Settling In

The moment Song Shuyi opened the door in the morning and saw Cen Zeng, he started to gossip.

He asked how their chat went yesterday.

The junior brother said it was just so-so.

He said Cheng Shuo is quite a good match for you.

The junior brother said thank you.

He said, but you should still observe him for a while longer, huh? He looks way too experienced; you might not be able to handle him.

The junior brother said, Mm, do you still need to help the lab next door run their data today?

“Mhm…” Song Shuyi nodded.

As they were speaking, Zhang Yuhao walked in with a brisk stride, a thick book in his hand.

After what happened last time, Cen Zeng subconsciously moved to avoid him. The person opposite him looked up, glanced at him, said nothing, and walked to his usual spot, slamming the book down with a bang.

Song Shuyi sighed and was about to say something, but the junior brother spoke up as if he hadn't heard a thing.

“I sounded out Li Aimin, and from what he said, he probably won’t let you collaborate with people from other labs.”

Song Shuyi didn't seem to have much of a reaction. He leaned in and said in a low voice, "Does that even need sounding out? Everyone knows that."

Cen Zeng replied, "That's true."

“Anyway, I’m free recently, so I’m just helping them take a look,” the senior brother said calmly. “I’m not after anything. It’s mainly because what they’re doing is genuinely interesting.”

When he spoke of this, his eyes lit up, and his whole being seemed to glow.

“Okay, I’ll keep a lookout for you,” Cen Zeng replied. “Do what you want to do.”

Song Shuyi smiled. “He’s probably not in today, so no need to be too nervous.”

“Mm…”

“Stop ‘mm-ing.’ When he comes back tomorrow, he’ll probably ask you for an answer.”

“You seem pretty familiar with this process.” Cen Zeng gripped his water cup and glanced back.

“I learned from watching Sister Xu.” Song Shuyi sighed. “Just take it slow.”

He went to check on his pack of perpetually disobedient, lively mouse ancestors as usual. After finishing his inspection, he waved and slipped away.

Cen Zeng lowered his head and worked on the experiment report.

His mind drifted to that morning when Cheng Shuo was eating breakfast. Halfway through, he had started laughing to himself.

Then, he suddenly got up and opened the refrigerator.

He was a little confused and asked, "Are you not full?"

The man took out the egg carton, looked at it for a few seconds, and said no, just counting how many were left and whether they needed to buy more. So they inexplicably counted them; there were 13.

Cheng Shuo said, "That's good. One for each of us every morning, so that’ll last another six days."

After saying that, he looked at him as if waiting for a rebuttal.

But he didn't have the energy to escape the trap, so he said, "I'll remind you."

He worked peacefully for a while until someone tapped on his desk.

“Where’s Brother Song?” Zhang Yuhao’s expression was still very sour. “There’s an experiment result. Director Li told me to discuss it with him last night.”

“He went to get something.” Cen Zeng’s expression didn't change. “He should be back in a bit.”

Zhang Yuhao nodded and said, "Alright then," but he didn't leave.

“Is it urgent?” Cen Zeng asked. “I’m also following the senior brother’s experiment. If it’s related, I can help take a look.”

The person opposite him snorted but made no move.

Cen Zeng had no choice but to lower his head and send Song Shuyi a message, telling him to hurry back.

It was Xu Zhenqing who came over to smooth things over, saying, "Yuhao, how about I help you take a look? Shuyi went to pick up a package, so it might be a while."

“What kind of package is he picking up so early in the morning?” Though he said this, he still handed over the experiment log.

The two of them chatted for a bit before Song Shuyi came running over, skillfully sat down, and opened his computer to pull up the software. “What’s wrong? Which part of the data has a problem?”

Zhang Yuhao pressed his lips together. “The one we talked about yesterday.”

“Didn’t we finish discussing that? We need to run the experiment again to see if it’s really feasible.” Song Shuyi leaned over. “Or did Director Li think of a new problem?”

Zhang Yuhao’s gaze swept across the three of them. Finally, he smiled and said, "I just showed it to Director Li, and Director Li said I can’t always be troubling you. After all, you’re always busy with who knows what, so he suggested I learn to do it myself sooner rather than later."

Song Shuyi’s movements paused. “Oh. Then I can teach you again.”

Cen Zeng turned his head, glanced at them, and said nothing.

Xu Zhenqing exchanged a look with him and walked away.

After that scene, during lunch, Song Shuyi sighed speechlessly and said in a low voice, "It was hard enough to have Director Li gone, and now he pulls a stunt like this. I don't even know how I offended him."

Cen Zeng finally asked, “Does he have a problem with you?”

Senior He Ying, who was beside them, chimed in, "Isn't he always like this?"

Song Shuyi replied, "In any case, it's not easy for anyone. Director Li won't give anyone a pleasant look for no reason."

“And if he does, you’re not far from bad luck.” He Ying nodded in deep agreement.

Li Aimin, who never gave anyone a pleasant look, was still patiently playing cat and mouse recently, pleasantly finding fault with Cen Zeng, which made him feel a bit sick.

The next day, he answered calmly, "Director Li, I can't change my mind."

The person opposite him was still smiling, unhurriedly blowing on his teacup. “Are you sure?”

Cen Zeng stood before the desk, gazing forward. It was a late autumn scene, a fierce wind sweeping fallen leaves before him.

He unseasonably thought of Cheng Shuo’s bright, lively eyes when he smiled and surprisingly felt his heart burning. He really wanted to see him right away.

“I’m very sure.”

When he came back to his senses, he was still facing his supervisor's face.

“What a pity.” Li Aimin smiled, a look of false regret on his face. “I was originally very optimistic about your development.”

Cen Zeng remained unmoved.

Li Aimin didn't keep him, so he turned and left.

While smoking on the rooftop, he had the illusion that the sweet taste carried a hint of bitterness. When the wind blew, he could barely breathe.

He opened Cheng Shuo's WeChat and asked, "Can I move in?"

He was of course aware of how absurd this was. In his mind, he should treat his feelings seriously and also separate his dislike for his supervisor from his fondness for Cheng Shuo.

He shouldn't confuse them, shouldn't flee to the only lighthouse like a cry for help when he was still unsure.

A person cannot, should not, be so weak.

But his heart was still aching with a dull pain, so much so that before he could control his instincts, he had already sent the message subconsciously.

Exhaling the last puff of smoke, he considered whether to retract the message.

However, a call from someone came through just then.

“So, when should I help you move?” Cheng Shuo’s tone was gentle, carrying a lingering midsummer warmth. “After evening class is over, how about that?”

He heard Cen Zeng on the other end, who sounded as if he were floating in a fog, unable to land. “Okay, see you later.”

No one spoke, but neither hung up.

“The wind is so loud. Where are you?”

“On the laboratory building rooftop,” Cen Zeng replied. “I’m heading to catch the bus in a bit.”

“Okay…” Cheng Shuo chuckled on the other end. “I’ll head to the university in a bit and bring the car over.”

Before leaving, he ran into Wu Yin. The person opposite him stared at Cheng Shuo for a moment, then, when Cen Zeng went to the balcony to get his dry clothes, he asked, "You and him?"

“We’re going to be roommates,” Cen Zeng explained.

“I…” Wu Yin hesitated for a moment. “Uh, just being roommates is fine.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just that, Cen Zeng, you don’t usually listen to gossip, so you probably don’t know. His private life is quite messy; there are a lot of threads in the gossip section of the forum. Basically, he's rich and a total player. Be careful not to get played.”

Hearing this, Cen Zeng actually smiled and said, "Is that so? Well, I’m very poor."

Not expecting such a reply, Wu Yin was at a bit of a loss for words.

“It’s alright,” Cen Zeng replied. “I trust him.”

He paid no mind to how horrified his roommate was by his almost love-brain-like declaration and just continued on his own, “If you have any problems with your homework, you can message me.”

Wu Yin clearly had a lot more to say, but facing his roommate’s perpetually expressionless face, the words all got stuck in his throat.

He watched as Cheng Shuo and Cen Zeng each dragged a suitcase out, not knowing what he should say.

“What did you say to your roommate?” Cheng Shuo asked. “He kept looking at me just now.”

“He said…” Cen Zeng replied, “for me to be careful not to get played by you.”

Cheng Shuo chuckled. "Is that so? Then what do you think?"

“I have eyes,” Cen Zeng answered.

What the eyes see is not necessarily true, but his heart, in the end, would not lie to him.

[Author's Note]

Wu Yin: My aloof, god-tier student roommate is actually a love brain. WeChat me 50 to listen to my helplessness…