Chapter 15: The Watchers Above

The crisp autumn air carried a biting chill, rustling through the maple trees that lined the walkways of Royal Crest University. Students moved across the sprawling campus, lost in their morning routines—some engrossed in conversation, others hunched over last-minute notes, coffee cups clutched in cold hands.

To an outsider, it was an ordinary morning.

To Lin Yuxi, nothing felt ordinary at all.

She blended into the flow effortlessly, her movements unhurried, her expression as composed as ever. But inside, her thoughts churned like a storm beneath a deceptively calm surface.

The photograph of Yeye with Liu Jian.

The classified government documents.

Azure Veil. Moss Island. Emperion.

The pieces were there, scattered and incomplete, like shards of glass from a shattered mirror. Too many questions. Too many gaps. And Lin Yuxi hated gaps. They were dangerous. They meant vulnerability.

A cool gust of wind tugged at the hem of her blazer, and she pulled it tighter around herself as she walked toward her lecture hall. Her fingers itched to pull out her phone, to cross-reference last night's findings one more time—but she already knew she would find nothing.

She had spent hours combing through every digital trace, every coded signature. Whoever had erased related information had done it with precision. Too precise, in fact.

Her thoughts snapped back to the present as her phone vibrated in her pocket.

She pulled it out, eyes scanning the screen.

Xuan: Jiejie, did you do something suspicious again? Without me??? 😒

Yuxi's brows furrowed slightly. What now?

Her younger brother had a talent for knowing when trouble was nearby—sometimes before she even saw it herself. He had a way of tracking things, of noticing patterns that others missed.

Just as she was about to reply, a voice called out.

"Lin Yuxi."

The name was spoken with cool precision, carrying just enough weight to make her pause.

She turned.

A well-dressed man stood at the entrance of the main administration building, posture impeccable, hands clasped neatly in front of him. His navy-blue suit was crisp, his tie knotted with precision. A Royal Crest faculty ID hung from his blazer, marking him as a university official.

But it was his eyes that caught her attention.

Sharp. Measuring. Not unfriendly, but not casual either.

"The administration requests your presence," he said smoothly.

A faint click echoed in Yuxi's mind, like a puzzle piece sliding into place. This wasn't routine.

She kept her expression neutral. "Is there a problem?"

The man didn't answer directly. His lips pressed into a polite, unreadable line.

"Follow me."

For a fraction of a second, Yuxi considered her options. She could refuse—cause a scene, draw attention. But that wouldn't help. Whoever had orchestrated this had chosen their moment well.

As she stepped forward, her eyes caught a familiar figure nearby—Su Ruoyan, watching from a distance.

Her roommate leaned casually against a pillar, arms crossed, a single brow raised. The look on her face was unmistakable. Already causing trouble?

Yuxi simply smiled, a fleeting curve of her lips, before turning back to the faculty member and stepping inside.

The conference room was a stark contrast to the warmth of the campus outside. The walls were lined with mahogany shelves, filled with thick academic journals and leather-bound books. A large projector screen loomed at the far end, the soft hum of the central AC filling the silence.

At the long polished table, a handful of professors sat with varying degrees of disinterest—or scrutiny.

And among them, Liu Jian.

Yuxi's pulse remained steady, but her mind sharpened like a blade.

She moved carefully, every step measured as she took the seat offered to her.

"Lin Yuxi," Liu Jian finally spoke, his deep voice cutting through the air like a scalpel. "Your name has come up in a security review regarding a missing file from the restricted archives."

For a split second, the world slowed.

A missing file?

She schooled her expression into one of polite confusion, tilting her head slightly, as if processing the accusation. "I'm not sure I understand, Professor."

"The file was accessed last night," another professor explained. "The security footage picked up an individual of your height and built near the research department around the same time."

Yuxi almost laughed. Amateurs.

She had spent years perfecting the art of disappearing. If someone had tried to pin this on her, they either didn't know who they were dealing with—or they wanted to see how she would react.

"That's… strange," she said smoothly. "I was at my apartment last night."

Liu Jian's eyes studied her carefully. But there was no outright accusation in his gaze—only something sharper. Calculation.

He was watching her just as much as she was watching him.

He doesn't believe I stole it.

Which meant—this wasn't just about a missing file.

Yuxi leaned forward slightly. "May I ask what was in this missing document?"

The professors exchanged glances.

Liu Jian's lips twitched in something that wasn't quite a smile. "That's classified."

Of course.

Yuxi exhaled, as if mildly disappointed. "I understand the concern, but I have nothing to do with this. If there's anything I can do to clarify, let me know."

She met Liu Jian's gaze directly.

For a moment, they held each other's stare—two minds engaged in a silent game of chess.

Who would make the first move?

Finally, Liu Jian gave a single nod. "That will be all."

Yuxi stood, smoothing out her blazer with deliberate ease.

As she stepped into the hallway, she allowed herself one thought.

Who the hell is messing now.

Far above, on the rooftop of the Royal Crest building, two figures stood side by side, their silhouettes blending into the deepening shadows.

They watched as Lin Yuxi exited the administration building, her steps calm, her expression unreadable. Completely oblivious to the eyes that followed her every move.

"Aww, look at her," one of them murmured, voice dripping with amusement. "Didn't even look worried."

The other let out a soft chuckle, eyes glinting under the dim light.

"We left just enough clues for them to think it's her…"

"But in reality…"

The second figure raised a hand, a sleek silver key twirling between their fingers, catching the pale light.

"She'll linger in the dark a while longer," the second figure murmured. "The file belongs to our family. And what's stolen must be reclaimed."

They tilted their head, a sly smile playing on their lips.

"Shall we claim her, too? She'd fit so nicely in our little collection."

The wind whispered through the rooftop, swirling around them like a silent witness.

A moment later, both figures turned and slipped away, their identical shadows dissolving into the shifting light and towering spires of Royal Crest.