Confronting the Old Man

"Sunflower Acupoint Strike!"

Fang Jun let out a strange cry, his fingers clawing like a rooster as he jabbed randomly at Lin Mo while muttering under his breath. He was clearly imitating a classic move from an extremely famous martial arts drama.

Lin Mo lifted his eyelids and stared at Fang Jun like he was looking at an idiot.

The two locked eyes in a "deep and meaningful" gaze.

"Quit staring like a dumbass and undo it already?!" Lin Mo snapped.

Fang Jun chuckled, cleared his throat, and struck a pose like a grandmaster. "I am the reincarnation of Bai Yutang, the greatest thief in the world, here to punish the wicked, the greedy, and the lecherous—"

Before Fang Jun could finish his nonsense, Lin Mo raised his hand and tapped Fang Jun twice.

"Done. I've already used my inner energy to break your Sunflower Acupoint Strike. And, uh, I muted you while I was at it." Lin Mo dusted his hands off.

Fang Jun’s mouth hung open, but all that came out was, "Abah abah..." He looked frantic but couldn’t move a muscle.

Wang Qin, who had been buried in her workbook, finally snapped, rolling her eyes so hard her pen nearly tore through the paper.

"Are all boys this childish?!"

Fang Jun suddenly regained his voice.

"Wrong! You girls spend all day fantasizing about being princesses in castles, waiting for princes on white horses. Why can’t we boys dream about being chivalrous heroes?!"

Just then, Xu Sheng walked by holding a bottle of cola. Hearing this, he slapped Fang Jun’s shoulder so hard the drink nearly spilled.

"Exactly! Fang Jun speaks the truth! I often imagine myself as a Kamen Rider saving the world—Henshin!"

He even mimicked Agito’s transformation pose.

Lin Mo drifted in with a deadpan remark, "I’m a simple man. I don’t fantasize about unrealistic things.

I don’t need to fantasize—I’m already your beloved father."

"Piss off!"

Fang Jun and Xu Sheng shouted in unison, their expressions identical in disgust, like twins separated at birth.

Wang Qin shook her head helplessly.

"The world of boys is truly incomprehensible."

Fang Jun shot back, "You don’t get it. Don’t you know? Men remain boys till the grave."

"Yeah, yeah. When you’re seventy or eighty, you’ll still be a childish old man hobbling around poking people’s pressure points. Got it." Wang Qin fired back without mercy.

Jiang Yunlu, who had been quietly observing, finally looked up, covering her mouth with a book as her eyes curved into crescents.

"If they weren’t childish, they wouldn’t be boys."

But the childishness only lasted until the bell rang.

Once class started, everyone returned to their roles—most of the "Food Gods" gorged in the back rows, while the "Study Gods" crammed in the front.

At noon, just as Jiang Yunlu was about to say she wanted fried rice again, Lin Mo suddenly turned to her.

"I’m having rice noodles today. Want me to bring you some? They’re really good."

Jiang Yunlu blinked, then nodded happily.

Behind them, Chu Miaomiao spoke up timidly.

"Can I come too? I’d like some."

She pulled out a red bill.

Truth be told, Chu Miaomiao had wanted to join ever since she saw Lin Mo buying lunch and dinner for Jiang Yunlu the day before.

Lin Mo took the bill without hesitation. "Nah, I’ve got a meeting outside. You two can wait here hungry."

Hearing this, Chu Miaomiao pulled a small cake from her desk and handed it to Jiang Yunlu.

"Don’t worry, we won’t starve."

Jiang Yunlu was stunned. She took the cake before asking, "This is for me?"

"You’re already holding it, aren’t you?"

Lin Mo stood and headed for the door.

"Be good and wait here. Don’t fight."

Jiang Yunlu stared at his back, muttering, "Why does that sound so weird?"

Wang Qin smirked. "My dad says the same thing to me and my brother before he leaves.

He’s treating you two like his daughters.

Boys are so childish—always wanting to be someone’s dad."

Jiang Yunlu froze in awkward silence.

Only Chu Miaomiao seemed lost in thought.

—System: Don’t mind me, just passing through. Won’t interfere.—

Outside the school gates, Lin Mo spotted the rice noodle shop across the street.

Secretary Zhao, who had come looking for him that morning, stood at the entrance, shooing away anyone who tried to enter.

A "Closed" sign hung on the door.

Ah, the power of money—renting out the whole place, huh?

Though renting a noodle shop was... a bit odd.

Lin Mo strolled over casually. Secretary Zhao spotted him and respectfully gestured inside.

"Lin Mo, Mr. Jiang is waiting for you."

Lin Mo nodded and pushed the door open.

Jiang Chengshan sat imposingly in the center of the shop.

"You’re here."

"Renting out a noodle shop? Quite the move, Mr. Jiang."

Lin Mo smirked.

Jiang Chengshan remained expressionless. "This is a private matter. I prefer no distractions."

Lin Mo shrugged and walked toward the kitchen.

The shop owner was scrolling on his phone.

"Hey, boss, how much did he pay to rent this place?"

"50,000. Said he wanted it for lunchtime."

Clearly, the owner was thrilled with the deal.

So Lin Mo said plainly, "Alright, get me a bowl of dry Guilin rice noodles—double the noodles, extra crispy pork and beef."

The owner glanced at the big shot sitting outside.

No objection meant go ahead.

With 50,000 already spent, might as well pile on the meat.

The owner nodded. "Sure thing. You sure you can finish all that?"

"Don’t worry, I can."

Lin Mo added as an afterthought,

"Oh, and some pickled bamboo shoots. Love your sour bamboo shoots."

"No problem."

After ordering, Lin Mo leisurely took a seat across from Jiang Chengshan.

"Hope you don’t mind treating me to a bowl, Mr. Jiang."

Jiang Chengshan’s face remained neutral, though his eyes simmered with suppressed anger.

"Not at all."

"Wouldn’t matter if you did. It’s just noodles."

Lin Mo lounged in his chair as if facing an ordinary person.

And to him, Jiang Chengshan, no matter how wealthy, was just that—ordinary.

Lin Mo finally looked up, his gaze calm.

"Alright, what do you want to talk about? Don’t give me the ‘stay away from my daughter’ spiel. It’s cringy and outdated."

Jiang Chengshan’s fist tightened under the table.

He wanted nothing more than to punch this brat, but he knew ten of him couldn’t take Lin Mo.

So he swallowed his temper and pulled out a bank card.

"You’re smart. There’s five million here. I’ll arrange TOEFL and IELTS for you. If you’re willing, I can get you into any Ivy League school. When you return, if Yunlu still likes you, you can marry."