Finally went to a bar and stayed out all night. When he got home in the morning, he ran into Cen Zeng. The guy glanced at him, which counted as a greeting, and then pointed at the breakfast on the table.

He asked, "8 AM class?"

The other guy said yes.

"Alright, don't forget our run tonight, 'kay?" He let out a big yawn.

Cen Zeng nodded, and as he left, said, "I remember."

The day flew by. He had nothing to do, so he just went to class again.

This time, he actually absorbed something, taking solid notes for two whole class periods. When class was over, he checked the time and asked Cen Zeng if he wanted to have dinner together.

The other guy refused, saying he had something to do and would just eat some bread.

He couldn't be persuaded, and he couldn't be bothered to try. So, he went with Zhang Yijie and a few others to a new Western restaurant.

After eating, he chatted with them for a while. Then, a message came from Cen Zeng, saying, "I'm free now."

He got up and left right away, saying he had a night run scheduled with Cen Zeng and that he was going to become a healthy person.

Zhang Yijie was already used to his recent craziness and couldn't be bothered to argue with him. This time, he just waved his hand. "Get lost."

He left in a hurry and didn't hear Zhang Yijie muttering loudly, "He says it's just a substitute, but why do I feel like he's actually getting invested?"

On a spring night, the wind was refreshing and gentle, and a faint floral fragrance already hung in the air with every breath.

Cheng Shuo changed into his running shoes and sent a message to Cen Zeng: "I'm by the South Gate campus road, waiting for you."

He waited for ten minutes before Cen Zeng came to stand beside him.

"You can put your bag in my car first," he said.

They ran. When Cheng Shuo first started at the university, he played basketball for a while. But later, too many people came to watch and offer him water, and he couldn't be bothered to come out to every single one of them, so he simply started working out only at a private gym off-campus.

It was a rare occasion for him to be running on campus. He ran past the sound of the wind, past the grassy fields, past the newly blossomed pear flowers. Between their intersecting breaths, the world seemed to become very distant.

Cen Zeng's breathing was quite steady, but he always felt that the other guy hadn't been eating much lately and was worried he might get hypoglycemia.

On the third lap, he stopped on his own. "Let's rest for a bit."

Cen Zeng nodded, panting. He was usually pale, so after exercising, his face finally had a bit of color. He finally looked a bit more alive, and much better-looking.

Cheng Shuo finally felt a bit better inside. "You're a pretty good runner."

Cen Zeng nodded, and for once, shared a little about himself. "In my third year of high school, the pressure was immense. I often ran a few laps on the track after evening self-study sessions before going to sleep."

"You must have done really well on your college entrance exams then. I heard the score requirement for our School of Medicine is pretty high," he chimed in.

"It was alright," he said. "The school's scholarships are also quite generous. I was very satisfied when I came."

Cheng Shuo then patted his shoulder, subconsciously pulling back his strength at the last moment. "Awesome. I heard from others that you were also first in the department after you enrolled."

"It's just studying." Cen Zeng smiled. His features were already soft and delicate, and now without that gloomy air, his smile made the unscholarly Cheng Shuo inexplicably recall a sentimental line of poetry: Rosy cheeks and pink blossoms, vying in their rosy bloom.

He shook the thought from his head and said, "Don't be so modest, you top student."

But then Cen Zeng spoke again, saying, "Thank you."

"Thank me for what?" He was a bit bewildered. Having seen Cen Zeng's cold face so much these past few days, he was actually a bit overwhelmed by the favor. "It's just a run."

"It's nothing..." Cen Zeng said. "Anyway, thank you."

He was smiling. It was beautiful, gentle, and serenely lovely.

Cheng Shuo wasn't quite used to this.

He quickly changed the subject. "Want to run some more? After we're done, let's go get a late-night snack. Someone just recommended a barbecue place to me."

Completely ignoring the fact that it was Zhang Yijie who had sent him the barbecue recommendation, asking if he wanted to go tonight.

But Cen Zeng shook his head, took out his phone, and said, "My advisor just contacted me. I have to go to the library to organize some materials and deliver them to him. I might sleep in the school dorm tonight."

"He's exploiting you that much?" Cheng Shuo was speechless. "I really can't believe it."

"I'm used to it."

Finally, it wasn't 'It's fine.'

Cheng Shuo sighed and said, "If it's too much, you should consider changing advisors. I'll ask a friend of mine to look into it for you. Being this busy, any normal person would break."

Cen Zeng was silent for a moment, then said, "We'll see."

"Alright, if you make up your mind, let me know. I'll take you to meet my friend." He waved his hand. "I'm heading home then. If you finish early, you can call me to pick you up. I go to bed pretty late anyway."

They were standing very close. Cheng Shuo took his bag. "This is heavy?"

"I borrowed some specialized books from the library." Cen Zeng smiled. "I can carry it."

Cheng Shuo handed it to him.

Cen Zeng waved goodbye to him. "Goodbye."

"See you tomorrow. If you're free tomorrow, let's go running again, or go to the gym." He sized up the other's thin frame. "I'll show you how to use the equipment. I feel like you need to put on some more muscle."

Cen Zeng nodded and said, "Be careful on your way."

It was rare to hear something like that from him. Cheng Shuo was in an excellent mood after hearing it and hummed in agreement.

After getting back, he pestered Chen Ziheng, asking if medical students could change advisors.

The other guy was clearly busy. He had already finished a round of his game before the person replied irritably, "It's not that easy. You think you own the university?"

Since the person knew about these things, he complained to him for a bit, saying that Cen Zeng's advisor was truly exploitative and that it was unbearable. He then asked the person to help him look into it.

Chen Ziheng typed out an ellipsis, then said, "I've actually heard about this kind of thing. I can ask around, but there's probably not much that can be done. Try to persuade him more, watch over him more, and help him out more. If it really comes down to it, his life is what's most important."

Cheng Shuo had always thought Chen Ziheng was a pretentious jerk, but this time he was acting very human, to the point that it felt unfamiliar. He said, "Thanks. Please help me ask around. We can go out for a meal too. My treat."

Chen Ziheng was shocked speechless. He didn't reply at all.

He played a few games in a great mood and, for a rare change, went to sleep right after midnight. Before sleeping, he sent a message to Cen Zeng, saying he was in bed and asking, "Want to have lunch together tomorrow?"

He slept peacefully and dreamed that Cen Zeng brought a carton of new eggs home.

He went over and said, "Let me fry the eggs today."

Suddenly, the eggs began to vibrate violently, so much so that he reached out to grab them.

The more he grabbed, the faster they fell.

And then, he woke up.

His phone was vibrating furiously.

Chen Ziheng had called him five times, finally waking him up from silent mode.