Chapter 94: Empty Part 1

Shen Ruoshuang did not return to the private room where Xu Yinian and Bai Ran were waiting. Was Shen Yi truly the only reason she was running away, or was her mother merely a convenient excuse for her own deep-seated feelings of inadequacy?

Just then, a hand—rough with calluses but filled with a reassuring strength—came down on her head.

It ruffled her hair playfully, deliberately messing up her usually impeccable strands.

“Shuangshuang, don’t cry,” Shen Yun said with mock solemnity.

The moment she felt the hand on her head, Shen Ruoshuang knew it was her Little Aunt. Her cold voice betrayed a rare hint of exasperation. “…Who’s crying?”

Ever since Shen Yun had caught her crying in secret as a child, she had never let her live it down. Even Shen Ruoshuang, who hated appearing vulnerable more than anything, could only take a deep breath and suppress the urge to commit murder.

“Had another fight with that woman? What was it this time? Tell me so I can have a good laugh,” Shen Yun said, making herself right at home. She pulled up a chair and immediately began rattling off a long list of her favorite dishes to a passing receptionist.

Shen Yun was Shen Yi’s younger sister and a marine geologist who spent most of her year traveling the world with various expedition teams.

She was tall, her skin tanned to a healthy wheat color. Her personality was boisterous and casual, with only the thick calluses and scars on her hands and body hinting at the hardships she endured in the field.

She had been a rebel since childhood, particularly clashing with her eldest sister. She never called Shen Yi anything other than “that woman.”

In her college years, fueled by a youthful competitive streak and the frustration of never being able to outshine her genius older sister, she had impulsively switched her major to geology out of spite.

The only reason Shen Ruoshuang had transferred to the remote, backwater town of Yuanwu during her first year of high school was to follow Shen Yun. At the time, Shen Yun had been conducting research on an ancient oceanic lithosphere near the town.

Ignoring her aunt’s prying, Shen Ruoshuang simply asked, “You’re back? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I’m attending a launch ceremony and giving a lecture at X University tomorrow. I wanted to surprise you, so I didn’t say anything beforehand. Honestly, you really are that woman’s daughter—no sense of romance at all.”

Shen Yun had recently been undergoing deep-sea diving training in the Nanyang Archipelago, preparing for her next mission to collect samples from the ocean floor.

“When are you leaving again?”

“Wow, you heartless girl. You just saw me and you’re already trying to kick me out?”

Shen Yun’s exaggerated tone was a calculated move to downplay the danger of her next trip. She knew Shen Ruoshuang worried about her; after all, she was planning to descend 2,500 meters into the depths of the Western Pacific.

“Speaking of which, it pisses me off. Everything was ready, but some other team cut in line for the submersible, using the ‘season’ as an excuse! We have to wait for them to finish their mission and for the submersible to undergo maintenance before it’s our turn. I’ll be stuck in the capital for several months.”

“So, I’ll be working with my professor lately. I’ll be in and out of X University quite often.”

This was undoubtedly good news. Though Shen Ruoshuang was cold on the outside, she was warm within; she didn’t show it on her face, but she was quite attached to her Little Aunt. Only in front of Shen Yun could Shen Ruoshuang truly act like a child.

As the food arrived, the contrast between the sisters became even more apparent. Unlike Shen Yi’s refined and aristocratic manners, Shen Yun was used to roughing it in the wild and had no time for upper-class pretension.

“Your aunt went through all this trouble to come see you. You have to tell me something—either what happened today, or what happened back in Yuanwu.”

The “Yuanwu incident” remained an unsolved mystery to her.

Why had Shen Ruoshuang suddenly demanded to transfer back to the capital in the middle of the term? She had been so determined to leave that she was willing to return to Shen Yi’s cold mockery. On top of that, despite being allergic to cat dander, she had insisted on bringing back a half-dead cat she had found in the freezing cold.

Shen Yun sometimes wondered if Shen Ruoshuang’s mouth was made of iron. How could she keep a secret this well? Three years had passed, and she hadn’t managed to squeeze a single word out of her!

Based on her academic rigor for getting to the bottom of things, Shen Yun’s most logical theory was that Shen Ruoshuang had been in a secret relationship and gotten dumped.

But as reasonable as that theory seemed for anyone else, it felt absurd when applied to the cold, detached Shen Ruoshuang. It was hard enough to imagine anyone dumping her, but it was even more impossible to imagine her falling in love in the first place.

Shen Ruoshuang lowered her lashes, hiding the sudden flicker of intensity in her peach-blossom eyes.

Both incidents were because of one person: Xu Yinian.

Seeing that her niece wouldn’t talk, Shen Yun feigned anger and began barking out conditions.

“Fine! If you won’t tell me, then you’re staying with me tonight! You can help me smooth out the schedule for tomorrow. My lecture is missing a Teaching Assistant anyway. Use that famous ‘Golden Brand’ face of yours to help your aunt boost the attendance rate. Don’t let me lose face.”

Tonight… Shen Ruoshuang thought of Xu Yinian, who was still with Bai Ran, and felt a pang of unease.

But the feeling was quickly replaced by self-deprecation.

Today, Bai Ran was the ultimate winner. She had finally witnessed the total defeat she had been waiting for. Bai Ran was likely busy celebrating and drawing closer to Xu Yinian right now; why would she hurt her?

Moreover, Shen Ruoshuang knew she hadn’t regained her composure. She couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t lose control again if she faced Xu Yinian right now.

“What’s the lecture about?” she asked distractedly.

“It’s a launch ceremony for the Liberal Arts Integrated Experimental Expansion. It has nothing to do with your major.”

Liberal arts?

Shen Ruoshuang’s eyes shifted. She remembered now.