Chapter 25: The White Swan

Because of her illness, Lin Xi changed completely overnight.

The little princess of the Beijing elite circle whom everyone feared was gone for good, and she now resembled a broken porcelain doll—her eyes hollow, her entire being devoid of any trace of the pride that once belonged to her.

Lin Chen’s sudden job transfer, along with her aunt’s own work commitments, led them to consult with her uncle and decide to bring Lin Xi to their city. Lin Xi’s grandparents were still in good health and, being doctors themselves, could take good care of her.

On her first day at Lin City No. 1 High School, Lin Xi immediately became the center of attention throughout the upper grades.

During breaks between classes, many students came by, crowding at the windows just to catch a glimpse of her. But she never acknowledged anyone; her gaze never lingered on anyone, as if she were a noble, aloof white swan.

At first, everyone thought she was simply a cold, reserved beauty. Later, they noticed that all the teachers treated Lin Xi with special care, never calling on her to answer questions. Somewhere along the way, rumors began to circulate that Lin Xi was mute.

Some mischievous boys, eager to attract her attention and confirm the rumor, once tugged at Lin Xi’s hair in the corridor between classes.

That was when everyone discovered the hearing aid hidden beneath her long hair.

From then on, whenever Lin Xi was mentioned, people said she was deaf and mute.

Even though they knew she had a disability, her radiant aura was impossible to conceal. Even if she merely sat quietly in a corner, more and more people came to see her after class.

Boys began secretly slipping her love letters and small gifts, while many girls grew envious. One boy, in particular, was persistent. Despite being rejected time and again, he refused to give up.

Eventually, Lin Xi grew annoyed with the constant disturbance and, in front of everyone, threw away the gifts he gave her. His pride wounded, the boy sought revenge; after school one day, he deliberately removed her hearing aid and tossed it in the trash bin in front of others.

Not long after, that boy transferred to another school. Where he went and why, Lin Xi didn’t know at the time.

But now... Lin Xi gazed coldly at the man standing in the doorway, and she finally understood.

—
The HR manager glanced at the new recruit, “Do you know Engineer Lin?”

The man looked embarrassed, clearly recalling the unpleasant past just as Lin Xi did.

He didn’t know how to respond and could only look uneasily at Lin Xi, who was nearby.

Her gaze lingered on his face for a moment before slowly shifting away.

The man felt as though he’d been granted a reprieve, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

Lin Xi asked HR expressionlessly, “Is this my new assistant?”

“Yes, yes, yes.” HR nodded, nudging the stunned man. “Hurry and say hello to Engineer Lin.”

“Don’t be fooled by how young she is—she’s a top talent returned from abroad. You’ll learn a lot following her, so treasure this opportunity!”

After hearing HR’s words, the man felt anything but happy; instead, his nerves were stretched even tighter. Urged on by HR, he tried to greet Lin Xi, “Lin...”

But she gave him no chance to introduce himself, turning to HR, “I don’t have much for him right now. Take him around elsewhere.”

“Of course, of course. We’ll leave you to your work.” HR quickly led the newcomer away.

The office door opened and closed, and the atmosphere suddenly felt more subdued.

Engineer Chen and the others exchanged glances, unsure what had gone wrong.

They were all straightforward men of science and didn’t care to dwell on such matters for long, quickly dragging Lin Xi into a discussion about whether to eat in the cafeteria for lunch.

—
That afternoon, Lin Xi was alone in the office.

Chen and the others had gone downstairs to the gym, while she, feeling tired after lunch, had returned early.

Sensing a figure lingering at the door, Lin Xi adjusted her seat from a half-reclining position to sitting upright and called out, “If you have something to say, come in.”

Her voice was always gentle, lacking fluctuation, but with the door ajar, the person outside could hear her.

After a while, the door was cautiously pushed open and softly closed.

“Lin Xi.” The man who entered smiled ingratiatingly. “Long time no see—do you remember me?”

He took a few steps closer, stopping at her desk. “I’m—”

Lin Xi glanced up at him, “Do we know each other?”

The man stammered, “N-no, we don’t.”

“Is there something you need?”

He couldn’t tell whether she remembered him or not, so he gave up his initial purpose. “Here’s my résumé. HR asked me to show it to you.”

Lin Xi nodded toward the desk, “Just leave it there.”

The man awkwardly withdrew his hand and placed the résumé down.

“Um, Engineer Lin, is there anything you need me to do this afternoon?”

“Certainly,” Lin Xi replied. “Bring me a cup of coffee at two o’clock.”

The man’s mouth twitched, and he suppressed his temper to ask, “What kind of coffee do you prefer?”

Lin Xi stared at him, her eyes devoid of warmth. “You should have finished handover with your predecessor, right? Didn’t she tell you?”

“...”

Within a second, she withdrew her gaze and said coolly, “If there’s nothing else, I’d like to rest. Remember to close the door when you leave.”

—
“Engineer Lin, is this the new guy’s résumé?” Chen spotted the file on her desk when he returned.

“Yes.”

Chen leafed through it casually, “Wow, a master’s from Haicheng University. This résumé is impressive.”

The others glanced as well, “Things are too competitive these days. If we’d graduated just a few years earlier, our degrees wouldn’t even qualify us for street sweeping.”

Chen spun in his chair, “You need ambition, you know!”

Lin Xi: “For example?”

“For example, me! If I couldn’t make a living at this job, I’d become the greatest foreman ever!”

Everyone burst into laughter, and Lin Xi was amused by Chen’s words as well.

“Hey, Engineer Lin, what would you have done if you hadn’t entered this field?”

“Oh please, you think Engineer Lin is like you? She’s a PhD from MIT, companies would fight over her.”

“I’ve never considered that question.” Lin Xi had always pursued this single goal, unwavering.

“You can always think about it now—just hypothetically, no need to take it seriously.”

Twisting her pen in her hand, Lin Xi propped her chin up with one hand, “There’s no such ‘if’ for me. If there were no suitable jobs, I’d probably start my own company and continue with chip development.”

Everyone: “...”
Is this the differe