According to the novel, Shao Xinyuan had awakened as an Esper at fifteen years old. He was too strong from the very beginning and too unstable to ever be controlled; so, the government had no choice but to force him into a chemically induced sleep for three whole years, locking him away like a threat that could not be permitted to exist freely.
And when they woke him, it wasn't out of mercy. It was because another massive rift had appeared. One of the largest since the Great Fall eighty years ago.
He was their weapon. Their last line of defense. The nuclear option for a world with no other choice. And it worked... until it didn't. Because somewhere along the way, Shao Xinyuan stopped being a weapon used for war and became the war itself.
After saving the world again and again, they never praised him. They never thanked him. They locked him away time after time, strapped him down like a mental patient. He was something that needed to be contained rather than understood.
Looking at him now.... Lin Wenzhi could see why.
Kneeling there, completely disheveled, breathing unevenly, a hand still clamped over his ear, his hair loose and wild around his face... Shao Xinyuan didn't look stable or safe.
His heterochromic eyes were blown wide with something that looked dangerously close to relief. It was like he had just found something he didn't even know he was searching for.
Lin Wenzhi swallowed.
…He really shouldn't be noticing it so deeply right now, but the man was so gorgeous.
Even like this, completely wrecked, there was something about him that pulled attention, something sharp and overwhelming that made it hard to look away.
"…This is ridiculous," Lin Wenzhi muttered under his breath.
Of all the times to get distracted.
His hand was still pressed against Shao Xinyuan's forehead. His wrist still trapped in that iron grip.
And it had been five minutes. Five! But nothing had changed.
The storm still raged. The sky was still tearing apart. The pressure hadn't dropped even a bit.
Lin Wenzhi's patience snapped.
"You need to stop this," he said, gesturing vaguely around them with his free hand. "All of this. It's a bit excessive, don't you think?"
Shao Xinyuan blinked slowly, like even that took effort. His gaze didn't leave Lin Wenzhi's face. Not once.
His grip tightened slightly. "…It's not enough."
Lin Wenzhi stared at him. "…Obviously."
He tried to pull his hand away but Shao Xinyuan didn't budge. Not even a little.
Lin Wenzhi exhaled sharply through his nose. "…You do realize I can't help if you don't cooperate, right?"
Shao Xinyuan didn't respond immediately. His gaze dropped to Wenzhi's lips before drifting back to his eyes. "…Aren't you a Guide?"
Lin Wenzhi frowned.
He knew why he was here. He was here to guide, to stabilize, to save the world or whatever bureaucratic nonsense they expected from him.
But actually doing it? That was a different matter entirely.
I didn't ask for this. His jaw tightened.
Honestly, the world could explode for all he cared.
When Lin Wenzhi didn't move and just sat there looking thoroughly displeased, Shao Xinyuan suddenly leaned in too close!
Lin Wenzhi's pupils shrank. "F—!"
He jerked back immediately, losing his balance and dropping straight onto the ground with a sharp intake of breath.
But his hand didn't move.
Xinyuan's grip on his wrist held firm, unyielding, keeping his palm pressed against his forehead. His other hand slowly dropped away from his ear. "You..."
His gaze sharpened, locked onto Wenzhi's. "…Is this your first time guiding?"
His voice was steadier now.
"…Because I'm a little surprised you made it this far," he continued, tilting his head slightly, studying him. "And yet… you don't know what to do."
He leaned in, his eyes narrowing as they traced the bridge of Wenzhi's nose. "…Freckles."
Lin Wenzhi's face scrunched instantly in disbelief. "…Did you just—"
He stopped himself, a visible cringe passing through his expression.
Of all the things he could call him, he chose freckles?!
Shao Xinyuan appeared calmer and more present, though far from stable, as the still raging storm finally ceased to worsen.
…So a simple touch to the forehead was all it took to anchor him?
"They look like constellations." Xinyuan's words slipped out breathlessly, his eyes still centered on Wenzhi's face.
Lin Wenzhi froze.
Shao Xinyuan's hand lifted, slowly, carefully, as if approaching something fragile. His fingers hovered just short of Wenzhi's cheek.
He hesitated there, his breath catching in his throat. "…Can I touch you?"
Lin Wenzhi's lips parted. That... was not what he expected. "…Huh?"
"…Can I touch you?" Xinyuan repeated, softer now.
There was something strange in his tone that wasn't quite dominance, but rather something closer to restraint.
Lin Wenzhi stared at him for a second, his shoulders dropping as he exhaled. He needed this over with.
"Yeah," he said shortly. "Go ahead."
That was all it took.
Xinyuan's fingers made contact, light and careful, tracing along his cheek as if he were mapping out the scatter of freckles.
Lin Wenzhi shuddered.
It wasn't rough... Wasn't forceful. If anything, it was too gentle.
His lashes trembled slightly as he held Xinyuan's gaze.
Those eyes devoured him, charting Wenzhi's face like a rare discovery worth every second of scrutiny.
Without a word, his gaze fell to his lips.
"…You really don't know what to do…" he murmured.
His thumb shifted, brushing lightly against Wenzhi's lower lip.
He held the touch there, waiting for a flinch that never came. "…Can I kiss you?"
Wenzhi couldn't believe this was happening, yet he parted his lips to answer. "Ye—"
He didn't even get to finish. Shao Xinyuan suddenly crashed his lips against his, pushing him back to the ground. His hand cupped the back of Wenzhi's head, shielding him from the impact, as he immediately deepened the kiss.