In Some Places, I Am Like Her Father

However, the first fight that broke out wasn’t targeting Lin Mo.

It was that foul-mouthed Su Mingzhao.

Lin Mo, Xie Yuling, and Fang Jun were walking together.

Since Fang Jun had insisted on protecting Lin Mo no matter what, he tagged along.

An Yuexin had gone a different way, so he couldn’t join them.

Then, they spotted Su Mingzhao being dragged into an alley by a group of guys who immediately started beating him up.

Fang Jun glanced over and, like a walking encyclopedia, remarked, "Those are from the basketball team."

"How do you know?" Lin Mo raised an eyebrow.

"I’ve seen them before. Ma Li mentioned they’re all on the team. Looks like Su Mingzhao pissed them off, so they’re teaching him a lesson."

Given Su Mingzhao’s penchant for trash talk, that was entirely plausible.

Fang Jun thought for a moment and said, "Whatever, I’ll go talk to them. If this keeps up, someone’s gonna get seriously hurt."

With that, he strode forward.

"Hey, hey, hey! Stop it! Cut it out already!"

Hearing this, Lin Mo couldn’t help but glance up at the sky.

No rain in sight.

The guys actually stopped.

Su Mingzhao was curled up on the ground, arms shielding his head. The alley was filthy, but he’d managed to protect himself well enough.

"What? You want some too?"

Fang Jun waved his hands dismissively. "You’ve already beaten him up, vented your anger. If you hurt him too badly, you’ll just bring trouble on yourselves. Let it go."

But Fang Jun’s attempt at mediation didn’t seem to work.

In fact, the guys looked like they were about to turn on him next.

Lin Mo stepped forward.

Only for someone to grab his wrist.

He turned around.

Xie Yuling frowned at him.

"It’s dangerous."

Lin Mo patted her shoulder reassuringly.

"Don’t worry, it’s fine. I can handle it."

With that, he gently pulled free and walked toward Fang Jun.

"You’re from the basketball team, right? If your coach finds out you’re beating up fellow students outside, do you think he’ll still want you? You’ve already roughed him up—are you really trying to kill him?"

The message was simple.

Back off now, and nothing happens.

Don’t, and I’ll report you.

Tattling might be a childish tactic, but it was undeniably effective.

These guys had something to lose, so they hesitated.

But more than that, they hesitated because of Lin Mo himself—his reputation preceded him.

In the end, the guys gave Su Mingzhao one last kick before walking away.

Fang Jun didn’t bother helping Su Mingzhao up.

"Good thing you stepped in. Who knows how far they would’ve gone otherwise."

Fang Jun saw things clearly.

Lin Mo glanced across the street, where a certain girl was staring intently at him.

"Let’s go. I still have to escort my landlady home."

He returned to Xie Yuling’s side.

"Didn’t even throw a punch," he said with a shrug.

"Doesn’t matter. There were five of them!" Xie Yuling’s frown deepened.

"Alright, alright, next time I’ll just call the cops." Lin Mo waved his phone.

Xie Yuling rolled her eyes but didn’t argue, continuing down the street.

Lin Mo followed silently behind.

Fang Jun, meanwhile, stayed vigilant, scanning their surroundings.

After what happened to Su Mingzhao, he wasn’t taking any chances.

But Lin Mo had his spiritual sense—he knew exactly if anyone was lying in wait.

So he wasn’t nearly as cautious.

Or rather, he’d been the most cautious from the start.

At the intersection, they parted ways. Lin Mo looked at Fang Jun.

"Stay safe."

Fang Jun waved him off. "I’ll be fine. The whole neighborhood knows me. If anything happens, the uncles and aunties will step in."

In other words, the urban village was Fang Jun’s turf.

That was reassuring.

Only after Fang Jun left did Xie Yuling speak up.

"How did you even get on their bad side?"

Though Fang Jun had given a brief explanation earlier, Xie Yuling wanted to hear Lin Mo’s version.

So Lin Mo recounted the full story—just standing up for a classmate, nothing more.

Xie Yuling couldn’t help but say, "You didn’t have to get involved."

"A gentleman knows when to act and when not to. Besides, it was just about settling a dispute."

Xie Yuling looked up, her small fists lightly pounding Lin Mo’s chest.

"Why do people like you always do this? Thinking about everyone else but yourselves! What if something happens? What about the people left behind?"

Her voice trembled, and Lin Mo noticed her reddened eyes.

He didn’t know the details of how Xie Yuling’s father had died, but now… he was starting to piece it together.

Gently, he patted her back.

"It’s okay. I’m not the reckless type. I’m steady, reliable. You don’t have to worry about me—your tenant’s a tough one."

The word "tenant" seemed to snap her out of it.

Without realizing, she’d hugged him.

The moment she came to her senses, she let go.

Lin Mo had a guess why Xie Yuling had warmed up to him lately.

Maybe, in some ways, he reminded her of her father.

He reached out and ruffled her hair.

"Relax. We’re just students. Nothing’s gonna happen."

Xie Yuling’s face flushed crimson, as if overheating. She yanked the door open and bolted upstairs.

She didn’t stop until she reached the top floor, where she nearly collided with Auntie Zheng, who was carrying a plate of fruit.

Without a word, Xie Yuling dashed into her room—no way she’d let her mom see her like this.

"What’s gotten into you, running around like that?"

Dropping her bag, Xie Yuling leaned against the door, panting heavily.

She touched her head where Lin Mo had ruffled her hair.

Her heart was still pounding wildly.

Soon, her mom’s voice came from outside.

"Ah, Lin Mo, that girl just sprinted into her room for some reason."

Then she heard Lin Mo chuckle.

"Nothing serious. I tricked her into a race—whoever got upstairs first would win. But I didn’t run, so she probably got embarrassed for falling for it."

Auntie Zheng bought the flimsy excuse.

"I washed some fruit. Help yourself, Lin Mo."

"Thanks, Auntie Zheng."

Lin Mo didn’t hesitate, picking up a plum and biting into it.

The chilled fruit was sweet and tart, the sourness strong but not unpleasant.

As he ate, Xie Yuling emerged from her room.

Her heartbeat had steadied, and the flush on her cheeks had faded.

But the moment she saw him, she shot him a glare.

Lin Mo pretended not to notice, turning away to focus on his plum.

Xie Yuling retaliated by stomping on his foot.

But with his spiritual sense, he dodged effortlessly.

Splat!

The sound of her slipper hitting the floor was crisp.

And now she was even angrier.