The appearance of Jiang Yunlu drew many eyes.
Both men and women found her to be the kind of beauty that carried an effortless grace.
Most notably, she exuded a certain air that set her apart from ordinary students.
Yet the moment Jiang Yunlu entered, she headed straight for Lin Mo and even took the seat beside him as her own.
This stirred envy among countless young hearts—not just boys who wished to sit with girls, but girls who longed to be close to other girls too.
Only Lin Mo remained seated, absorbed in his phone.
Other money-making methods felt hollow.
In 2012, investing in cryptocurrency was the real deal.
No need to look elsewhere—just focus on Bitcoin.
Lin Mo was figuring out how to improve his technical skills online so he could stockpile a batch.
Twelve years later, a single Bitcoin would be worth $100,000.
Of course, Lin Mo was well aware of Bitcoin’s volatility. Buy low, sell high—leverage contracts, short it—there were countless ways to profit.
So he wasn’t in a rush to make money.
For now, he simply jotted down every viable method he could think of at home.
There was also Moutai stock, along with other shares destined to multiply in value.
The reason he knew so much about these unconventional paths was simple: in his past life, Lin Mo had been idle and unambitious, so he’d naturally picked up this kind of knowledge.
If not for the buff of rebirth, he’d sooner die than touch any of it again.
Just as Lin Mo was scrolling through his phone, a middle-aged woman stepped onto the classroom platform.
Her stern face grew even more displeased as she surveyed the noisy crowd.
With a ruler in hand, she smacked the desk hard several times.
"Silence!"
A single sharp command, clear and carrying, instantly hushed the entire room.
Lin Mo recognized that voice—it stirred an odd sense of nostalgia in him.
Guangba Middle School’s admission score was 620—not the highest tier, but certainly no place for slackers.
People often said college entrance exams were the watershed moment, but middle school exams were just as decisive.
Of course, those willing to pay an "alternative admission fee" could slip in with slightly lower scores.
But prestigious schools always prioritized their undergraduate success rates.
Students with abysmal foundations need not apply.
So in this class, hardly anyone had scored below 600 in the middle school exams.
A single cold rebuke from the homeroom teacher was enough to cow them all.
Satisfied by the quiet, the teacher nodded and wrote her name on the blackboard:
Chen Xiaoya
"My name is Chen Xiaoya. I’m the homeroom teacher of Class 8, Grade 1, and also your math instructor. We’ll be spending a lot of time together, but let me warn you—if you don’t want to study, fine. But if you disrupt others, I’ll throw you out."
True to her word, this no-nonsense teacher meant what she said.
In Lin Mo’s past life, when he’d slacked off and skipped class, Chen Xiaoya had simply written him off without a second thought.
With her declaration made, the class remained silent.
Unfazed, Chen Xiaoya picked up a roster.
"Roll call. When your name is called, stand and introduce yourself."
She gave no time to prepare.
"Ma Xiang... Ma Ruixiang."
A square-faced boy promptly straightened up. "Here!"
Seated in the front row, he turned to his classmates with brimming confidence.
"Hello everyone, I’m Ma Ruixiang. My hobbies include reading classics and playing basketball.
‘When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on any man, it will first exercise his mind with suffering, toughen his sinews and bones with toil, expose his body to hunger, subject him to poverty, and frustrate his efforts—so as to stimulate his resolve, toughen his nature, and enhance his capabilities.’
I’m thrilled to be your classmate. Let’s strive together in the days ahead."
This pompous display instantly made the other boys frown.
They’d all studied that text—who did he think he was, showing off?
Someone immediately quipped,
"How thrilled?"
Ma Ruixiang froze, at a loss for a comeback.
The class erupted in laughter.
But Chen Xiaoya seemed to approve of such introductions. Nodding, she motioned for Ma Ruixiang to sit while glaring at the heckler.
"Think that’s funny? Fine—you introduce yourself next."
Lin Mo glanced over. It was one of the class troublemakers—Su Mingzhao.
Of course, Lin Mo himself had once been another.
But he’d never been close to Su Mingzhao; in fact, they’d clashed more than once.
Strictly speaking, Lin Mo was the "chaotic good" type of troublemaker.
Su Mingzhao, however, was "chaotic evil"—living solely for his own amusement.
This scene was playing out exactly as it had in his past life.
Su Mingzhao smirked, unfazed. After scanning the room, his gaze landed on Jiang Yunlu.
"Me? The name’s Su Mingzhao—‘Zhao’ as in Li Zhongzhao. I’m a beast at basketball too. Back in my middle school, I was unbeatable."
Ma Ruixiang, still smarting from earlier, seized the chance to jab back.
"If Mr. Li Zhongzhao knew you were using his name like that, he’d leap out of his coffin in rage."
Another wave of laughter swept the room.
But Su Mingzhao didn’t laugh. He locked eyes with Ma Ruixiang.
"Pretty sure you said you like basketball. Let’s play sometime. Loser calls the winner ‘Dad.’"
Ma Ruixiang tilted his head.
"Call you what?"
"Dad."
"What?"
"Dad!"
"Aww, good boy!"
Ma Ruixiang leaned back, looking smugly victorious.
Su Mingzhao, however, flushed red. Before he could charge over, Chen Xiaoya’s ruler cracked against the blackboard.
"Enough! First day of school, and you’re already at each other’s throats? Want to brawl? Should I call your parents to watch?"
She pointed the ruler at Su Mingzhao. "Sit down!"
The instigator deserved no leniency.
Su Mingzhao eyed the ruler, then grudgingly obeyed.
No one dared defy the homeroom teacher on day one.
Those who did wouldn’t last long.
Once order was restored, Chen Xiaoya spoke. "Keep introductions brief—just enough for everyone to know you. Next, Xue Zigui."
"Zheng Cuie."
"Zhang Yuxin."
"Lin Mo."
Jiang Yunlu immediately turned to watch as Lin Mo rose slowly.
"Hello, I’m Lin Mo. No particular hobbies, but if I had to name one, I’d say I enjoy working out."
The Body Tempering Pill had granted him physique beyond ordinary limits—surpassing even Olympic athletes.
Here, Lin Mo was laying groundwork.
But he had no plans to pursue sports. Freedom mattered more, and it didn’t align with his goals or his philosophy of laying low.