Ruixin blinked, surprised. "Why? Do you think it’s spiked higher?"

"No. I want to check if it’s dropped back down to a B-rank," Wenzhi said flatly. "I don’t like anomalies happening to me."

Ruixin let out a soft, strained sigh, setting the scanner down. "Your body mutating to accommodate Xinyuan’s energy output isn’t a bad thing, Wenzhi. It’s an evolutionary survival mechanism."

"Xinyuan’s awakening as an Esper simultaneously tore open sixty-four separate red-zone rifts," Wenzhi countered.

"Yes," Ruixin admitted quietly. "Which is exactly why everyone is completely fascinated by him. But being the only functional guide capable of tethering a disaster-class Esper isn’t a curse. It gives you the ultimate leverage. You can tame a nuclear weapon, which means you currently hold the monopoly on the strongest protection on earth. I understand if you’re nervous because it makes you a prime target for assassination by the rival factions, but—"

"I am not nervous about any of that," Wenzhi said, his tone sharpening. "It’s the imprint. I think it’s forcing me to feel things for him. And I do not want that."

He hated how he sounded like a frustrated teenager trying to rationalize away a pathetic crush.

Doctor Ruixin stared at him. "Well, a high-level imprint is designed to do exactly that. It bypasses your psychological defense mechanisms to heighten emotional intimacy."

Wenzhi pressed his palm flat against his forehead. The sensory overload from the other night, the raw, suffocating heat of Xinyuan’s touch, the sheer desperation of their locked wavelengths came rushing back in a dizzying wave.

"It’s too heightened. It’s too much. I am trying to keep my distance, but it’s failing. Is there a suppressant? A way to dial the damn evolution down or reduce whatever the hell is happening to my brain?"

Ruixin offered a small, knowing smile. "I think you might actually be harboring genuine feelings outside of the imprint, Wenzhi."

"Genuine feelings?" Wenzhi repeated, the words tasting completely foreign on his tongue. "Are you implying I actually like Shao Xinyuan? Because I don’t."

"All I am saying is that while the imprint possesses a massive amount of instinctual leverage, pre-existing compliance or attraction outside the bond will exponentially amplify every reaction you have to him." Doctor Ruixin explained.

Wenzhi ran his fingers violently through his hair, grumbling a curse under his breath. "Just one fuck and I can’t think straight anymore."

Shaking off the irritation, he locked his eyes back onto Ruixin. "So, am I still an A-rank?"

"Your cells are still fluctuating from the energy transfer. I think we should wait a few days before running another official test," she said.

Wenzhi nodded slowly, pushing himself up from the examination chair. Just as he turned toward the door, Doctor Ruixin’s voice halted him.

"Why did you kill Shao Jingxin?"

Wenzhi stopped, glancing back over his shoulder. "Why do you care?"

Doctor Ruixin forced a polite, neutral smile. "Because I know he belongs to one of the High Families of the old blood. Genuinely, I was surprised your team managed to capture him alive in the first place. So, why execute him now?"

"Because he would do the same to me if given the chance," Wenzhi said, his tone a matter of fact. "The Old Blood wants me dead, and so does the CEA. I’m simply killing them first. And I will ensure no one ever gets the chance to put a target on my back again."

He popped the lollipop back into his mouth, his expression turning entirely vacant. "Great work, Doc."

Without waiting for her response, he turned and walked out of the lab, the sliding door sealing shut behind him.

~•~

Later that evening, the team mobilized for the Rift Bureau. Wenzhi, Xinyuan, Jiang Zhaohe, Kaiwen, and Ru Yi crammed into the armored truck.

Wenzhi claimed the furthest seat in the back, attempting to put a physical barrier between himself and Xinyuan.

It didn’t work. Xinyuan sat directly across from him, his gaze heavy and unblinking. They hadn’t exchanged a single word since Wenzhi put a bullet through Jingxin’s skull, but Xinyuan knew that execution wasn’t what was causing the frantic, hidden spikes in Wenzhi’s pulse. Not even close.

Xinyuan leaned forward, completely shifting his weight to close the gap. He ignored the others entirely.

Up front, Kaiwen was driving through the ruined streets with Ru Yi in the passenger seat, while Jiang Zhaohe sat a few rows ahead, entirely absorbed in whatever high-clearance intel she was deciphering on her tablet.

Wenzhi tracked his movement with a cold, warning glare. "What are you doing?"

"Moving closer. Are you mad at me?" Xinyuan asked, scooching forward.

Before Wenzhi could tell him to get back to his side, the truck slammed hard over a massive trench in the road. The violent jolt launched Xinyuan forward. In a blur of reflex, his hands shot out, planting flat against the metal wall on either side of Wenzhi’s hips. He caged Wenzhi completely between his arms, stopping their foreheads from colliding by a mere fraction of an inch.

Wenzhi stared up in sudden surprise. Xinyuan chuckled quietly, watching the rare dilation of those sharp grey eyes before Wenzhi’s face predictably creased into a defensive frown.

"You didn’t do anything that warrants me being mad," Wenzhi finally muttered, cutting his eyes to the side to break the intense proximity.

The cherry-flavored lollipop tucked into the corner of his mouth shifted, immediately drawing Xinyuan’s hyper-focused attention.

Xinyuan reached up, his thumb and forefinger gripping Wenzhi’s chin, tilting his face back up to force their eyes to lock. "Then why are you avoiding me, Freckles? It hurts, you know."

The sheer, naked need in Xinyuan’s voice sent an involuntary tremor through the newly formed bond. Wenzhi slowly wet his lips, his hand coming up to wrap tightly around Xinyuan’s wrist to pry him off. "We need to focus on our operational objectives with the Rift Bureau."

Xinyuan’s brow furrowed slightly. "Don’t do that."

"Don’t do what? Focus on reality?" Wenzhi countered, his voice sharp, trying to emotionally distance himself from the heat radiating off the Esper.

Xinyuan released his chin, but he didn’t retreat an inch. "We are reality, too."

Wenzhi let out a slow, controlled sigh, pulling the lollipop from his mouth. "You are distracting me."

"In a good way, or a bad way?" Xinyuan asked instantly.

Wenzhi scoffed, his defenses working overtime. "Is there ever such a thing as a good distraction when it comes to you?"

"So a bad-good distraction, then," Xinyuan chuckled softly.

He leaned his face closer, his hands rising to carefully cup Wenzhi’s face. He moved with a tentative slowness, giving Wenzhi every opportunity to slap his hands away.

But Wenzhi remained still, his breath hitching as his body betrayed his logic. Seizing the compliance, Xinyuan leaned in completely, excitedly and slowly brushing his nose against Wenzhi’s, their raw, synchronized wavelengths humming in the cramped space.

"I think I want to distract you a lot more, baby," Xinyuan whispered against his lips.