Lin Yuexin quickened her pace the moment they left the man behind.
She wasn't running, simply wanted to put as much distance as possible between herself and the mysterious man they had just met. Unfortunately, no matter how fast her feet moved, her thoughts refused to stay behind.
Tang Meiling and Wenxi followed a few steps behind, exchanging puzzled glances.
Watching Yuexin walk away with such determination, Meiling couldn't help finding the whole situation amusing.
"There she goes again," she muttered with a helpless smile. "He's nowhere near us anymore."
Yuexin didn't even bother turning around. "That's exactly what makes him suspicious."
Her answer came so naturally that both girls stared at her for a moment before letting out quiet laughs.
Wenxi, however, wasn't laughing.
Unlike Meiling, she had been paying close attention to the man's expression since they met. The familiarity in his eyes hadn't looked fake. It was the kind of look people wore only after meeting someone they genuinely remembered.
"There's something strange about him," Qin Ruo said thoughtfully. "He spoke as though the two of you had known each other for years."
Those words finally slowed Yuexin's footsteps.
She stopped beneath the shade of a large maple tree, gently folding her arms while searching her memory once again. The result was still the same.
Nothing.
"I've been thinking about that too," she admitted. "But I honestly can't remember meeting someone like him."
Seeing Yuexin so serious, a mischievous smile slowly appeared on Tang Meiling's face. Her best friend had always been confident in her memory.
Perhaps...
"Well," Meiling began innocently, "your memory isn't exactly flawless."
Yuexin narrowed her eyes.
"...Why do I suddenly feel attacked?"
Instead of answering directly, Meiling simply smiled wider.
A certain embarrassing memory from high school had resurfaced in her mind.
Back then, Yuexin had spent months secretly admiring a handsome senior. She knew everything about him—his name, his class, even the club he belonged to.
Then, one afternoon, fate finally gave her the perfect chance to meet him outside the school in a nearby Cafe.
And... She walked straight past him without recognizing him.
The moment the memory was mentioned, Yuexin froze. A deep blush spread across her cheeks almost instantly.
"Can we pretend that never happened?"
"Unfortunately," Meiling replied with a laugh, "some memories deserve to be preserved forever."
Even Wenxi, who rarely joined in teasing others, couldn't stop herself from smiling.
Yuexin let out a defeated sigh. There was no escaping from that story. It had become one of Meiling's favorite weapons whenever she wanted to embarrass her. After laughing for a while, Meiling finally calmed down. She looked back toward the direction they met the mysterious man before speaking in a much softer voice.
"Jokes aside..."
"He really was handsome."
This time, Yuexin didn't deny it. She quietly replayed the brief encounter in her mind. The strange man's calm smile. His warm eyes.
The strange familiarity in the way he had looked at her—as though they had met long before today.
"...I guess he was."
The answer escaped almost unconsciously. Neither Meiling nor Qin Wenxi teased her again. Instead, they simply exchanged a meaningful smile before continuing their walk together.
A brief silence settled over the group as they continued walking beneath the rows of maple trees.
The teasing had finally come to an end, yet Yuexin's thoughts remained behind, lingering on the mysterious young man they had met only moments ago.
After a while, she spoke almost absentmindedly.
"Though..." She hesitated. "He looked a little older."
Qin Ruo let out a quiet chuckle.
"So you noticed."
Yuexin shot him an annoyed glance before instinctively looking back over her shoulder. The street behind them was already empty. That man was long gone. Even so, the strange feeling in her heart refused to disappear.
She couldn't explain what she was feeling. It wasn't fear nor was it curiosity alone. It was simply... unfamiliar.
"...Something about him felt strange."
Her voice was so soft that it sounded more like she was speaking to herself than to the others.
The comment lingered in the air, unanswered. Then, without warning, Qin Ruo stopped walking.
His sudden halt caught the attention of both girls. Meiling blinked.
"What happened?"
Qin Ruo didn't answer immediately.
His brows gradually drew together as though he had just remembered something extremely important.
"...The project."
Yuexin looked at him blankly. "...What project?"
"The anomaly-detection simulation."
The moment those words left his mouth, realization spread across the group one face after another.
Meiling's expression froze. "...Tomorrow."
Qin Ruo gave a helpless nod. "It's due tomorrow."
The peaceful atmosphere they had been enjoying vanished almost instantly. Meiling covered her face with one hand.
"We're finished..."
"It's only an intermediate project," Qin Ruo said, trying to sound optimistic. "Second-year level."
Yuexin looked at him with deadpan eyes.
"Then why does it feel like we're in huge trouble?"
Neither of them answered. Instead both Qin Ruo and Meiling slowly turned toward her.
Yuexin suddenly felt an unpleasant sense of déjà vu.
"...Why are you both looking at me like that?"
Meiling folded her arms. "Because few days ago..." She smiled sweetly with an annoyed face.
"...you were the one who said, 'Let's relax today. We can finish it later.'"
Yuexin opened her mouth to defend herself. Nothing came out. After a long pause, she raised one finger with complete seriousness.
"...In my defense... I have no defense."
A weary sigh escaped Qin Ruo.
"We should head to the net cafe after class," Wenxi suggested calmly. "We'll probably need a few hours to finish everything."
No one objected.
Yuexin could only sigh in defeat.
"...Fine."
Then another thought crossed her mind.
"Oh right..."
"I don't even have my phone anymore."
She looked toward the sky with a mixture of frustration and resignation.
"If anything goes wrong today... I'm blaming that cat."
The others couldn't help laughing. The lighthearted mood returned for only a brief moment before reality caught up with them once again. Without another word, the three unconsciously picked up their pace.
The city carried on around them as if nothing had happened.
Pedestrians came and went, conversations drifted through the streets, and the gentle rustling of leaves blended with the distant sounds of traffic. A light breeze swept past, carrying a handful of maple petals through the air. One landed briefly in Yuexin's hair before quietly slipping away.
The three continued walking in comfortable silence.
Then, without warning, Yuexin stopped. The sudden halt caught both Meiling and Qin Ruo off guard, forcing them to stop as well.
"What is it?" Meiling asked, puzzled.
Yuexin didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she slowly turned around and looked back toward the direction they had come from. Her eyes wandered aimlessly for a moment before suddenly widening, as though an important memory had finally surfaced.
"...I forgot to ask his name."
A gentle breeze drifted between the four of them.
Qin Ruo looked genuinely confused. "Whose name?"
"The man from earlier." Yuexin sighed.
Yuexin lowered her head and let out another sigh. "He said he'd compensate me."
The moment those words left her mouth, both Meiling and Qin Ruo instantly understood.
Neither of them spoke. They simply looked at Yuexin with identical expressions.
Qin Ruo eventually broke the silence. "So... this is about the money."
Yuexin didn't even try to deny it. A replacement phone wasn't exactly cheap.
Just as she was silently calculating how much money she would have to spend, Qin Ruo calmly added another observation.
"You never asked for his contact information either."
Yuexin froze. The color slowly drained from her face.
"..."
"... I ..."
She opened her mouth before quietly closing it again.
Tang Meiling watched her best friend quietly mourn the loss of both a phone and its would-be sponsor before letting out a helpless laugh.
Yuexin clutched a hand over her chest as though she had just suffered a devastating blow.
"...Wonderful."
She let out a long, exaggerated sigh. "I think this is officially the beginning of my villain origin story."
Tang Meiling couldn't hold back her laughter.
"You're unbelievable."
"Think about it," Yuexin continued dramatically. "First a cat destroys my phone. Then I lose the person who promised to compensate me. And now I'm the one paying for everything."
She looked toward the sky as if questioning fate itself.
"Does the universe have something against me?"
The complaint was ridiculous enough that even Qin Ruo smiled faintly. After the laughter gradually faded, Meiling looked at her friend with a puzzled expression.
"But why are you worrying so much over a phone?"
She shrugged casually.
"Just tell your mother what happened. I'm sure she'll buy you another one. Besides, you've definitely backed up all your data."
This time Yuexin didn't answer immediately. The playful smile on her face slowly disappeared as her footsteps unconsciously slowed.
A gentle breeze swept through the street, stirring the loose strands of her hair.
"The thing is..."
Her voice had become noticeably quieter.
"A few days ago... I argued with my mom."
Neither Meiling nor Qin Ruo interrupted. Yuexin lowered her gaze toward the pavement.
"She said I wouldn't last a month living away from home."
A faint smile appeared on her lips, though it carried more stubbornness than amusement.
"That without my family, I'd eventually come running back because I couldn't take care of myself."
She gently clenched her hand. "So I made up my mind."
When she looked up again, the hesitation in her eyes had disappeared.
"I'm not asking my family for help anymore. I'll replace the phone myself. I'll solve my own problems. And I'll prove that I can stand on my own."
There was no dramatic declaration.
Qin Ruo glanced at her before speaking in his usual calm tone.
"So..."
"The sheltered child has finally decided to grow up."
Yuexin puffed out her cheeks.
"Could you make that sound a little less insulting?"
Meiling laughed softly.
"For what it's worth... I think it's a good goal."
The conversation gradually came to an end as the three continued toward the academy.
By the time they reached the main avenue, the city had fully awakened.
Students hurried past in every direction. Cafes overflowed with customers beginning their day, while trains glided silently above the streets, disappearing between towering buildings wrapped in shimmering spiritual barriers. Conversations, footsteps, and the distant hum of the city blended into a familiar rhythm that made Xuanjing feel alive.
For a brief moment everything seemed perfectly ordinary.
Then they reached the academy plaza.
"...That's unusual." Meiling instinctively slowed her pace.
The square before the entrance to Xuanjing Academy of Arcane Science was far more crowded than usual. Students had gathered in groups instead of heading to class, their attention fixed on the enormous projection floating above the center of the plaza.
Curious whispers rippled through the crowd.
"What happened?"
"Did something occur overnight?"
"Is that an emergency broadcast?"
Qin Ruo narrowed his eyes before pointing toward the projection.
"The main screen. ...It only activates for important announcements."
Suspended high above the plaza, a massive translucent display shimmered into existence. Its glass-like surface rippled gently as countless streams of glowing data raced across it. Symbols, diagrams, and spiritual formulas flashed by in rapid succession before gradually organizing themselves into a stable broadcast.
No one found the sight unusual. Not in Xuanjing.
Here, technology and Ling Shu had evolved side by side for generations. Machines were powered by spiritual circuits. Artificial intelligence analyzed ancient formations. Modern science and forgotten mysticism no longer stood apart.
They had become two halves of the same civilization.
The massive projection above the plaza flickered once before stabilizing, replacing the flowing streams of data with a live broadcast.
A composed voice echoed across the square.
"...Recent developments surrounding the Mingxuan Network continue to attract widespread attention, particularly with the rise of one of its youngest leading figures."
At first, Yuexin paid little attention.
Announcements like these were common at Xuanjing Academy. Most students listened for a few seconds before returning to their own business.
She was about to do the same. Then the screen changed. A familiar figure appeared.
Yuexin's footsteps came to an abrupt halt. "...No way."
The quiet murmur escaped her lips before she even realized she had spoken. Tang Meiling followed her gaze toward the enormous projection.
"What is it?"
Yuexin slowly raised her hand, pointing at the man standing on the screen.
Qin Ruo narrowed his eyes. "The owner of the cat."
The enormous projection displayed the young man with remarkable clarity.
Gone was the casual appearance he had worn earlier.
Dressed in a tailored black coat embroidered with subtle silver patterns, he stood before an audience with effortless composure. Behind him floated several unfamiliar emblems—symbols formed from intertwining spiritual circuits and geometric sigils. They belonged neither to the government nor to any of the major corporations recognized by the public.
Instead...
They represented Mingxuan.
A name that had quietly risen over the past few years until it became impossible to ignore.
The announcer's voice continued.
"Since its establishment, the Mingxuan Network has expanded across multiple sectors, including urban security, spiritual technology, and anomaly regulation."
A ripple of discussion spread through the surrounding students.
"Anomaly regulation?"
"I've heard of that department."
"Isn't that where they investigate unexplained incidents?"
Qin Ruo folded his arms thoughtfully.
"Irregular phenomena," he explained. "Events that fall outside the known principles of science and Ling Shu."
The broadcast shifted entirely to the young man. His expression remained calm, his posture unwavering. There was no trace of arrogance in his demeanor but only quiet confidence.
"Unstable variables cannot be ignored," he said, his voice steady enough to silence even the restless crowd. "Whether they originate from technological failure... or from forces beyond our current understanding."
He paused briefly.
"They must first be understood. Only then can they be resolved."
The plaza grew noticeably quieter. Even those who had only intended to pass by found themselves listening.
"Control," he continued, "is not about restricting progress."
His eyes remained fixed ahead. "A civilization that loses its balance... will eventually collapse beneath its own achievements."
The final sentence lingered in the air long after his voice faded.
Yuexin remained staring at the projection.
"...Why does he sound like the final boss of a sci-fi movie?"
Meiling couldn't help laughing. "I was thinking the same thing."
The projection shifted once again.
Maps of the eastern districts unfolded across the screen, followed by countless streams of data, fluctuating spiritual readings, and intricate patterns that pulsed like living veins beneath the city's surface.
Qin Ruo finally checked the time and let out a quiet sigh.
"As fascinating as this is..."
He looked at the two girls.
"We're still students. And our project isn't going to finish itself."
Reality struck them with merciless precision.
The three turned and continued toward the academic buildings, their conversation gradually fading into the countless voices filling the campus.
Behind them, the broadcast slowly reached its conclusion.
One by one, the images disappeared. Until only a single frame remained. The young man stood silently against the pale glow of the screen.
For the briefest of moments...
His calm gaze seemed almost alive. Then, just as quietly as it had appeared... the image vanished.