Obsessed with a High-Ranking Esper (BL)-Chapter 175: Threatening Jian Rui
Jian Rui didn’t speak right away. He simply looked at her.
Alarna stood with the poise of a woman who knew she had the upper hand—or thought she did. The pitiful expression she had worn earlier had vanished, peeled away like a mask. What remained was something far colder. Sharper. A vixen in silk, calm and calculating. She didn’t flinch under his gaze. Of course she didn’t. She had spent years perfecting this image.
On Starnet, she was beloved. The angelic guide. She was known for being sweet, brilliant and compassionate. A high-ranking guide with a gentle smile and a flawless record. Her posts were always tasteful, her fans loyal and loud. She was the kind of girl people wanted to protect.
But Jian Rui knew better. He had seen her private information. He knew about the boyfriend she had discarded without warning. The one who had said, bitterly, "She told me I wasn’t influential enough. That she had a future planned." She wanted more than love. She wanted legacy.
And she had found it, or thought she had, when Jian Ci picked up her earring that day. Just a simple gesture. A smile. But it had been enough. Enough to spark a fantasy. Enough to make her decide that the tenth prince, the one without a mother, the one with a soft heart and a golden name, was perfect.
She hadn’t known he was unwell. That knowledge should have ended it. It should have been enough to shatter the fantasy.
But Jian Ci’s gentleness, his vulnerability—it had only made her more determined. She saw a docile prince she could mold. A crown she could wear. And now, she was threatening to expose Jian Rui just to keep Jian Ci.
Jian Rui’s jaw tightened. She didn’t know what really happened in that cave. She couldn’t. No one would believe an Esper could guide another Esper. That was the one thing protecting Yu Xi from her claws but she was still dangerous.
She was Lord Leung’s daughter, after all and Lord Leung was infamous for his ruthlessness. For using any means necessary to get what he wanted. Alarna was his favorite. His heir in more ways than one. Jian Rui had no doubt that her father’s methods had shaped her into what she was now.
If Jian Wei hadn’t found any trace of a drug in Jian Ci’s system, it didn’t mean there hadn’t been one. It just meant she had covered her tracks well. Jian Rui wasn’t satisfied with the results.
He let Jian Wei continue the medical investigation quietly, but he had also activated his own network to keep digging deep. He wanted their financial audits. He wanted surveillance on the Leung family holdings. He wanted to find the cracks, the secrets and the rot beneath the gold.
Jian Rui refused to Jian Ci be trapped in this farce. He would not let this bitch win.
"And despite his sickness..." Alarna’s voice trembled just enough to sound sincere as she rose from her seat, her expression shifting into something troubled—like she truly didn’t want to say what came next.
"I will tell them," she said softly, "that Jian Ci, son of Seraphyne, is just like his father. That he indulges in unsuspecting Espers despite being one himself."
Her performance was flawless. The heartbreak in her eyes, the slight quiver in her voice, the way she clutched her hands together like she was barely holding herself together—it was all perfectly calculated.
"I saw Yu Xi walk out of that cave," she continued, "disheveled and bruised. Anyone who saw him would think the same."
Jian Rui’s voice was ice. "No one would believe you."
Alarna tilted her head, her smile faint and sad. "Maybe. But the pictures on the school forum? The ones of how close they are? Those will be passed around. And people will believe what they want to believe."
She wiped away a tear that never quite fell. "Brother-in-law," she said, her voice syrupy sweet, "why ruin Jian Ci’s life? If that kind of information spreads, he’ll be devastated. Is that what you want?"
Jian Rui’s jaw clenched then he smiled. A slow, tight smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
"You are right," he said. "For the sake of Jian Ci’s happiness, we should keep things this way." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
Alarna’s expression brightened, her mask slipping back into place. "Good. Brother-in-law, is there anything else?"
Jian Rui gave her a small, dismissive nudge of his chin. "You can go."
She dipped her head with a graceful nod and turned, walking out of the Chancellor’s office with a smile so sweet it could rot teeth.The door clicked shut behind her.
A moment later, Chancellor Lasson stepped in, adjusting his cuffs. "Is it sorted?"
Jian Rui didn’t look at him. He was still staring at the door, his smile now curling into something darker. "Yeah," he said. "It’s sorted."
She was the first person, besides her father, who had dared to threaten Jian Ci in front of him.
He couldn’t touch her directly. Not yet. Not with her father’s political reach and the Leung family’s influence but he could bleed them quietly and ruthlessly.
From this day forward, every Leung business partner would feel the chill. Every contract would be delayed. Every deal would sour. He would chip away at their empire, brick by brick, until the day came when he could burn it all to the ground.
Chancellor Lasson caught the look in his eyes and shivered. That smile—sharp, cold, and patient—wasn’t just dangerous. It was lethal.
***
Jian Ci had no idea what had transpired between his brother and Alarna that morning. He was far too preoccupied with something far more important, Yu Xi’s birthday.
"I was thinking," Jian Ci said, practically bouncing in his seat, "we could go to that new luxury nightclub. I will invite a few of our classmates—just the ones you like, I promise. And I will make sure they don’t bring any weird drinks."
Yu Xi smiled faintly, resting his chin on his hand. "Anything’s fine. As long as you are the one organizing it."
Jian Ci beamed. "Okay, but you have to promise not to let me drink too much otherwise who knows how I will ruin my image especially the drink from last time."
