CHAPTER 53: "NO. DON’T TELL HIM.”

An: Happy Fri-Yay and happy Halloween hehehe. Wish I had done a spooky Chapter. Anyway, happy reading. See you in the comments my pretties (in an evil witch voice)... hehehehe

Jian Ci had been sprawled across his bed, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. His quilt was half on the floor, half tangled around his legs, and his limbs were flung in every direction like he had collapsed mid-flight.

He blinked groggily, the room spinning slightly. What was supposed to be a short nap had turned into hours of unconsciousness, leaving him feeling like he had woken from a drunken stupor.

Still dazed, he didn’t bother with a shirt or pants. He padded barefoot to the adjoining door between the rooms and slipped through. Yu Xi’s bed was neatly made, but Jian Ci flopped onto it without ceremony, burying his face in the pillow.

"Little Xi," he mumbled, voice muffled. But there was no response.

He checked his communicator. By now, he should have been in here at his desk, Jian Ci thought. Probably buried in some boring history.

He wandered downstairs, the pendant around his neck swaying with each step. In the kitchen, he opened the fridge and poured himself a glass of juice. The cold sweetness helped clear his head.

Three sips in, he paused. The house was too quiet. There were no footsteps and no chatter. It was as silent as a grave. Jian Ci frowned, suddenly alert. Something wasn’t right.

He wandered through the quiet halls, calling out, "Yu Xi?" No answer. He tried again, louder this time. Still nothing. He frowned, padding barefoot across the polished floor, his shorts hanging low on his hips, hair tousled from sleep.

"Jian Rui?" he called, peeking into the study. Empty. Now suspicious, Jian Ci muttered, "Where the hell is everyone?"

He headed toward the lab, expecting to find Jian Wei hunched over some experiment. But the lab was dark, the usual hum of machinery absent. Jian Ci’s brows furrowed. That lab rat never leaves his lair.

He turned toward the stairwell leading to his mother’s sanctum, intent on checking there until Seraphyne’s projected form materialized in front of him.

Jian Ci jumped slightly. "Mom! Why are you sneaking around?"

"I am not being sneaky," she said coolly. "Why are you walking around naked?"

"I am not naked," Jian Ci huffed. "I have shorts on."

"Go put on your clothes."

"I will," he grumbled. "Where is everyone?"

"They are discussing something about your father," Seraphyne said, her tone clipped. Jian Ci’s expression darkened.

Seraphyne knew he despised his father so much so that he wouldn’t want to hear anything about him thus she used him as an excuse. As expected Jian Ci was disinterested.

"I will make dinner tonight," Jian Ci said, voice firm. "Something delicious. Maybe it will take their minds off that bastard."

Seraphyne didn’t flinch. If anything, she wished he had used stronger words to curse him.

After putting on his clothes, Jian Ci tied the yellow apron around his waist, the fabric faded but still intact. It was the one he had bought for his mother when he was five, a Mother’s Day gift chosen with all the earnestness a child could muster. That had been the last gift he had ever given her before the tragedy.

He stood at the stove, flipping the steak with practiced ease, the scent of seared meat filling the kitchen. Seraphyne’s projection hovered nearby, seated on a barstool, her expression soft.

"You will make someone a happy husband one day," she said.

Jian Ci smiled faintly. "I will try my best to make you proud."

Her image flickered slightly. "Anyone you like recently?"

He paused, brushing marinade over the steak. "No. I have got a lot to focus on. Dating’s not really on my mind."

Seraphyne tilted her head. "What about the girl named Alarna? I heard you two were... cosy."

Jian Ci turned sharply. "Did Yu Xi tell you that?"

"No," she replied calmly. "It was Jian Rui. He had to investigate what happened that day... for your protection."

Jian Ci exhaled, understanding. Their father was cunning, manipulative. Anyone who tried to get close had to be vetted. Otherwise, it was like welcoming a snake into the house.

"It’s really nothing," Jian Ci said. "She’s not my type."

Seraphyne nodded. "Okay. I was just curious."

While Jian Ci was cooking up a storm upstairs Yu Xi woke up from the simulation, drenched in sweat. His body ached with a deep, bone-heavy exhaustion, and a throbbing headache pulsed in rhythm with his psychic field, still unsettled from the stress induction.

Jian Wei moved quickly, removing the straps that had held Yu Xi down. Yu Xi leaned to the side, his limbs trembling, feeling like his body wasn’t his own. Every breath was a reminder of how far he had pushed himself.

Jian Rui appeared with a bottle of water, crouching beside him. "How are you feeling?"

"I am fine," Yu Xi murmured, though his voice was hoarse.

Jian Rui handed him the water, and Yu Xi drank slowly, then lay back down, eyes fixed on the ceiling as if lost in deep throught.

Jian Wei checked the monitors. "Your vitals are good... but we need to find a better way to do this."

Yu Xi’s chest rose and fell. He didn’t care how it was done. All that mattered was whether it would help Jian Ci.

Jian Rui watched him, jaw tight. Seeing Yu Xi suffer like this, so willingly and so quietly, made something twist in him. He suddenly felt angry at Jian Ci, irrationally so. Why does he get to be relaxed while Yu Xi bleeds for him?

"That brat is probably upstairs playing that stupid game again," Jian Rui muttered, jaw tight. "Doing nothing useful while you suffer down here. I am going to have a talk with him."

He wasn’t angry for the sake of it, he wanted Jian Ci to understand. To appreciate the sacrifices Yu Xi was making for him, the pain he was enduring without complaint.

But Yu Xi’s voice, hoarse and strained, cut through the tension. "No. Don’t tell him."

Jian Rui turned, surprised. "Why not?"

Yu Xi leaned back against the medical bed, eyes half-lidded. He knew Jian Ci would feel burdened and that he would try to stop him. Yu Xi didn’t want him to feel that way.

"Just... don’t tell him," he said.

Jian Rui didn’t respond, his cold exterior faltered, replaced by a quiet unease.

Jian Wei stepped in gently. "Just lie down for a bit. Only get up when you feel better."

"I am fine," Yu Xi insisted, already sitting up. "Do you want to take the blood sample now?"

Jian Wei hesitated, his expression unreadable. Don’t you want to rest first? it seemed to say. But he knew Yu Xi was just as anxious as they were.

He nodded, pulled on his gloves, and wheeled the trolley over. The needle gleamed under the sterile light.