No Room for Negotiation

"Jiang Yunlu."

Jiang Yunlu adjusted her clothes, tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and glanced around before finally settling her gaze on Lin Mo.

"Hello everyone, my name is Jiang Yunlu. I enjoy playing the piano and guitar. I’m very happy to be classmates with all of you, and I look forward to your guidance in the future."

As she spoke, Jiang Yunlu kept stealing glances at Lin Mo from the corner of her eye.

But Lin Mo seemed indifferent to everyone’s self-introductions, as if nothing could capture his attention.

Clap clap clap~

Suddenly, someone started applauding.

It was a boy.

The sound of clapping finally drew Lin Mo’s attention, and he turned to look.

It was Huang Haoyang.

Later, he would earn the nickname "Boiling Sheep."

His famous line was: "I’m just devoted to one person—what’s wrong with that?"

Being devoted to one person wasn’t wrong.

But when you’ve been "devoted" to nearly every girl in the class, then yes, that’s your fault.

Still, Huang Haoyang’s applause prompted many other clueless classmates to join in, filling the classroom with a round of clapping.

This actually made Jiang Yunlu a little embarrassed. Before Chen Xiaoya could even speak, she cautiously sat back down.

Several more students introduced themselves afterward.

Then, Chen Xiaoya called another name.

"Chu Miaomiao."

A timid-looking girl slowly stood up, her head lowered.

But Jiang Yunlu noticed Lin Mo suddenly turning to look at her.

She immediately followed his gaze.

Chu Miaomiao had a very distinctive appearance—an oval face with slightly chubby cheeks, shoulder-length hair, and soft bangs.

However, she wore thick glasses that obscured her eyes whenever she tilted her head down.

Of course, what really made her stand out was her figure, which seemed unusually developed for her age.

Her loose black clothes might have visually concealed some things, but certain traits were as unmistakable as fireflies in the dark.

Several people even gasped.

When Lin Mo heard the name, he froze for a second before instinctively turning to look at this girl who would flash through his life like a fleeting shadow.

And fleeting she was—because two weeks later, this very girl would jump to her death in her apartment complex.

The class only found out days after it happened.

As for the reason, Lin Mo never knew.

"Pervert!"

A voice suddenly hissed beside him.

Lin Mo frowned and turned to see Jiang Yunlu biting her lower lip, glaring at him with resentment.

Lin Mo swore he had never provoked Jiang Yunlu before.

But he could guess why she’d called him that.

After all, Chu Miaomiao was… impressive, to say the least. Whether in looks or figure, she was top-tier.

If she hadn’t only stayed in the class for two weeks, she might have given Jiang Yunlu a run for her money as the class belle.

"I… I’m Chu Miaomiao. I like… novels and drawing, I guess. Thank you."

With that, Chu Miaomiao immediately sat back down, practically burying her head under the desk.

Too shy. Too introverted.

Once the introductions were over, the whole class breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, with a wave of her hand, Chen Xiaoya led Class 8 to the gymnasium to collect their uniforms and military training gear.

The uniform distribution was separated by gender.

You had to state your size first, then try on a sample jacket. If it fit, you’d get that size; if not, you’d exchange it.

Lin Mo was exactly 170 cm tall—above average for southern Chinese boys at the time.

After all, in 2012, the average male height was around 168 cm.

And thanks to the Body Strengthening Pill he’d taken, Lin Mo, at just 16, still had room to grow.

Lin Mo queued up near the back. By the time he collected his gear and returned to the classroom, most of his classmates had already left.

Homeroom teacher Chen Xiaoya had probably gone home too.

Carrying his uniforms, Lin Mo walked toward his seat—only to find it occupied.

Su Mingzhao was lounging in Lin Mo’s chair, leaning toward Jiang Yunlu with a casual air.

"Add me on QQ, yeah? We’re classmates now. I made a group chat—gonna add everyone in."

He waved his Little Pepper smartphone.

Little Pepper was a budget smartphone brand that followed Xiaomi’s rise. Though not well-known, it had all the basic functions of the time.

The mobile QQ app on it even looked surprisingly sleek.

But Jiang Yunlu shook her head. "Sorry, I don’t have QQ. Maybe later, when I get one, someone can add me to the group."

Su Mingzhao didn’t pick up on the rejection.

He sat up eagerly. "No problem! I’ll make one for you right now. Super easy."

Back in 2012, you could register for QQ without any hassle—no phone number required.

Unlike in later years, where everything had to be linked.

Jiang Yunlu really didn’t want to give her QQ to this braces-wearing boy, especially since every time he spoke, a strong odor wafted from his mouth.

It was unbearable.

But people with bad breath never notice it themselves, and Su Mingzhao kept chattering away.

Before Jiang Yunlu could refuse again, a shadow loomed over Su Mingzhao.

"Excuse me. That’s my seat."

Su Mingzhao looked up lazily, then smirked when he saw Lin Mo’s mildly handsome face.

"Tch. We’re classmates—what’s the big deal? Don’t be stingy."

His eyes darted around before he grinned. "Tell you what, my seat’s by the window—great view. Wanna swap?"

At this, Jiang Yunlu stiffened.

She shot Lin Mo a pleading look, silently begging him not to agree.

Lin Mo glanced at her, catching the desperation in her eyes.

"If it’s such a great seat, why are you offering to swap?"

Su Mingzhao blinked, but his quick wit kicked in. "Because I wanna focus on studying. So I’m sacrificing this seat for you."

The excuse was beyond flimsy. Lin Mo chuckled and turned to Jiang Yunlu.

"How about this? Since Su Mingzhao wants to study, but I also want to study, why don’t you two swap seats instead?"

Su Mingzhao’s face fell.

His whole plan was to get closer to Jiang Yunlu—if he swapped with her, it’d defeat the purpose!

And this wasn’t the seat he wanted at all.

He pulled Lin Mo aside. "Hey, man, let’s talk. Give me this seat, and I’ll let you copy my homework anytime."

"I’ll have to ask my wife first."

Su Mingzhao gasped. "You have a wife?!"

Even Jiang Yunlu looked stunned.

Lin Mo shrugged.

"Nope. So no discussion needed."

Su Mingzhao was still processing this when Jiang Yunlu burst into laughter beside them.

Hearing her laugh and seeing Lin Mo’s amused expression, Su Mingzhao finally realized he’d been played.

Su Mingzhao, no matter how slow he was, realized he’d been played. Without hesitation, he stood up and reached for Lin Mo’s collar.

“You little brat, you’re messing with me, huh?”

But before his hand could fully extend, Lin Mo had already seized him by the collar and lifted him high.

“So what if I am?”

The once-rowdy classroom fell silent in an instant.