Chapter 75: Powerful Connections (1)
Rain poured heavily over Yanjing City.
The streets glowed beneath blurred neon lights while people hurried past with umbrellas, some running through the storm while others had already given up on staying dry entirely.
Vehicles splashed through flooded roads.
Somewhere in the distance, thunder rumbled softly.
Wenzhi moved quickly through the rain with a lollipop between his lips and a cold expression on his face.
Water dripped from the ends of his dark hair as he crossed the street before slipping into a narrow alleyway.
A few minutes later, he emerged onto a quieter road lined with older buildings before finally stopping in front of a tall black structure hidden between two abandoned shops.
He knocked twice against the metal door.
A small slot immediately slid open, revealing nothing but a pair of familiar black eyes staring back at him.
It had already been two weeks since the faction idea was proposed.
Since then, Wenzhi, Xinyuan, and Zhaohe had spent almost every day planning quietly behind closed doors.
And now it was finally time.
The important connections. The trusted Espers.
The people who would either become part of this new structure or eventually destroy it.
"Password," a deep voice asked lazily from behind the door.
Wenzhi’s expression flattened instantly. "Open the fucking door."
Laughter sounded from the other side before the locks finally clicked open.
The door pulled inward.
Warm air hit Wenzhi’s face as he stepped inside, the rain muffling behind him once the door shut heavily.
The interior surprised him slightly.
The house was small but expensive in a strange way, blending vintage aesthetics with modern technology seamlessly.
Soft lighting reflected against dark wooden walls while quiet jazz music drifted faintly from another room.
Standing directly in front of him was Zhiyao.
The guide leaned casually against the wall with a smirk on his face as he watched Wenzhi remove his soaked coat and place his umbrella onto the holder nearby.
"How are you here?" Wenzhi asked.
He clearly remembered Zhaohe sounding genuinely surprised when she first learned Zhiyao and Yuzhen were in Sector One.
"Hello to you too," Zhiyao replied dryly.
Wenzhi ignored him completely and walked deeper into the house with the lollipop still between his lips.
The music became louder the further inside he moved.
The gathering room looked more like a private lounge than a meeting point.
A dimly lit bar stretched along one side while several figures occupied the space casually like they already belonged there.
Yuzhen stood near the counter, his bright red hair impossible to miss as he spoke smoothly with Kaiwen, who held a glass of alcohol in one hand.
Everyone in the room looked expensive. Sharp suits. Jewelry. Tailored coats.
The kind of appearance that matched people dangerous enough to survive Sector One for this long.
And judging by the fact that only Espers occupied the main room, Wenzhi could already tell the Guides had likely scattered themselves elsewhere throughout the building.
Which honestly made sense. Especially considering this entire property technically belonged to him now, even though Xinyuan had been the one to acquire it under Wenzhi’s name.
The relationship between them had become strangely quiet lately.
And Wenzhi hated it. He hated the growing attachment curling beneath his skin. Hated the way the imprint kept pulling him toward Xinyuan no matter how much he cursed it internally.
But what irritated him even more was the fact that Xinyuan had started pulling away. Not emotionally. Never emotionally.
If anything, Xinyuan seemed even more attached than before.
But physically, there was restraint now. Careful restraint.
He still held Wenzhi close while sleeping. Still followed him around the house. Still looked at him like he was something precious.
But he never pushed things further.
Never crossed certain lines.
And for some reason, that irritated Wenzhi more than if Xinyuan had simply kept being shameless.
Wenzhi could understand part of it.
Xinyuan had barely been using his abilities lately. He ignored almost every Rift incident appearing around Sector One and spent most of his time beside Wenzhi instead.
Which somehow only made the imprint feel worse.
Wenzhi clicked his tongue irritably.
Just as he was about to walk further inside, Zhaohe suddenly appeared behind him and leaned close enough to whisper into his ear. "Where’s Xinyuan?"
Wenzhi barely reacted anymore to people invading his personal space.
"I left before him," he replied casually. "He said he wanted the rain to calm down first."
Only after speaking did he realize how annoyed he sounded.
Zhaohe blinked slowly at him. "Are you two okay?"
"Why do you ask?"
She laughed. "You’ve both been acting weird all week." Then suddenly her eyes widened dramatically. "Wait."
She pointed at herself. "Is this my fault?"
"I’m pretty sure Xinyuan understands you’re not attracted to me," Wenzhi said dryly. "And yes, before you ask, I do think you’re attractive but not like that."
He very intentionally left out the fact that Xinyuan had absolutely been jealous over how quickly he and Zhaohe became comfortable around each other.
Mostly because admitting that out loud felt ridiculous.
Zhaohe looked delighted instead.
"You know," she started mischievously, "just because he imprinted on you doesn’t mean you can’t still have fun."
Her grin widened. "You’re the greedy type anyway. You could probably have double the fun."
Wenzhi stared at her blankly. "What exactly are you implying?"
"I’m saying," Zhaohe continued like a devil whispering temptation directly into his ear, "you two already act like a married couple."
Wenzhi scoffed. "We do not."
"You absolutely do."
"No, we don’t."
"He’s obsessed with you," Zhaohe said casually. "And you baby him constantly."
That made Wenzhi’s face flatten completely. "I genuinely cannot tell if you’re encouraging me to have a threesome or subtly telling me to fuck with Xinyuan so we can all ride into the rainbow together."
Zhaohe burst out laughing.
"I’m trying to be both your angel and your devil," she admitted shamelessly. "Besides, watching you two circle around each other is entertaining."
She winked before walking away.
Wenzhi stared after her in disbelief before scoffing under his breath.
Then he turned only to spot Zhiyao standing further down the hallway watching him silently.
The guide held his gaze for a second before casually turning and walking away.
Wenzhi followed after him down the hall until they reached another room.
The moment he stepped inside, he paused.
Guides.
And right near the bar, seated lazily with a cocktail in hand was Gu Luhan.
Across the room, their eyes met instantly.
Wenzhi’s brows slowly rose.
"Well," he drawled dryly, "this is anticlimactic."
