Obsessed with a High-Ranking Esper (BL)-Chapter 267: Less talking more playing

Jian Ci swayed his legs gently nudging Yu Xi’s with his foot. His voice carried a playful lilt. "Little Xi, can’t you let me win?"

Yu Xi didn’t even look up from his cards. "Not a chance."

"I will make you your favorite food," Jian Ci bargained, leaning closer, his expression pitiful and earnest.

Yu Xi finally glanced at him, caught in that look, about to say something when Roan’s voice cut in, smooth and mocking. "Seems like Your Highness can only resort to your looks to win." Xiaobao’s eyes widened enjoying the free drama playing out in front of her.

Yu Xi’s tone snapped like a whip. "Less talking, more playing."

Jian Ci straightened, determination flashing in his eyes. He knew he couldn’t beat Yu Xi, no one could, but Roan was another matter. He had to prove himself, had to wipe that smug grin off Roan’s face.

The first round ended as expected. Yu Xi won effortlessly, while Jian Ci landed at the bottom. He had to drink, and Roan didn’t let him go quietly. Taunting was Roan’s specialty, and he wielded it with precision. Jian Ci’s jaw tightened, his irritation simmering, but he restrained himself.

The second round was no better. Yu Xi claimed victory again, Jian Ci lost, and Roan’s grin widened as he twisted the knife with more teasing remarks. Jian Ci drank again, his patience thinning, his resolve hardening.

By the third round, Jian Ci went all out. His luck turned, his strategy sharpened, and finally, he won against Roan. The satisfaction was sharp, almost intoxicating. He poured the liquor himself, sliding the glass across with deliberate provocation. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Roan picked it up, his smirk unshaken. "I should thank His Highness for pouring this drink for me."

Something in his tone made Jian Ci’s irritation spike. His fingers twitched, his glare sharpened, but before he could retort, Yu Xi cut in.

"One more round, then we head out."

Jian Ci exhaled, forcing himself to calm down. "Okay," he said, tapping Yu Xi’s shoe with his own beneath the table. It was a quiet gesture but it was enough to ground himself against the storm of his emotions.

They started another round, cards sliding across the table with a soft shuffle. "You can do this, Ci-ge!" Xiaobao cheered, her voice bright and tipsy.

Yu Xi glanced at her with a faint smile. "What about me?"

Xiaobao tilted her chin, playful defiance in her tone. "Did you get me juice? No. So go, Ci-ge!"

Jian Ci chuckled, patting Yu Xi’s thigh and rubbing gently. "Don’t be jealous. I will root for you."

Yu Xi’s gaze dropped to the hand resting on his thigh, then to the bracelet on Jian Ci’s wrist, the one he had given him. His brow arched. Ever since that vacation, he had felt a shift in Jian Ci’s energy toward him.

At first, he dismissed it as holiday vibes, but as time passed, the feeling only seemed to intensify. Still, Yu Xi refused to delude himself. Jian Ci had always been resistant to esper to esper relationships, so he never thought in that direction. He assumed Jian Ci was simply clingier because of his guidance, even if Jian Ci didn’t remember it.

Across the table, Roan noticed the hand on Yu Xi’s thigh and smiled slightly, the tension sparking in his eyes.

The round began, and to no one’s surprise, Yu Xi won again. Jian Ci, however, lost. Roan poured out some liquor for him, sliding the glass across. Just as the rim was about to touch Jian Ci’s lips, Yu Xi reached out and took it from him.

"Only one of us can be drunk tonight," Yu Xi said, tilting his head back and drinking it himself. His throat bobbed as the liquor burned down, his movements sharp and deliberate.

Jian Ci stared at him, his gaze burning, locked on the line of Yu Xi’s throat. It wasn’t until Yu Xi placed the shot glass back down that Jian Ci snapped out of it. Roan saw everything, the intensity, the unspoken desire in this prince’s eyes, and his smile faltered.

"Excuse me," Roan said abruptly, rising from his seat. He left the private room without another word.

Yu Xi turned to Xiaobao, his tone brisk. "Get ready. It’s time to go... Where’s your coat?"

"There," Xiaobao said, pointing lazily.

"I will be right back," Jian Ci added, his voice low. Yu Xi didn’t think anything of it as he helped Xiaobao into her coat.

A few minutes later, Jian Ci pushed open the bathroom door, his steps deliberate, and just as he expected, Roan was there leaning over the sink, washing his hands with infuriating calm.

Roan didn’t even flinch at the sight of him. In fact, his smile curved wider, as though he had been waiting for this moment. This was the perfect opportunity to rile up the spoiled prince and make him look bad in front of Yu Xi.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Roan drawled, his tone dripping with mockery.

Jian Ci’s jaw clenched, his voice low and sharp. "I know what you are thinking. Don’t even think about it."

Roan took his time, drying his hands on a tissue, every motion slow, deliberate, designed to needle at Jian Ci’s temper. He looked up, eyes gleaming. "And what exactly does Your Highness think I want with Yu Xi?"

Jian Ci’s teeth ground together. He knew this game. Roan was obviously baiting him, trying to draw him into a fight. He forced himself to turn, to walk away, refusing to give Roan the satisfaction.

But Roan’s voice followed him, smooth and venomous. "Well, if you mean to be with him intimately, then... you are right. I not only want to sleep with him, but I want to worship the very ground he walks on. I wa—"

The rest of his words were cut off by a thunderous bang. Jian Ci had slammed him against the wall, his forearm pressed hard against Roan’s neck. The air vibrated as Jian Ci’s psychic power surged, violet energy violently enveloping Roan like a storm.

Roan reacted instantly, his own blue psychic power flaring in retaliation, the clash of energies sparking against the tiled walls.

Jian Ci’s voice was a growl, his fury unmasked. "Stay the fuck away from him."

The bathroom trembled with the force of their powers, violet and blue colliding, neither willing to yield. Roan’s grin faltered for the first time, but his eyes still burned with challenge. Jian Ci’s rage was undeniable, his warning carved into the air like a blade.