Genius Club

“Mirror?” Lin Xian mused aloud, puzzled by Yellow Finch’s cryptic hint. The sound of her heels clicking against the floor echoed as she walked away, not bothering to look back. Her footsteps gradually faded into the distance and disappeared around the corner, leaving a haunting silence in their wake.

Liu Feng, looking utterly confused, nudged Lin Xian. “Who is that woman, Lin Xian? I can’t make heads or tails of what she says. It’s definitely Mandarin, but she never gives a straight answer, always talking in riddles.”

“She’s a puzzle, a real enigma,” Lin Xian explained succinctly. “The kind of person that would give even Batman a headache.”

“Is she always like this?” Liu Feng asked, his voice tinged with sympathy.

“I wouldn’t know,” Lin Xian shrugged. “I’ve only met her twice, and altogether, we haven’t spent more than ten minutes in each other’s company.”

Liu Feng’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Really? Just twice?”

“Yes, why do you find that so surprising?”

“It’s just… you two seem to know each other so well, like old friends,” Liu Feng remarked, still shocked. He looked from Lin Xian to the doorframe where Yellow Finch had briefly lingered. “You called her Yellow Finch, right? The way she looked at you… it wasn’t like someone you’ve only met twice. Her gaze was familiar, like she’s known you for a long time.”

“Like…” Liu Feng struggled to articulate his thoughts, scratching his head. “Like a lover.”

A brief silence followed his words.

Then, unexpectedly, Lin Xian burst into laughter, giving Liu Feng a playful slap on the shoulder. “I always pegged you as the serious, down-to-earth type, Liu Feng, not one for making jokes. You really got me there.”

“No, I’m not joking,” Liu Feng insisted, waving his hand earnestly. “I’m serious. It’s exactly as I said.”

Lin Xian, still skeptical, quipped, “You’re a scientist; what do you know about romantic looks?”

“That’s a stereotype, Lin Xian,” Liu Feng retorted. “Remember, I’ve been in a relationship before. Have you?”

“I…” Lin Xian hesitated, his smile fading. “No, I haven’t.”

“See, you lack experience in this area. You don’t understand women,” Liu Feng pointed out, assuming a knowing tone, almost like an older brother. “Believe me, her gaze wasn’t ordinary. It was the look of a woman to her lover, full of longing and familiarity.”

“How can you be so certain?” Lin Xian challenged, turning away slightly.

“Because,” Liu Feng’s voice grew tender with nostalgia, “that’s how Qi Qi used to look at me. The sicker she got, the more she tried to memorize my face, turning away only reluctantly. When our eyes met, her gaze was filled with regret and longing, just like Yellow Finch’s. So, I know I’m not mistaken, Lin Xian.”

Lin Xian fell silent, considering Liu Feng’s words thoughtfully. He turned back to his friend, whose face was a canvas of emotion and memory. Perhaps Liu Feng was right after all.

He may not understand women or romance, but he had experienced love, loss, and the deep ache of parting. Such lessons transcended theoretical knowledge.

Lin Xian patted Liu Feng’s back. “Alright, while it’s hard for me to see it your way, the truth may differ. You saw her too; she’s attractive but probably in her thirties, maybe closer to forty. I can’t see myself with someone that much older. Honestly, I prefer someone younger.”

“Anyways, enough of this talk, let’s get back to work. Yellow Finch may speak in riddles, but her timing is impeccable. She wouldn’t show up without a reason. I think you’re onto something with the time-space clock. Maybe there’s nothing wrong with it; we might just need the right reference or better calibration.”

“If you think the curvature of time-space and the changes in worldlines are linked to the Universal Constant, start there. Yellow Finch mentioned that there’s no absolute right or wrong. Remember, as your investor, I’m giving you advice, but you don’t have to follow it to the letter. You’re free to explore your original ideas.”

Liu Feng nodded slowly, the wheels in his mind turning without direction. Despite numerous attempts at deciphering the Universal Constant, each theory he had tested so far had fallen short. Now, he considered delving into the complexities of time-space curvature, still convinced that his initial theory held merit.

As he pondered, he remembered something Qi Qi once shared, “The universe itself is a masterpiece. Theories, laws, and formulas—they all come together in a harmonious loop. In the realm of mathematics, if a theory feels beautiful, it’s often correct.” Her words echoed the history of academia, where many groundbreaking theories, initially just beautiful ideas, were later proven true.

Clutching onto that thought, Liu Feng gestured towards the note left by Yellow Finch. “She mentioned that if we figure it out, we should head to the location written here.”

Together, they leaned over, took the small piece of paper, and unfolded it carefully.

Reading the note, Liu Feng inhaled sharply. It directed them to a location well-known across X Country—the Ji?quán Satellite Launch Center.

“Can we even get there?” he wondered aloud, passing the note to Lin Xian. “It’s a highly secured national facility. We’d face serious challenges just getting near it, let alone getting inside.”

Lin Xian studied the note, the neat handwriting revealing the mysterious nature of Yellow Finch. He had grown accustomed to her enigmatic ways, and given the launch center’s significance, he trusted the government wouldn’t let someone like her act recklessly without oversight.

“Maybe visiting Yellow Finch at Ji?quán is necessary,” Lin Xian mused, pocketing the note. “For now, let’s not rush. Focus on your current experiments, Liu Feng. Work on the time-space clock. We’ll figure out how it ties into the Universal Constant once we observe any curvature changes.”

Liu Feng, however, seemed distant, his mind racing since reading the note. Sweat beaded on his forehead as a thought struck him.

“What if the Ji?quán Satellite Launch Center is the key?” he speculated, his voice rising with excitement. “The Universal Constant—it’s about the universe, right? We should explore cosmic phenomena like background radiation, gravitational waves, dark matter…”

Muttering technical jargon, Liu Feng grabbed chalk and began furiously scribbling equations on the blackboard, erasing and rewriting with intense focus.

Lin Xian watched briefly before stifling a yawn. Seeing Liu Feng would not be distracted, he announced, “I’ll step out. Let me know if you make any breakthrough.”

“Mm-hmm,” came the absent reply, Liu Feng’s gaze fixed on his calculations.

Lin Xian left the lab with a smile, admiring Liu Feng’s dedication—it was a reassuring, albeit somewhat humorous, depiction of a scientist lost in his work.

“I hope Qi Qi’s vision comes to life soon,” Lin Xian whispered as he shut the heavy steel lab door with a resounding thud.

In the solitude of the restroom, Lin Xian leaned against the sink, staring at his reflection. The problem of the Universal Constant loomed large, but it was Yellow Finch’s cryptic parting words that now captured his thoughts. “Look in the mirror more, Lin Xian. There’s something you want in there.”

Typically, such a statement could be seen as an insult, but coming from Yellow Finch, it suggested something deeper. What did the mirror represent?

Lin Xian examined his reflection, moving closer until his nose nearly touched the glass. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

He recalled countless anime where mirrors served as gateways to other dimensions. Half-jokingly, he pressed his hand against the mirror, half-expecting to pass through to another world.

Of course, nothing happened.

“Ugh, I hate riddles,” he muttered in frustration. The clue about the mirror remained elusive. What did he want that could be hidden in a mirror? Answers, power, membership in the Genius Club, the secrets hidden in his dreams by Zhao Ying Jun…

Then it struck him. He paused, staring intently at his own image. Zhao Ying Jun, the dreams, Sky City, the buried secrets.

“Could it be…” Lin Xian pondered, his heart racing as he looked deeper into his own eyes in the mirror. “Could Zhao Ying Jun have left something for me… in the mirror?”