Help! I Do Not Want to Guide a Disaster

Jiang Zhaohe scoffed, running trembling fingers through her hair. She couldn’t look at him.

For several seconds, her eyes darted everywhere except toward Xinyuan before she finally forced herself to meet his crimson gaze. Her eyes were already rimmed red.

"...Kill me." She let out a shaky breath. "That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? So, kill me."

Xinyuan didn’t answer.

Jiang Zhaohe’s expression twisted. "Do it now!" she screamed. "I have nothing left, so just—"

"Stop." Xinyuan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Enough."

The irritation in his voice was somehow more frightening than anger.

Jiang Zhaohe frowned.

Xinyuan slowly lowered his hand. "I’m tired of hearing you speak."

The dark mist around him suddenly erupted and slammed into Jiang Zhaohe like a tidal wave, hurling her across the apartment. She crashed into the wall hard enough to shatter the concrete behind her.

Almost instantly, brilliant blue energy exploded from her body. The energy tore through the shadows or at least, it tried to. The mist immediately solidified and swallowed the blue light whole.

Jiang Zhaohe’s pupils dilated, and then she looked at Xinyuan. Something inside her snapped.

"...I’m sorry." The apology left her mouth before she even realized she’d spoken.

Xinyuan stared at her with burning crimson eyes. "It isn’t me..." His voice was frighteningly calm. "...that you’re going to apologize to."

Jiang Zhaohe immediately shook her head. "No. No. You are supposed to kill me. Not him."

Xinyuan’s expression didn’t change. If anything... he looked bored.

The mist behind him suddenly shifted, condensing into countless black whips that shot forward.

Jiang Zhaohe screamed as they wrapped around her arms, legs, waist, and throat. The mist tightened, then swallowed her completely.

Within seconds... She disappeared and the mist calmly drifted back to Xinyuan before dissolving into his body as though nothing had happened.

He let out a quiet sigh, then turned and walked deeper into the apartment.

It didn’t take long to find Chenxi. The Esper sat slumped against the bedroom wall, his face pale, dark circles hanging beneath his eyes.

He looked up sluggishly. "...Shao Xinyuan?" He blinked several times, as though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Xinyuan frowned. "...What did she do to you?"

Chenxi answered without speaking; he slowly pulled back the sleeve of his jacket to reveal a suppression bracelet locked tightly around his wrist.

Xinyuan reached out.

CRACK.

The bracelet shattered effortlessly beneath his fingers. The pressure weighing on Chenxi instantly disappeared, and he inhaled sharply like it was the first full breath he’d taken in days.

Xinyuan helped him to his feet.

Chenxi steadied himself before looking at him. "...Is she dead?"

"Soon." The answer came quietly.

Chenxi nodded, a faint smile appearing on his exhausted face. "...Wenzhi’s alive." It wasn’t a question.

Xinyuan nodded once. "...He is."

Relief flooded Chenxi’s expression. "...Let’s go."

Dark mist rushed around them once more, swallowing both of their figures. A second later... The apartment was empty.

•°•

Wenzhi stared at the untouched tray of food in front of him, almost feeling guilty that he had no appetite.

The dishes had long since gone cold after hours of sitting there while he simply watched them. Eventually, he gave up, sinking back onto the bed and staring blankly at the ceiling with a cigarette balanced between his fingers.

Three days had passed since he’d woken up. Doctor Ruixin still hadn’t given him the test results, Xinyuan still hadn’t returned, and the cold still hadn’t left.

He sat bundled beneath layers of blankets, wearing two of Xinyuan’s oversized coats, three pairs of socks, and enough clothing to make anyone else sweat yet the icy chill still clung to his bones.

Nothing had improved. He’d stopped asking.

Ru Yi, Duan Ze, Pei Luo, Kaiwen... almost everyone had visited him over the past few days. They all looked worried. They all told him to rest. They all carefully avoided telling him anything stressful.

It was obvious that they were deliberately keeping him out of whatever mess they were cleaning up.

Frankly... he didn’t mind.

For the first time in months, nobody was asking him to solve impossible problems.

He was tired, so unbelievably tired. He wasn’t even sure he wanted to be Sovereign’s faction leader anymore.

He slipped the cigarette between his lips and took a slow drag before exhaling toward the ceiling, grey eyes unfocused. "...Fuck this."

Throwing the blankets aside, he climbed out of bed and shuffled toward the door.

His fingers had just wrapped around the handle, Beep.

The access panel chimed; someone was entering.

Wenzhi’s heart skipped. "Shit."

He bolted back to the bed. The blankets flew over his body, covering him from head to toe as he shoved the cigarette back between his lips. He pinched the burning tip between two fingers, extinguishing the ember despite the sting, then lay perfectly still.

The door slid open, closing again with a quiet hiss.

Xinyuan walked in, a crumpled bag of lollipops dangling from one hand.

His crimson eyes immediately swept across the room before landing on the untouched tray of food beside the bed. His brows furrowed. Without saying a word, he walked over, picked up the tray, covered the cold dishes, and set them neatly on the nearby desk.

Then, he paused, his nose wrinkling.

"...Cigarettes." His grip tightened around the bag of lollipops. "I knew it."

He let out a quiet sigh. Setting the candy aside, he slipped off his coat and kicked away his boots before walking to the bedside.

Without hesitation, he grabbed the blanket and pulled it off Wenzhi’s head.

Grey eyes met crimson ones. The unlit cigarette still hung shamelessly from Wenzhi’s lips.

Xinyuan stared at it for a long second. "I thought we agreed..." he murmured, plucking the cigarette from Wenzhi’s mouth, "...no more cigarettes, freckles."

Wenzhi frowned immediately. "That’s the first thing you decide to say to me?"

Xinyuan blinked. "I..."

Wenzhi immediately shut him up by grabbing the front of his shirt, but Xinyuan instinctively caught his wrist.

"No touching, baby." His voice was gentle. "You’re still sick."

Wenzhi stared at him in disbelief. "No touching?" His brows shot up. "First you lecture me about cigarettes, now you’re telling me no touching?"

A pair of dimples appeared on Xinyuan’s cheeks. "I’ve missed you too much..." His smile softened, "...but you really can’t touch me right now."

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