As for how to give An Youyu a sense of happiness, it can be summed up in six words.
The simpler, the happier.
Most people say that life is not that simple.
Yet life is inherently made up of simple meals and a variety of trivial matters.
The reason people today live so tiredly is because they carry too many spiritual shackles.
The simpler things are, the more they radiate their intrinsic nature.
True complexity resembles simplicity; true beauty is unadorned.
"Wait for me a moment."
An Youyu crouched down and pulled an iron can out from under the bed.
Seeing this iron can, a faint smile played across her cheeks.
Opening the can, coin after coin and banknotes of various denominations were poured out onto the floor.
At a rough glance, there must have been over a thousand yuan.
Lin Mo squatted down and looked at the pile of money on the floor. "Did you save all of this?"
"Mm."
An Youyu smiled sincerely. "University costs a lot of money, so I started my journey of saving back in the first year of high school."
"Where did all this money come from?"
"I worked part-time."
Those three simple words made Lin Mo feel an even deeper ache for the girl in front of him, a bitter taste rising uncontrollably in his throat. "Doing what?"
An Youyu tidied up the loose change on the floor and said softly, "When I was in the first year of high school, I wasn't sixteen yet, so no one hiring temporary workers dared to use me. Back then, I could only survive on the monthly allowance the director wired me at the beginning of each month."
Saying this, she smiled happily. "However, starting from the second year of high school, I stopped taking the director's money. Every Sunday, I would go to the library in the city center to help organize books, and I could earn fifty yuan a day. After deducting my everyday expenses, I saved the rest."
An Youyu spoke happily, but Lin Mo found it painful to listen to. He never imagined that An Youyu's life had been so hard.
Going to school while working part-time to save the money needed for university.
At this moment, many questions finally had answers.
No wonder An Youyu always wore her school uniform, and no wonder her lunch was so simple.
"Little Yuer."
"Huh?"
An Youyu pointed to her own nose with her right index finger, her tone full of uncertainty. "Just now... were you calling me?"
"Yes, from now on I'll call you Little Yuer."
"No—"
"You are not allowed to refuse."
Seeing that An Youyu was about to refuse, Lin Mo quickly offered his reasons. "Calling you by your name or Classmate An feels too distant, and you don't like being called Teacher An. The name Little Yuer couldn't be more fitting. Calling each other that between friends isn't too much, is it?"
"But..."
"Don't we count as friends?"
"I suppose so?"
Meeting Lin Mo's gaze, An Youyu muttered softly, "Even if we are friends, calling me that is still... could you change it?"
The corners of Lin Mo's mouth twitched imperceptibly.
This girl was great in every way, except she loved to take things too seriously.
Seeing that Lin Mo didn't speak, An Youyu tentatively suggested, "Actually, calling me Classmate An is quite nice. How about we just..."
"Alright, Little Yuer."
An Youyu bit her lower lip gently. "Calling me that isn't good."
Lin Mo chose to remain silent.
He understood the girl's temperament; sometimes you just had to be thick-skinned.
Take right now, for instance.
An Youyu's red lips parted slightly, and the refusal that had reached her lips remained unsaid, as if she had accepted her fate.
She picked up a fifty-yuan banknote and put all the money back into the iron box.
Then, her brow furrowed, and she took another fifty-yuan banknote back out of the iron box, her delicate lips moving slightly.
Lin Mo's ears twitched, and he vaguely caught: "One hundred yuan should be enough for groceries."
In an instant, a layer of goosebumps rose across his back.
According to what An Youyu had said, she had been saving the money in the iron can for two and a half years.
Normally, she only ate rice and greens, yet just to treat him to a meal, she was willing to take out one hundred yuan to buy groceries.
Lin Mo didn't know how to describe this feeling.
After shoving the iron can back under the bed, An Youyu handed the two banknotes in her hand to Lin Mo.
"Here, take them."
"What do you mean?"
"When we buy the groceries, you pay."
Lin Mo suppressed the tremor in his heart. "Why?"
An Youyu counted on her fingers, "If the girl pays, the guy will feel very awkward."
Her innocent words and clear gaze became the final straw that broke down Lin Mo's psychological defenses. He turned around and quickly raised his hand to wipe his face.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing."
Lin Mo turned back, smiling as he replied, "Suddenly felt my eyes were a bit itchy, just rubbing them."
An Youyu believed it completely. "Are we going to buy the groceries now?"
"Okay."
A few minutes later, the two arrived at the nearby vegetable market.
Since it was midday and the weather was hot, there were hardly any people in the large vegetable market.
Some vegetable vendors were dozing off on stone slabs.
An Youyu frequented this place and led Lin Mo expertly through the turns.
Lin Mo had originally intended to show off his bargaining skills, but he helplessly discovered that the vendors at these stalls were extremely friendly toward An Youyu.
The vegetables they sold her were basically at cost price, or even lower.
After making a full circle, Lin Mo's hands were full of plastic bags.
Before they left, the pork vendor quietly called Lin Mo over.
The vendor looked to be in his forties. He cautiously glanced at An Youyu, who was selecting meat not far away, and advised with concern, "Young man, are you this girl's..."
"Classmate."
Lin Mo answered on his own initiative.
The vendor smiled and nodded, the meaning in his eyes self-evident as he deliberately lowered his voice, "This girl has had a hard life. You mustn't bully her."
"I think so too."
The vendor seemed very satisfied with Lin Mo's answer and announced that this purchase was on the house.
In the end, with An Youyu's repeated insistence, they still paid.
On the way back, An Youyu was in high spirits, fluttering around Lin Mo and excitedly asking him whether he liked braised pork belly or twice-cooked pork.
Lin Mo couldn't help laughing.
An Youyu stopped in her tracks. "What are you laughing at?"
Lin Mo didn't hide it. "You're acting a bit different right now compared to usual."
"Really?"
"Really."
"How am I different?"
"A bit less reserved, a bit more cheerful. This state is great, keep it up."
An Youyu lowered her head shyly, reverting to her usual demeanor. "I'm only happy because there's good food."
Lin Mo leaned in closer. "Is that the only reason?"
"What else could it be?"
"..."
Lin Mo sighed inwardly.
This girl was practically a mudslide among girls.
"Little Yuer, time to go home."
An Youyu stood in place without moving. The name "Little Yuer" echoed in her ears over and over again. She stared blankly at Lin Mo's back as the light in her eyes rippled, gradually clouding with a faint mist of tears.
After taking a few steps, Lin Mo noticed An Youyu wasn't keeping up and called out without turning his head, "Keep up."
"Coming."
Dimples formed on both sides of An Youyu's cheeks, refreshing and soothing like tea steeped in a pool of clear spring water.
Catching up to Lin Mo, the two walked side by side.
Accompanied by the cicadas' chirping, the two figures gradually walked into the distance.
Back at the rented apartment.
Lin Mo immediately announced that he would cook, but this was sternly rejected by An Youyu.
"No, you're a guest. There's no reason to let a guest cook!"
Lin Mo refused to compromise. "You tutor me, you spend your own money on groceries, and if I let you cook on top of that, what does that make me? A ruthless landlord?"
"But..."
"No buts, I'm cooking."
Lin Mo pointed to the single sofa nearby. "Sit down and rest. Hurry up!"
An Youyu pouted.
If she remembered correctly, she was supposed to be the host here...
Chapter 10: Genius Girl
Seeing how insistent Lin Mo was, An Youyu struggled internally for a moment before finally sitting down obediently.
She stared at Lin Mo bustling about in the kitchen, little specks of starlight shining in her eyes.
As time passed, sleepiness gradually crept up on her.
A few rays of sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains and spilled onto An Youyu. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and before long, she fell asleep leaning against the sofa.
Illuminated by the sunlight, her fair skin had a translucent, crystal-clear quality.
This scene was like an exquisite ancient painting.
Sweating profusely, Lin Mo came out of the kitchen and his gaze involuntarily drifted toward where An Youyu was.
He deliberately softened his footsteps, afraid of disturbing her.
In her sleep, An Youyu's lips were slightly puckered, a faint, fleeting smile lingering at the corners of her mouth.
"Ding—"
"An Youyu's sense of loneliness has decreased. Congratulations to the Host for completing the mission, rewarding 100 cultivation value."
The System's prompt sound failed to catch Lin Mo's attention.
At this moment, his eyes held only An Youyu.
This face, so close at hand, was the agony of his past life.
In sleepless nights, he had thought of this face countless times.
Even though it was no longer the first day since his rebirth, until now he still had a surreal, dreamlike feeling.
It all seemed like a dream.
"Real or a dream, this time..."
Lin Mo only said half his sentence.
Whether by coincidence or not, An Youyu in her sleep seemed to sense something. Her long eyelashes fluttered, and then she opened her eyes.
She sat there dazed with sleep in her eyes, but when she noticed Lin Mo in front of her, she lowered her head once again.
Lin Mo's expression instantly returned to normal. "Why do you always keep your head down?"
An Youyu picked at her pinky finger. "The director said I look good, so I should try not to make eye contact with others in case it brings trouble."
Lin Mo's voice carried a rare gentleness. "You don't need to be like that anymore. Be bolder."
An Youyu didn't answer.
She raised her head to look at Lin Mo, then quickly averted her gaze.
Lin Mo knew these words were somewhat untimely; the time he and An Youyu had spent together was simply too short.
Some words didn't really matter whether they were spoken or not.
He stood up and walked toward the kitchen. "Dinner's ready. Wash your hands and get ready to eat."
Hearing this, a glimmer of anticipation flashed in An Youyu's eyes.
When she came out of the bathroom, four dishes and one soup were set out on the table.
Then, an awkward situation arose.
There was only one stool in the house, which meant one of them would have to eat standing up.
An Youyu realized this problem just as she saw Lin Mo walking over carrying two bowls of rice.
"You sit, I'll eat standing up."
Lin Mo handed a bowl of rice to An Youyu. "I squatted too long while tutoring this morning, standing up is a good way to relieve the muscle soreness in my legs."
An Youyu wasn't stupid; she naturally knew this was an excuse Lin Mo had deliberately made up.
Stubbornly, she shook her head and refused. "No, you're the guest, you sit."
"Be a good girl."
Lin Mo uttered those two words flatly, carrying his bowl of rice as he walked to the opposite side.
An Youyu's lips parted slightly, but in the end, she didn't say anything.
The corners of Lin Mo's mouth curled up as he leaned against the wall with his bowl. "Try my cooking. I knew you liked spicy food, so I put some chili in every dish, but the amount isn't large. If you feel it's not spicy enough, you can add more."
"Thank you."
An Youyu picked up a chopstick full of stir-fried bamboo shoots and pork.
As soon as the food entered her mouth, her eyes—bright like the stars—uncontrollably curved. "It's, it's delicious."
"Then eat more."
Lin Mo ate a token mouthful and continuously piled food into her bowl.
In his previous life, ever since graduating from university, he had always cooked for himself.
His culinary skills weren't legendary, but they certainly weren't bad.
To be honest, he was quite hungry right now, having arrived with an empty stomach that morning.
However, he stood in awe of the chili An Youyu used.
Seeing An Youyu's puffed-up cheeks, Lin Mo turned to pour a glass of water. "Eat slowly, there's plenty more."
Pity...
This girl's battle prowess was just too weak!
She had barely finished half of her small bowl of rice before she let out a burp.
An Youyu stared at the dishes on the table, wanting to continue eating, but alas, her stomach refused to cooperate. She sighed unhappily.
Seeing right through her thoughts, Lin Mo smiled secretly. "Is it good?"
"Delicious," An Youyu nodded.
"Then from now on, every week Teacher An helps me tutor, and as payment I'll cook for you. How about that?"
"Sound—sounds bad."
"Why does it sound bad?"
An Youyu didn't speak, only shaking her head.
In fact, Lin Mo knew very well why An Youyu was refusing.
Boiled down, there was only one word.
Money!
The raw ingredients for today's meal had cost nearly 90 yuan, equivalent to two days of An Youyu's wages at the library.
If they ate like this every week, her savings would trend toward negative growth.
Lin Mo wanted to say he would pay for it, but he worried that saying such words would hurt An Youyu's self-esteem.
"Help me tutor physics this afternoon."
"…Mm."
An Youyu took a sip of water, her tone slightly weak. "Actually, your learning ability is very strong. There are still more than three months until the college entrance examination; as long as you are willing to work hard, your grades will definitely improve a lot."
"What a coincidence, I think so too."
Facing Lin Mo's unconventional style of chatting, An Youyu clearly couldn't keep up, and after mumbling hesitantly for quite a while, she couldn't spit out anything coherent.
Lin Mo changed the subject. "Little Yuer, I want to ask you something."
Hearing this affectionate address, An Youyu felt a little unaccustomed to it, a faint flush rising on her cheeks. "What is it?"
"You scored 68 points on yesterday's math test. That score doesn't seem to match your level, so is there something you're hiding from me?"
"This..."
After a moment of hesitation, An Youyu said in a voice barely louder than a whisper, "I've already taught myself high school math. The reason I scored 68 points is because... I didn't want to stand out."
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow. "Can I take that to mean you were intentionally capping your score?"
"…Yes."
Lin Mo pressed further. "What about the other subjects?"
An Youyu lowered her gaze. "The other subjects... are about the same."
Lin Mo weighed her words in his mind. "In other words, you've already finished learning all the knowledge in high school?"
"Mm."
"Then what do you usually study at school?"
"Some sophomore-level college knowledge."
This answer made Lin Mo's eyes widen. "Why sophomore year? What about freshman year?"
"Freshman-level knowledge points are already finished too."
"..."
Previously, Lin Mo scoffed at the existence of geniuses.
In his view, everyone was pretty much the same.
Some people might be a bit smarter than average people, but even that was extremely limited.
Yet An Youyu's words completely overturned his understanding.
"Ahem—"
To hide his awkwardness, Lin Mo coughed repeatedly.
Learning sophomore college material while in the third year of high school?
Was this girl trying to defy the heavens?!
An Youyu stole a glance at Lin Mo. "Can you keep this matter a secret?"
"Sure."
Lin Mo readily agreed, playfully cupping his fists. "Teacher An, please take care of me from now on."
An Youyu hurriedly waved her small hands. "I'm just helping out where I can, I'm far from qualified to be a teacher."
"No, you're amazing."
Lin Mo smiled meaningfully. "Shall we continue tutoring?"
An Youyu lifted her eyes, her gaze colliding directly with Lin Mo's. His dark eyes were shining with a kind of light.
This look was hard to name or describe...
Yet the gentleness contained within it stirred up a long-distant memory from deep inside her heart.
Her gaze turned slightly dazed, her delicate lips touching. "It really does seem..."
Lin Mo frowned in confusion.
Seem?
Seem like what?
This girl still seemed to have some secrets, but he knew in his heart that now was not the right time to get to the bottom of it.
The two stared at each other like this for nearly a minute. When An Youyu came to her senses, she hurriedly looked away.
Noticing the girl's small movements, the smile at the corners of Lin Mo's mouth grew even richer.
"I..."
Lin Mo spoke up to ease An Youyu's awkwardness. "Shall we start tutoring now?"
An Youyu gave no response, simply standing up silently to fetch the teaching materials. As the tutoring began, she quickly got into the zone.
The girl's melodious voice lingered in Lin Mo's ears, and his long-dormant heart began to beat slowly once more.
It seemed... the wind was rising on the lake.
Chapter 11: Negotiation
Outside the residential complex.
Lin Mo waved goodbye. "I'm heading off."
An Youyu stood motionless. She raised her head to look at Lin Mo, then quickly lowered it again. "I... I'm going to work at the library tomorrow."
"You're not."
Lin Mo said matter-of-factly, "If you go work at the library, who's going to tutor me?"
An Youyu's red lips parted slightly, and finally, an "oh" was squeezed out.
Lin Mo stepped forward. At one meter eighty-two, he was a full twenty centimeters taller than An Youyu.
Combined with An Youyu's habit of keeping her head down, it created a classic height-difference visual.
Catching the scent on Lin Mo's body, An Youyu panicked and took a step back.
Lin Mo curled his right hand into a fist and gently tapped the top of An Youyu's head. "My mom is planning to hire a private tutor for me, thirty yuan an hour. As classmates, give me a friendly discount—how about twenty yuan an hour?"
An Youyu wanted to dodge, but didn't dare. "N—no, bad."
"What's bad about it?"
"I don't want money."
"Ten yuan. That's my bottom line."
Lin Mo threw out his final trump card. "If you still don't agree, I'll tell the teacher about you capping your exam scores."
Hearing this, An Youyu shook her head repeatedly, lifting her lower jaw with a wronged expression. "Can I... not take money either?"
"No."
Lin Mo refused to budge.
An Youyu nervously clutched her school uniform. After a long silence, she muttered, "Five yuan. Not a cent more."
"Deal."
Lin Mo smiled, removing his fist from the top of the girl's head. "See you tomorrow."
Watching Lin Mo leave, An Youyu stood at the entrance of the complex for a very long time. Today held a different kind of meaning for her.
"See you tomorrow."
...
Walking into the dimly lit living room, Lin Mo casually tossed his school bag onto the sofa. As he looked up, he found a person sitting in the corner of the sofa, instantly sending a layer of goosebumps across his body.
He quickly took a few steps back, rubbed his eyes hard, and froze in place.
Who else could that figure on the sofa be if not his mother?
Lin Mo turned on the light and patted his chest with a wry smile. "Mom, let's not scare people like that, okay? You only have one precious son!"
Lin Shu's gaze was mixed with a hint of interrogation. "How did it feel today?"