On Monday morning, Lin Mo arrived at the classroom thirty minutes early.
The sky was just beginning to brighten, and the door to Grade 12, Class 1, was slightly ajar with the lights inside already on.
He lightened his footsteps and peered through the gap of the back door. As expected, Su Ran was already there.
She stood at his desk with her back to the door, holding a light gray soft cloth, meticulously wiping every corner of the desktop.
Su Ran’s movements were as gentle as if she were handling a fragile antique. Starting from the top-left corner, she moved the cloth horizontally across, then shifted down exactly one inch to begin the next row.
The morning light slanted through the window, outlining her figure with a soft, golden glow.
She had her hair in a high ponytail today, revealing her fair nape. Her school blouse was filled out by striking curves that seemed beyond her years, with the hem tucked into her pleated skirt to accentuate a waist that looked small enough to be held in one hand.
Even more captivating were her long, firm legs beneath the skirt. Over-the-knee black socks bit into her thighs, creating a clear “absolute territory” mark. It seemed as though every bit of body fat had migrated to exactly where it was supposed to be. One glance was enough to make anyone’s blood boil.
‘So… she’s been this beautiful since she was young.’
Lin Mo held his breath, feeling as though he were looking at the most beautiful piece of art in the world.
After wiping the desktop, Su Ran began organizing the books inside the desk drawer.
She took them out one by one, rearranging them by subject, size, and frequency of use.
The math book for the first period was on top, followed by a notebook, and then the exercise books.
Once finished, she crouched down to inspect the desk legs.
Only then did Lin Mo notice that Su Ran was holding a small bottle.
She sprayed something onto a scratch on the desk leg and wiped it gently with the cloth.
The scratch faded but didn’t disappear entirely.
She stared at it for a few seconds, lost in thought. After a moment, she stood up, grabbed her backpack, and walked toward her own seat.
The entire process took no more than five minutes. It was a fluid, practiced routine, clearly a long-standing habit.
Lin Mo stepped back a few paces before she turned around. Pretending he had just arrived, he pushed the door open.
“Yo, morning.”
Lin Mo greeted Su Ran naturally.
Su Ran froze instantly.
With a loud *thud*, the textbook she had just pulled out dropped onto her desk.
In the silent classroom, the sound was particularly jarring.
Su Ran’s face flushed a deep crimson, as beautiful as a sunset, but the color quickly drained away, leaving her with an expression of extreme, panicked paleness.
“You… when did you…” Her voice was tight, carrying an uncontrollable tremble.
“Just got here.”
Lin Mo walked to his seat and set down his bag. “You’re early today.”
He pretended not to notice her frantic expression and didn’t mention what he had just seen. Instead, he sat down and pulled the school badge from his bag.
“Your badge. I picked it up at the station yesterday.”
Su Ran looked back at the badge as if it were a ticking time bomb.
Her fingers curled beneath the desk, and her lips thinned into a straight line.
Lin Mo walked to her desk and gently placed the badge on her open math book.
“The engraving is quite detailed. Though, for the four dots at the bottom of the ‘Mo’ character, you only carved three.”
Lin Mo teased her in a casual tone.
Su Ran snapped her head up, her pupils dilating.
‘Impossible!!’
For some reason, Lin Mo instantly read the look in her eyes and laughed. “I’m just joking. There are four dots, I counted them carefully.”
‘Carefully…?’
Su Ran stared blankly at Lin Mo. She didn’t seem to understand how he could talk about this so lightheartedly — talking about the fact that she had secretly engraved his name on the back of her badge, behavior that most people would find abnormal.
“It’s actually quite convenient,” Lin Mo continued to joke. “If I ever lose my badge, I can use this to reclaim it.”
He turned to head back to his seat and heard an extremely faint sigh of relief from behind him.
***
The first period was math, focusing on solid geometry.
When Lin Mo flipped open his notebook, he found a new sticky note tucked into the first page.
The note was once again written in a printed font: ‘Summary of solving techniques for spatial vectors, with classic problem types attached.’
He looked over at Su Ran.
She was looking down, taking notes. her profile was calm and steady, as if the note had simply appeared out of thin air.
When the bell rang at the end of class, Lin Mo intentionally let his pen roll onto the floor.
As he leaned down to pick it up, he caught a quick glimpse of the desk leg. There was a tiny arrow drawn in pencil, pointing toward the floor.
Following the arrow, Lin Mo found a piece of paper folded into a small square tucked into the gap between the desk leg and the floor.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one was watching, he flicked it out with his fingernail. Upon unfolding it, he saw it was a photocopy of the cafeteria’s menu for the week.
It covered Monday through Friday, listing every meal, its price, and even a nutritional analysis.
The grams of protein, carbohydrates, and fats were all detailed.
Next to several dishes were handwritten notes: ‘Tuesday lunch: Red-braised pork. Too much soy sauce. Your stomach is sensitive; eat less of it.’
‘Thursday dinner: Ma Po Tofu. Three-star spiciness. Suggest pairing with yogurt.’
‘Friday lunch: Steamed fish. High-quality protein. Highly recommended!’
The handwriting was neat and elegant. It was definitely Su Ran’s.
Lin Mo refolded the note and tucked it into a compartment in his pencil case.
When he looked up, he happened to meet Su Ran’s gaze.
She immediately looked away, pretending to stare at the scenery outside the window, but the tips of her ears instantly turned red.
During the break after the second period, Chen Yu leaned over with his wide face. “Did you see the class group chat? Zhang Wei is organizing a trip to that new escape room this weekend. You going?”
“No,” Lin Mo said without hesitation.
“Why not? They say it’s really intense, horror-themed.”
Chen Yu acted completely oblivious, winking as he said, “Come on, let’s go. Zhang Wei specifically asked me to invite you. She’s clearly interested in you, can’t you tell?”
Lin Mo didn’t answer.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Su Ran flipping through her book, but the speed of her page-turning had noticeably slowed. She was listening.
“I’m not interested in escape rooms.”
Lin Mo raised his voice slightly to ensure she could hear. “Besides, I’m busy this weekend.”
“Busy with what?”
“Practicing piano.”
Chen Yu was stunned. “What piano? Since when do you play the piano?”
“I don’t play. I’m going to listen to someone else practice.”
Su Ran’s hand stopped moving entirely.
***
The third period was Physical Education, but because it was raining, it was moved to the indoor gym.
It was free-activity time.
Lin Mo sat in the bleachers to rest. The bandage on his knee had already been replaced with a new one.
This morning, he had found a box of imported waterproof bandages in his backpack. It was the exact same brand as the one from his past life, delivered in the exact same way.
He was just thinking about how to “study” Su Ran and give her an “incidental” thank you when Zhang Wei suddenly walked over.
She was wearing a short athletic skirt today. Her shapely, fair legs accentuated her figure as she walked with a swaying gait, drawing whistles from the group of boys nearby.
Zhang Wei walked straight to Lin Mo and handed him a bottle of sports drink.
“Here. I saw you sweating a lot while playing ball just now.”
She smiled sweetly, radiating youthful energy.
Unfortunately, Lin Mo wasn’t interested. He casually lifted his own water bottle. “Thanks, but I have one.”
“It’s not the same. This one replenishes electrolytes.”
Zhang Wei sat down next to him, so close that their knees nearly touched. “Lin Mo, are you really not coming to the escape room? We’re short one person. Why don’t you join us?”
“I really am busy.”
“What could be more important than a class activity?”
Zhang Wei pouted, saying somewhat resentfully, “Or is it… that you have a date with someone else?”
Her gaze drifted toward the other side of the gym. Su Ran was sitting alone on a bench in the corner, holding a book, but her eyes were clearly fixed on their direction.
Lin Mo didn’t want Su Ran to misunderstand, so he stood up. “I’m going to the restroom.”
As he walked away, he heard Zhang Wei mutter under her breath, “Hmph, acting so high and mighty…”
By the time he returned from the restroom, Zhang Wei was no longer on the bleachers.
As Lin Mo sat back down, he noticed a piece of paper on the seat next to him.
He picked it up. Once again, it was printed text.
[Target: Zhang Wei, Female, 17-year-old, Grade 12, Class 1.]
[Father: Zhang Jianguo, owner of Hongyuan Construction Materials. Mother: Li Meijuan, stay-at-home mother. Annual household income: approximately two million.]
[Personality: Vain, jealous. In elementary school, she destroyed a classmate’s entry in a competition out of spite. Currently has feelings for you; motive is vanity satisfaction derived from your appearance and grades.]
[Suggested handling: Maintain distance. No need for active intervention; her own behavior will lead to a decline in her social standing within three months.]
At the very bottom of the note was a line of small, handwritten text, clearly added later.
‘The horror theme of the escape room includes jump scares. Your sleep quality is poor; attendance is not recommended.’
Lin Mo looked at this note, which was comparable to a private investigator’s report, and felt conflicted.
To be honest, despite knowing she likely had some kind of emotional disorder and having already decided not to run away anymore, this feeling of being completely monitored… was still a bit strange.
This strangeness was no longer fear, and he didn’t feel repulsed by it.
Maybe it was even… a little satisfying.
The only thing was… how on earth did she investigate Zhang Wei?
Lin Mo looked up toward Su Ran.
She was still focused on her book, but she was holding it upside down.