Chapter 74: Control
Jiang Zhaohe stayed at the house with Wenzhi and Xinyuan for the rest of the day, and somehow the entire place felt louder with her around. Livelier. More chaotic.
Xinyuan noticed very quickly that she and Wenzhi fell into rhythm with each other far too easily despite not actually having much in common.
And he hated how much it bothered him.
He was jealous. Very jealous.
His face scrunched as he leaned against the kitchen entrance, silently watching the two of them over the counter while Wenzhi explained what ingredients were supposed to go into the food and what absolutely should not.
Jiang Zhaohe was dressed casually in a tank top, her dark hair tied into a messy bun while fascination lit up her sharp eyes as she watched Wenzhi work the dough with practiced ease.
Wenzhi looked unfairly good while cooking. He looked too comfortable. Too relaxed. Too focused on someone that wasn’t him.
Xinyuan’s eyes narrowed.
He and Zhaohe had grown up together inside the Old Blood faction. Their parents had worked under the same system and they had known each other since childhood.
Even back then, Zhaohe had been reckless. Wild. The kind of person that never backed down from anything.
So when she awakened as an SSS-class Esper only a few months after he did, Xinyuan honestly had not been surprised for very long.
Now she had inserted herself back into his life again.
Usually, he wouldn’t have minded.
But this time Wenzhi was involved. And suddenly every little thing irritated him.
His gaze lingered on Zhaohe’s back before drifting toward Wenzhi only to find Wenzhi already staring directly at him.
There was a smug curve to his lips. Cocky and knowing like he could read every jealous thought running through Xinyuan’s head. Like he knew Zhaohe’s presence alone was enough to make Xinyuan restless because Wenzhi’s attention was no longer completely on him.
Xinyuan stared back without looking away.
Good.
He wanted Wenzhi to know he was jealous.
That only made Wenzhi’s smile deepen faintly before he turned away again and continued talking to Zhaohe like nothing had happened.
Xinyuan sank his teeth lightly into his lower lip before finally pushing himself away from the doorway and walking toward his bedroom.
The moment the door shut behind him, the warmth in his expression disappeared.
He crouched in front of the drawer and pulled it open carefully, revealing the small box of suppressants hidden beneath his clothes.
He had lied to Zhaohe earlier about not having any left. Mostly because he didn’t want Wenzhi finding out.
The suppressants were enough for now.
He hadn’t needed them much recently either, not while avoiding battles and limiting the use of his abilities. Not while sleeping beside Wenzhi seemed to calm his corruption more effectively than anything else ever had.
Still, he planned to secretly give some of the suppressants to Zhaohe before she left.
Just in case.
He just didn’t want Wenzhi knowing about it.
Xinyuan placed the box back into the drawer and slid it shut.
The bedroom door suddenly opened behind him.
He immediately rose to his feet.
"What are you doing in here?" Wenzhi’s voice cut through the dim room.
Xinyuan turned toward the doorway.
There were faint traces of flour in Wenzhi’s dark hair, his sleeves pushed up while those grey eyes fixed directly onto Xinyuan.
"I wanted you to spend more time with Zhaohe," Xinyuan admitted, not even bothering to hide the jealousy in his voice.
Wenzhi laughed.
"Are you seriously jealous of your own friend?" he asked. "It’s not like she touched me so you could use it as an excuse to bite me again."
Xinyuan stared at him silently. "I didn’t know you two were close like that."
"I’m teaching her how to cook."
"I know," Xinyuan said flatly. "That’s the part I don’t like."
He walked closer slowly until barely any space remained between them. "You can keep teaching me instead."
Wenzhi scoffed.
"Just you?" His brows lifted. "You want to control everything I do."
"There’s a difference between control and wanting what belongs to me to stay mine." His voice lowered. "Only mine, freckles."
Wenzhi stared at him for a second before snorting softly. "Yes. That still sounds exactly like control."
"Then why did you come after me?"
That made Wenzhi pause briefly. Then he laughed again, quieter this time.
"Because it’s entertaining," he admitted. "You get jealous in the most absurd possessive way but you still didn’t pick a fight with Zhaohe."
Wenzhi reached up and tapped Xinyuan on the forehead. "Now stop hiding in here and come help with dinner or you’re not getting a single bite."
Xinyuan’s ears turned red.
Wenzhi turned to leave.
But before he could take another step, Xinyuan suddenly grabbed his wrist tightly.
Wenzhi stopped.
The movement had clearly caught him off guard.
Xinyuan leaned closer again until their noses brushed lightly.
"She told you, didn’t she?" he asked quietly. "About the imprint."
"She did." Wenzhi held his gaze easily. "What are you going to do about it?"
For a moment, Xinyuan’s eyes dropped to Wenzhi’s lips.
The temptation hit him so hard it made his chest ache.
He wanted to kiss him. Properly. Not just once. Not enough.
But in the end, he only leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss against Wenzhi’s cheek.
Then he released his wrist immediately and stepped back.
Wenzhi froze. Only for a second.
But Xinyuan still noticed it. And somehow, despite the silence, he could feel irritation radiating off Wenzhi in waves.
No words came.
Just the sudden slam of the bedroom door hard enough to shake the walls.
Xinyuan stared at the closed door for a long moment before slowly raising a hand to his face.
The imprint was deepening.
And if Xinyuan didn’t find a proper support system for Wenzhi soon, something capable of helping a B-rank guide withstand a disaster-class Esper, then sooner or later, this was going to end badly.
Especially when Xinyuan himself was already hanging by a thread from losing control.
