The morning after CEO Shen Rui's birthday, Lin Xie returned to Senzhou Imperial University.
She stepped through the gleaming white gates in silence, her expression unreadable as always. Her gait was precise, her eyes fixed forward. The morning sun spilled across the marble courtyard, but its warmth didn't seem to touch her. Around her, students stared—some openly, some from the corners of their eyes. The whispers followed her like static.
"Is that her?"
"The one from the gala?"
"She was with CEO Shen Rui… did you see the pictures? They looked—"
"Shh, she's right there!"
Lin Xie walked past them all without blinking. Her shoes tapped quietly against the polished floors as she entered her dorm building. No fanfare. No hesitation. She typed in the door code, stepped inside—and was immediately met with the usual tension that greeted her whenever she returned to the room.
Her three roommates looked up.
Ai Wen, the one who always wore oversized glasses and had a surprisingly sharp wit behind her quiet demeanor, paused mid-type. "Wow," she muttered, "I thought she got abducted by a billionaire. Or maybe she's secretly some tech genius in a lab."
Fei Yue, halfway through braiding her hair with glitter clips, blinked. "You're back? Not that we thought you'd disappeared for good, but… we kinda figured you ran off with CEO Shen Rui somewhere."
Lin Xie's face remained unchanged, emotionless as ever.
Lu Xinyi, Zhang Min's cousin and ever the provocateur, snorted. "Please. CEO Shen Rui probably got tired of her. Why else would she be back, walking like she owns the place?"
Ai Wen rolled her eyes. "That's classic Xinyi—always the drama queen."
Fei Yue gave a small smile, clearly not interested in stirring trouble. "Yeah, let her be."
Lin Xie quietly set down her bag and pulled out her laptop, the screen lighting up her face. She began typing rapidly, the clacking keys filling the silence.
Ai Wen nudged Fei Yue. "Ice mode engaged. Ten seconds and not a single blink."
"She looks like she's frozen in time," Fei Yue whispered.
Lu Xinyi crossed her arms, louder this time. "She thinks she's untouchable now that people saw her with CEO Shen Rui. Like she's some kind of royalty."
Lin Xie didn't even glance up. "I am functioning within optimal parameters."
Ai Wen nodded approvingly. "Yep. Ice mode confirmed."
Lu Xinyi sneered. "At least pretend to be human. Stop walking around like you're better than everyone."
Lin Xie's fingers didn't stop moving. "I do not believe I am better than everyone. Only better than you."
The words landed like a cold slap.
Ai Wen burst out laughing and had to hide behind her pillow. Fei Yue gave a silent thumbs up.
Lu Xinyi's cheeks flushed but she didn't respond.
Lin Xie closed her laptop gently and leaned back.
Suddenly, Lu Xinyi huffed. "You know, if you smiled even once, maybe you wouldn't look like a malfunctioning robot."
Lin Xie's reply was sharp. "I am more efficient as I am."
Ai Wen grinned. "Efficiency over emotion. Classic Xie."
Fei Yue laughed softly. "We missed your chaos around here, cold as ice or not."
Lin Xie's fingers hovered over her laptop, her gaze fixed on the lines of code flowing across the screen. Yet behind those unfaltering eyes, there was no flicker of excitement, no trace of warmth. Ai Wen, sitting nearby with oversized glasses sliding down her nose, caught sight of Lin's unchanging expression and couldn't help but smirk. "Hey, Lin, you okay? You've been staring at that thing like it's gonna start talking back any second now."
Fei Yue, twisting a strand of hair between her fingers and carefully fastening a glittery clip, glanced over as well. "Yeah, you've been weirdly quiet all day. We expected you'd be buzzing after CEO Shen Rui's birthday party—especially since everyone else is losing their minds over it."
Lin Xie's lips pressed into a thin line, her fingers still poised above the keyboard. "I am functioning within normal parameters," she said flatly, without looking up.
Ai Wen chuckled softly. "You always say that, but come on, Lin. We know you're more than just circuits and algorithms. There's gotta be something behind that poker face."
Fei Yue leaned back and smirked. "Seriously though, no offense, but you've never told us you could do anything tech-related. We always figured you were that bookworm genius who stuck to theory and barely spoke."
Lin Xie's fingers paused for a fraction of a second, then resumed their rapid dance on the keys. "I am proficient in multiple disciplines."
Ai Wen exchanged a look with Fei Yue, eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Sounds like you're hiding something. Or maybe you just don't want to brag."
Fei Yue laughed lightly. "Well, if you ever feel like sharing, we could definitely use lessons. Like how to make our phones smarter, or, hey, build a robot bodyguard like the one CEO Shen Rui apparently has."
Lin Xie's eyes flicked up sharply, cold and unreadable. "That information is confidential."
Ai Wen raised her hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay, no secrets spilled. We get it."
Lu Xinyi, who'd been leaning against the wall with arms crossed and an unimpressed sneer, suddenly scoffed. "Confidential or not, it's ridiculous. You think just because you had some private meeting with CEO Shen Rui you're special? Newsflash: you're still stuck here, in this dorm, with us peasants."
Lin Xie's gaze cut to Lu Xinyi like a razor. "I do not seek your approval."
Lu Xinyi smirked, clearly amused by Lin's icy tone. "Thought so."
Ai Wen cleared her throat, breaking the sharp atmosphere. "Ignore Xinyi. She's just bitter because she doesn't get invited to fancy CEO parties."
Fei Yue nodded, a teasing grin on her face. "Yeah, Lin's got style—and apparently some secret talents she won't share."
Lin Xie's fingers resumed typing, precise and unhurried. "I am not interested in social validation."
Ai Wen chuckled softly. "Fair enough. But if you ever want a break from the cold calculations and secret missions, you know where to find us."
Fei Yue grinned. "We could teach you how to braid hair without glitter clips."
Lu Xinyi rolled her eyes but there was the faintest trace of a smile on her lips. "Just don't freeze up during the group project."
Lin Xie's lips twitched ever so slightly—nothing close to a smile. "I will submit my work on time."
The room's atmosphere softened as laughter bubbled quietly between Ai Wen and Fei Yue, filling the space with an unexpected warmth. The tension that always seemed to cling to Lin Xie momentarily lifted, though her expression remained as unreadable as ever.
Outside the dorm, the campus buzzed with whispers and rumors about CEO Shen Rui's mysterious guest, the photos from the gala, and all the speculation that followed. But inside the room, Lin Xie found a strange kind of normalcy.
Beneath the surface, though, a quiet calculation ran through her mind—thoughts she carefully concealed. The truth about the robot was hers alone. No one else knew she had built it, or even that she was capable of such things. It was a secret she guarded with the same cold precision she applied to everything.
No emotions betrayed her face—not anger, not pride, not satisfaction. There was only the sharpness in her words, the cold edge in her gaze, and the relentless efficiency of her mind.
And that secret—the unspoken connection between her and CEO Shen Rui—made the rest of the world's noise fade into insignificance.