The hallmark of a scumbag is simply being able to breathe.

"Are you two planning to participate in the Olympiad math competition?" Chen Xiaoya glanced at Xue Zigui and Lin Mo.

It was clear she wouldn’t force her students and respected their own choices.

Lin Mo knew well that this Olympiad wasn’t something one could just sign up for—it required training and selection before a few representatives from their school could compete.

In his past life, Lin Mo had never tried it. Back then, he was just a nobody, hardly daring to compete against the disciples of the elders.

Actually, even the elders’ disciples didn’t dominate, as most of the school’s representatives at the time were seniors in their second year of high school.

But those who made it could earn extra points for the college entrance exam, and if they achieved a high ranking, they might even secure a direct admission spot.

Before Chen Xiaoya could even mention the rewards, Xue Zigui immediately agreed.

"Alright, I want to participate."

Lin Mo thought for a moment, then nodded as well.

"I’d like to join too."

Chen Xiaoya smiled in satisfaction.

"But don’t stress too much. The Olympiad is just the Olympiad—participation matters more than results."

"So when does it start?" Xue Zigui raised his hand.

"If you’re joining, the training will be held every Friday afternoon during the interest group sessions."

From Lin Mo’s memory, the training would last over five weeks, about five sessions in total.

Then the selection would begin.

Ten students would be chosen to form the school’s team, competing in city, provincial, and national Olympiad contests.

Lin Mo recalled that in the end, only one student from their school made it to the national competition.

He couldn’t remember who it was.

Still, he wanted to give it a try.

Making it past the preliminaries to the city-level competition would earn them a school bonus.

Advancing further to the provincial level would bring additional rewards from the city.

The better the results, the higher the bonuses—even a direct admission spot.

But Lin Mo just wanted to test himself.

[Side Quest Triggered: Participate in the Secret Realm Trials. Each breakthrough grants a reward.]

Nice, System Bro, you’ve got my back.

Though I wonder what the rewards are—hopefully not just swords and spears.

Hmm… no Ten Thousand Souls… or Human Emperor Banner either.

Wait.

Since those little devils are still around, maybe the Human Emperor Banner wouldn’t be so bad.

So it’s decided—participate in the Arcane Competition—no, the Olympiad!

Once everything was settled, Chen Xiaoya didn’t say much more.

Instead, Xue Zigui turned to Lin Mo.

"If we can qualify for the national competition, we might even get into Tsinghua or Peking University."

"That’s too far ahead. Let’s focus on the preliminaries first."

Lin Mo shook his head. "There are plenty of geniuses, and even more who are beyond genius."

Xue Zigui might be considered a top student in Class 8, but there’s always someone better, my dude.

Hearing this, Xue Zigui simply nodded and didn’t press further before heading back to class.

Lin Mo followed behind.

Jiang Yunlu and Wang Qin watched Lin Mo curiously.

"What did Ugly Duckling want with you?" Wang Qin asked first.

Jiang Yunlu frowned. "Don’t call her that. It’s rude."

"Ugly Duckling" was Chen Xiaoya’s nickname.

Giving teachers nicknames was pretty common.

Like the discipline director, who was called "Flathead" because he always kept his hair buzzed short.

Or the physics teacher, nicknamed "Brother Chun" since his name had the character "Chun" in it.

Though "Brother Chun" could be said to his face, "Flathead" couldn’t.

Flathead would tear you apart.

The "Ugly Duckling" nickname seemed to have originated from Ying Wenshen, probably because he resented Chen Xiaoya’s sarcastic remarks.

It was a petty revenge of sorts.

Nicknames like these tended to stick around, following teachers throughout their time at the school.

Of course, they were only used in private.

Everyone avoided saying them in front of the teachers, and no one would ever report it.

Because snitching would mean being ostracized by the whole class.

Even someone like Su Mingzhao wouldn’t be isolated to that extent.

Wang Qin knew Jiang Yunlu was a goody-two-shoes, so she just zipped her lips.

Lin Mo then explained the Olympiad situation.

Jiang Yunlu looked surprised.

"Olympiad training? I’ve done some in elementary and middle school, but I heard it’s really tough."

Though she was good at math, Jiang Yunlu wasn’t particularly fond of Olympiad problems.

But Wang Qin chimed in, "Getting ten extra points on the college entrance exam would be amazing."

Xue Zigui, sitting at his desk without turning around, said, "Only if you make it to the main competition."

Zigui, my guy, that kind of talk isn’t cool—it’s actually kind of off-putting.

Lin Mo just shrugged. "Well, I don’t have any interest group anyway, so learning some Olympiad math won’t hurt."

He also wanted to see how strong his current learning ability was.

So far, Lin Mo hadn’t felt any pressure in his studies—not even in advanced subjects like chemistry, physics, or biology.

Soon, Friday afternoon arrived.

After P.E. class, everyone packed up to head to their interest groups before going home.

Chu Miaomiao stared longingly at Lin Mo.

She hadn’t joined any interest group, so she stayed in the classroom to study.

But Lin Mo was going to Olympiad training.

Today was also their planned dinner date.

Sensing her gaze, Lin Mo walked over.

"I’m not sure how long the class will run. You can head home first, and I’ll meet you later."

Chu Miaomiao thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I’ll wait for you."

"Alright, then wait for me."

Watching Lin Mo and Chu Miaomiao make plans, Jiang Yunlu felt a twinge of displeasure.

Wang Qin, standing beside her, could only sigh.

Jiang Yunlu hadn’t made any real moves, while Xie Yuling walked home with Lin Mo every evening, and Chu Miaomiao had Friday dinners with him.

These were formidable rivals.

In fact, Wang Qin had once seen Xie Yuling laughing and playfully hitting Lin Mo’s arm after school.

It was a side of Xie Yuling that hadn’t been seen in years.

Back in seventh grade, Xie Yuling had been a gentle, lively girl, polite to everyone.

But after that incident, she turned cold—toward everyone, even Wang Qin.

Yet that day after school, Wang Qin had seen Xie Yuling’s smile again.

She’d even playfully punched Lin Mo’s arm.

It was just like how she used to joke around with the girls.

Except now, the target was a boy.

Either Lin Mo and Xie Yuling were extremely close, or they were secretly dating.

Either possibility was a fatal blow to Jiang Yunlu’s chances.

So Wang Qin decided not to mention it.

Unless Jiang Yunlu made a move, there was no point.

As for Lin Mo, she couldn’t quite figure him out.

But then again, all men were trash.

The defining trait of trash men was that they breathed.

Lin Mo had long noticed Wang Qin’s gaze—she was looking at him like he was some kind of sleazeball.

Definitely up to no good. Better keep his distance!

So he grabbed his notebook and pen and headed to the Olympiad class.