Obsessed with a High-Ranking Esper (BL)-Chapter 165: A protective grandpa

AN: So sorry, one Chapter today. I really needed a break. Happy reading!

Jian Ci had no idea he had a fever and he was trapped in a nightmare.

In his dream, chains bit into Yu Xi’s wrists, cold and unrelenting, slick with blood and sweat. His arms hung limp above his head, his knees barely holding him up.

The cell was just as he remembered—stone walls slick with condensation, the air thick with rot and iron. The only light came from a single flickering bulb overhead, casting long, twitching shadows across the floor..And in front of him stood Gander, his father.

Clad in black, his expression unreadable, Gander paced slowly, the echo of his boots a metronome of dread. In his hand, he held a thin rod of psychic steel, humming faintly with suppressed energy.

"You are pathetic," Gander said, voice low and smooth. "Still pretending you’re strong. Still clinging to that brittle pride."

Yu Xi didn’t answer. His throat was raw, his lips cracked. He could barely lift his head.

Gander crouched in front of him, tilting his face up with two fingers. "You think silence makes you noble? It makes you boring." The rod struck.

Pain lanced through Yu Xi’s side, white-hot and searing. He gasped, the sound torn from his lungs, but he didn’t scream. He wouldn’t give Gander the satisfaction.

"Come on," Gander said, standing again. "Fight back. Show me what you are. Show me what I made you."

Yu Xi tried to summon his power, to reach for the emerald light that had always answered him. But there was nothing.

His psychic field was locked down, shackled by the inhibitors embedded in the collar around his neck. He was powerless and helpless.

The rod struck again. And again. Each blow sent him deeper into the haze. His body burned fevered, trembling and soaked in sweat. The heat was unbearable, like fire under his skin. His vision blurred, the edges of the cell warping, pulsing.

Gander leaned in close, his breath hot against Yu Xi’s ear. "You are not special. You are just a failed experiment. A tool that refuses to be used."

Yu Xi’s head lolled forward. He couldn’t breathe. His chest felt crushed, his lungs filled with fire. The pain was endless, the heat suffocating. He wanted to give in. To let go. But then... a flicker, a memory flashed in his

Jian Ci’s voice, low and rough, whispered his name. Jian Ci’s arms around him, trembling but warm. The way he had looked at him while whispering possessive words to him.

Yu Xi thought, ’If I die... what will Jian Ci do?’ He clenched his jaw. He couldn’t die at least not yet.

Not when Jian Ci was still out there. Not when he might need him. He forced his eyes open.

Gander’s face loomed above him, smug and expectant. Yu Xi met his gaze and he smiled. It was a broken smile, bloodied and weak, but it was defiant.

"I am not yours," he rasped. "Not anymore."

Gander’s expression twisted in fury, and the rod came down again, but Yu Xi didn’t flinch. He braced himself, not against the pain, but against the pull of unconsciousness. He would endure. He had to. Because somewhere beyond this nightmare, Jian Ci was waiting and Yu Xi wasn’t ready to say goodbye.

***

Eros was livid, not the kind of anger that burned hot and fast,.but the cold, seething kind that settled into his bones and refused to leave. He stood in the center of his private study, the crystal decanter in his hand trembling as he poured another glass of dark amber liquor. The fire crackled in the hearth, but it did nothing to thaw the ice in his chest.

Yu Xi had returned from the exam in a state that made Eros’s blood run cold. Not because of the S-rank beast. Not because of the depleted psychic reserves , but because he had guided Jian Ci and the savage beast had left a myriad of marks on his back, neck and chest.

He slammed the glass down on the desk, the sound sharp and final.

He had the best unconventional doctors in the capital on his payroll. They had told him everything including Yu Xi unsual makeup all thanks to Gander, that fucking bastard.

Gander had tortured Yu Xi to activate his recessive guide gene. Had broken him, twisted him, forced the ability out of him like blood from a stone. And the worst part? It had worked. Yu Xi had been a guide for longer than he even knew.

Eros had known Gander was a monster. But this... this was beyond monstrous. This was sacrilege.

And now, after all that, Yu Xi had used that scarred ability to guide Jian Ci. The same boy who, in Eros’s eyes, was nothing more than a psychic leech, draining his grandson dry.

He had cursed Jian Ci without hesitation. He knew Yu Xi wouldn’t appreciate it, but he didn’t care. He would burn the Jian estate to the ground if it meant keeping Yu Xi safe.

And then Jian Rui had the audacity to show up. No one knew Eros had an estate in the capital. It was a secret sanctuary created by his wife for their daughter, but of course, the Jian brothers had their ways. Jian Rui arrived at the gates, calm and composed, asking to see Yu Xi. Eros had nearly exploded.

He had chased him off with words sharp enough to draw blood, ignoring the man’s status, their delicate alliance and partnership. He didn’t care, not when it came to Yu Xi. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

He wanted to strike back. To make the Jian family pay. But he knew better. Revenge for his daughter would take time and precision. And he needed Jian Rui for that. Besides, Yu Xi would never forgive him if he acted now so he drank.

Glass after glass, trying to drown the helplessness clawing at his chest. Until the doctor burst in.

"Your Excellency," the man said, pale and breathless. "The young man—he’s burning up. We’ve tried everything. Nothing’s working." Eros was on his feet in an instant.

He stormed into the medical bay, heart pounding. Yu Xi lay on the bed, drenched in sweat, his body trembling. His fever had spiked dangerously high. Two doctors were trying to restrain him as he thrashed, caught in some fevered nightmare, lashing out with weak psychic bursts.

"Get away from him," Eros barked. The doctors stepped back.

Eros climbed onto the bed, pulling Yu Xi into his arms, cradling him with his back against his chest. Yu Xi struggled at first, fists weakly pounding against him, breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Hush now," Eros whispered, voice cracking. "It’s me. It’s Grandpa."

Yu Xi didn’t respond, his eyes were shut tight, tears leaking from the corners so Eros did the only thing he could.

He began to sing a soft and old lullaby. The same one he used to sing to his daughter when she was sick and feverish, curled up in his arms just like this. His voice was rough with age and whiskey, but the melody was steady.

Yu Xi’s breathing slowed and the he flailing stopped. He sagged against Eros, still crying, but silently now. The tears soaked into Eros’s shirt, and the old man held him tighter, resting his chin on Yu Xi’s damp hair.

Xiaobao was asleep in the next room, unaware of the storm that had passed through the night.

Eros didn’t sleep.He watched over Yu Xi until the fever broke, until the boy’s skin cooled and his breathing evened out. Morning light filtered through the windows, soft and golden.

Yu Xi woke up. His eyes fluttered open, hazy and unfocused. He blinked up at the ceiling, then turned his head slightly, hearing the familiar voice above him.

"How are you feeling?" Eros asked gently.

Yu Xi looked up at him, then away, shame flickering across his face. "I... I am sorry. I didn’t mean to cause so much trouble."

"No need. You passed out," Eros said, brushing damp hair from his forehead. "You almost scared Xiaobao to death."

Yu Xi swallowed hard before laying propped up against the pillows, the morning light filtering through gauzy curtains, casting soft gold across the room. His skin was pale, but the fever had broken, and the tremors had finally stilled. Across from him, Eros sat in a high-backed chair, his posture stiff, his expression unreadable.

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small silver case. With a flick, it opened to reveal two pale blue pills nestled inside.

"Drink this," Eros said, holding out the pills and a glass of water.

Yu Xi took them without hesitation. Whatever else his grandfather was, he wasn’t someone who would ever harm him. He swallowed the pills and handed the glass back.

"Where am I?" he asked, voice still hoarse.

Eros leaned back, folding his arms. "Home. The estate where your mother grew up. She lived here until her teenage years. You are safe here."

Yu Xi blinked slowly. "Why did you bring me here?"

"This was the safest place Xiaobao could take you," Eros said. "And I agreed."