Free Web NovelChapter 72: Lollipops
Xinyuan was furious.
Their peaceful little moments had been shattered in an instant by Wu Youran.
Deep down, he already knew this kind of life with Wenzhi was never meant to last.
The world itself was collapsing. Red Zones were spreading. People were dying every day. There was no such thing as permanent peace anymore, especially not for people like them.
Still... For Wu Youran to track them down this quickly. And worse, openly admit that she was the one who shot Wenzhi... Then calmly promise to do it again.
Xinyuan felt something dark twist inside his chest.
He hated it. Not just because of the threat itself. But because the moment that hologram ended, he could already feel the atmosphere around Wenzhi change.
Wenzhi was angry now. Danger only seemed to sharpen him even more than he already was.
That calm excitement in his grey eyes had returned again, the same expression he wore before blowing up the CEA headquarters.
It made Xinyuan realize something very clearly.
Wenzhi did not respond to threats by hiding. He responded with violence.
Xinyuan understood the feeling perfectly. If someone tried hurting them, Wenzhi wanted them dead.
Xinyuan wanted the exact same thing.
A sudden knock echoed through the house.
Xinyuan paused where he stood leaning against the kitchen counter.
The familiar pressure beyond the door made him recognize the visitor immediately.
He walked over and unlocked it.
The moment the door opened, Jiang Zhaohe lifted a bag of drinks in greeting. "Did you check your phone, Shao Xinyuan?"
"No," Xinyuan answered as he stepped aside to let her in. "What happened?"
"Well..." Zhaohe glanced at him knowingly as she walked deeper into the house. "I’m not surprised Wenzhi didn’t tell you. And I’m not surprised you never checked your phone either."
Xinyuan closed the door behind her before following her into the sitting room. "Tell me what?"
Zhaohe dropped onto the couch comfortably, crossing one leg over the other.
"A large rift opened in Sector One last night," she said. "I called Wenzhi because I needed him to wake you up."
Xinyuan’s expression barely changed. "Did you handle it?"
Zhaohe blinked at the immediate question before nodding.
"It released a pack of Devil Lizards. The normal non-mutated type." She leaned back against the couch. "But yeah, we handled it. Other Espers nearby responded quickly too."
A small grin tugged at her lips. "Casualties stayed low."
"That’s good." Xinyuan sat down across from her. "It sounds easier without the CEA constantly breathing down your neck."
Zhaohe snorted.
"Trust me, I still think organized systems work better overall," she admitted. "But doing things on my own terms feels pretty damn good."
A faint smile appeared on Xinyuan’s face. "And your backlash?"
The moment he asked, Zhaohe’s expression shifted. More serious this time.
"I’m stable for now," she answered honestly. "Which is actually one of the reasons I came here."
Her eyes immediately moved around the house. "Where’s your asshole guide?"
Xinyuan stared at her silently.
Zhaohe instantly raised both hands. "Okay, okay. Sorry."
Then she reached into one of the bags beside her. "Oh right. You’ve been asking me to get these for days now."
She tossed a large package toward him.
Xinyuan caught it easily.
Lollipops.
His eyes dropped to the colorful packaging and, unexpectedly, a small genuine smile appeared on his face. "Thank you."
Jiang Zhaohe smiled lazily at him.
"You’re crushing pretty hard on Lin Wenzhi," she teased. "Is he treating you properly? You two have been living well here, right?"
Xinyuan looked away. "He taught me how to cook."
Zhaohe’s eyes widened immediately.
"For real?" she asked in disbelief. "Damn. Can you teach me? Actually no, never mind. I don’t trust you enough to cook for me."
Xinyuan rolled his eyes at the teasing. Then his expression turned more serious. "What about your backlash?"
He knew exactly what she had been avoiding talking about.
Zhaohe sighed and leaned back into the couch once again.
"I handled it," she said casually. "I knew things would get rough without Nuo around, so I stole some of your suppressant stash before leaving."
Her lips curled slightly. "It’s been helping."
Then she looked at him carefully. "I’m down to my last one, Xinyuan. Figure you won’t need yours anymore. Might as well give me whatever you have here."
Xinyuan’s lips parted slightly.
After all, he had Wenzhi now.
"I—" His words stopped abruptly.
Footsteps. A familiar heartbeat.
Xinyuan shook his head.
"No," he said calmly. "I don’t have any left."
Zhaohe looked tense for a moment but nodded anyway.
"I just..." She rubbed her forehead tiredly. "I don’t want to feel like leaving Nuo behind was a mistake."
"You left her there because she’s safer there," Wenzhi said as he walked into the room.
His damp hair framed his face loosely as he dropped onto the couch beside them.
"She didn’t know anything about the plan to fake my death, so she’s safe."
Zhaohe let out a quiet breath.
"I’ll figure something else out," she muttered before looking between the two of them. "So why exactly did Wenzhi call me here?"
"Wu Youran," Wenzhi said immediately. "Does that name sound familiar?"
Zhaohe frowned. "No. Should it?"
"She found us," Wenzhi replied. "The Old Blood knows where we are and I’m pretty sure the CEA knows too."
Zhaohe cursed under her breath.
"...Then they probably know I’m here too," she muttered. "I haven’t exactly been subtle lately."
"We’re done hiding anyway," Xinyuan said quietly.
Both Zhaohe and Wenzhi looked toward him.
"There’s no point anymore." His voice remained calm, but the coldness underneath it was obvious. "Wu Youran admitted she was the one who shot Wenzhi. She plans to kill him next time."
Zhaohe’s expression darkened.
"I still don’t understand something," she admitted slowly. "The CEA wanting Wenzhi alive made sense before. They needed him to stabilize you."
Her brows furrowed. "But now they want him dead too."
She looked genuinely confused now. "And the Old Blood..."
Her voice lowered. "They want to restore the world, don’t they?" frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Her eyes shifted toward Wenzhi. "So why would they want to kill the only guide capable of stabilizing a disaster-class Esper?"
