Late at night, Gu Yue was the only one left in the studio. The lights stretched her shadow long against the wall covered in design drafts. She rubbed her aching eyes and refocused on the holographic blueprint before her—the left-arm Battle Armor component for Yue Zhengyu. Pale gold metal plates interlocked in an intricate pattern, faint Soul Power circuits flowing along their edges.
Caffeine pulsed through her veins, but her mind had become like a sponge saturated with water, heavy and unable to squeeze out even a shred of inspiration. This was already her seventh cup. The electronic clock on the wall read 3:47 a.m., and there were less than thirty minutes left before that bastard Yue Zhengyu's customary "progress check."
At the thought of Yue Zhengyu, Gu Yue felt an itch in her back teeth. That guy always acted as though everything were only natural, showing up at the studio door promptly at four in the morning in that flashy white formal suit of his. There was something focused and strangely intense in his expression whenever he inspected her blueprints.
Every time, Gu Yue had to use all her strength to keep her fists hidden in her sleeves. Star Silver Steel... At the thought of that extortion-like compensation payment, all her anger could only turn into a stifled grunt in her throat and harsher strokes of her pen across the blueprint.
She reached for her coffee cup and discovered it was empty. The trash can beside her was crammed with crumpled coffee packets, like withered dark-brown flowers. Sighing, she dug the last packet of instant coffee from the back of a drawer, poured it directly into her mouth, and dry-chewed it. The bitter powder clung to her throat, bringing a sharp burst of wakefulness.
I can't sleep. If I sleep, I won't be able to hand in the revised blueprint tomorrow morning. That bastard will find another excuse to nitpick and make me compensate him with Star Silver Steel.
She bent over the workbench again and picked up her soul-guided design pen. Its tip moved over the light screen, adjusting Soul Power channels precise to the micron. She had to make the energy circulation more balanced, make every molecule of the metal vibrate in harmony while bearing immense Soul Power. She was not making ordinary armor; this was One-Word Battle Armor, and it could not tolerate the slightest flaw—though Yue Zhengyu's smug face often made dark impulses rise in her, tempting her to design him a "little surprise" that occasionally leaked electricity.
Time slipped away soundlessly beneath her pen and within the gradually perfected design. The darkness outside the window slowly thinned, revealing a hint of crab-shell blue. When the electronic clock flipped to four o'clock sharp, there was a punctual knock on the studio door.
"Knock, knock-knock."
The rhythm was steady, the force moderate—just as irritating as ever.
Gu Yue took a deep breath, suppressing the dizziness and irritability brought on by staying up all night, and said as evenly as she could, "Come in."
Yue Zhengyu pushed open the door, bringing in a trace of cool morning air. He was still wearing that immaculate white formal suit, his blond hair meticulously groomed. There was no sign of sleeplessness on his face, and his pale golden eyes were as clear as an autumn sky. His gaze first fell upon Gu Yue's bloodshot eyes and the pile of empty coffee packets by her hand. It lingered there for half a second before he walked straight to the central workbench.
"Gu Yue." There was a trace of concern in his voice. "Do you really have to push yourself this hard? I'm not forcing you to finish it in these few days. You haven't slept for days."
If you weren't so picky, would I be like this? Gu Yue thought, but she lacked the energy to argue. She merely brought up the completed three-dimensional blueprint. The intricate structure slowly rotated across the light screen, every detail clearly displayed. Simulated streams of Soul Power ran smoothly through their designated circuits, glimmering with steady, efficient pale golden light.
Yue Zhengyu leaned closer and examined it with exceptional care. From time to time, his fingers tapped the air, enlarging a particular section as he inspected the connections between soul-guided circuits, the stress distribution of the metal structure, and the buffering design of the energy nodes. The laboratory was so quiet that only the faint hum of machinery remained.
This time, he looked for a very long while.
So long that Gu Yue almost thought he was brewing up another lengthy round of criticism, and her heart sank heavily in her chest.
"It's good." His voice carried a hint of excitement.
Gu Yue froze, unable to react for a moment. Just like that... it passed? No nitpicking? No demand for her to redraw it for the thirty-eighth time?
Yue Zhengyu seemingly had no intention of waiting for her response. He walked to the side of the workbench, took out a portable soul-guided storage disk, plugged it into the interface, and began downloading the complete design data. Only after finishing did he look at Gu Yue again, his gaze sweeping over the dark circles beneath her eyes and the overflowing coffee packets in the trash can.
"Now, you'd better get some sleep. You only get one life. If you work yourself to death, Boss will cry himself to death." Yue Zhengyu's voice was concerned, but it still sounded eminently punchable to Gu Yue.
With that, he put away the storage disk, turned, and headed out. The hem of his white formal suit traced a crisp arc behind him.
The door closed softly, and the studio returned to silence, leaving Gu Yue alone once more.
She stood there blankly for several seconds, then suddenly let her shoulders slump and released a long, long breath. The foul air that had been trapped in her chest, mixed with anxiety, anger, exhaustion, and caffeine, finally seemed to find an outlet.
She staggered over to the small, hard temporary folding bed nearby. Without even taking off her shoes, she collapsed onto it. The instant her head touched the pillow—really just a cloth bag stuffed with old clothes—her heavy eyelids seemed drawn shut by magnets and would not open again.
Before her consciousness fully sank into darkness, she thought hazily, That bastard Yue Zhengyu... was that last remark him showing concern? Or was he just afraid there'd be no one left to work if I died?
Forget it. Who cared?
No matter how big it was, it could wait until she woke up.
After sleeping until evening, it was time for dinner.
Gu Yue sat in a chair in the corner of the cafeteria. The plate of stir-fried greens before her was nearly free of oil, the pale green vegetables neatly arranged on the tray. She slowly picked up a stalk and put it into her mouth, but it tasted like wax. The cafeteria lighting was somewhat dim, casting a small shadow over her quiet face. She ate attentively, yet seemed to be doing so only to complete the task of eating, with little emotion in her eyes.
Just then, familiar noisy voices came from the cafeteria entrance. Tang Wulin and Xie Xie entered one after the other, still arguing about something as their voices drew nearer. Tang Wulin spotted Gu Yue at once, along with the meager plate of food before her. His steps halted, and his brows unconsciously furrowed. Following his gaze, Xie Xie curled his lips and muttered softly, "Vegetables again? Doesn't she get sick of them?"
Tang Wulin ignored Xie Xie and walked straight to Gu Yue's table. Gu Yue raised her head and looked at him calmly. Seeing her clear yet unruffled eyes, the faint ache in Tang Wulin's heart inexplicably surged up. He pointed at the plate of vegetables and lowered his voice. "Gu Yue, that's all you're eating?"
Gu Yue nodded without speaking.
"The snack street outside the academy opened today," Tang Wulin said, his voice carrying a coaxing note he did not even notice himself. "It's really lively. Want to go take a look? It'll definitely taste better than this."
The fingers holding Gu Yue's chopsticks tightened slightly. She should have refused, but looking at Tang Wulin's bright, expectant eyes, as well as Xie Xie's helpless expression behind him that said, Here we go again, the refusal on her lips turned into a very slight nod. Even she was a little surprised.
Tang Wulin's eyes immediately curved, and his smile was dazzlingly bright. He almost immediately reached out and took Gu Yue by the wrist, her skin cool to the touch. "Let's go!" he called back to Xie Xie. "Xie Xie, keep up!"
Xie Xie rolled his eyes and resignedly followed, muttering under his breath, "Boss only has eyes for Gu Yue. He's practically forgotten this brother of his beyond the clouds."
The three of them left the academy and turned two street corners before a tide of bustling voices and mouthwatering aromas washed over them. The snack street blazed with lights, stalls of every kind lined up along both sides. Skewers sizzled on iron grills, and the sweet fragrance of roasted chestnuts mingled with the spicy scent of mala tang and the doughy aroma of jianbing, stirring up everyone's appetite.
Gu Yue was momentarily stunned by the steaming, lively scene, and her steps slowed. But Tang Wulin had already enthusiastically rushed to a candied hawthorn stall, bought the biggest and reddest skewer, then turned and held it out to her. "Try it. It's sweet."
Then he pulled her through the crowd to a grilled squid stall and ordered a spicy serving of squid tentacles. Turning around, he bought freshly fried, golden-crisp chicken cutlets. When he spotted a milk tea stand, he immediately ordered a warm milk tea with full sugar and pearls, stuffing it into Gu Yue's other free hand. His own hands were quickly filled with paper bags and bamboo skewers as well.
"These takoyaki are really authentic. Take a bite."
"Red bean cakes! They just came out of the oven, so be careful, they're hot."
"Osmanthus cake. It smells wonderful. You'll definitely like it."
Tang Wulin was like the most attentive errand runner, constantly buying things and placing them in Gu Yue's hands for her to try. His eyes never left her face, watching every subtle change in her expression. Whenever her eyes widened a little, he immediately asked, "Is it good?" Whenever she nodded softly, his smile grew even brighter.
At first, Gu Yue was still somewhat restrained, tasting everything in small bites. But soon, her taste buds were bombarded by all sorts of novel, intense flavors, and Tang Wulin kept pressing food into her hands without giving her a chance to refuse. She could only hold the warm milk tea tightly in her left hand and a still-dripping fried skewer in her right, taking a bite from one side and a taste from the other. The crisp sweetness of candied hawthorn, the fresh, spicy chewiness of squid tentacles, the savory tenderness beneath the crispy fried chicken crust, the rich smoothness of milk tea... all kinds of flavors intertwined. It was a simple happiness belonging to ordinary people, one she had not experienced in a very, very long time. Her cheeks puffed out slightly as she ate, and a little sauce and sugar crumbs accidentally clung to the corners of her mouth. Her usually cool, expressionless face, warmed by yellow lamplight and food-scented steam, unexpectedly took on a vivid, almost greedy air.
Xie Xie trailed behind them with only a grilled sausage Tang Wulin had casually shoved into his hand. Watching Tang Wulin circle around Gu Yue, fussing over her, introducing one food after another and letting her try them, completely leaving him out, the sour jealousy in his heart was practically bubbling over. He took a vicious bite of his sausage and chewed hard, glaring at the intimate—at least in his eyes—backs of the two people ahead. He angrily kicked a small stone with the tip of his shoe and complained under his breath, "Choosing women over friends! Forgetting friendship at the sight of a pretty face! Tang Wulin, you heartless bastard!"
Unfortunately, his complaints were completely swallowed by the noisy crowd and cheerful vendors' calls. The two ahead, one focused on feeding and the other on tasting, neither turned back to pay him any attention.
Gu Yue finally finished the last takoyaki in her left hand and the last skewer of meat in her right, then licked her lips in satisfaction. She had also drunk more than half her milk tea. Raising her head, she looked at Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin was smiling at her, his eyes bright as though they held every light along the street. He reached out and naturally wiped away an inconspicuous smear of oil from her cheek with the pad of his thumb.
"Are you full?" he asked.
Gu Yue looked at him and gave a soft "Mm." At that moment, her stomach was full, her palms were warm, and some place in her heart that had long been empty seemed to be quietly filled by this noisy, flavorful night. She looked exactly like a little beast that had been fed delicious food, temporarily putting away all her thorns and coldness, appearing a little dazed yet content. And Tang Wulin was the one patiently feeding her.
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