CHAPTER 34: RED THREAD

Seraphyne returned the smile, something softer flickering in her gaze. Yu Xi stepped into the elevator, the doors closing with a hush. He leaned against the wall, tilting his head back with a soft sigh. The weight of the oath still pressed on him, but it was a weight he had chosen.

He glanced down at his hand. The wound was already closing, the skin knitting together with unnatural speed. By the time the elevator reached its destination, it had vanished completely.

His wounds healed fast, but bruises on the other hand didn’t. His father loved beating him as punishment because those bruises would linger and he could enjoy his masterpiece.

Jian Rui stood just outside, leaning against the wall, lost in thought. His fingers rubbed absently at the space between his lips, a gesture of quiet tension.

He looked up. "Is it done?"

Yu Xi nodded. "Mm."

"Good. Let me show you your room first."

Yu Xi followed him, footsteps quiet. They turned down the corridor on the same level, the air still carrying the scent of breakfast and the distant hum of voices.

Jian Rui pushed open the door, revealing a spacious bedroom bathed in warm sunlight. The rays streamed through tall windows, casting golden patterns across the polished floor. Beyond the glass, the garden stretched wide lush with flowering vines, sculpted hedges, and a pond that shimmered like liquid jade.

"Whenever you are home," Jian Rui said, "this will be your room."

Yu Xi stepped inside, taking in the quiet elegance. "Thanks."

Jian Rui patted his arm. "Let’s go."

Yu Xi lingered for a moment, letting his gaze sweep over the room one last time before following Jian Rui down the corridor.

In the kitchen, Jian Ci and Jian Wei were already seated at the counter. Jian Ci was poised with fork in hand, ready to dive into a stack of pancakes.

"Wait for the others, you little greedy pig," Jian Wei said, swatting his hand away.

Jian Ci groaned. "Do you know this is the longest I have gone without eating?"

"It’s not like you are going to die by waiting a few minutes," Jian Wei replied.

"How do you know that?" Jian Ci muttered.

Just then, he spotted Yu Xi and Jian Rui entering. He brightened and patted the seat beside him. "Come sit."

Jian Rui walked over and dropped into the chair.

Jian Ci’s face fell. "Big brother, I wasn’t talking to you."

Jian Rui shrugged. "My butt’s already in the chair."

Jian Wei burst out laughing as Yu Xi quietly took the seat opposite Jian Ci, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Jian Ci mumbled under his breath, clearly displeased. Jian Rui didn’t miss it. He reached over and flicked Jian Ci’s forehead with practiced precision.

"You better not be cursing me," Jian Rui said, his tone dry.

Jian Ci winced and shut his mouth, rubbing his forehead. His eyes drifted to Yu Xi, and his mood shifted instantly. "Yu Xi, what did you and my mom talk about?"

Jian Wei raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so nosy?"

Jian Ci shrugged. "Yu Xi is now family. If he got scolded, I need to speak on his behalf."

Jian Wei snorted. "Just because every time Mom calls you it’s to scold you doesn’t mean he got scolded too."

Yu Xi pressed his lips into a thin line, stirring the scrambled eggs on his plate with slow, deliberate motions.

"If she scolded you," Jian Ci said, leaning in, "you can tell me. I will back you up."

Yu Xi glanced up. "She didn’t scold me."

"Okay," Jian Ci said, satisfied.

As Yu Xi took a bite of the eggs, Jian Ci’s attention shifted again. "How is it? I made it especially for you."

Jian Wei leaned back, arms crossed. "Wow, Ah-Xi, you are getting special treatment. Do you know how many times I have asked him to make something for me from scratch? His answer is always, ’You have hands, don’t you?’"

Yu Xi gave a small smile, the warmth of the kitchen slowly melting the tension in his chest. He took another bite of the scrambled eggs, the warmth spreading through his heart like sunlight on cold skin. He didn’t show it. His face remained neutral and composed but inside, something soft and unfamiliar bloomed.

"It’s really good," he said quietly.

Jian Wei leaned back with a smirk. "You can’t even ask this brat for anything of his. He will say no. But I bet if you ask Ah-Ci, he’ll say yes."

Jian Rui narrowed his eyes. He didn’t like where this was heading. Without a word, he grabbed the toast from his plate and shoved it into Jian Wei’s mouth. "Eat, and talk less."

Jian Ci, still busy with his pancakes, glanced up. "Brother, are you jealous? If you are, you can admit it."

Jian Wei pulled the toast out, chewing irritably. "I am not."

He wasn’t jealous. Not really. His mind was simply trying to make sense of the dynamic unfolding before him. Jian Ci had always been kind, but distant. He kept people at arm’s length yet with Yu Xi, there was something different. Something magnetic.

It was as if an invisible red thread was connecting them.

He was beginning to suspect that Jian Ci’s attachment to Yu Xi wasn’t just emotional. It might be something deeper, something embedded in Yu Xi’s genetic makeup or tied to his psychic field. The way Jian Ci gravitated toward him, the ease with which they interacted, it defied Jian Wei’s usual logic.

"I am just curious why you two—" Jian Wei began.

"No talking while eating," Jian Rui interrupted, not even looking up from his plate.

"Since when?" Jian Wei asked, incredulous.

Jian Ci chimed in, mouth half-full. "Yeah, we talk all the time."

"Starting now," Jian Rui said firmly. "This is a no-talking-at-the-dinner-table family."

For a moment the room was silent with only the clink of cutlery and the occasional sip breaking the stillness but Jian Rui knew it wouldn’t last.

Sure enough, Jian Ci squirmed in his seat, then declared, "This isn’t a dinner table, so the rule doesn’t apply."

Yu Xi stifled a laugh, his shoulders shaking slightly.

Jian Ci caught the reaction and grinned. Yu Xi smile was like batteries in his back. "Right, Yu Xi?" he said.

"Don’t corrupt him," Jian Rui warned.

"Yu Xi, am I corrupting you?" Jian Ci asked, eyes wide with mock innocence.

Yu Xi shook his head. "No."

"See?" Jian Ci said triumphantly.

Jian Rui sighed, defeated.

After breakfast, Yu Xi retreated to his room. He sat at the desk, pulling up the files Jian Rui had sent. There was much to absorb, from the legend of Lady Seraphine to the volatile state of the empire. Each document was a thread in the tapestry he was now part of, and he read with quiet determination.