“Mr. Hong Yuande, do you know him?”

Cen Zhengnian paused for a moment, looking slightly surprised but not entirely. With a smile, he said, “I know him. Did Grandpa and Mr. Hong argue?”

Though phrased as a question, Chuxia could hear the certainty in Cen Zhengnian’s tone.

Before Chuxia could respond, Cen Huai’an, who was quietly eating, nodded and said, “They argued a lot, and not just once.”

Cen Huai’an was often quiet in public, but he loved observing his surroundings.

If Cen Zhengnian asked An’an to recount the scene, he could repeat everything Grandpa Jiang and Hong Yuande had said without missing a word.

Cen Zhengnian didn’t intend to do that; his smile was somewhat resigned. “After all these years, Grandpa and Mr. Hong still haven’t changed a bit.”

Chuxia swallowed her food and curiously asked, “Have they always been like this?”

Cen Zhengnian nodded. “They were like this when I was a kid, and even when I went to university in the capital. Don’t worry; it’s just how they interact. They have a deep bond.”

Especially after all they had been through, even with their constant bickering, they both cherished their decades-long friendship.

Chuxia nodded, having already sensed it.

Though they seemed to argue fiercely, exchanging barbs constantly, neither was genuinely angry.

Later that evening, Chuxia sat at her desk, engrossed in the manual Cen Zhengnian had given her.

She didn’t even notice when Cen Zhengnian finished work, washed up, and entered the room; her eyes were still glued to the manual.

Cen Zhengnian approached and glanced at the content of the manual.

As someone specialized in his field, he recognized every word in the herbal formulas but couldn’t quite grasp why certain combinations of herbs could cure ailments.

Chuxia finally noticed the warm presence behind her.

As she turned her head, her lips brushed against Cen Zhengnian’s cheek.

She froze for a moment, then pushed him back with a slightly flushed face. “Stand back; it’s too hot.”

Cen Zhengnian chuckled but didn’t move. He pointed at a section in Chuxia’s manual and asked, “Dr. Luo, I don’t understand this part. Could you explain it to me?”

Chuxia glanced at the page, her face instantly turning bright red.

The case documented on the page was about Dr. Gao Lin treating a man in the village for erectile dysfunction.

“This… uh…” Chuxia stammered, unable to find the words.

She finally gave up, closed the book, and said, “You don’t need this information; there’s no need to explain.”

Cen Zhengnian’s low, magnetic laugh echoed in Chuxia’s ear, making her face grow even hotter.

“Looks like Dr. Luo is satisfied with me.”

Chuxia, eager to escape the awkward situation, pushed against Cen Zhengnian’s chest and tried to steer him away. “Yes, satisfied, satisfied. Now move; I’m going to bed.”

Chuxia had expected Cen Zhengnian to continue teasing her, but to her surprise, he really stepped aside.

She hesitated for a moment, then quickly climbed into bed under his amused gaze.

Chuxia thought it was over and felt relieved, although she also felt a faint, inexplicable sense of disappointment.

But when the lights went out, and Cen Zhengnian moved closer, she realized she had let her guard down too soon.

Cen Zhengnian wasn’t going to let her off that easily.

That night, Chuxia and Cen Zhengnian were more like Dr. Luo and her patient.

Chuxia was grateful that the bed was large and sturdy enough; otherwise, if it were like the one in Cen Zhengnian’s dorm that creaked, she would’ve been carried off by him.

After a night of “treatment,” Chuxia unsurprisingly overslept the next day.

She was puzzled by how Cen Zhengnian could still wake up early for the research institute after every time; his energy was truly boundless.

Today, Cen Zhengnian was in a particularly good mood, although his demeanor remained as composed as usual—calm and not overly warm or cold toward anyone.

He worked well with other researchers, and since the institute wasn’t a place to make friends, most people didn’t mind his reserved nature.

It was Ye Xingsu who noticed Cen Zhengnian’s good mood.

Normally, if Ye Xingsu made a mistake with the data, he could feel the chill radiating from Cen Zhengnian, who, even without saying a word, was intimidating.

But today, when Ye Xingsu made a small error with a decimal point, Cen Zhengnian pointed it out without any sign of displeasure.

Not to mention, when Ye Xingsu walked in that morning, he immediately noticed that Cen Zhengnian was in exceptionally high spirits.

Ye Xingxiu quietly thought about where Cen Zhengnian had slept last night and realized that it was quite clear.

Tsk, a man who is satisfied with himself can say anything.

Ye Xingxiu sighed silently for himself again.

With his good looks and more charming personality than Cen Zhengnian, why is his path to matchmaking so difficult?

His mother had started issuing an ultimatum: if he didn’t like the photos she sent, he should rely on himself; she would no longer intervene.

At noon, Ye Xingxiu saw Cen Zhengnian going to get food again and wondered, “Isn’t your wife in the family quarters? Why are you still eating at the cafeteria?”

Cen Zhengnian, watching the cook serve him, replied, “It’s too hot, cooking is hard work.”

Ye Xingxiu pondered for a moment and understood the implication of Cen Zhengnian’s words.

Damn, showing off that you care for your wife and have a good relationship with her!

Yan Hemin laughed at Ye Xingxiu’s gritted teeth, “Xingxiu, are you envious of Zhengnian?”

Ye Xingxiu looked up, “No. I’m very happy living alone!”

Yan Hemin smiled and said nothing.

Cen Zhengnian had already finished getting his meal, said a word to Yan Hemin, and took his food away.

Actually, when moving, it’s customary to invite friends and family for a meal to warm up the new home.

Chuxia had also suggested to Cen Zhengnian to invite his research colleagues for a meal.

Cen Zhengnian said, “It’s too hot now, cooking so much food is torturous. Let’s wait until the weather cools down.”

It’s not just cooking that’s difficult; eating hot food is also unpleasant in this heat, and many people only want to eat cool dishes.

But serving only cold dishes isn’t right either.

Chuxia decided to put this matter aside for now and would find a better reason to invite everyone for a meal later.

If Ye Xingxiu knew Cen Zhengnian and Chuxia’s thoughts, he would immediately say, “I don’t mind the heat and lack of appetite; I can eat!”

---

Life at the research institute wasn’t boring; it was quite similar to living in the courtyard, with Chuxia reading books every day.

However, now she read more medical books and checked Cen Huai’an’s pulse daily as practice.

Sometimes she also checked Cen Zhengnian’s pulse and quickly discovered he had stomach issues.

“Did you have irregular meals before? Did you often stay up late?”

Cen Zhengnian looked at Chuxia with some surprise.

He was just cooperating with her to see how well she had learned and didn’t expect her to diagnose anything through pulse reading.

So, Cen Zhengnian was indeed surprised when Chuxia pointed out his health issue.

However, Cen Zhengnian didn’t hide anything and nodded, “In the past, when I was in school and the Northwest, when working and studying, sometimes I forgot to eat and stayed up late.”

Chuxia frowned, asked him to stick out his tongue, and then inquired about his stomach discomfort and pain frequency.

“Your stomach problem is serious. If you don’t take care of it properly, it will worsen.”

Chuxia knew what Cen Zhengnian was like when working.

If she and An’an hadn’t moved to the family quarters, Cen Zhengnian would often miss meals.

Chuxia had heard other family members say that many researchers often went hungry until they had to eat whatever leftovers were available at the cafeteria.

Cen Zhengnian remained silent because Chuxia’s words were true.

He knew his stomach wasn’t good; many people in the research institute had similar issues.

“Don’t eat at the cafeteria anymore.

Eat at home.”

“It’s hot,” Cen Zhengnian frowned and grabbed Chuxia’s hand, “It’s too hard for you to cook.”

“Your stomach needs proper care. The cafeteria food is fixed; some things aren’t good for your stomach if eaten too much.”

Taking care of a stomach problem mainly involves regulating diet, eating on time, avoiding staying up late, and, most importantly, avoiding harmful foods.

Foods that produce stomach acid or are cold and cooling should be minimized to prevent irritation.

If neglected and exposed to various irritants, the stomach problem will only get worse, and the outcome is predictable.

Ye Xingxiu quickly noticed that Cen Zhengnian no longer ate at the cafeteria.

Regardless of the day, he always went directly home to eat, and Ye Xingxiu hadn’t seen him in the cafeteria again.

Moreover, if Cen Zhengnian didn’t come home for lunch by 12:30, his wife would bring food for him to the research institute gate, where the security guard would deliver it to the lab.

Ye Xingxiu was extremely envious, looking at Cen Zhengnian’s meals with longing, “Zhengnian, aren’t we good brothers?”

Cen Zhengnian glanced at him, pushed his arm away, and ate his own meal, “No, we’re colleagues.”

Ye Xingxiu waved his hand, “Whether we’re brothers or colleagues, don’t good things need to be shared?”

Saying this, he tried to grab food from Cen Zhengnian’s lunchbox, but Cen Zhengnian quickly stopped him, “This is food my wife specially made for me, meant to help with my stomach. If you need it, you can ask your wife to make it for you.”

Ye Xingxiu’s eyes widened in shock, “Cen Zhengnian! You know I don’t have a wife!”

Cen Zhengnian continued eating without feeling guilty, “Then there’s nothing we can do. You should get married soon.”

Ye Xingxiu: beep beep beep (garbled)……

A few days later, Chuxia finally received a call from No. 9 Middle School: the college entrance examination results had come out!