Sigma male, just that strong.
However, Lin Mo estimated that Ms. Chu was at least a G-rank powerhouse.
And their household had no men.
No wonder that security guard named Lin Tao dared to pull such a stunt.
Single mothers and orphans were always the easiest targets.
After returning to the school’s backstreet, Lin Mo packed up a serving of fried rice and stir-fried noodles.
The stir-fried noodles, priced at eight bucks a portion, came loaded with meat, veggies, and eggs.
The fried rice was no different.
Carbs overloaded.
Lin Mo scooped a few spoonfuls of pickled radish before grabbing a couple of fried chicken drumsticks.
Carbs, vegetables, meat—check.
As for the grease? Who cared.
Come evening, plenty of students brought their meals to the classroom.
The air inside was thick with mixed aromas.
At least no one had crossed the line by setting up a hotpot in class—yet.
Lin Mo walked back to the classroom carrying all that food, drawing curious glances.
Lin Jiajun even exaggeratedly remarked, "You getting that for Jiang Yunlu? I just saw her eat."
"Nah, it’s for me."
Lin Mo cracked open the fried rice and dug in.
The steaming plate was delicious—or rather, this stall made the best fried rice on the entire backstreet.
A few bites in, Jiang Yunlu returned from washing her lunchbox.
"Why are you eating so late?"
Usually, by this time, Lin Mo would’ve already finished and returned.
"Had some errands to run. Got delayed."
Plenty of people had assumed Lin Mo was bringing food for Jiang Yunlu.
And sure enough, Jiang Yunlu was eyeing his meal hungrily—but she’d already eaten. No room left.
All she could do was watch as Lin Mo tucked into his crispy chicken drumstick between mouthfuls of rice.
"I wanna eat that so bad!" Jiang Yunlu whined, staring at his lunchbox.
Lin Mo glanced at her and pointed at her stomach.
"Little tummy, little tummy—can you even fit more?"
Jiang Yunlu flushed but had no comeback, letting out a soft huff before sitting down.
The guys around them watched enviously.
But Lin Mo was the only one who could pull this off. Any other guy would’ve been met with a cold shoulder.
Once Jiang Yunlu sat down, Wang Qin, sitting beside her, frowned and leaned in.
"Lulu, come with me."
Confused, Jiang Yunlu followed her out to the hallway.
Wang Qin glanced back at Lin Mo, still eating, before lowering her voice.
"I heard from classmates that last night, Lin Mo walked home with Xie Yuling from Class 7."
Jiang Yunlu stiffened, her gaze flicking toward Lin Mo.
"Maybe they know each other?"
Wang Qin nodded.
"Yeah, apparently Xie Yuling is his landlord. Her mom asked Lin Mo to escort her home."
Hearing that, Jiang Yunlu exhaled slightly.
"So it’s just an escort."
Wang Qin rolled her eyes.
"Are you dumb? Walking home together? That’s practically childhood friends territory."
"I sneaked a peek at Xie Yuling from Class 7—she’s gorgeous. Not worse than you at all. And who knows? Maybe her parents are already on board."
"How are you gonna compete with that?"
Jiang Yunlu’s face reddened as she turned away.
"Lin Mo and I are just friends. You’re overthinking it."
Wang Qin sighed in exasperation.
"Am I overthinking, or are you underthinking? Lin Mo’s in high demand. I’ve lost count of how many girls gossip about him in the restroom. If he were just a bit taller, I can’t even imagine how many more would be after him."
Lin Mo’s reputation preceded him.
Even senior girls from the higher grades had been sneaking down to Class 8 just to catch a glimpse of him.
He wasn’t the most conventionally handsome, but he had that roguish charm.
Jiang Yunlu grew uneasy but still refused to admit her feelings for Lin Mo.
Besides, it had only been a week since school started.
Seeing her hesitate, Wang Qin gave up. The girl needed a wake-up call. Tonight, she’d make sure Jiang Yunlu saw Lin Mo leaving with another girl firsthand.
As for Lin Mo? Even with his heightened senses, he couldn’t be bothered to eavesdrop.
He polished off the fried rice and moved on to the stir-fried noodles—both portions hefty.
Lin Jiajun watched in awe.
"If I could eat like you, would I get your strength too?"
Lin Mo shrugged.
"Maybe. Give it a shot."
Eyeing the noodles, Lin Jiajun shook his head.
One portion alone was enough to stuff him. Two? He’d explode.
"You could be a competitive eater with that appetite."
Lin Mo waved it off.
"Competitive eating wrecks your body."
"True. Health comes first."
Not long after Lin Mo finished, evening self-study began.
Most students buried themselves in homework.
The faster ones finished and passed their work to the backbenchers to copy.
Two hours was more than enough to wrap things up.
Lin Mo used to be one of the copiers, but after his rebirth, he started doing his own work.
The assignments were relatively simple. Once done, he pulled out extra practice booklets.
Most subjects relied on rote memorization, especially humanities.
Science required more logic and calculation.
Chemistry, physics, math—Lin Mo was genuinely interested.
So he put in the effort.
Before long, the bell rang, signaling the end of the self-study session.
Lin Mo stuffed the practice booklets into his desk. No one would steal those.
Meanwhile, some classmates were already debating whether to hit up an unlicensed internet café nearby.
Fang Jun, a local, knew all the spots.
Back then, Lin Mo and Fang Jun had bonded over those trips.
Eventually, they even started skipping self-study to go.
Lin Mo, parentless, couldn’t care less.
Fang Jun got caught multiple times.
But in this life, Lin Mo had no plans to visit those cafés again.
He intended to upgrade his home PC, bring it to his rented place, and get a proper internet connection.
Jiang Yunlu, usually among the first to leave, was held back by Wang Qin.
"What’s the big deal?" she protested as Wang Qin tugged at her backpack.
"Wait. Just wait."
Three minutes later, Fang Jun called out,
"Lin Mo! Your landlord’s here!"
The guys in class erupted in teasing.
They didn’t care if Lin Mo and Xie Yuling had a thing—they just loved stirring the pot.
Lin Mo looked up to see Xie Yuling waiting outside.
He packed up, walked out, and without a word, the two left together.
Jiang Yunlu’s face paled at the sight.
Wang Qin wasn’t sure if this was the right move, but if things dragged on, Lin Mo might get snatched away while Jiang Yunlu kept paying the "just friends" tax.