CAT Chapter 27: Anchored Without Meaning (3)

Lin Si’s action of letting go was slow, but resolute.

Ling Yi felt a sense of panic and emptiness, as if he couldn’t hold on to anything. He called out, “Lin Si,” and reached out again to grab his hand.

He looked up at Lin Si.

Lin Si’s expression was icy.

Yes, icy—not indifferent, not his usual neutral expression. Ling Yi could tell the difference. Lin Si had turned thoroughly cold when that woman mentioned Su Ting.

Ling Yi stared at him, his long, pretty lashes trembling, his face full of worry.

Lin Si met his gaze directly. “Everyone knows part of the truth.”

Ling Yi could sense something was wrong with his tone. Just that morning—even though Lin Si had done some rather cruel things to him—they had still felt close. But now, it was different. Lin Si had never spoken to him this way.

“I didn’t expect her reaction to be so extreme today,” Lin Si said. “But nothing she said was false. I hope you’ll form your own judgment.”

Ling Yi didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know how to comfort Lin Si—he didn’t want to know what the truth was; he just wanted Lin Si to stop being like this.

“I…” Just as he began to speak, Lin Si interrupted him.

“Go see Su Ting. She’ll be happy to meet you.”

After saying that, Lin Si turned and walked away, leaving Ling Yi standing alone in the empty corridor.

He looked at the tightly shut door, his gaze somewhat dazed.

From what the woman had said, it seemed that the person originally supposed to be on the ship was Ye Selin—his mother. However, she hadn’t boarded, and Lin Si had taken her place.

The woman had also said Lin Si was a devil, that he would surely go to hell. What kind of hatred could drive someone to say such venomous words? Was it really just because he had taken someone else’s spot on the ship?

But he remembered clearly: three years ago, in the notes he’d seen at Zheng Shu’s place, Lin Si had declined the ticket.

Lin Si had said everyone only knew part of the truth.

Yet these truths contradicted each other.

And Ye Selin... he didn’t know.

When he thought of her name, why did it feel like he was thinking of a stranger? He had heard Lin Si describe her appearance, yet he still couldn’t conjure an image of her.

Did Lin Si let go because he thought he would leave him for Ye Selin?

—These were all things he didn’t know.

The only thing he did know was that he had no idea about Lin Si’s past. That was why he was powerless to handle the present. To uncover the nightmares haunting Lin Si, embraces and intimacy wouldn’t be enough—he first had to truly understand him. And to understand him, he had to uncover the events surrounding the departure of the Voyager more than a hundred years ago.

The boy in the black military uniform walked back to the door and scanned his wristband to open it.

He decided to meet Su Ting, someone who might truly know both him and Lin Si.

At that moment, he no longer seemed like the always-childish Xiao Ling Yi. Those beautiful almond-shaped eyes now carried a calmness—a quiet determination. Perhaps it was because, for once, he had something he was resolute about pursuing. This often marked the beginning of maturity for young people. But this was different. While others might pursue their own futures, he was chasing someone else’s past.

When the woman saw him return, her sharp, cold gaze swept over him like a blade. Only after noticing Lin Si wasn’t with him did her expression soften slightly.

Though softer, her tone remained indifferent. “What else do you need?”

Ling Yi met her gaze without flinching. His eyes were calm and restrained.

“I’m Ye Selin’s son,” he said slowly.

Then he saw her icy expression shift to shock, disbelief, and finally… to unrestrained joy.

“Ye Selin’s child!” Her eyes widened. “Ling Yi, Xiao Ling Yi, is that you? Your mother mentioned your name. Her child is still alive!”

“Her child, her child…” She stared at Ling Yi as though entranced, muttering, “You always followed your father, so you were rarely seen. No one recognized you. You actually grew up on this ship…”

Then she naturally recalled the rumors about Lin Si. People had always said Lin Si had adopted a boy—the experimental subject of “Limitless.”

She had thought, back then, that adopting his own experimental subject was just a way to make research more convenient. No matter how others described the harmony between Lin Si and this boy, it was all just a façade. Poor child.

Under her gaze, Ling Yi felt a bit uneasy and took a step back.

“Let me look at you…” She stepped forward, her gaze fixed on Ling Yi, and suddenly her expression turned serious. “How can you stay with Lin Si? Does he think raising you will absolve his sins?”

Her tone was firm. “Sweetheart, you need to leave Lin Si immediately and come with us.”

Ling Yi had been called “sweetheart” by many people aboard the spaceship throughout his life, but this time, he was unwilling to accept it.

He knew he was likable, but this woman had just been indifferent to him moments ago, purely because he was associated with Lin Si.

And now, upon learning that his mother was Ye Selin, she had suddenly become so emotional.

Ling Yi had no memory of Ye Selin’s character or influence, so he couldn’t judge whether this woman’s change in attitude was right or wrong. However, he didn’t feel inclined to be kind to someone who held hostility toward Lin Si.

Ling Yi looked at her and said, “I’m here to see Su Ting. I don’t remember anything about Earth.”

“Su Ting, right, Su Ting…” The woman walked toward rows of hibernation pods. “Come with me.”

The process of unfreezing a human body was extremely complex. Every parameter adjustment required a new set of countermeasures, so it couldn’t be entirely handled by machines. It needed experienced revival specialists, such as this woman.

Another woman joined them. Though she said nothing, Ling Yi could sense her attitude had softened considerably.

They climbed to the third level and passed through many chambers until they reached Su Ting’s pod.

The cryogenic hibernation pod emitted a pale blue chill, with strange-shaped ice crystals forming on its surface. The young woman with flaxen hair had been drained of her blood and replaced with a special hibernation fluid, leaving her skin completely bloodless and nearly translucent white.

Blood replacement, temperature control, and wake-up stimulation—each step was tedious, but the two women worked methodically, showcasing their expertise.

Eventually, the temperature of the pod rose from dozens of degrees below zero to room temperature. Su Ting’s complexion gradually became rosy, resembling that of a living person.

Mechanical arms reached over, applying continuous pressure to her skin to aid blood circulation and assist her awakening.

After about half an hour, Su Ting slowly opened her eyes.

She stared at the ceiling for a long time before turning to look elsewhere, noticing the three people by her pod.

She opened her mouth but seemed unable to speak. After a long pause, she finally made a sound.

“I’m awake…” she said. “Have we landed? Or do I need to get to work?”

“Lin Si has a project that needs an assistant,” the woman replied.

“Shixiong¹…” Su Ting blinked, seemingly processing something. “Isn’t he supposed to be on Earth?”

The woman scoffed coldly.

Su Ting turned to Ling Yi, breaking into a weak smile—the first since waking up. “Are you LingLing? I remember you. We met once on Earth, and I even planted several pots of cat grass with you. Do you remember me? I didn’t expect to see you on the spaceship. Where’s your mother? Is she working with Lin Si?”

 Ling Yi took the lead in responding before the woman could speak. “Lin Si is working on a project involving human brain chip implants. He needs your help.”

He intentionally spoke first—he couldn’t let this woman, with her deep animosity toward Lin Si, mislead Su Ting.

“That’s right, this is my area of expertise,” Su Ting replied with a weak smile. “Shixiong knows me well.”

After saying this, she persisted, repeating the question she had already asked. “LingLing, where is Ye Selin? Is she working on the spaceship or still in hibernation?”

Ling Yi said quietly, “She… isn’t on the spaceship.”

Su Ting’s face instantly turned pale.

The woman, who had been interrupted earlier, sneered. “You should ask your Shixiong about that!”

Ling Yi frowned at her.

The woman immediately understood—this boy intended to defend Lin Si!

She became instantly alert.

Their eyes met, carrying a sense of confrontation.

And between these two—

“How can that be?” Su Ting murmured to herself. “That’s impossible. Ye Selin and I boarded the spaceship together…”