at him, then quickly looked away. “I understand.”
Xiao Can’s cheeks turned hot with belated realization.
“Does that mean… you accept?”
“I just have one question,” He Xingzhou asked, “Are you telling the truth? I’ve never heard of such a medical case.”
“Are you trying to provoke me?” Xiao Can frowned.
“Sorry,” He Xingzhou took a deep breath, clasping his hands together, “I’ll fulfill my responsibilities as much as I can.”
“…Do you still want to call Tan Zhen?” Xiao Can asked again.
“Let’s talk about it later,” He Xingzhou never looked at him, “Are you… staying over tonight?”
