ABO: A Debt to Repay - Chapter 4

Xu Xi sat up, the blanket slipping down to reveal her bare upper body. Her fair skin was littered with red kiss marks and faint bruises tinged with purple. Upon seeing them, her face flushed crimson, and she quickly pulled the blanket up to cover herself.

She glanced at He Lin and asked awkwardly, “Do… do you have anything I can wear?”

Having tasted such pleasure for the first time in his life, He Lin’s mind was filled with all sorts of dark thoughts. He would’ve preferred Xu Xi to stay like this, without clothes—but of course, that wasn’t an option.

He tossed one of his own shirts to Xu Xi.

Xu Xi caught the shirt and looked at He Lin, who raised a brow and said teasingly, “You’ve already done everything—what are you still shy about?”

Xu Xi bit her lip and stared at him. He Lin gave in, sighed, and turned around. “Fine. Go ahead and change.”

Only then did Xu Xi lift the blanket and put on the shirt. He Lin was tall, so the shirt hung on Xu Xi like an oversized dress, falling all the way to her thighs.

He Lin guessed she was done and turned around before Xu Xi could say anything. When he saw her in the oversized shirt, looking small and vulnerable, his sharp canines itched, and he subconsciously licked them.

But instead of going straight to breakfast, Xu Xi hesitated, walking nervously toward He Lin. “I… I wanted to ask… how’s my mom doing? And… could I call her? Just once?”

She was worried about how things were going on her end—and even more afraid that she might be worrying about her.

When it came to his own Omega, He Lin was willing to indulge. He pulled out his phone, sat in a chair, and when Xu Xi reached for it, he tugged her gently into his lap.

Xu Xi froze, her whole body tensing up.

“I had someone stay behind to make sure everything went smoothly. Your parents’ divorce is finalized. The house and your custody were both awarded to your mother. The mark removal procedure has already been scheduled. For now, she just needs to recover. Once all her physical indicators are stable, the surgery will proceed.”

He Lin explained calmly, then handed over the phone.

Xu Xi nodded and quickly dialed. The moment the call connected, she said, almost breathlessly, “Mom, it’s me—Zhao Zhao.”

The moment He Fang heard her daughter’s voice, she asked anxiously, “Zhao Zhao, how are you? Are you doing okay at Mr. He’s place?”

Xu Xi’s nose stung, and tears threatened to fall again. “I’m okay, Mom. Just focus on getting better for your surgery. I’ll come home to you soon.”

“Good. I’ll take care of myself—you take care of yourself too, sweetheart.”

Afraid that she’d break down crying if she said any more, Xu Xi hurriedly ended the call. He Lin sighed softly, wiping away Xu Xi’s tears and gently patting her back in a practiced, soothing motion. “No crying.”

Once Xu Xi calmed down, He Lin pinched her cheek and asked, “Your nickname is Zhao Zhao?”

“Mm.”

“‘Mm’? Tell me the story.”

Xu Xi replied slowly, “I was born at sunrise. They originally wanted to call me Yangyang—like the sun—but the baby in the bed next to mine was already named that. So, they called me Zhao Zhao instead.”

“That’s a nice name,” He Lin murmured, kissing her lightly before motioning for her to eat.

Xu Xi looked at him and whispered, “Thank you.”

He Lin was once again disarmed by that soft, gentle voice. He hugged Xu Xi and said, “If you want to thank me, show a little initiative.”

Xu Xi instinctively understood what kind of “initiative” he meant. Her face turned red again, but she gave a small nod and began eating quietly.

As she ate, He Lin simply watched. His gaze made Xu Xi feel self-conscious. Taking a sip of warm milk, she asked in a low voice, “You… you’re not eating?”

“I already ate. I just want to watch you.”

Xu Xi didn’t dare say another word, doing her best to ignore He Lin’s stare. Once she finished breakfast, He Lin suddenly scooped her up and carried her to the bed.

Xu Xi panicked, thinking He Lin wanted a repeat of last night. “No more, no more!” she cried out.

“No more what?”

He Lin hadn’t been planning anything, but seeing Xu Xi flustered stirred a mischievous impulse in him.

“I… I just want to rest… It still hurts a little down there…”

Xu Xi’s eyes darted away in embarrassment, her cheeks flushing again. He Lin feigned annoyance and said, “Then beg me. If you beg, I’ll let you off.”

“P-please… please don’t…”

“That’s too easy. Doesn’t count.”

How else could she beg? Suddenly, Xu Xi remembered a TV drama her mom had watched, where the heroine sweetly called the hero “gege” while acting coy. She didn’t even know He Lin’s full name, so…

“Gege… please?”

That one word—”gege”—made He Lin’s entire body go numb.

He Lin’s breath caught. Fearing he might actually lose control if he stayed, he released Xu Xi and stood up to leave. As he reached the door, he turned back and said, “My name is He Lin. ‘He’ as in ‘celebration,’ and

‘Lin’ as in ‘sweet rain.’”

Xu Xi finally knew her name—but the first thing that popped into her head was: Maybe next time, when I’m begging, I could try calling him A-Lin.

She quickly shook the thought away. What’s wrong with me?

This was supposed to be a transaction. She shouldn’t be thinking too much. But she couldn’t help it. Maybe it was because He Lin was too gentle—or maybe… because he was just too handsome.

Xu Xi was a sucker for good looks. He Lin’s striking face, his commanding presence—Xu Xi liked it all. She even liked his scent.

If they had met under normal circumstances, Xu Xi thought, she might have fallen for He Lin just like that.

Realizing she was getting lost in useless thoughts, Xu Xi tapped herself lightly on the head. She had more important things to do. Straightening up, she left the room in search of He Lin.