Speaking of which, Ye Xingxu looked troubled. “I don’t know why, but my wife hasn’t liked me touching her lately. I don’t understand. We used to get along so well. Now I miss the early days of our marriage.”

Cen Zhengnian said, “It’s your own wife. Figure out the reason yourself.”

Just then, Yan Hemin came in.

Cen Zhengnian had data to discuss with him and left Ye Xingxu’s troubles behind.

---

“Chu Xia, can you check if my health has improved? I’ve finished the medicine, and I’m not feeling uncomfortable anymore.”

Chu Xia, now at the hospital and without needing to prescribe medication, checked Shi Qian’s pulse.

After letting go, Chu Xia smiled with relief. “You’re better now. Just remember to follow the advice I gave you, and you need to take care of your health yourself.”

Shi Qian felt a weight lift off her shoulders, and her smile brightened.

She shook Chu Xia’s hand with great joy. “Thank you! Thank you, Chu Xia.”

Chu Xia patted her hand, feeling happy. It was a rare feeling of joy after curing a patient.

Shi Qian told her, “You don’t know, even if my illness hadn’t improved, I wouldn’t have found a reason to refuse Ye Xingxu. You’d think they’re always busy with research, but they still have the energy for that?”

Hearing this, Chu Xia instinctively thought of Cen Zhengnian from last night, who insisted on doing something in the living room.

If she hadn’t firmly refused and if there hadn’t been dogs in the living room, Cen Zhengnian would have tried.

At this moment, Chu Xia’s thoughts aligned with Shi Qian’s.

Chu Xia nodded and said, “Maybe it’s because they’re not tired enough.”

Shi Qian agreed wholeheartedly. “I’ll have Xingxu take care of the housework so he doesn’t channel all his excess energy toward me.”

Chu Xia, eating grapes, silently thought: My housework is already done by Cen Zhengnian, and it’s the same.

---

Zhang Lu was a sociable person, and Wang Aihua was the same.

After meeting through Cen Huai’an, they hit it off immediately, and Cen Huai’an found himself unable to join their conversations.

At lunch today, the two were discussing the most popular singers.

“I’m a huge fan of Fei Xiang! He’s not only handsome but also has a great voice. You’re like a fire in winter, the blazing flame warming my heart!” Zhang Lu exclaimed excitedly, standing up and imitating Fei Xiang’s singing style, drawing the attention of several people.

She didn’t feel embarrassed and sang a few lines before sitting down, asking Cen Huai’an and Tang Song, “How was that? Did I imitate him well?”

Cen Huai’an said, “Very much like him.”

Tang Song nodded, his eyes seemingly only focused on Zhang Lu’s bright figure. “It sounded great.”

Wang Aihua disagreed. “I think Jacky Cheung’s songs are also great…”

They compared the two singers, arguing over which was better, nearly getting into a fight.

But, apart from this, when it came to studying and solving problems, they were all friendly classmates.

For Cen Huai’an, the summer camp was overall an enjoyable experience.

He got to interact with students from all over the country, discuss challenging problems, and had professional professors to answer questions.

With friends like Xiao He and Wang Aihua around, he was glad he came to the summer camp.

However, there was one downside: Cen Huai’an’s roommate, Hou Yongjin.

Proud and sensitive, he often created problems in the dormitory over trivial matters due to an unpleasant incident on the first day.

When Hong Youxuan and Xiao He came to find Cen Huai’an for a game of Go, Hou Yongjin felt disturbed.

He slammed the table, stood up, and shouted at them, “If you don’t want to study, I do! This isn’t your dormitory, and you don’t care if you disturb others!”

Cen Huai’an immediately turned his gaze towards him, frowning, making Hou Yongjin shrink back, feeling a sudden fear.

“What… What are you looking at? Do you want to hit me?”

Cen Huai’an glanced at him without speaking, then said to Hong Youxuan and Xiao He, “Let’s go outside.”

After all, the dormitory wasn’t his private space.

Hou Yongjin thought Cen Huai’an was afraid of him and became even more unreasonable.

He wouldn’t tolerate any noise when he was studying and would loudly complain if there was any disturbance.

Yet, he was indifferent to others when they were studying.

Wang Aihua and Li Lianyu, with their good temperaments, didn’t want to argue with him.

Initially, Cen Huai’an ignored him, but his behavior became increasingly intolerable.

When Hou Yongjin made a loud noise again while Cen Huai’an was studying, Cen Huai’an stood up, expressionless, and walked slowly to Hou Yongjin, pressing him down on the table. “Do you really like this table? Always banging on it.”

“Huo Yongjin, what are you doing?!”

“Helping you get closer to the table you like.”

Cen Huai’an grabbed his head and forcefully moved it towards the table as if intending to smash it.

The force and motion seemed deadly.

Hou Yongjin, staring at the approaching table, screamed in fear, “Ah! No, no! I’m sorry!”

Cen Huai’an stopped just one centimeter from the table, released Hou Yongjin’s arms and head. “I forgot to mention, I’ve practiced martial arts since I was young… and I’ve even dealt with dead bodies.”

Actually, Cen Huai’an had only covered a dead beggar he saw on the street with a tattered sack when he was young.

Nevertheless, this was enough to scare Hou Yongjin, who collapsed onto a chair, trembling uncontrollably. “I… I’m going to find the teacher.”

Wang Aihua and Li Lianyu were also startled by Cen Huai’an’s actions but couldn’t deny their satisfaction, as they had wanted to hit Hou Yongjin many times.

“Go ahead,” Cen Huai’an said, unconcerned, and resumed studying.

Hou Yongjin went to the teacher responsible for their group, intending to complain.

However, the fear of Cen Huai’an’s threatening gaze made him hesitant.

He ended up crying to the teacher, asking to switch dormitories and claiming that his roommates were excluding him.

When asked how they were excluding him, he refused to explain, only insisting on a room change.

Since he wasn’t an official student, the teacher, seeing Hou Yongjin’s severe distress and unwilling to enter the dormitory, agreed to his request.

There happened to be an available dormitory with three people, so Hou Yongjin moved there, and no one else moved into Cen Huai’an’s dormitory.

Wang Aihua was thrilled.

If Cen Huai’an hadn’t disliked too close physical contact, she would have jumped up to hug him.

“You really have a way with people. Did you really practice martial arts?” Wang Aihua asked.

Cen Huai’an replied, “Yes.”

Wang Aihua gave him a thumbs up. “Impressive! I thought you were just scaring Hou Yongjin.”

Cen Huai’an turned his test paper over and said, “I was indeed scaring him.”

He didn’t want to hit anyone at the summer camp, and his mother also disliked him fighting casually.

Li Lianyu, also present, said, “An’an, you did something I wouldn’t dare to do. I admire you.”

Wang Aihua was intrigued by Cen Huai’an’s martial arts background and asked him many questions.

Since Cen Huai’an had finished his problems, he put away his test paper and talked with Wang Aihua and Li Lianyu.

“I started learning when I was six.”

“It wasn’t hard.”

Wang Aihua clapped her hands. “No wonder you go running every morning. Is that part of your martial arts training?”

Cen Huai’an nodded. “It’s not just running.”

Except for windy or rainy days, he would do these tasks indoors; otherwise, he would go outside.

During the two weeks of the summer camp, Cen Huai’an and Zhang Lu gained a lot.

They made new friends and broadened their horizons.

When it was time to part ways, Xiao He and his new acquaintances, Wang Aihua and Li Lianyu, were reluctant to say goodbye.

As Wang Aihua was getting on the bus, he kept talking to Cen Huai’an. “Don’t forget my address. Make sure to write to me!”

---

Cen Huai’an went home alone, not informing Chu Xia or anyone else.

He simply took his suitcase and rode the bus home.

He even shared a ride for a while with Zhang Lu and Tang Song.

At home, there was no one around, just Huang Zi, Heizi, and Little Spot.

Little Spot had grown quite a bit.

Seeing Cen Huai’an return, he immediately wagged his tail excitedly and ran over, barking and circling Cen Huai’an.

Huang Zi and Hei Zi also came over, constantly rubbing against Cen Huai’an’s legs.

Cen Huai’an set his suitcase aside and patted their heads one by one.

While Cen Huai’an was enjoying his time at home with the dogs, Chu Xia’s department was far from calm that day.

“Why didn’t you approve my application?” Cheng Jun wanted to transfer from the Traditional Chinese Medicine department.

He had already found a department willing to accept him but was stuck because Dr. Yan was not agreeing.

“You haven’t learned anything in the TCM department. Transferring you to another department wouldn’t be helpful; it would be harmful.”

“Doctor, I really don’t have a talent for TCM. If you agree to my transfer, it would save both your effort and mine.”

Dr. Yan still refused. “You haven’t passed my scrutiny, so I can’t agree.”

Without Dr. Yan’s approval, the TCM department head would not consent to Cheng Jun’s transfer, preventing him from moving to another department.

He scratched his head, appearing very frustrated. “Doctor, what will it take for you to approve my application? Should I kneel down?”

Cheng Jun indeed knelt down, banging his head on the floor. “Doctor, I beg you!”

Dr. Yan looked at him with a deep sigh, his usually kind and smiling face showing signs of exhaustion and frustration.

He furrowed his brows and said, “Get up.”