3: Chapter 3 Bar

Chen Youhua sat at his desk, his fingers tapping the surface unconsciously as his eyes remained fixed on the dense diagrams in "Cytoskeletal Dynamics."

Several papers on microtubules and signaling pathways were open on his screen.

Professor Zhang Zhenhua's open lecture next Wednesday was the key to getting his foot in the lab door; he needed to master this difficult subject thoroughly.

The atmosphere in the dorm was completely different.

"The car's here, downstairs."

Zhao Lei put away his phone, his words brief and to the point.

Wearing a dark jacket, he looked ready to head out at any moment.

Wang Pengfei was styling his hair in front of the mirror, wearing a new T-shirt with a flashy pattern.

He grabbed a bottle of cologne from the desk.

"Psh-psh." He sprayed a few times into the air, leaned in to sniff it, and grinned.

"Done! Let's go!"

A strong, mixed scent immediately wafted through the room.

Li Fan didn't say anything. He quietly fastened the top button of his light blue shirt and tidied his hair in a small mirror, his movements a bit stiff.

As the scent of the cologne drifted over, Chen Youhua's tapping finger paused. He didn't look up, but his brow furrowed imperceptibly.

Wang Pengfei was always like this; he used whatever he liked and never thought his loud voice was a disturbance.

After finishing his grooming, Li Fan turned around, his gaze scanning the dorm before finally resting on Chen Youhua.

"Chen Youhua,"

his voice wasn't loud.

"We're going to Echo tonight to hang out and relax. Want to come along?"

Only then did Chen Youhua look up from the pages of his book.

Zhao Lei also looked over. He didn't speak, but his gaze clearly conveyed: It's up to you whether you come or not.

"Come on, straight-A student! Stop reading all the time!"

Wang Pengfei had already approached, his hand habitually reaching out to pat Chen Youhua's shoulder.

"Let's go out and have some fun! Meet some new people!"

Chen Youhua naturally leaned to the side, avoiding the hand.

He was already used to Wang Pengfei's over-familiarity and boisterousness. He didn't exactly like or dislike it; it was more like observing a natural phenomenon.

Should he go?

Not going would be the easiest choice.

A place like a bar was crowded and noisy—a pure drain on one's energy.

He hadn't even finished organizing the materials for the open lecture yet.

However, Chen Youhua's gaze calmly swept over his three roommates.

Living together for three months, they didn't talk much, but it was enough for him to see certain things clearly.

Li Fan would silently pick up clothes that fell on the floor and put them away.

Zhao Lei never delayed paying the utility bills.

Wang Pengfei was very direct about borrowing things and always remembered to return them.

These were all small things, but they gave a general idea of their character.

Li Fan was meticulous and cared about others' feelings; Zhao Lei was reliable and efficient; Wang Pengfei was straightforward without any hidden agendas.

It was necessary to maintain this basic, non-intrusive dormitory relationship.

Moreover, he found that he was curious about people themselves, like observing specimens.

Going to a bar was simply changing the environment to continue his observations. Besides, a thought flashed through his mind.

Once he entered the lab in the future, he couldn't afford to be a complete freak who didn't know how to interact with people.

"Sure."

Chen Youhua closed the book with a decisive motion.

He stood up, took a clean dark gray hoodie from the closet, and changed into it.

"Let's go."

"Oh! That's rare!" Wang Pengfei chuckled.

Zhao Lei nodded. "The car is waiting."

Li Fan seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and also nodded.

Chen Youhua locked his important books and notes in his drawer.

He temporarily suppressed his thoughts about motor proteins, switching channels as he prepared to enter observation mode.

He followed the three out of the dorm.

The corridor lights were dazzling, and the scent of Wang Pengfei's cologne was still very strong.

Chen Youhua's expression didn't change as he walked quietly behind them.

The road to the lab was still long; tonight would just be about collecting some data on human behavior.

Chen Youhua followed his three roommates downstairs.

A white ride-share car was parked at the dormitory area entrance.

He naturally opened the front passenger door, sat down, and buckled his seatbelt.

This spot was quieter and allowed him to maintain some distance from the three in the back, who were clearly in a state of pre-battle mobilization.

They weren't familiar enough yet; sitting together would only be awkward.

Once the door closed, the car's interior was immediately filled with the vitality of youth and the scent of Wang Pengfei's cologne.

The driver silently turned up the music.

The back seat quickly got down to business.

"Photos! Send them to the group again to confirm the targets!"

Wang Pengfei's voice was the loudest, his face lit by the glow of his phone screen.

"They've been sent eight hundred times already,"

Zhao Lei said with a laugh, his finger swiping across the screen.

"The one in the red dress, Feifei, is yours—don't worry. I think Sisi, the one with glasses, a ponytail, and a plaid shirt, is alright. She seemed quite interested when we talked about Biomedical Engineering last time."

"The intellectual type! Has your taste changed, Brother Zhao?"

Wang Pengfei teased.

"Get lost. Li Fan, what about you? Don't just watch."

Zhao Lei called him out.

Li Fan seemed startled. His finger stopped, and he spoke in a low voice.

"...That one, the one called Xiao Yuan. In the white dress, with dimples when she smiles."

He paused and added,

"She looks quite easy to get along with."

"Xiao Yuan! Not bad, Fan-zi! Leave it to me!"

Wang Pengfei immediately thumped his chest.

Chen Youhua sat quietly in the front seat, watching the streetlights flow past the window.

The strategic deployment from the back row was clearly audible: Feifei, Sisi, Xiao Yuan.

He didn't feel anything in particular, only thinking that this kind of pursuit based on photos and brief impressions was full of the directness and uncertainty characteristic of youth.

It was efficient, but the results were unpredictable.

Wang Pengfei suddenly remembered him. He leaned forward, gripping the back of the driver's seat and bringing his head close to Chen Youhua, bringing with him heat and the strong scent of cologne.

"Straight-A student! Almost forgot! Tonight there are also their roommates! There's bound to be someone suitable! Want me to keep an eye out for you? Stop thinking about studying all the time. Can studying drink with you?"

Chen Youhua leaned imperceptibly toward the car window, his tone flat.

"You guys just have fun. I'm just coming along to see."

He was telling the truth.

He had agreed to come just to maintain the basic foundation of his dormitory relationships and, incidentally, to keep himself from becoming too detached from a human environment.

"Tsk, alright then. Just don't go shrinking into a corner when we get there!"

Wang Pengfei pulled back, sounding a bit disappointed.

"It's already good enough that Chen Youhua is coming."

Li Fan spoke up softly to bail him out.

Zhao Lei smiled. "Exactly. Just relax."

The car entered a bustling district filled with flashing neon lights.

The back row continued discussing opening lines and game choices.

Chen Youhua remained silent most of the time. Occasionally, he heard fragments of information like 'Sisi likes sci-fi movies' or 'Xiao Yuan is a bit shy,' but he only processed them in his mind without making a conscious effort to remember them.

He wasn't here to do field research; he was just... here.

His sense of participation was low, but being present was his way of socializing.

The massive neon sign of Echo Bar pulsed before his eyes as the faint sound of drumbeats drifted over.