Obsessed with a High-Ranking Esper (BL)-Chapter 216: Graduation

AN: So sorry, one Chapter today. Had a busy day. Happy reading.

Sweat trickled down his temples, his breath shallow, but his eyes still carried a flicker of stubborn pride.

"My... my daughter is innocent... and she helped His Highness," Lord Leung stammered, his voice brittle, trembling with fear yet straining toward courage.

Perhaps it was adrenaline, perhaps a fleeting surge of defiance, but for a moment he forgot the pain.

He pressed on, words spilling like shards of glass. "My daughter is dating Jian Ci... you think he would let you harm his benefactor?"

Yu Xi’s gaze locked onto him, cold and merciless. He said nothing at first, letting silence weigh heavier than any blow.

For a heartbeat, Lord Leung thought he had found a lifeline, a thread of hope to cling to. But Yu Xi’s lips curled into a sneer. "Is that what she told you?"

Confusion clouded Lord Leung’s battered face. His brows furrowed, his swollen lips parted. "Wha—what do you mean by that?"

Yu Xi’s steps echoed as he advanced, each one deliberate, imposing and menacing. He leaned down, his voice sharp as a blade. "She didn’t save Jian Ci. She only pretended she did. And because he has a great sense of responsibility, he chose to be with her." His eyes gleamed with grim satisfaction, the truth cutting deeper than any weapon.

Lord Leung trembled, his voice breaking. "No... no, impossible." He remembered the bruises on his daughter’s body, the pain she had endured. It couldn’t be a lie. Jian Ci must have touched her.

Yu Xi scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain. "She tried to help him, but she was too low-ranking a Guide. She couldn’t assist him, so he struck her down. She ran and ran... like a coward... then waited to seize the moment to take credit." His voice hardened as he recalled what happened in that cave. "Your precious daughter lied to you."

Lord Leung shook his head, broken. "That’s... that’s impossible. She wouldn’t lie to me."

Yu Xi’s gaze was piercing, searching for deceit. But the confusion etched across Lord Leung’s face told him everything, Lord Leung truly knew nothing. Yu Xi chuckled darkly. "I helped him that night."

Leung’s eyes widened. How could an Esper help another Esper? It was unthinkable. Yu Xi read his thoughts and answered coldly. "I had a suppressant. You think we wouldn’t keep them for emergencies?

She saw me leave the cave, and like her scheming father, she swooped in, pretending to be a victim." He stepped back, his smile twisting into something fiendish. "Now tell me, Lord Leung... would Ah-Ci protect her when he learns the truth?"

Silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating. Finally, Yu Xi’s voice cut through, low and merciless. "We tolerated this relationship only to keep your eyes shut while we dismantled your empire. Do you think I will hesitate to drag your daughter over here and torture her?" Lord Leung broke down again, sobbing. He knew then he had no choice.

His confession after that was not a traditional one. It was born out of sheer desperation. He truly feared that this monster would go and hunt down his daughter so he had no choice but to spill it.

"Where is your insurance plan?" A shudder ran through Lord Leung. "I... I... I have it but not in my communicator."

Yu Xi leaned closer, his voice a silken thread of menace. "Then where?"

Lord Leung’s eyes rolled back in his head, a dizzying mix of pain and hallucination. "It’s... it’s on me... just promise me... just promise me you won’t hurt her."

Yu Xi’s lip curled, a fleeting expression of disdain. "I promise... she will not be harmed as long as you give me what I want?" He pressed the button and the baton’s hum seemed to grow louder and more insistent, like a constant reminder of what was at stake.

"It’s in... it’s in my right forearm... you just have... to cut it out." Yu Xi’s focus sharpened as he looked at his forearm. He just didn’t think that this cunning man would hide evidence inside his body. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Yu Xi said, "Alright," as he picked up a device to slice off his arm cleanly. Seeing this Lord Leung panicked. He yelled, "Wait wait... don’t... you can just cut the skin here."

Yu Xi looked at the spot on his forearm that he was pointing at and said, "Oh." He suddenly thought how less fun it was going to be. He turned on the laser device and with surgical precision he cut open the spot Lord Leung had mentioned.

Long Leung’s breath hitched, a guttural sound of agony as his skin was tore open. Yu Xi’s gaze remained steady, but a flicker of something akin to grim satisfaction crossed his features as he dug into his flesh for the storage device.

With a final twist of the scalpel, he dug out the small device embedded deep in the man’s forearm.

It came free with a wet click, slick and glistening with blood. Yu Xi held it up between two fingers, examining the tiny, obsidian-black shard. "So this is where you kept everything," he said, voice low and cold.

Lord Leung’s head lolled forward, his chin stained crimson. He looked like he might die right there in the chair. "Yeah," he rasped, barely audible.

Yu Xi didn’t spare him another glance. He slipped the device into a small containment vial that Jian Wei had prepared earlier, the seal hissing shut with a sterile snap.

Then he stood up, wiped his gloves on a cloth, and swiped his wrist communicator. A floating screen blinked to life, casting a pale blue glow across his face. He tapped Jian Wei’s contact.

***

On the rooftop, Jian Wei leaned against the railing, a cigarette burning low between his fingers. The wind tugged at his coat, and the city lights below flickered like distant stars. His communicator buzzed.

He sighed. Yu Xi’s words from earlier still gnawed at him. He had come up here to clear his head, maybe even find Jian Rui. But what would he even say? Are you sleeping with Stannis? The thought made his stomach twist.

It felt wrong to even ask. Jian Rui had always been the composed one, the one who extremely strict. Given what their mother had endured, what she had gone through with their father, Jian Wei had always assumed Rui would steer clear of esper to esper entanglements.

But even then he still couldn’t fathom why Stannis would be so close to his brother to the point of being directly involved with secret missions like Lord Leung’s take down

And then there was the missing TX506 from his lab. He had blamed Jian Ci at first, of course he had, but now it seemed to make sense. It had to be Jian Rui who had taken it.

Jian Wei scoffed, exhaling a plume of smoke. The communicator buzzed again. He finally answered.

"What."

Yu Xi’s face appeared on the screen, calm but serious. "I have something for you to look at. It’s urgent." Behind him, Lord Leung sat slumped, blood still dripping from his arm.

Jian Wei rubbed his forehead. "I am coming," he muttered, and ended the call.

***

Back in the room, Yu Xi turned to Lord Leung. He walked slowly toward the broken man, his expression unreadable.

Then he smiled, the kind of smile that made your blood run cold. Lord Leung, still barely conscious, shuddered.

Yu Xi crouched beside him again, voice soft and cruel, "I have one more question but knowing you... you will need a little motivation to answer it."

With a swift motion, Yu Xi adjusted the plasma baton, intensifying the plasma pulses that danced cruelly along the edges of Lord Leung’s neck. The man convulsed, his body writhing in silent agony until blackness claimed him.

As he slipped into unconsciousness. With cold efficiency, Yu Xi revived him, dragging him back from the edge to endure the nightmare again.

"Now, do we have an understanding?" Yu Xi’s voice was a venomous whisper, slicing through the dimness.

Lord Leung’s resolve crumbled. His voice, muffled and broken, begged for mercy. "Please... no more..."

Yu Xi leaned in, a sinister smile curving his lips. "Did you ever supply things here?" He gestured sharply, and the floating screen revealed an address bathed in cold blue light.

Lord Leung’s head spun, dizziness clouding his gaze, but he forced himself to look. "No," he croaked, voice trembling.

Yu Xi’s grin deepened, eyes narrowing. "Then we shall continue."

Desperation ignited anew in Lord Leung’s eyes. "No, no! But I know someone who did. Please, stop!"

Yu Xi’s smile turned devilish, cruel and unyielding. "Then spill it."

***

Graduation Day

The morning of graduation dawned crisp and golden, the sky above the Imperial Academy painted in soft hues of rose and silver. The air buzzed with anticipation, cadets moving through the halls in pressed uniforms, laughter and nerves mingling in the air.

In one of the private dressing rooms reserved for top-ranking graduates, Jian Ci stood behind Yu Xi, carefully smoothing down a stray lock of hair that refused to stay in place.

They were both dressed in the ceremonial uniform. It was deep navy with golf trim, high collars embroidered with the academy’s crest, and polished boots that gleamed under the soft lighting.

It was a uniform reserved for only the most distinguished occasions, and on them, it looked like something out of a legend.

"You look really good," Jian Ci said, fingers stilling as he admired Yu Xi’s reflection in the mirror.

Yu Xi met his gaze through the glass, one brow arched. "I look way better than you."

Jian Ci laughed, the sound warm and unbothered. "As long as no one else other than you looks better than me, then that’s okay."

Yu Xi chuckled, shaking his head.