Chapter 9 : Blank Background

Ren Xiao sat at his study desk, the cold air of his room pressing against his skin like a heavy burden. He hadn't taken the effort to turn on the heater, opting instead for the chill that corresponded with the silence in his head. His fingers lingered over the keyboard of his computer, the soft hum of the device the sole sound occupying the space.

His gaze darted between the screen and the disordered papers on his desk. Nothing really drew his focus—his mind kept drifting back to the discussion with Jian Wei. The comments that hung in the atmosphere had been strange, disconcerting.

"You might not seem to realize this, but you're a great person. "

Ren Xiao scoffed as he leaned back in his chair, arms folded over his chest. "Ha! A great person? " His voice was soft, barely louder than a whisper. "Seems like the funniest joke ever. " He let out a dry laugh, bitter and empty. He understood Jian Wei probably hadn't intended any offense by it, but it still irritated him.

Great person? Who was Jian Wei to label him that? He wasn't someone people referred to as "great," and even less someone who accepted it. Ren Xiao ran a hand through his hair, annoyed with himself for even contemplating it.

Shaking his head, he redirected his focus to the computer. His fingers began to move independently, typing the name that had been creeping into his thoughts for the past several days: Shen Nian.

The search results generated almost instantly. Ren Xiao quickly pored over the screen, his eyes fixing on the basic information displayed:

Name: Shen Nian

Age: 24

Title: Professor at Zhenhua University

Background: Empty.

His brow furrowed. He leaned closer, squinting at the blank area where a biography ought to have been. Empty? That didn't add up. This was the youngest professor at the entire institution, a title that required acknowledgment, even respect, and yet there was no information about him in the records. No indication of his origins, no listed qualifications—nothing at all.

Ren Xiao clicked through several additional pages, hoping to uncover any fragment of information. His irritation grew as each new tab merely reaffirmed what the first had indicated—nothing. There were no interviews, no notable achievements mentioned apart from his age and title. It felt as though Shen Nian had materialized from thin air.

He murmured to himself, still fixated on the screen. "How can it be empty? " His voice expressed disbelief, but a trace of discomfort slipped through, like a shadow crossing the light. What are you concealing, Shen Nian?

A soft sigh escaped his lips as he turned his chair to face the corner of his room. His gaze landed on the iced coffee Jian Wei had given him earlier. It was still there on the edge of his desk, condensation running down the sides of the cup. He hadn't touched it since, but now it seemed to taunt him with its reminder.

"You might not realize this, but you're a wonderful person. " Jian Wei's voice resonated in his mind once more, and he couldn't shake it off. Why had he said that? And what was it supposed to mean? He hadn't considered Jian Wei anything more than a fleeting acquaintance, someone who had entered his life for a short while.

Ren Xiao glanced at the iced coffee and let out a small, bitter laugh. "Wonderful person," he repeated, the words feeling bitter on his tongue. He rubbed his face, attempting to dismiss the thought. The absurdity of it all made him feel foolish.

Yet it wasn't merely the words that disturbed him—it was how Jian Wei had conveyed them, as if he genuinely believed them. It made Ren Xiao feel as though something was required of him. That there was an invisible weight hanging in the air between them that he wasn't meant to recognize, but couldn't disregard.

Rising from his chair, Ren Xiao approached the window and gazed out at the quiet street below. The sky was a dull grey, with clouds hanging low, casting a soft light over the buildings. The outside world appeared muted, nearly surreal in its tranquility.

He turned his head back toward his desk, his eyes flickering back to the computer screen where Shen Nian's name was still flashing on the page. There was something unsettling about it. It didn't add up. Why was there no background? No history? It was as if Shen Nian had been wiped from existence.

Ren Xiao's mind raced as he attempted to understand the oddities. Why hadn't anyone informed him about Shen Nian's background? How could someone like that be permitted to teach at the university with no history, no public records? The more he contemplated it, the more wrong it seemed.

"Who are you, Shen Nian? " Ren Xiao whispered aloud, his voice barely above a murmur. The question felt overwhelmingly significant, but he couldn't suppress it. There was something about the professor that made him feel as if he were standing at the edge of a cliff, gazing into the unknown.

A slight chill ran down his spine as he turned back to his desk. His fingers hovered over the keyboard again, but rather than continuing his search, he exhaled a frustrated breath. "I'm likely just overanalyzing this," he reassured himself. "There's nothing unusual happening here. Perhaps I should just—"

His mind was disrupted by the view of something different—something he hadn't seen earlier. The subtle glint of light on the rim of the iced coffee cup attracted his attention, and he halted. There, in the reflection, he glimpsed something that caused his heart to race—a glimpse of his own face, but something seemed altered. His demeanor, his gaze—they appeared much more fatigued than they had just a while ago. As if he hadn't been resting sufficiently. . . or perhaps as if he were searching for something he wasn't prepared to discover.

Ren Xiao inhaled deeply and shook his head. Wonderful. Now I'm hallucinating. He hurriedly returned to his chair, sitting down as if to detach himself from the thought that had taken root in his mind.

But it was of no use. He couldn't rid himself of the feeling that something was amiss, that this peculiar sense of discomfort had begun to gnaw at him in an unrelenting manner. It wasn't solely Jian Wei's vague comments or the absent context regarding Shen Nian. It was everything converging, pulling him in a direction he didn't completely grasp.

He gazed at the iced coffee once more, the chilled beverage now appearing as a quiet witness to his escalating anxiety. I'm likely just overthinking this. Maybe I'm fatigued. . .

Yet, as he remained there, gazing into the murky recesses of his own thoughts, Ren Xiao understood deep within that he couldn't turn his back on this. Not now. Something—someone—had sparked a flame within him, and he couldn't cease contemplating what it all signified.

With one final glance at the computer display, he rose, his mind still racing with unanswerable questions.

What are you hiding, Shen Nian?