ABO: A Debt to Repay - Chapter 12
After work, He Lin couldn’t shake off a sense of unease.
He glanced at his phone—it was about time for Xu Xi to be out of school. He dialed her number, but no one picked up. That was unusual.
He called Aunt Wang at home and learned that Xu Xi hadn’t returned yet. Worried about the delicate little Omega getting into trouble, He Lin told Su Huaizhi, who happened to be near No.1 High School, to go check on her, and he himself immediately jumped into his car and sped over.
He didn’t expect something really had happened.
Because he’d been driving well over the speed limit, he arrived quickly—just in time to hear Xu Xi’s desperate cry for help.
Seeing his little Omega being harassed, a wave of anguish and fury surged through him. His pheromones, laced with violent rage, flooded the alleyway, crushing down on the gang of thugs. Even as their groans of pain rang out, He Lin’s fury did not subside.
Not until his Omega threw herself into his arms.
“He Lin! Why did you only get here now!”
He Lin pulled Xu Xi tightly into his arms, holding her close as his pheromones softened into a gentle current, wrapping around Xu Xi to soothe her fear and despair.
“I’m sorry. I came too late.”
He noticed Xu Xi’s clothes had been torn, exposing a pale shoulder. He Lin took off his suit jacket and draped it over her.
“Wait here for me.”
He turned to deal with the thugs, but Xu Xi clung tightly to his waist, clearly still terrified. He Lin glanced at Su Huaizhi, who waved his hand and said, “Alright, take her home and comfort her. I’ll keep an eye on these guys until you’re ready to deal with them personally.”
Su Huaizhi didn’t offer to take care of them himself—he knew He Lin would prefer to handle this with his own hands.
He Lin nodded and carried Xu Xi straight into the car.
All the way, Xu Xi kept her face buried in He Lin’s chest. Only after being comforted by He Lin’s soothing pheromones did she gradually calm down. That was when she realized her face was soaked with tears, and she’d drenched a good portion of He Lin’s shirt.
Xu Xi looked up, a little embarrassed. “Sorry… I got your shirt all wet.”
“It’s okay.”
He Lin gently wiped away the tears at the corners of Xu Xi’s eyes and said softly, “Don’t be afraid. This won’t happen again.”
Xu Xi was still clutching He Lin’s shirt. “Someone posted our photos online… and then…”
“I’ll investigate it. You don’t have to worry. Take tomorrow off and rest—I’ll get you a leave.”
“I’m fine. I don’t need a break.”
He Lin smiled and kissed him lightly on the cheek.
“Take the day off. Be good.”
Xu Xi nodded reluctantly.
Maybe it was because of the mark, but Xu Xi trusted He Lin completely. With He Lin by her side, it felt like no fear or danger could touch her.
That night, after dinner, He Lin stayed by Xu Xi’s side, helping her with her studies, and later, coaxing her to sleep. Only after Xu Xi had fallen into a deep slumber did He Lin quietly get dressed and leave for Su Huaizhi’s territory.
In the basement, the thugs who had ambushed Xu Xi were tied up and lying on the ground. Su Huaizhi was lounging on the sofa, watching a movie. When he saw He Lin enter, he stretched lazily and stood up.
“You’re finally here. I didn’t touch them—figured you’d want to decide how to deal with them. I’ve got all kinds of tools ready.”
He opened a wall panel.
Inside were rows of tools—hammers, sickles, daggers, triangular spikes, chainsaws… To call them “tools” was generous; it was more like a collection of medieval torture devices.
The punks trembled at the sight, their eyes wide with terror.
He Lin walked over, picked up a baseball bat, and ordered someone to remove the cloth gags. Then he asked coldly,
“Who touched him?”
No one answered.
He Lin wasn’t in a rush. He randomly stepped on one thug’s hand with his expensive leather shoe and slowly ground down, making the guy scream in agony.
“No one wants to talk?”
“I… I’ll talk! Him—him—and those two over there. The three of them all touched Xu Xi!”
He Lin let out a cold chuckle. He stepped off the guy’s hand and walked over to the other three. Without another word, he swung the baseball bat at their arms—one after another. Thuds rang out with every hit, accompanied by gut-wrenching screams. Su Huaizhi couldn’t help but warn him:
“Hey, don’t kill anyone.”
“I know what I’m doing.”
After he finished, He Lin slumped onto the sofa and lit a cigarette. As smoke curled up, he stared at the groaning teens on the ground and said:
“Assaulting an Omega—more than once—means you’re criminally liable.”
“The Omegas you’ve hurt before were too scared to speak out. But this time… you hurt someone that belongs to me.”
“And now, you’re going exactly where you belong.”
Su Huaizhi, having watched the whole thing, gave the order to send them to the police. Then he sat beside He Lin and lit his own cigarette.
“This is the first time I’ve seen you this pissed.”
“That’s because you’ve never had your own Omega.”
Su Huaizhi shook his head with a chuckle. “Never thought you’d be the first among us to fall in love.”
“Love’s a bit much,” He Lin said with a smirk. “But she’s mine. Even I can barely bring myself to touch her—so who gave them the right?”
“So, this is just classic Alpha possessiveness?”
“Isn’t it?”
Su Huaizhi exhaled a smoke ring and raised an eyebrow. “Maybe.”
They smoked in silence for a while before Su Huaizhi suddenly said,
“Oh, by the way. I found out who leaked those photos. It was Zhao Yuran—an Omega, too. My guess is she was just jealous of Xu Xi. Tsk, so young and already this vicious. What do you want to do with her?”
A cold sneer tugged at He Lin’s lips.
“I’ll return the favor—with interest.”