Ruan Mei walked straight up to Su Ran and reached toward his neck.
In the next instant, she abruptly pulled her arm back.
Snap!
A pair of gleaming, oil-shined scissors snapped shut.
Su Ran looked at Ruan Mei's slender hand with clear disappointment.
"So close. If your hand had touched my neck, I could've kept it forever."
If Ruan Mei had stretched just a little farther or reacted half a beat slower—she could've debuted as the female version of Yang Guo.
"..."
Ruan Mei stared at Su Ran warily, still shaken by how close she had come to losing an arm.
That single action slammed shut the mental defenses she had just been about to lower.
"Did I offend you somehow?"
Nearly losing a limb left a psychological shadow behind.
"That's my line. Did I offend you? Why are you trying to get handsy the moment we meet?"
He wasn't the Trailblazer.
And he certainly wasn't going to indulge Ruan Mei.
And to be honest— he really had been just a tiny bit away from keeping her hand.
The more he thought about it, the more regretful he felt.
Noticing his gaze lingering on her hands, Ruan Mei quietly clasped them behind her back.
But once her hands disappeared from view, Su Ran's eyes immediately drifted to her exposed legs.
Ruan Mei: "..."
Hands could be hidden.
Legs could not.
She couldn't kneel very well, could she?
"…Sorry."
Apologizing was one of Ruan Mei's specialties.
There might have been genuine sincerity in it, but her completely expressionless face somehow made it even more irritating.
"Do those two have some kind of history?"
Ningguang immediately sensed something was off between them.
She tried to extract some useful information from Asta.
"Um… I don't really know either…"
Both of them were top-tier geniuses from the Genius Society.
They hadn't even known each other for long— logically, there shouldn't have been any conflict.
So how could Asta possibly know?
If anything, she was surprised.
She'd thought geniuses would have plenty of common ground.
Apparently not.
Su Ran sipped his fruit juice while staring at Ruan Mei.
And Ruan Mei stared right back.
The air between them felt like a silent duel— or perhaps mutual observation.
"Why aren't you wearing makeup?"
Su Ran suddenly asked.
He could tell Ruan Mei was completely bare-faced.
Wasn't makeup supposed to be a girl's natural instinct?
Or did scientists transcend instinct itself?
That seemed… unreasonable.
"I rarely go out, and I don't often meet people, so I almost never wear makeup."
Ruan Mei touched her face.
Even she wasn't sure whether her appearance might be problematic at the moment.
But since he had asked this, did that mean Su Ran had lowered his guard?
Had he begun to treat her as a friend?
That mattered to her.
So she asked directly.
"Then… are we friends now?"
Whether or not she could study Su Ran, becoming his friend was something Ruan Mei very much wanted.
It related to a long-held aspiration of hers.
"Of course not. He's my friend."
Before Su Ran could answer, Herta cut in.
Ruan Mei ignored Herta and fixed her gaze squarely on Su Ran.
She only wanted his response.
But what disappointed her was that Su Ran simply pointed at Herta, then spread his hands helplessly— a silent acknowledgment of her words.
Herta immediately looked even more smug.
Peak bratty gremlin energy.
If she'd had a tail, it would've been wagging straight into the sky.
"Why do you listen to her?"
The difference in how he treated her versus Herta made Ruan Mei deeply dissatisfied.
They were both members of the Genius Society.
So why was the treatment so drastically different?
"My space station—she funded it.
The materials I wanted—she paid for them.
The Synesthesia Beacons—I asked, she delivered.
So tell me, should I listen to her, or to you?"
Su Ran calmly listed Herta's contributions one by one.
If she were here in person, he'd probably propose on the spot.
Too bad she still refused to show up in person.
"Did you hear that? Whatever he wants, I give him. Can you do that?"
Herta crossed her arms, chin lifted high, glaring at Ruan Mei.
For once, she felt genuinely satisfied.
She'd been bullied by Su Ran plenty of times already.
Now, getting this bit of validation in front of Ruan Mei felt amazing.
If they were going to compare, she honestly hoped Ruan Mei would stay on the space station longer.
That way, she could enjoy Su Ran taking her side indefinitely.
"..."
With Asta backing her financially, Herta was practically overflowing with resources.
In terms of money, Ruan Mei couldn't even begin to compete.
And unlike Herta, she wasn't willing to let outsiders orbit her life.
Which meant she couldn't rely on corporate support.
Naturally, she couldn't boldly claim, 'Whatever she can give, I can give too.'
"But as an expert in life sciences, I believe we would have many topics in common."
Since material incentives wouldn't work, she shifted to shared expertise.
"Correction—Su Ran is an all-round genius. Not just life sciences. He's conducted research in many other fields as well."
Life sciences weren't Herta's strong suit.
She couldn't compete with Ruan Mei there.
But so what?
Su Ran wasn't specialized in just one discipline.
"..."
Ruan Mei was increasingly exasperated by Herta's constant interruptions.
She finally reminded her:
"Did you forget? Our goals don't conflict. I came here seeking cooperation—with your approval."
Everything had already been negotiated.
So why was Herta repeatedly sabotaging her attempts to show goodwill toward Su Ran?
"Oh. Right. I forgot."
Herta took a step back.
She wasn't here just to stir trouble.
If those two produced research results, she'd get a share anyway.
With one obstacle finally removed, Ruan Mei let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Now they could finally talk, right?
—------------------------------
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