The Licking Wolf with Issues

"I will go. It is best not to delay Huang's studies."

Lin Mo unhurriedly activated his Study God Halo.

Just one sentence was enough to pin Huang Haoyang in place.

Chen Xiaoya nodded earnestly.

"It is true. Lin Mo is already far ahead of our current curriculum, so sending him won't affect Huang Haoyang's progress..."

Before she could finish, Huang Haoyang's face flushed a deep, angry purple.

Although Huang Haoyang was tall and heavily built, he was not an athlete, nor were his grades particularly good.

It made perfect sense to exclude him from this activity.

The stifling silence lasted only a moment before Huang Haoyang snapped his head up, the veins in his neck bulging.

"Why does he get to go and I don't? Just because he ranks first? If you ask me, Lin Mo is nothing but a fame-seeking hypocrite! He always rushes to steal the spotlight in every charity event. Last time he claimed he was donating money, but heaven knows if he actually paid up!"

The classroom fell dead silent at his outburst.

The students of Class Eight generally respected Lin Mo. After all, he maintained a stellar reputation among them; he had done plenty for the class, like recovering their stolen class funds and even contributing a five-hundred-yuan gift card to the class treasury.

Huang Haoyang's words were like a sudden clap of thunder on a clear day.

Because everyone held Lin Mo in such high regard, they never expected Huang Haoyang to attack him so directly.

Fang Jun stood up abruptly, his chair legs screeching harshly against the floor.

"Huang Haoyang, before you run your mouth, why don't you try remembering how many drinks you guzzled down during the school sports meet? Did you really think the few bucks you paid in class fees covered all that?"

That ruthlessly tore away Huang Haoyang's last shred of dignity.

His face turned pale and green, as if he had just been slapped across the face. Fumbling in his pocket, he yanked out a crumpled ten-yuan bill and slammed it onto his desk.

"So what? It is just class fees, isn't it? I will just pay more, alright!"

That ten-yuan bill looked incredibly glaring on the desk, and utterly ridiculous.

Chen Xiaoya furrowed her brows. Trying to maintain her composure as the homeroom teacher, she took a deep breath. "Huang Haoyang, let me ask you one question. Are you absolutely insisting on going to this zongzi-making event?"

Huang Haoyang stiffened his neck, looking ready to fight to the bitter end. "Yes! That is right!"

The moment he spoke, a crisp female voice rang out.

"Then I am not going."

Everyone turned toward the sound to see that Chu Miaomiao had stood up at some point, her expression completely indifferent.

Huang Haoyang's expression instantly froze. It took only a single second for his face to shift from stubborn defiance to utter shock, and finally to complete deflation.

Hearing this, Huang Haoyang's expression shifted.

The only reason he had made such a scene was because Chu Miaomiao had been the first to raise her hand and volunteer.

If she wasn't going anymore, what was the point of fighting for a spot?

Huang Haoyang felt like a complete fool who had thrown a full-force punch only to hit a ball of cotton. His face burned with humiliation.

Snorting coldly, unable to swallow his pride, he sat back down stiffly. "Then I won't go either!"

However, the very second Huang Haoyang's butt touched his chair, Chu Miaomiao casually added another sentence.

"In that case, I can go."

Someone failed to hold back a snicker, and immediately after, the entire classroom erupted into roaring laughter.

At this point, how could anyone not see it?

She simply didn't want to go anywhere near Huang Haoyang!

Unconcealed gazes of mockery pierced Huang Haoyang all at once like countless needles.

Yet, he acted as if nothing had happened. Not a single muscle in his face twitched. Instead, he stubbornly craned his neck and forced a cold scoff through his nose.

"Then I am going."

His sheer audacity left many of his classmates dumbfounded.

They had seen thick-skinned people before, but they had never seen someone wear shamelessness like a suit of armor.

"Huang Haoyang."

Chu Miaomiao's cold, clear voice wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced the noisy classroom.

Chu Miaomiao turned to look at Huang Haoyang. "Regarding Lin Mo's donation last time, my mother found out he was donating and wanted to pitch in as well. So, Lin Mo gave the money to my mother so they could donate it together."

After saying her piece, she sat down decisively without sparing Huang Haoyang another glance.

Chen Xiaoya vaguely recalled the incident as well. The teachers rarely checked the school forums, and the matter hadn't blown up anyway, dying down completely after a few days.

However, since it was brought up again today, Chu Miaomiao decided to clear the air once and for all.

The rest of the class quickly understood what had happened.

They had all seen Chu Miaomiao's mother before. Although she didn't look particularly flashy, everyone knew she was a high-level corporate executive.

After all, at their age, everyone could pick up on clues from a person's food, clothing, and daily expenses.

Chu Miaomiao's daily lunches were always takeout ordered from high-end restaurants, boasting excellent taste and perfect nutritional balance.

Up at the podium, Chen Xiaoya's face had darkened like a looming storm cloud. She pushed up her glasses, but the lenses couldn't hide the icy glint in her eyes.

"Enough!"

She slammed her hand against the podium, producing a deafening bang.

"Chu Miaomiao and Lin Mo will attend this afternoon's activity. As for you, Huang Haoyang, I will be having a word with your parents about your behavior."

Calling his parents?

Huang Haoyang merely batted an eyelid, his lips curling into a sneer of disdain.

He didn't take the threat to heart at all. Instead, he shot Lin Mo a provocative glare.

He failed to notice that his classmates were glaring at him with even more disgust than they had shown Su Mingzhao at the start of the previous semester.

At least Su Mingzhao had turned over a new leaf. This guy, however, was actively backstabbing his peers. Furthermore, anyone with eyes could see that Huang Haoyang simply wanted an excuse to get close to Chu Miaomiao.

However, Lin Mo remained cautious and discreetly placed a Divine Sense Mark on Huang Haoyang.

Others might not have noticed, but Lin Mo clearly saw the disdain in Huang Haoyang's eyes.

......

The afternoon sun spilled lazily into the classroom, leaving many of the students feeling drowsy.

Right after the lunch break ended, Chen Xiaoya walked straight in. Her gaze accurately locked onto Lin Mo and Chu Miaomiao in the front row, and she waved them over.

The two stood up and left the classroom under the varying gazes of their peers.

"I didn't expect them to go make zongzi so soon. How long is that going to take?"

"Who knows? At least they get to skip class."

Jiang Yunlu rested her chin on her hands, watching their silhouettes disappear through the doorway, a hollow feeling in her chest.

Seeing the two of them leave together, Jiang Yunlu couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.

She didn't know how to wrap zongzi. Her father did, but they used to eat so many that she eventually convinced him to stop making them because it was too much of a hassle. After that, he stopped wrapping them himself and mostly just ordered custom-made ones.

"Ms. Chen, where are we going to wrap the zongzi?"

Walking ahead of them, Chen Xiaoya heard the question and turned back with a smile. "The city television station's culinary channel is filming a Dragon Boat Festival special. Our school's event just so happens to be one of their filming locations."

Ah, it was really just a publicity stunt. Even if they made it on TV, they would probably only get a few fleeting shots.

But wrapping zongzi was actual, grueling work that would take several hours.

By the time they arrived, the school's lecture hall had already been completely transformed.