Waking up the next morning, Xinyuan found himself wrapped around Wenzhi.

His head rested against Wenzhi’s chest. One arm was around his waist.

Then he looked at Wenzhi’s face and immediately frowned.

Wenzhi was still asleep. Too deeply asleep. His face looked pale against the pillow.

His freckles stood out more than usual. Even his lips lacked some of their normal colour.

Xinyuan carefully loosened his hold and sat up. His gaze never left Wenzhi.

Something felt wrong.

He pressed two fingers against Wenzhi’s neck.

His pulse was steady and strong. Completely normal.

Xinyuan released a breath. But his frown remained.

Wenzhi felt cold.

His hand moved to Wenzhi’s forehead.

Still cold....

"Is his guiding energy depleting too quickly now?" The thought soured his mood.

They hadn’t even guided properly last night.

He had taken the suppressants before Wenzhi had broken into the room.

Xinyuan had spent weeks trying not to rely on Wenzhi’s energy. Trying not to consume more than necessary.

Yet somehow, even when he restrained himself. Even when he tried. Wenzhi’s instincts constantly responded to him.

A little corruption. A little instability. And Wenzhi would unconsciously smooth it away. Again. And again. And again.

Xinyuan grabbed his phone and quietly left the room.

The moment he entered the living room, he dialed Kaiwen.

The call connected immediately.

A loud moan greeted him.

Xinyuan closed his eyes.

"You’re calling at a terrible time, Xinyuan." Kaiwen sounded breathless. Very breathless.

Another muffled sound echoed through the phone. Followed by Kaiwen laughing.

"You are taking me so well, aren’t you, Ze’er?"

A broken whimper answered him.

Xinyuan’s eye twitched. "I need a favour."

Kaiwen groaned dramatically. "Like I said, this is really not—"

"Your guide is an A-rank guide." Xinyuan cut him off. "Does he have wavelength stabilisers or energy restoration pills?"

The other side fell slightly quieter.

"You’re asking for Wenzhi."

"Answer the question."

Kaiwen sighed. "He does."

Hope flickered briefly inside Xinyuan.

Then Kaiwen crushed it. "But it won’t help."

Xinyuan’s expression darkened.

"Wenzhi is a B-rank guide." Kaiwen’s voice became more serious. "He’s also guiding a disaster-class Esper. Those medicines weren’t designed for that."

Xinyuan clenched his jaw. "It would disrupt his wavelength more than help it."

Silence.

Then, "I know someone." Kaiwen spoke again. "A doctor that might help."

Xinyuan waited.

Unfortunately, Kaiwen became distracted.

Immediately. A sharp inhale. A muffled curse.

Duan Ze’s voice broke somewhere in the background.

Xinyuan stared at the ceiling. "Kaiwen."

No answer.

"Kaiwen."

Still nothing.

"KAIWEN."

"Doctor Ruixin!" Kaiwen blurted out.

"Sector Two." A heavy breath.

"Former CEA doctor." Another breath.

"You know her."

Xinyuan hung up immediately.

Before he learned anything else about whatever Duan Ze was currently suffering through.

Doctor Ruixin... Xinyuan pressed a hand against his forehead thinking, planning and calculating.

Then his hearing caught something.

Wenzhi’s voice coming from the bedroom. "What are you talking about?"

There was a pause.

Then, "Fine."

Xinyuan immediately returned to the room.

Wenzhi was sitting on the edge of the bed with his phone still in hand. His hair was a complete disaster.

Dark strands stuck out in every direction. Like he’d fought a war against his pillow and lost.

His nose scrunched suddenly as though he was trying not to sneeze.

Yet despite how ridiculous he looked, he still looked pale. Far too pale.

Xinyuan’s frown deepened. "What happened?"

Wenzhi lowered the phone. "Zhaohe."

His voice sounded rough from sleep. "A large rift opened in Sector Two. Three Espers are already dead and a lot of civilians too."

The room fell silent and Wenzhi looked up at him. "You should go."

"No, no. I..." Xinyuan walked over to Wenzhi and cupped his face.

The icy chill of his skin had faded back to a normal temperature, though he still looked like he desperately needed caffeine. The way he stared at Xinyuan suggested he blamed him for all his current misery, which, admittedly, wasn’t entirely inaccurate.

"What are you doing?" Wenzhi asked.

"You look paler than usual."

"I feel like shit." Wenzhi peeled Xinyuan’s hands off his face. "I need caffeine."

He pointed toward the broken bedroom door. "Work on fixing that."

Xinyuan glanced at the damage. "I’ll fix it."

"You better." Wenzhi turned away.

"If you’re heading to Sector Two, I’m going back to the mansion." He raked a hand through his already disastrous hair. "Zhaohe said everyone is still there. Including Jingxin."

Xinyuan watched him walk away.

After freshening up and changing clothes, he returned to find Wenzhi already cooking with a cup of coffee sitting beside him. Some color had returned to his face.

Xinyuan bit his lower lip as he approached the table between them. Wenzhi glanced up.

"What is going on with you?"

Xinyuan blinked. "Uh... nothing. I just heard something I wasn’t supposed to hear."

"What?"

"Kaiwen and Duan Ze."

Wenzhi’s gray eyes widened slightly in immediate understanding. "Oh. I can totally picture that."

Xinyuan blanked for a second. "That shouldn’t—"

Before he could finish, Wenzhi grabbed him by the collar and yanked him forward until their noses brushed.

"That shouldn’t what?"

Xinyuan swallowed hard. "I... we haven’t..."

His voice trailed off, distracted by the amusement spreading across Wenzhi’s face.

"Why are you suddenly getting shy about wanting to fuck me?"

Xinyuan’s eyes widened.

The reaction made Wenzhi chuckle softly as he released his collar. But the moment he did, Xinyuan caught his wrist before he could step away.

The sudden movement caught Wenzhi completely off guard.

Xinyuan rushed forward and captured his lips.

The kiss was slow but hungry, and Wenzhi let out a soft sound that sent heat rushing to Xinyuan’s ears. Wenzhi grabbed his collar again, deepening the kiss.

Xinyuan climbed onto the table while Wenzhi pulled him closer. His arm wrapped around Wenzhi’s waist as they stumbled toward the nearby wall.

Wenzhi hit it first.

Both of them were breathing hard, hands gripping, mouths devouring each other. Then Wenzhi bit down on Xinyuan’s lower lip.

Xinyuan hissed and broke the kiss.

He stared at Wenzhi, who was pressed against the wall, breathing heavily, lips swollen and slightly parted.

"Don’t you have people to save, Sleeping Beauty?"

The challenge in his eyes made it obvious he was testing him.

It was completely unnecessary. Xinyuan was already lost.

"That can wait," he whispered and crashed their lips together again.