Chapter 49: Ruan Mei Arrives; You Must Take Responsibility for Touching My Chin
Leon hit send, distributing the initial build of his game demo to the Astral Express crew and Silver Wolf's little Stellaron Hunter chat group.
It didn't take long for his phone to start buzzing. Notifications flooded his screen in a relentless, vibrating tide.
[Stelle/Caelus: This is so cool!!! Is that supposed to be me? Too handsome! Can you make the skill effects even flashier?] The text was followed by a barrage of over a dozen violently rolling, starry-eyed emojis.
[March 7th: Wow! I look so good! The bow and arrow, the ice flowers... it's perfect! But wait, why are Stelle and Caelus the main characters?!] She made sure to emphasize that last sentence with three angry-face stickers.
[Dan Heng: The character modeling and combat animations are highly precise. Thank you for your hard work.] Classic Dan Heng. Straight to the point.
[Welt Yang:...It certainly brings back a lot of memories.] Leon could practically see the seasoned animator pushing up his glasses with a nostalgic sigh.
[Himeko: The texture rendering on my cup of coffee in the opening cinematic is quite exquisite. You clearly put a lot of thought into the details.]
[Arlan: Thank you, Mr. Leon. I look very reliable in this game.] Attached was an emoji of a little dog scratching its head honestly.
[Silver Wolf: The modeling is passable, but is it just character rigs and idle animations right now? What genre are we talking about here? Action RPG? Just hand over the beta key the second it's playable.] A typical, demanding critique from a professional gamer.
[Kafka: I like it very much. I'll be looking forward to the full release, Leon~]
Even Herta, who rarely bothered with casual chatter, sent a message: [My little puppets' movements are quite flexible. Acceptable work. By the way, when Ruan Mei arrives, remember to come to my office so she can collect your haploid cell samples. She should be docking soon.]
Leon stared at Herta's message, the corner of his mouth twitching.
'Wait, Ruan Mei actually chased me all the way here? Are my haploid cells really that irresistible to her?'
"Did Madam Herta say something?" Asta asked, tilting her head curiously.
Taking advantage of a rare break in her endless administrative duties, the pink-haired Lead Researcher was currently strolling through the gleaming corridors of the Herta Space Station alongside Leon.
"Herta just mentioned that Ruan Mei is on her way to the station," Leon replied, a casual smile playing on his lips.
"Ah? You mean the Ruan Mei?" Asta's eyes widened in genuine surprise. "Member 81 of the Genius Society? The absolute authority in the field of life sciences?"
Although Ruan Mei was notoriously reclusive and kept a strictly low profile, Asta had heard plenty of whispers about the enigmatic genius from Herta herself.
"Madam Herta didn't notify me at all..." Asta murmured, her fingers nervously twisting a strand of her pink hair.
According to standard protocol, welcoming a VIP of that magnitude required every single department to prepare days in advance. Even if Ruan Mei despised grand pageantry, Asta should have at least instructed the staff to clear the main halls and maintain a respectful, quiet environment.
"Herta didn't tell you because Ruan Mei's purpose for this trip has nothing to do with the space station itself," Leon said, patting Asta's shoulder to soothe her sudden anxiety. "She's coming specifically for me. Naturally, you don't need to roll out the red carpet."
Leon knew exactly what was happening. Based on his knowledge of the original timeline, the life science expert had absolutely no business being on the station right now. Her canonical visit was supposed to happen much later—long after the Astral Express crew resolved the Stellaron crisis on Jarilo-VI, perhaps even after the chaotic confrontation with Phantylia the Undying on the Luofu.
Yet here she was, arriving drastically ahead of schedule... entirely because of him. Had she already detected something anomalous in his cellular structure? Leon couldn't deny a spark of amusement and curiosity blooming in his chest.
"I've heard Ms. Ruan Mei is quite fond of traditional pastries," Asta said, her professional composure returning as she pulled out her phone. "I'll have the catering staff prepare some authentic snacks sourced from Jarilo-VI just in case."
Leon's logic was sound. If Herta hadn't issued an official notice, it meant the station was meant to operate as usual. They would treat this as a strictly private, low-profile visit. Still, as the Lead Researcher, Asta couldn't just completely ignore the arrival of a Genius Society member now that she knew about it.
"Ms. Ruan Mei is a scholar through and through," Asta continued, her tone carrying a trace of deep admiration. "I once read a report that she took a brief rest on a completely barren desert planet. By the time she departed, her casual experiments had already sparked a miracle, leaving behind a flourishing ecosystem of entirely new local species."
Just as the words left Asta's mouth, a shadow fell over them.
A woman possessing a deep, elegant Eastern charm materialized beside Leon without making a single sound. She wore a high-slit, beautifully modified dress. Before Asta could even process the sudden intrusion, the woman reached out. Her slender, gloved fingertips lightly traced the pulse at the side of Leon's neck, trailing upward to softly lift his chin.
Asta froze. Her jaw practically hit the floor.
'Leon... is being flirted with?! Right in front of me?!'
Leon looked down into the calm, analytical eyes of the woman standing mere inches from his chest. He didn't pull away. He didn't even flinch. He naturally recognized her instantly—after all, this was the very Ruan Mei he and Asta had just been discussing.
In his past life, she had been an absolute staple in his roster. From version 1.6 all the way to 3.6, she had never once left his main team.
Ruan Mei's dark hair was elegantly swept up, secured by a delicate plum blossom hairpin. The design of her dress left her smooth shoulders bare, with complex tassels swaying gently from the fabric's edge. Her gloved fingers remained resting against Leon's jawline. Her expression was entirely unreadable—a serene mask that blended intense academic curiosity with quiet, clinical investigation.
"Am I being flirted with, Ms. Ruan Mei?" Leon asked, a slow, teasing smile spreading across his face.
He knew perfectly well that wasn't her intention. This highly intimate, borderline invasive physical examination was a treatment originally reserved for the Trailblazer in the main storyline. Yet here he was, effortlessly stealing the scene and enjoying it firsthand.
Asta stood paralyzed, her mind short-circuiting.
'Wait... is she Ruan Mei?!'
The Lead Researcher was beyond shocked. She had never met the legendary biologist in person., based on her conversation with Leon just moments ago, she knew for a fact that Leon had never met Ruan Mei before today. By all logic, Ruan Mei shouldn't know him either!
Yet, during their very first encounter, this elusive genius had walked straight up to him, pressed her fingers against his carotid artery, and intimately tilted his face toward hers.
'This... could this be love at first sight?!''I suppose this is what they mean when they say geniuses operate on a different wavelength,' Asta thought wildly.'Her decisiveness is absolutely terrifying! She's so much bolder than I am...'
A sudden wave of defeat washed over the wealthy researcher.
However, as she watched the tall, handsome Leon looking down at the elegant, composed Ruan Mei... the scene undeniably looked like something straight out of a romance novel. A faint, slightly giddy smile crept back onto Asta's face.
'They actually look really good together...'
As it turned out, Asta wasn't the only spectator enjoying the show.
Leon and Asta had been strolling near the main docking platform. Just a few dozen yards away, parked securely in the station's bay, sat the Astral Express. And behind the polished glass windows of the parlor car, Stelle, Caelus, March 7th, and the rest of the crew had front-row seats to the entire exchange.
"Hey, hey, hey! Look over there!" Stelle was the first to spot them, immediately slapping her hands against the glass. "Wow—it's Bro! Guys, look! That woman is totally flirting with Bro!"
Her loud shout shattered the quiet atmosphere of the carriage. The crew members, who had been leisurely relaxing and sipping their drinks, instantly abandoned their seats and swarmed the window like gossip-starved tourists.
"Oh my gosh, who is that?" March 7th pressed her face so close to the glass that her breath fogged it up. "Do any of you know her?"
Even from a distance, the pink-haired archer couldn't help but admire the sheer elegance of the stranger's attire. Delicate floral motifs decorated the heels and toes of her shoes. A stunning necklace of rubies and pearls rested against her collarbone, perfectly complementing the white, tassel-fringed shawl draped over her arms.
"Does this mean..." Caelus muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Is Bro about to bring home a sister-in-law?"
"I highly doubt it," March 7th replied, her brow furrowing in concentration.
"That is Member 81 of the Genius Society, Ruan Mei," a calm voice interjected.
The gentle smile usually present on Himeko's face faded into an expression of serious contemplation. March 7th might not have recognized the reclusive scientist, but the Express's navigator certainly did.
A member of the Genius Society never acted without purpose. For someone like Ruan Mei to initiate such direct, intimate physical contact in public... there had to be a deep, underlying reason.
Himeko leaned against the window frame, her amber eyes thoughtfully tracking the two figures on the platform.
Back on the platform, Ruan Mei finally broke the silence.
"Hello. I hope I didn't startle you..." Her voice was incredibly soft, carrying the gentle, soothing cadence of a spring breeze. "This is simply a work habit of mine. I open my perception through physical touch, allowing the complex details of a lifeform to flood directly into my mind."
Her gloved fingertips still did not leave his skin. If anything, they pressed slightly firmer against his pulse. Her dark eyes were entirely devoid of romance, filled instead with a piercing, inquisitive hunger for knowledge.
"This method helps me to more clearly... understand the fundamental nature of your biological structure."
"Oh?" Leon raised a single eyebrow, his teasing smile widening into a confident smirk. He leaned into her touch just a fraction of an inch. "And what is your diagnosis, Doctor? You touched my chin so intimately... surely you plan to take responsibility for it?"
Ruan Mei: "..."
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