CHAPTER 36: LOVE RIVAL

Yu Xi’s gaze swept the room. It was immaculate. Every surface gleamed and every object was placed with deliberate care. The space radiated discipline and a quiet, almost reverent pride.

Digital posters lined the walls, each depicting mechs locked in mid-combat, their limbs frozen in kinetic tension, energy blades caught mid-swing.

Above the headboard, an array of blades hung in perfect symmetry. Curved, serrated, ceremonial—each one gleamed under the ambient lighting like a relic from a warrior’s shrine.

The bed at the center of the room was large and perfectly made, the sheets crisp, the pillows aligned with military precision.

To the right, a sleek desk overlooked the estate’s private pool, its surface scattered with tactical reports and a half-disassembled neural interface, wires coiled like veins.

Above the desk, shelves bore trophies and medals, each one a testament to victories in mech battles, psychic duels, and elite sports tournaments. Yu Xi stood still for a moment, absorbing it all. This wasn’t just a bedroom, it was a map of Jian Ci’s life.

Jian Ci sat on the edge of the bed, one leg tucked beneath him, the other swinging in a slow rhythm that matched the quiet hum of the room. His gaze lifted as Yu Xi looked around, his eyes unreadable but softened by something gentle.

"What do you think?" he asked.

He nodded and said, "It’s very nice."

Jian Ci patted the space beside him. "Sit."

Yu Xi hesitated, then crossed the room. The mattress dipped under his weight, the moment intimate in its simplicity. Jian Ci reached into his pocket and pulled out a small packet with soft-colored scrunchies in pastel blues, muted pinks, and gentle creams. He took one out and placed the rest on Yu Xi’s lap with care.

"I bought them for you."

Yu Xi stared at the packet, then at Jian Ci. His heart was racing. It felt light and a little silly, but also completely full of emotion. He never thought he would feel this way. It was a total surprise

. It felt wrong, but so wonderful at the same time.

Jian Ci smiled faintly. "Turn around. Let me tie your hair up."

Yu Xi turned, his shoulder-length hair falling forward like silk. The smile he had been holding back broke through, soft and radiant, as Jian Ci’s fingers reached gently for the strands.

His fingers moved through Yu Xi’s hair with slow, deliberate care. Each motion was reverent, as though the strands were sacred threads he dared not rush. He gathered them with quiet precision, tying them into a half-up, half-down style that felt both elegant and effortless.

His touch lingered. It was not possessive, but curious and gentle. From the soft concentration on his face, it was clear he was enjoying the act, immersed in the moment.

Yu Xi closed his eyes briefly, letting the warmth settle in his chest. The room around him, the blades on the wall, the trophies, the flickering posters, blurred into insignificance. All that remained was Jian Ci’s touch, and the quiet intimacy it carried.

"Done," Jian Ci said, his voice light. He pointed toward the walk-in closet. "Do you want to take a look?"

Yu Xi smiled. "Let me see your masterpiece."

Jian Ci struck a theatrical pose. "It is truly a masterpiece."

Yu Xi stepped into the closet and faced the mirror. His reflection stared back. His hair was tied with care and his eyes were softer than he remembered. But something else caught his attention.

Mounted beside the mirror was a sleek, high-resolution digital poster, framed in a subtle glow. It depicted a female mech pilot mid-stride, her armor gleaming with battle-worn elegance.

She bore the insignia of a high-ranking guide, the kind whose psychic resonance could stabilize entire squads in the chaos of war.

Her hair was long and dark, braided over one shoulder like a banner of midnight. The armor she wore clung to her frame with engineered precision. It was matte black with silver accents that caught the ambient light like starlight shining on something dark and smooth.

It wasn’t just protective. It was ceremonial, a statement of power and poise. She stood mid-stride, one hand resting on the hilt of a psi-blade, the other raised as if issuing commands through a neural link, her posture radiating authority.

Her face was entrancing. Sharp, symmetrical features framed by the braid, but softened by a gaze that seemed to pierce through the screen and into the soul.

Her eyes were a deep, impossible shade like dusk caught in crystal, haunting and magnetic. Her lips were parted slightly, as if caught mid-breath, mid-thought.

Her beauty wasn’t just beauty. It was gravity. The kind that made young men blush and old warriors pause.

Yu Xi stared, his chest tightening with something irrational and fierce. Jealousy. He wanted to tear the poster down, destroy it, erase it but he knew he couldn’t.

Jian Ci’s voice broke the silence. "She was the youngest guide to stabilize a collapsing psi-core mid-battle. She saved an entire division."

Yu Xi turned, startled. "She’s... impressive."

Jian Ci stepped beside him, eyes still on the poster. "She is what I imagine my future wife would look like."

Yu Xi’s heart sank, the ache sharp and sudden, like a blade drawn quietly across hope.

He looked back at the glowing poster, its light casting a faint halo around the mech pilot’s poised figure. "Have you met her before?" he asked, forcing a casual tone. "You could try asking her on a date."

The words tasted sour, bitter even, as they left his mouth.

"No," Jian Ci said, too quickly. Then, quieter, almost sheepish, "She’s... how can I explain it... out of my league, sort of. The Espers she has been involved with are all accomplished, serious types. But she is still my goddess."

Yu Xi didn’t respond. He couldn’t. The ache in his chest was already too much. He turned and walked back into his bedroom, the air suddenly heavier. Jian Ci followed, undeterred.

"Do you like it?" he asked, gesturing to Yu Xi’s hair.

"It’s nice," Yu Xi said, but his voice was flat, the words hollow.

"You are lying. You don’t really like it."

"No, it’s really nice," Yu Xi replied, reaching for a t-shirt. "I’m just... thinking about something."

Jian Ci tilted his head. "If you want to offload your worries, I am all ears."

Yu Xi hung the shirt in the closet, then said, "I am just curious what it’s like... driving a mech."

It was a clean deflection, and it worked. Jian Ci’s eyes lit up.

"Oh, it’s amazing," he said, launching into an animated explanation of neural sync ratios, cockpit feedback loops, and psi-core harmonics.

As they folded and sorted clothes, Yu Xi listened, nodding along. The ache in his chest didn’t vanish, but Jian Ci’s voice, bright and eager, dulled its edges. For now, that was enough.