Falling

After finishing a lab class on Friday, Cen Zeng put his white lab coat into a bag and walked out.

Cheng Shuo was standing in the hallway, smiling as he looked at him.

Beside him, Xu Bihui watched his roommate flash a similarly rare smile. Before the person left, he patted his shoulder: "Is that him?"

"Mhm..."

Xu Bihui feigned a speechless sigh, saying that if the other people trying to pursue you knew that the aloof god Cen Zeng just needed someone to wait for him after class, they'd probably die of anger.

Cen Zeng said, "It's not that simple."

"You're not refuting the other part?"

Cen Zeng looked at him but said nothing.

Xu Bihui shook his head and said, "Hurry up and go, your heartthrob male guest is getting impatient."

He dropped the term, turned, and left. Before leaving, he even waved at Cheng Shuo.

Cheng Shuo watched in bewilderment as that person greeted him and then walked off on his own. Before he could react, Cen Zeng had already walked to his side.

"Do I have to follow you to the emergency exit again this time?" he joked.

"I'll follow you," Cen Zeng replied.

Cheng Shuo was amused. "Alright then," he said, "stand a little closer."

They stood shoulder to shoulder, their fingertips about to brush against each other.

"Who was that person who suddenly waved at me just now?" He couldn't help but care.

"My roommate..." Cen Zeng replied. "He was curious who was waiting for me."

"Is that so?" Cheng Shuo smiled. "And what did you say?"

Nothing he had said to Xu Bihui was something Cheng Shuo could hear.

So he could only answer, "I said we had plans."

It was a completely irrelevant answer.

But Cheng Shuo picked up on it. "That's right. I wasn't waiting for you, I came to keep our appointment."

When they arrived, Cheng Shuo asked, "Zhang Yijie said I haven't taken him out to eat recently. Can he join us?"

Cen Zeng nodded. "Am I that scary? Does he need to ask for my permission?"

"He's just..."

"No, no, I just felt it wouldn't be right to disturb you two..." Zhang Yijie was right at the door and chimed in. Over the past few days, he had chatted a bit more with Cen Zeng and found him to be a pretty good guy, just a man of few words.

"But this place's fried chicken is too delicious."

The other two both laughed.

The three of them chatted sporadically. Zhang Yijie casually asked, "Isn't your birthday coming up? How are you celebrating this year?"

Cheng Shuo nodded. "It's soon, I guess. It's the same every year. Let's keep it simple this year and just celebrate at home."

"Birthday?" Cen Zeng spoke up.

"He didn't tell you?" Zhang Yijie said, facing Cheng Shuo's rare embarrassed expression. It was such an uncommon sight that he found it very amusing. "It's October 18th, very soon."

"Why do you just blurt everything out?"

"What's so secretive about your birthday? Cen Zeng will be coming too." Zhang Yijie smiled. "Or were you not going to invite him?"

Cheng Shuo kind of wanted him to shut up. His original plan—to give Cen Zeng the letter later and have him open it the day before his birthday—was now ruined.

"Is it possible that I wanted to tell him myself?" He was exasperated, utterly speechless.

"Oh, oh, oh..." Zhang Yijie apologized with zero sincerity. "My bad for ruining your romance. In that case, Cen Zeng, why don't you just pretend you didn't hear anything."

Cen Zeng nodded.

Cheng Shuo looked at the two people beside him, momentarily unsure who to be angry at. But since the person across from him had a smile in his eyes, he didn't mind so much anymore.

After lunch, Zhang Yijie slipped away without a moment's delay, afraid Cheng Shuo would say something harsh to him.

Only they remained, along with the chicken bones that Zhang Yijie had picked clean.

"Um..." Cheng Shuo coughed. "Originally, I actually..."

He had thought of many romantic methods, like a birthday confession, or fireworks in the countryside. Or layered hints, like in an escape room.

Cheng Shuo was very good at flirting and understood how to start a not-so-serious relationship.

It wasn't that difficult. What most people pursued was merely that single moment of being special. The instant one felt loved could offset thousands of ugly and ridiculous ways of breaking up in the future.

Even if love itself came from a performance meticulously prepared by Cheng Shuo.

But if the target was Cen Zeng, everything would seem too flippant.

True love was too heavy. As heavy as a thunderbolt, it could crush a person until they couldn't breathe.

With the two of them left, Cen Zeng just looked up and said, "Where's the letter?"

He had no expression, not even a hint of anticipation, but his gaze never left him.

Cheng Shuo lowered his head and rummaged for a long time in his backpack, which only contained two things, before he was ready to hand it over.

The person across from him took it and said, "I'll keep it safe."

It was very calm, yet it sounded almost like a vow.

Cheng Shuo said, "No need to open it right away."

"I'm not in a hurry," Cen Zeng replied.

He put the beautiful, wax-sealed envelope into a compartment in his backpack and zipped it up.

"I was thinking..." Cheng Shuo rarely felt at a loss for words, but facing Cen Zeng, he often hated how clumsy his tongue was. "Are we going to be friends... forever?"

Cen Zeng looked up at him.

The person he had known for four lifetimes was always very handsome. At this moment, he had not yet grown thinner day by day, so his beauty was even more unrestrained, invading his nerves as if it were a matter of course.

"Up to you," Cen Zeng replied.

"Only up to me?" Cheng Shuo laughed and said, "What's that about? This is something that should be up to both of us, isn't it?"

Cen Zeng asked, "Do you think I would refuse?"

His expression was still completely calm, even carrying a coldness that strangers couldn't see through.

But Cheng Shuo had already skillfully read something else in it—a damnable indulgence and an inexplicable nonchalance.

Cheng Shuo wanted to say, 'If you hadn't met me, wouldn't you be in for some terrible luck?'

He just shook his head and said, "I don't want to guess what you're thinking. Anyway, I'll let you open it. When the time comes, tell me what you think then, okay?"

He had never said such innocent words before, so much so that after saying them, he still felt an astringency like an unripe olive between his teeth.

Fortunately, Cen Zeng never showed any extra emotion. At this moment, he just smiled faintly and said, "Okay. Don't be afraid."

Afraid, yes, but mainly, afraid that he wouldn't appear again.

Cen Zeng didn't think that much. After finishing his meal, he marked October 18th in red and first sent a message to Song Shuyi, saying he couldn't accompany him for the experiment that night.

The senior brother replied, "What for? Telling me so early? Does it make me look like a slave driver like Director Li?"

Cen Zeng replied, "Director Li wouldn't care, but I won't be there that day. If necessary, cover for me."

Song Shuyi sent three OKs.

Unable to restrain his gossipy nature, he asked: "Starting to date? Who is it? Send a photo?"

Cen Zeng didn't reply, simply asking calmly, "How are the mice today?"

【Author's Note】

I had originally decided to sprinkle a lot of melodrama in this chapter, but a certain two people had their own ideas. So, let's wait a bit longer.