This left Lin Mo a bit baffled, and his tone carried a hint of probing, "The day before yesterday was... Tuesday?"
"......"
An Youyu seemed not to have expected Lin Mo to react this way, and rare amusement flashed across her face as she looked caught between laughter and tears, "Could I trouble you for half a day?"
"Huh?"
For a moment, Lin Mo was stunned.
Seeing this, An Youyu hastily explained, "Don't get the wrong idea, I just..."
"Sure!"
By the time Lin Mo snapped back to his senses, he nodded in agreement without a second thought.
"Thank you."
An Youyu lowered her graceful head, looking like a child who had done something wrong.
Lin Mo glanced toward the classroom door, and boldly reached out to gently stroke the long hair on top of An Youyu's head.
"Tomorrow morning at eight, see you at the entrance of your apartment complex."
"Pitter-patter..."
A single clear tear fell onto the floor.
The girl's shoulders trembled slightly.
By the time Lin Mo realized something was wrong, the school uniform in front of An Youyu was already soaked with tears.
He leaned sideways to look, his mind going blank, and immediately realized it must have been because of his earlier gesture.
"Smack—"
Lin Mo raised his left hand and struck the back of his right hand fiercely, his tone growing somewhat hurried, "Um... Classmate An, I didn't mean anything else by it, please don't cry?"
Hearing the commotion, An Youyu lifted her chin slightly.
When she saw the red mark on the back of Lin Mo's right hand, her weak voice carried a sob, "What are you doing?"
"This hand misbehaved, it deserved to be hit!"
An Youyu stared at the reddened back of Lin Mo's right hand, "Does it hurt?"
Lin Mo shook his head, "It's about the same as being bitten by a mosquito."
"Nonsense, how could something so red be like a mos—"
"It doesn't hurt."
An Youyu bit her lip, raising a hand to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes, "Actually, I wasn't crying because..."
"Brother Mo, I'm back."
Just then, Gu Fan walked briskly into the classroom holding a takeaway box of braised pork rice in one hand.
The moment he stepped through the door, he froze on the spot.
An Youyu's eyes were red and watery, her tear-stained appearance clearly showing she had been crying.
There were only the two of them in the classroom, so anyone could figure out who the culprit was with their eyes closed.
"Ahem—"
Gu Fan blinked rapidly, "Brother Mo, should I come back later?"
Lin Mo gave him an annoyed glare, "Leave the food, get out."
"Sigh."
Gu Fan placed the food on the desk and quickly hurried out of the classroom.
Lin Mo made An Youyu cry?
Good grief, that was major news!
If this got out, he bet Lin Mo wouldn't live to see tomorrow's sun!
Lin Mo pushed the food toward An Youyu, "I ate your food, you eat this."
"I'm not hungry."
An Youyu refused to accept it.
Lin Mo said matter-of-factly, "This is an equivalent exchange; if you don't want to eat it, you can throw it away."
"Don't!"
An Youyu looked conflicted, "Wasting food... is bad."
Lin Mo smiled, shoving the chopsticks into her hands, "The food is yours anyway, whether you eat it or throw it away is entirely up to you."
With that, he turned and walked toward the back of the classroom.
An Youyu looked at the fragrant meal in front of her, then looked back at Lin Mo in the rear of the classroom. After hesitating for a long time, she slowly opened the bag and began to eat in small bites.
Thinking of something, the corners of her lips curved upward slightly, and the smiles hidden in her dimples were softer than a spring breeze.
She ate half the meal and packed the remaining half into the lunchbox.
By the time she finished, quite a few students had returned to the classroom after eating.
An Youyu tidied up the disposable cutlery and threw it into the trash can by the classroom door.
As she turned back, she noticed Lin Mo looking in her direction, so she instinctively lowered her head, hurried back to her seat, and let out a silent sigh of relief.
At noon, there was an hour and a half break.
The scorching weather made people drowsy.
The ceiling fan spun lazily overhead, failing to change anything at all.
Everyone looked like beaten eggplants—listless and yawning continuously.
Only a few forced their eyelids open to continue reviewing their studies.
Before long, an elderly man appeared at the classroom door.
It was the Class Two Chinese teacher, Wei Qingguo.
Wei Qingguo walked over to An Youyu's desk and tapped on it with his hand.
Noticing the girl's startled expression, his smile was exceptionally kind, "We still have a little while before class starts. Come to my office for a moment, there are a few questions I'd like to discuss with you."
An Youyu was stunned for a moment, then nodded.
With most people dozing off, absolutely no one noticed this scene.
Only Lin Mo trailed behind the two all the way to the office, pricking up his ears outside.
Wei Qingguo handed An Youyu a cup of water, "Don't be nervous, sit down."
"Thank you, Teacher."
An Youyu sat opposite him and took the initiative to ask, "Why did you want to see me, Teacher?"
Wei Qingguo adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, a trace of worry clouding his face, "I heard that yesterday in the classroom you asked Lin Mo to apply to the same university as you. Is this true or false?"
"Yes."
An Youyu admitted it honestly.
Wei Qingguo furrowed his brows tightly, his tone carrying a hint of probing, "Classmate An, this agreement shouldn't mean anything else, right?"
Confusion flickered in An Youyu's eyes, "Anything else?"
Wei Qingguo smiled calmly and said earnestly, "Classmate An, the third year of high school is the most critical time for a student. Before the college entrance examination arrives, you must pour all your energy into your studies and not entertain any other thoughts."
The confusion in An Youyu's eyes deepened, "I don't quite understand what Teacher means."
Wei Qingguo gave a dry cough, picked up the thermos on the desk, and took a sip of tea, "Classmate An, your grades are not ideal. If you start dating on top of that, you probably won't even pass the college entrance exams. Don't sacrifice your future on a moment of impulse. Can you understand that?"
"Dating?"
An Youyu's eyes widened. She froze for a full ten seconds before she finally understood why Wei Qingguo had called her to the office today, and she hastily explained, "Teacher, I am not dating. Things are not what you think."
"Then what are they?"
"It's just... a simple agreement."
Meeting Wei Qingguo's gaze, An Youyu's voice was very soft, "Teacher, classmates making an agreement about which university to apply to, isn't that a very normal thing?"
"It's normal for other people, but when it comes to you, it's somewhat abnormal."
"Teacher, I don't understand."
Wei Qingguo put down the thermos, "Classmate An, your actions yesterday may not have seemed like much; but as your head teacher, I cannot look at anything one-sidedly."
"For example, your appearance is exceptionally outstanding. Suddenly making an agreement with Lin Mo to apply to the same university will inevitably lead him to overthink things. I won't dare say anything else, but at the very least, it will leave him unable to focus on his studies for a long time."
"To give a most direct example, Lin Mo scored 94 points in mathematics on the last unified exam, but yesterday during Teacher Yan's math test in class today, he only scored 18 points. I asked Teacher Yan, and the difficulty of this test was much simpler than the unified exam. So why did Lin Mo's grades plummet?"
At this, he couldn't help but sigh.
"Classmate An, don't think Teacher is being nagging. Once you get to university, even if you ask Teacher to manage you, Teacher won't. Of course, Teacher wouldn't be able to reach that far anyway, but right now it's different."
An Youyu was silent for a long time, then stood up and bowed to Wei Qingguo, "I understand. The student will make this clear to Lin Mo."
Wei Qingguo nodded with satisfaction, then changed the subject, "I looked at your recent test scores. To be honest, they are not ideal. You need to work harder from now on; time is running out."
"Yes, the student knows."
"Alright, there's nothing else. You can go back now."
"Goodbye, Teacher."
Stepping out of the office, An Youyu walked down the corridor toward the classroom.
The sound of light footsteps echoed through the empty hallway.
At the corner, An Youyu almost collided head-on with Lin Mo, who was leaning against the corner wall.
She instinctively took a step back, but her foot slipped and she instantly lost her balance, falling backward.
With quick eyes and swift hands, Lin Mo caught An Youyu in a firm embrace, only letting go after she stood steadily, "Don't get distracted when walking from now on, it's very easy to fall."
Surprise flowed in An Youyu's eyes, "Y-You, why are you here?"
"The classroom was too hot, so I thought I'd come out for some fresh air, and just walked until I ended up here."
Lin Mo told the lie without blushing or skipping a beat, "By the way, what did the teacher want to talk to you about just now?"
An Youyu's eyes darted away, her tone becoming halting and stuttering, "Lin Mo, I—I... won't be applying to the same university as you anymore."
Chapter 6: Bound to Lose? I Don't Think So.
"It's fine."
"Huh?"
Seeing that Lin Mo didn't react at all, An Youyu felt a faint trace of disappointment.
Just as her mind was running wild with thoughts, Lin Mo's voice sounded by her ear, "It doesn't matter if you don't apply to the same university as me, wouldn't it work just as well if I apply to the same university as you?"
Lin Mo's warm breath brushed against An Youyu's neck, and her fair, flawless skin instantly flushed pink.
At that moment, her brain felt like it had crashed.
When she finally snapped out of it, she retreated two steps quickly like a frightened little bird.
Lin Mo looked at An Youyu's blushing face and raised his hand nonchalantly, "Class is about to start. If you want to ask anything, ask tomorrow."
Blushing furiously, An Youyu hurried away.
Lin Mo leisurely followed behind, a subtle smile playing at the corners of his lips.
He had heard every word of the conversation between Wei Qingguo and An Youyu just now.
He also knew why An Youyu had just said she didn't want to apply to the same university as him. This girl must have been brainwashed by old man Wei, not wanting him to get distracted because of her and ruin his grades.
Thinking of this, Lin Mo gave a bitter, self-deprecating pull at the corner of his mouth.
The reason his test score today was so terrible had absolutely nothing to do with An Youyu...
…………
"Ding-ling—"
The bell for the end of the school day rang.
Yan Shiming walked into the classroom right on the bell, nodded to the subject teacher in acknowledgment, stepped onto the podium, and announced in a loud voice, "Students who scored below 80 on today's test will stay for remedial classes. Everyone else can leave."
He never made empty promises.
His words were as good as gold.
If he said remedial classes, there would definitely be remedial classes!
There were about twenty students with scores below 80. Even though they had some psychological preparation, when this moment truly arrived, they still couldn't help letting out a chorus of sighs.
Yan Shiming slapped the podium, "What's with all these reactions? Do you think I want to give you remedial classes?"
"The school won't pay me an extra cent for all the time and effort I spend tutoring you. I'm not doing this to be a nuisance, so all of you snap out of it!"
His resonant voice echoed through Class Two.
In the blink of an eye, the classroom fell silent.
The students who didn't need remedial classes swiftly packed up their belongings and left.
In less than a minute, only about twenty people remained.
Yan Shiming looked toward Zhou Wenhao in the first row, "Why aren't you leaving?"
Zhou Wenhao stood up, "There is no end to learning. I also want to participate in this tutoring session, and staying behind allows me to help the teacher maintain classroom discipline."
Yan Shiming nodded in satisfaction, his gaze sweeping around the classroom, "Look at Zhou Wenhao, and look at yourselves; if you don't elevate your ideological awareness, teaching you anything is useless!"
"Since it's useless, why not cancel the tutoring..."
Gu Fan's muttered whisper sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet classroom.
Lin Mo bumped him with his elbow and reminded him in a low voice, "If you don't want to die, shut your mouth and behave."
On the podium, Yan Shiming glanced toward the back of the classroom, "Gu Fan, you can leave right now, I won't stop you."
The color drained from Gu Fan's face at being called out, and he forced a stiff smile, "Teacher, I'm willing to study. You're sacrificing your own time to tutor us, and the students are grateful to you from the bottom of their hearts."
For Gu Fan's hypocritical words, Yan Shiming gave him an annoyed glare.
"Let's go over today's test paper..."
Lin Mo was extremely focused, occasionally jotting down useful knowledge points in his notebook.
Even with the System, he still had to work hard.
Since he had been reborn, he had to live out a different kind of height.
A diploma was the starting point of everything.
In this lifetime, besides making up for the regrets of the previous life concerning An Youyu, he also wanted to make that person taste the feeling of being crushed.
Seeing Lin Mo's behavior, Gu Fan was full of skepticism and bumped his arm.
"What?"
"Brother Mo, stop studying already."
What?"
"Wouldn't it be great if the two of us brothers just stayed as academic slackers together? It's so hard to find a companion, you can't just leave me all alone and helpless!"
Hearing Gu Fan's eloquent and confident speech, Lin Mo couldn't help rolling his eyes, "If I don't study, it's hard to say whether I can even score 18 points next time."
That sounded exaggerated, but it was indeed the truth.
Gu Fan wasn't stupid; he caught the implicit meaning in Lin Mo's words and asked in bewilderment, "Brother Mo, your grades have always been so stable, how come this time..."
"Shut up, don't disrupt my listening."
Gu Fan curled his lip in displeasure, pulled out an extracurricular novel out of sheer boredom, and began to read.
Lin Mo cast a faint glance at the extracurricular book in front of Gu Fan, said nothing, and continued listening to the lecture.
Everyone has their own choices.
A class period passed quickly.
Yan Shiming tapped on the podium, "Tutoring is over. Everyone be safe on your way home."
As soon as Yan Shiming left the classroom, Zhou Wenhao walked to the back of the room, "Lin Mo, I advise you to stay away from Classmate An from now on."
He seemed never to tire of saying those exact same words.
Over and over again, endlessly.
Before Lin Mo could even speak, Gu Fan couldn't stand Zhou Wenhao's attitude anymore, "Hey Zhou, aren't you just a bit better at studying? What are you acting all high and mighty for?"
"Being good at studying makes you awesome, that's what."
Triumph hung in Zhou Wenhao's eyes, "If you've got the guts, be good at studying too."
Gu Fan rolled up his sleeves and struck a fighting pose, "You really are like an old man sitting in a cradle, acting like a grandson in front of me?"
"You..."
Facing Gu Fan, Zhou Wenhao felt the frustrating helplessness of a scholar meeting a soldier.
Lin Mo pulled Gu Fan back, his gaze locking onto Zhou Wenhao, "Are your academic grades really that good?"
"Nonsense!"
Zhou Wenhao shook the armband on his left arm, "Otherwise, who do you think could be the study commissioner?"
"Study commissioner? Turns out you're so amazing!"
Hearing Lin Mo say that, a smile instantly bloomed on Zhou Wenhao's face.
Before he could say anything, Lin Mo's voice followed, "Pity..."
"Pity what?"
Lin Mo looked him up and down, "Pity that your face is a bit hard to look at."
Zhou Wenhao's face instantly turned the color of a pig's liver, trembling all over with anger.
Gu Fan slapped the desk and burst out laughing, "Brother Mo's conclusion is truly incisive!"
"Incisive? I think you're a pain in the ass!"
Seeing that Zhou Wenhao actually dared to mock him, Gu Fan brandished his fist, "Feeling itchy for a beating, are you?"
Zhou Wenhao instantly lost his nerve. With a twitch of his brow, a malicious smile crept onto his face, "What's the use of looking good? Can't eat looks as a meal."
"Who says?"
Lin Mo looked surprised, "Zhou Wenhao, aren't you the study commissioner? How do you not even know the phrase 'a feast for the eyes'?"
Mocked repeatedly, Zhou Wenhao gritted his teeth in sheer exasperation, "Lin Mo, if you're a man, compete with me on academic grades!"
"Compete on academic grades?"
Before Lin Mo could reply, Gu Fan stared at Zhou Wenhao with full irony, "Are you out of your mind?"
Clearly, Zhou Wenhao's move was setting a trap for Lin Mo.
Disdain showed in Zhou Wenhao's eyes, "Scared?"
Gu Fan scoffed, "Why don't you compete with Brother Mo in basketball?"
Zhou Wenhao couldn't be bothered to bicker with Gu Fan, "Lin Mo, just say it—do you dare to compete or not?"
Seeing that the situation was turning bad, Gu Fan hurriedly leaned into Lin Mo's ear and whispered advice, "Brother Mo, don't fall for this guy's trick. His grades have always been first in the class; there's no need to invite misery upon yourself."
Lin Mo patted Gu Fan's shoulder, signaling him to rest easy.
The next second, he looked up at Zhou Wenhao, "How do you want to compete?"
Gu Fan: "..."
Fine.
All that talking just now went to waste!
"Simple."
Joy flickered in Zhou Wenhao's heart, "Let's compare our scores on the third mock exams."
"Anything else?"
"That's it."
"Since it's a bet, there should be a penalty, right?"
"Of course!"
Seeing Lin Mo actively jumping into the pit he had dug, Zhou Wenhao's eyes crinkled into slits of pure joy, "If you lose, you aren't allowed to say a single word to Classmate An before the college entrance exams, not even a greeting!"
"No way."
Lin Mo shook his head without a moment's hesitation, "If you're going to compete with me, the penalty should be decided by me."
"Fine, then what penalty do you propose?"
Zhou Wenhao didn't care about the details anymore; as long as he won, he had plenty of ways to make Lin Mo lose face publicly.
Lin Mo lowered his head and thought for a moment, "Whoever loses has to shout three times at the top of their lungs in front of the whole class: 'I love men.'"
"Brother Mo, are you insane?"
Hearing this punishment, Gu Fan hastily grabbed Lin Mo, "Why are you competing with Zhou Wenhao on grades? Your basketball skills are so good, if you're going to compete, compete in basketball!"
"No, we'll compete on grades."
Lin Mo's brows twitched slightly, "Zhou Wenhao, do you agree to this penalty?"
"Agreed!"
Upon hearing the penalty Lin Mo specified, Zhou Wenhao's mouth split almost to his ears, "A gentleman's word is hard to take back; whoever tries to back out of it later is a grandson!"
"Alright, then it's settled."
Lin Mo waved his hand, "Nothing else, so hurry up and leave. Don't linger in front of my eyes."
Zhou Wenhao was stunned, "Why?"
"It makes me nauseous."
The smile on Zhou Wenhao's face instantly froze, "Lin Mo, you just wait for me. There'll be a time when you're crying!"
Throwing down this harsh threat, he turned around and stormed off in anger.
Gu Fan let out a despairing, resigned sigh to the heavens, "Brother Mo, what on earth are you thinking?"
"Not thinking much, just wanted to push myself."
Lin Mo smiled calmly, "Diligence only gets you a passing grade; going all out makes you excellent. If you don't push yourself ruthlessly, you'll never know where your limits are."
Gu Fan's mouth twitched, "Then you still need to find a suitable opponent! On the last unified exam, Zhou Wenhao's total score was close to 700. This is a game you're bound to lose!"
Not a ripple of disturbance showed in Lin Mo's expression, "Bound to lose? I don't think so."