The holiday plans were settled just like that.
But there were still classes to face.
And the holiday homework was no small amount.
It had only been a month since the semester started, so why was there so much work for every subject?
Since there was no evening self-study session, all this homework had to be taken home.
On this day, students from all three grades—first year to third year—were exempt from evening self-study.
Thanks to the Mid-Autumn Festival, even the third-year students got a four-day break.
This was already considered a luxurious holiday.
After all, third-year students were usually subjected to extreme academic pressure.
From a distance, Chu Miaomiao raised her head and glanced at Lin Mo, hesitating.
She wanted to stand up but didn’t dare.
Beside her, Geng Xiao overheard Lin Mo’s question to Fang Jun, and with a quick thought, she pulled Chu Miaomiao toward him.
"Lin Mo, Miaomiao and I want to come too. Can we join you?"
Chu Miaomiao twisted her fingers nervously, feeling a little embarrassed, as if she might ruin the mood. But deep down, she really wanted to go.
Before Lin Mo could respond, Fang Jun chimed in, "The more, the merrier! Let’s all go together."
Though it did seem like there were a few too many girls.
But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Fang Jun glanced at Lin Mo.
"I’ll invite Old An and that girl from Class 15 later—give him a chance to make a move."
Lin Mo gave him a thumbs-up. "As expected of you, the ultimate wingman!"
But these exchanges were done discreetly between the two.
No point spreading rumors before anything even happened.
Jiang Yunlu turned her head and observed the silent Chu Miaomiao, unfazed.
But Geng Xiao’s ever-present smile rubbed her the wrong way.
After spending some time with Chu Miaomiao, it was clear she was genuinely introverted.
Geng Xiao, on the other hand, was extremely outgoing—and rumored to be on friendly terms with many guys.
That kind of girl was dangerous around boys.
Especially since the moment she approached, Geng Xiao had been smiling at Lin Mo nonstop. A girl like that needed to be watched carefully!
After everyone dispersed, Lin Mo realized the group was getting a bit large.
He wasn’t sure if Xie Yuling would be comfortable with so many people.
Originally, he had just planned to buy clothes. But with more people, it’d probably turn into window shopping, eating snacks, and drinking bubble tea.
Ah, whatever. Lin Mo wasn’t too concerned about what might happen.
As for how these three girls would interact—
He couldn’t care less.
Some kind of dramatic showdown? Not his problem.
Fang Jun created a small QQ group and added all the key people.
"Easier to chat here. We can finalize the time, and everyone can confirm their own schedules."
Fang Jun was good at organizing, so he took charge of the arrangements.
Lin Mo, meanwhile, set the outing for the second day of the National Day holiday.
First and second-year students got a full week off, plus an extra day for Mid-Autumn Festival—eight days total.
So the second day wasn’t too early or too late.
Once the schedule was set, everyone could adjust their own plans.
In the end, not everyone might actually show up.
When school ended in the afternoon, Lin Mo stretched lazily.
He wasn’t going home for the next few days, so he had already told Chu Miaomiao he wouldn’t be coming over for dinner.
Chu Miaomiao’s already lowered head drooped even further.
Still, she messaged him on QQ.
"Are you sure it’s okay if I come?"
Lin Mo replied casually, "Why wouldn’t it be?"
"I... I don’t know."
"If you don’t know, then just come. Even if you don’t buy clothes, walking around is nice too."
After a pause, he added,
"I’ll pick you up."
Reading that, Chu Miaomiao let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Without him, she wouldn’t even want to leave the house.
Beside her, Geng Xiao had seen the entire exchange but pretended not to notice. After a moment, she said to Chu Miaomiao, "Miaomiao, I’ll come get you at your place, okay?"
Geng Xiao’s smile seemed sincere to Chu Miaomiao, so she shook her head.
"No need to trouble you."
"It’s no trouble! Walking together will be more fun. It’s settled then!"
With that, Geng Xiao slung her backpack over her shoulder and left with a wave.
Chu Miaomiao lifted a hand, lips parting, but no words came out.
Jiang Yunlu patted Lin Mo’s shoulder.
"See you during the holiday."
Then she swung her ponytail and walked out of the classroom.
On her way out, she spotted Xie Yuling stepping out from the back door of Class 7.
Xie Yuling carried a backpack, her expression blank as she scanned the hallway, her gaze passing over Jiang Yunlu without pause.
But she could feel Jiang Yunlu’s eyes on her.
This girl had been watching her like this for a while now.
Xie Yuling didn’t care. She just leaned against the railing, staring at the golden sky.
Waiting for Lin Mo.
"Let’s go."
Lin Mo slung his backpack over one shoulder—inside were his stationery, homework, and an Olympiad math guide.
He had almost finished the book and planned to complete it over the break.
Xie Yuling gave a quiet "Mm" and followed behind.
Fang Jun suddenly popped out from somewhere.
"Hey, wait up, dude!"
Lin Mo turned to look at him.
"Aren’t you the one who should be hiding? After scamming so many people in that Three Kingdoms card game, I’m surprised you haven’t been jumped yet."
Fang Jun waved his hands dismissively. "Come on, I warned them! They didn’t listen—how’s that my fault? If anyone comes looking, I’ll just blame Old Li."
Old Li was the disciplinary director, Li Yan.
"Fine. Just don’t get blood on me if things go south." Lin Mo joked as the three walked out of the school gates.
Since Lin Mo was coming home for dinner today, Xie Yuling was in a pretty good mood.
But with Fang Jun around, she stayed quiet, just listening to their conversation.
After leaving the school, the three walked normally. Passing by the alley where Su Mingzhao had been beaten up before, there was no sign of him now.
The next day, Su Mingzhao hadn’t thanked them—just sat at his desk, bruised and sulking.
The streets weren’t too crowded.
But suddenly, Lin Mo stopped in his tracks.
"What’s wrong?" Fang Jun asked, then looked ahead—and saw a boy holding a baseball bat.
He looked about fifteen, wearing ripped jeans, a leather jacket, and an earring.
Behind him stood a dozen other boys in casual clothes, all wearing the same "don’t mess with me" expression.
Definitely not the well-behaved type.
"Hey, buddy. Heard you’re pretty tough."
Lin Mo’s face paled, and he pretended to stammer, "Wh-who are you?!"
"Doesn’t matter. Someone asked me to teach you a lesson."
"W-wait! I have money! Take it and leave us alone!"
He unzipped his backpack and pulled out a thick stack of cash.
"Here. If you take this, will you let us go?"
Seeing the wad of bills—at least a few thousand—the bat-wielding boy’s eyes gleamed.
He snatched it immediately.
"Deal. Take the money, and I’ll spare the girl."
He pointed the bat at Lin Mo.
"As for you, at the very least, you'll have to take a strike from my staff."