“I also feel like something’s different. Before, he either slept in class or played on his phone, but today he actually sat there seriously doing exercises. It doesn’t look like him at all.”
“But I guess the homeroom teacher probably said something to him,” Su Ling said.
“I don’t know if I’m imagining it, but I keep having this weird feeling,” Qu Lili said as she put down her chopsticks and looked at Su Ling.
“Why are you looking at me? Do I have flowers growing on my face?” Su Ling blinked in confusion.
“I keep feeling like Chen Tianyou seems a little scared of you.”
“Scared of me?” Su Ling paused, then laughed, “Scared of me biting him? If he were scared of me, he wouldn’t have tried so hard to sit next to me later.”
Su Ling remembered that back in their second year, when the class rearranged seats, her deskmate had originally been another girl, but Chen Tianyou forcefully took that seat. The girl had been afraid of Chen Tianyou retaliating, so she didn’t say anything.
Su Ling had thought Chen Tianyou, like other Rich Second-Generation Heirs, wanted to pursue her. But later she realized the truth—Chen Tianyou only wanted to understand what she liked so he could tell Zhang Kai and let Zhang Kai pursue her.
That was the first time she realized someone could be that bored.
“It’s true, Su Ling, every time Chen Tianyou looks at you, his eyes look strange, like he’s looking at someone who scares him! Think about how he usually looks at you and how he acts. Doesn’t it match perfectly?”
“Really?” Su Ling frowned slightly, sinking into thought.
“It does seem a little like that, but why would he be afraid of me?”
“I don’t know. Oh, is it because he knows your father is the mayor?”
“That shouldn’t be it. Everyone knows my father is the mayor, so it’s not a secret. Chen Tianyou definitely already knew that before,” Su Ling said, shaking her head.
“Then I really don’t understand.”
“But it did remind me of something…” Su Ling recalled, “That day I overheard him calling me something like a femme fatale, and also a troublemaker or whatever…”
“Because of that, I got angry with him.”
“You? A troublemaker? Hahaha, that’s too funny. But since your father is the mayor, he really wouldn’t dare bully you. That’s actually a good thing.”
While the two were joking around, Chen Tianyou and Zhang Kai had just gotten their food and were walking toward them.
“Brother Tianyou, look, isn’t that Su Ling and Qu Lili?” Zhang Kai whispered.
Chen Tianyou looked up and was startled, “Keep your voice down! Don’t let them hear us. Let’s find a place where they can’t see us!”
Qu Lili stood up and waved at him, “Chen Tianyou, come eat with us!”
Chen Tianyou’s body shuddered. He pretended not to hear and quickly walked farther away.
Eat together? Was she kidding?
He had clearly seen Lin Mo in the cafeteria earlier—if Lin Mo saw him sitting with Su Ling, that would be a disaster!
And Zhang Kai was with him too. Lin Mo would definitely think he was bullying the campus belle again.
In a public place like this, it was safer to stay far away!
Chen Tianyou hurriedly whispered to Zhang Kai, “Kai, go, don’t look back!”
Seeing the two ignore them, Qu Lili became curious.
“What’s wrong with them? Didn’t they hear me calling?”
“Did Chen Tianyou get scared off by you?”
“Scared off by me? I’m not a tiger! What are you talking about, Lili?” Su Ling huffed, unhappy.
“Come on! Pick up your tray, let’s go see them!”
At that moment, Lin Mo and Xia Qiang also got their food and rushed toward Su Ling’s table.
“Qiang, help me sneak another look at Cheng Yao. What expression does she have right now?”
Lin Mo felt certain that if he went to sit at Su Ling’s table, Cheng Yao would definitely cry from heartbreak.
After all, he used to accompany Cheng Yao every day at lunch. He always found topics to chat with her.
But this time he wasn’t doing that, so Cheng Yao must feel uncomfortable and sad. She would reflect on why she didn’t cherish his company earlier.
And when she saw him sit at Su Ling’s table, she would surely overthink, feel threatened, and even get jealous.
Under all those emotions, she would definitely speed up her pursuit of him.
Lin Mo felt secretly proud—his plan was brilliant!
“Um… Brother Mo… I don’t think Cheng Yao is here.”
“What?” Lin Mo’s smile froze instantly. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
“Oh, I see her. She already went out. She’s probably going back to the classroom to eat,” Xia Qiang finally spotted a small figure leaving through the cafeteria entrance.
“So she didn’t see us going to sit with Su Ling?”
“Nope!”
Lin Mo felt speechless, but quickly understood.
Cheng Yao must not be used to eating without him. She probably feared getting emotional if she sat alone, so she chose to avoid the cafeteria entirely.
“Forget it. Eating with the campus belle Su Ling isn’t bad either!”
Soon, Lin Mo sat across from Su Ling and Qu Lili.
He showed a warm smile. “Class Monitor Su Ling, Qu Lili, what a coincidence. Do you mind if Xia Qiang and I sit here and eat with you?”
Before rebirth, Su Ling once personally told him she loved his warm smile the most.
Now his smile was bright and radiant—how could Su Ling not fall for him?
But when Su Ling looked at him grinning, she only felt it looked awful.
Lin Mo’s injuries hadn’t healed yet—two panda eyes, bruises all over his face, and a swollen chin.
His smiling face looked incredibly strange.
Su Ling, however, remained polite and simply nodded, “Sure, go ahead and sit here.”
Lin Mo was delighted. Being able to gain Su Ling’s favor wasn’t bad at all.
He planned to use lunchtime to talk about interests they shared and deepen their connection.
But before he could open his mouth, Su Ling and Qu Lili stood up.
“Hey, Su Ling, where are you going?” Lin Mo asked anxiously.
“Oh, we’re going to eat at Chen Tianyou’s table. You two stay here,” Qu Lili said playfully, making a face at them before walking away with her tray.
Only Lin Mo and Xia Qiang were left staring at empty seats.
“Brother Mo, what now? Should we follow them?”
Lin Mo still hadn’t recovered.
He couldn’t understand—he had already sat right in front of Su Ling, so why was she still so shy?