Standing in front of the door to Doctor Ruixin’s newly established lab, Wenzhi hesitated. Ruixin had managed to haul her entire lab setup into the mansion, and Wenzhi needed to run a check his Guide rank gain before heading out to the Rift Bureau.

Just as his hand hovered over the scanner, Ru Yi walked down the corridor and paused. "Wenzhi?"

Wenzhi turned to look at her. She stepped closer, her brow furrowing with concern. "Are you okay? You don’t look okay," she said, instinctively reaching up to touch his face.

Wenzhi’s hand shot out, snatching her by the wrist mid-air to halt the contact. "I’m fine. I just need to see Doctor Ruixin," he said evenly, slowly releasing her arm.

Ru Yi forced a tight smile, rubbing her wrist. "Oh. You just seem incredibly stressed. It’s understandable, I suppose running an entire faction that’s expanding by the day, on top of everything else that’s happened. The others mentioned that you executed Jingxin." She added the last part with a clear note of hesitation.

Wenzhi gave her a slow nod. "I am fine, Ru Yi."

"I know it’s a terrible time to ask," Ru Yi pressed, her smile looking more strained by the second. "With the chaos of everything, and how exhausted you must be from guiding Shao Xinyuan... but are we okay? You and I?"

Wenzhi stared at her, inwardly incredulous that she was trying to bring up their history right now. The truth was that he had completely forgotten she even existed over the last forty-eight hours. He had no energy to waste on sentimentality.

"There is nothing happening between us, Ru Yi. Not any..."

"I know, I know. You don’t have to spell it out," Ru Yi cut in, her chest heaving as she took a shaky breath. "I know the timing is awful, but I’m constantly worried about you, you know?"

"I know, I know, you are always worried about me. Now, if you’ll excuse me." He turned back toward the lab door, but Ru Yi scrambled to stop him.

"Wait, wait! I want to come with you to the Rift Bureau."

Wenzhi looked at her carefully. "It’s not safe, Ru Yi. You are safer if you stay close to Kaiwen and Duan Ze."

"I’m not a damsel in distress, Wenzhi. I can handle myself. I want to see how their bureau operates firsthand," she insisted.

Wenzhi conceded with a brief nod. "Fine. Be ready when we move out."

Ru Yi offered a small, relieved smile before finally walking away down the hall.

Wenzhi let out a slow, heavy breath. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a lollipop, and unwrapped it. Slipping it past his lips, he hit the door controls and stepped into the glare of the laboratory.

Inside, Doctor Ruixin was currently conducting an evaluation on Gu Luhan.

The moment Wenzhi walked in, his eyes locked with Gu Luhan’s. The other Guide looked intensely irritated by his sudden intrusion.

Wenzhi almost scoffed aloud; the feeling was thoroughly mutual.

Ruixin was in the middle of drawing blood from Luhan’s arm, making it instantly clear that he wasn’t the only one looking for a status update on his health.

"Ah, Faction Leader Lin," Ruixin greeted, adjusting her glasses without pausing her work. "Give me just a moment to finish processing Guide Luhan state."

"Don’t worry, I can come back later," Wenzhi said, already turning on his heel.

"You killed Jingxin," Gu Luhan said abruptly.

Wenzhi stopped. He turned back slowly, his eyes narrowing. "Why does your tone make it sound like that’s a problem?"

Gu Luhan forced a tight, plastic smile. He looked over at Doctor Ruixin, who had just pulled the needle from his arm and turned away to label the vial.

"Thank you," Luhan muttered, pressing a cotton ball against the puncture site as he stood up.

He turned his full attention back to Wenzhi. "I think your methods are entirely too impulsive, Boss."

Wenzhi let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "If my methods are too impulsive, why are you still standing here?"

Gu Luhan’s scowl deepened. "You seem to be doing just fine, thanks to Doctor Ruixin. I’m glad you succeeded in guiding Shao Xinyuan, but—"

"What exactly are you trying to achieve here, Luhan? Are you trying to piss me off? Because it’s working," Wenzhi interrupted, his voice dropping into a sharp, irritated register. "If you don’t like my decisions, the exit isn’t locked. But if you’re only staying here because of Xinyuan or Chenxi, do yourself a favor and keep your mouth shut around me."

Gu Luhan scoffed, but he nodded. He brushed past Wenzhi toward the door, his shoulder nearly clipping him.

Just before hitting the sensor, he paused and glanced back over his shoulder. "The underground city concept. It’s a great idea, by the way."

With that, the door slid open and he vanished into the corridor. Wenzhi stared at the empty doorway, letting out a sharp scoff of his own.

"He’s jealous," Doctor Ruixin stated flatly, breaking the silence.

Wenzhi looked over at her. "Huh?"

"Gu Luhan was a willing volunteer to guide Shao Xinyuan a few months before you ever arrived," Ruixin explained, prepping a fresh syringe. "He admires Xinyuan. Obsesses over him, really. But Xinyuan chose you."

Wenzhi didn’t offer a response to that. He simply walked over to the examination chair and sat down, his expression completely blank.

Seeing that he had absolutely zero interest in dissecting Gu Luhan’s unrequited love life, Doctor Ruixin shifted gears.

"Are you experiencing any negative symptoms?" she asked, stepping forward.

"No, not really. No dizziness, no fatigue. Nothing close to it," Wenzhi replied.

Ruixin picked up a scanner, running the glowing grid across Wenzhi’s chest and torso. She studied the readout on her tablet. "Your guiding energy levels are stable, though you’re still going to need an energy restoration shot."

Wenzhi nodded. "That’s a relief." He pulled the lollipop out of his mouth, his grey eyes turning dead serious. "Can you re-verify my rank?"