"Lin Mo stood up and picked up An Youyu's schoolbag. "There's a bit of a distance from the school to the residential area where you live, and it's quite secluded. It's not very safe for a girl to walk alone. You tutor me, and I'll walk you home."
In his previous life, he was ignorant and clueless, relying solely on his inner fondness to recklessly consume the girl's budding feelings.
In this life, he refused to allow himself to be so selfish again.
An Youyu looked at the schoolbag picked up by Lin Mo, recalling the past few mornings when Lin Mo had come to find her and walk to school together, and her heartbeat began to accelerate uncontrollably.
This feeling was beyond words.
Lin Mo understood An Youyu's personality; as long as she didn't refuse on the spot, it meant tacit consent.
He hung An Youyu's schoolbag over his left shoulder, reached out with gentlemanly poise, and bowed slightly. "Little Yuer, after you."
Whether it was reflected by the setting sun or caused by her shyness, An Youyu's jade-like cheeks were stained with a rosy glow, and she let out a barely audible hum.
She walked in front, while Lin Mo trailed behind by a little over a meter.
After descending from the teaching building, An Youyu came to a halt.
Lin Mo stepped forward. "Why'd you stop?"
An Youyu wore a hesitant expression. "Lin Mo, don't take to heart what Teacher Wei said today. I'm not that amazing—you're the amazing one."
"Improving your Chinese scores so quickly is practically a miracle. As long as you keep working hard, you'll definitely be able to transform yourself completely."
Her soft voice flowed past like a murmuring stream, reminiscent of the first gentle breeze of dawn brushing against one's face.
Lin Mo stared at An Youyu, watching until she shyly lowered her head, before he finally chuckled. "You don't need to worry so much about my feelings. I'm a guy, I'm not that fragile. Besides, Teacher Wei wasn't wrong—Little Yuer is indeed very impressive."
"I'm not impressive."
Lin Mo remained silent, but the smile on his face grew increasingly rich.
An Youyu bit her lip with her pearly white teeth, cautiously raising her right hand, her eyes mixed with a hint of probing. "Can you... not call me Little Yuer?"
"No."
"...Oh."
Once they stepped out of the school gates, the two of them resumed walking one after the other, just as before.
It seemed as though they didn't know each other, yet it also seemed as though they did.
An innocent, nameless atmosphere quietly and silently permeated the air.
However, this tranquility was abruptly shattered by an unexpected interruption.
As Lin Mo passed by an alleyway, he was suddenly grabbed by a pair of powerful arms and hauled inside.
Two young men surrounded Lin Mo, one on the left and one on the right. Their hair was dyed in garish reds and greens, their white tank tops had yellowed with age, and one was thin while the other was stout. Each carried a hollow steel pipe in his hand.
Had this been any ordinary student encountering such a scene, they surely would have been terrified.
Lin Mo looked at the two of them with complete composure. "Money?"
The skinny one swung the hollow steel pipe in his hand and bowed ingratiatingly to the chubby one. "Boss, I saw the photo. This is definitely the kid."
The stout one narrowed his eyes, a cigarette dangling crookedly from the corner of his mouth as if he were afraid others wouldn't know he was a hoodlum. "Did the person pay?"
"Paid."
The skinny one nodded eagerly.
The stout one tilted his head back. "Brother, sorry about this. We've gotta make a living."
With that, he waved his hand at the skinny one. "Do it!"
"Wait!"
From the pair's previous exchange, Lin Mo had already figured everything out and immediately threw out a condition. "How much did that person pay you? I'll give you double."
The skinny one had eyes only for money. Upon hearing Lin Mo's words, his eyes instantly widened. "Double?"
Before he could give it any further thought, the back of his head received a heavy slap.
The stout one glared at him in annoyance. "What are you daydreaming about?"
"When you're out on the streets, you gotta have rules! Once you take someone's money, you have to do the job. If word gets out that we betrayed an employer, how are the two of us supposed to hang around near Jingchuan No.2 High School in the future?"
Truth be told, this hoodlum actually had quite a bit of a bottom line.
Seeing that money couldn't resolve the situation, Lin Mo leaned back against the wall, lowering his stance slightly. His entire body tensed up, resembling a crossbow drawn tight with an arrow nocked, ready to deal a fatal blow to the opponent at a moment's notice.
"Let him go!"
A timid voice drifted from the mouth of the alley—it was An Youyu.
After walking for a bit, An Youyu had noticed that Lin Mo had suddenly disappeared from behind her. When she turned back to look, she found Lin Mo surrounded by two thugs wielding steel pipes.
This was her first time encountering such a scene, and she was terrified inside.
Yet, watching the two men about to make a move on Lin Mo, she acted on pure impulse, picked up a blue brick from the corner of the wall, and called out to stop them, trying her best to put on a fierce expression. "Don't move! I, I..."
Little did she know, with her exquisite and gentle facial features, it was simply impossible for her to look fierce.
Lin Mo looked at An Youyu standing at the alley entrance brandishing the blue brick, coupled with her words, and boundless amusement burst forth within his deep eyes.
The skinny one nudged the chubby one's arm. "Boss, there's a fairy."
"Shut up, I'm not blind."
The stout one cursed impatiently, hastily dropping the steel pipe in his hand and wiping his filthy hands on his tank top. "Little sister, what's your name?"
Just as he was about to step forward to cozy up to An Youyu, Lin Mo seized the opportunity while the two were distracted, slipped through the space between them, and instantly placed himself in front of An Youyu.
An Youyu nervously grabbed Lin Mo's clothes and stammered, "A-Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Lin Mo took the blue brick from the girl's hand. "Go stand outside the alley entrance. No matter what sounds come from in here later, don't come in."
"Huh?"
An Youyu was stunned.
A trace of indulgence colored Lin Mo's voice. "Be a good girl."
"But..."
"Go on."
"Then... be careful."
With a heart full of worry, An Youyu let go of her grip. After stepping out of the alley, she didn't foolishly stay put; instead, she sprinted toward the nearest telephone booth.
Fumbling through her pockets in a panic, she dug out a coin, but because she was too flustered, she tried several times and failed to drop it into the slot.
Frustrated, she gave the back of her hand a hard slap. She knew very well that every second wasted here meant an extra layer of danger for Lin Mo.
Trying one more time, she finally managed to drop the coin in as desired.
She quickly dialed the police station. "H-Hello, my classmate is in danger. He's currently in the alley south of the school gates of Jingchuan No.2 High School..."
After hanging up the phone, An Youyu hurried back to the mouth of the alley.
Initially, she wanted to go straight in, but the moment she remembered Lin Mo's instructions, she didn't dare to disobey, standing in place and torn with anxiety.
A few minutes later, two police officers came running from across the street. When they noticed An Youyu standing at the entrance of the alley, a flash of surprise crossed both of their eyes.
Such a pretty little girl!
One of the middle-aged men with a square face stepped forward to inquire, "Little girl, was it you who called the police?"
"Yes!"
An Youyu nodded vigorously, pointing into the alley, too anxious to speak properly.
The two officers exchanged a glance and strode quickly into the alley.
An Youyu followed right behind them.
However, when the three of them laid eyes on the scene inside the alley, they all froze in place.
The two thugs were lying on the ground, bruised and battered, especially the stout one, who was missing several front teeth.
Lin Mo was sitting astride the stout one's chest, asking with a beaming smile, "Are you going to talk or not?"
"A righteous man like me doesn't do unprincipled things!"
"Bam—"
Lin Mo threw a punch, knocking out yet another of the stout one's front teeth, causing the man to twitch in agony.
"What's going on here?"
Only then did Lin Mo notice the three people at the alley entrance. He nimbly stood up from the stout one's body, dusted off the dirt on his clothes, and pointed at the two figures on the ground. "I was walking home from school when these two suddenly dragged me into the alley and wanted to start beating me without a word."
"I had no other choice, so I had to passively defend myself, and well... it ended up like this."
With that, he made a grievance-filled complaint. "Uncle Officers, you have to seek justice for me! I'm a flower of the motherland meant for building the future, yet these two ignored the law and committed violence in broad daylight—their crimes are truly heinous!"
The two officers looked at Lin Mo, whose face radiated complete innocence, and their expressions grew more colorful by the second.
A flower?
Well, technically correct!
It's just that this particular flower was a bit too lethal...
***
"****!"
The stout one lifted his head with great difficulty, howling incessantly.
Unexpectedly, because too many of his front teeth were missing, his speech was heavily lisping and full of whistling air, making it completely impossible to understand what he was saying.
Still, from his exasperated demeanor, it wasn't hard to deduce that this fellow was definitely swearing up a storm.
A single glare from Lin Mo instantly frightened the stout one into shutting his mouth.
There was no helping it; he had been beaten so severely by Lin Mo earlier that he had developed psychological trauma.
Lin Mo offered the two officers a polite smile. "Thanks for your hard work, uncles. Do I need to make a statement?"
One of the officers checked the injuries of the two thugs and saw they were all superficial. "No need. These two already have criminal records at the station. Just leave your phone number so we can contact you if there's any follow-up."
After reciting his mother's cell phone number, Lin Mo finally left with An Youyu.
Not long after they started walking, An Youyu asked with concern, "Are you hurt?"
"Not at all."
Lin Mo smiled, raising an eyebrow. "You were pretty smart back there, actually knowing to call the police. Not bad, not bad."
An Youyu replied in a low voice, "It's just common sense. In the future... don't take risks like that again. What would you do if you couldn't beat them?"
Lin Mo took a side step to block An Youyu's path. "Little Yuer, are you worried about me?"
"N-No, I'm not."
An Youyu averted her gaze, though the blush on either side of her cheeks could simply not be concealed.
Lin Mo curled his right hand into a fist and gently tapped the top of An Youyu's head. "If you're worried, just admit it. What's there to be shy about?"
"I'm not!"
An Youyu denied it once more.
Lin Mo didn't take it to heart, staring cheerfully at the girl.
As time ticked by, An Youyu's face grew redder and redder.
Unable to handle this strange atmosphere any longer, she mustered up her courage and looked straight at Lin Mo. "I, I have to go home."
"Wait, there's one thing I need to tell you."
Lin Mo reined in his smile, turning serious with rare solemnity. "The unified exams are on Wednesday. Can you give it your all and perform at your maximum potential?"
An Youyu's eyes filled with confusion. "Perform at my maximum potential?"
"Yes!"
Lin Mo nodded affirmatively, with no intention of explaining further.
An Youyu bit her lip. "If I go all out, people will suspect me of cheating, and it'll cause a lot of trouble."
"Don't be afraid."
Lin Mo's voice was gentle. "Whoever wants to suspect can suspect. We're taking the exams based on our own real ability, so what's there to fear?"
"Besides, Teacher Wei has already found out about your score-capping trick, and Principal Yan probably knows by now anyway. You can't hide it anymore, so use the unified exams to give everyone a chance to slowly accept it beforehand."
"Mmm."
The girl's soft, nasal hum sent ripples through Lin Mo's heart, and on a sudden impulse, he asked the question that had weighed most heavily on his mind: "Little Yuer, did you know me before?"
At these words, An Youyu flusteredly snatched the schoolbag from Lin Mo's shoulder and hurried away.
Watching the girl's retreating figure, Lin Mo shook his head with a chuckle.
He wasn't surprised by this outcome, nor was he particularly troubled, and he slowly followed behind her.
After walking An Youyu back to her residential complex, he waved and called out from a distance, "See you tomorrow."
An Youyu paused for a fraction of a second before quickly walking into the complex.
Lin Mo stood in place for a moment before turning to leave.
Half a minute later, An Youyu reappeared at the entrance of the complex, gazing into the distance where his figure was about to vanish at the end of the road, as a wave of distant memories welled up in her mind.
After a long while, a soft, low voice sounded.
"See you tomorrow."
***
Stepping through his front door, Lin Mo caught the aroma wafting through the air.
"Mom, what are you making that smells so good today?"
"Braised pork ribs."
Just in time, Lin Shu emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of steaming braised pork ribs, fine beads of sweat hanging on her forehead.
Lin Mo hurriedly set down his schoolbag and stepped forward to take the plate. "Mom, you've worked hard."
"Oh? Is this really my son?"
Lin Shu teased, "My son is never this sappy. That kid has a heart of stone."
The corner of Lin Mo's twitched. "Who roasts their own son like that? Aren't I obedient?"
"Obedient?"
Lin Shu walked over to the dining table and sat down. "Well then, let's have a chat about that. When you were five, you smashed the glass of Grandpa Li's place upstairs; when you were six, you peeked at Auntie Wang downstairs taking a bath; when you were seven..."
"Stop!"
Lin Mo's face darkened. "Mom, how do you remember all these ancient history things so clearly?"
"I was still young back then and didn't know any better."
Seeing her son's thwarted expression, Lin Shu laughed continuously. "Alright, alright, hurry up and sit down to eat."
After dinner.
Lin Mo was about to return to his room when his mother called out to him.
"Xiaomo, come here for a second."
Lin Mo walked over to the sofa and sat down. "Mom, what's up?"
Lin Shu pulled two hundred-yuan bills from the coffee table drawer. "Here, your pocket money for this month."
Lin Mo shook his head. "Mom, starting this month, you don't need to give me pocket money anymore."
"Why?"
Curiosity flickered across Lin Shu's face.
Lin Mo pondered. "Tutoring costs money, and I don't want to make things too hard on you."
Upon hearing the word 'hard', a peculiar look flashed across Lin Shu's face before she instantly returned to normal. "It's fine, just take the money. How can a boy get by without any cash on him?"
"In the future, when you go out to play with classmates—male classmates are fine, but what if it's a female classmate? You can't expect the girl to pay the bill, can you?"
"Mom, I've told you several times, the girl and I only have a normal classmate relationship. Can you stop letting your imagination run wild?"
"Who's imagining things?"
Mirth danced in Lin Shu's eyes. "Did I say anything just now? Isn't it just your guilty conscience speaking?"
"I..."
Lin Mo sighed, offering a worried reminder. "That girl is timid. When she comes over to our house for tutoring, you must not go talking nonsense."
Lin Shu clicked her tongue. "Nothing's even official yet, and you're already being protective?"
Official roasting—the most lethal kind.
With a splitting headache, Lin Mo dared not continue this topic. "Mom, put this money away. I still have some left over from what you gave me before."
"I'm giving it to you, so take it."
Lin Shu blurted out, "Your mom isn't short on money..."
The moment the words left her mouth, she seemed to realize she had slipped up and hastily added, "I'm short on big money, not this small change."
Meaning flickered deep within Lin Mo's gaze. "Mom, what kind of work do you actually do?"
This was a question he hadn't figured out until he was forty in his previous life.
Whenever her job was brought up, she would either clam up completely or change the subject.
"Why ask about that? It's not like Mom can't afford to raise you."
Lin Shu's reaction was an exact replica of the one in Lin Mo's memories.
Silently, he picked up the two hundred yuan from the coffee table, abandoning any further thought of pursuing the question.
"I'm going to study."
"Go on, go on."
Seemingly afraid that Lin Mo would resume asking about her job, Lin Shu hurriedly waved him away.
Until the sound of the door closing echoed through the apartment, Lin Shu sat alone on the sofa, her expression exceedingly complex, her eyes carrying a rare trace of guilt.
A soft sigh slowly drifted into the quiet room.
***
In the blink of an eye, it was late into the night.
After finishing his review, Lin Mo originally intended to go straight to sleep.
Just as he lay down on the bed, his gaze accidentally caught the mini calendar sitting on the bedside table.
The next second, his eyes widened instantly, and he bolted up from the bed.
In his haste, he didn't even bother putting on his slippers, sitting back down barefooted in front of the computer.
When he saw the date in the bottom right corner of the computer screen, his pupils violently contracted.
April 1st?
***
Jingchuan was located in the southern region of Xia Country and enjoyed a warm climate.
Under normal circumstances, summer would fully arrive by the end of March, and the scorching weather would persist all the way until the end of October.
There was even a running joke:
Jingchuan's seasonal summer was exceptionally long.
The weather part was normal enough.
The problem lay in the remaining two things, which felt anything but normal.
April 1st?
There were still over three months left until the college entrance examination?
With this thought, Lin Mo swiftly searched online for this year's college entrance examination start date.
The exam was scheduled to begin on July 8th.
Yet in his previous life, it had clearly been on June 8th!
Why was it postponed by a full month?
Lin Mo sat blankly in front of the computer, racking his brain for a long time without coming up with any rational explanation.
"Whatever, forget it."
Lin Mo didn't like splitting hairs; if he couldn't figure it out, he couldn't be bothered to dwell on it.
At the very least, apart from the month-long postponement of the college entrance examination, there were no other anomalies.
The morning sun rose, and sunlight poured through the window onto the bed.
Lin Mo woke up, dressed, and washed up.
Since he had been leaving for school much earlier these past few days, Lin Shu had also been waking up much earlier than before.
As Lin Mo emerged from the bathroom, he noticed the steaming breakfast set out on the dining table in the living room.
Hearing the commotion coming from the kitchen, he called out, "Mom, stop fussing, come eat."
A moment later, Lin Shu emerged carrying two poached eggs to the dining table, flashing a triumphant hand gesture. "Taste your mom's handiwork."
Lin Mo looked at the blackened poached eggs and lowered his gaze without a trace. "Can I not eat these?"
Actually, Lin Shu's culinary skills were quite good, but for some reason, she always managed to burn fried poached eggs, turning them into something resembling dark magic cuisine every single time.
In his previous life, Lin Mo had suffered plenty because of this.
This time, Lin Mo told himself he needed to learn to say no.
Lin Shu's smile vanished. "No, you can't! The ones I fried this time are clearly much better than last time—can't you show a little encouragement?"
Hearing the word 'encouragement', Lin Mo's mouth twitched. "Mom, some things don't necessarily have to be done well. If we're bad at them, we can choose to give up."
Dropping those words, he picked up the packaged milk on the table and strode out the door.
As he reached the entrance, Lin Mo turned around and brandished the carton of milk. "Mom, I think the milk flavor should change to strawberry flavor in the future."
"Click—"
The moment the door closed, Lin Shu finally snapped back to her senses, gritting her teeth. "Brat! If you don't eat these two poached eggs now, you'll be eating them tonight!"
As she muttered to herself, she recalled what her son had just said about changing the milk flavor, and a smile surfaced on her face.
How did this kid know she liked strawberries?
Not bad, not bad!
Having woken up later than the previous two days, Lin Mo broke into a light jog all the way out of the residential complex.
Outside the complex.
An Youyu stood beneath a willow tree wearing her school uniform, her waist-length hair tied into a low ponytail. She clutched a thick, worn-out ancient text, and an extraordinary earnestness filled her crystal-clear eyes.
Suddenly, a fist landed on the top of her head, giving her such a start that her hand jerked, and the book almost dropped to the ground.
Realizing it was Lin Mo, the fright in her eyes dissipated, replaced by a trace of an unspeakable, delicate annoyance.
Lin Mo gave a dry cough. "Watch it next time."