It was another evening study session, time to tackle homework.
Everyone had saved their weekend assignments for today.
Lin Mo was no exception—he hadn’t even brought his homework home.
Since it was still early in the semester, the workload wasn’t too heavy, and two hours of evening study were enough to get everything done.
Jiang Yunlu sat nearby, occasionally glancing up at Lin Mo.
By the third time she looked his way, Lin Mo turned to face her.
"Hey, what’re you staring at? Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or something?"
Jiang Yunlu was momentarily at a loss for words.
"Wh...what?"
People in 2012 probably weren’t used to such abstract humor.
"I mean, you’ve looked at me three times now. Got something to ask?"
Jiang Yunlu thought for a moment, then pointed at Lin Mo’s desk compartment.
"Who gave you that bread?"
Ah, the bread.
That was from Chu Miaomiao when she arrived earlier.
Chu Miaomiao was the only one in class who knew Lin Mo’s true appetite.
So she’d brought some bread from home and stuffed it straight into his desk without a word.
Lin Mo pulled out the bag of bread and casually handed one over.
"You want some?"
It was stuffed with creamy pork floss—filling, to say the least.
There were five or six in the bag; an average person might get full after two.
But Chu Miaomiao knew Lin Mo could finish them all.
Jiang Yunlu quickly shook her head and waved her hands.
"No, thanks."
Lin Mo popped a piece into his mouth.
"So, who gave you this bread?" Jiang Yunlu repeated her question, her face betraying a hint of unconscious tension.
"Probably Chu Miaomiao’s ‘protection fee,’" Lin Mo mused after a moment.
After being attacked once, Lin Mo could sense—through his spiritual awareness—that the girl was terrified of everyone around her, regardless of gender.
People can easily pick up on malice from others.
Those who got into a top-tier high school might not be the most socially adept, but their intelligence was undeniable.
In an environment where bullying was a possibility, seeking protection from someone stronger was only natural.
And Lin Mo happened to be that someone.
So he ate the "protection fee" without hesitation.
But to Jiang Yunlu’s ears, the term took on a different meaning.
She whipped her head around to look at Chu Miaomiao, who sat a few rows behind them.
Chu Miaomiao kept her head down, scribbling away at her homework.
She could feel eyes on her but refused to look up.
Jiang Yunlu, denied a chance to meet her gaze, turned back and rummaged through her bag. She pulled out a box of imported chocolates and handed it to Lin Mo.
"Today’s ‘good friend fee.’"
Lin Mo accepted it without ceremony and nodded. "Excellent. You’re now officially my good friend, Lin Mo."
When he casually tore open the packaging and offered her the first piece, Jiang Yunlu felt a warm rush in her chest.
But Wang Qin, watching from the side, nearly blurted out, "Look at you, Miss Jiang, acting all desperate."
......
The evening study session ended early. Lin Mo handed his completed assignments to the class representative before packing up.
Xie Yuling was already waiting outside Class 8.
Lin Mo suspected she’d started packing up before the session even ended—how else could she have gotten out so fast?
But he didn’t use his spiritual awareness to check.
Constantly peeking at his surroundings with it would just make him feel like a creep.
After packing up his things, Lin Mo walked out of the classroom.
"Let's go."
Lin Mo glanced at Xie Yuling, who nodded in response.
Like a solitary, cold flower, she strode straight toward the staircase.
Unbeknownst to them, two girls from Class Eight were watching them from a distance.
Compared to Jiang Yunlu, Chu Miaomiao merely glanced at them before lowering her head and continuing to pack her things.
Jiang Yunlu, however, envied Xie Yuling for being able to walk home freely with Lin Mo.
Wang Qin observed Xie Yuling's retreating figure and remarked coolly, "Don’t worry. Xie Yuling is famously unapproachable in our class. There’s no way she’d take a liking to Lin Mo."
Jiang Yunlu lightly punched Wang Qin’s arm. "Stop talking nonsense."
Wang Qin saw through it but chose not to elaborate.
On the way, Xie Yuling returned the phone to Lin Mo.
"I really can’t take this. If my mom finds out, she’ll probably kill me."
Lin Mo casually pocketed it. "Are you afraid Auntie Zheng will kill you, or do you just not want the phone?"
Xie Yuling answered bluntly, "Definitely afraid of my mom killing me. Once I rank first in the next exam, she’ll probably buy me a phone."
She sounded confident.
Back in the urban village, Lin Mo stopped by his place first before heading up to Xie Yuling’s home.
Auntie Zheng had already prepared a pot of wontons.
"Mom, did you really need to cook so many?"
"You won’t finish them, but Lin Mo will."
Zheng Yuan brought out a large bowl of wontons.
Lin Mo sat down leisurely, scooping several into his bowl with a strainer.
Since there was no broth, they dipped them in soy sauce and sesame oil.
As they ate, Lin Mo pulled out a box from under the table.
"Auntie Zheng, when I went to set up the broadband today, they gave me this contract phone as a freebie. I don’t need it—do you think you could use it?"
Zheng Yuan immediately shook her head and waved her hands.
"No, no, keep it for yourself. Save your money."
Lin Mo smiled. "Auntie Zheng, I’m not as poor as you think. Besides, I’m only asking because I won’t use it. It’ll just sit around otherwise."
With that, he pushed the phone toward her and lowered his head to continue eating.
Most of the wontons ended up in his stomach—including the misshapen ones Xie Yuling had wrapped.
Meanwhile, Xie Yuling ate the neatly folded ones Lin Mo had made, claiming, "I should eat my own creations."
At home, Xie Yuling let her true self show a little more.
Outside, she became an untouchable ice queen—as if she no longer trusted outsiders.
But Lin Mo suspected there was more to it than just the trauma of her father’s death.
After the meal, Lin Mo bid farewell and headed downstairs.
But he left the phone on the table.
Once he was gone, Zheng Yuan sat back in her chair, eyeing her daughter sideways.
Xie Yuling sensed danger and immediately tried to retreat to her room.
"Come back!"
A single command was enough to make her obediently sit back down.
"Lin Mo set up the broadband with you today, but he didn’t mention it during dinner. He only brought it up now—was this your idea?"
Zheng Yuan could always tell what her daughter wanted. When it came to something like a new phone, she noticed Xie Yuling’s lingering gaze immediately.
Xie Yuling shook her head vigorously. "Not at all! He gave it to me this afternoon, but I returned it after school."
"Ah, it's not that I don’t want to give you a phone, I’m just worried you’ll forget about studying once you have one," Zheng Yuan said after some thought.
"Tell you what—if you do well on your next exam, you’ll get a computer, broadband, and a phone. All of it."