Obsessed with a High-Ranking Esper (BL)-Chapter 224: Do you like her?

"Don’t get me wrong," Leane said, her voice softening. "I love Elias. But I hate being set up like that. I hate being used. And I want her to pay for what she did."

Yu Xi nodded, gaze steady, voice like steel wrapped in velvet. "I won’t disappoint."

***

Jian Ci finally managed to peel himself away from the mother-daughter duo with a smile so polished it could have been carved from marble.

"I really appreciate the invitation," he said, bowing his head slightly, "but we already have plans as a family tonight."

Alarna’s eyes sparkled with the last dregs of hope. She said, "We could always join you—"

"Unfortunately," Jian Ci cut in gently, "it’s a private gathering. Just us siblings and a few close friends."

Alarna tried every trick she had left. She tilted her head just so, brushing imaginary lint off his sleeve, even letting her voice drop into that soft, breathy tone she had practiced in front of a mirror, but Jian Ci didn’t budge. He was polite, impeccable and utterly immovable.

In the end, she had no choice but to smile and say goodbye to everyone, her voice syrupy sweet as she turned and walked away.

Her mother’s smile vanished the moment they were out of earshot. She grabbed Alarna’s arm with a grip that bit into her skin. "What have you been doing for four years?" she hissed. "He is so polite to you it’s like he is talking to a friend."

Alarna yanked her arm free. "You think I didn’t try?"

Her mother’s eyes narrowed. She whispered angrily, "You didn’t try hard enough. You had plenty of options."

Alarna clenched her jaw, fury simmering beneath her skin. She had tried. She had really tried everything. She had laced his drink three times but nothing happened. Not even a flicker of reaction.

In a desperate attempt, she had even spread rumors that he was impotent, hoping to provoke that classic esper pride, to bait him into proving otherwise. It would have worked on anyone else but Jian Ci wasn’t like anyone else.

"I will figure something out," she muttered.

"No," her mother snapped. "You won’t figure out anything. I am going to find your father after this. We can’t afford to miss this opportunity."

Alarna bristled at the shame in her mother’s voice, but she also knew what it meant. Her mother could make things happen. She could twist arms and pull strings in ways Alarna never could. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Who knew? Maybe by the end of the year, she would be married into the Jian family after all.

The thought soothed her bruised ego. Her mood lifted, just a little. She smiled to herself as they walked away.

***

Jian Ci glanced around, his eyes scanning the thinning crowd. Yu Xi still hadn’t returned.

"I am going to find him," he said, already shifting his weight to move.

"Wait, wait," Jian Rui said, stepping into his path. "Let me ask you something first."

Jian Ci paused. "Sure, what’s up?"

The way he stood, shoulders angled toward the direction Yu Xi had gone, fingers twitching slightly, made it obvious he was impatient. Jian Rui noticed. He also noticed that Jian Wei and Xiaobao were still caught up in their usual banter a few paces away, distracted enough not to overhear. He beckoned Jian Ci closer.

Jian Ci leaned in, curious.

Jian Rui’s voice was low. "Your relationship with Alarna. Do you like her?"

Jian Ci blinked, caught off guard. "I do like her."

Jian Rui’s eyes narrowed. "Out of duty?" He reached out and tapped Jian Ci’s chest, right over his heart. "Or do you feel anything in here for her?"

Jian Ci’s mouth opened, then closed. He knew the answer. He had always known.

At the beginning, he had tried earnestly. Like so many nobles in Virelia, he had hoped that affection could be cultivated, that proximity and shared goals would bloom into something real. He had told himself that arranged relationships weren’t always cold. That maybe, if he gave it time, he could grow to love her.

But he had failed miserably. He had tried to feel something, anything, but there was only silence where there should have been warmth. There was just a sense of obligation, and a guilt that weighed heavier with each passing year.

Especially after that night. He had wanted to talk to his brothers about it after graduation. He wanted to find a way to make things right, to compensate Alarna for the damage done without dragging her further into something false. But when Jian Rui asked him directly, his first instinct had been to say yes, to cling to the script he’d rehearsed. But Jian Rui wasn’t fooled. He saw right through him.

"I really tried," Jian Ci said, his voice low, almost pleading. "It’s just... I feel incredibly guilty breaking up with her after all the sacrifices that she—"

Yu Xi appeared, cutting through the conversation like a blade. His pace was brisk, his expression unreadable but tight with tension.

"Let’s go," he said curtly.

Jian Ci blinked. He could tell instantly that something was wrong, very wrong.

He reached out and grabbed Yu Xi’s arm before he could pass. "What happened?"

Yu Xi didn’t meet his eyes. "Not here."

That alone told Jian Ci everything he needed to know. If Yu Xi wouldn’t speak in front of him, it meant whatever it was, it was serious. The others picked up on it too. Jian Rui’s posture stiffened. Jian Wei stopped mid-step. Even Xiaobao looked up from her datapad.

They walked to the hover car in silence. No one dared speak. The hum of the engine was the only sound on the ride home, a low, tense drone that matched the weight in the air.

Halfway through the drive, Jian Rui finally broke. "Do you want to tell us what happened?"

Yu Xi didn’t look away from the window as he replied, "Trust me. We need to get home first."

Jian Rui frowned, but Yu Xi’s hand moved subtly, gesturing toward Jian Ci. Jian Rui’s eyes narrowed, then widened slightly in understanding. He said nothing more.

When they arrived, Yu Xi stepped out first. "Xiaobao," he said gently, "go send Grandpa some of the pictures. He will want to see them."

Xiaobao looked at him, then at the others. She understood immediately. "Okay," she said, and disappeared down the hall without another word.

Yu Xi and Jian Wei headed straight for the lab. Jian Ci moved to follow, but Jian Rui stepped in front of him.

"You should give us some time to talk first," Jian Rui said. "I promise I will come get you later."

Jian Ci’s eyes widened. "What sort of shameful secret can’t I hear?"

"Just listen to me for once," Jian Rui said, his voice firm but not unkind.

Jian Ci, "..."

Jian Ci stood there, stunned and speechless. He had always felt like there was something just out of reach, something they weren’t telling him.

For years, he had watched Yu Xi disappear for days at a time and every time he asked where he had been, the answer was always the same. With my Grandpa.