Theoretical Master

Part-time jobs usually pay a bit more per hour than regular long-term positions.

But part-timers only work during the busiest hours.

For example, Zhang Yuzhong only works for one hour—during the restaurant's peak time, delivering orders and quickly clearing tables.

The shop owner doesn’t have to pay much; just providing a meal is enough. Why not?

Of course, the main reason is that this newly opened Spicy Chicken place is always packed.

The seats around Lin Mo were constantly occupied.

Zhang Yuzhong set down the food and hurried back downstairs to keep working. There were many takeout orders, and he was also responsible for packing them.

Looking at the glistening red oil on the Spicy Chicken, Fang Jun couldn’t help but shake his head.

"That looks way too spicy."

The dish was topped with sesame seeds and crushed peanuts, and the aroma was undeniably enticing.

Lin Mo picked up a piece and took a bite.

The chicken was prepared using the White-Cut Chicken method, making it tender and smooth.

After all, Spicy Chicken is a cold dish, known for its numbing spiciness, freshness, and tender texture.

But after arriving in Guangdong, the dish’s fiery flavors had been toned down significantly.

The layer of red oil on top only looked intimidating—it wasn’t spicy at all.

There weren’t many Sichuan peppercorns either, just one or two scattered here and there.

Lin Mo pointed at the dish. "Try it. It’s actually really good."

The flavor suited Guangdong’s palate perfectly.

Fang Jun hesitated but took a bite—then his eyes lit up.

"Hey, you’re right. This is pretty tasty."

"No wonder it’s their signature dish."

He even dipped some pork offal into the Spicy Chicken sauce.

As they ate, someone sat down at the table behind them.

"Hey, aren’t you Lin Mo?"

The guy took a good look at Lin Mo and greeted him warmly.

Lin Mo recognized him—a student from Class 9.

Class 9’s homeroom teacher was the history teacher.

Also known as "Her Majesty."

The whole class was under her rule.

But Class 9 had a great atmosphere too. Under Her Majesty’s iron grip, even the troublemakers didn’t dare act up.

The guy who greeted him was Wu Zhiheng. Though unremarkable in appearance, he was a rich kid—his family owned several factories.

Lin Mo nodded. "What’s up?"

"Nothing, just saying hi." Wu Zhiheng waved and returned to his seat.

But his friend immediately chimed in, "Hey, Zhiheng, since Lin Mo’s here, why don’t you ask if he’s willing?"

Wu Zhiheng seemed convinced. He stood up again and walked over, sitting in the empty seat next to Lin Mo. In a negotiating tone, he asked,

"Lin Mo, you up for a fight? You’re strong—you even took down those gangsters outside school. How about helping me out? I’ll pay you two grand."

Typical rich kid—throwing around two thousand like it was nothing.

Fang Jun was fairly well-off himself, but even he wouldn’t spend so casually.

He quickly interjected, "Hold on! You’re asking Lin Mo to fight? That’s not a good idea."

But Lin Mo raised a hand to stop him.

"What kind of person pissed off a rich kid from Class 9 so much?"

Wu Zhiheng blinked, surprised that Lin Mo knew who he was, but decided to explain anyway.

"There’s this guy named Qi Tao, a Grade 3 student. He was away for training last semester and just came back this term. But as soon as he returned, he started hitting on my girlfriend. Now she’s mad at me, saying I’m not half as good as him."

Hearing this, Fang Jun looked... confused.

"Your girlfriend—she’s on the badminton team, isn’t she?"

Wu Zhiheng nodded furiously. "Yeah! One time, I went to the badminton court to see her, and there was Qi Tao, holding her hand to 'adjust her swing.' I was so mad I yelled at him."

"And then your girlfriend yelled at you instead."

Fang Jun could pretty much guess how it went.

But Lin Mo was thinking about something else—this Qi Tao guy sounded like a player.

Fang Jun turned to Lin Mo. "This kind of thing… it’s better not to get involved."

Then he looked back at Wu Zhiheng.

"Lin Mo won’t take this job. Let’s just pretend we never heard it. Qi Tao’s a first-class athlete who’s won tons of honors for the school. If this gets out, he could get expelled in a heartbeat."

Wu Zhiheng clearly didn’t know all that. But after hearing Fang Jun’s warning, he realized that beating Qi Tao up might not be the best move.

"So what should I do then? Just let him keep flirting with my girlfriend?"

Fang Jun smirked. "Want the truth?"

Wu Zhiheng nodded eagerly.

"If your girlfriend falls for Qi Tao, then she’s not worth keeping. Consider it an early trash disposal."

"Hey! What the hell are you saying?!"

Wu Zhiheng’s friend pointed at Fang Jun angrily.

But Wu Zhiheng held him back.

"You’re rich, your grades are decent—why worry about not having a girlfriend?"

Fang Jun had spent enough time sitting in the back row, listening to Gao Yuanqiang’s lectures.

Most girls are naturally drawn to strength.

If you’re handsome, smart, and loaded, plenty of girls will like you.

Money might not be the biggest deal in school, but what about college?

Or after graduation?

"If you want true love, then real love means your girlfriend wouldn’t budge no matter how hard Qi Tao tries. If she does, then good riddance."

Lin Mo kept eating while listening to Fang Jun’s speech, giving him a thumbs-up in approval.

Even Wu Zhiheng seemed to have an epiphany.

"You… you’re right. If she can be taken away, she wasn’t worth keeping."

By now, Lin Mo was already serving himself a second bowl of rice.

"But if Qi Tao really does steal your girlfriend, what then?"

The moment Lin Mo sat back down, the table fell silent.

Fang Jun, who had just dropped his truth bomb, suddenly felt awkward.

"This isn’t some romance novel where the girl comes running back if you play hard to get. If Qi Tao actually takes your girlfriend, what’s your move?"

Lin Mo took a sip of soup and stared at Wu Zhiheng.

Wu Zhiheng froze, then turned to Lin Mo.

"Then… then I’ll just… hire someone to beat them both up?"

Lin Mo shook his head.

"What you should do is make sure everyone knows. A Grade 3 senior stole a Grade 1 junior’s girlfriend—and she was already taken."

He added,

"Assuming you’re not afraid of losing face."

Men care about reputation.

But Lin Mo had misjudged Wu Zhiheng’s mindset.

"Why should I be scared? I didn’t do anything wrong. Why should I care about saving face?

If they don’t care about shame, why should I be the coward?!"

Damn. That was some next-level logic.

But weirdly enough, it made sense.

Then Wu Zhiheng’s friend suddenly asked, "Hey, Zhiheng, should you take back that badminton racket you gave Ruan Ting?"

Wu Zhiheng waved a hand. "No rush. If she really does go with Qi Tao, I’ll take back everything I ever gave her."

Now that’s the kind of rich-kid energy you’d expect.