It was pouring heavily by the time Wenzhi arrived at the small restaurant a few buildings away from the cheap motel he was staying in.

Evening had already settled over the city. Rain hammered against the streets while people rushed past beneath umbrellas, others shielding themselves with their hands as they ran through the storm.

Wenzhi stepped into the restaurant, welcomed by flickering lights and dim warmth.

The place was crowded with noise despite the weather.

He ordered takeout and waited quietly until his food was handed over to him.

The moment he turned to leave, lightning flashed violently across the sky.

The lights went out.

"The fuse is busted!"

"I almost had a heart attack."

Wenzhi stared blankly for a second before grabbing his food and pushing the door open, cold wind slamming into him.

The streets outside were emptier now.

He stepped into the rain without hesitation and started walking back toward the motel, water quickly soaking through his clothes.

His thoughts replayed the entire day against his will.

From telling Xinyuan to leave... To his conversation with Commander Jiang.

But no matter how much he tried to bury it, his mind kept drifting back to the other night with Xinyuan.

The touching. The heat.

The overwhelming feeling of their wavelengths connecting through every brush of skin and every shaky breath.

Wenzhi grimaced hard.

He climbed the motel stairs already dripping wet from the rain, and the moment he reached the door, his heartbeat skipped instinctively.

"I received a mission update a few minutes ago," Xinyuan had said earlier that day. "Perhaps we should go somewhere tonight when I return."

Wenzhi unlocked the door and stepped inside.

The room was dark.

He reached for the switch.

The lights flickered on.

Wenzhi turned and froze.

Xinyuan was lying across the bed with his eyes closed, dark hair falling messily over his face.

One of Wenzhi’s jackets was clutched tightly in his arms.

"Of course he’s here." Wenzhi dropped the takeout onto the table and walked toward the bed.

He expected Xinyuan to stir awake dramatically the moment he approached the bed.

But he didn’t.

His breathing stayed calm and steady as he continued sleeping there, clutching Wenzhi’s jacket loosely against his chest.

Wenzhi stared at him for a long moment.

Part of him wanted to wake him up and throw him out of the room.

Instead, he simply turned away.

He removed his wet clothes and stepped into the shower, standing beneath the hot water for a long while.

How... How had he gone from desperately wanting to get away from Shao Xinyuan... to being imprinted on by Shao Xinyuan?

Why him?

Why did it have to be him?

Wenzhi dragged a hand through his wet hair, breathing heavily.

An Esper imprinting on a guide was like a permanent addiction.

A dependency so severe that the withdrawal symptoms made drugs seem mild in comparison.

Xinyuan’s wavelength would only recognize Wenzhi as true stability now.

No other guide would ever fully work for him again.

And separation? That would only become increasingly destructive over time.

In simple terms, only Lin Wenzhi could stabilize Shao Xinyuan anymore.

Then again, why was he surprised? It had been this way from the start. The only thing that had changed was that the reality finally had a name.

"How dare he imprint on me?" Wenzhi gritted his teeth in frustration and shut the shower off.

He stepped out with a towel wrapped around his waist and another draped over his shoulders as he dried his hair.

Xinyuan was awake now.

He sat on the bed rubbing sleep from his eyes, but the moment he saw Wenzhi, his expression brightened.

Even his left eye, still faintly red, softened.

"Wenzhi," he called like Wenzhi was the only thing he wanted to see.

"How do you even get in here?" Wenzhi stared at him suspiciously. "The door is always locked."

"It’s locked," Xinyuan replied calmly, "but not secured."

His gaze slowly dragged over Wenzhi’s exposed torso.

The freckles. The fading hickeys he had left scattered across his skin.

Wenzhi frowned. "This place is already cramped enough. You need to stop coming here."

"That’s why I’m here." Xinyuan rose to his feet and walked toward him.

Surprisingly, he didn’t touch him.

Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a card key before holding it out toward Wenzhi.

Wenzhi took it cautiously, eyeing the expensive-looking access card.

It was definitely not for some cheap apartment.

He looked back up at Xinyuan with a frown. "What did you do?"

"There’s a house here in Findio City," Xinyuan smiled. "It’s private. Untraceable. I’ve prepared everything for us and..."

"No. No, you can’t..." Wenzhi shook his head.

He didn’t like this. Not even a little bit.

Xinyuan’s smile vanished. "But...."

"I feel like every word I say just leaks out through your ears, Shao Xinyuan." Wenzhi switched to sign language out of frustration. "I. Do. Not. Want. You. Around. Me."

He shoved the access card back toward him. "Take this and get out."

Xinyuan stared at the card for a moment before slowly collecting it, lips pressing tightly together. "You aren’t comfortable here."

His gaze drifted across the cramped motel room. "After all, it’s my fault you’re—"

"What do you know about my comfort?!" Wenzhi glared at him. "All you bring into my life is discomfort."

That visibly hurt Xinyuan. His eyes lowered toward the access card in his hand.

"You got shot because of me."

"No shit."

"I can’t sit still while you live like this," Xinyuan took a step to him. "I don’t want you living like you’re hiding from the world."

"Enough!" Wenzhi shoved Xinyuan back hard. "Enough, okay?"

His breathing turned uneven. "I know you’re attached to me. Fine. Whatever. Maybe that’s normal for someone who spent almost a decade being treated like a lab rat."

A look of pure astonishment crossed Xinyuan’s face. "You saved me, Wenzhi,"

"I did not," Wenzhi shook his head slowly, a bitter smile ghosting his lips. "I can’t save you. I can’t even save myself."

Xinyuan stared at him motionlessly. "Wen...."

"Shao Xinyuan!" Wenzhi’s jaw clenched hard. "You don’t owe me anything and I don’t owe you either."

His voice lowered dangerously. "So go away. There is no us."