Next Morning...
Li Feng opened his eyes before his alarm rang.
For a moment he lay still, expecting the familiar heaviness of an all-nighter to drag at his thoughts and limbs.
But it didn't.
His mind felt… clear.
Too clear.
He sat up slowly.
No fog.
No stiffness in his fingers.
No dull ache behind his eyes.
It was the exact opposite of how a night without sleep should feel.
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
Strange.
He swung his legs off the bed and reached for his phone.
His movements were smooth—almost too coordinated for someone who hadn't rested.
As he stood, something shimmered faintly at the edge of his perception—
A soft, familiar chime.
[DING — Skill Breakthrough Detected]
Li Feng exhaled, quiet and controlled, as the interface unfolded in front of him.
[PROGRAMMING — Level 2 (0%)]
[New Passive Ability Unlocked — Recursive Synthesis]
The name alone made a few pieces fall into place.
He closed his eyes and let it activate naturally.
A lightweight shift ran through his mind — like a lens snapping into perfect focus.
Patterns he wasn't consciously thinking about lined themselves up.
Fragments of last night's code — scattered, half-formed — replayed in perfect detail, even the mistakes.
His thoughts didn't speed up.
They organized themselves.
He reached for his laptop and opened one of the incomplete modules from the night before.
Normally, he'd need a few minutes to reorient himself — to remember what he'd been doing.
Not today.
The structure, the faults, the next steps —
they surfaced instantly, cleanly, as if someone had laid the entire logic tree out for him in advance.
He typed a few test lines.
No hesitation.
No backtracking.
No pauses to rethink syntax.
It wasn't mechanical precision.
It was… fluid.
The system window reappeared with the new passive expanded.
[PASSIVE — Recursive Synthesis]
A biological augmentation enabling Level-2 programming cognition.
• Internal logical modeling
• Built-in mental test/compile
• Structural optimization instinct
• Error-propagation mapping
• Parallel code reconstruction
• ZERO drift during prolonged reasoning
(Note: biological upgrade — not field-restricted)
Li Feng closed the screen.
Of course.
That explained the clarity.
The lack of exhaustion.
The way everything felt aligned, like a puzzle that had finally snapped together.
He brushed a hand through his hair and checked the time.
Just past six.
Li Feng picked up his uniform jacket and slung it over his shoulder.
'Time to have that talk with dad'
---
The kitchen was warm when Li Feng walked in — sunlight on the counter, a pot simmering quietly, and his father moving around with the gentle calm of long habit.
Li Guohua looked up, surprised.
"Ah—Feng. You're awake early today."
Li Feng nodded. "Morning."
"Sit, sit," Guohua said quickly, grabbing another bowl. "I'll get you breakfast."
Li Feng sat.
Guohua placed the bowl in front of him… then paused.
He could tell something was on his son's mind.
"…Feng," he said softly, "did something happen? After last night?"
Li Feng met his father's eyes.
"Dad… you have a tech company, right?"
Guohua froze.
His knuckles tightened on the edge of the table.
"I see," he said slowly. "You know."
Li Feng didn't say how.
Didn't need to.
Guohua sat down across from him, shoulders stiff for a moment before he exhaled.
"…I didn't hide it out of distrust," he murmured. "I just didn't want you or Xue'er dragged into the family's politics because of my decisions."
Li Feng nodded slightly.
Guohua continued, hesitating at first, then speaking more frankly.
"It's not a large company, not yet. But it's clean, it's legal, and it's mine."
He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"I built it quietly over the years. Small projects. Steady clients. Nothing the family would notice."
He wasn't bragging.
He wasn't ashamed.
It was just the truth.
Li Feng waited for the right moment — then spoke calmly.
"Dad. The Li family held a meeting after we left the estate."
Guohua's expression sharpened at once.
"…What did they say?"
Li Feng's voice didn't rise or fall.
"First Branch wants Silent Hands under their R&D department.
Third Branch wants to classify it as a medical device and take legal control.
Fourth Branch wants to change the public narrative so it becomes a 'Li Group' project instead of ours."
Guohua went very still.
He didn't shout.
He didn't curse.
But his jaw locked, and a quiet anger burned at the edge of his expression—an anger deeper than anything shown in front of the main family.
"…Those bastards," he whispered, almost under his breath.
"They really can't stand the idea of my children having something of their own," he murmured. "Even now…"
Li Feng didn't comment.
Guohua pressed his fingers against his brow.
"They won't even let children have the credit they earned…"
A silence passed between them — heavy but honest.
Then, slowly, Guohua straightened his back.
When he spoke next, his tone had changed.
Not angry.
Decisive.
"…Let me handle it."
Li Feng was silent, slightly raised an eyebrow.
Guohua continued.
"I'll have my company reach out to Xue'er today — properly, officially. Not as family, but as professionals."
"Silent Hands should belong to its creators. The patent would be under both your names."
"... And I'll make sure no one can claim it on behalf of the Li family. Not First Branch. Not Third. Not anyone."
He wasn't negotiating.
He wasn't asking permission.
This was his decision as their father.
"I'll cover the paperwork, the applications, the legal pathways," he continued, more assured now. "And I'll build a structure that protects both of you. Quietly. Before the other branches can move."
Li Feng leaned back slightly.
"…Thank you, Dad."
Guohua froze for a second — the kind of freeze a father experiences when a child who rarely expresses emotion finally does.
Then he smiled — tired, soft, a little relieved.
"You're my son," he said. "And Xue'er... is my daughter."
A pause.
"I won't let them take what you two worked so hard for."
Li Feng didn't show much on his face.
But something eased inside him.
Guohua stood, patting his back the way only a father could.
"Eat," he said gently. "You'll need strength. You still have school today."
Li Feng nodded.
Today, for some reason breakfast tasted especially good to Li Feng.
---
Longhai No. 1 Highschool
The school courtyard buzzed with its usual morning noise — chattering students, the shuffle of shoes, the distant clang of lockers.
But the moment Li Feng and Li Xue walked through the gates together, the atmosphere shifted.
Heads turned. Whispers rippled across small clusters of students.
Li Xue tightened her grip on her bag's strap, her steps turning a touch smaller.
"Gege… they're staring again," she murmured, voice soft.
Li Feng looked down at her, his expression relaxing just slightly — the kind of warmth he showed no one else.
"It's just curiosity," he said, gently. "Ignore it."
His tone wasn't the calm neutrality he used on teachers, classmates, or even the Patriarch.
It was reassuring. Anchoring. Soft in a way only Xue ever heard.
Her shoulders eased a little. "…Okay."
They walked side-by-side past rows of students pretending not to stare.
"Did you see the video of Silent Hands—"
"I heard the judges went back twice—"
"Ninety-seven points… no way…"
Xue's ears warmed. Li Feng didn't look at anyone.
To him, the noise was irrelevant — but her comfort wasn't.
When they reached the fork in the walkway, Li Xue slowed to a stop, turning toward him.
"Gege… um… have a good day."
Li Feng lifted a hand and gently smoothed a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"You too," he said softly. "Message me if anything happens."
She nodded quickly — almost glowing at the simple gesture.
---
Third-Year Hallway — Li Feng
Li Feng entered his building to a quieter shift in atmosphere.
Third-years were less reactive, more controlled — but even they weren't immune.
A few students nodded to him. Others looked longer than usual before returning to their conversations.
He was used to being invisible.
But today… he was anything but that.
As he walked down the hallway, whispers followed behind him — low, restrained.
"…he built the core model?"
"I thought he was just quiet, but—"
"Ninety-seven? That's insane."
"It's no wonder the judges kept going back."
Li Feng didn't react.
His face remained calm, expression unreadable.
Only when he reached his desk did he check his phone — a habit he never had before.
Just to see if Xue had messaged him.
She hadn't.
He slipped the phone into his pocket and began reviewing notes in silence.
His desk-mate leaned slightly his way.
"…Congrats," the boy said quietly. "The project was impressive."
Li Feng nodded once. "Thanks."
Polite. Distant. Measured.
Nothing like the gentle tone he used with Xue.
---
The rest of the day passed much the same.
Whispers trailed the siblings wherever they went.
Students who had never glanced their way now stole looks, pointed subtly, or whispered excitedly as they walked past. Teachers who normally only nodded in passing suddenly stopped to offer praise, ask questions, or simply acknowledge them with unexpected warmth.
Li Xue handled it with quiet grace, but the attention clearly overwhelmed her at moments—her steps a little lighter, her voice a little smaller as she tried to respond politely to everyone.
Li Feng, on the other hand, remained exactly himself.
Calm.
Reserved.
Unfazed.
He answered when approached, but always with the bare minimum—polite enough not to be rude, distant enough that no one mistook it for openness. No matter who attempted conversation, he kept the same effortless distance, a quiet boundary no one could cross.
Meanwhile...
---
Capital City — Zhao Family Private Lounge
The room was quiet.
Not peacefully quiet—
but the kind of silence that came from too much money, too much control, and a young man who enjoyed both far too much.
Zhao Kai lounged on a leather sofa, one arm draped lazily over the backrest, scrolling casually through his phone. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he watched a short clip of some campus beauty crying on social media.
"Pathetic," he murmured.
He was in a good mood today.
Knock Knock,
a sharp knock came from the door.
"Enter," he said without looking up.
A middle-aged man in a tailored suit approached—one of the Zhao family's personal aides, stiff-backed and chosen specifically because he wasn't foolish enough to show reactions.
"Young Master," the aide said, offering a tablet with both hands, "news from Longhai City's High School Expo."
Zhao Kai raised a brow.
"Something happen to my little fiancée?"
His tone carried amusement, but the twist of his smile suggested something far less harmless.
The aide swallowed once.
"Miss Li Xue… performed exceptionally. She and her brother took first place in the Assistive Technology category. Final score: 97. Their project is gaining rapid attention."
Zhao Kai paused mid-scroll.
Slowly, he looked up.
His eyes were sharp—too sharp for a bored college student—and a strange glint slid through them. Not admiration. Not pride.
Interest.
Possessive, intrusive interest.
"…She brought attention to herself?"
The aide kept his gaze lowered.
"Yes, Young Master. Quite a lot."
Zhao Kai leaned back, tapping the tablet screen with idle curiosity. A small video clip played—Li Xue demonstrating Silent Hands, her expression focused, gentle, radiant under the lights.
A soft laugh escaped him.
Not warm.
Not pleasant.
A sound that made the aide's back tighten instinctively.
"She really is growing beautifully, isn't she…?" Zhao Kai murmured.
A fingertip traced the frozen frame on the tablet—hovering just above her face.
"No wonder the judges couldn't look away."
The aide stood perfectly still.
He knew better than to speak.
Zhao Kai set the tablet down, his expression shifting—smile fading into something colder, more shadowed.
"I don't like it when people start coveting what's mine."
The aide's breath hitched.
"Young Master, should we—"
"Do nothing."
Zhao Kai cut him off with a lazy flick of his wrist.
"Let her shine a little. Let her think the world is finally looking at her."
A dark smile slid across his face.
"It'll make..."
"…claiming her later… so much sweeter."
The aide bowed quickly, suppressing the chill running down his spine.
"Yes, Young Master."
"Besides," Zhao Kai added lightly, retrieving his phone,
"…she's not eighteen yet. And I don't do minors."
He said it as though it were a moral principle.
It wasn't.
It was ego.
Conquest tasted better when he could savor every part of it without shame.
He stood, adjusting his watch.
"Send someone to keep an eye on Longhai," he said. "Quietly. I want updates if anything… interesting happens."
"Yes, Young Master."
Zhao Kai walked toward the door, pausing just before leaving the room.
"Oh," he added with a soft, chilling laugh,
"and make sure no one there thinks they can get close to her."
He didn't clarify what "make sure" meant.
He didn't need to.
The door closed behind him with a quiet click.
And with that—
Zhao Kai's shadow stretched toward Longhai City.
A shadow the Li siblings wouldn't see coming.
---
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.