Chapter 68: Did I Hurt You?

When Xinyuan woke the next morning, his head throbbed painfully. But the moment he opened his eyes and saw the freckled face sleeping peacefully beside him, the pain suddenly felt far more bearable.

Wenzhi was asleep beside him, calm and warm beneath the pale morning light. Their faces were separated by less than a breath, their heads resting against the same pillow.

For a long moment, Xinyuan simply stared at him.

He tried to remember how he had ended up here, but the last thing he recalled was stealing one of Zhaohe’s beers in an attempt to drown out his thoughts.

A terrible mistake.

Especially since those thoughts had all been about Wenzhi.

The corner of Xinyuan’s lips curled upward faintly. Part of him almost wished he remembered the previous night clearly.

After all, Wenzhi had not kicked him out.

That alone felt almost unbelievable.

His train of thought scattered as a heavy blur swept across his eyes.

Xinyuan quickly pushed himself off the bed, fingers dragging through his hair as he exhaled heavily.

Dark mist burst from his body. The shadows swallowing him whole.

The next second, he appeared inside his own room.

Unlike Wenzhi’s room, this one was cold and dimly lit, drenched in darkness so thick it barely resembled a living space.

Xinyuan staggered toward a drawer and pulled it open.

Inside rested two pairs of glasses.

But he ignored them completely.

Instead, he reached for the small black box hidden beneath them.

Opening it revealed several tiny vials filled with translucent liquid.

His hands trembled as he quickly drained the liquid into an injector before rolling up his sleeve.

The chains still wrapped around his arm. Still stretching directly from his back like restraints fused into his body as tattoos.

Xinyuan pressed the injector against his arm.

The moment the liquid entered his bloodstream, he let out a shaky breath of relief.

His vision slowly stabilized.

Finally, he slid down onto the floor beside the bed, breathing heavily as sweat dampened the back of his neck.

His eyes landed on the remaining vials inside the box. Dozens of them. Enough to keep him stable. For now.

He closed the box and pulled out one of the pairs of glasses, sliding them onto his face before returning the box to the drawer.

After shutting it, Xinyuan rose to his feet with a quiet yawn, covering his mouth with the back of his hand before heading toward the shower.

By the time he finished washing up and changed into fresh clothes, the entire house smelled warm and rich with food.

For a brief moment, Xinyuan simply stood there outside his room. Then he followed the scent into the kitchen.

Wenzhi was already plating breakfast.

Without looking directly at him, he placed a tray of Crystal Shrimp Dumplings into Xinyuan’s hands before turning back toward the oven.

The warmth of the tray immediately told Xinyuan that Wenzhi had probably been awake for a long time already.

Xinyuan’s eyes instinctively drifted toward his face, trying to read his expression beneath the strands of messy hair falling around it.

Meanwhile, Wenzhi pulled on oven gloves.

"Zhaohe really stocked this place up," he muttered. "It’s almost suspiciously cozy."

Xinyuan’s heartbeat sped up, though his expression remained calm.

"I told her you cook," he admitted as he carried the dumplings to the table. "I thought having groceries around would help you."

Wenzhi glanced at him briefly before opening the oven and pulling out the steamed buns.

"I’m impressed," he said flatly.

Xinyuan stepped closer. "Can I help?"

That only earned him an irritated look.

Wenzhi walked past him toward the coffee machine just as it beeped softly. He poured himself a cup without another word while Xinyuan silently finished setting the table.

The atmosphere settled into something oddly domestic after that.

It was quiet, warm and it seemed dangerously normal.

They ate breakfast in silence.

Eventually, Xinyuan looked up from his food. "Did I do anything strange last night?"

That finally drew Wenzhi’s attention. "Anything strange how?"

Xinyuan hesitated.

"I drank Zhaohe’s beer," he admitted. "And I have a very low tolerance for alcohol."

Then quieter, "Did I hurt you?"

For a moment, Wenzhi didn’t answer.

His messy hair shadowed part of his eyes as he stared at Xinyuan across the table, his freckled face settling into a thoughtful expression.

And for some reason, that silence made Xinyuan even more nervous.

"You invaded my space as usual," Wenzhi said calmly.

He lifted his coffee mug with both hands and took another slow sip. "You didn’t do anything you wouldn’t normally do sober."

Xinyuan nodded once before lowering his gaze back to the food.

A small breath escaped him in relief.

He wondered if he had mentioned the injections.

The thought alone made him groan softly as he rubbed his temples, adjusting the glasses sitting low on his nose.

Wenzhi’s grey eyes narrowed.

"Why are you so nervous?"

Xinyuan blinked. "I’m not nervous."

Wenzhi rolled his eyes.

"When you ask if you hurt me," he said dryly, "do you mean forcing a guiding session?"

Xinyuan pressed his lips together.

Unfortunately for him, that expression alone was enough for Wenzhi to understand what he was thinking.

"If you ever force a guiding session or hurt me, you’ll know because I’ll cut off your cock."

Xinyuan choked on his shrimp.

He grabbed the cup of water beside him and drank all of it in one go before he actually died.

Wenzhi watched with visible satisfaction before calmly sipping his coffee again.

After a long cough, Xinyuan finally cleared his throat.

"I wouldn’t force a guiding session," he said quietly. "I was drunk and just wanted to make sure I didn’t cross a line. And yes. You can cut off my cock if I ever do."

Wenzhi gave him a long look over the rim of his mug.

"You haven’t asked for a full on guiding session since the night you first showed up at my motel," he pointed out. "Apparently hugs, kisses and hand-holding are enough for you."

His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Which I still find unbelievable."

Xinyuan looked away with a faint cough.

Wenzhi suddenly pushed himself to his feet.

The movement made Xinyuan look back up at him.

Wenzhi slowly licked a trace of coffee from his lower lip before walking toward him. "Take off your shirt, sleeping beauty."

Xinyuan stared up at him. "Wen—"

"Take. It. Off." The interruption came instantly.

Xinyuan sighed before grabbing the hem of his shirt and pulling it over his head in one smooth motion, the movement flexing the muscles across his torso.

Wenzhi’s brows lifted.

The tattoos on his arms were gone.

The chains had retreated completely back into the Y-shaped mark across Xinyuan’s back.

"Why were you trying to hide it?" Wenzhi asked.

Xinyuan rose to his feet, towering slightly over him.

"It isn’t a tattoo," he said quietly. "It appeared after my first mission inside a Red Zone."

Wenzhi stayed silent, waiting.

"The chains spread whenever I suppress too much corruption from repeated backlash."

Wenzhi stared at him for a full second before scoffing in disbelief. "You’ve been suppressing your own backlash?"

His voice sharpened. "Are you insane, Xinyuan? If you keep forcing it down and letting it build up, eventually you’re going to explode."

"I can handle it."

"You clearly cannot."

Xinyuan sighed softly, trying to stay calm.

"It’s gone now," he said. "I’m stable again."

His gaze lowered briefly before returning to Wenzhi. "Sleeping beside you helps. Holding you helps. That’s enough."

Wenzhi’s expression darkened. "Xinyuan."

"There’s nothing to worry ab—"

"There is everything to worry about." The words cut in sharply.

Xinyuan went quiet.

"You lied to me," Wenzhi hissed.

That landed harder than the anger.

"You told me you didn’t know why the chains were spreading."

Xinyuan pressed his lips together.

"You do not get to lie to me about something like that."

The warning in Wenzhi’s voice was quiet now, but far more dangerous.

Xinyuan looked away first.

"I just didn’t want to keep taking your guiding energy," he admitted after a moment. "You’re only a B-Class Guide. The stabilizers and restoration pills are already gone."

His eyes flickered toward Wenzhi again. "If I keep drawing large amounts of energy from you, eventually you’ll get hurt."

"And?"

Xinyuan blinked.

Wenzhi stared at him coldly. "And who decided that for me?"

That made Xinyuan freeze.

"You think just because you’re some disaster-class Esper that I can’t handle you?"

"That’s not what I meant."

"You keep deciding things on your own."

Wenzhi turned away abruptly, grabbing his coffee mug before draining the rest in one irritated swallow. "Do not treat me like something fragile."

He stormed toward the kitchen.

Xinyuan quickly pulled his shirt back on and followed after him.

When he stepped into the kitchen doorway, Wenzhi frowned. "Are you about to apologize again?"

"No," Xinyuan answered automatically.

He absolutely was.

"I just..."

But Wenzhi cut him off before he could continue. "Who exactly do you think I am?"

The question hit harder than anything else.

Xinyuan blanked completely.

"That’s not what I..."

The words died halfway out.

Because Wenzhi had already walked past him again, leaving Xinyuan standing there alone in the kitchen.

Still trying to catch up to a conversation he had already lost.