Picking Up Girls

The night grew darker. In the dark room, Lin Mo's phone screen lit up, and the QQ group message indicator flashed tirelessly.

The group was chatting enthusiastically.

Fang Jun: "Who's going to redeem that zongzi gift box tomorrow?"

As soon as the message was sent, Cai Junhuang replied in seconds: "Tomorrow? Count me in! Who else is going? Let's go as a group!"

Fang Jun: "Alright, Old Mo, Jiang Yunlu, and Chu Miaomiao all said they're going."

An Yuexin popped up and sent a meme with three question marks: "??? What about me? Was I fired from the group on the spot? @Fang Jun"

Fang Jun replied with a panda head meme: "You'd come even if we didn't invite you."

Su Mingzhao: "I've already been there. To be honest, getting it for free is a huge steal. Spending eighty-eight to buy one is just a waste of money."

Ying Wenshen: "Seconded. The taste is okay, but it's not worth that price, and they aren't big either. Good as an afternoon tea snack."

The atmosphere in the group was relaxed and casual.

Cai Junhuang tagged Fang Jun again: "@Fang Jun, I have to go to dance practice tomorrow, so I don't know if our schedules will match."

Fang Jun: "It's fine if we don't match up. If it's meant to be, we'll meet on the street."

Hao Qiang: "So where's the location! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Fang Jun: "Tianhui Plaza, I guess."

Jian Lihao: "That's a bit far from our place. There's a store right by our house where we can redeem it."

Cai Junhuang: "Perfect, the dance studio is right nearby."

At this time, Ma Li suddenly threw in a news link, breaking the casual chatting atmosphere in the group.

Ma Li: "Holy crap, bros, look at this news. The guy in the photo... is that Huang Haoyang?"

The group instantly exploded.

"Real or fake? Let me click in and see."

"Photoshopped, right? What kind of news don't we have these days."

"Huang Haoyang? Let me see what's going on."

Lin Mo also saw the messages in the QQ group, but he didn't click in. After all, he didn't bubble up in the group often, so it was normal for him to lurk now.

The chat logs in the group were still scrolling up rapidly. The topic had already derailed from shock to roasting Huang Haoyang's character and making all sorts of unreliable guesses about the incident. No one noticed the details of the powder.

Probably no one except the people from Yanhuang Awakening would pay attention to these things.

Putting down his phone, Lin Mo straightened his clothes and vanished from his home.

--System: I feel like this is not casual at all--

The following afternoon.

Lin Mo changed his clothes and slowly opened the door only when Xie Yuling and Chu Miaomiao reached his floor.

A trace of curiosity flashed in Chu Miaomiao's eyes.

Xie Yuling, however, looked as if she had expected it. She crossed her arms over her chest, raised an eyebrow, and said, "What a coincidence, Great Door God Lin."

"Not a coincidence." Lin Mo's gaze swept across her face. "I specifically listened for your footsteps before opening the door."

"Oh? So you were pressing your ear against the door the whole time, waiting to open it the moment we arrived just to give us a surprise?"

Xie Yuling deliberately misinterpreted his meaning, the curve of her lips becoming more pronounced.

Lin Mo couldn't be bothered to talk nonsense with her. He raised his hand and lightly flicked her smooth forehead.

"That's right, just to wait for you to say that."

He retracted his hand, turning his gaze to Chu Miaomiao, who was pursing her lips into a smile next to them. "This way, Miaomiao can witness what a critical hit to the head looks like."

Watching Xie Yuling rub her forehead, Chu Miaomiao's smile deepened.

The three didn't delay any further and went straight downstairs.

Tianhui Plaza wasn't far away; walking there was just right.

As for Fang Jun and An Yuexin, there was no need to worry about them; they would just meet up at the location.

On a holiday afternoon, the streets were bustling with people.

The three of them were dressed quite casually today.

Xie Yuling wore a pair of simple above-knee shorts, revealing a pair of straight and well-proportioned lower legs.

Chu Miaomiao was in a black dress, looking quiet and elegant, which also concealed her figure as much as possible.

Their styles were vastly different, yet each possessed a distinct beauty.

In contrast, Lin Mo's short sleeves and shorts seemed excessively ordinary.

His somewhat handsome face was forcibly dragged down a few notches by this casual outfit.

Yet, when the three walked together, the passing glances of pedestrians would always give people the impression that this guy must be very rich.

After all, having two girls of such high caliber accompanying him on his left and right—his status spoke for itself.

Arriving at the mall entrance, the booming sound of the crowd rushed over them.

"Let's just look around first. We can redeem that zongzi gift box anytime," Lin Mo suggested.

They couldn't just carry a big box right from the start; that would be too much of a hassle.

The two naturally had no objections.

Just as they were about to enter, Chu Miaomiao suddenly tugged at the corner of Xie Yuling's clothes and pointed not far away: "Look, isn't that Yunlu?"

Xie Yuling looked in the direction she was pointing and indeed saw Jiang Yunlu.

She was wearing a cyan-green long dress today, standing quietly by the fountain at the entrance like a jasmine flower ready to bloom.

A guy who looked like a college student was standing in front of her, saying something with an excited expression.

Jiang Yunlu merely smiled and shook her head. The light on the guy's face instantly extinguished, and he walked back dejectedly to a group of his companions not far away, drawing a burst of laughter and consolation.

A classic failed pick-up scene.

Xie Yuling, never one to shy away from drama, suddenly felt playful and nudged Lin Mo with her elbow.

"Quick, go hit on Jiang Yunlu."

Lin Mo cast a sidelong glance at her, his eyes carrying a hint of amusement.

Going was no problem, as long as she didn't get mad later.

"Alright!"

Lin Mo chuckled lightly, dropped a single word, and strode forward on his long legs, walking leisurely toward Jiang Yunlu's direction.

The smile on Xie Yuling's face stiffened slightly.

This guy actually went?

At this moment, Jiang Yunlu was looking down at her phone, seemingly waiting for someone, completely oblivious to the commotion over here.

Lin Mo walked up to her, perfectly blocking the light in front of her.

"Hello there, miss."

Lin Mo's voice was neither loud nor soft, carrying a clear and crisp quality.

Jiang Yunlu looked up in confusion.

"I saw you standing here just now and thought you were very special. You are the most beautiful Chinese girl I've ever seen. I wonder, could I get your contact info?"

His expression was completely serious, his eyes sincere. Anyone watching would simply think this was a pick-up attempt that took a lot of courage.

Hearing this familiar voice, Jiang Yunlu was taken aback at first, but upon seeing who it was, a smile instantly rippled in her eyes.

She immediately understood what kind of trick this guy was playing again.

Jiang Yunlu smoothly tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, pretended to think about it coyly, and then took her phone out of her pocket. The screen was still on her chat interface with Lin Mo.

"Okay, I'll scan your code."

The two of them, right in front of those people not far away, acted like two strangers meeting for the first time and solemnly added each other as friends.

After doing all this, Lin Mo pushed his luck and offered his arm to her, bending it slightly in a gesture of invitation.

"Beautiful miss, I wonder if I have the honor of inviting you to go shopping together?"

The smile on Jiang Yunlu's lips could no longer be hidden. She gracefully extended her delicate hand and naturally wrapped it around his arm.

In the distance, the smile completely vanished from Xie Yuling's face as she witnessed the entire scene unfold.

Even the group of boys nearby, who had just failed in their attempt to hit on her, were left completely dumbfounded. Their jaws dropped, and their faces were etched with sheer disbelief.

How was that fair?

It took so many of them gathering their courage just to send a single representative over, only to be shot down in seconds.

Yet this guy, dressed in cheap clothes from a street stall, walked right up and exchanged just a few words. Not only did he get her contact information, but he actually managed to whisk her away entirely!