I'll let you off easy this once

Inside the tent, a warm yellow camping lantern hung from the ceiling. Its soft light was firmly locked inside by the thick, light-blocking fabric; from the outside, it was pitch black.

You get what you pay for. This expensive tent even had a small mesh skylight at the top, just big enough to let someone lying down see a small, framed slice of the night sky.

Lin Mo, acting like a complete saint, lay in the tent holding a bag of potato chips.

The wild summer night carried a hint of chill, but neither of them had climbed into their sleeping bags.

The two just lay there side by side, speechless for a moment.

Silence fermented in the cramped space, making the air feel somewhat thick.

Eventually, Jiang Yunlu was the first to give in. She turned her head to look at the laid-back guy beside her.

"Not long after school starts, you'll be heading to Tianjing, right?"

"Yeah, for the training camp."

Lin Mo stuffed another chip into his mouth and replied indistinctly, "No big deal. Everyone there is just a bunch of rookies; I'll just crush them."

He had that punchable look of someone who thought he was second only to heaven itself.

Looking at him, Jiang Yunlu felt both annoyed and amused. She couldn't help but reach out and shove his shoulder.

"Don't be so arrogant. There's always someone better out there! There are still plenty of geniuses in this world, just like the one I met."

Jiang Yunlu was still brooding over that badminton champion with the huge arms.

Hearing this, Lin Mo chuckled. He turned his head to look at her, his eyes holding a hint of amusement.

"I know, I know. I'll just bring back another first place from the national competition."

Although Lin Mo said he knew, he still held absolute confidence in his divine sense.

With the enhancement of his divine sense, Lin Mo's calculation ability far surpassed that of a computer.

Of course, only his calculation ability.

In an instant, the entire tent fell into a quiet atmosphere.

Jiang Yunlu wanted to say something more, but the words were swallowed back down just as they reached her lips.

Dead silence returned to the tent, leaving only the faint sound of Lin Mo chewing chips and the intermittent chirping of insects outside.

The two of them were like two Silent Poppy, not saying a word.

This silence was like an invisible hand, plucking at the young woman's heartstrings.

Jiang Yunlu felt her heartbeat growing faster and faster, pounding against her chest like a drum.

She didn't dare look at Lin Mo again, forcing her gaze to lock onto that small patch of starry sky beyond the skylight, as if the mysteries of the universe were hidden there.

But out of the corner of her eye, she couldn't stop herself from glancing sideways.

Her left hand, which was closer to Lin Mo, felt incredibly awkward right now; no matter how she placed it, it felt wrong.

Her fingertips unconsciously traced back and forth over the smooth fabric of the sleeping bag, as if playing a silent melody.

Once, then again.

Finally, as if it had a mind of its own, her hand began a long and arduous expedition.

One centimeter, two centimeters... cautiously inching toward Lin Mo's hand, which rested casually by his side.

Her breathing grew light, her peripheral vision locked tightly on the target, all her focus concentrated on that tiny space right before they touched.

Closer.

Even closer.

Her fingertips could almost feel the heat radiating from the back of his hand.

Right at that critical moment, she suddenly yanked her hand back as if she had been burned.

Her heart was practically leaping out of her throat.

Once... twice...

Her hand bounced back and forth between advancing and retreating, staging an intense internal drama.

Just as her fingertips gathered the courage for a third time, stopping less than a hair's breadth away from the back of Lin Mo's hand...

"Crunch."

The last potato chip was eaten.

Lin Mo suddenly moved.

He sat up, accurately tossed the empty wrapper into the trash bag in the corner, and then lay back down.

Throughout the entire process, his arm lifted and fell naturally, perfectly avoiding Jiang Yunlu's hand, which was suspended in mid-air, caught between advancing and retreating.

Jiang Yunlu's body instantly stiffened, as if someone had pressed the pause button on her.

The air froze in that moment.

Just as she was so embarrassed she wanted to dive into her sleeping bag and hibernate, Lin Mo's smiling voice drifted into her ears.

"Hand cramp?"

He tilted his head, his burning gaze fixed on her hand that was still frozen in mid-air, a teasing smirk playing on his lips.

"Or... were you trying to sneak-attack me?"

Courage born of desperation flared up within her.

Jiang Yunlu stared at Lin Mo's profile, her heartbeat infinitely magnified in the silence.

"What sneak attack!" She suddenly reached out and grabbed Lin Mo's wrist, the touch warm against her skin.

"I, the young miss, have taken a liking to your hand. Can't I just touch it!"

What kind of wild talk was that.

However, Lin Mo suddenly spoke.

"What if your dad is right outside?"

Jiang Yunlu's movements visibly stiffened as her father's stern face flashed through her mind.

But the arrow was already on the bowstring; there was no turning back now.

She glared fiercely at Lin Mo, that brief moment of hesitation instantly washed away by a surge of embarrassed anger.

"I'm not scared!"

Before her voice faded, she lunged forward, pinning Lin Mo down onto the soft sleeping bag.

The fabric rustled as they rubbed against each other.

She straddled him and, imitating the movies, forcefully pinned Lin Mo's wrists on either side of his head.

Looking down from above, she tried hard to keep a straight face, wanting to make herself look more imposing.

"Are you scared!"

"I'm scared." Lin Mo's answer was surprisingly quick, and his tone was exceptionally serious.

This reaction caught Jiang Yunlu a bit off guard, but she quickly steadied her nerves.

"Even if you're scared, you better behave!"

With that said, she hesitated no longer, lowering her head and kissing him.

Unlike the other two girls who just gave pecks, Jiang Yunlu often went to France, so she used a French wet kiss.

Striated muscles attacked each other, exchanging N-acetylneuraminic acid.

Jiang Yunlu released Lin Mo, panting heavily.

After all, it was her first time using this ultimate technique; she had no idea how to breathe during it.

Her cheeks were flushed red as she gazed at Lin Mo with seductive eyes.

As everyone knows, a person who gets kissed must kiss back.

Lin Mo directly wrapped his arms around Jiang Yunlu and pressed her down onto the sleeping bag.

"You're breaking the rules like this, you know?"

Jiang Yunlu smiled, "Is that so?"

She knew what Lin Mo wanted to do, so she gently closed her eyes.

She cautiously opened her eyes just a slit, meeting Lin Mo's smiling eyes, which were full of mischief and teasing.

"What? Did you think I was going to do something?"

Boom. Heat rushed straight to the top of her head.

Jiang Yunlu instantly covered her burning face with both hands, letting out a muffled protest, "Gow 'way!"

"Oh! Then I'll go away."

Lin Mo compliantly let her go and lay back down in his own spot.

Covering her face, Jiang Yunlu could feel the sleeping bag beside her sink down. That tiny bit of expectation and courage in her heart rapidly cooled, turning into an indescribable sense of disappointment.

Right at that moment, a warm hand reached over and gently grasped her hand resting by her side.

There were no extra movements, just a simple hold, their fingers intertwining.

In the darkness, Lin Mo's voice sounded again, carrying a hint of helpless indulgence.

"Since you're the birthday girl today, I'll let you take advantage of me."