In the corner of the sunlit room, papers rustled softly as Lin Shuyin flipped through the stack of job listings.
"Here," Chen Yiwei said, circling a line with a pink pen. "Five options. All corporate. All decent pay. Two even come with housing."
Lin Shuyin scanned the highlighted text in silence, her expression unreadable.
Yiwei tilted her head. "Hey… why not apply for something in research? You have, what, two degrees in theoretical physics, one in biochemical engineering, and a postdoc you never even bothered collecting?"
Lin Shuyin gave a soft chuckle, her fingers pausing on a page. "Three, actually."
Chen Yiwei's mouth dropped open. "See? That's insane. You could be in a national lab, designing something to change the world. Why settle for a desk job?"
The smile on Lin Shuyin's lips didn't reach her eyes. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, casually. "I just want to try something different. See the world outside the lab for a while."
Chen Yiwei blinked, then sighed as if it made perfect sense. "Right. Of course. Genius things."
She flopped back on the couch, muttering, "You're spontaneous anyway. You do whatever you like."
But Lin Shuyin's fingers clenched just slightly around the edge of the paper.
She didn't have the luxury to do what she liked. Not anymore.
People like her—brilliant, yes, but born into shadows—had to live carefully. Research needed permanence, security, a name that could stand tall behind each paper.
She had none of that.
Only a past she couldn't outrun and a future she had to rebuild from scraps.
So she smiled again, calm and unbothered. "Let's see if any of these places want a spontaneous genius, then."
Yiwei grinned. "With your face and your brain? They'd be stupid not to."
And just like that, the conversation drifted elsewhere.
But in Lin Shuyin's mind, the silence pressed in louder than ever.
***
In the grand auditorium of Velmor Institute, the final echoes of applause faded as Xu Wenhao stepped off the stage. The International Science Convergence Summit held in Solberg, a fictional country known for its cutting-edge research, had just crowned its highlight moment—his keynote speech.
Dressed in a tailored navy suit, sharp yet understated, Xu Wenhao barely had a second to breathe before he was swarmed by delegates, scholars, and students alike.
"Professor Xu!"
"Dr. Xu, your insight into regenerative biochemistry was phenomenal!"
"What about your last thesis on the universal antiviral drug?"
Xu Wenhao's smile was light, modest. "Ah, that project… It wasn't just me," he said smoothly. "The earliest breakthrough came from someone else. My junior sister."
"Junior sister?" someone echoed with interest.
He nodded. "She made the first major progress. If not for her, we'd still be stuck at theoretical dead ends. Unfortunately, she had to leave the project due to an emergency."
The mention of this mysterious junior sister sparked even more curiosity, but Wenhao effortlessly shifted the topic with elegance, fielding questions with grace and precision. Eventually, the crowd thinned and his assistant ushered him out the back exit.
The sleek car pulled away from the glowing glass walls of Velmor Institute, the excitement of the summit still echoing in the distance. Xu Wenhao leaned back into the leather seat, loosening his tie just as his phone buzzed.
Zhao Wei.
He smiled faintly and answered. "I was wondering when you'd call."
Zhao Wei's voice came through immediately. "Don't give me that. You just finished your rockstar moment, didn't you?"
"I did. I should've charged for autographs." Xu Wenhao chuckled.
"I'd have paid to see you try," Zhao Wei snorted. "You heading back to the hotel?"
"Car just left the institute. Why, you miss me already?"
"Damn right I do. But that's not why I called."
Xu Wenhao's brow lifted. "Go on."
"It's Yanzhou."
Xu Wenhao's posture straightened slightly. "What about him?"
"He actually called me."
Xu Wenhao blinked. "Wait—he called you? Voluntarily?"
"That's what I said! Thought I was hallucinating. But no, Iceberg Supreme graced me with a call."
Xu Wenhao laughed under his breath. "And?"
Zhao Wei muttered. "He asked me to look into someone."
Xu Wenhao leaned forward slightly. "Who?"
"…Lin Shuyin."
A shadow flickered across his eyes the moment the name entered the space between them.
But the shift lasted only a breath.
By the next second, Xu Wenhao was smiling, voice light again. "My junior sister?"
"Yeah. That one. Thought you'd know something. That's why I called."
Xu Wenhao chuckled, masking the tension under his skin. "If I did, would I be asking you?"
Zhao Wei groaned. "True. But strange, isn't it? You're the closest one to her. If it were casual, Yanzhou would've asked you. The fact he didn't…"
"…means it's serious," Wenhao finished, tone sharper now. "That's what I thought too."
There was a beat of silence.
Then Zhao Wei sighed. "Man. I don't know what's going on. Just thought I'd loop you in."
"Appreciated," Xu Wenhao said. "Keep me updated if you hear more."
"Sure thing. I'll try to drag Yanzhou out next time you're in town."
"I'll believe that when I see it."
They exchanged a few light jabs before hanging up.
As Xu Wenhao set the phone aside, the weight behind the name Lin Shuyin lingered in his chest.
A quiet knock on the window broke his thoughts. His assistant leaned in, tablet in hand.
"Sir, your next session starts at seven. Will we be heading back to the venue?"
Xu Wenhao didn't even look up. "Cancel it. We're flying home. Now."
The assistant blinked. "Sir?"
Xu Wenhao's voice left no room for question. "Book the jet. I want to be in Yanjing before morning."