Passing by Zhou Wenhao's desk, Lin Mo stopped in his tracks and asked a deliberate question, "Class Monitor Zhou, what happened to you?"
Lin Mo's expression of faux concern made Zhou Wenhao burn with rage, causing his face to twitch uncontrollably.
A moment of carelessness pulled at his injuries, making him hiss in pain.
"Nothing, just took a fall."
Zhou Wenhao no longer possessed his usual arrogance, his tone instead carrying a hint of hidden guilt.
With incriminating evidence in Lin Mo's hands, how could he dare act tough for even a second?
Lin Mo gave a light click of his tongue and said nothing more.
Arriving at his desk, the moment he took off his schoolbag, he noticed Gu Fan's two panda eyes and couldn't help laughing out loud.
"Stayed up late reviewing last night?"
"Brother Mo, let's not hurt each other here. Do me a favor and look in a mirror; you don't look any better than I do."
Lin Mo pulled out stacks of study materials. "It's completely normal for a model student like me to review. For a slacker like you to stay up late studying is naturally surprising."
"Model student? Slacker?"
"Is there a problem?"
"There is!"
Gu Fan tapped on the desk. "Brother Mo, on the last unified exam, our total scores were practically the same. How come you're the model student and I'm the slacker?"
"On the last Chinese test, what did you score?"
"79 points. Why ask?"
"Me? 146 points. 67 points higher than you."
Lin Mo spread his hands. "Am I not a model student? Are you not a slacker?"
"Why don't you mention that you also scored 18 points on the math test?"
"That's not important."
The corners of Gu Fan's mouth twitched violently. "Brother Mo, I'll leave you with a phrase."
"What is it?"
"Shameless and thick-skinned, truly invincible under heaven!"
Chapter 26: You're So Ugly
"Thanks for the compliment."
Lin Mo glanced over, found the math workbook he hadn't finished last night, and went back to work on it.
Gu Fan: "......"
When it came to thick skin, he had lost!
The moment the class bell rang, it signaled the start of the unified exams.
No. 2 High School attached great importance to the unified exams, and the invigilation was extremely strict.
Subject teachers from across the grade rotated patrols, requiring three teachers to invigilate the classroom simultaneously at all times, leaving virtually no room for cheating.
The moment Lin Mo received the test paper, a strong surge of confidence welled up in his heart.
Ever since he acquired advanced reading comprehension skills, his speed at absorbing knowledge had increased dramatically.
Coupled with his diligent studying day and night over the past few days, he could clearly perceive himself improving bit by bit.
"Rustle..."
The friction between pen and paper made a soft sound.
Chinese first, then math, followed by foreign languages and science synthesis.
"Ding-ling—"
"Hand in your papers."
Lunchtime had arrived.
Taking advantage of the brief window before papers were collected, Lin Mo quickly checked over his exam, a hint of helplessness between his brows.
Even after the papers were collected, his expression remained just like that.
Seeing this, Gu Fan half-jokingly asked, "What's wrong with Brother Mo? Exam autism?"
"Pretty much."
Lin Mo didn't deny it. "Today's math paper was very difficult, completely out of league compared to the last unified exam."
Hearing this, Gu Fan had a sudden epiphany. "No wonder, I didn't know how to do a single one of the big problems."
He patted Lin Mo. "The exam's already over, feeling depressed won't help. Filling our stomachs is what matters."
"You go eat. Bring me back something when you return."
"Will do."
After Gu Fan left, Lin Mo picked up his scratch paper and quickly began calculating.
Sure enough, the final two major math problems were both wrong.
Right now, he urgently wanted to figure out where he went wrong.
Yet no matter how he calculated, he couldn't reach the correct result.
"Little Yuer, come here for a moment."
Hearing Lin Mo call her, An Youyu—who was in the middle of eating—stiffened.
Right now, apart from her and Lin Mo, there were still several other students in the classroom.
Little Yuer?
The few students who hadn't gone out to eat wore very interesting expressions upon hearing this nickname.
An Youyu's face burned hot. She wanted to pretend she didn't hear, but she was afraid Lin Mo would call out again.
After much deliberation, she put away her lunchbox, walked to the back row, and spoke in a soft, milk-sweet voice tinged with a hint of grievance.
"There are so many people in the classroom, what are you calling me for?"
Lin Mo glanced at the people in the front rows, his gaze landing on An Youyu's face. "Do you call five or six people many? Besides, just because there are people here, I can't call you?"
An Youyu lowered her head and knitted her brows. "Then at least use my name, what's with calling me Little Yuer?"
Without answering, Lin Mo reversed the direction of the scratch paper on the desk. "Sit down. I can't figure out the last two major math problems, please help me out, Teacher An."
Hearing that Lin Mo was looking for her to ask about major math problems, An Youyu mustered her courage and sat in Gu Fan's seat. "Give me pen and paper."
Lin Mo lowered his voice. "I mean, do we have to be so overly cautious?"
"D-Do I?"
"Yes!"
With that, Lin Mo handed An Youyu a blank sheet of scratch paper and a ballpoint pen.
An Youyu picked up the pen and started writing at lightning speed: *swish, swish, swish*.
After a short while, she put down the pen and pushed the scratch paper toward Lin Mo. "Done."
Lin Mo stared wide-eyed. "That's it?!"
From the time An Youyu started solving the problem until she finished, it hadn't even taken a full five minutes, all things considered.
That was way too fast!
Noticing someone looking in their direction, An Youyu's body tightened. "A detailed explanation... after school. Not right now."
As soon as her voice trailed off, she quickly hurried away.
Accustomed to this by now, Lin Mo helplessly looked down at the problem-solving steps on the scratch paper.
Soon, his whole mood soured.
An Youyu's problem-solving steps were far too concise—so concise that he couldn't understand them.
Unfamiliar formulas, unfamiliar solution steps; it gave him the feeling of reading heavenly scriptures.
Fine.
A complete waste of effort!
At the seat by the wall in the third row on the right.
Xiao Yu curled her lips. "Tiantian, although Lin Mo plays basketball well and looks decent, his academic performance is terrible, and his taste is awful too!"
Zhao Tiantian frowned imperceptibly. "Poor academic performance can be made up for, that doesn't prove anything."
"Besides, why do you say Lin Mo has terrible taste?"
"Didn't you see just now? Lin Mo actually went to ask An Youyu a math question. You should know how terrible An Youyu's grades are; her scores on almost every test are abysmal. If Lin Mo goes to a slacker like that for guidance, what is that if not terrible taste?"
Hearing this, the light in Zhao Tiantian's eyes dimmed.
When it came to grades, only Zhou Wenhao could steadily suppress her in Class 2.
Logically speaking, for this kind of matter, Lin Mo should have chosen her as the best option.
Yet Lin Mo still chose An Youyu, giving her an inexplicable sense of defeat in her heart.
Noticing Zhao Tiantian's subtle shift, Xiao Yu glanced toward the back and raised her volume significantly. "Nowadays, slackers who score sixty or seventy in math can tutor others? It's hilarious."
As soon as these words were spoken, several students in the classroom couldn't help glancing at An Youyu.
They had also noticed what happened at the back of the classroom earlier.
An Youyu rested her head on her desk, offering no response.
However, her lack of response didn't mean others wouldn't respond.
For instance... Lin Mo.
Hearing Xiao Yu's covertly sarcastic remarks, Lin Mo's eyes flashed with coldness. "If you're going to die, go die at home, don't die here. School is a place for studying, not a place for you to fish for a sense of superiority."
His calm voice echoed throughout the classroom.
Xiao Yu let out a cold snort and simply stopped bothering to conceal things. "My sense of superiority comes from my own hard work, what business is it of yours?"
"And who I ask for guidance—what business is it of yours?"
"You..."
Xiao Yu took a deep breath, a mocking grin plastered across her face. "That's right, for tutoring someone who scored 18 on math, certain people's three-legged cat tricks are certainly adequate."
"A fine horse deserves a good saddle, a fine ship deserves a good sail, a tortoise matches a green bean, an idiot matches a brain-dead; truth be told, you two really are quite a match."
The intensely sarcastic remark made the other students frown.
These words were far too acrimonious and mean-spirited.
They were all classmates, after all—this was going too far!
Lin Mo put away the scratch paper on his desk and stood up, walking toward Xiao Yu.
Sensing something was wrong, Zhao Tiantian hurriedly spoke up to dissuade him. "Lin Mo, don't lower yourself to Xiao Yu's level, don't be impulsive."
Xiao Yu grew somewhat flustered as well. "What are you going to do? Want to hit me?"
"Lin Mo," An Youyu called out, her voice carrying a warning tone.
Lin Mo turned his head and gave An Youyu a reassuring look, then approached Xiao Yu. His gaze was exceptionally calm—so calm it sent a chill down people's spines.
"You're so ugly."
Chapter 27: Two-Fifty!
"You're so ugly."
"Y-You..."
Xiao Yu trembled with rage; probably no girl in the world would ever welcome such an evaluation.
Lin Mo's gaze grew colder. "Also, who were you calling an idiot? And who were you calling brain-dead?"
Xiao Yu struck back unyielding. "Whoever has terrible grades is who I'm talking about!"
Lin Mo laughed. "Are your grades so great?"
"That depends on who I'm compared to."
Xiao Yu stood up and crossed her arms. "Compared to Tiantian, my grades are indeed not good, but compared to you and An Youyu, huh~"
Seeing the situation escalating, Zhao Tiantian tugged at Xiao Yu's sleeve under the desk. "Say less."
Xiao Yu remained unmoved.
Lin Mo gave a meaningful smile. "By your logic, anyone with poor grades is an idiot and brain-dead?"
"I never said that."
Xiao Yu first denied it, then sneered, "My target is only you and An Youyu, it has nothing to do with anyone else."
"Is that so?"
Lin Mo shifted his tone. "Following your logic, if my score ends up higher than yours, does that make you an idiot and brain-dead?"
"Daydreaming!"
Facing Xiao Yu's disdain, Lin Mo didn't get angry. "I'll give you a chance—a chance to make me lose face. Interested?"
Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow. "What kind of chance?"
The corners of Lin Mo's mouth curled up. "Let's compare total scores on this unified exam. If your score is higher than mine, I will admit in front of the whole class that I'm an idiot and brain-dead. Conversely, the same goes for you."
"You said it yourself, don't go back on your word!"
"Those are the exact words I wanted to remind you of."
Before leaving, Lin Mo tossed out a parting remark: "Yesterday's acting fee was quite fair."
"What?"
Xiao Yu froze on the spot.
Soon, realization dawned on her.
Yesterday, the playacting she and Zhao Tiantian did to cooperate with Lin Mo's scheme had earned them two hundred and fifty yuan.
He was insulting her...
Calling her a two-fifty (an idiot)!
"Lin Mo, you just wait!"
Ignoring the furious and flustered Xiao Yu, Lin Mo returned to his seat and went back to grinding through problem sets.
In truth, given his temperament, he didn't like bickering with a little girl like Xiao Yu.
However, Xiao Yu had crossed his bottom line.
Zhao Tiantian glanced toward the back of the classroom, grabbed Xiao Yu's hand, and cast a reproachful look her way. "Why are you targeting Lin Mo and An Youyu like this?"
"Nothing, I just hate An Youyu!"
Xiao Yu let out a light snort. "Ever since she transferred to our school, look at the way all those boys act—making it seem like there's only one girl in the whole school."
"So she's a little pretty, but her grades are complete trash. What's there to be proud of?"
Zhao Tiantian gave a bitter smile. "How is An Youyu proud? She barely talks, she's very quiet, she's quite nice actually."
Xiao Yu looked unconvinced. "I don't care, I just can't stand her."
Zhao Tiantian sighed. "Since you don't like An Youyu, why did you play along with that act yesterday?"
Xiao Yu stated as if it were only natural: "Money is a bastard, everyone wants to make it. I hate An Youyu, but I don't hate money."
This reply left Zhao Tiantian completely speechless. "And what's your reason for targeting Lin Mo?"
"Who told him to walk so close to An Youyu, and even forcefully stick up for her? Does he really think he's some kind of big shot? Ridiculous!"
A young girl's jealousy could be utterly unreasonable and overbearing!
"Ding-ling—"
The afternoon exams for foreign languages and science synthesis proceeded sequentially.
For Lin Mo, this scene felt both familiar and unfamiliar.
In his previous life, An Youyu had helped him raise his grades.
In this life, he was going to make his own changes.
"Ding-ling—"
The after-school bell rang, and many students secretly breathed a sigh of relief, their faces bearing varying degrees of exhaustion.
The prolonged, high-intensity mental calculations left them in a state of brief trance.
Having handed in their test papers, the students picked up their schoolbags and left.
The moment they walked out of the classroom, even their footsteps seemed a bit lighter.
As Gu Fan left, he leaned over to Lin Mo's ear and whispered with a mischievous smile, "Brother Mo, next up is sweet time for you and An Youyu. I won't play third wheel."
Lin Mo glanced at Gu Fan. "Considering this is your first offense, I won't beat you up this time. Remember, An Youyu and I are just ordinary classmates, nothing more."
"Ghosts would believe that."
"Say that again?"
Gu Fan coughed repeatedly. "I didn't say anything, I'm out of here."
Before long, only Lin Mo, An Youyu, and today's duty students remained in the classroom.
By sheer coincidence, the person responsible for cleaning duty today was none other than Zhou Wenhao, whom Lin Mo had beaten into a pig's head.
Under normal circumstances, Zhou Wenhao would definitely have seized this empty-classroom opportunity to chat with An Youyu.
But things were different now; he didn't even dare glance at An Youyu, silently sweeping and dusting with his head down holding the broom and dustpan.
In fact, he deliberately avoided the area where An Youyu was sitting.
When sweeping the back row, Lin Mo glanced at Zhou Wenhao.
Zhou Wenhao gave a full-body shudder, swallowed the pain on his face, and offered a flattering smile. "I'm all done, I'm leaving right now."
Lin Mo didn't respond.
Having finished cleaning, Zhou Wenhao quickly scurried away.
A few minutes later, An Youyu closed the ancient texts in front of her and took the initiative to walk to the back of the classroom.
Hearing footsteps, Lin Mo looked up with some surprise. "Finished so early?"
An Youyu bit her lip and stammered, "Lin Mo, you shouldn't have... made that bet with Xiao Yu today."
"Shouldn't have?"
Lin Mo shook his head. "I don't think so."
An Youyu's voice was very soft. "Before school let out, I asked my deskmate, and she said Xiao Yu scored 564 on the last unified exam."
"Your Chinese grade is very good now, but your math foundation is worse than before. Even though you've been improving all this time, you might not necessarily win the bet. Just in case..."
Lin Mo put down his pen, propped his chin with his left hand, and stared sideways at An Youyu. "Little Yuer, I don't like anyone speaking ill of you."
An Youyu's words cut off mid-sentence.
Lin Mo's gentle yet powerful gaze made her lose her composure for a moment. "...It's nothing to be talked about a few times, you just get used to it."
Lin Mo's heart gave a tug, the pity in his eyes overflowing without restraint. "I can't change the past, but from now on, I will be your backing!"
An Youyu's heart beat faster and faster. Nervously clutching her hem, she intentionally changed the subject. "How... how did the exams go for you today?"
"And you?"
Lin Mo smiled as he turned the question back on her. "Did you give it your all? You didn't deliberately cap your score this time, did you?"
An Youyu hurriedly shook her head. "No."
Lin Mo wore a reassuring smile. "Such a good girl. I'll treat you to something delicious on Saturday."
The doting look in his eyes and tone carried a strong paternal vibe.
An Youyu's face turned red again.
Whenever she faced Lin Mo, she always blushed for no reason...
Lin Mo started packing up his study materials, casually asking, "How did you find the difficulty of today's math paper?"
"Not difficult."
"Just not difficult?"
An Youyu probed cautiously, asking in a small voice, "Did I say something wrong?"
Lin Mo's face straightened. "I've told you several times, you don't need to be so cautious around me. Just say whatever's on your mind. Why can't you remember that?"
"Got it."
An Youyu bit her lower lip and spoke weakly, "Lin Mo, please don't be angry..."
Chapter 28: Don't Treat Me Like a Child
The setting sun filtered through the window, casting its glow across the profile of An Youyu's face. From Lin Mo's perspective, she looked just like a wronged little kitten.
He sighed; this girl was simply too heart-wrenching.
"Little Yuer."
An Youyu raised her head weakly. "You're not mad at me anymore?"
Lin Mo's heart twitched. "Silly girl, why would I be mad at you out of nowhere? Stop letting your imagination run wild over nothing, understand?"
"Mm."
Hearing Lin Mo say he wasn't angry, An Youyu nodded her little head vigorously.
Bathed in the twilight glow, that peerlessly gorgeous face bloomed with a breathtaking beauty.
Sunset and dusk, beautiful woman reflecting the red glow.
Pity that such aesthetic charm didn't last long. Noticing Lin Mo staring at her unblinkingly, An Youyu lowered her head shyly, then picked up where Lin Mo left off: "The math paper... was very simple."
This time, she voiced what was truly in her heart.
"Very simple..."
Lin Mo narrowed his eyes, savoring the phrase. After a few seconds, he asked, "How simple?"
An Youyu thought for a moment. "The whole test took me about fifteen minutes."
On the surface Lin Mo showed no reaction, but inside, towering waves churned.
Fifteen minutes?
This...
Was simply devastating!
Not daring to dwell too much on this question, Lin Mo shouldered his backpack and stood up. "Let's go, I'll walk you back."
Returning to her seat, the moment An Youyu picked up her schoolbag, she noticed Lin Mo's furrowed brows and quickly explained, "You don't have to help me carry it every time, I can carry it myself."
"I'll carry it."
Lin Mo's response was just two words, followed by extending his right hand. "Give it here."
An Youyu aggrievedly pouted. "If I'm giving it to you, why are you being so fierce?"
"Be good."
Lin Mo's deep voice paired with eyes full of smiles was simply off the charts in pampering.
Blushing, An Youyu protested, "Don't treat me like a child!"
Lin Mo smiled without a word, strolling leisurely downstairs.
An Youyu followed behind, her lips slightly pucker-pouting.
Halfway there, Lin Mo intentionally slowed his pace.
Moments of solitude, even if just for an instant, were precious.
Noticing this, An Youyu didn't say anything, slowing her pace to match his.
A journey of a little over ten minutes was dragged out by the two of them to nearly half an hour.
At the entrance of the residential compound.
An Youyu took the schoolbag handed over by Lin Mo.
Clenching his right hand into a fist, Lin Mo tapped An Youyu on top of her head. "See you tomorrow."
"Wait."
An Youyu used both hands to cup the top of her head. "You haven't said..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she realized how improper her current action was, startling her into taking two steps back in a hurry.