On Duty

The classroom was eerily quiet, the air seemingly solidified into a gel, with every breath carrying a viscous resistance.

Everyone's gazes, whether overt or covert, drifted intentionally or unintentionally toward the seat in the corner.

After all, Huang Haoyang had returned.

He lay sprawled across his desk like a puddle of mud drained of all vitality.

His sallow complexion and greasy hair made him look ten years older than his actual age.

He was the absolute picture of despondency.

Even though he had done absolutely nothing, and his breathing was so faint it was barely perceptible, he had become the eye of the storm in the entire room.

However, Lin Mo's divine sense had already seen right through Huang Haoyang from the inside out; let alone a weapon, the guy did not even have a pair of nail clippers on him.

The guy had come back simply to sit there and act as a statue exuding an aura of decay.

"Your Excellency Caicaizi, what can I do for you?"

Lin Mo could not help but tease as he watched Cai Junhuang hunch over and inch her way to his side.

Cai Junhuang wore an expression like she was crossing a minefield. Hearing Lin Mo's voice, she shuddered and instinctively wanted to throw a punch to shut him up.

But at the thought of the massive disparity in their martial prowess, her fist went limp in mid-air. She crouched down, keeping her voice lower than a mosquito's hum:

"Keep your voice down! There is something wrong with Huang Haoyang's state. He might be like a powder keg, ready to blow at the slightest spark. I am afraid you will be his first target."

Lin Mo waved his hand with a look of indifference. "Relax, it is not a big deal. This is Huaxia, not America. He cannot exactly get an automatic rifle to shoot up the school."

This casual tone made Cai Junhuang stomp her feet in anxiety.

"I am not joking with you!"

"I am not joking either," Lin Mo said, spreading his hands.

At this point, Lin Jiajun, who had been reading a newspaper, suddenly interjected, "Even if he does not have a gun, if he hides a fruit knife and stabs you while you are going to the restroom, the loss would outweigh the gain."

Several people around them could not help but nod, looking at Lin Mo with eyes full of sympathy and worry.

In everyone's eyes, if Huang Haoyang really went crazy, the first one to get stabbed would definitely be Lin Mo.

After all, the grudge between the two of them ran the deepest.

"Rest assured, he does not have the guts." Lin Mo's tone was calm, yet it carried an unquestionable certainty.

This confidence left Cai Junhuang and Lin Jiajun looking at each other in dismay, wondering what tricks he had up his sleeve.

Jiang Yunlu and Chu Miaomiao were not as worried, because they genuinely did not fear anything happening to Lin Mo.

Everyone treated Huang Haoyang as a level-one alert. The feeling of being monitored by countless gazes was something Huang Haoyang himself knew best.

Yet he remained motionless, as if he had lost all perception of the outside world.

Everyone carefully guarded against Huang Haoyang, and the one who felt this most clearly was Huang Haoyang himself.

Except that in the eyes of others, he looked like someone who had nothing wrong with him.

A few days passed like this. Huang Haoyang looked like a walking corpse every day, but he posed no danger whatsoever.

This allowed many people to breathe a sigh of relief.

Perhaps Huang Haoyang had just suffered too great a blow to become the way he was now.

Everyone gradually... relaxed their guard.

--System: My fate is up to me, not the heavens!--

Friday, June 21st.

The bell for the end of evening self-study had not yet rung, and the discussions in the classroom were neither loud nor quiet.

Chu Miaomiao propped her elbows on the desk, her small head almost buried in her books, her voice muffled.

"Lin Mo, do you think the surprise we prepared will make Mom happy?"

"It will, definitely." Lin Mo tapped his fingertips lightly on her desk twice, his tone certain.

Are you kidding?

That was an imperial green jade bracelet worth several million to over ten million, not some glass beads from a street stall.

If that did not make her happy, Lin Mo would doubt whether Chu Lintian even had a heart.

"What surprise? What are you whispering about so sneakily?"

With a screech from the chair next to them, Jiang Yunlu slid over, chair and all, her gossip radar standing tall.

Lin Mo said calmly, "It is Miaomiao's mother's birthday."

At this time, Jiang Yunlu could not help but lean closer.

"Miaomiao's mother's birthday. If you are throwing a birthday party, can I go?"

Lin Mo did not answer, but instead looked at Chu Miaomiao. This was her family matter, and it was not proper for Lin Mo to make the decision for her.

Being stared at by the two of them, Chu Miaomiao's cheeks flushed slightly, but she still mustered her courage and nodded:

"Sure! I had already invited Yuling and Auntie Zheng. If you come too, that would be wonderful."

It was not that Chu Miaomiao was unwilling to invite people, but for someone with her introverted personality to take the initiative to invite others was indeed a bit difficult.

She was terrified of being rejected as soon as she opened her mouth; just thinking about that scenario made her cringe with embarrassment.

Seeing Chu Miaomiao agree, Jiang Yunlu began to think about what gift she should give to Chu Miaomiao's mother.

"Ring, ring, ring!"

The bell ending the class was like a bugle call, instantly igniting the entire classroom.

"Going home, going home!"

"Where are we playing this weekend?"

The sound of chairs scraping against the floor, things being tossed into backpacks, and the clamor of the teenage boys and girls all blended together.

Lin Mo was in no hurry, because it was his turn for cleaning duty today.

Xie Yuling went home by herself as soon as class ended, because Lin Mo had told her that morning that he planned to go home today.

This "home," naturally, did not mean the rented apartment.

Watching Lin Mo pick up a broom, looking like he was ready to get down to serious work, Jiang Yunlu smilingly linked her arm with Chu Miaomiao's.

"Duty student, we are heading off first. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," Lin Mo waved to them.

The two then skipped away.

In just over ten minutes, almost everyone in the class had left.

Just as he finished straightening up the desks and chairs, Gao Yuanqiang leaned over from the side.

"Lin Mo, give me a hand, let's go empty the trash together?"

Gao Yuanqiang pointed to the large white bin at the back of the classroom, looking as if he had lost the will to live. "I do not know what is going on today. Did these guys save a whole week's worth of trash just to throw it away today?"

Sometimes the trash was only half a bin, sometimes only a third, but today the trash bin was piled with at least two-thirds worth of garbage.

It was not that one person could not carry it, but it was just a bit troublesome.

"Alright, let's go."

Without another word, Lin Mo walked over and grabbed the handle on one side of the trash bin.

Gao Yuanqiang hurriedly grabbed the other side, and with a shared effort, the trash bin was easily lifted.

The sweeping group exited the stage, and it was time for the mopping group to make their appearance.

By the time Lin Mo and the others came back from emptying the trash, they could probably call it a day.

"Good thing we are on the second floor. Otherwise, carrying this much trash downstairs would be pretty tough to handle."

Gao Yuanqiang grinned.

"Friendly reminder: in three months, we will be carrying it down from the third floor."

"Then I will just stick to mopping starting next semester."

Passing through the corridor and walking down the stairs, a cool breeze blew against their faces, carrying the unique scent of vegetation characteristic of summer nights.

The two of them walked toward the garbage room over by the dormitory area.