Passive Type

On the river, the final, decisive drumbeats fell like a torrential downpour, coming to an abrupt halt amidst a sudden burst of cheers and sighs from the crowd.

The Xie family's dragon boat narrowly lost by half a boat's length.

"Tsk, what a shame. Didn't the Xie family's dragon boat take first place last year?" An Yuexin leaned against the railing, smacking his lips with considerable regret.

Xie Yuling wasn't too bothered by it, gently shaking her head. "I heard from my uncle that several of the main rowers who won the championship last year didn't come this year. They were replaced by quite a few newcomers, so it's already pretty good to get this result."

With a change in personnel, losing was only normal.

After all, dragon boat racing was not child's play. Without real skill, one wouldn't even have the qualifications to get on the boat.

It was even harder for girls to participate. Given the high intensity of dragon boat racing, it required a lot of training. Putting together an all-girls dragon boat team for a race was actually quite difficult, let alone keeping up with the training pace of the men.

Just then, Fang Jun, who was standing behind them, suddenly cleared his throat.

"Um... I'm going downstairs to buy us some drinks. Wait here for me a moment."

Saying that, he turned and headed for the stairs without waiting for everyone's response.

"Don't trouble yourself, we're not thirsty," Jiang Yunlu called out instinctively.

An Yuexin, however, stopped her and gestured with his lips toward Fang Jun's retreating back. He lowered his voice, his words laced with undisguised teasing.

"Let him go. The next race features the Fang family's boat. This guy has thin skin and is afraid of losing face in front of us if his family's dragon boat loses, so he's going downstairs early to take refuge."

Having grown up thick as thieves, An Yuexin had Fang Jun's little scheme completely figured out.

Lin Mo listened from the side, forcing down the corners of his mouth, but his shoulders couldn't help trembling slightly.

In his previous life, Fang Jun had used the exact same excuse to slip away before the Fang family's dragon boat race.

Only after this group finished did he slowly saunter back.

This way, he could avoid some scenes he didn't want to see.

Of course, Fang Jun's approach was also correct, because this time, the dragon boat with the surname Fang lost again.

And just as Fang Jun left, in a corner not far away, a few men who had been secretly observing this side immediately exchanged a glance.

"They all look like students. It should be pretty easy to go and make contact."

"It's not a bad idea. Besides, that landlord has already gone downstairs."

Zhao Dezhu's mouth curled into a malicious smile.

"These remaining greenhorns should be quite easy to talk to.

However, my first impression wasn't very good, so Hippo, you go."

The few of them hit it off instantly. The one called Hippo immediately took out a few bottles of the cheapest drinks from a plastic bag and walked over with a face full of an honest and simple smile.

He deliberately bypassed An Yuexin, who looked like someone not to be messed with, and walked with a clear target toward Lin Mo.

After all, he felt that Lin Mo looked more like a student.

"Uh... fellow students, we bought too many drinks over there and can't finish them. Do you want some?"

The man scratched his head, his smile seeming somewhat forced.

Lin Mo also remembered this person.

He Song, nicknamed Hippo, a slick guy who looked honest and simple but was shrewd to the bone.

If Zhao Dezhu was an obvious scoundrel, then He Song was a hidden one.

In Lin Mo's memory, this guy was best at using his seemingly harmless face to take petty advantages.

If you made a fuss about it, it would make you look petty.

According to Lin Mo's incomplete statistics, this person He Song would frequently borrow money, and it was always small loans, never exceeding fifty yuan.

However, the borrowed money was rarely returned, and he would even deduct it from you in other ways.

For example, if he borrowed money from you to buy a meal, he would later buy you a bottle of water and call it even.

Just like a trade surplus between two countries, he made quite a bit of money from this alone.

But this person had a very sweet tongue. As the saying goes, you don't slap a smiling face, so people wouldn't fall out with him over that small amount of money.

This kind of person was like a leech silently sucking blood; the saliva it secreted would numb your senses, leaving you completely unaware that you were being drained.

This was not the most important thing.

The most important thing was that in his previous life, during a later conflict, this guy had broken An Yuexin's leg.

Of course, in this life, Lin Mo would not let these things happen.

An Yuexin was just about to politely decline when he saw Lin Mo raise his chin, signaling him not to speak.

He tactfully kept quiet.

Behind them, Jiang Yunlu and Xie Yuling didn't even bat an eyelid, as if the person in front of them didn't exist at all, their attention entirely focused on the dragon boats poised to start on the river.

Lin Mo glanced at the water in the bag and waved his hand arrogantly.

"Sorry, we don't drink this kind of stuff." Lin Mo's voice was faint, but it carried an unquestionable alienation.

The smile on He Song's face stiffened for a moment, clearly not expecting this kind of reaction.

He quickly adjusted his expression, squeezing out a deeper smile and lowering his posture even more.

"Student, we don't mean anything else. We just want to ask you to put in a good word for us with the landlord."

After saying that, he didn't wait for a response, directly placed the bag of drinks on the ground, and turned to leave.

This tactic of retreating to advance was played brilliantly. By putting the things down, they became the party actively showing goodwill. If Lin Mo and the others continued to be unforgiving, they would appear petty.

He Song calculated in his heart that no matter how arrogant these students were, they still had to keep up appearances.

He had just turned around.

"Wait."

Lin Mo's cold voice came from behind.

He Song's footsteps paused, a flash of success gleaming in his eyes as he carefully turned back around.

"What's wrong?"

Lin Mo clicked his tongue lightly, his brows furrowing, his face full of impatience.

He pointed a finger at the bag of drinks on the ground, as if he had seen something filthy.

"Can't you understand human speech? We don't need garbage."

"Or do you think this is all we're fit to drink?"

The last sentence was spoken in a light tone, but it was extremely insulting.

The honest mask on He Song's face could finally no longer be maintained. His smile completely vanished, and his eyes instantly darkened.

He stared fixedly at Lin Mo, the muscles in his jaw twitching twice.

The surrounding air seemed to freeze.

Zhao Dezhu and those few men also sensed that something was wrong. Their gazes shot over in unison, carrying a hint of hostility.

He Song took a deep breath, his voice kept very low, completely devoid of his previous warmth.

"Friend, always leave a little leeway in life; it makes things easier when we meet again."

Lin Mo sneered, "Is there any need for us to meet? What are you coming up here to strike up a conversation for anyway? Are we related to you?"

Provoking someone was just too simple.

Although Hippo was a smiling slicker, it didn't mean he had a good temper.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have broken An Yuexin's leg in a drunken fit of rage later on.

At this moment, Hippo's fists clenched tight, and Lin Mo threw a glance at them.

"What? You want to fight? If you dare lay a hand on me, you and your friends will pack your bags and get the hell out immediately!"

Ah, people. It is actually incredibly easy to provoke anyone.

Especially when you know their weakness.