The school bell rang.
Lin Mo returned to his seat, lowering his head in deep thought.
What on earth was going on?
[Task Issued: Investigate Chu Miaomiao’s cause of death and prevent further incidents.]
[Accept?]
Lin Mo accepted without hesitation.
Partly out of curiosity, but mostly because he genuinely didn’t want such a tragedy to happen again.
As Lin Mo sat lost in thought, Jiang Yunlu turned her head to look at him.
He hadn’t said a word, and she had no idea what was on his mind.
Still, a trace of irritation lingered in her heart. Why did Lin Mo have to attract so many girls?
First Xie Yuling, and now Chu Miaomiao.
Chu Miaomiao’s figure had already been the talk of the class during military training.
The girls had privately compared themselves to her, only to admit defeat one by one.
Jiang Yunlu also recalled how, during self-introductions before training, Lin Mo had immediately turned his head the moment Chu Miaomiao’s name was called.
Did that mean he already knew her?
Lost in her thoughts, the physics teacher walked up to the podium.
The physics teacher was witty and humorous—a bald middle-aged man, but his class had the best atmosphere out of all their subjects.
After physics came history.
The history teacher was a young woman who seemed to have graduated just a few years ago. Despite her fresh-faced appearance, she carried an air of authority, demanding to be addressed as "Her Majesty" from the very first class.
No one in the class remembered her actual name—only that she was "Her Majesty."
But having such an entertaining teacher definitely made the learning environment more lively.
Everything was exactly the same as in his past life, with almost no changes.
Lin Mo diligently took notes.
Even though his memory had improved drastically since cultivating immortality, he still preferred writing things down by hand.
Enhanced spiritual sense meant an enhanced mind—memory, reaction speed, calculation ability, everything had improved.
In other words, it was as if his IQ had been boosted.
Yet, his way of thinking remained unchanged. Cultivation hadn’t made him any different in that regard.
Perhaps it was a fixed aspect of his humanity.
After history class ended, it was finally lunchtime.
Lin Mo closed his notebook, ready to grab a bite to eat at the backstreet.
He glanced at Jiang Yunlu.
"Need me to bring you anything today?"
Jiang Yunlu pressed her lips together but ultimately shook her head. "No, go ahead."
Lin Mo nodded.
"Alright, I’ll head out then."
With that, he left the classroom.
Watching his retreating figure, Jiang Yunlu couldn’t help but stomp her foot lightly.
"This guy..."
Then she noticed Chu Miaomiao walking out alone as well.
Staring at Chu Miaomiao’s back, a thought struck her—"Is she going to eat with him?"
The moment the idea formed, she stood up and followed Chu Miaomiao.
However, Chu Miaomiao didn’t head downstairs. Instead, she went to the restroom and emerged shortly after.
Even just walking down the hallway, her oversized school uniform couldn’t hide her striking figure, drawing plenty of attention.
A body that defied her age, coupled with the slight hunch she tried hard to conceal—it was impossible not to notice.
Seeing Chu Miaomiao return to the classroom and pull out a thermal lunchbox from her bag, Jiang Yunlu let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Does Lin Mo like… bigger girls?"
Just then, her phone buzzed.
"Oh no! I forgot to pick up my lunch!"
With that, Jiang Yunlu hurriedly dashed downstairs.
Only then did Chu Miaomiao, who hadn’t looked up until now, glance at Jiang Yunlu’s retreating figure.
She had sensed someone following her earlier.
But since it was just a girl, it didn’t matter. If a girl wanted to get close to her, maybe she could finally make a friend.
The lunch break bell rang just as Lin Mo returned.
As a day student, he technically didn’t have to come back—no one took attendance anyway.
In his hand was a steaming bag of freshly fried chicken strips.
He placed it on Jiang Yunlu’s desk.
Honestly, Lin Mo loved the expression she was making right now.
"Huh?"
Like a startled groundhog whose bowl had just been tipped over, she looked up at him with wide, clueless eyes—clear and utterly foolish.
"What do you mean ‘huh’? Don’t want it?"
Lin Mo reached out as if to take the chicken strips back.
But Jiang Yunlu snatched them away, guarding them like a territorial little animal, eyeing him warily.
Lin Mo held out his hand.
"Then pay today’s ‘best friend fee.’ Ten bucks."
His palm was outstretched, the lines on it clearly visible.
"Huh? Oh! Right, the best friend fee."
Jiang Yunlu rummaged through her bag and handed him a crisp ten-yuan bill.
The near-pristine condition of the money spoke volumes about how well her family took care of her.
Old bills were dirty, but new ones were practically sterile.
Jiang Yunlu skewered a chicken strip with a toothpick.
The aroma was irresistible, and after her first bite, she was amazed.
"It’s delicious."
"Oh? Then can your best friend have a taste?" Lin Mo teased.
Jiang Yunlu pushed the bag toward him.
"Go ahead, best friend. I’m very generous."
"Really? I wonder who was giving me the cold shoulder earlier, looking like some vengeful Li Mochou."
Jiang Yunlu glared. "You’re the Li Mochou here!"
She tried to pull the chicken strips back, but Lin Mo had already taken one, savoring it slowly.
"Mmm, chicken strips without MSG taste better."
The two of them quickly polished off the bag.
Since Jiang Yunlu had already eaten lunch, she only nibbled on a few, leaving most for Lin Mo.
Nearby, Wang Qin rested her head on the desk, watching the two share a single bag of chicken strips through half-lidded eyes.
She sighed inwardly.
"The young mistress is about to be whisked away by a troublemaker."
Starting today, evening self-study sessions would begin.
For first-years, these sessions weren’t too long—just from 7:00 to 9:30 PM.
Even day students had to attend.
Guangba might be a prestigious high school, but it was strict with its students.
By sophomore year, the sessions would extend until 10:00 PM.
Lin Mo stood up, ready to grab dinner.
Earlier in the afternoon, Xie Yuling had texted him, asking him to come over for dinner after school.
He’d just eaten there yesterday—going again today felt a bit much.
So he declined, saying he wanted to explore the food stalls near campus instead.
A gentle refusal, and Xie Yuling wouldn’t push further.
Xie Yuling stared at her phone, pouting slightly.
A while later, Auntie Zheng sent her a message.
"Ask Lin Mo if he wants to come over for dinner with you tonight."
Xie Yuling read the text, waiting a few minutes before replying.
"I asked. He said no—he wants to try something else today."
"Alright, just remember to come home after school."
Auntie Zheng reminded her daughter, unfazed by Lin Mo’s refusal.
Xie Yuling raised an eyebrow, her thoughts drifting back to last night.
After Lin Mo had left, her mother had pointed out that she’d eaten nearly all the shrimp.
Lin Mo had barely had any—she’d hogged them all.
"But how did he know I love shrimp?"
"Seeing you eat so many, of course he’d figure it out."
Zheng Yuan shot an exasperated glance at her daughter—her grades were excellent, but her emotional intelligence left much to be desired.