Obsessed with a High-Ranking Esper (BL)-Chapter 285: Hunting down ex boyfriends

The command cut through the air like a blade. Alarna fell silent, her breath hitching as the violet tendrils of Jian Ci’s psychic power coiled around her, ready to strike.

"Four years," Jian Ci scoffed, his voice low and venomous. "You wasted four fucking years of my life."

Alarna shook her head weakly, tears streaking her dirt-stained face. But Jian Ci’s rage wasn’t only for her, it was for himself. He had believed he was doing the right thing, taking responsibility for her, thinking he had imprinted on her and ruined her chances of finding another partner. He had carried that burden, convinced it was his duty. But it had all been a lie.

The truth was unbearable. The one he should have been grateful to, the one who had suffered in silence, had been right in front of him all along.

The thought made his blood boil. His aura surged, violet energy gripping Alarna’s limbs. The crack of bones echoed in the room as her scream tore through the silence. No one heard her cries. No one came to save her.

With a final surge of power, Jian Ci slammed her broken body to the ground. She lay barely conscious, her breath shallow, her frame trembling.

He stepped closer, his gaze cold. "A limb for each year you wasted my time."

Turning away, he strode toward the door. But her voice, ragged and filled with venom, stopped him.

"Jian Ci... I hate you. I fucking hate you. If I am ever reborn, I will find you. I will kill you and your family."

Jian Ci sneered, his voice sharp as steel. "Too bad there is no such thing."

Alarna laughed, manically, painfully, her broken body shaking with the sound. She lay there like a shattered doll, her hatred the only fire left in her.

Jian Ci walked out, the door shutting behind him with a heavy thud. He closed his eyes, the weight of his fury pressing down on his chest.

The General was waiting. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

Jian Ci opened his eyes, his voice flat. "Yeah. I am okay."

Rowen placed a hand on his shoulder, steady and grounding. "Come. Join your uncle for lunch."

Jian Ci didn’t have an appetite, his stomach twisted with rage and regret. But he nodded, following Rowen down the hall. Even if he couldn’t eat, he would sit with his uncle. For now, it was the only way to keep the storm inside him contained.

***

When Jian Ci returned two days later, his fury had not cooled, it had sharpened. His new target was Yu Xi’s so-called boyfriends, the ones who had paraded themselves as his companions, his "guides." There were many, but Jian Ci had narrowed his focus. The first victim was Caelus.

Caelus was oblivious, indulging himself at a lavish party thrown at his father’s expense. Music pulsed, laughter rang, and the young heir danced atop a table with his friends, wine spilling from crystal glasses.

Jian Ci did not announce himself. He slipped into the estate like a shadow, his psychic power unfurling in silence. The esper bodyguards stationed outside collapsed to their knees, their strength crushed beneath his aura, before he knocked them out with a flick of his will. This was not the Jian Ci the world saw on Starnet, the playful and unserious figure. This was something far more terrifying.

He entered the room, his presence cutting through the revelry. Someone tapped Caelus’s shoulder, and when he turned, his smile faltered.

"Who let you in here?" Caelus demanded, his voice sharp with arrogance.

"I let myself in," Jian Ci replied, his tone cold.

Caelus’s hand twitched toward his communicator. "Guards—"

"Don’t bother," Jian Ci interrupted. "They are resting."

The words froze Caelus mid-motion. His face paled, panic creeping into his voice. "Wha—what are you going to do?"

Jian Ci stepped closer, his aura pressing down like a storm. "I need to ask you something... in private."

Caelus straightened, remembering his identity, his lineage. "Don’t forget, my family is more powerful than yours. If you do anything to me, they won’t let you go."

Jian Ci sneered, the sound low and dangerous. This idiot knows nothing of the Jian Family, he thought. He’s pulling a coffin out of his own mouth.

But Jian Ci didn’t need brute force to make him talk. He had a simpler way. "It’s about Yu Xi."

As expected, Caelus immediately perked up, his arrogance shifting into curiosity. He waved his hand. "Everyone out."

The group of friends exchanged uneasy glances but obeyed, slipping out the door without a word. None of them wanted to risk upsetting this young master, or the prince whose aura filled the room like a blade at their throats.

Caelus sat down heavily, clutching a glass in his hand, trying to mask his nerves with bravado. He smirked faintly. "What is it? Does Yu Xi... miss me after breaking up with me?"

Jian Ci’s gaze narrowed, his silence more dangerous than any answer. A sourness spread in his chest, heavy and bitter. Yu Xi had so many exes, and for reasons he couldn’t quite explain, Jian Ci wanted to find them all, one by one, and beat them into the ground as a warning.

He fixed his gaze on Caelus, his voice cold. "He hasn’t thought of you since."

Caelus’s smirk faltered, replaced by a sneer. "So you came here to rub salt on the wound?"

Caelus had been blacklisted. No matter how many gifts he sent, they were all returned unopened. Even with his father’s immense power, he couldn’t get close to Yu Xi. The frustration gnawed at him, and Jian Ci’s words only deepened the sting.

"No," Jian Ci said evenly. "I came here to ask you a few questions."

Caelus scoffed, swirling the wine in his glass. "I don’t want to answer your questions. So get lost."

"You don’t have a choice in the matter."

Caelus leaned back, arrogance dripping from his tone. "Really?"

Jian Ci tapped his communicator. A floating screen appeared, its glow cutting through the dim room. He scrolled through his contacts with deliberate calm.

Caelus frowned. "What are you doing?"

"Calling your father," Jian Ci replied. "I am pretty sure he will convince you to answer my questions."

Caelus laughed nervously, thinking it was a bluff. But then the screen flickered, and the face of Mr. Ren appeared.

The older man’s eyes lit up with excitement. "Your Highness! What a surprise, this is unexpected. What can I do for you?"

Jian Ci’s tone was razor-sharp. "I am with your son here, and he refuses to answer my question."

Caelus’s blood drained from his face, terror gripping him.

Mr. Ren wasted no time. His voice thundered through the connection. "Caelus! You bastard! How dare you disrespect His Highness!"

Caelus stammered, trying to defend himself, but his father’s scolding drowned him out completely. He sat frozen, humiliated, unable to speak.