Obsessed with a High-Ranking Esper (BL)-Chapter 245: The pup is in love

Jian Ci slammed the forum shut, his pulse racing. He sat up, restless, guilt gnawing at him. He was itching to go speak to Yu Xi, or at least see him, but the weight of shame pressed him down especially when he thought of what he had done to Yu Xi’s shirt last night. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

He turned suddenly toward Jian Wei, who was curled up under the covers, his back to him. "Wei-ge," Jian Ci whispered, his voice tight.

Jian Wei didn’t move. He ignored him completely, pulling the covers tighter around his shoulders.

Jian Ci shuffled closer across the mattress, poking at the lump under the covers. "Wei-ge," he whispered.

From beneath the blanket came a muffled groan. "What."

"Can I ask you something?" Jian Ci pressed.

"No," Jian Wei snapped, tugging the covers tighter around himself.

Jian Ci pouted, dragging his voice into a whine. "Pleasssseee," he said, acting cute.

"If it’s about your impotence again," Jian Wei growled, "I will chop it off myself."

Jian Ci flinched, his ears burning. "It’s not, I promise."

With a sigh, Jian Wei sat up, hair disheveled, eyes narrowed. "Then what?"

Jian Ci hesitated, then asked softly, "Have you ever been in love?"

Jian Wei stared at him, incredulous. "You woke me up for this? Get out."

"Come on, older brother, don’t be like this," Jian Ci tried to bargain, his tone pleading.

But Jian Wei wasn’t having it. He grabbed Jian Ci’s wrist, hauled him off the bed, and kicked him toward the door.

Jian Ci stumbled out, knocking on the door again with a scowl. "Wei-ge, I was only asking, geez."

Suddenly, he felt a presence behind him. He turned and met Stannis’s gaze.

Jian Ci blinked, startled. He didn’t know where Stannis had come from, but he assumed he must be looking for Jian Rui. Smiling, Jian Ci said, "Big brother is probably still sleeping. He is very grumpy in the morning."

Stannis exhaled slowly, relieved. Jian Ci clearly didn’t realize he had just come from Jian Rui’s room. Otherwise, how could he explain it?

Jian Rui had just kicked him out. Stannis didn’t need Jian Ci to tell him about Jian Rui’s morning temper, he knew it all too well.

"Do you want to go explore with me?" Jian Ci asked brightly. "Since everyone is still asleep." Stannis agreed, and the two of them left together.

They wandered along the beach, the sand cool beneath their feet, the morning breeze carrying the scent of salt and flowers from the garden. Conversation flowed easily, light and playful, as though they had known each other far longer than they had.

Eventually, they found a bench tucked beneath flowering trees. Sitting side by side, they ordered coffee from a passing attendant. The cups were warm in their hands, steam curling upward as they sipped in companionable silence, the sea glittering in the distance.

Jian Ci’s coffee was sweetened to the gods, syrup and sugar piled into the cup until it was practically dessert. Stannis stared at him over the rim of his own drink, his expression somewhere between disbelief and amusement, as though he were watching an alien perform a ritual.

Jian Ci caught the look and laughed, embarrassed. "I like sweet things," he admitted, ducking his head.

"No judgment here," Stannis replied smoothly, leaning his head back as he took a long sip of his own coffee.

Jian Ci’s gaze drifted, following the line of Stannis’s throat. His eyes caught on the man’s Adam’s apple, and the faint mark just beneath it. It was a hickey.

"Are you... dating?" Jian Ci asked suddenly.

Stannis choked, coughing out a mouthful of coffee in shock. Jian Ci winced, fumbling for his handkerchief. "Sorry! Here—"

But Stannis waved him off, pulling out his own and dabbing at his lips. "It’s fine." His voice was tight, his composure rattled. "Why... why would you ask that?"

Jian Ci lifted his hand, pointing at his own throat. "You have a little something."

Stannis swore internally, remembering the hickey Jian Rui had left on him in the heat of the moment. He swallowed hard, forcing calm into his voice. "It’s just... a reaction to something."

"Oh," Jian Ci said simply, nodding. He believed him without hesitation.

Stannis exhaled an internal sigh of relief. Jian Rui had been right. Jian Ci was easy to fool. It was Jian Wei they had to worry about.

"You wanted to ask something about dating?" Stannis prompted, steering the conversation away.

Jian Ci hesitated, then nodded. "Well... I just wanted to know what it feels like. Being in love."

Stannis tilted his head, studying him. "Why? Are you in love with someone?"

Jian Ci’s lips parted, but he quickly shook his head. "No." He didn’t want anyone to know what he felt about Yu Xi so he lied.

He leaned back against the bench, his coffee cup cradled loosely in his hands. His voice was quiet, almost thoughtful. "I was dating Alarna for so long and felt nothing... so I was curious how it’s supposed to feel."

Stannis tilted his head, his expression unreadable. "I can give you some insight on that."

Jian Ci’s brow arched, skeptical. "I thought you aren’t dating."

Stannis’s lips curved faintly, but his tone was steady. "I am not dating. But I am in love with someone."

Jian Ci froze, stunned. He had never heard a whisper of gossip about Stannis. There was no rumors of romance. The revelation caught him completely off guard. "Is it someone I know?"

Stannis shook his head quickly, almost too quickly. "No, no, no."

Jian Ci leaned forward, curiosity burning through his surprise. "So... how does it feel?"

Stannis’s gaze softened, his voice lowering as though he were speaking from a place deep inside himself.

"It feels like the world shifts ever so slightly the moment you realize you are in love like colors sharpen, sounds carry more warmth, and even ordinary moments seem charged with meaning. There’s a rush of recognition, a quiet certainty that this person matters in a way no one else does, and it can feel both exhilarating and terrifying at once.

Your thoughts orbit around them almost effortlessly, and small details, like the way they laugh or the way their presence changes a room, become treasures.

It’s a mix of vulnerability and joy, a sense of being opened up, as if your heart has found a rhythm it was always meant to follow."

Jian Ci sat in silence, his chest tightening as he listened. The words painted a picture so vivid it unsettled him. He thought of Yu Xi. His laugh, his presence, the way he filled a room without trying.

For the first time, Jian Ci wondered if what he was feeling was exactly what Stannis had just described. And that realization terrified him more than anything.