Childhood Sweethearts Can't Beat the Sudden Newcomer

【Feeling the competitive spirit from the sect elder's personal disciple, surpass him and become the top disciple under the elder's tutelage!】

【Mission issued: Outperform everyone in the next monthly sect competition and become the number one disciple under the current elder】

Alright, alright, the fire's lit now.

The long-absent "System Bro" has finally dropped a new non-daily mission today.

Truth be told, System Bro updates daily missions every day, allowing Lin Mo to earn Qi-Nurturing Pills.

But System Bro isn’t exactly a chatterbox.

The history class afterward was much more relaxed.

It covered topics from agrarian economies to commercial economies.

The material was more complex than middle school history but also far more engaging.

Good students don’t neglect any subject.

In later years, high schoolers could choose their specialized subjects before the college entrance exams, but for now, it was just a rigid split between arts and sciences.

After school in the afternoon,

Lin Mo stretched lazily. As expected, he could keep up with the current level of studies—just like in his past life, it was manageable for an average person.

But with learning, the moment you slack off, it’s game over.

"What should I eat tonight?" Lin Mo mused, chin in hand.

The most persistent dilemmas in his daily life were undoubtedly: what to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

These were humanity’s ultimate struggles.

While he was still slumped over his desk, undecided about dinner, Jiang Yunlu returned, holding an exquisitely packed lunchbox.

"Aren’t you going to eat?" Jiang Yunlu tilted her head, asking.

Lin Mo remained sprawled on the desk. "Don’t know what to eat yet. Still thinking. No rush."

Jiang Yunlu hesitated, then offered her lunchbox.

"Want some of mine?"

I can always eat something else at home anyway.

That was her inner thought, left unspoken—it would’ve sounded odd if voiced.

Lin Mo waved her off. "Nah, you barely have enough for yourself. Why give me half?"

Dinner was meant to replenish the energy spent in the afternoon.

How could a mighty cultivator deprive a mortal of half their meal?

Besides, Lin Mo wasn’t starving—he just couldn’t decide what to eat.

At that moment, Chu Miaomiao also arrived after picking up her dinner.

Her meal was actually takeout ordered by Chu Lintian.

It was always delivered around the same time, left at the security booth for Chu Miaomiao to collect after class.

But today, she carried three lunchboxes, as if her appetite had skyrocketed.

Upon entering the classroom, though, she placed two of them on Lin Mo’s desk.

"My mom said these are for you. You eat a lot, so you’ll probably finish them, right?"

Lin Mo hadn’t expected Auntie Chu to directly feed him—likely a gesture of gratitude.

So he accepted, replying calmly, "Please thank Auntie Chu for me. But don’t bring more tomorrow. I like exploring the food options near school. Getting fed like this would rob me of the joy of choice."

Chu Miaomiao didn’t argue, simply nodding. "Okay, I’ll let her know."

With that, she carefully made her way to her seat.

Lin Mo thought for a moment, then took out his phone to text Chu Lintian—thanking her for the meal and explaining his reasons, just as he’d told Chu Miaomiao.

Text messages weren’t instant like WeChat, so a quick reply wasn’t expected.

When he glanced back at Jiang Yunlu, her expression had darkened.

But Lin Mo didn’t comment, simply digging into the food.

One box contained shredded chicken with sweet-and-sour pork, the other roasted pork with barbecued pork.

Both were boneless and packed with rice.

Lin Mo checked the logo on the boxes—a well-known restaurant near campus.

The food was good, but not exactly cheap—over thirty bucks per box.

Not that Lin Mo cared about the price. He just ate.

Finally, Jiang Yunlu couldn’t hold back. "Why did Chu Miaomiao bring you food?"

Lin Mo didn’t look up. "Her family used to be my neighbors. Now that we’re in the same class, they’re just looking out for me."

He’d used this excuse with Fang Jun before.

The gossip had died down somewhat—after all, Fang Jun was the intel hub of Class 8, Grade 1. Once he spread word, it traveled fast.

Lin Mo wasn’t sure if Jiang Yunlu had heard, so he repeated it.

He’d also told Chu Miaomiao to keep things simple: just say they were former neighbors. That way, no one would overanalyze their closeness or spin romantic rumors.

High school was a breeding ground for shipping—whether straight, gay, or otherwise.

But Lin Mo wasn’t a proctologist. He didn’t get the obsession.

Hearing this, Jiang Yunlu’s face still clouded, but she stayed quiet, nibbling her food in silence.

When Wang Qin returned from her meal, she immediately noticed Jiang Yunlu’s sour mood.

Without even sitting down, she dragged Jiang Yunlu to the restroom.

"Yunlu, did Lin Mo upset you again?"

Jiang Yunlu squirmed. "Don’t make assumptions. No one upset me."

Wang Qin smirked. This girl—her mouth is the toughest part of her.

"Then why the long face?"

From a distance, she saw Lin Mo carrying the empty lunchboxes to Chu Miaomiao’s desk, then taking her bag and trash out to dump.

The pieces clicked.

"Ohhh, so it’s jealousy. I heard Chu Miaomiao and Lin Mo grew up together—childhood sweethearts, huh?"

Jiang Yunlu tensed. "Childhood sweethearts. Childhood sweethearts." She repeated the phrase twice.

Wang Qin patted her shoulder. "Relax. How many childhood sweethearts actually end up together? The childhood friend never wins against the sudden newcomer. You’ve got nothing to worry about."

"Really?"

"Absolutely."

Just then, a boisterous group of boys swaggered into the classroom.

"Bro Strong, you’re insane! You just walked up and asked those girls for their numbers like it was nothing!"

"But Bro Strong, why not go for the one next to her? That one was way prettier!"

Lin Mo reentered the room as the crowd passed.

At the center was Gao Yuanqiang—dubbed the "Love God of Class 8."

Tall, handsome, and charismatic, he’d have been the class heartthrob if not for Lin Mo’s arrival.

But his romantic entanglements were legendary—countless flings from freshman to senior year.

Thankfully, he never pursued girls in his own class, claiming, "A rabbit doesn’t eat the grass by its burrow."

Lin Mo later realized: messing with other classes was manageable, but dating within your own meant three years of drama.

Rumor had it Gao Yuanqiang once stole a college guy’s long-distance girlfriend.

The guy traveled back just to stab him.

No one knew how that ended.