"Is it hard to find a space? Let me go out and help—"

  Notig the man's dark expression, g Zhou betedly realized, "Cough! Jiang-ge, don't tell me... Yumiaill hasn't e back?"

  It had already been more than a day.

  Jiang Yihuai spread his hands and shrugged. "e back? Do you think breakups are just for fun?"

  With that, he walked past him and sat on the couch.

  g Zhou scratched his head. No way, is this breakup for real this time?

  But he quickly shook his head, thinking he was overanalyzing. If Jiang Yihuai could break up just like that, he’d believe it. But Su Yumian... any woman in the world might agree to a breakup, except for her. That was an aowledged fa their circle.

  "Huai-zi, why are you alone?" Gu Yizhou, clearly enjoying the drama, folded his arms and smirked. "You bet on three hours. It's already been a whole day." Jiang Yihuai curled his lips. "A bet's a bet. What's my punishment?"

  Gu Yizhou raised an eyebrow. "Let’s ge it up today—no drinking."

  "?"

  "Call Mianmian and, in the ge voice possible, say: ‘I’m sorry, I was wrong, I love you.’"

  "Hahaha..."

  Laughter erupted around them.

  g Zhou didn't hesitate. He snatched Jiang Yihuai’s phone and dialed Su Yumian’s number. After a few rings, a robotic voice responded, "Sorry, the number you dialed is unavaible..." Did he... just get blocked?

  Jiang Yihuai was momentarily stuhe ughter in the room gradually died down, and everyone exged gnces. g Zhou quickly hung up, hahe phone back, and tried to salvage the situation. "Uh... maybe it’s really just unavaible? How could Yumian-jie block Jiang-ge? Unless red rain falls from the sky, hahaha—" by the end, even he felt awkward.

  Gu Yizhou seemed to be thinking deeply. "...Maybe Mianmian is serious this time."

  Jiang Yihuai scoffed lightly. "A breakup isn’t real? What, is it supposed to be fake? I don’t want to py this game again. From now on, if anyone dares t up Su Yumian, don’t bme me for not being your friend."

  Gu Yizhou narrowed his eyes slightly and, after a moment, muttered, "Just don’t regret it."

  Jiang Yihuai smirked indifferently. He never regretted anything.

  Shen Shiyan quickly stepped in to ease the tension. "e on, don’t get so serious! Hahaha... We’re all brothers here..."

  —

  7 AM.

  After finishing her m run, Shao Yuwei walked in and was instantly hit with the aroma of food.

  Su Yumian emerged from the kit carrying a bowl of hot pe, dressed in a houndstooth dress that atuated her fair, slender legs. Even without makeup, she was breathtakingly beautiful. "Go take a shower. Breakfast will be ready when you're done."

  Shao Yuwei: "Huh? ged your hairstyle? Short bck straight hair in a high ponytail? Looking all dolled up—are you pnning to go back? Or is Jiang Yihuai ing to pick you up?"

  "Heh, you hope for something good for me?"

  "Jiang Yihuai already came to pick you up. How is that not hoping for something good?" Shao Yuwei walked to the dining table and was shocked by the feast in front of her.

  "Go shower," Su Yumian smacked away her reag hand. "You’re filthy."

  "Double standards! You didn’t sp Jiang Yihuai’s hand wheouched the food!"

  "Mhm. ime, if I get the ce, I definitely will."

  "Yeah, right..."

  By the time Shao Yuwei came out from her shower, Su Yumian was already gone, carrying a thermal lunchbox.

  "Tch, she made breakfast for me but still packed some for a man. Prioritizing romance over friendship..."

  —

  Xijing Hospital, private ward.

  "Ouyang, how are you feeling today?"

  Ouyang Wenqiu put down her research paper and adjusted her reading gsses. "Old Shang?! What are you doing here?!"

  "No, don’t move," Shang Minghe quickly pced a pillow behind her. "Your wound isn’t healed yet."

  "Appendicitis, just a minor surgery. I’m only stuck here because recovery is slow at my age. By the way, have the master’s program admissions quotas been released?"

  "Yeah. You got three, I got four."

  "Three, huh..." Ouyang Wenqiu murmured.

  "What? Are you still pnning to take only two students this year?"

  "Yeah, I’m getting old. I only hawo."

  Shang Minghe scoffed. That st slot was reserved for her, and she still wouldn’t admit it.

  "Professor Ouyang—oh? Professor Shang is here too?" He Songg entered with two junior students, pg down fruit and flowers. "We came to visit you, Professor."

  During their chat, oudent suddenly mentioned, "I heard there's a freshman this year who’s crazy talented. She got into our department with a direct bachelor’s-to-PhD track."

  For text, in the past ten years, the Life Sces Academy at B Uy had accepted fewer than three students directly into a PhD program from undergrad.

  "...Apparently, she won gold medals in both the Iional Olympiad for Math and puter Sce st year and was directly admitted to our department."

  "Two gold medals? That’s impressive, but I remember a senior—wasn’t she Professor Ouyang’s student? Whearted undergrad, she already had fold medals in Math, Physics, Chemistry, and puter Sce! I think her name was Su... Su something Mian..."

  "It’s about time!" Shang Mierrupted. "You should all head bapus now."

  "Oh, um, okay... We’ll get going then."

  "Mhm."

  Outside the ward, oudent looked downcast. "He Songg, did I say something wrong? Why did Professors Ouyang and Shang look so upset?"

  He Songg also looked puzzled.

  Ihe ward—

  Shang Mihey didn’t mean anything by it. Don’t take it to heart."

  Ouyang Wenqiu waved a hand dismissively, but her lips trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes before she could stop them.

  "A genius like her shouldn’t have... shouldn’t have wasted her talent! But why... why didn’t she cherish her gift?"

  Shang Minghe: "Calm down..."

  "Old Shang, do you know what she said to me the st time we met? She said she wanted love... Haha, love? She broke my heart..."

  Outside the door, Su Yumian clutched the thermal lunchbox tightly, her tears falling untrolbly.

  I’m sorry... Professor Ouyang...

  In the end, she didn’t have the ce to go in. Instead, she left the lunchbox at the nurse’s station. "This is for Professor Ouyang. Please help me pass it to her. Thank you."