Obsessed with a High-Ranking Esper (BL)-Chapter 176: Jian Ci wreaking havoc

Yu Xi chuckled, eyes soft. "Noted. I will look out for you." Jian Ci launched into a list of other drinks that had "messed him up," complete with dramatic reenactments and exaggerated groans. Yu Xi listened, genuinely amused, his gaze never leaving Jian Ci’s face.

That was the scene Alarna walked into. She paused just inside the classroom, her smile faltering for a fraction of a second. Jian Ci didn’t even notice her.

His entire world was currently occupied by the young man sitting across from him, laughing at his stories like they were the most fascinating things in the universe.

Alarna’s eyes narrowed. She knew nothing had happened between them. She knew it was impossible despite threatening Jian Rui with their closeness. But still, watching Jian Ci so effortlessly devoted to someone else, while she stood on the sidelines, stung. He was supposed to be hers now but she said nothing. She knew better than to push her luck now when they weren’t that close yet.

Yu Xi’s weight in Jian Ci’s heart was still far greater than hers and acting jealous would only push Jian Ci further away. She would have to act strategically. She turned and left without a word.

*** 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Across the room, Vigil watched everything unfold. He had known something was wrong with Yu Xi since the end of the last mission.

He had tried to reach out during the break, but Yu Xi hadn’t responded. Now, seeing him again, he couldn’t contain himself anymore. He wanted to talk to him.

But every time he so much as shifted in Yu Xi’s direction, Jian Ci’s aura flared like a warning beacon. It was possessive and primal. He was like fierce guard dog ready to attack.

Vigil clicked his tongue. Shouldn’t he be more concerned about his new girlfriend? he thought. He had also heard the rumours.

Still, he didn’t give up. He waited for the perfect opportunity. And when Yu Xi finally slipped away toward the private locker room, Vigil made his move.

"Team leader," he called.

Yu Xi turned, surprised to see him holding a basket wrapped in cellophane, filled with snacks, energy bars, and small trinkets.

Yu Xi blinked. "What’s this?"

Vigil scratched the back of his neck. "Oh, this? The team found out it was your birthday that day... and that you weren’t feeling well after the exam. So we put this together. Just a little something to say happy birthday and get well soon."

It wasn’t a lie but it had been his idea. His hands that had picked out every item. His plan, disguised as a team effort.

Yu Xi looked at the basket, then at Vigil. Vigil’s heart skipped. Did he see through it?

Before he could second-guess himself, he shoved the basket into Yu Xi’s hands. "Take it. Don’t waste the team’s efforts."

Then, without waiting for a response, he turned and jogged off, his steps awkward and too fast.

Yu Xi stood there, stunned. He didn’t want anything from anyone but Jian Ci. But... he thought of how they fought alongside each other and felt it would be unfair to refuse. He sighed and took the basket into the locker room.

Finally alone, he unbuttoned his uniform shirt quickly, eager to change before Jian Ci came back. The bruises were fading, but they were still there—faint bite marks, the ghost of fingers pressed into skin.

The shirt slipped past his butterfly bone. "Who?" Yu Xi froze. He hadn’t felt Jian Ci approach and that was the problem.

He realised that Jian Ci’s lack vigilance around him went both ways.

"Shit," Yu Xi muttered, yanking his shirt back up.

But Jian Ci was already there, eyes blazing. He strode forward and grabbed the hem, pulling it down again.

"Who?" he asked, voice low and dangerous.

Yu Xi pulled away. "You are worrying over nothing. It’s not serious." Jian Ci smiled the smile terrifying.

"Not serious," he echoed.

Yu Xi felt a tremor ripple through him. His guide instincts reacted on their own, a subtle pulse of calm seeping into Jian Ci’s aura.

Jian Ci blinked, the edge of his fury dulling, but not gone.

"Alright," he said. But his body was tense and his eyes still sharp.

He had seen how Vigil looked at Yu Xi during class. Like he was waiting, like he was hoping for something. And now this?

Jian Ci’s thoughts spiraled. ’That pervert. He touched him. He hurt him. He—’

"Are you okay?" Yu Xi’s voice cut through the haze.

Jian Ci blinked again, pulled back from the edge.

"Yeah," he said. "I am... Iam fine."

Yu Xi sighed. "Hurry up. Training’s about to start."

"Yeah," Jian Ci said absently, beginning to change.

Yu Xi watched him for a long moment, worry etched into every line of his face. Something was wrong. There was the storm brewing behind Jian Ci’s eyes.

He stared at the health metrics on his communicator, brows furrowed. Jian Ci’s vitals were perfect—heart rate steady, neural activity balanced, aura resonance stable. On paper, he was fine.

But one look at him said otherwise. Jian Ci’s expression was tight, his jaw clenched, his eyes sharp and unblinking. During training, he moved like a blade—precise, brutal, and utterly unrelenting.

His strikes were too hard, his dodges too aggressive. When one of the cadets accidentally bumped into him during a formation drill, Jian Ci’s glare alone sent the poor boy stumbling back in terror. Even the instructor, a seasoned combat Esper, looked rattled.

Yu Xi watched from the sidelines, arms crossed, trying to ignore the way his chest twisted. Jian Ci wasn’t usually like this. Not unless something was very wrong.

And yet, with him, only with him, Jian Ci was soft. Gentle. His aura calmed, his voice lowered. It was like Yu Xi was the only thing tethering him to the ground.

When training ended, the team scattered like startled birds. No one lingered. No one dared. Except Alarna.

She hovered beside Jian Ci like a persistent shadow, chattering about something inconsequential. Her hand brushed his arm, and she laughed too sweetly at something he hadn’t even said.