About an hour later, a black Bentley stopped at the entrance of No. 1 High School.
Outside vehicles weren’t allowed into the school without permission. Visitors had to register first.
Security guard Uncle Fang approached the car. "Hello, do you have business at the school?"
Shen Yihan was also an alumnus of No. 1 High and recognized Uncle Fang. "Uncle Fang, we’re here to handle a transfer."
A transfer?
Uncle Fang took a closer look and immediately recognized Shen Yihan.
Who wouldn’t know the "Buddha of Beijing’s elite circles"?
"Is this your relative?" Uncle Fang asked casually, handing the registration book to Shen Yihan.
Then he noticed the exquisitely beautiful girl sitting in the passenger seat.
She smiled at him, her eyes curved like crescents. "Uncle Fang."
Uncle Fang froze.
The next second, he closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, the girl was still there.
Without hesitation, he pulled out a handful of glutinous rice and threw it at the passenger seat, shouting, "Back! Back!! Back!!!"
He was certain—this was Lin Mo!
The Lin Mo who had been dead for eleven years, the top scorer in the national college entrance exam.
She looked just as stunning as she had back then, but humans and ghosts didn’t belong together.
He couldn’t let her sit in the passenger seat of the "Buddha’s" car.
Last time, she’d been in Xie Guanyan’s passenger seat, and he hadn’t reacted fast enough!
The handful of rice scattered inside the car, leaving all three occupants momentarily stunned.
Lin Mo burst into laughter. "Hahaha! Uncle Fang, I’m human, not a ghost!"
Uncle Fang wasn’t convinced. "Quick, Buddha, grab your prayer beads! There’s a female ghost in your passenger seat!"
Shen Yihan calmly picked up the rice from his lap and placed it in the car’s center console before looking up. "She’s really not a ghost. My sister never died."
The three of them had already agreed on a cover story.
Claiming she’d traveled through time would only get her taken away for questioning.
Shen Yihan’s voice was steady. "The truth is, my sister was rescued back then but remained in a coma as a vegetative patient. She only recently woke up."
Uncle Fang was half-convinced—until Lin Mo stepped out and took his hand.
"See? I have a pulse! Lin Mo is alive again!"
Finally convinced, Uncle Fang’s eyes welled up with tears. "It’s really you! This is wonderful! Back when I heard you’d died, I was so heartbroken I lost weight—dropped from 160 pounds to 79 kilograms! You’re still so young and beautiful, while I’ve gotten old."
"Not old at all! Uncle Fang, you’re still as dashing as ever, charming all the cleaning ladies!" Lin Mo teased.
Back in the day, quite a few cleaning ladies at the school had had crushes on him.
Despite being bald, his upright character made him incredibly reliable!
Uncle Fang’s face flushed. "Oh, come on! That’s all in the past. I’m married now and love my wife dearly. Ah, sorry about throwing rice at you."
"Let me clean it up. I was planning to cook glutinous rice for my wife tonight anyway!"
The "Buddha of Beijing’s elite circles" hadn’t expected to be shown up by Uncle Fang’s marital bliss. He mentally kicked over his metaphorical dog bowl.
Handing the registration book back, Shen Yihan said, "This is all dirty now. I’ll take my sister inside first."
Uncle Fang didn’t insist, as another car was waiting to enter. He pressed the button to raise the barrier and smiled. "Come see me before you leave, Lin Mo! I’ll give you some fruit."
The girl had always loved fruit.
Back then, he’d often see her walking to school in the mornings, munching on an apple or orange.
Whenever she spotted him, she’d pull an extra one from her backpack and hand it to him.
Sometimes an orange, sometimes an apple.
People said being a security guard was a waste of time, but to him, seeing the students’ bright smiles made it all worthwhile.
And when they shared their fruit with him? Pure bliss!
Principal’s office, No. 1 High School.
As he reviewed Shen Ji’an’s records, the principal’s lips twitched uncontrollably.
This was the troublemaker who’d knocked out two of No. 3 High’s principal’s teeth!
Sure, everyone in Beijing’s education circles now knew that principal had been arrested, but Shen Ji’an’s academic performance was… problematic.
When Shen Yihan had offered to donate a building, the principal had agreed immediately.
Now, he was having second thoughts.
"With grades like these, No. 1 High…"
Shen Ji’an stepped forward, his eyes shadowed by his long bangs. "Principal, I’ll keep up. I’ll work hard!"
Lin Mo was pleased to see him advocating for himself. She smiled. "Principal, I’ll supervise my brother’s studies."
The principal glanced at Lin Mo, and his lips twitched even harder.
Shen Yihan had already explained her situation.
Yes, she’d been the top scorer in the national college entrance exam.
But after lying in a vegetative state for eleven years, did she even remember high school material?
Yet he’d already accepted Shen Yihan’s donation—the money had been transferred!
Torn, he said, "Lin Mo, as an alumna, you know how seriously our school takes university admission rates. Both of your cases are highly unusual…"
Not wanting his sister’s efforts to go to waste, Shen Ji’an clenched his fists. "Principal, if I rank last in next month’s exams, I’ll withdraw on my own!"
The principal then looked at Lin Mo.
She blinked. "Well, I was the top scorer. If I rank second-to-last, I’ll leave too!"
Principal: "…"
A former national champion now aiming to avoid being the second-worst.
The principal’s suspicions were confirmed—she’d probably forgotten most of what she’d learned.
Resigned, he said, "Fine. You can start next Monday."
Leaving the school, Lin Mo munched on an apple Uncle Fang had given her. "Shen Ji’an, I checked. The lowest score in last month’s exams was over 400."
Who knew the kid had such ambition!
Shen Ji’an lowered his gaze. "Sis, I chose this path. I’ll crawl on my knees if I have to!"
Lin Mo smiled. "Cut back on the motivational quotes. Just let the ‘Buddha’ hire you some good tutors."
Shen Yihan rested one hand on the steering wheel and glanced over. "What do you want for dinner, sis?"
Shen Ji’an leaned forward. "Let’s buy groceries and cook at Mr. Xie’s place. I’ll make him fish soup to help his wounds heal."
Lin Mo lit up. "You can cook now?"
Shen Ji’an puffed out his chest. "Yeah, and I’m really good at it!"
Shen Yihan frowned. "I can cook too."
Even if it had been a while.
Lin Mo liked the idea and sent Xie Guanyan a message:
[My little brother’s coming over tonight to make you healing fish soup. That okay?]
When he didn’t reply immediately, she assumed he was working—she’d seen Jin Yang heading over earlier.
After a trip to the supermarket, they returned to the villa.
At the door, Lin Mo noticed Xie Guanyan still hadn’t responded.
It wasn’t even 8 p.m. yet, so she knocked.
The butler opened the door, his face frantic with worry. "Miss Lin, thank goodness you’re back! Sir is burning up with fever—he’s barely conscious!"
