The next day dawned cold and sharp, the kind of morning where frost clung stubbornly to window frames and every breath came out white.
Lin Wei walked to the Construction Design Bureau with steady steps, bruises hidden beneath layers of clothing. His body still ached from yesterday's rescue, but the medicinal paste Liu Fang had given him soothed the worst of it.
More comforting than the medicine, however, had been the memory of her voice at his door.
He reached the bureau gates—
—and immediately sensed something was wrong.
Heads turned.Whispers followed.People stepped aside as he passed, not with friendliness, but with a strange mixture of awe…and suspicion.
Zhou Feng, waiting at the entrance with a thermos cup, noticed him and sighed.
"Prepare yourself."
Lin Wei frowned. "For what?"
Zhou Feng tapped the side of his thermos.
"For the aftermath of being a hero."
The Rumor Storm
Inside the bureau, the gossip was louder than any drafting machine.
"That apprentice saved ten men on the East Trench site!""I heard he predicted the collapse before it happened.""No one has instincts like that… it's unnatural.""He must have some kind of… connection.""With who?""Someone high up, obviously.""Maybe Director Li is using him."
Lin Wei's stomach tightened.
He hadn't wanted attention.He didn't need glory.He only wanted to work hard and keep people safe.
But the more he succeeded, the more eyes turned toward him.
Not all of them friendly.
As he and Zhou Feng approached the drafting hall, Master Yu—the senior engineer with a reputation for sharp eyes and a sharper tongue—stood waiting with his arms crossed.
"You," Master Yu barked. "Follow me."
Zhou Feng shot Lin Wei a sympathetic look.
"Good luck," he whispered.
Summoned to the Technical Evaluation Office
Master Yu led Lin Wei into a small meeting room where several unfamiliar faces sat behind a desk. Senior engineers. Committee members. People far above his rank.
At the center sat Director Li himself.
He did not smile.
"Lin Wei," Director Li said calmly, "you were present during yesterday's trench incident."
"Yes, Director."
"You intervened without waiting for senior instruction."
"Yes, Director."
"You predicted a collapse that experienced engineers failed to notice."
"…Yes."
The room filled with quiet murmurs.
Master Yu slammed a folder down.
"This is no small matter. Your actions were correct—but your precision raises questions."
Lin Wei's heart thudded.
"Questions?" he repeated.
A committee member leaned forward, fingers steepled.
"Your reflexes. Your accuracy. Your… uncanny awareness."His voice grew sharper."So we must ask: where did you receive your training?"
Lin Wei froze.
"My… training?"
"Yes," Director Li said. "You entered the bureau with minimal education. Yet in mere weeks you display abilities surpassing seasoned staff."
Another engineer added:
"Who taught you to feel structural pressure? Who taught you emergency reinforcement? Which master trained you?"
Lin Wei swallowed.
No one.Only the system.
But of course he couldn't say that.
He straightened.
"I've been studying every night. With drafts, textbooks, and past cases."
They stared at him.
Director Li raised an eyebrow.
"Every night?"
"Yes."
Silence thickened.
Finally, Master Yu exhaled.
"You… expect us to believe studying gave you near-superhuman instinct?"
Lin Wei didn't waver.
"Yes."
It wasn't a lie.Not exactly.
The system only rewarded hard work he actually did.
Director Li tapped the table.
"Bring us your notebooks."
Lin Wei blinked."My… notebooks?"
"Yes," Director Li said. "All of them. We want to verify your progress."
This wasn't malicious.It was scrutiny.Bureaucratic pressure.Suspicion wrapped in procedure.
But it could still destroy him.
If they looked too closely—If they found inconsistencies—If they questioned him again—
His fragile position could crumble.
"I will bring them," Lin Wei said steadily.
Master Yu barked, "Today!"
Lin Wei nodded.
The meeting dissolved, the committee whispering among themselves. Director Li lingered for a moment.
"Lin Wei."
Lin Wei stopped at the doorway.
"You did good work yesterday," the director said quietly. "Lives were saved because of you."
Lin Wei blinked.
"But," Director Li added, his voice lowering,"not everyone will be grateful."
A chill went down Lin Wei's spine.
The Rival in the Shadows
As Lin Wei left the office, he heard soft footsteps behind him.
He turned.
A man leaned against the corridor pillar.Slim.Sharp-eyed.Wearing a faint smile that didn't reach his gaze.
Liu Yan.Third group designer.Known for politics, not talent.
He clapped slowly.
"Well done, Lin Wei. So heroic. So… miraculous."
Lin Wei frowned."I only did what was necessary."
"Of course. Of course." Liu Yan's smile widened."But you know…"His voice dropped to a whisper."People will start asking why a nobody suddenly shines like a polished jade."
Lin Wei stiffened.
Liu Yan continued:
"If this continues, some people might think you're… too talented."
He leaned closer.
"And talent, in the wrong era, is dangerous."
Lin Wei's heartbeat thudded painfully.
Liu Yan straightened, gave a mocking salute, and walked away.
The shadow he left behind seemed to cling to the walls.
Zhou Feng Arrives
A moment later, Zhou Feng approached, hands in pockets.
"Tough meeting?"
"How did you know?" Lin Wei asked.
Zhou Feng smirked.
"Because whenever the bureau smells genius, it checks for explosives."
He lowered his voice.
"What did they ask?"
"Where I learned my skills."
Zhou Feng whistled softly.
"They'll keep asking. And if you give the wrong answer—"He tapped his temple."—you disappear from the bureau roster."
Lin Wei swallowed.
"What should I do?"
Zhou Feng gave him the first honest, unguarded expression he'd shown since they met.
"Become so good," he said quietly,"that they fear losing you more than they fear you."
Lin Wei stared at him.
A challenge.A warning.A strange kind of support.
And for the first time, Lin Wei realized—
He wasn't alone.
Zhou Feng wasn't a friend.Not yet.Maybe never.
But he wasn't an enemy.
Not like the ones beginning to circle.