Put Up or Shut Up

"Fine."

Lin Mo agreed without hesitation.

His utterly indifferent attitude left Ying Wenshen’s prepared taunts stuck in his throat, unable to land. It felt like throwing a punch with all his strength, only to hit a soft, unyielding pile of cotton.

Not that he had any deeper motive—he just wanted to teach this brat who dared provoke him a lesson by making him stand in the rain.

April showers still carried a lingering chill, and forty minutes under it would guarantee a cold.

As for cleaning duty? Not a chance.

The school bell rang, signaling the start of class.

Ying Wenshen raised his wrist, tapped his digital watch a few times, and activated the countdown timer.

"Forty minutes. Not a second less. Why don’t you perform a rain dance for everyone? Maybe the heavens will take pity and make it pour right now."

He didn’t bother lowering his voice, and his arrogance was already rubbing the others the wrong way.

Mockery was one thing, but this was crossing a line.

Besides, Lin Mo was fairly well-liked—most of the class knew that over half their funds had been raised through his efforts or with his help.

Ying Wenshen had always been a bit of a problem. Last semester, after Chen Xiaoya mentioned his poor math grades, he retaliated by giving her a nasty nickname.

Then he buckled down, studying hard until he clawed his way from the bottom of the class to the middle ranks.

Now, he just acted up in Chen Xiaoya’s classes whenever he could.

A classic slacker—capable of doing well, but choosing to be a troublemaker instead.

Not much different from how he’d been in Lin Mo’s past life.

Back then, Lin Mo and Ying Wenshen had barely interacted—mostly because Ying Wenshen had looked down on him.

Yet in this life, Ying Wenshen still held a grudge.

Unlike Su Mingzhao, who preferred direct confrontation, Ying Wenshen specialized in subtle jabs.

Seeing Lin Mo’s unshaken composure, Ying Wenshen merely smirked in disdain.

Though the way he kept glancing upward betrayed his uncertainty about whether it would actually rain.

Jiang Daming didn’t comment further, just waved a hand.

"Alright, line up! Lin Mo, take charge."

The fact that Jiang Daming didn’t redirect them to the gym suggested he, too, doubted rain was coming.

He just didn’t say it outright—after all, Lin Mo was his class monitor for PE, and the top student at that. It wouldn’t do to embarrass him.

The students quickly assembled.

Lin Mo stood facing the group.

"Attention! Right, dress! Eyes front! Count off!"

The routine was nearly identical to military drills, the process just as rigid.

The headcount ensured everyone was present.

Once confirmed, Lin Mo turned to Jiang Daming.

"All accounted for."

"Good. Two laps, jog in step—go!" Jiang Daming gave the usual order.

Just then, a raindrop the size of a bean splattered against Jiang Daming’s face.

More followed, rapidly thickening into a downpour.

Lin Mo immediately turned and walked to the stage, picking up the umbrella Chu Miaomiao had brought out.

"Cancel the run. Take shelter first."

Then he looked straight at Ying Wenshen—but said nothing.

A person’s basic survival instincts could be measured by whether they had the sense to get out of the rain.

The others had already bolted. Jiang Yunlu shot Lin Mo a glance before she and a few other girls huddled under Chu Miaomiao’s umbrella and hurried toward the building.

Lin Mo stood where he was, umbrella in hand, silently watching Ying Wenshen.

The rain grew heavier by the second, yet Ying Wenshen felt pinned in place, as if something terrifying had locked onto him.

Jiang Daming, noticing the worsening weather, waved urgently.

"Enough, don’t stay out here. Get inside."

Ying Wenshen wavered, shifting his weight slightly.

He opened his mouth, about to speak—

But Lin Mo beat him to it.

"Still feeling bold?"

Ying Wenshen blinked.

"Huh?"

The two stood alone in the curtain of rain, the rest of Class Eight watching from the covered walkway.

Fang Jun frowned. "What’s going on? I didn’t think Lao Mo and Ying Wenshen had any history."

Those who’d been near the stage quickly filled him in.

Fang Jun’s frown deepened.

"Seriously? Lin Mo’s suggestion wasn’t wrong—it’s raining, isn’t it?"

Then Chu Miaomiao spoke up unexpectedly.

"They didn’t believe him."

Jiang Yunlu glanced at the umbrella in Chu Miaomiao’s hand.

Chu Miaomiao rarely spoke in front of others, reserving most of her words for Lin Mo. She was practically a recluse.

Yet now she continued, "Lin Mo said it might rain earlier, upstairs."

She even turned to Jiang Daming, who had retreated under the eaves.

"He even warned the teacher. But no one listened. Ying Wenshen just had to pick a fight."

The pieces fell into place.

Jiang Yunlu was surprised—Chu Miaomiao hardly ever strung so many sentences together.

Unlike Xie Yuling, who simply disliked talking to others, Chu Miaomiao just preferred silence.

Two entirely different temperaments.

Yet because of Lin Mo, she’d spoken up without hesitation—even directly calling out Jiang Daming.

Jiang Daming scratched his head awkwardly. How was he supposed to know it would actually rain? The last period had been clear.

Fang Jun studied the standoff outside. If this dragged on and Ying Wenshen caught a cold, Lin Mo would be blamed.

Parents were a nightmare for schools to deal with.

So he stepped over to Chu Miaomiao.

"Let me borrow your umbrella. I’ll talk them down. If Ying Wenshen gets sick, Lin Mo’s in trouble."

Chu Miaomiao hesitated, then handed over her pink umbrella.

Fang Jun didn’t mind, opening it as he strode into the rain.

Lin Mo noticed the approach but kept his gaze fixed on Ying Wenshen.

To his credit, Ying Wenshen hadn’t budged since the rain started, now soaked to the bone. Not a word of complaint.

A silent declaration—he wasn’t afraid of a little water.

Fang Jun reached them.

"Alright, enough. Get out of the rain before you catch something."

Lin Mo glanced at him and shrugged.

Understanding, Fang Jun stepped beside Ying Wenshen, holding the umbrella over his head.

Then, loudly enough for the eavesdroppers to hear:

"Stop being stubborn. You’ll get sick."

But Ying Wenshen remained rooted in place.

Seeing this, Fang Jun gave up. He turned to Lin Mo.

"Let’s go. PE’s moving to the badminton courts."

Lin Mo smiled.

"After you."

The two walked back under the umbrella, leaving Ying Wenshen behind without another glance.

As they rejoined the group, Xu Sheng scowled.

"What’s his deal? If he gets sick and blames Lin Mo, what then?"

Fang Jun snorted.

"If he owns up and follows through on their bet, I’ll respect him for it. But if he tries to pin it on Lin Mo..."

He left the rest unsaid.