The epiphany of the iceberg
After Jiang Chen left Lin Wanxing's world, Su Xiao also completely disappeared from Lu Ziang's world.
At first, Lu Ziang didn't feel that this was any different from before. He still strictly followed the life of going back and forth between the hospital and the dormitory, with surgeries, ward rounds, and research, his schedule packed tightly. He even felt that his ears were much quieter, those "ineffective" social messages and sudden "chance encounters" had finally stopped, which was in line with his pursuit of efficiency.
But soon, an indescribable sense of unease began to creep through him like a subtle electric current, intermittently disturbing his highly focused nerves.
This anomaly is not reflected in cold, hard data, but rather permeates the cracks of life.
On his way home from work, he would unconsciously slow his pace as he passed the alley behind the hospital, his gaze sweeping over the corner with the brand-new stainless steel cat food bowl. Occasionally, cats would be there, but the vibrant figure who once crouched there, speaking softly to the stray cats, was gone. The alley felt eerily deserted.
As he passed by the pediatric ward, hearing the children playing, he would subconsciously look towards the activity room. It was still lively there, but the volunteer who could easily blend in, lead the children in games, and whose cheerful laughter was missing was gone.
The head nurse once casually remarked, "Miss Su hasn't been here for a while, and Xuanxuan is still talking about her magic wand." He simply nodded slightly, but his heart felt as if it had been gently bumped by something.
One night, after a complex emergency rescue, he felt a familiar weariness. He instinctively picked up his phone, his fingertips swiping across the screen as if searching for something to briefly distract him, but ultimately just locked the screen, staring blankly at his reflection in the darkness. He belatedly realized that he seemed to be unconsciously searching for the profile picture of the person who used to send him trivial, even somewhat "noisy," messages when he was exhausted.
Even more noticeable was Qin Yu. Since that incident in the garden, she had been appearing around him much more frequently. She always came with a perfectly timed reason—discussing project details, asking professional questions, or simply "on the way" bringing him a cup of coffee. Her demeanor remained impeccable, her words still professional, but the deliberately cultivated familiarity and the occasional attempts to cross the line of normal social distance made Lu Zi'ang feel an instinctive discomfort.
He began to observe closely. He discovered that Qin Yu seemed to have an unusual understanding of his schedule, and their several "chance encounters" seemed almost too precise. In conversation, she would seemingly unintentionally mention Su Xiao, using light words but always with a subtle sense of belittling, defining Su Xiao's previous pursuit as "unreasonable entanglement" and "disruption that didn't conform to his world's logic." She would even display an ambiguous attitude towards him in front of other colleagues, suggesting a relationship that was not quite ordinary.
These details, taken individually, may seem insignificant, but when strung together, they point to a clear conclusion: Qin Yu was intentionally and systematically eliminating what she perceived as "potential interference" and attempting to build an exclusive and close connection between them. The methods she used were not based on academic or professional resonance, but rather on calculated maneuvering.
Lu Ziang's brows furrowed deeper and deeper. He loathed this indirect, opaque, suggestive, and manipulative way of interacting. It ran counter to his principles of straightforward and logical communication.
He thought of Su Xiao. Her affection was blatant, clumsy yet passionate, like the midday sun in summer—perhaps scorching, but never hidden. Her care, even if he considered it "inefficient," was always genuine. She never tried to distort the facts or exploit information asymmetry to achieve her goals.
A stark contrast formed in his mind. On the scales of reason, Su Xiao's "truth" and Qin Yu's "falsehood" were clearly superior.
The scene in the garden that day replayed in his mind, with a completely new interpretation. Qin Yu's sudden appearance, that forceful, almost kidnapping-like hand-holding, and those seemingly defusing but actually defining words... none of it was a coincidence, but a carefully designed performance, intended to mislead Su Xiao and make her back down.
And he, ironically, became a dull, even pathetic prop in this performance.
A chilling anger, stemming from the intense discomfort of his cognitive system being fooled and his boundaries being forcibly intruded upon, gathered in his chest. He could not tolerate his world being polluted by such dishonest means.
When Qin Yu came to his office again under the pretext of discussing the project, he stood up, walked to the door, and opened it completely, letting in the light from the corridor and the occasional shadows of people passing by.
"Dr. Qin, regarding the project, I believe the current feasibility study is insufficient and the data support is weak. I suggest your team first improve the basic research, and then we can discuss it again once we have made more solid progress." His voice was calm, yet carried an unquestionable sense of authority, completely blocking any possibility of non-work-related topics.
He handed her back the untouched cup of coffee she had brought him earlier, untouched. "Also, thank you, but I don't usually drink caffeine during work hours, so please don't bother me in the future."
His actions and words acted like an invisible yet solid wall, instantly pulling the distance between the two back to the purest colleague relationship, or even making them more distant.
Qin Yu's smile froze completely. Looking into Lu Zi'ang's cold, sharp eyes, devoid of any emotion, she realized that all her tricks had been seen through and ruthlessly rejected. She took the coffee, her face turning pale, and ultimately said nothing, turning and walking away quickly, her back view showing a hint of dishevelment.
With this biggest source of interference gone, Lu Ziang felt the suffocating stickiness around him dissipate considerably. But his heart did not feel any relief.
On the contrary, Su Xiao's desperate and cold eyes when she left became clearer in his mind. He remembered her last question to him, whether there was even the slightest possibility, her voice trembling despite her attempt to remain calm.
At that time... he didn't actually want to refuse outright, but he wasn't good at handling such straightforward emotional appeals and was organizing his thoughts... Then, everything was completely disrupted by Qin Yu's intervention, leading to an irreversible situation.
He made a mistake. A serious error of judgment based on misinformation and his own shortcomings in social skills.
He lost Su Xiao.
This realization struck him like a sudden thunderbolt, shattering the silence that had always been as still as night, and unleashing a long-lasting, resounding boom. For the first time, he clearly understood that the silence brought about by the disappearance of the "inefficient noise" he had defined was not tranquility, but rather a kind of...empty, unsettling sense of lack.
He needs to win her back.
Once this thought arose, it quickly occupied the core of his mind. It wasn't for efficiency, nor for optimizing any system, but rather driven by a more fundamental motivation—to correct mistakes and rediscover that unique being who had once tried to illuminate his gray world in her own way.
He began to calmly plan in his mind. How to re-establish contact? How to explain the previous misunderstanding? How to prove his change? Each step required strategy and a departure from his usual behavioral patterns. For him, this was a more complex and uncertain challenge than any research project.
But he knew he had to do it.
Inside the iceberg, it wasn't melting, but rather undergoing a violent tectonic movement. The original structure was overturned, and a new core condensed and took shape deep within the pressure. And on the path leading to that core, a clear name was engraved—Su Xiao.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
