Picking Up the Giant Panda After School

It was fantasy time.

A thrilling thought even flashed through Ye Minghui's mind: what a wonderful experience it would be to melt this iceberg of a girl little by little, mold her into someone entirely dependent on him, and then mercilessly dump her right when she was completely devoted.

Zhou Nianqian glanced at the undisguised desire on Ye Minghui's face. He said nothing, simply turning his head back in silence.

He didn't need to do anything; he only needed to wait.

With Ye Minghui acting as a living target up front to draw all the attention, fully displaying his arrogance and high profile, Zhou Nianqian only needed to wait for the right moment to play the role of a low-key, gentle, and understanding guy. This would easily create a sharp contrast.

Quality speaks for itself when compared. With Ye Minghui serving as the perfect stepping stone, he was completely confident that he could attract Jiang Yunlu's attention.

The events of the back-to-school day were rather dull, consisting of nothing more than class assignments and course schedules. Soon, the PA system crackled to life, calling all students and faculty to assemble on the sports field for the opening ceremony.

The ceremony was as long and tedious as ever. The school leaders' repetitive speeches sounded like a lullaby.

It wasn't until the awards segment that the students finally perked up a bit.

Besides Lin Mo's Math Olympiad, other competitions had also taken place, and quite a few students had placed in them.

"...In addition to our brilliant achievements in the Olympiad, our students have also accomplished outstanding feats in sports.

In the provincial badminton tournament that just concluded in August, Jiang Yunlu from Grade 2 Class 8 won the runner-up position in the women's singles badminton event! Let us welcome Jiang Yunlu to the stage with a warm round of applause to receive her award!"

A wave of applause immediately erupted across the field, and many students from Class 8 looked excitedly at Jiang Yunlu.

Under everyone's gaze, Jiang Yunlu stood up with a faint, proud blush on her cheeks. As she walked past Lin Mo, she deliberately paused, reached out her small hand, and gave his shoulder a smug pat.

Her eyes seemed to say: See that? I am also a master of both the pen and the sword!

Ah, yes, yes, yes.

Stepping down from the stage, Jiang Yunlu handed her certificate to Lin Mo and smoothly snatched his certificate right out of his hands.

It had to be said that after the birthday camping trip, Jiang Yunlu had become much bolder.

"Hey, don't do anything weird with my certificate."

The rest of the classmates broke into smiles.

Back in the classroom, as the other classes were gradually dismissed for the day, Chen Xiaoya finally concluded her long and trivial back-to-school reminders.

"...Starting tomorrow, the evening self-study sessions will officially begin. The academic pace in Grade 2 is going to be much faster than in Grade 1, so I hope everyone adjusts their mindset as soon as possible... Class dismissed!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, the once-quiet classroom was instantly filled with the rustling sounds of students packing their bags. The teenage boys and girls, having been cooped up all day, had finally regained their freedom.

"Public schools actually require evening self-study? What a pain." Impatience was written all over Ye Minghui's face.

Ye Minghui furrowed his brows.

The private school he used to attend never had this many rules.

"You can apply to opt out."

Zhou Nianqian packed his things, his voice quiet but just loud enough for Ye Minghui to hear. "Though, I'll probably be here every day."

Not attend evening self-study? Then why had he gone through so much trouble to transfer into this class? Wasn't it just to be closer to his target and make his presence known?

Zhou Nianqian's gaze subtly swept toward Jiang Yunlu not far away. Seeing that she hadn't moved yet, he suppressed his impatience and slowly organized his desk.

Opportunities were reserved for the patient.

Now that school was over, Xie Yuling no longer had to walk over from Class 7 to wait for Lin Mo at the door of Class 8. She simply reached out and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Let's go pick up Qing Cheng from school. She shouldn't be dismissed earlier than us today."

"I want to go see little sister Qing Cheng too!" Chu Miaomiao peeked out from the adjacent seat and timidly raised her hand.

"I want to go too. I haven't seen Qing Cheng in a long time, and I miss her."

"Qing Cheng? Who's Qing Cheng?"

A voice suddenly interjected from behind. Fang Jun had snuck up behind Lin Mo at some point, slinging an arm casually over his shoulder.

Before Lin Mo could answer, Jiang Yunlu took the initiative to explain, "She's Lin Mo's younger cousin. She's in her second year of middle school at the Forty-Fifth Middle School. We were just talking about picking her up."

Jiang Yunlu's desk mate, Wang Qin, also raised her hand. "I'll go too."

Hearing this, Fang Jun's eyes immediately lit up. He slapped Lin Mo's shoulder.

"No problem, I'm coming too! Old Mo's little sister is my little sister!"

"Then I'll tag along too," An Yuexin chimed in, joining the fun.

"Fine, sure, whatever."

Lin Mo scanned the group and looked helplessly toward Tong Dong, who was quietly packing his things.

"What about you? Are you going or not?"

Tong Dong paused in his packing, seemingly surprised that Lin Mo would specifically ask him. He hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Sure."

"Should I go too?" Xue Zigui turned around to ask.

Lin Mo buried his face in his hands. "I'm just going to pick someone up from school. Why are you all acting like we're going to the zoo to see a giant panda?"

"Brother-in-law, we're actually just..." Fang Jun was grinning cheekily, about to say something else, when Lin Mo suddenly turned his head and gave him an overly bright smile.

The next second, Lin Mo cleared his throat and drawled out loudly.

"Cai Junhuang, Bro Fang is calling me..."

"Daddy!"

Before Lin Mo could finish shouting, Fang Jun's soul nearly left his body in sheer terror. He lunged forward like a frightened rabbit, frantically trying to cover Lin Mo's mouth.

"I was wrong! Daddy! I'm calling you Daddy now! Don't shout! Please!"

This shrill cry of "Daddy" successfully drew the attention of everyone still lingering in the classroom.

Even Cai Junhuang, who had already shouldered her backpack and reached the classroom door, stopped in her tracks and looked back in confusion.

"What's going on?"

She swept a mild glance their way, her gaze pausing for a second on Fang Jun, who looked like he was about to drop to his knees before Lin Mo.

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Fang Jun's forehead. His mind raced as he threw an arm around Lin Mo's neck, forcing out a smile that looked worse than if he were crying.

"Nothing! It's nothing! Lin Mo was just asking if you wanted to come with us to pick up his sister from school!"

"Oh?" Hearing this, Cai Junhuang raised her eyebrows slightly, seemingly finding the idea somewhat interesting. "Sure."

Great, Giant Panda Observation Team member +1.

The large group then set off grandly toward the Forty-Fifth Middle School.

Since everyone was wearing the Guangba school uniform, it truly felt like a massive procession.

As they walked, Fang Jun casually asked, "How come I've never heard you mention having a cousin?"

"Don't go poking your nose into triad business," Lin Mo shot back, shutting him down.

Cai Junhuang, walking beside Fang Jun, lightly nudged him with her elbow.

"You're so gossipy. What? Are you trying to make Lin Mo your brother-in-law?"

These words were like stepping on Fang Jun's tail. Startled, he immediately shouted, "I am not, I didn't, don't spout nonsense!"

A triple denial meant there was definitely a problem.

Cai Junhuang narrowed her eyes, staring fixedly at Fang Jun.

Meanwhile, Xie Yuling quietly observed the scene. She realized that Cai Junhuang's attitude toward Fang Jun had indeed changed.