Chapter 11 : Two Possibilities

The soft murmur of voices filled the lecture hall, blending with the scratching of pens on paper and the movement of students shifting in their seats. Ren Xiao sat by the window, his cheek resting on his palm, staring blankly at the sunlight collected on his desk.

The light's warmth did little to comfort him; rather, it appeared to intensify his irritation. Initially, he felt nothing—just a vacant sense of numbness. His mind stirred restlessly, tumbling with disjointed thoughts and feelings he could not articulate.

The sleepless night spent painting clung to him like a shadow. His body felt heavy and sluggish, yet his mind refused to unwind. The earlier itch in his fingers had diminished, leaving a persistent dull ache, but it was not the type of ache that faded over time. An odd, hollow weight remained in his chest, as if something invisible was pressing down on him.

Annoyance pricked him like thorns. He was irritated with himself, with his restless thoughts, and chiefly, with how much space a stranger like Shen Nian had occupied in his mind. What sort of person had no background at all? And why did that even matter to him?

He exhaled forcefully, attempting to dispel the intrusive thoughts. The faint hum of the lecture barely registered in his ears. The professor's voice droned on about some subject, but Ren Xiao couldn't compel himself to care.

Before he could descend further into his spiraling thoughts, a light touch startled him. The sensation was gentle, brushing against his shoulder, but it was enough to rouse him from his stupor. He turned quickly, encountering a familiar face.

Jian Wei stood before him, his signature smile stretching at the edges of his lips. His crimson eyes glimmered faintly in the sunlight filtering through the window.

"Oh wow, I never realized you could be so talented," Jian Wei remarked, flipping through the pages of Ren Xiao's sketchbook that lay haphazardly on the desk.

"Hey! Stop that! " Ren Xiao retorted, reaching to snatch the book, but Jian Wei held it just beyond his reach, his expression playful and unfazed.

From the row ahead, Ling Xia's head appeared, her sleek black hair framing her inquisitive face. Her broad smile only caused Ren Xiao to groan internally.

"Talented? Let me see! " she exclaimed, twisting in her seat for a better look at the sketchbook.

Ren Xiao sighed heavily, dragging a hand down his face. Today was not a day for socializing. He felt depleted, his patience thinner than usual. He lacked the energy to engage with their antics, regardless of how well-intentioned they were.

Ling Xia inched her chair closer, her expression softening as she gazed at him. "Are you okay, Xiao-ge? " she inquired, her tone peculiarly gentle.

Ren Xiao didn't respond immediately. Instead, he allowed his eyes to wander past her, concentrating on the sunlight streaming through the classroom windows. The golden light softened at the edges, resembling the haze of a half-remembered dream.

When Ling Xia nudged him once more, Ren Xiao eventually turned his head to look at her and Jian Wei. His voice emerged quieter than he meant, strained and tinged with an undefined emotion.

"Do either of you have any information about Professor Shen? "

The question lingered in the air for a brief moment. Jian Wei and Ling Xia exchanged astonished looks, their eyebrows raising in unison.

Jian Wei was the first to regain his composure, a sly smile forming on his face. "Oh? I didn't expect you to be interested in professors," he remarked, savoring a slow sip from his iced coffee.

Ling Xia, on the contrary, clapped her hands together with exaggerated excitement. "I had no idea Xiao-ge was into gossip! " she teased, her laughter light and effervescent.

Ren Xiao frowned, his lips forming a thin line. "I'm serious," he muttered, his tone sufficient to cause Ling Xia's smile to waver slightly.

She tilted her head, her expression becoming contemplative. "Well… our professor does appear enigmatic," she stated, her voice adopting a conspiratorial tone. "To begin with, his background info is blank—entirely empty. But he's also one of the youngest professors in the city, so perhaps he just wants to avoid attention? "

Ren Xiao's frown deepened. This wasn't fresh information. It was what he had already discovered online, but it still sat uncomfortably with him.

Jian Wei reclined in his chair, his gaze pensive. "There are two possibilities," he said. "Either there's more to his situation than we realize, or he simply appreciates privacy. "

"Privacy…" Ren Xiao repeated softly. His fingers involuntarily clenched into fists on the desk. That word felt like a flimsy justification. Privacy didn't clarify the emptiness he had sensed while searching for Shen Nian's name, or the peculiar discomfort that lingered in his thoughts whenever the professor came to mind.

Jian Wei shrugged, his tone relaxed. "Whispers say he's always been distantbut warm, but people don't know much else. Why? Are you interested in him? "

Ren Xiao scoffed, but the sound was empty, devoid of its typical sharpness. "No reason," he replied curtly, though even he didn't buy his own words.

Jian Wei shot him a fleeting, knowing glance but didn't push further.

Ling Xia, however, was not easily dissuaded. She leaned in closer, her grin returning with full vigor. "Are you sure? You've got that look like you've uncovered some major mystery! "

Ren Xiao sighed again, the sound heavy with weariness. He leaned back in his chair, allowing his head to rest against the cool glass of the window behind him.

The conversation hummed around him as Ling Xia and Jian Wei shared a few more playful comments, but their phrases hardly registered in his consciousness.

In contrast, his thoughts delved further. Privacy? Mystery? Those terms whirled in his mind like an unresolved query, drawing him into their abyss.

Why was it significant? Why did Shen Nian, an individual he scarcely knew, seem like a riddle he was eager to unravel?

Ren Xiao lacked the solutions. All he understood was that he couldn't dismiss it.

Not yet.