Obsessed with a High-Ranking Esper (BL)-Chapter 289: ...occasional male esper wouldn’t hurt

The words hit Jian Ci like a blade. His chest tightened, his breath caught. Yu Xi had been carrying this burden silently, swallowing pain and relying on medicine just to help him.

Jian Ci’s hand hovered over the vials, his fingers trembling. His breath came shallow, his chest tight. Shock rippled through him, leaving him hollow. He hadn’t known, he couldn’t have imagined, that Yu Xi had gone this far, taking medicine in secret just to help him, just to endure the weight of his episodes.

It felt as though his entire world collapsed in on itself. The walls of the clinic blurred, the doctor’s words echoing faintly in his ears. Jian Ci couldn’t think straight. He didn’t even realize how he left the shop, only that his feet carried him away, his mind spinning, his heart pounding with the unbearable thought: Yu Xi has been suffering because of me.

He felt like he was going to lose it at any moment. He had planned to go see Yu Xi after this but now he couldn’t even face him. The guilt was too sharp, too raw.

By the time he came back to himself, he was at the secret base. He didn’t remember the journey, only the need to hide. He stayed there through the night, cloaked in silence, unreachable. Not only Yu Xi but even the Jian brothers couldn’t get hold of him.

In the end, Jian Rui was forced to track him down. When he saw Jian Ci’s location, he told the others not to worry. But Yu Xi was already on standby, ready to move if something happened to Jian Ci.

While he hid from the world, drowning in guilt and confusion, he didn’t know what was unfolding elsewhere. His father had already set his plans in motion, sending out invitations to all the top students from the military academies. The imperial palace was preparing to host them, a gathering that would change the course of everything.

***

Jian Rui and Jian Wei dropped everything the moment Yu Xi told them about the invite. They headed back to the imperial capital without hesitation. Neither of them wanted Yu Xi to walk into the imperial palace blind.

They had already taught him everything he needed to know about the imperial lord Thaurion like his temperament, his cunning, the way he twisted words to test people, but they had to be sure Yu Xi understood what he was stepping into.

They assumed Thaurion already knew Yu Xi was close to them. That was probably the angle he was going for, and the reason he wanted Yu Xi present. He wanted to know why Yu Xi mattered to them.

Jian Rui adjusted Yu Xi’s uniform with meticulous care, his voice low but firm. "Try and restrain yourself, no matter what he says to you. He’s just trying to get a rise out of you."

Yu Xi gave a quiet, noncommittal "Mm."

Jian Wei stepped forward, placing a transparent listening device against Yu Xi’s collar. "If you feel threatened in any way, just say the word and we’ll get you out of there."

Yu Xi shook his head. "That won’t be necessary. It’s just for a few hours."

Jian Rui sighed, his brows furrowed. "You really don’t have to go. I can come up with an excuse for you."

Yu Xi’s gaze was steady. "No. I will be fine."

Jian Rui nodded reluctantly. "Just be careful. Our father is... really not easy to deal with."

Yu Xi gave a small nod, and soon it was time. The brothers let him go.

***

The imperial palace loomed, its spires gleaming under the setting twin suns, its gates guarded by soldiers in polished armor. Yu Xi arrived with the other top graduates, their uniforms crisp, their faces taut with anticipation.

They were searched extensively, every pocket and fold checked, before being led into the grand hall. The hall was vast, its ceilings painted with constellations, its marble floors reflecting the light of chandeliers.

Servers moved gracefully among the crowd, carrying trays of drinks, their expressions neutral. The graduates whispered among themselves, nerves and excitement mingling in the air. Right on time, Thaurion appeared.

The massive doors of the imperial hall swung open, and the entire hall bowed low as he entered, his aura majestic and suffocating. Draped in gold, every step he took echoed with authority, the weight of his presence pressing down on the graduates like a storm.

Thaurion’s main objective for this gathering was not the ceremony itself, but his son Jian Ci, and Jian Ci’s so-called close friend, Yu Xi. Of course, he also knew of the other academy top listers, many of whom were linked to princes and princesses. That was why he had invited them all. But beneath the grandeur, his true purpose was control.

Thaurion feared being toppled from his throne by one of his own offspring, just as he had once toppled his brother. It was the shadow that haunted him, the paranoia that drove him to tighten his grip on every son and daughter.

The ones he was most wary of were Seraphyne’s sons. No matter how docile Jian Rui appeared, Thaurion never let his guard down. He had tried to antagonize Jian Rui several times, but the boy’s meekness was infuriating. He never rose to the bait.

Jian Wei was no threat at all, thus hardly worth his attention. But Jian Ci... Jian Ci was different. He had been waiting for the right moment to test him, and this event was part of that plan.

Thaurion ascended to his throne, his aura cold and terrifying. He raised a hand. "Rise."

The graduates rose in unison, their faces pale under the weight of his presence. He sat down, his gaze sweeping across the hall, scanning the group. But Jian Ci was not there.

Thaurion chuckled lightly, the sound sharp. Of course. He wasn’t here.

Just then, his eyes fell upon Yu Xi. His brow creased slightly. He had seen images of Yu Xi before, even a video, but they had done him an injustice. In person, Yu Xi was far more striking. Handsome, composed, with something in his presence that drew the eye, that pulled people in without effort.

Thaurion’s lips curved faintly. He was usually drawn to female espers, but an occasional male esper wouldn’t hurt. And Yu Xi... Yu Xi was intriguing.