Lin Xiaoran was momentarily speechless. He turned to the girl, blinking in confusion.
Seeing his reaction, the girl smiled faintly. “Can’t you tell? It’s so obvious! He looked more pained seeing you hurt than if it had happened to him. When someone likes you, it shows. The way he looks at you is different. And earlier, when he saw you holding my hand, he was practically frantic, as if he thought I was trying to take you away. You don’t notice his strong possessiveness?”
Lin Xiaoran glanced at her, then looked back at his swollen ankle. It did hurt quite a bit.
He murmured, “It’s just an alpha’s instinct.”
The girl seemed startled. “He marked you?”
“A temporary mark,” Lin Xiaoran replied.
The girl was momentarily lost for words. Temporary mark? What did that even mean?
She tried to clarify, “You might have some misunderstanding about alphas. Even if they’ve marked someone, if they don’t truly care, they might not treat the other person well. If there are relationships that end or result in divorce, it shows that not all alphas will necessarily be considerate, even if they’ve marked someone.”
Lin Xiaoran looked at her, a hint of confusion in his eyes, as if he had never considered this perspective before.
The girl chuckled softly. “You don’t really think that an alpha who has marked someone will be unable to hide their feelings, do you? Of course, marking does influence the relationship between two people, but it’s not always so severe. If an alpha is very kind to an omega during the marking period, it might mean they truly like them, or they might simply be decent and feel they should treat the marked omega well. But if they continue to be kind even after the marking period, it usually means they genuinely care.”
Just then, hurried footsteps approached from behind.
Turning around, Gu Yang appeared, his forehead glistening with sweat, carrying some ice packs. His expression tightened when he saw the girl.
Before he could say anything, the girl quickly got up and moved down several steps, distancing herself from Lin Xiaoran.
Lin Xiaoran looked at her in confusion.
The girl shook her head in exasperation, thinking to herself how the handsome guy seemed so oblivious. Didn’t he see how the alpha had looked at her when he saw them sitting together? If looks could kill, she would be full of metaphorical daggers.
Gu Yang, seeing the girl had taken the hint, focused his attention back on Lin Xiaoran. He carefully set Lin Xiaoran’s injured foot on his lap and began applying the ice pack.
The ice was quite cold, and Lin Xiaoran’s foot shivered slightly.
“Is it too cold?” Gu Yang asked, looking up at him.
His usually playful eyes were now serious, and Lin Xiaoran noticed the difference. Was this what the girl meant by Gu Yang’s gaze being different?
Lin Xiaoran didn’t respond verbally but kept his gaze on Gu Yang, feeling a bit disoriented.
“Does it hurt a lot?”
Gu Yang was so focused on Lin Xiaoran’s foot that he didn’t notice Lin Xiaoran’s unspoken thoughts. Seeing Lin Xiaoran silent, his worry deepened.
Lin Xiaoran shook his head lightly. “It’s okay.”
Gu Yang’s touch became even more gentle. “Hang in there. We’ll go to the hospital to have it checked out after we get down.”
The girl, who had been waiting for an opportunity to speak, finally found a moment. “Yes, it’s better to have it checked out at the hospital, just in case it’s something more serious.”
“You should go now,” Gu Yang said, not turning around but keeping his focus on Lin Xiaoran’s foot.
Lin Xiaoran was slightly surprised by Gu Yang’s serious tone, and he began to realize that Gu Yang might really be angry—just because of the girl’s mistake?
The girl hesitated, feeling a bit uncomfortable about leaving after causing trouble. But before she could say more, Lin Xiaoran looked up and said, “It’s okay, you can go.”
Reluctantly, the girl nodded, apologizing once more. She left her contact information on a piece of paper in case they needed anything and walked down the steps.
As she walked a bit further, she couldn’t resist looking back one last time.
Lin Xiaoran was watching as Gu Yang attended to his injury. He noticed Gu Yang, deeply focused on the task, didn’t even look up when Lin Xiaoran took the girl’s note and crumpled it, tossing it into the nearby trash can. Lin Xiaoran glanced between Gu Yang and the trash can, puzzled, but decided not to mention it.
The girl, observing the interaction, shook her head with a smile and left.
Lin Xiaoran’s ankle was seriously injured. The ice pack could only provide temporary relief, and the swelling was still quite pronounced.
Gu Yang remained crouched with his gaze fixed on Lin Xiaoran’s injury. From Lin Xiaoran’s perspective, he could only see Gu Yang’s damp bangs, prominent nose, and tightly pressed lips.
Gu Yang’s serious demeanor was a stark contrast to his usual relaxed self, which made Lin Xiaoran feel a bit unsettled.
Unable to hold back, Lin Xiaoran said softly, “Gu Yang, it doesn’t hurt that much.”
Gu Yang looked up, his amber eyes meeting Lin Xiaoran’s. He was momentarily stunned, then realized that Lin Xiaoran was trying to comfort him.
A smile tugged at Gu Yang’s lips, and he reached out to give Lin Xiaoran’s cheek a gentle squeeze. “You’re so stubborn.”
Lin Xiaoran’s eyes widened in surprise, and his lashes fluttered. He touched his cheek in astonishment, looking at Gu Yang.
Gu Yang didn’t seem to think much of the action and continued to work. He carefully dried Lin Xiaoran’s foot and put his shoes and socks back on.
Lin Xiaoran blinked and slightly pursed his lips. He felt he was overthinking things, probably influenced by the strange comments from the girl.
It was just a pinch on the cheek. Why make a big deal out of it?
But then he suddenly thought of something, glaring at Gu Yang. “You touched my face with the same hand you used on my foot?”
Gu Yang was momentarily caught off guard by Lin Xiaoran’s reaction, not expecting him to focus on such a detail. He chuckled, finding the situation amusing. “I didn’t mind your foot odor. You’re the one worrying about it?”
“You have foot odor!” Lin Xiaoran retorted, feeling a surge of anger and instinctively wanting to kick Gu Yang.
Unfortunately, with his injured foot, he couldn’t move and was stopped by Gu Yang, who chuckled and said, “Stop fussing. You can kick me later, but let’s get you to the hospital first.”
Gu Yang turned his back to Lin Xiaoran and bent down. “Come on, hop on my back.”
After a moment of silence, Gu Yang realized there was no movement from Lin Xiaoran.
Turning around, he met Lin Xiaoran’s clear gaze, which seemed puzzled.
“What’s wrong?” Gu Yang asked softly.
Lin Xiaoran snapped out of his daze and shook his head. “Nothing.”
“Then come on,” Gu Yang said.
Lin Xiaoran’s lips parted slightly, and he hesitated but then swallowed his rejection. Looking into Gu Yang’s attractive eyes, he felt a strange stir in his heart and decided not to refuse. He reached out and settled onto Gu Yang’s back.
The mountain path wasn’t very steep, but carrying someone did make it more cumbersome, so Gu Yang walked slowly.
Lin Xiaoran rested quietly on his shoulder, his eyes clouded with confusion.
After hearing the girl’s odd comments, he found himself overthinking things.
But did Gu Yang really have feelings for him?
It didn’t seem possible.
Lin Xiaoran couldn’t reconcile his thoughts. How could Gu Yang possibly like him, when he had been so dismissive before? Even if they had ended up living together, and Gu Yang had shown some change in attitude, he had previously said he wasn’t interested, regardless of Lin Xiaoran being an omega. The girl must have been mistaken, right?
“Why so quiet? Is your foot hurting?” Gu Yang’s soft voice broke through Lin Xiaoran’s confusion.
Lin Xiaoran snapped back to the present, turning his head to look at Gu Yang, who was only visible from this angle in profile. Gu Yang’s forehead glistened with sweat under the late afternoon sun, which bathed his face in a warm, golden light.
Lin Xiaoran’s lips moved slightly as he swallowed the question that was on his mind, pointing ahead towards the small temple visible nearby. “Aren’t you here to make a wish? It’s over there.”
Gu Yang looked up and noticed a small temple by the roadside, with a large wish tree in the courtyard adorned with red prayer ribbons fluttering in the breeze. His eyes lit up at the sight but then quickly remembered Lin Xiaoran’s injury. “Forget it, maybe…”
“We’re already here, and my foot doesn’t hurt,” Lin Xiaoran interrupted him.
The roles were reversed from this morning, with Lin Xiaoran now insistent on going to the temple, whereas earlier Gu Yang had been the one pushing for it. Gu Yang understood that Lin Xiaoran’s insistence was likely for his sake, as Lin Xiaoran himself had no real interest in such matters.
So, Gu Yang relented, acknowledging that he did want to make a wish here.
They entered the temple, which was quiet and devoid of the usual commercial hustle. It was a peaceful place, without anyone trying to attract visitors.
Gu Yang knew Lin Xiaoran wouldn’t make a wish, so he bought a wish ribbon at the entrance and carried it with him. When they reached the wish tree, Gu Yang carefully set Lin Xiaoran down and helped him sit. Then, he took the wish ribbon and stood beneath the tree, closing his eyes and clasping his hands in a prayerful gesture.
The autumn sunlight filtered through the dense leaves of the wish tree, casting dappled patterns of light over him.
Lin Xiaoran watched him, struck by the sincerity of Gu Yang’s posture. There was something both unfamiliar and, oddly, attractive about this earnest Gu Yang.
As Gu Yang opened his eyes and looked directly into Lin Xiaoran’s clear gaze, he was momentarily taken aback. A gentle smile appeared on his lips as he spoke softly, “I wish that the person I’m making this wish with next time will be you.”
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