Ruan mei was anything but her.

You find her hunched over a sprawling console, a few other machines running calculations far too complex for most minds. Her brown hair falls messily around her face, usually pristine but now disheveled. Her gloved hands, usually steady and precise, tremble ever so slightly as she adjusts a setting, reroutes a calculation, checks a stream of data that goes on endlessly across the screen.

For a moment, you wonder if she even noticed your presence in the room. The lab feels empty, almost timeless, as though everything has been suspended for the sake of her work. Without turning, she finally speaks—her voice soft, strained in a way you’ve never heard from her before. "You're here."

As you move closer, you got a much clearer look of her. Her shoulders were tense, as if the weight of the entire universe rested on them, and for a fleeting moment, you see through the mask she always wore. Beneath the calm elegance, the Genius Society member, Ruan Mei is simply... tired.

She exhales quietly, a sigh that feels far too human for someone so revered, so brilliant. "I’ve been running the calculations for hours, days, perhaps? The variables refuse to align, and it feels like the universe itself is mocking me." Her voice falters for just a second, but she catches herself, regaining control before continuing. "I shouldn’t let it bother me. But..."

"I need you." she admitted softly.