"What the hell? Since when did you start dating her?" Yang Mo asked, his voice filled with surprise.
Jiang Wei, his classmate, grinned sheepishly. He had always been known for his easygoing nature, a stark contrast to the delicate and reserved Ling Yin Luo. The two of them seemed like an odd pair, but here he was, confessing his relationship.
"Shh, keep your voice down! I'm only telling you because we're close."
Yang Mo nodded knowingly, a sly smile creeping onto his lips. "Ah, I see. So this is the kind of thing you're into. With Jiang Wei's personality, I bet you'll be in for a tough time. I can already imagine you kneeling on a keyboard in the future."
Jiang Wei rolled his eyes. "To each his own, man. Just don't spread it around."
"Don't worry, you know me. My lips are sealed," Yang Mo assured, patting his chest confidently. Then, as an afterthought, he added, "But isn't this considered early love? Aren't you worried it'll affect your studies?"
Jiang Wei snorted. "With my grades? Can they even get any worse?"
Yang Mo nearly burst out laughing. He had to admit, the guy was at least self-aware. "Well, your grades might not suffer, but what about Jiang Yan? She still has a chance of making it into a top university, right?"
"Don't worry, man. I know what I'm doing. We don't interact much at school, just occasionally on weekends or after class."
Yang Mo nodded. At least he was being mindful. Relationships in high school weren't uncommon, and as long as it didn't get in the way of academics, who was he to judge?
As dinner time rolled around, Yang Mo returned to the classroom to review his notes before heading to the school playground for the outdoor movie night. He wasn't particularly interested in the film, but since he had time to kill, he figured he might as well get some studying done.
The movie venue was set up in the school's open-air playground, a cool breeze making the evening pleasant. Yang Mo arrived early, claiming a seat in the second row. With a math paper in one hand and a pen in the other, he focused on solving a particularly challenging problem.
Just as he was deep in thought, a pleasant voice called out, "You actually do math while watching a movie?"
He looked up to see Ling Yin Luo standing before him, her large, bright eyes fixed on him. Dressed in a white shirt paired with a light blue floral skirt, she looked effortlessly beautiful. For a moment, Yang Mo was stunned.
"Oh, hey, Ling. Are you here to watch the movie too?"
Ling Yin Luo stared at him, speechless. "What else would I be here for? To see you?"
Realizing how awkward his words sounded, Yang Mo scratched his head. "Sorry about that."
Her gaze fell on the math paper in his hand. "You're working on this set of problems too? I did this test a few days ago. That last question is particularly difficult. It took me over an hour to solve."
Yang Mo nodded. "Yeah, the teacher said this paper is good for improving problem-solving skills, so I thought I'd give it a try."
Seeing his serious expression, Ling Yin Luo grew curious. "That last question... you're stuck on it too?"
"A little. I've already come up with three solutions, but I feel like there should be another way."
She blinked, taken aback. "You came up with three solutions?"
She had spent over an hour struggling to find just one, yet here he was, casually saying he had three? Was he bragging? She had always thought Yang Mo was just an average student. Could he really be that good?
"If that's the case, would you mind showing me?"
Yang Mo hesitated. "You really want to see?"
"Of course."
With that, Yang Mo began explaining his methods, carefully drawing diagrams and writing down his reasoning. As he wrote, Ling Yin Luo found herself leaning in closer, absorbed in his approach. His solutions were not only correct but also more efficient than hers. He even used a verification method their teacher had never taught.
Unconsciously, she leaned closer and closer—until, suddenly, Yang Mo turned his head, and their foreheads collided.
"Ouch!" she yelped, covering her forehead as tears welled up in her eyes from the pain.
Yang Mo panicked. "Ah, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize you were so close."
Not far away, Jiang Wei had just arrived, holding two cups of milk tea. He froze in place at the scene before him—Ling Yin Luo's flushed face, her teary eyes, and Yang Mo looking guilty as hell. From his angle, it almost looked like the two had kissed.
His mouth fell open in shock. "What the hell?! What did I just witness?"