No. 1 High School was a place where academic performance ruled supreme.
As long as your grades were good, the teachers would spoil you rotten.
And Gu Jingzhou’s grades were excellent—he consistently ranked in the top five of the entire school.
When it came to seating arrangements, he could sit wherever he wanted.
As long as it was coordinated properly, the teachers wouldn’t object.
During break time, everyone was already curious about the new transfer students.
And now, they all knew Lin Mo had come looking for Gu Jingzhou earlier.
The students exchanged glances, murmuring among themselves.
What was going on?
Had the cold and arrogant Gu Jingzhou also fallen for Lin Mo?
Well, with her breathtaking beauty, falling for her was as easy as breathing!
The air was thick with gossip and excitement.
The school bully from No. 3 High had transferred to No. 1 High—surely he was here to focus on his studies, not to pick fights on his first day, right?
But Shen Ji'an looked up at Gu Jingzhou, his long bangs partially obscuring his eyes, which were filled with disdain. "Get lost," he spat.
Gu Jingzhou: "..."
Gu Jingzhou knew Shen Ji'an had a temper, but he hadn’t expected him to be so bold here, of all places.
No. 1 High wasn’t his territory.
His face darkened with humiliation. "Say that again," he snapped coldly.
Shen Ji'an, impulsive and battle-hardened from growing up in the slums, shot up from his seat.
Lin Mo hadn’t expected these two—destined to clash—to start up again so soon.
Seeing them about to throw punches, she quickly stood up and intervened. "Cut it out. We’re all classmates now. Harmony brings wealth—don’t tell me neither of you wants to get rich?"
Shen Ji'an: "..."
Gu Jingzhou: "..."
Well, that was unexpected. She actually knew how to defuse a fight.
Shen Ji'an, who had already sworn off fighting to focus on his studies, sat back down.
Gu Jingzhou, seeing Lin Mo step in to mediate—and not wanting to get beaten up—flushed red and stormed off.
Just like that, a tense standoff was resolved with a single sentence from Lin Mo.
The entire class was stunned.
Zhang Shuo, his chubby face breaking into a grin, exclaimed, "Boss, I’ve learned something new today!"
From now on, he’d use that line to break up fights too!
Shen Ji'an spent the entire morning listening attentively in class, even though he barely understood most of it.
Lin Mo was also fully focused, her mindset instantly reverting to her high school senior year self.
Compared to eleven years ago, the curriculum hadn’t changed much.
She’d already reviewed key points in advance, so she found it relatively easy to keep up.
But she didn’t let herself relax completely.
After all, many students who retook the college entrance exams after an unsatisfactory first attempt ended up scoring even lower the second time.
Her goal was still to rank first in the city—she couldn’t afford to slack off.
Neither of them realized that by midday, news of two new transfers had already spread like wildfire across the school.
Everyone was buzzing about it in forums and group chats.
Before they knew it, lunchtime arrived.
To save time, most students ate in the cafeteria.
Lin Mo and Shen Ji'an headed there together.
They had collected their meal cards and uniforms during the long break after second period.
Lin Mo had fond memories of No. 1 High’s cafeteria food.
The lunch ladies were always experimenting with wild new dishes—
Strawberry chicken, bitter melon stir-fried with honeydew, popcorn pork…
The taste? Well, one bite and you’d be speechless.
But eleven years had passed—those lunch ladies were probably long gone.
Once inside, Shen Ji'an said, "Sis, go find us a seat. I’ll get the food."
Lin Mo settled by the window.
Soon, Gu Jingzhou slid into the seat across from her. Seeing her empty tray, he offered, "You didn’t get food? Here, have mine."
Lin Mo shook her head. "No need. Shen Ji'an’s getting mine."
Gu Jingzhou frowned. "That guy’s always picking fights. You shouldn’t get too close to him."
Lin Mo smiled sweetly. "Worry about yourself."
Gu Jingzhou: "..."
Gu Jingzhou was undeniably good-looking—tall, athletic from playing basketball, with the refined air of a top student.
Plenty of girls had crushes on him, making him something of a school heartthrob.
Now, with a beauty like Lin Mo sitting across from him, the pair quickly became the center of attention in the cafeteria.
Including for Shen Jing and Zhao Zixin, who had just walked in.
"Look, Jing, that must be the new transfer girl. People are saying she’s prettier than you—as if! You’re our school’s flower!"
"And Gu Jingzhou must be blind to like her instead of you!"
Shen Jing was beautiful and a talented dancer—Zhao Zixin was furious on her behalf.
The school’s group chats were already flooded with rumors about Gu Jingzhou being head over heels.
In fact, Shen Jing had only come to the cafeteria today because of the gossip—normally, she ate meals delivered by her family’s chauffeur.
"Maybe she really is prettier than me," Shen Jing said with a light laugh.
Zhao Zixin dragged her toward Gu Jingzhou’s table. "No way. I need to see for myself."
The two stopped beside Gu Jingzhou.
Shen Jing’s voice was honey-sweet. "Gu Jingzhou, you’re eating in the cafeteria today?"
Though she was speaking to him, both girls’ eyes were fixed on the girl across from him.
Gu Jingzhou, who hated being disturbed, barely glanced up. "Yeah."
Hearing the voices, Lin Mo also looked up.
The moment her face—delicate and radiant like a porcelain doll—came into view, Zhao Zixin’s jaw dropped.
Damn! She really was prettier than Shen Jing! Like one of those fancy BJD dolls!
Clang!
Shen Jing’s tray hit the floor. Her pupils shrank in horror.
"AHHHH! A GHOST!"
She shrieked and bolted.
Lin Mo jumped in her seat, looking around frantically. "A ghost? Where?"
Then it hit her—that girl must have known her before.
She thought back to the face she’d just seen.
Oh. That was Shen Feng’s daughter.
The Shen family had good genes—Shen Jing’s features strongly resembled her father’s.
So she was also at No. 1 High.
Come to think of it, she should be a senior now.
Zhao Zixin, still holding her tray, was baffled. "Hey! Shen Jing, what’s wrong?"
Was she really so petty that seeing someone prettier would make her lose it?
That fragile?
Gu Jingzhou, spoon in hand, frowned.
Did Shen Jing know Lin Mo?
Shen Ji'an returned with two trays and immediately scowled at Gu Jingzhou. "You’re in my seat. Move."
Gu Jingzhou didn’t budge. "Does it have your name on it?"
These two really couldn’t meet without clashing.
Determined to avoid a repeat of her fourth brother’s fate, Lin Mo stood up. "Let’s just sit somewhere else."
Gu Jingzhou picked up his tray. "Fine."
Lin Mo pointed at Shen Ji'an. "I meant him."
Gu Jingzhou: "..."
Zhang Shuo, passing by, smirked at the scene.
He’d known the moment the boss chased after Shen Ji'an on the basketball court that she’d switched targets!
He followed Shen Ji'an with his tray and sat beside him.
Shen Ji'an didn’t seem as annoyed with Zhang Shuo as he was with Gu Jingzhou, and since Lin Mo didn’t object, he stayed quiet.
Gu Jingzhou, still holding his tray, couldn’t figure out what was going on with Lin Mo.
After a moment, he walked over and asked bluntly, "Lin Mo, are you scared of standing up to Shen Ji'an? I can protect you!"
