A few minutes after Wen Yuning left the gymnasium floor, the hall slowly settled back into motion —
but not to normal.
The Expo didn't simply "resume."
It shifted.
Students who had once whispered casually now murmured with purpose, leaning close to their friends, glancing repeatedly toward the Silent Hands booth. Teachers tried to maintain order but kept sneaking looks of their own. Even the corporate representatives, who had earlier moved around with practiced detachment, now lingered near the assistive tech area, checking their tablets, murmuring to colleagues, pretending they weren't specifically waiting for one project's final score.
Li Xue stood near the table, hugging her tablet to her chest like a fragile shield.
She inhaled slowly.
"Gege… this waiting feels worse than the judging."
Li Feng stood beside her with his hands in his pockets, calm in a way that made the nervous energy around them seem even louder.
"Waiting is always the hardest part," he said.
His tone wasn't dismissive.
It was simply factual — steady, grounding.
Around them, the gymnasium felt suspended.
Not loud.
Not quiet.
Just… taut.
A collective inhale trapped in the air.
A staff member stepped onto the stage at the far end of the hall and tapped the microphone twice. The quick static crackle broke the tension like glass.
"Students," she said, scanning the room with a professional smile, "Please remain at your booths. The judges are deliberating. The results will be announced shortly."
A wave of heightened alertness rippled across the gym.
Some teams clutched their devices tighter.
Some whispered last-minute prayers.
Some pretended not to care but kept glancing at the stage every few seconds.
Li Xue took another steadying breath.
"It's almost time," she murmured.
Li Feng didn't look away from the judges' room where the deliberation was happening.
"Mn."
Not anxious.
Not nervous.
Just… ready.
Silent Hands sat on the table between them, its soft interface glow pulsing in an almost rhythmic, heartbeat-like cycle. The gloves lay neatly arranged beside the tablet, the fingertip sensors catching the overhead lights with a gentle sheen.
The project looked tranquil.
But the attention around them felt anything but.
From the robotics aisle, two students peeked over their booth dividers every few seconds, whispering heatedly. One pointed at the tablet glowing on their table. Another shook his head as if he couldn't believe the scores the judges had written earlier.
A little farther away, a teacher from the engineering department discreetly snapped a picture of the Silent Hands station and immediately forwarded it to someone on her phone.
Near the judges' preparation table, two corporate representatives stood shoulder-to-shoulder, reviewing something on a tablet — schematics, logs, or maybe a clipped version of Silent Hands' performance data.
Whatever it was, their faces were serious.
The siblings' world had quietly become the center of gravity of the room.
Li Xue shifted her weight, her nerves still simmering beneath the surface.
"Gege," she whispered, "do you think… we'll place well?"
Li Feng glanced at her, eyes steady.
"We've already done well."
She blinked, cheeks warming slightly.
"But the scores—"
"—don't change the work we've already shown."
Li Xue stopped.
Then exhaled.
"…Right."
Not because she was fully calmed — nerves still fluttered in her stomach —
but because Li Feng's certainty was something she could lean against.
Silence settled again, this time heavier, thicker.
The judges' door remained closed.
Students watched it as though waiting for an executioner to walk out or for salvation to descend. A few tried to laugh off the tension. A few couldn't stop fidgeting with small screws or circuit parts. One boy near the engineering section had been adjusting the same bolt for eight minutes straight.
And still — the door didn't move.
Five minutes passed.
Seven.
Ten.
Even Li Xue noticed her heart syncing with the quiet pulse of Silent Hands' interface glow.
Then—
A soft vibration moved through the space, almost like the first ripple before a storm.
Students turned sharply toward the stage as a second staff member walked up with a clipboard. She whispered something to the teacher holding the microphone.
The teacher nodded.
Everyone knew what that meant.
Li Xue stiffened.
Li Feng's posture straightened by a fraction — subtle, but there.
Then, at last—
The judges' door opened.
A line of judges walked out with calm, unreadable expressions — the kind that made it impossible to know if they were satisfied, disappointed, or simply tired.
Behind them, the principal followed with clasped hands and a faint, knowing look in his eyes.
Whispers swelled.
"They're out—"
"Here we go…"
"Look at their faces—what does that mean?"
"Did they already decide the Grand Winner?"
Li Xue held her tablet tighter.
Li Feng glanced at Silent Hands, then at the stage.
The teacher raised the microphone again.
"Students, we will now announce the results."
Li Xue's breath hitched.
The hum of electricity from the stage monitors filled the stillness.
The massive display behind the teacher flickered to life, bright and crisp.
---
The tension in the gymnasium thickened as the last of conversations faded into a nervous hush. Rows of projects dimmed as if holding their breath. Even the corporate reps, who had been circling booths with quiet predatory interest, finally stopped moving.
Li Xue's fingers tightened around her uniform hem.
"Gege… it's really happening."
Li Feng didn't speak, but the steadiness in his posture seemed to anchor the space around them.
The teacher adjusted the microphone.
"Students, thank you for your patience. The judges have completed deliberations. We will now announce the results for each category."
A tremor moved through the hall.
Robotics was announced first. Applause rose, scattered and proud. Then Engineering. Medical Tech. Software.
Each category drew excitement, frustration, celebrations.
But Li Xue only grew more rigid with every passing second.
Finally—
"For Assistive Technology…"
The noise in the hall snapped off like a switch.
Li Feng's booth had become the eye of the storm again — students glancing out of the corners of their eyes, teachers fixing their attention subtly, and the cluster of judges at the back turning their heads almost in unison.
The teacher looked down at the tablet and spoke clearly:
"Third place — Smart ElderCare Alert, score 85."
A brief applause.
"Second place — VoiceBridge Pendant, score 88."
Li Xue's breath stilled completely.
The pause before first place stretched thin — deliberate.
"And first place…"
The screen refreshed with a single, bright line.
1st Place — SILENT HANDS
Team: Li Xue & Li Feng
Final Score: 97
For a heartbeat, the gym was silent.
Then the explosion came.
"What—97?!"
"That's higher than Robotics!"
"That's nearly full marks!"
"Assistive tech beating engineering?!"
"No wonder judges kept circling—"
Li Xue turned to Li Feng with trembling eyes.
"Gege… we… we really won."
Li Feng allowed a faint smile — subtle, but real.
"Mn."
She almost stomped her foot. "Can you react properly just once?!"
But her voice was too happy to sound like scolding.
The teacher continued:
"Congratulations to all category winners. Final Grand Awards will be announced after review. Please stay prepared."
The screen dimmed, but the buzz didn't.
Not even close.
The attention around their booth sharpened again — no longer curious, now anchored and intense. Corporate reps whispered rapidly. Two university researchers pointed subtly in their direction. Even a few judges, no longer bound to silence, traded quiet remarks.
Li Xue swallowed hard.
"Gege… everyone is looking at us again…"
"Because you earned it," Li Feng replied.
She flushed, embarrassed and glowing.
But the moment didn't settle.
It escalated.
Footsteps tapped briskly. A teacher approached the booth, not the nervous, wandering kind — but purposeful, directed. She wasn't the type to walk toward students unless she had a reason.
She bowed slightly.
"Li Feng. Li Xue."
Both siblings straightened simultaneously.
The teacher held out a sealed communication envelope embossed with the Li family crest.
"You are requested to return to the Li estate… immediately."
Li Xue's breath hitched.
Li Feng's expression barely shifted, but something in his eyes sharpened.
The teacher leaned in slightly, lowering her voice so only the siblings could hear.
"The Patriarch has been informed."
Li Xue stiffened immediately.
Li Feng's eyes narrowed a fraction — not in fear, but calculation.
"The car is already waiting outside. Please go at once."
She gave a small bow, then stepped back into the crowd as if nothing had happened.
Silence settled around the siblings — not heavy, not panicked.
Just… pivoting.
Li Xue looked down at the envelope, then slowly at her brother.
"Grandfather… wants to see us. Immediately."
Li Feng gave a small nod.
"Seems so."
Her fingers shook — nerves finally returning.
"Gege… what if… what if this is bad?"
"It isn't," he said simply.
"How do you know?"
Li Feng picked up the Silent Hands gloves, placing them carefully into the carrying case Li Xue had decorated the night before.
"Because we did good."
He closed the latch.
Li Xue's heart pounded — she didn't know whether from fear, pride, or the lingering electricity of the Expo.
"Then… let's go."
Li Feng offered his hand.
She took it.
Together, they stepped away from the booth one calm step at a time — leaving behind the murmurs, the stares, the whispers building in waves behind them.
Silent Hands had shaken the Expo.
Now, it was going to shake the Li family.
---
Few minutes later...
The car door closed behind them, muting the noise of the Expo.
Inside, the quiet felt heavier than the bustle they'd just left.
Li Xue sat holding her tablet against her chest, looking quite anxious.
Li Feng leaned back comfortably, watching the city blur past the window.
A few minutes later, Li Feng shifted slightly and turned toward her.
"Xue'er."
She looked up.
"What do you want to do with Silent Hands?"
Her eyes widened.
"…Me?"
"You're the one who conceived it," he said. "So the next step should start with what you want."
Li Xue lowered her gaze, fingers tightening around her tablet.
"I want… people who need it to actually use it," she said softly.
"Kids who can't speak… families who can't afford expensive equipment… people who feel trapped because they can't express themselves."
She drew a small breath.
"I want it to be something real. Something helpful."
Li Feng watched her for a quiet second.
"A good goal," he said.
Her cheeks warmed, but her voice steadied.
"…Do you think it can actually happen?"
"Yes."
The certainty in his tone made her blink.
"And if you want Silent Hands to stay accessible," he added, "we'll build it that way."
Her head jerked up slightly. "We…?"
"You brought the idea. I'll handle the structure around it."
Slowly, something hopeful flickered in her expression.
"That would be… amazing," she murmured.
"It will be," Li Feng replied simply.
The car turned into the quiet, guarded district leading to the Li estate. Security posts blurred past.
Li Xue hesitated.
"But the family might try to take it."
"Of course they will," Li Feng said. "But that doesn't mean they'll succeed."
She let out a small breath.
"When you talk like that… it sounds like you already have a plan."
He didn't deny it.
"I'm thinking ahead."
She gave a tiny huff — half laugh, half nerves.
"Of course you are."
The vehicle slowed as the estate gates opened, revealing the manor grounds.
Li Xue's fingers tugged anxiously at her sleeve.
"I'm still nervous," she admitted.
Li Feng tapped her wrist lightly.
"You handled judges, company reps, and the entire hall watching you," he said. "You'll manage this too."
"…It's different," she muttered.
"Maybe. But you're still ready."
The car came to a smooth stop.
The chauffeur turned.
"Young Master, Young Miss — the Patriarch is waiting."
Li Feng stepped out first and held out his hand.
"Come."
She took it.
They walked toward the manor entrance together, the doors opening as they approached.
The Expo was behind them.
The Li family waited inside.
And whatever came next…
They would face it side by side.
---
Hello, Author here,
Thanks for reading — Leave a comment to tell me what you think about this chapter, and drop a Power Stone if you're enjoying Li Feng's story so far! Let's grow this story together.