Lin Mo woke up because sunlight was shining directly into his face. He opened one eye. Then closed it. Five seconds later, he opened it again. The ceiling was unfamiliar. The bed was unfamiliar. Even the faint scent of lavender in the room was unfamiliar. Lin Mo stared at the ceiling for a long moment. Then the memories arrived. A novel. A body with the same name as him. A wealthy family. A university. And a supporting character whose ending could be described in three words: Completely miserable. Lin Mo sat up. “…I transmigrated?” He looked around. The bedroom was enormous. There was a walk-in closet. A private bathroom. A balcony overlooking a quiet residential area. And on the desk sat a university ID. Lin Mo picked it up. Jiangcheng University. He stared at it. Then at himself in the mirror. Young. Healthy. Not injured. Not imprisoned. Not being chased. Most importantly— Still a student. Lin Mo slowly smiled. This was good. No. This was excellent. He remembered the original novel. The original Lin Mo was a university student from a wealthy family. He wasn't the main character. He wasn't even particularly important. He was simply one of those supporting characters who kept appearing whenever the protagonists' lives became complicated. And Lin Mo had no intention of repeating that fate. He had already suffered enough in his previous life. He didn't want ambition. He didn't want power. He didn't want revenge. He didn't want romance. He didn't want to change the world. He wanted— A peaceful university life. Good food. A comfortable bed. Games. Movies. And enough grades to graduate. Lin Mo raised one hand solemnly. “I have three goals.” “Eat well.” “Sleep well.” “And stay far away from trouble.” He thought about it. Then added, “Especially protagonists.” By nine in the morning, Lin Mo had already accomplished his first goal. Breakfast had been excellent. He had eaten slowly, enjoying every bite while reading through the information on his phone. His new life was surprisingly comfortable. Tuition was already paid. His living expenses were more than sufficient. His parents were busy with work and rarely interfered with his daily life. He even had a car available. Lin Mo immediately decided not to use it. Driving meant leaving home. Leaving home meant encountering people. Encountering people meant unexpected events. Unexpected events were dangerous. Public transportation was also dangerous. Therefore— Staying home was safest. Unfortunately, there was one unavoidable problem. University. Lin Mo stared at the calendar. Classes began in three days. He sighed. “Fine.” He would attend classes. But only because graduating was necessary. A salted fish still needed a degree. That afternoon, Lin Mo returned to his bedroom and opened the novel's story summary on his phone. He had read the novel before transmigrating. He remembered the major characters. The main protagonist. The second male lead. The famous actor. The villain. Four people whose lives were destined to become entangled. Lin Mo knew exactly what happened whenever someone got too close to them. One misunderstanding led to another. One conflict became ten. People got dragged into business wars. Relationships became complicated. Secrets were exposed. And eventually— Everything exploded. Lin Mo closed the novel summary. “No.” He wasn't getting involved. He opened his notes app instead. At the top, he typed: Lin Mo's Survival Rules Then he began. 1. Don't approach the protagonists. He paused. 2. Don't approach anyone who looks suspiciously important. Another pause. 3. Don't become friends with handsome strangers. 4. Don't interfere with the plot. 5. Don't save people. 6. Don't seek revenge. 7. If something looks troublesome, leave immediately. And finally: 8. Eat. Sleep. Play games. Graduate. Lin Mo admired the list. Perfect. His future was secured. Three days later, Lin Mo officially became a university student again. Jiangcheng University was enormous. Students filled the campus. Trees lined the roads. The library stood near the center of campus, while cafés and small restaurants surrounded the student area. Lin Mo looked around. His first thought was simple. Too many people. His second thought was: Where's the cafeteria? Priorities. After finding the cafeteria, Lin Mo discovered something even better. There was a small noodle shop hidden behind one of the academic buildings. The owner sold beef noodles for a surprisingly cheap price. Lin Mo immediately decided it would become his regular lunch spot. He sat down in the corner. Ordered noodles. Put his headphones on. And ignored the world. It was perfect. Nobody knew him. Nobody cared about him. Nobody expected anything from him. For the first time since transmigrating, Lin Mo felt completely relaxed. Then someone dropped a book beside his table. “Sorry.” Lin Mo looked up. A male student was standing there. The student quickly picked up the book. “Did I bother you?” “No.” Lin Mo returned his attention to his noodles. The student smiled. “Thanks.” And left. Lin Mo blinked. That was it? No dramatic encounter? No hidden identity? No plot? Excellent. He finished his noodles. Then went back to his dorm. That evening, Lin Mo played games until midnight. He lost seven matches. Won two. Lost another three. Then blamed the internet. Eventually, he collapsed onto his bed. His phone buzzed. A message from an unfamiliar classmate appeared. [Class Group: Reminder! Tomorrow's lecture begins at 8:00.] Lin Mo stared at the message. 8:00. He slowly placed his phone down. Then pulled the blanket over his head. “University is cruel.” The next morning, Lin Mo arrived at class ten minutes early. He sat near the back. Not the very back. That attracted too much attention. Second-to-last row. Perfect. He took out his notebook. Opened it. Then secretly placed his phone behind it. Five minutes into the lecture, he was watching a cooking video. Ten minutes later, he was looking at apartment decorations. Twenty minutes later— He was asleep. His head rested against his folded arms. The professor continued speaking. The students continued taking notes. Nobody paid attention to him. And that was exactly how Lin Mo wanted it. He didn't need to be brilliant. He didn't need to stand out. He just needed to pass. At the end of class, he woke up. The professor had already left. Lin Mo stretched. “Another successful day.” His classmate sitting beside him looked at his notebook. “You wrote nothing.” Lin Mo looked down. There was one sentence. Don't become involved with the protagonists. His classmate stared. “…That's your note?” Lin Mo calmly closed the notebook. “Very important information.” At lunch, Lin Mo received a message. [Xu An: Are you free this afternoon?] Lin Mo vaguely remembered Xu An. A classmate from the same department. Probably safe. He replied. [Lin Mo: Why?] [Xu An: A new game shop opened near campus.] Lin Mo's eyes immediately brightened. [Xu An: Want to go?] He didn't even need five seconds to decide. [Lin Mo: Sure.] Games were worth the risk. At three o'clock, Lin Mo left campus. He had no idea that this ordinary outing would eventually become the first small thread connecting his peaceful student life to the world of the original novel. But that was a problem for the future. For now— Lin Mo had a game shop to visit. And, for once, no protagonist was anywhere near him. Life was good. Very good. Lin Mo smiled. “I really can live like a salted fish.” He had no idea how badly fate wanted to prove him wrong.

The Art Of Being A Salted Fish