Her behavior successfully brought a smile to Lin Mo's face. "Nothing to say?"
An Youyu looked down at the bluestone bricks beneath her feet, restlessly kicking at them to ease the nervousness in her heart.
"Why did you want me to go all out on this exam?"
"You should have gone all out in the first place. Didn't Teacher Wei say that hiding your talents is not something someone your age should be doing?"
"But..."
"But what?"
An Youyu grabbed the straps of her schoolbag with both hands. "I—I… I feel like applying just a little bit of effort is easier for people to accept than a sudden burst of excellence."
Hearing this, Lin Mo did not deny it. "That's true. But there's naturally a reason why I wanted you to go all out."
"What reason?"
Faced with An Youyu's persistent questioning, Lin Mo smiled mischievously. "Want to know?"
An Youyu nodded. In her innocence, she had no idea anything was wrong.
Lin Mo took a step forward and opened his arms. "Give me a hug and I'll tell you."
"No way!"
An Youyu blushed and refused, her little head shaking continuously.
Lin Mo was somewhat puzzled. "Why not? What's wrong with classmates sharing a hug?"
An Youyu kept her head down, muttering "no" over and over again.
Lin Mo's voice was laced with enticement. "Let's be fair. You explain why you can't hug me, and I'll tell you the purpose behind having you go all out. How about that?"
An Youyu hesitated for a moment, then blankly nodded. "Okay."
"You go first."
The corners of Lin Mo's lips curled into a smile.
An Youyu bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth, her soft voice sounding out. "The director said... only people in love can hug."
With that, she gazed at Lin Mo with wide, pleading eyes, as if saying: It's your turn.
Lin Mo burst out laughing. "Little Yuer, see you tomorrow."
With those words, he vanished with the speed of a hundred-meter sprinter.
"Huh?"
An Youyu stood there in a daze, only snapping back to reality after Lin Mo had disappeared at the end of the path. The corners of her brows turned down. "Liar..."
Even her complaint was so gentle, bringing a warmth like winter sunshine and the refreshing coolness of a summer night's breeze whispering through the leaves of a plane tree.
...
The moment he stepped through his front door, Lin Mo heard sounds coming from the kitchen. He put down his schoolbag and walked over to the kitchen entrance.
"Mom, what are we having today?"
"Braised pork."
Lin Mo's eyes lit up. He walked into the kitchen, took a lunchbox from the cabinet, washed it clean, and placed it on the counter.
Lin Shu looked at him in confusion. "Xiaomo, what are you doing?"
Lin Mo smiled sheepishly. "Mom, put half of the braised pork into this lunchbox for me. I'm going back to my room to study, call me when dinner's ready."
"This child..."
Lin Shu chuckled, already guessing what was going on.
As the sky grew dark, Lin Shu knocked on her son's bedroom door.
"The braised pork is ready. Are you taking this to that little gi... girl from your class?"
The door opened, and Lin Mo took the lunchbox from his mother's hands with a smile. "Nothing ever gets past my mom."
As he spoke, he went to the entryway to change his shoes. "Give me twenty minutes, your son will be right back."
"Wait."
"Hmm?"
Lin Mo, who was already preparing to activate his little-tornado mode, turned around in confusion.
Lin Shu pointed to the milk carton in the entryway storage slot. "You suggested changing the milk to strawberry flavor last time, and a whole box just arrived today. Take two cartons if you need them."
"Oh? Didn't notice."
Lin Mo chuckled and nonchalantly picked up the entire case of milk.
Lin Shu wore a bewildered expression. "Xiaomo, what are you doing?"
Lin Mo glanced at the production date on the milk carton, his face completely free of guilt as he explained, "Mom, this box of milk seems to be expired. Since I'm heading out anyway, I'll just throw it out for you."
"This box of milk was delivered this afternoon, how could it possibly—"
*Thud—*
Lin Shu stared at the tightly closed front door, frozen in place.
Lin Mo hurried all the way, rushing until he reached Baiyu Residential Area.
Following his memory from last time, he smoothly arrived in front of An Youyu's door and raised a hand to knock.
"Who is it?"
An Youyu's voice came from inside, but the door remained closed.
Lin Mo nodded in satisfaction; this girl's vigilance was still pretty good.
Wanting to tease An Youyu, he purposely deepened his voice. "Little sister, I haven't eaten in days, can you spare some food?"
*Click—*
The door swung open.
Seeing Lin Mo standing outside, the corners of An Youyu's eyes curved in a hidden smile. "Why are you here?"
Lin Mo kept a gloomy expression, as if someone owed him money.
He was extremely displeased with An Youyu's behavior of opening the door. "Who told you to open the door? What if the person outside wasn't me, but a bad guy? What would you do?"
An Youyu drooped her head. "I—I recognized your voice, that's why I opened it."
Hearing this explanation, Lin Mo's expression softened slightly, though his tone remained fretful. "Don't open the door to strangers in the future, understand?"
"Mm."
An Youyu acknowledged.
Lin Mo shoved the lunchbox into An Youyu's hands, sidestepped past her into the apartment, and placed the box of milk he had carried all the way against the wall.
"This milk only has a shelf life of half a month, remember to drink it or it'll go to waste."
An Youyu started to refuse, but Lin Mo anticipated it and cut her off. "No refusing. I'm giving it to you, so you keep it."
He paused as he walked past An Youyu. "There's freshly made braised pork in the lunchbox, eat it while it's hot. I'm off."
As he left, Lin Mo pulled the door shut behind him.
When there was only a narrow crack left between the door and the frame, he gave one final reminder. "No opening the door for strangers from now on."
*Thud—*
The door closed.
An Youyu stood in place in a daze for a long time.
After a while, she walked over to the table and cautiously opened the lunchbox.
Instantly, a rich aroma filled the room.
Looking at the steaming braised pork in the lunchbox, the grievance she had buried in her heart for years suddenly burst forth, and she burst into tears.
Pear blossoms washed in rain, her tears wetting her clothes.
It had been so long, so very long, since anyone had cared about her like this...
Lin Mo hummed a little tune as he walked home.
After changing into his slippers, he entered the living room.
Seeing his mother sitting at the dining table with a stern face, he hurried over.
"Mom, who upset you? Tell your son, and your son will beat the living daylights out of him!"
Lin Shu pointed to the clock on the wall. "What happened to twenty minutes? Do you know it's already been half an hour?"
Lin Mo smiled sheepishly. "Twenty minutes and half an hour aren't that different, right? Come, come, let's eat."
He walked over to the opposite seat, picked up his bowl and chopsticks, and prepared to eat.
"Hold on."
Lin Shu raised a hand and tapped on the table. "When that box of milk was delivered today, I checked the production date myself—it wasn't expired at all! Don't try to pull a fast one on me!"
"Is that so?"
Lin Mo scratched his head. "Maybe I got it wrong."
"What do you mean 'maybe you got it wrong'? You definitely got it wrong!"
"If I only *might* have gotten it wrong, how could I have actually gotten it wrong? Mom, *you're* the one who got it wrong!"
"..."
Lin Shu was so dizzy from the wordplay that her mind went blank. She glared at him irritably. "Got quite the silver tongue, don't you? Did you dump that box of milk at some little girl's place?"
"Ayo?"
Lin Mo widened his eyes in mock surprise. "Mom, you're practically psychic."
"Get lost!"
Lin Shu's defenses broke, and she scolded him with a smile, "Next time don't beat around the bush, just say it straight!"
"Your mother isn't that petty and stingy. Next time we order milk, we'll just order an extra box."
"But let's get one thing straight: you aren't giving *both* boxes to that girl, I drink milk too."
"Mom, you really are my biological mother!"
Lin Mo dropped his chopsticks in mock overwhelming gratitude and opened his arms. "Your son has no way to repay this, I can only offer you a loving hug."
"Sit down and eat, the food is getting cold."
Her son's goofy antics secretly brought a smile to Lin Shu's face.
"Yes, ma'am!"
After dinner, Lin Mo proactively helped clear the dishes.
Once he finished, he pulled his mother down to sit in the living room.
Lin Shu initiated the conversation. "Xiaomo, how do you feel you did on today's joint examination?"
"Pretty good."
"Any guess on your score?"
"Around 600."
When it came to his mother, Lin Mo never held anything back.
The hand with which Lin Shu was pouring water shook violently. "How much?"
"Around 600."
"Xiaomo, are you treating your mom like an idiot?"
Hearing this, Lin Mo narrowed his eyes and leaned back against the sofa. "Mom, if you want your son to evaluate you, you have to let your son understand you first, right?"
"What do you mean?"
"For example, your son doesn't even know what your job is right now."
Lin Shu's expression stiffened as she squeezed out a smile. "Forget it, listening to you brag is a waste of time—I might as well just wait until the joint exam scores are announced."
"Mom, don't try to brush this off. Every time I ask about your work, you deliberately change the subject. Why can't you tell me?"
Lin Mo had no intention of dropping his questioning regarding his mother's deliberate avoidance.
Since he had brought it up, he was going to get to the bottom of it!
Lin Shu's expression turned complicated. "Xiaomo, it's not what you think, I..."
Lin Mo cut her off. "How is it not?"
He understood the logic of striking while the iron was hot; at a time like this, he had to be firm.
Otherwise, it would end up just like in his past life, fading away into nothingness every single time.
"Mom, your son isn't just acting on a whim. This mystery has been swirling in my mind for many years, and today I have to get a clear answer."
Lin Shu fell silent.
Lin Mo didn't speak either, waiting patiently.
After an unknown amount of time, Lin Shu let out a deep sigh.
"Now is not the time to tell you, and knowing these things won't do you any good. Wait a little longer. If the timing is right, I'll tell you."
"You still have to keep it from me?"
This was only the second time since Lin Mo's rebirth that his emotions had fluctuated this violently.
The first time was seeing An Youyu in the classroom; this was the second.
He had heard words like these countless times in his previous life.
Yet until he reached middle age, the "timing" his mother spoke of never arrived.
Lin Shu furrowed her brows tightly, a look of guilt surfacing in her eyes.
Seeing this, Lin Mo felt both heartache and agitation.
Heartache for his mother!
Agitation over the matter itself!
In his past life, he had asked his mother many times.
Most of the time, she deliberately avoided it. On the few occasions when he pressed harder, she would show this heart-wrenching expression.
Back then, Lin Mo chose to stop asking.
But this time, he wasn't going to give up.
If he didn't harden his heart, his mother would never reveal the secret buried deep within her.
"Mom, your job has something to do with my grandfather and grandmother, doesn't it?"
"Y-You... How do you know?"
Lin Shu's face changed color, losing her composure somewhat.
She had never revealed a single word about this aspect to her son.
Logically speaking, her son shouldn't have known about it at all.
Could it be...
The moment that possibility crossed her mind, her face turned pale as death, laced with a faint, hidden panic.
Lin Mo leaned forward slightly, his slender fingers tapping rhythmically on the coffee table. "Mom, ever since I could remember, during every holiday you never once took me to visit my grandfather's place, and I knew absolutely nothing about the situation on his side."
"Later on, Su Wenyang kept a woman outside and you two divorced. Then you suddenly got a job where you wouldn't come home all night from time to time. All these things must be connected. As your son, don't I even have the basic right to know?"
"I..."
Lin Shu's expression shifted several times before she finally made a decision. "Xiaomo, Mom will give you two choices."
"What two choices?"
A brilliant light erupted in Lin Mo's eyes.
If she was willing to negotiate, it meant there was a chance!
Lin Shu took a deep breath. "If you can get into a tier-one university, Mom will tell you everything. If you don't... I'm sorry, Mom will let those words rot in my stomach forever. Can you... accept that?"
Chapter 30 Fooling the System
"Accepted!"
Lin Mo didn't hesitate for a single second, agreeing on the spot.
He practically roared out the word "accepted."
In his heart, he knew very well: this was his only chance!
Lin Shu slowly stood up. "I'm tired, don't stay up too late studying either."
"Okay."
Watching his mother return to her room, Lin Mo went back to his own as well.
He had no study plans for tonight.
It wasn't giving up; it was resting.
Over the past few days, he had been like a string pulled tighter and tighter, studying at high intensity every day with only three or four hours of rest.
The reason he had pushed himself so hard was because this joint exam score mattered to him—it mattered a huge deal!
Now that the test was over, the accumulated exhaustion surged up all at once.
Study?
Forget it, he might as well get a good, honest night's sleep.
Health is capital; as long as the green mountains remain, there's no need to worry about firewood.
Lin Mo had no desire to die of overwork. As he lay down, a sudden whim popped into his head regarding his delivery mission.
"System, where is my mission reward?"
"The host has not completed the mission, where would a reward come from?"
"Since that's the case, we need to have a proper discussion about this."
Lin Mo propped himself up against the headboard. "Wasn't the purpose of the mission to boost Little Yuer's courage?"
"Yes."
"She already showed the intention to bring me water and even took action, it was just interrupted because of a small accident, right?"
"Yes."
"So, the goal of boosting her courage has been achieved, and the interruption of the mission doesn't affect the final result, right?"
"Yes."
On the surface, Lin Mo kept a straight face, but internally he was pulling out all the stops to trick the system. "In other words, I skipped the process and completed the objective."
*In short, I bypassed the process to achieve the result; am I right?"*
"Yes."
"Which one is more important, the process or the result?"
Before the system could answer, Lin Mo clapped his hands. "The result is definitely more important!"
A solid, full-score performance on this self-questioning routine!
The system fell silent.
After about a minute, a prompt tone rang in Lin Mo's mind.
"Congratulations to the host for completing the mission, reward: 200 cultivation value."
Hearing the system's reward notification, Lin Mo smiled so wide the corners of his mouth nearly reached his ears.
To be honest, he had just been trying his luck with a dead-horse-as-a-live-doctor mindset, never expecting it to actually work.
A pleasant surprise!
After the joy faded, a wave of dizziness washed over Lin Mo, scaring him into quickly lying down to sleep.
Early the next morning.
A few birds landed on the window ledge outside, occasionally pecking at the glass.
The tap-tap-tap sound woke Lin Mo. He sat up, stretched, and felt thoroughly refreshed.
The clock on the wall clicked to 6:53 AM. Lin Mo got dressed and came out of his room.
After washing up, he sat at the dining table. Looking at his mother's slightly swollen eyes, he felt quite guilty.
Yet he had no regrets. He picked at his breakfast listlessly, then grabbed his schoolbag and headed out.
A dozen minutes later.
Lin Mo arrived outside Baiyu Residential Area, and in less than a minute, An Youyu appeared with her schoolbag on her back.
You cannot escape what is fated, nor can you meet what isn't.
Where fate begins, people gather; where fate ends, they part.
At least from Lin Mo's perspective, in this lifetime he and An Youyu had both fate and destiny together.
The moment Lin Mo spotted An Youyu, An Youyu spotted Lin Mo standing by the willow tree.
A strange glint flashed deep within her eyes, and dimples quietly appeared.
This scene warmed the heart.
She walked up to Lin Mo, took off her schoolbag, pulled out a carton of milk, and handed it over timidly. "I brought this for you."
Lin Mo didn't take it. Instead, he asked, "Did you drink yours?"
"I—I drank it."
The moment An Youyu stammered, Lin Mo had his answer.
In his past life, though he had been carefree and dense, he wasn't completely useless.
At least during those three months of living together, he had figured out one of An Youyu's habits: when this girl lied, she would lower her head and stutter.
Lowering her head and stuttering didn't *always* mean she was lying!
But when she lied, she *definitely* lowered her head and stuttered!
"Lying is not a good habit. You drink it."
"I—I..."
An Youyu lowered her head guiltily, like a child who had done something wrong.
Lin Mo leaned down to look closer, only then noticing An Youyu's red, swollen eyes. His brows instantly furrowed. "Why are your eyes swollen? Did you cry last night?"
"N—No... It's nothing."
An Youyu first shook her head, though her subsequent words contradicted herself.
Lin Mo's thoughts spun, and soon he had a rough guess.
Last night, he had slept like a dead pig...
Sinful, truly sinful!
"Sigh!"
Thinking of this, Lin Mo couldn't help but sigh.
To An Youyu's ears, however, this sounded like Lin Mo was angry. She panicked and raised her head. "I'll drink it right now; please don't be mad, okay?"
Lin Mo froze for a few seconds, his expression turning strange. "Alright, you drink the milk, and I won't be mad."
"Mm."
An Youyu nodded vigorously, bit open a corner of the carton, and started drinking quickly.
Lin Mo raised a hand and gently tapped her head. "No one's timing you. Drink slowly, don't rush."
An Youyu held the milk carton between her lips and nodded lightly.
Her utterly naive and adorable appearance made Lin Mo's mood shift instantly from overcast to sunny, leaving him with one thought.
Attractiveness is justice.
That saying wasn't entirely useless after all.
At least when it came to An Youyu, it held true.
Arriving at school, An Youyu once again quickened her pace to put distance between herself and Lin Mo, just like she did every day.
Lin Mo didn't mind, making his way to the classroom at a leisurely pace.
An Youyu's extremely timid and people-fearing personality was already deeply ingrained; changing it in a short time was simply impossible.
Only through long-term, subtle influence could the tightly closed door of her heart slowly be pushed open, bit by bit.
As it happened, he had plenty of patience and wasn't in a hurry at all.
Inside the classroom.
The moment Lin Mo sat down, Gu Fan reached his hand over.
"What?"
"Didn't Brother Mo insist on paying me back three hundred yuan the day before yesterday? I saw a pretty good set of physics practice workbooks yesterday, and they'll come in handy."
Gu Fan offered an embarrassed smile. "Things have been a bit tense with my dad lately, so it's hard to ask him for money."
Hearing this, Lin Mo wore a meaningful smile. "Not bad, not bad. Knowing to spend money on physics practice books now—your ideological awareness has really improved."