Xinyuan sighed heavily, finally seeming to realize that his approach was not working.

Wenzhi eyed him for a moment before turning away. He grabbed a shirt and a pair of pants, dressing quickly before snatching the jacket Xinyuan had been clutching to his chest from the bed and pulling it on.

His mind was racing.

Clearly, Shao Xinyuan had no intention of letting him go, and the entire situation was becoming more and more suffocating.

Wenzhi dragged a hand through his hair before instinctively reaching for his pocket, only to remember that Xinyuan had confiscated his cigarettes.

He turned to glare at him. "What is the timer for?"

Xinyuan looked faintly surprised by the question.

"Doctor Bai," he answered honestly. "She gave me twenty-four hours before they will forcefully return me to the research facility."

Wenzhi nodded slowly.

Silence stretched heavily between them.

Then suddenly, Xinyuan walked over.

Wenzhi frowned, still glaring at him only for Xinyuan to suddenly kneel directly in front of him.

Wenzhi froze.

Xinyuan wrapped both arms around his waist and rested his forehead against his stomach.

"I’m sorry," he whispered quietly.

That genuinely caught Wenzhi off guard.

"You’re sorry for what?" he asked, trying not to sound as surprised as he actually felt.

Xinyuan slowly lifted his head.

"I’ve been trapped inside that research facility for nine years, Wenzhi," he said softly. "Poked. Used against my will. Torn apart over and over again."

His gaze stayed fixed on Wenzhi’s face.

"I was always hanging on the edge of a berserk state for a long time. The backlashes kept happening until eventually... I simply learned how to live with the pain."

His voice lowered further. "The voices. The instability. Everything hurt. Everything."

Then quietly, "But you..."

Xinyuan tightened his arms around Wenzhi’s waist. "I know I make your life uncomfortable. I know that. But you have to understand me too."

Then finally, "I don’t want to hurt you. I just want to stay with you."

Wenzhi held his gaze for a very long time. And annoyingly enough, he actually pitied Xinyuan a little. Just a little.

"Apology not accepted," Wenzhi replied flatly.

"Oh." Xinyuan looked genuinely crushed.

Wenzhi rolled his eyes. "Where exactly are you trying to take me?"

"To our new house," Xinyuan answered, brightening up immediately.

Then casually, like he wasn’t completely changing the trajectory of both their lives, he added, "I’m not going back to the research facility. I quit the CEA and the Rift Suppression Corps."

Wenzhi’s eyes rounded in surprise. "...What?"

"That was what I was trying to tell you," Xinyuan pressed his forehead against Wenzhi’s stomach again. "But I think I should have started with the part where I quit."

Wenzhi let out a short laugh despite himself.

Xinyuan had completely overturned the entire original plot.

Whether that was a good thing or not... Wenzhi genuinely did not know. But it did feel good.

"I think," Wenzhi said slowly, "you should’ve chosen literally anywhere except Findio City to purchase an..."

He made air quotes with his fingers. "Us."

Xinyuan leaned back to look up at him.

"The outer city is safer than here," he admitted thoughtfully. "But I can still arrange somewhere else."

The excitement in his expression was obvious now.

His smile reached his eyes this time, and the red hue in his left eye had completely disappeared.

"Shall we go?" he asked. "I wanted to show you something. I told you we should go somewhere after I returned from the mission."

Before Wenzhi could even respond, Xinyuan had already risen to his feet and moved toward the wardrobe.

"I’ll help you pack," he said hurriedly. "We can leave immediately."

He didn’t even look back while speaking. It was almost like he was afraid Wenzhi might suddenly refuse if he stopped moving.

And frankly... as much as Wenzhi wanted to refuse, he already knew he couldn’t.

That was the problem.

This freedom Xinyuan had suddenly created for them...was not going to end well.

Because Xinyuan genuinely didn’t seem to understand what he was doing.

The most important Esper in the country, in the entire world, had just quit the CEA like he was resigning from a part-time job.

There was no way they were going to let him go that easily. And something told Wenzhi that he wasn’t going to stay dead for much longer either.

Meanwhile, Xinyuan looked almost absurdly happy about his decision. About his freedom. About them.

Even though he had absolutely manipulated Wenzhi into this situation.

Wenzhi watched as Xinyuan suddenly paused beside the wardrobe before pulling out another hidden pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

Xinyuan stared at them silently for a second and calmly shoved both into his pocket.

Wenzhi breathed angrily through his nose. "Are you planning to quit being an active Esper?"

Xinyuan stopped moving and slowly turned to look at him with a thoughtful expression.

"No." he shook his head. "I still want to save people."

There was no hesitation in his voice. No uncertainty.

"I awakened as an Esper to protect people from the monsters. I want to keep doing that."

Wenzhi nodded slowly.

Xinyuan genuinely liked saving people. He always had.

It was the people surrounding him, the ones controlling him, using him, shaping him into a weapon, that had eventually pushed him toward destroying everything instead.

Xinyuan looked at Wenzhi intently before suddenly smiling.

A real smile.

One that showed the dimples on his cheeks before he looked away again and continued packing Wenzhi’s clothes.

Wenzhi’s phone suddenly rang.

Wenzhi frowned, walking over to the table where he had left it beside his food. He picked it up, balancing the phone between his shoulder and ear as he opened the takeout container.

"Hey."

"Wenzhi!" Duan Ze sounded terrified.

Wenzhi stopped eating.

"Something happened," Duan Ze said quickly. "Something big happened."

Wenzhi’s expression sharpened. "What happened?"

Across the room, Xinyuan had also gone still, his attention fully shifting toward the call.

"It’s Pei Luo," Duan Ze said shakily. "There was an explosion in the central district. Near the Pei family estate."

Wenzhi’s body went cold.

"It was a bomb, Wenzhi."

"...What?"

"The news is calling it an accident," Duan Ze continued rapidly, panic clear in his voice. "But it wasn’t. It was an assassination attempt. I think they found out the Pei family was hiding you."

Silence.

Then, "I think they know you’re alive."

Wenzhi’s grip tightened around his phone.

His eyes slowly lifted, locking directly with Xinyuan’s.

"CEA or Old Blood?" he asked.

"I don’t know."

Wenzhi closed his eyes briefly.

"Cut off every connection to me," he said quietly. "And... Tell Pei Luo I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry."

He ended the call and slammed the phone against the table hard enough to rattle the food containers.

"Damn it!" Wenzhi pressed a hand against his forehead, breathing harshly.

What the hell was happening?