The moment they appeared back inside the motel room, Wenzhi nearly lost his balance.

The sudden shift from teleportation combined with exhaustion made his vision spin briefly, and with Xinyuan’s full weight suddenly against him, he stumbled backward hard enough for both of them to crash onto the floor.

"Ow—!" A rough cough escaped Wenzhi.

Xinyuan caught himself quickly, one hand planted beside Wenzhi’s head while the other braced against the floor, keeping most of his weight off him.

His left eye burned an ominous red beneath the dim motel lighting.

"Are you alright?" Xinyuan asked roughly.

Wenzhi frowned deeply, still catching his breath. "There’s a new project. We need to figure out what it is."

But Xinyuan barely seemed to hear him. His gaze had already dropped toward Wenzhi’s lips.

Wenzhi noticed and shoved Xinyuan’s face away with one hand. "Don’t even start."

As soon as Xinyuan rolled to the side, Wenzhi pushed himself upright.

"The Old Blood wants you because they think you can stop the rifts and the monsters somehow," he murmured while pacing. "And the CEA..."

He stopped mid-sentence.

Because Xinyuan had stood up again and wrapped his arms around him once more.

Wenzhi let out an annoyed sigh. "Xinyuan..."

"I don’t think the CEA intends to let the Old Blood keep us," Xinyuan said quietly against his neck.

"I think they’re simply changing plans now that this has turned into a war." His breath brushed against Wenzhi’s skin.

Wenzhi’s expression tightened. "What plans?"

He turned his head unconsciously to the side while speaking, exposing more of his neck in the process.

Xinyuan buried his face there. His grip tightened in the back of Wenzhi’s jacket.

For a few seconds, he said nothing at all.

Then, "Five years ago, there was discussion about creating more Disaster-class Espers using my blood."

Wenzhi went still.

"But I never learned the full details," Xinyuan continued quietly. "After one of my backlashes, nobody mentioned the project again. I thought maybe they abandoned it."

His grip loosened a bit. "But now... I think the project never stopped. They just hid it better."

Wenzhi shut his eyes tightly. "Fuck."

What Xinyuan had just revealed wasn’t part of the original novel at all.

This plot was changing into something Wenzhi could no longer predict. And that was dangerous.

The CEA was massive. They controlled the military. They controlled Espers.

If this escalated any further, this would turn into a full Esper-against-Esper conflict.

Wenzhi exhaled slowly before looking back at Xinyuan. "Your backlash..."

"My reward," Xinyuan whispered immediately.

Wenzhi blinked.

Right. He had almost forgotten about that.

"We need to leave this motel room soon," he muttered while rubbing his forehead tiredly. "Why did you even bring us back here?"

"It was the first place I thought of." Xinyuan’s breathing had become noticeably heavier now.

Wenzhi sighed before grabbing his wrist and pulling him toward the bed. "Sit."

Xinyuan obeyed.

"Take your shirt off."

Again, he obeyed without hesitation.

The black shirt slid off easily, revealing the powerful lines of his body beneath the dim motel light.

But Wenzhi’s attention froze elsewhere.

The black chain tattoo on Xinyuan’s back had stretched down his arms, wrapping around them in a single, tight loop as it began to glow faintly red beneath his skin.

Wenzhi’s brows lifted. "I don’t think those were on your arms or.. glowing earlier."

Xinyuan didn’t answer. He was too busy staring at Wenzhi instead.

His lips parted before a quiet, almost fragile, "Please..." escaped him.

Wenzhi blinked.

Were they really just going to ignore the tattoos?

Apparently yes.

Because the next second, Wenzhi grabbed Xinyuan by the chin and pulled him into a slow kiss.

Xinyuan responded, deepening it.

Wenzhi’s hands pressed against his shoulders as he shifted forward to straddle him properly while their wavelengths brushed together beneath the surface.

His fingers slid against Xinyuan’s chest instinctively and suddenly Xinyuan grabbed him tightly.

The world flipped.

Wenzhi’s back hit the mattress as Xinyuan shifted above him, bracing himself over Wenzhi with one arm while breaking the kiss apart.

His left eye still glowed an ominous red.

But now, there was a wide smile spreading across his face.

His dimples appeared as his muscles flexed subtly beneath the red glow of the tattoos wrapping around his body like living chains.

"Can I get my reward, Freckles?" he whispered softly.

Wenzhi stared up at him silently, his chest rising heavily. "What do you want?"

Xinyuan leaned down slowly, brushing his nose lightly against Wenzhi’s.

His hand slipped beneath Wenzhi’s shirt, fingers gliding against warm skin, and the touch alone made Wenzhi shudder.

"I need a promise," Xinyuan whispered.

Wenzhi blinked in surprise.

Honestly, he had expected something entirely different.

Something shameless.

Something involving certain positions and that stupid deep voice saying filthy things directly against his ear.

The image flashed through his mind so vividly that he forced it away.

Unfortunately, that only made it worse.

Because Xinyuan was still looking at him with those intense eyes.

Still touching him slowly. Still pressing against his chest while their breaths tangled together heavily in the dim motel room.

"What promise?" Wenzhi asked quietly.

Xinyuan shifted closer.

Instinctively, Wenzhi’s palms pressed against his bare chest, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath his fingers.

And then, his gaze caught the glowing red chains stretching across Xinyuan’s back and wrapping around his arms.

Wenzhi froze.

Those markings definitely had not looked like that earlier.

How the hell did tattoos stretch?

"I need you to promise not to leave me," Xinyuan said softly.

That smile was still on his lips.

But it didn’t look teasing anymore.

"You imprinted on—"

"No." Xinyuan interrupted him quickly. "I don’t want you to stay because of the imprint."

His fingers tightened faintly against Wenzhi’s waist. "I just want you to stay."

His voice lowered. "There’s a lot happening to us right now. We’re in the middle of something dangerous, and I know you’re strong. I know you can survive on your own."

He smiled again. "But I can protect you."

His forehead rested lightly against Wenzhi’s. "I’ll always protect you."

There was a long pause.

Then quietly, "Please... don’t leave me. You’re the only person I have."

His grip tightened. "I can’t survive losing that."

Wenzhi blinked rapidly. "Xinyuan..."

"No." Xinyuan lowered himself fully against him, resting his head against Wenzhi’s chest as though he suddenly had no strength left. "Don’t say anything."

His eyes slowly closed. "I’m happy."

Wenzhi’s lips pressed together.

And Xinyuan continued speaking softly. "I am very happy today."

A faint laugh escaped him. "We destroyed that place together."

His voice weakened near the end. "That place..."

He went quiet for a moment before whispering one final sentence.

"Thank you, Wenzhi."

Heavy silence followed.

Breathing filled the motel room softly while the crimson glow beneath Xinyuan’s skin slowly began dimming little by little.

Wenzhi stared up at the ceiling for a long while.

Then finally, his hand lifted slowly and rested against Xinyuan’s head.

His fingers slipped through soft dark hair gently. Patting once. Twice. Carefully.

The glowing chains dimmed further beneath his touch.

And neither of them spoke again.

They simply stayed there together quietly while Wenzhi slowly closed his eyes too.