My Girlfriend Who Develops Through Development

He looked at it intently for a moment before opening the lunchbox. "Leftovers from yesterday?"

"Ah."

An Youyu explained timidly, "These are all in the refrigerator, they're not spoiled, you can eat them."

Lin Mo looked up. "If you give me the food, what will you eat?"

"I...am not hungry."

As she spoke, An Youyu lowered her head again.

This is her personal habit; whenever she lies, she subconsciously pauses and lowers her head.

Coincidentally, Lin Mo knew about An Youyu's habit, and smiled, "I don't have much of an appetite today, so I estimate I can only eat half. You can have the other half, and don't complain."

An Youyu shook her head, "No need..."

Lin Mo ate quickly, finishing half of his meal in a minute or two. "Thanks, Little Fish."

An Youyu wanted to correct the way she was called "Little Fish," but when she remembered that her previous protests hadn't worked, she immediately dismissed the idea.

She took the lunchbox and returned to her seat. As if lost in thought, shallow dimples appeared on both sides of her jade-like cheeks.

For the rest of the afternoon, Lin Mo frantically worked through his workbooks until the school bell rang.

He put down his pen, shook his aching right hand, and lazily stretched his back.

Gu Fan slung his backpack over his shoulder, his expression quite complicated. "Brother Mo, is studying like this really meaningful?"

Upon hearing this question, Lin Mo sat up straight and looked towards An Youyu. "Gu Fan, I need to correct you; your statement is incorrect."

Gu Fan asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

"People have a purpose before they do something. For example, when you play games, haven't you already decided how many stars you want to get on your way to the internet cafe?"

This time, Gu Fan was completely stumped.

Lin Mo continued, "However, playing games is inherently uncertain. You can't control the final outcome because your skill level is insufficient to overcome the game's limitations."

“Learning is different. As long as you are willing to put in the effort, you will definitely get a reward. The size of the reward depends on how much you put in.”

"A thing shouldn't be judged by whether it's interesting or not, but by whether it's worth it."

"It's like playing video games all night. You get some mental comfort and fleeting pleasure, but you expend a whole day's energy for a momentary and meaningless moment of happiness. Do you think it's worth it?"

"I……"

Gu Fan opened his mouth, but for some reason, he felt a sense of unfamiliarity with Lin Mo in front of him.

Lin Mo met Gu Fan's gaze. "My reason tells me that what I'm doing now is worthwhile."

Gu Fan remained silent for a long while before finally speaking, "Brother Mo, I've learned something."

He used to call Lin Mo "Brother Mo," which was somewhat of a joke.

This time, however, the way he calls out "Brother Mo" is from the bottom of his heart.

Lin Mo stood up and patted Gu Fan on the shoulder, "There's still time, everything can still be salvaged."

Gu Fan's eyes were unfocused for a moment, then quickly hardened. "Thank you."

Lin Mo smiled and watched Gu Fan leave.

After all the students on duty had left, An Youyu began to pack her things. She instinctively looked towards the back of the classroom and discovered that Lin Mo had been sitting behind her at some point.

Hello, little fish.

Lin Mo leaned forward, as if the light in the classroom was being drawn together by his smile, his deep eyes like black holes, radiating a fatal attraction.

An Youyu froze, as if she had been frozen in place.

The sweetness of watermelon is in the first bite, but the thrill comes in an instant—it's like the excitement of drinking orange soda on a summer's day…

Chapter 16 Conflict

After a long while, An Youyu realized her lapse in composure and turned around in a panic, "You... why haven't you left yet?"

"Wait for you."

Lin Mo got up and picked up An Youyu's schoolbag. "The school is quite a distance from your neighborhood, and it's not safe for a girl to walk alone. You can tutor me, and I'll take you home."

In his previous life, he was ignorant and carefree, indulging in that brief but wonderful time.

In this life, he will not make the same mistake again.

When An Youyu saw Lin Mo pick up her schoolbag, she couldn't help but recall the times Lin Mo had come to find her in the morning to go to school together, and her heart began to beat faster.

This feeling is indescribable.

Lin Mo understood An Youyu's personality; as long as she didn't refuse on the spot, it meant she acquiesced.

He slung An Youyu's schoolbag over his left shoulder, and bowed politely, saying, "Please."

Whether it was the glow of the setting sun or An Youyu's shyness, her jade-like cheeks were flushed with a blush, and she let out a barely audible "hmm".

She walked ahead, with Lin Mo trailing behind by more than a meter.

After leaving the teaching building, An Youyu suddenly stopped.

Lin Mo stepped forward. "Why are you stopping?"

An Youyu hesitated for a moment, then said, "Lin Mo, don't take what Teacher Wei said today to heart. I'm not amazing, you are."

"It's a miracle that your Chinese grades have improved so quickly. As long as you keep working hard, you will definitely be able to transform yourself."

Her soft voice flowed like a gentle stream, like the first breeze of the morning caressing her face.

Lin Mo stared at An Youyu until she blushed and lowered her head shyly before laughing. "You don't need to consider my feelings so much. I'm a boy, not that fragile. Besides, Teacher Wei wasn't wrong. Xiaoyu is indeed very capable."

"I'm not good at it."

Lin Mo remained silent, but the smile on his face grew wider and wider.

An Youyu bit her lip, cautiously raised her right hand, and asked tentatively, "Could I... not call you Little Fish?"

"No."

"…oh."

Once outside the school gate, the two walked one after the other, just like before.

They seem like strangers, yet they also seem like acquaintances.

A vague and unknown atmosphere spread silently.

However, all of this was unexpectedly disrupted.

As Lin Mo was passing through an alley, he was suddenly pulled into the alley by a strong arm.

Two men surrounded Lin Mo from the left and right. Their hair was dyed red and green, and their white vests were yellowed. One was thin and the other was fat. They each carried a hollow steel pipe.

If an average student were to encounter such a scene, they would definitely be frightened.

Lin Mo calmly looked at the two of them. "You want money?"

The skinny guy waved the hollow steel pipe in his hand and bowed and scraped to the fat guy, "Boss, I've seen the photo, this is definitely the kid."

The fat man squinted, a cigarette dangling from his lips, as if afraid others wouldn't know he was a thug. "Did that guy pay?"

"I paid."

The skinny man nodded quickly.

The fat man tilted his head back and said, "So you're the only one named Lin Mo?"

Lin Mo narrowed his eyes. "Can I not bring Mom?"

The fat man was surprisingly easy to talk to, and changed his tune, saying, "So your name is Lin Mo?"

Lin Mo nodded. "Yes, it's me."

"Brother, I'm sorry, it's all for the sake of making a living."

After saying that, the fat man waved his hand at the skinny man, "Go!"

"and many more!"

Lin Mo had already figured everything out from the conversation between the two men, and directly stated his terms: "However much money that person gave you, I'll give double."

The skinny guy was a money-grubbing bastard. Hearing Lin Mo's words, his eyes widened instantly. "Double?"

Before he could think any further, he was slapped on the back of the head.

The fat man glared at him irritably, "What are you thinking about?"

"There are rules to follow when you're in the business. If you take someone's money, you have to do their job. If word gets out that we're betraying our employer, how will we two brothers ever be able to show our faces around the Second Middle School again?"

To be fair, this fat guy actually has a moral compass despite being a scoundrel.

Seeing that money couldn't solve the problem, Lin Mo leaned against the wall, his body tense, like a crossbow drawn to a sharp arrow, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.

"Let him go."

A weak voice came from the alley entrance; it was An Youyu.

An Youyu had been walking for a while when she noticed that Lin Mo had suddenly disappeared. She turned back and saw Lin Mo surrounded by two thugs wielding steel pipes.

This was the first time she had encountered such a situation, and she was very scared.

But seeing the two about to attack Lin Mo, she impulsively picked up a blue brick from the corner of the wall and shouted to stop them, trying to look fierce, "Don't move, I, I..."

Little did she know that with her beautiful features, she simply couldn't pull off a fierce look.

Lin Mo looked at An Youyu holding a blue brick at the entrance of the alley, and with her words, boundless laughter burst forth in his deep eyes.

The skinny guy nudged the fat guy's arm. "Boss, there's a fairy."

"Don't speak, I'm not blind."

The fat man cursed impatiently, hurriedly dropped the steel pipe in his hand, wiped his dirty hands on his vest, and asked, "Little sister, what's your name?"

Just as he was about to approach An Youyu and get closer to her, Lin Mo took advantage of their inattention and slipped between them, immediately standing in front of An Youyu.

An Youyu nervously grabbed Lin Mo's clothes and stammered, "Are you...are you alright?"

"fine."