Right, not just the steel factory, even this rundown little city, going to see a psychologist would probably make you seem mentally ill in others' eyes. Gu Fei's mom was probably the same, seeing a psychologist meant admitting she was crazy.  

"Yesterday she asked me if I'd stop caring about her long ago without Gu Miao," Gu Fei said.

"Is that so?" Jiang Cheng tilted his head.

"Yeah," Gu Fei said, "We're all adults, responsible for our own paths."

Jiang Cheng didn't say anything more, just felt confused.

"Go take a nap," Gu Fei said, "Can't hold up this afternoon."

"What about you?" Jiang Cheng asked.

"Want to squeeze together on that small bed and nap?" Gu Fei laughed, "I don't need to sleep, I'm not sleepy."

Gu Fei had just changed the sheets and covers on the small bed in the small room. The sheets, pillowcases and covers all smelled fresh and clean with the sunlight. Jiang Cheng flopped onto the bed and fell asleep in less than 2 minutes hugging the covers.

When Gu Fei called him, he didn't want to get up at all, hugging the covers and refusing to let go: "Sleepy sleepy sleepy..."

"Then you're skipping class?" Gu Fei asked.

"No." Jiang Cheng buried his face in the covers.  

"Then get up?" Gu Fei asked again.

"Sleepy," Jiang Cheng repeated.

"Then skipping class?" Gu Fei continued asking.

"No." Jiang Cheng's answer looped.

"Then what?" Gu Fei asked.

"...What are you doing?" Jiang Cheng was puzzled for a moment.

"I'll do you," Gu Fei leaned on the bedframe and tugged Jiang Cheng's pants, "Nothing better to do anyway since you won't get up."

Jiang Cheng turned his head to look at him: "Damn."

Gu Fei didn't speak, simply flipped up half of his clothes.

"Hey! Hey hey..." Jiang Cheng was instantly wide awake, whooshed up from the bed, then jumped to the floor, "Keep it in check, we're going to school."

"Not sleepy anymore?" Gu Fei pulled his clothes back down.

"Not sleepy, I'll wash my face!" Jiang Cheng ran to the backyard.

The afternoon self-study period was cancelled. Old Xu stood at the podium and earnestly spoke for 10 minutes, hoping to rouse the students' spirits from the assault of cancelled self-study transformed into various subject exams, but it wasn't very effective.

Old Lu who had snatched the first self-study period couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted Old Xu: "Teacher Xu, what you're saying is useless! Look at these rascals! Take a rest! You've wasted half a period! Letting you speak wasted half a period!"

Old Xu reluctantly made way at the podium: "Less than a year left! My students! You've already wasted two and a half years! Make a final push in this last half year!"

"!" Old Lu slammed the desk as he went up, "Class starts!"

Jiang Cheng who had zoned out was frightened by his slam. Gu Fei next to him who had zoned out even more was so shocked his phone dropped to the ground.

"Spare a thought for Teacher Xu!" Old Lu said, "Day after day, he's talked till his lips are chapped! You guys step on a scale when you get home! With your fat faces and big ears! I have to go to the market to find a scale for weighing pork to measure you lot!"

Jiang Cheng glanced at Gu Fei.

"Don't look at me," Gu Fei said softly, "I'm keeping my figure very well."

Jiang Cheng held in his laugh.

"You lost weight," Gu Fei added, "It's noticeable now. Weigh yourself tonight, at least 10 pounds for sure."

"Mm," Jiang Cheng smiled.

After school, the two of them went to the pharmacy. Gu Fei stood on the scale: "My weight hasn't changed in 3 years."

"You always weigh here?" Jiang Cheng asked.  

"Mm," Gu Fei nodded.

Jiang Cheng hesitated, then turned to ask the staff: "Sis, is this scale accurate?"

"Accurate, it's new!" the sister said, "Just changed it less than 2 months ago, very precise."

"Oh," Jiang Cheng also stood on it, then froze, "Damn... didn't drop at all?"

Gu Fei took Jiang Cheng's schoolbag from him: "Why didn't you carry me up to weigh together."

"I can't carry it," Jiang Cheng laughed, looking at the number on the scale again, "I'm lighter than you. I thought we were about the same."

"Probably," Gu Fei squeezed his waist, "You probably need to eat more nutrition."  

"No need to go that far," Jiang Cheng got off the scale, "I never needed extra nutrition before exams. I pulled all-nighters like this for the middle school exams too. My mom...never made extra meals either, she said don't be so delicate."

"The pressure for middle school exams isn't as big," Gu Fei took out his phone as he walked, looking at it, "And you're eating too casually now. No more going out for dinner from now on."

"Eating at the shop?" Jiang Cheng asked.

"Mm," Gu Fei nodded very seriously, "No more going out for breakfast either, fried dough sticks and pancakes don't have much nutrition."

"You're making breakfast?" Jiang Cheng smiled.

"Mm," Gu Fei continued nodding.  

"What are you looking at?" Jiang Cheng leaned over.

"Nutritious breakfast recipes, look, one nutritious breakfast every day." Gu Fei pointed at the screen.

"You're cooking it?" Jiang Cheng looked at him, "Your skills aren't as good as Li Yan's."

"Then have Li Yan make it for you," Gu Fei said.

"Piss off," Jiang Cheng glared at him, "I'm not that delicate."

"Then I won't piss off," Gu Fei smiled and put his phone back in his pocket.

What old Lu said about people gaining weight during exams, Pan Zhi was one example. His family never accepted that he was a failing student. Every time Pan Zhi pretended to study by playing on his phone during exams, his mom thought he was a genius student dragged down by malnutrition. So Pan Zhi could gain a jin during every exam, even midterms.

After the exam when he was yelled at and beaten, he'd lose the extra jin he'd gained.

Jiang Cheng had never enjoyed the privilege of nutritious meals. Shen Yiqing had strict dietary standards. She believed that no matter how hard one studied, the home cooking had enough nutrition. Extra nutrition was just psychological comfort.

But perhaps she was right. Jiang Cheng had never felt his studying lacked nutrition. He just got sleepy easily, but with his abilities, a small hunger or sleepiness could be solved with a vitamin drink...

"Feeling sleepy means your brain is overworked," Gu Fei said, holding his phone in one hand and a spatula in the other, stirring the chicken wings in the pan, "So you need to supplement."

"Eating chicken wings supplements the brain?" Jiang Cheng asked.

"Walnuts, milk, eggs, red dates, sesame, bananas, soybeans..." Gu Fei listed off, "Which do you like?"

"...none of them," Jiang Cheng replied.