This counts as making friends fee, right

He was the strongest among the three.

"Go for it, Qiang!"

"Alright, I’ll carry you guys!"

The game began with one of them dribbling forward. Though he charged into the half-court at full speed, it still seemed painfully slow in Lin Mo's eyes.

Lin Mo shot Su Mingzhao a glance—whether the latter understood it or not didn’t matter—before darting forward.

Qiang, holding the ball, saw Lin Mo rushing toward him and prepared to cross him with a swift dribble before sidestepping past him.

But before Qiang could react, the ball was already gone.

Huh... where’s my ball?

However, the other two were also keeping an eye on Lin Mo.

The moment Lin Mo stole the ball, they closed in on him.

Trapped between them!

That was the only way to pin him down.

Yet Lin Mo simply flicked the ball behind his back and launched a long pass to Su Mingzhao, who was sprinting ahead.

"If you miss this, you’re licking my shoes!"

Su Mingzhao shuddered, sped up, caught the ball, and went straight for a layup.

Though Su Mingzhao wasn’t exactly popular in Class 8, the crowd still cheered when he scored.

But most of the cheers were for Lin Mo’s assist.

Su Mingzhao landed and quickly fell back on defense, the weight on his chest slowly lifting.

But then one of the opponents walked up to him, glaring.

"Almost forgot about you. You think just because Lin Mo’s here, you can stand tall?

I’ll crush you like an ant!"

Yet Su Mingzhao’s composure only steadied further.

"Save it for Qingming Festival when you’re talking to your ancestors!"

Class 18 knew they couldn’t let this continue. They quickly restarted the game, aiming for a fast break.

The trio’s coordination was solid, weaving quick passes between them.

But Lin Mo, like a bolt of lightning, intercepted and shot.

A mid-court shot—no way it would go in.

As the ball soared, Qiang instantly realized it wasn’t a shot but a pass.

Su Mingzhao dashed forward and scored another layup.

Class 8 erupted in cheers; Class 18 groaned in despair.

Everything had been overturned by Lin Mo’s arrival.

The score gap rapidly narrowed.

Lin Mo didn’t steal every ball, allowing the opponents to score twice.

But the difference kept shrinking.

By the end of the second quarter, Lin Mo had cut the lead to just five points.

Class 18 returned to their positions under immense pressure.

Their P.E. teacher had been Coach Long.

But Coach Long was gone, so their classes were now taught by substitutes from other classes.

Without Coach Long’s strategies, they had no answer for Lin Mo.

Even if they had one, stopping Lin Mo was impossible.

As Lin Mo stepped off the court, someone handed him a drink.

It was Fang Jun. "As expected of Mo the Great."

Lin Mo sidestepped Fang Jun and took the sports drink Jiang Yunlu offered instead.

The same one he’d drunk from before.

"That’s harsh. At least take mine once in a while."

Fang Jun pouted.

"Ugly people get rejected~"

Lin Mo took a symbolic sip.

Ma Li watched him and forced a smile. "You’re really carrying us."

"Then hurry up and recover. Want me to give you acupuncture? It’ll speed things up."

The mention of acupuncture made even the burly Ma Li shrink back.

"I think my recovery’s fine as is. No need for needles."

Compared to Class 8’s relaxed mood, Class 18 was grim.

Just moments ago, they’d been confident of an easy win. Now, despite still leading, they dreaded the third quarter.

"What if we elbow Lin Mo?"

One of them suggested.

But the idea was shot down immediately.

"Are you insane?! That’s Lin Mo! You wanna end your life right here? You won’t even make it out of school if you try that!"

Lin Mo heard every word. If they actually elbowed him,

he’d show them what a true elbow king looked like.

Unsurprisingly, Class 8 surged ahead in the third quarter.

Class 18 only managed four baskets, most of them lucky shots.

By the end, their morale was shattered, and the fourth quarter was pure garbage time.

But it didn’t matter.

With evening self-study still far from over, everyone returned to class to work on homework.

Lin Mo had just sat down when he noticed Chu Miaomiao peeking at him over her novel before lowering her gaze again.

Probably done with homework and killing time with fiction.

After school, Xie Yuling waited by Class 7’s back door.

Class 8 had grown used to seeing her there.

Though rumors swirled at school, Xie Yuling didn’t care, and neither did Lin Mo.

So it was as if they didn’t exist.

Plus, with Fang Jun tagging along after school, things stayed uneventful.

On the way home, Fang Jun chattered to Xie Yuling about Lin Mo’s performance in the game.

As usual, Fang Jun did most of the talking while Xie Yuling gave minimal replies.

Only after they parted ways did Xie Yuling speak a bit more.

Today was no exception.

Once Fang Jun headed off, Xie Yuling finally spoke.

"I heard you and Jiang Yunlu signed up for mixed doubles badminton."

"Yeah, what about it?" Lin Mo answered bluntly, waiting for her next question.

Xie Yuling hesitated but pressed on.

"Why mixed doubles?"

"Because Jiang Yunlu wanted a guaranteed championship. If she loses in women’s singles, at least she’d win with me in mixed."

Xie Yuling studied Lin Mo’s face—no hint of a joke.

"You’re that good at badminton?"

"Good enough to win men’s singles if I bothered. But I can’t be bothered."

Xie Yuling recalled what two classmates had said earlier:

"That Lin Mo just coasted. Jiang Yunlu went all out, panting like crazy, while he barely moved."

"I dunno, I aimed for Jiang Yunlu’s weak spots, but Lin Mo kept returning them."

"Just luck."

If Lin Mo was as skilled as he claimed, maybe it wasn’t just luck.

Xie Yuling glanced at him, deciding he really was just lazy.

"Then why did you agree to partner with Jiang Yunlu?"

Oho—tricky question.

Lin Mo shrugged. "She paid the friend fee. Gotta treat paying friends well."

Xie Yuling looked up at him.

"So you’re hinting I should pay a friend fee too?"

"Don’t twist my words. You brought it up."

At the foot of the stairs, Xie Yuling unlocked the door and stepped ahead of Lin Mo.

Then, just as he followed, she suddenly turned around.

Leaning down.

"Will this count as a friend fee?"

Shenhe’s cliffhanger!