When they arrived, Chen Ziheng was already there.

"I thought you'd pick an expensive place," he said.

"I was worried your friend would feel burdened," Cheng Shuo replied. "After this is over, I'll treat you to a good meal."

"I'm not short on your meal."

"Of course you aren't, it's me thanking you, so I'm treating you."

Since he'd put it that way, Chen Ziheng stopped trading barbs with him: "That's fine, as long as your friend is okay."

The person who came was indeed Zheng Yi. He had known of her for two lifetimes, but this was their first meeting. Just as her voice suggested, she was a tall and sharp-looking girl.

They introduced themselves to each other, and she quickly got to the point.

"Cen Zeng and I aren't that close, but I have indeed heard about Li Aimin." She was very decisive, speaking that beast's name. "He doesn't have a good reputation."

She recounted the story about the senior brother she had mentioned before.

"Do you know any senior sisters or senior brothers who are currently under him, or have been in the past?" Cheng Shuo asked.

Zheng Yi was silent for a moment, and finally spoke, "May I ask what specifically is wrong with Cen Zeng? For matters related to his supervisor, wouldn't it be better for you to ask him?"

"I've asked him a few things, but you've probably heard about his personality. He's as tight-lipped as a clam."

Zheng Yi nodded lightly, saying Cen Zeng was famous for being a cold, handsome, top student.

He was the representative speaker for their year's incoming freshmen at the School of Medicine, and his name was known throughout the school back then.

But later on, he became rather unapproachable, and that was the end of it. He's a good person, though. They were in the same group during their first year. He was very patient, just didn't talk much.

But he quietly carried the team and would even share his completed work with everyone so they could all get high scores.

It really was better to talk in person; Zheng Yi was able to share these details.

"And after that?" Cheng Shuo asked.

"After that, we could form our own groups, so he was always grouped with his roommates. Other people wanted to ride his coattails, but you know Cen Zeng, he has this naturally cold aura, so no one dared to ask him."

"Roommates..." Cheng Shuo said. "Wu Yin?"

Bringing him up, there was no longer any feeling of disgust, only endless regret.

"He was one of them, I think. I remember that name, and there were others too," Zheng Yi said. "You know him pretty well."

"It's because he knows Cen Zeng too well that he's so anxious to ask you guys," Zhang Yijie added. "Right, Cheng Shuo?"

He was trying hard to back him up.

Cheng Shuo nodded, following the path laid out for him and starting to spin a story: "Anyway, he's unwilling to say anything. I've noticed that besides eating with me at school, he's usually a loner. Seeing that, I got a little anxious and thought it might be better to indirectly ask the people around him. I want to find out more before talking to him again."

Zheng Yi frowned slightly, and Zhang Yijie continued to provide support: "Basically, Cheng Shuo can't pry his dog mouth open right now, so in his desperation, he wants to ask the people around him."

As soon as he spoke, both Chen Ziheng and Zheng Yi laughed.

"Who are you calling a dog?"

Chen Ziheng burst out laughing.

"Yeah, just worrying uselessly. Plus, there has been some progress." Cheng Shuo pursed his lips, turned his head to look at Zheng Yi, and decided to tell the truth after all. "I searched for information about Li Aimin online and eventually managed to contact a friend of the senior brother you just mentioned. The story is indeed true."

Zheng Yi hadn't expected this. She glanced at Cheng Shuo, the scrutiny in her eyes lessening slightly.

"What did the other person say?"

"He said that if there are other victims willing to speak out personally, they can contact him."

"You know Cen Zeng's personality. I can't get him to talk. I was thinking, if we can find more people willing to speak up, then maybe each victim wouldn't have to bear so much, and wouldn't feel so isolated and helpless?"

Zheng Yi thought for a moment, and finally said in a low voice, "I can tell you one thing, but this is just my speculation."

"Go on."

"I heard about the senior brother's case from a senior sister. We didn't actually interact much; I just met her when she was a volunteer during my freshman orientation.

"Senior Sister X is a very kind person. When we were choosing our specializations, I asked her whether I should study Clinical Medicine, medical imaging, or rehabilitation medicine."

"She shared a lot with me without holding anything back. It was then that she told me to keep my eyes open, that some supervisors might have good reputations, but their character behind the scenes was another matter. She used Li Aimin and that senior brother as examples."

"After hearing that, I thanked her for telling me so candidly. Later, on a whim, I realized I didn't know which supervisor the senior sister was studying under for her PhD, so I checked the public list. And then, I discovered that her boss... was Li Aimin." She took a light breath.

"You never asked her?" Cheng Shuo's grip on his chopsticks tightened, and he almost dropped them.

"I didn't dare to ask." She lowered her eyes. "I thought, since she didn't say it outright, maybe she didn't want me to know what she was going through."

"She was probably trying to protect you," Cheng Shuo replied.

Thanks to netizens, he had also seen Li Aimin's list of current PhD students. With the surname Zheng Yi mentioned, there was only one person who matched.

In his past life, she could have remained anonymous, could have stayed behind their account, but in the end, not wanting them to face the pressure directly, she came out alone and faced the judgment under her real name. So soft-hearted, yet so strong.

"Maybe." Zheng Yi's voice grew softer. "If..."

She paused, seemingly weighing the risks, her expression becoming complicated.

But she continued speaking quickly, as if afraid she would hesitate.

"You're Chen Ziheng's friend, and also Cen Zeng's friend. I think I can trust you."

"I can give you the senior sister's name and her WeChat. I'll tell her my friend wants to consult her about something related to the School of Medicine, and she'll definitely agree." She spoke with certainty, but her eyes held a trace of pain. "She's a really good person, exceptionally good."

Cheng Shuo took her up on it: "Okay, thank you. I'm really troubling you."

"No need to thank me; I have my own selfish reasons too. Don't ask her directly. Just beat around the bush and say your friend has run into some trouble, and then see... how she's really doing, okay?"

The young girl's eyes were filled with confusion.

"If the senior sister is really not doing well, tell me immediately. I will definitely help with this matter."

The closer one gets to home, the more timid one feels. It was true for him with Cen Zeng, and was it not the same for her with the senior sister?

Cheng Shuo looked into her eyes and nodded seriously.

Chen Ziheng added, "You're both going to a lot of trouble."

With everyone being so polite, Zhang Yijie rubbed his hands together, hesitated for a few seconds, then gave a light cough: "Let's eat first... The teriyaki salmon here is to die for, but it's really not good when it's cold."

Zheng Yi's face broke into a smile, and she said, "Okay, I'll give it a try."

By the end of the meal, they finally started joking around.

Before Zheng Yi left for class, she exchanged WeChat contacts with Cheng Shuo and told him to wait for her message.

The midday sun fell on his face, bringing a faint, almost imperceptible warmth.

Under this light, he sent Cen Zeng a message: "What should we eat tonight?"

The reply came after a while. At one-thirty in the afternoon, while he was in class, a message arrived: "I'm busy tonight, I'll make a late-night snack when I get back."

'Make what? You don't really think I just want to eat the food you make, do you?'

He was afraid Cen Zeng didn't think that, and also afraid that he did.

He wanted to ask how his day was, but deleted it.

In the end, he replied, "It's fine, I'll just eat out with Zhang Yijie, and we can have the late-night snack together."

Cen Zeng replied with an "Okay."

At least he didn't apologize.