Emotions are for those with principles.

After finishing the final exam, everyone looked a bit delirious.

Even the high school entrance exams hadn’t been this exhausting. Two straight days of intense testing—clearly, the school had some issues.

The invigilator collected the exam papers.

"Once the arts and sciences streams are split, the monthly exams won’t be as troublesome. But for now, in your first year, you still need to find your direction."

The underlying message was simple.

If you wanted to pursue science, then put in the effort for science subjects.

If you wanted to pursue arts, then focus on arts subjects.

As for the other subjects? Just do the bare minimum to save face.

If you already had a clear goal, slacking off was fine. But if you were still undecided, the teachers would offer guidance.

All-rounders weren’t unheard of, but the teachers preferred students to concentrate on their stronger subjects.

After the exam, Lin Mo slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed to Class 8.

They had plans today—karaoke.

Fang Jun had already booked a room. They could head straight there after school.

(According to the Minor Protection Laws, this technically wasn’t allowed, but... let’s not dwell on that. Besides, this was the Nine Heavens Realm, not Earth—a completely fictional world. Layers upon layers of disclaimers!!!)

Back in the classroom, the group going to karaoke was the same as the one that had hung out during National Day.

Except Geng Xiao wasn’t there.

Lin Jiajun, standing nearby, watched as the group gathered.

"You guys going out?"

Lin Mo shrugged casually. "Karaoke. Wanna join?"

Lin Jiajun shook his head and waved his hands. "Nah, you guys have fun. I’ve got dinner plans with my parents. Plus, I’m tone-deaf—karaoke’s not my thing."

Most people already had their own plans.

Fang Jun went to ask Xu Sheng, but he declined too. As someone still recovering from an illness, he wasn’t supposed to go to KTV. Plus, he had someone picking him up from school every day.

But those who had confirmed earlier had already sorted out their schedules.

So in the end, it was the same group from last time heading to the karaoke place.

Considering no one had eaten yet, Fang Jun booked a KTV with an all-you-can-eat buffet—Tang Club.

The only exception was Jiang Yunlu, who said she’d join later and wouldn’t be going with them.

Tang Club was only about a fifteen-minute walk from Guangba Middle School.

So they decided to walk there.

On the way, Xie Yuling and Chu Miaomiao walked together, seemingly bonding over something.

Lin Mo and Fang Jun led the group, while An Yuexin and Mai Chuwen brought up the rear.

Fang Jun slung an arm around Lin Mo’s shoulders.

"Wanna guess why Jiang Yunlu’s coming later?"

Seeing Fang Jun’s slightly sleazy grin, Lin Mo was confused but not overly curious.

"Why?"

"Bet you anything she went home to change into a different outfit."

"What kind of move is that?!"

Lin Mo had genuinely never heard of such a tactic.

"If you wanna catch someone’s eye, you gotta dress to impress, right? For us guys, it doesn’t matter. But all the girls are in school uniforms. If she shows up in her own clothes, she’s already one step ahead."

Damn. You’re the real hidden mastermind of Class 8, huh? Gao Yuanqiang’s nothing compared to you.

"Wanna bet she’ll show up looking drop-dead gorgeous... right in front of you?"

Fang Jun dragged out the last few words, clearly enjoying himself. This guy was 100% a troll.

Lin Mo ignored him, opting instead to put him in a headlock as they walked ahead.

"If you’ve got nothing useful to say, then shut it."

......

Back home, as expected, her father wasn’t around.

Jiang Yunlu immediately rushed to her walk-in closet.

She pulled up her white thigh-high socks, the slight pressure leaving faint marks on her slender legs, accentuating their curves. The green strappy dress she wore perfectly balanced cuteness and sex appeal, and the little shrug she draped over her shoulders added a teasing hint of mystery.

Slipping into her dress shoes, Jiang Yunlu was all set to leave.

But just as she was about to step out, the front door clicked open.

The sound made her freeze mid-step.

The figure that walked in was youthful and slender, though she carried an air of exhaustion.

"Finally back—oh?!"

Jiang Chengyue had barely stepped inside when she spotted her niece, all dolled up.

Jiang Yunlu exhaled in relief. At least it wasn’t her dad—he’d have bombarded her with questions.

Too bad she’d underestimated her aunt’s nosy nature.

Jiang Chengyue swooped in, wrapping her arms around Jiang Yunlu.

"Where’s my little Yunlu off to? Got a date?"

Jiang Yunlu’s face flushed instantly.

"N-no! We just planned to go to KTV. I came back to change, that’s all."

Jiang Chengyue’s eyes narrowed knowingly.

"Oho~ Playing a little game, are we? The other girls are probably still in their uniforms, but you? Dressed like this—you’re aiming for a certain boy, aren’t you?"

As she spoke, Jiang Chengyue recalled the boy who’d picked out CDs.

She hadn’t mentioned him to her brother, but she’d done some digging.

Orphaned, living off compensation money.

Owned a house but had no steady income.

Just an ordinary guy, really.

So what if he could arm-wrestle a drill instructor?

At the end of the day, he was still just a normal kid.

Unless Lin Mo actually got into military school and became an officer—but from the looks of it, that wasn’t his plan.

So in Jiang Chengyue’s eyes, the chances of anything happening between Jiang Yunlu and this boy were slim.

That said, if her niece wanted to dip her toes into romance, she wouldn’t interfere. If anything, she’d help cover for her.

So instead of raining on her parade, she simply said, "Don’t drink, and come home early."

Jiang Yunlu nodded. "Don’t worry, they only booked three hours. It won’t be late."

Then she added, "And no drinking."

Jiang Yunlu wasn’t stupid—far from it.

She’d let her feelings blossom, but she’d stick to her principles.

After a brief pause, she suddenly said, "Auntie, when I get back tonight... there’s something I want to ask you."

Jiang Chengyue smiled. "Sure. I’ll take a shower and wait for my little Yunlu to come home and tell me all about it."

......

"Flipping through the corners of memory, a perfect life~"

"Thinking happiness was always within reach~"

Fang Jun belted out the lyrics at the top of his lungs as An Yuexin pushed open the door, balancing several plates of food.

All-you-can-eat karaoke was a brilliant business model.

Those who couldn’t sing could stuff themselves silly.

Those who loved singing could hog the mic indefinitely.

And the food kept the energy in the room from dying down.

Soon, Lin Mo and the others returned with their own plates piled high.

Xie Yuling’s plate was stacked with shrimp—her cravings fully satisfied.

Chu Miaomiao, meanwhile, had gone for sushi and cold dishes.

Lin Mo had loaded up on Cantonese dim sum and a few bowls of slow-cooked soup.

Drinking slow-cooked soup at a KTV? Now that was something you didn’t see every day.

Nutritionally questionable? Sure. But damn, it was tasty.

"Hey, Lao Mo, pick a few songs!" Fang Jun gestured at the song selection screen.

Lin Mo popped a shrimp dumpling into his mouth, then got up to browse the catalog.

Songs from 2012... the selection’s kinda limited.

But for now... let’s go with "Heavy Taste"~

Lin Mo loved singing, and of course, he was exceptionally good at it.