Three days after transmigrating, Lin Mo had already mastered the art of being a university student. His first lecture had begun at eight. He had arrived at 7:58. His second achievement was finding a seat near the back. His third was discovering that the professor didn't care whether students took handwritten notes. This allowed Lin Mo to spend most of the lecture doing something much more important. Sleeping. By noon, he had successfully survived two classes. He considered this an excellent accomplishment. “Where are you going for lunch?” Xu An appeared beside him as they left the classroom. “Cafeteria.” “Again?” Lin Mo looked at him. “The food is cheap.” “You're rich.” “That doesn't mean I have to waste money.” Xu An laughed. “You're really strange.” Lin Mo didn't answer. He had already learned an important rule about university life. The less attention you attracted, the better. So he kept his grades average. His clothes simple. His social circle small. His lifestyle boring. Perfect. Exactly what he wanted. At three in the afternoon, Xu An dragged him to the newly opened game shop near campus. The moment they entered, Lin Mo's eyes lit up. There were gaming computers. Console booths. Arcade machines. A small café. And shelves filled with new releases. Lin Mo turned toward Xu An. “You're a good person.” Xu An laughed. “I knew you'd like it.” “I didn't say that.” “You didn't have to.” They spent the next hour playing games. Lin Mo was terrible at racing games. Average at fighting games. And surprisingly good at strategy games. By four-thirty, Xu An wanted to try another machine. Lin Mo declined. “You go.” “Why?” “My legs are tired.” “You've been sitting the whole time.” “Exactly.” Xu An stared at him. Lin Mo found a seat near the café and ordered a drink. He was scrolling through his phone when someone sat down at the table across from him. Lin Mo didn't look up. There were plenty of empty seats. It wasn't his problem. Then he heard a quiet voice. “Excuse me.” Lin Mo looked up. The man sitting across from him was dressed in a black shirt and dark trousers. Tall. Black hair. Sharp features. Calm eyes. Lin Mo froze. His brain immediately supplied a name. Shen Yichen. The main protagonist. The person he had promised himself never to approach. Lin Mo's first thought was: Oh no. His second thought was: Why is he here? His third thought was: Leave. Immediately. Shen Yichen looked at him. “You're sitting on my bag.” Lin Mo looked down. A black paper bag was indeed underneath his elbow. “Oh.” He immediately stood. “Sorry.” He moved the bag toward him. Shen Yichen picked it up. “Thank you.” Lin Mo nodded. “No problem.” Then he turned around. He was ready to leave. Unfortunately— His drink was still on the table. Lin Mo stared at it. He couldn't abandon a perfectly good drink. He sat back down. Shen Yichen noticed. For some reason, his lips moved slightly. Almost a smile. “You don't need to leave.” Lin Mo became suspicious. “I wasn't leaving.” “You stood up.” “I was stretching.” Shen Yichen glanced at him. “You stretch while sitting?” Lin Mo remained expressionless. “Yes.” A short silence followed. Lin Mo picked up his drink. Shen Yichen looked away. The conversation was over. Excellent. Lin Mo took a sip. Then another. He mentally congratulated himself. He had met the protagonist. He hadn't interfered with the plot. He hadn't done anything strange. He hadn't made an impression. Everything was fine. Then Shen Yichen spoke again. “Are you a student at Jiangcheng University?” Lin Mo almost choked. “Yes.” “Which department?” Lin Mo hesitated. Why was he asking? Was this part of the original plot? No. The original novel never mentioned this. Maybe it was simply conversation. He answered anyway. “Computer science.” Shen Yichen nodded. “I see.” Lin Mo waited. Nothing else happened. He relaxed. Then Xu An returned. “Lin Mo, let's go.” Lin Mo immediately stood. “Coming.” He grabbed his drink. As he walked away, he heard Shen Yichen's voice behind him. “Lin Mo.” Lin Mo stopped. He slowly turned. “How do you know my name?” Shen Yichen pointed toward the student ID hanging from Lin Mo's bag. Lin Mo looked down. His ID was visible. He stared at it. “…Right.” Xu An looked confused. “Do you two know each other?” “No.” “Yes.” The two answers came at exactly the same time. Lin Mo looked at Shen Yichen. Shen Yichen looked back. Xu An blinked. Lin Mo immediately corrected himself. “I mean, we just met.” Shen Yichen nodded. “That's right.” Xu An shrugged. “Okay.” The two of them left. Lin Mo didn't look back. He walked all the way outside before releasing the breath he'd been holding. Xu An glanced at him. “You look nervous.” “I'm not.” “You're walking really fast.” “I exercise.” “You said your legs were tired five minutes ago.” Lin Mo stopped. “…You're very observant.” Xu An laughed. “I'll take that as a compliment.” Lin Mo continued walking. He didn't tell Xu An who that man was. There was no need. He also didn't tell him that he had just met the most important character in the novel. Because as far as Lin Mo was concerned— It didn't count. They had spoken for less than five minutes. They had no relationship. No connection. No reason to meet again. Therefore, the matter was finished. That evening, Lin Mo returned to his dorm. He changed into comfortable clothes. Ordered dinner. Played games. Then took a shower. By ten, he was lying in bed. His phone suddenly buzzed. A message from an unknown number appeared. [Unknown: You left your drink at the game shop.] Lin Mo stared. He had not left his drink. He had finished it. He scrolled up. There was another message. [Unknown: I asked the staff. They said it wasn't yours.] Lin Mo frowned. Then a third message appeared. [Unknown: Sorry. Wrong person.] Lin Mo stared at the screen. Then typed: [Lin Mo: It's fine.] A few seconds later: [Unknown: Good night.] Lin Mo put his phone down. He stared at the ceiling. Something felt strange. He hadn't given that person his number. He picked up his phone again. The number had no name. No profile picture. Nothing. Lin Mo frowned. Then he remembered. Shen Yichen. Of course. He probably had connections. Getting someone's number was probably easy for someone like him. Lin Mo decided not to think about it. He put the phone away. Pulled the blanket over his head. And went to sleep. Across the city, Shen Yichen sat in the back of a car. His assistant was reading through tomorrow's schedule. “The meeting with the university's investment team is at nine.” Shen Yichen nodded. His attention wasn't on the schedule. He was looking at his phone. A single contact had been saved. Lin Mo. He had met countless people in his life. Most were interested in his family. Some wanted his attention. Others wanted something from him. But that student— Lin Mo had looked at him like he was something to avoid. Not fear. Not admiration. Not curiosity. Avoidance. Shen Yichen found that unusual. His assistant noticed his expression. “Young Master?” “Nothing.” Shen Yichen locked his phone. Outside, the city lights passed across the car window. Neither of them knew it yet. This encounter meant nothing. At least, for now. Lin Mo had simply met someone at a game shop. And Shen Yichen had simply met a university student. Their lives remained separate. For the moment. That was exactly how Lin Mo wanted it. He just didn't know that the novel had already begun moving around him.

A Quiet Day (Or So He Thought)