Obsessed with a High-Ranking Esper (BL)-Chapter 180: A drunk cutie

Chancellor Lasson treasured this space so much that even their relationship as godfather and godson couldn’t grant him this much access. It meant he had some sort of leverage that the poor old man was forced to relent. But instead of taking his girlfriend, he brought Yu Xi over.

They spent the afternoon there, lounging among the orchids and bioluminescent vines, sharing cake and sipping tea. Jian Ci talked about everything and nothing, and Yu Xi listened, letting the warmth of the space and the boy beside him sweeten the core of his bitter heart.

Alarna, for once, was nowhere in sight. And for a few hours, it felt like the world had narrowed to just the two of them.

***

Two days later, Jian Ci kept his promise. As soon as the semester officially ended, he whisked Yu Xi away for a birthday celebration. He had been planning it for weeks, and he’d made one thing very clear: no one else was to know they were hanging out.

When they arrived at the private lounge he had rented, Yu Xi was surprised to find only a few people waiting. There was Elias, Leane, and Shayne. They were all familiar tolerable faces.

If Jian Ci could stand them, Yu Xi figured he could too.

"Birthday boy!" Elias called, waving them over. "Come, come! We are going to open your eyes to the true joys of adulthood."

He reached for Yu Xi’s hand, but Jian Ci smoothly stepped between them, guiding Yu Xi away.

"It’s not that kind of party," Jian Ci said, voice light but firm. "I invited you all so he wouldn’t get bored of just me."

Yu Xi blinked. "I wouldn’t get bored of you."

Elias laughed. "You are the only one who can tolerate his behavior. Come sit, sit."

As they settled in, Elias glanced toward the door. "Isn’t Alarna coming?"

Jian Ci didn’t even look up. He poured a drink, sweet wine for himself, bitter one for Yu Xi and said, "No. She’s not."

He didn’t even give any explanation. He turned to Yu Xi, holding out the glass. "Here. Happy birthday, Little Xi." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Yu Xi took it, his fingers brushing Jian Ci’s. He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

Because the truth was, he was jealous. Painfully, bitterly jealous.

Alarna could be with Jian Ci in the open. She could call him "Ci-ge" in front of everyone. They all knew she was his girlfriend. But Yu Xi?

He was the secret not even Jian Ci knew about. He could never have such a title publicly.

He downed the drink in one go, the burn in his throat a welcome distraction.

Jian Ci frowned. "Slow down. We have got plenty of time to drink tonight."

Yu Xi looked at him, eyes unreadable. He didn’t hold back.

It was his birthday, after all and for once, he went all out. He drank, he danced and he even sang loudly, and with such dramatic flair that Jian Ci was left speechless, mouth half-open as he watched his usually composed, razor-sharp Yu Xi twirl around the room with a flushed face and a crooked grin.

They took pictures, so many pictures. Yu Xi made silly faces in every one, sometimes pulling Jian Ci into the frame, sometimes draping himself over him like a scarf. Jian Ci couldn’t believe his eyes. This wasn’t the Yu Xi who scolded him for skipping lectures or rolled his eyes at his dramatics.

This was a Yu Xi who laughed with his whole chest. And twice... twice... he tried to take off his t-shirt.

Jian Ci barely stopped him in time, wrestling the hem back down with a panicked hiss. "What are you doing?!"

Yu Xi just giggled and said, "It’s hot."

The real culprit, of course, was Elias, who had already stripped off his own shirt and was flexing like a peacock.

"Leane," he called, striking a pose, "does this look good or what?"

Leane didn’t even blink. "There’s nothing to show off."

Elias clutched his chest like he had been shot. "You said you liked it that night!"

Leane’s face turned red. "You bloody bastard you said you wouldn’t tell anyone," she whispered angrily through gritted teeth.

She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out of the room, muttering curses under her breath.

And just like that, the bomb dropped. The infamous night in the forest when Jian Ci had shared his drink with Elias, it had led to an unexpected entanglement between him and Leane.

No one else knew the full story, but the tension between them had been simmering ever since.

At least Leane hadn’t been imprinted on unlike Yu Xi. Meanwhile, the birthday boy was still drinking. He drank shots like water a glass at a time. Jian Ci’s worry grew with every glass. "Okay, that’s enough."

Yu Xi pouted. "It’s my birthday."

"Yes, yes, it’s your birthday," Jian Ci said, trying to coax the glass away. "How about I take you out for a nice meal instead?"

"No." Jian Ci reached again, and Yu Xi dodged, slurring, "Don’t touch my drink, Gege."

Shayne, already tipsy, chuckled from the corner, recording the whole thing. "This is gold."

Yu Xi stumbled, slipping onto the couch and Jian Ci, lunging to catch him, fell right on top of him. The drink splashed, soaking Yu Xi’s shirt.

The door opened just then. Elias and Leane froze in shook. From their angle, it looked like they were mid-makeout.

Elias whistled. "Even Team Leader gets lucky tonight and I don’t?"

Leane smacked him. "Ow!"

Jian Ci scrambled up. "Don’t talk nonsense."

Yu Xi sat up, pouting. "Gege, you spilled drink on me..."

Jian Ci swore under his breath. "Fuck. Stop acting cute in front of me. Get up, we are going home."

Yu Xi shook his head. "No."

"Why are you being difficult?"

"I can’t walk. Carry me, Gege."

Jian Ci sighed, pulling him up and slinging Yu Xi’s arm over his shoulder. "You are impossible."

Yu Xi leaned into him, humming contentedly. As they made their way out, Jian Ci called over his shoulder, "Shayne, send me that video later. I want to show him how difficult he is."

"Sure thing," Shayne said, still laughing.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Elias exhaled. "Is it just me, or did Yu Xi look like a cute guide just now?"

Leane glared at him. Shayne, surprisingly, nodded. "He did. That pout... and that look on his face..."

Even Shayne’s heart had stirred. Yu Xi might have been a tall, sharp-edged Esper, but tonight, under the haze of wine and laughter, he had looked like something else entirely. Something soft and dazzling.

And Jian Ci had carried him away like he was the most precious thing in the world.