CHAPTER 61: SECRET LOVE AFFAIR

Stannis didn’t even raise a hand in defense. He stood there, silent, as Jian Rui’s fury washed over him like a storm. He knew he was wrong and knew he had gone too far. And worse, he feared the silence more than the anger.

Jian Rui had blocked him once before, cut him off completely. Well, he was still blocked. What he was most afraid of was that Jian Rui might not want to see him again.

"You have gone too far," Jian Rui said, voice low and final. His grip loosened, and he stepped back. "Get out."

Stannis had never panicked like this in his life. He had commanded fleets, crushed rebellions, and stood unshaken on blood-soaked battlefields. But in front of Jian Rui, he was nothing but a man stripped bare.

He walked forward, slowly, and wrapped his arms around Jian Rui from behind. His voice cracked. "Rui... I was wrong. I was wrong. Please don’t... don’t throw me away. I will do better. I promise."

Jian Rui froze. He didn’t speak or move. He was at a loss. Regret bloomed in his chest, not for the confrontation, but for the past. For ever looking in Stannis’ direction. He couldn’t understand his father’s obsession with espers. Couldn’t fathom why anyone would chase that kind of chaos.

It was one drunken night a mistake that shouldn’t have happened. He had come onto Stannis, reckless and raw. When he woke up, he was drowning in regret. He left without a word. Later, he called Stannis to apologize. But the damage had already begun to root.

Stannis was unreasonable. He demanded a face-to-face meeting, refusing to settle for messages or a voice call. When Jian Rui finally agreed, Stannis made himself brutally and emotionally clear.

"I liked you long before that night," he said, eyes burning with conviction. "That wasn’t a mistake for me. It was a moment I had been waiting for."

Jian Rui stared at him, stunned. He had come to apologize, to put distance between them, but now he felt like he was speaking to someone who had rewritten the entire narrative. It was madness. He turned and walked away.

But Stannis was persistent. Every time he caught Jian Rui alone, in corridors, in quiet lounges, even at the imperial palace, he tried again. "This is worth the try," he would say. "You feel it too."

Jian Rui resisted. He resisted until the day his father pushed him too far. That night, he didn’t drink alcohol. He was sober when he let himself fall into the same pit. And that was all Stannis needed.

Espers were possessive by nature, and Stannis came to claim what he thought was his. Jian Rui regretted it bitterly. The most tragic part wasn’t the mistake, it was that he didn’t dislike Stannis. He liked his touch. Liked it so much it took everything in him not to surrender again.

Jian Rui sighed, the weight of everything pressing against his temples. He peeled off Stannis’s arms and took a few step forward, his movements slow, deliberate. He sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his brow, trying to ease the tension that had settled there like a storm cloud.

Stannis stood frozen, looking like a lost pup that had been abandoned. He would have preferred Jian Rui to yell, to lash out, to strike him. At least then it would mean he still cared.

"Rui," he said softly, voice cracking. "I am sorry."

Jian Rui didn’t look up. "Just go."

The words sliced through Stannis’s chest. He stood there, refusing to move, refusing to accept the finality of it.

Jian Rui lifted his gaze, eyes sharp. "Do you need your ears cleaned? I said go."

Stannis walked forward, crouching slowly until he was eye-level with Jian Rui. The city lights spilled through the window behind him, casting a cold glow across his face. He didn’t flinch. His pride was gone and what remained was his raw and unguarded emotions.

"I am sorry," he said again, voice trembling. "I shouldn’t have barged in. I shouldn’t have caused a scene. I was jealousy. I let it get the better of me." Jian Rui’s expression didn’t change, but the silence between them grew heavier.

"I never meant to hurt you," Stannis whispered, eyes searching Jian Rui’s face for any flicker of softness, any sign that he hadn’t already lost him.

"I just... I like you so much, I couldn’t think straight. Every time I see you, I lose the part of me that’s careful. That’s rational." Stannis’s voice cracked as he spoke, thick with emotion.

"I know why an esper and an esper shouldn’t be together. I understand the risks, the instability, the danger. But I can’t control my heart. I have tried. I swear I have tried."

Jian Rui’s expression didn’t shift, but the air between them softened, just slightly. The razor edge dulled, though it didn’t disappear.

Stannis bowed his head, shoulders trembling. "I won’t bother you again. I promise. I just needed you to know..."

He bit his lip, turned, and walked toward the door, his back slumped like a stray caught in the rain. His usual confidence had vanished, replaced by something fragile and human.

Just as he reached the door, Jian Rui’s voice cut through the silence. "I said go... not that I won’t see you again."

Stannis froze. He turned slowly, eyes wide with hope. If he had a tail, it would have been wagging uncontrollably.

"Really?" he asked, taking a step forward.

Jian Rui raised a hand. "Uh uh. Do not come over. Turn around and walk out."

Stannis nodded quickly. "Okay." He immediately walked out.

Jian Rui sighed, rubbing his temples. The door suddenly slid open again.

"Please unblock me," Stannis said, peeking in.

Jian Rui stared at him. "..."

He picked up the nearest pillow and hurled it with sharp precision. It hit Stannis square in the back just as he reached the door. Stannis stifled a grin, ducked, and bolted out like a child escaping punishment, his laughter barely contained. The door clicked shut.

Jian Rui collapsed backward onto the bed, exhaling deeply. His fingers pressed against his brow as he stared at the ceiling. ’If mother ever found out about this,’ he thought grimly, ’she would kill me. Slowly.’

He rolled onto his side, eyes narrowing. ’And if Stannis knew Carmine was plotting a spring night rendezvous with me...’ He didn’t finish the thought. Stannis would have burned the hotel down.

Jian Rui sighed again. As for the incident with Carmine, he wasn’t worried. He had wiped the man’s memory clean. Carmine would remember nothing but the dinner.

Suddenly, his communicator buzzed. Jian Rui raised his wrist and saw it was Jian Ci. He groaned knowing exactly why that brat was calling.

Without hesitation, he blacklisted Jian Ci for two days and sat up, preparing to pack the last of the things in the room. Then the communicator rang again. It was Jian Wei so he answered it, but the voice that came through was unmistakably Jian Ci’s.