"What is he doing?"

The question cut through the observation room, low but edged with unease.

Inside the central research wing of the CEA facility, the senior team assigned to Shao Xinyuan stood gathered before the live feed, their attention focused entirely on the screen.

Every movement, every word exchanged between Shao Xinyuan and Lin Wenzhi was being captured in perfect clarity, leaving no room for misinterpretation.

"He’s trying to manipulate the guide into staying," one of them said.

Doctor Xie Yiheng. His greying hair caught the bleak light as he leaned forward, eyes narrowed behind thin lenses, his tone calm but certain. "He recognizes the stabilizing effect and is attempting to secure it this time."

Doctor Bai didn’t respond. Her gaze remained locked on the screen, focused not on Shao Xinyuan but on Wenzhi.

"I don’t trust that guide," she said at last, her voice quieter. "We should consider reinstating Gu Luhan. At the very least, he is manageable. Predictable."

Her eyes hardened. "This one isn’t."

The others turned toward her, the disagreement clear even before a word was spoken.

"We cannot discard a compatibility like this," another voice cut in firmly.

It was Doctor Shen Bowen, the oldest among them, whose presence carried weight without effort as he stepped closer to the display with a serious expression.

"Shao Xinyuan requires a guide who can withstand his wavelength. Gu Luhan couldn’t even remain in the same room without destabilizing. The others didn’t last long enough to attempt contact."

He pointed at the screen. "But this one... initiated a guiding session twice and succeeded."

Doctor Bai’s hands clenched at her sides.

"Shao Xinyuan is not just stabilizing," Doctor Shen Bowen continued, his tone lowering. "He is responding. Showing clear behavioral attachment. That makes him easier to manage and far more useful. It allows us to proceed with what we were unable to achieve before."

Doctor Bai’s expression tightened, her brows drawing together as she watched Wenzhi move across the screen, calm, unbothered, entirely out of place within a system that should have already broken him.

"I understand the value of this breakthrough," she said slowly, choosing her words with care. "But it took years to bring Shao Xinyuan to this level of compliance. We were fortunate he awakened young enough to be conditioned."

Her tone dropped, her eyes remaining on Wenzhi as she continued. "But this guide has not been shaped by us; if he destabilizes Shao Xinyuan instead of anchoring him, we risk losing everything we’ve built."

"You worry too much, Doctor Bai." Doctor Ruxin’s voice carried a light ease that didn’t quite match the weight of the room as she stood with her arms loosely folded, her attention on the live feed.

She looked barely into her thirties, composed but far less rigid than the others, and the small smile she offered Bai Qinian held a quiet confidence that bordered on dismissal.

"We finally found a guide who can stabilize Shao Xinyuan. That should be the only thing that matters."

At that moment, Wenzhi was already rising to his feet and moving past Shao Xinyuan without hesitation toward the door. His steps were unhurried and his posture loose, as though none of this truly concerned him, while Shao Xinyuan followed behind him like a lost puppy.

"We just need to maintain him," Ruxin’s smile deepened. "Replenish his guiding energy, have the director speak to him about signing a contract as an official guide, and ensure he remains under observation at all times. We can’t let him out of our sight."

There was no hesitation in her conclusion, and no room for debate either.

The two male researchers exchanged brief looks before turning and leaving the observation room without another word, their silence more agreement than objection.

Ruxin lingered only a second longer, casting Bai Qinian one last glance before she too stepped out, the door sliding shut behind her.

Silence settled.

Doctor Bai didn’t move, her eyes remaining on the screen... on Wenzhi.

He stretched, rolling his shoulders as though shaking off lingering tension.

His eyes were scanning the room, searching. And then they stopped, locked directly into the camera... into her.

"I knew it." A slow smile curved his lips, carrying no warmth.

Bai Qinian gasped. She cut the feed off instantly, and the screen went dark.

Her hand pressed flat against the edge of the desk as she exhaled slowly, the breath heavier than she intended.

"....We must not regret this."

•~•°~

It didn’t take long before Wenzhi was removed from the room. He was escorted for review and treatment, separated from Shao Xinyuan without discussion.

He was back under the white lights.

Song Mei and Mo Yiran were already waiting.

An IV line was secured into his arm, the clear fluid flowing steadily into his bloodstream, cool and controlled as it spread through his system.

"Wavelength Stabilizers," Song Mei explained, adjusting the drip carefully. "They act as a cooling agent for your core after high-output guiding."

Another container was placed into his hand.

"Here you go. These are Energy Restoration Pills," she added.

Wenzhi didn’t question it. He simply took one, rolling it briefly between his fingers before tossing it into his mouth, the faint citrus taste surprising enough to register but not enough to matter.

Within moments, the effects began to settle in. What was subtle at first grew clearer as the exhaustion faded and his mind sharpened, the imbalance in his system correcting steadily.

His hand lifted to his temple, fingers pressing lightly as he rubbed at the tension still lingering beneath the surface, even as his body recovered fast.

"Wow! His energy is returning quickly, Mo Yiran," Song Mei said, unable to hide the note of excitement in her voice. "Faster than expected."

"Mr. Lin your resilience is remarkable," Mo Yiran glanced at Wenzhi. "You’re the first guide to survive direct stabilization with Shao Xinyuan. Even so, you did enter a guiding collapse."

Wenzhi understood that a guiding collapse occurred when a guide exceeded their capacity. The mental strain, energy output, and emotional feedback would overwhelm them all at once.

He really almost died.

Mo Yiran’s gaze flicked briefly to the IV line. "You lost a significant amount of energy due to the delay in retrieval."

Wenzhi looked at him and gave him an empty smile. "Thank you for saving my life, doctor."

Mo Yiran smiled back.

Wenzhi leaned back against the bed, his eyes drifting upward to the ceiling. I am ready to be used again.

It was clear they weren’t going to let him walk away, and Wenzhi was smart enough to realize that escaping wasn’t his only problem.

The real challenge was finding a way to exist in this situation without being reduced to something controlled and studied just like Shao Xinyuan.

His jaw tightened at the thought.

If they were going to force him into this role, then he was going to make sure it bent in his favor. There was no world in which he would allow himself to become a guinea pig under their hands.