The first sign that Lin Mo's peaceful week was ending came at breakfast. The cafeteria had noodles. Lin Mo smiled. Then he saw the line. His smile disappeared. There were at least twenty people waiting. He stared at the crowd. Then at the noodles. Then back at the crowd. “This is discrimination.” Gu Wen, standing beside him, looked amused. “Against you?” “Against people who value their time.” “You could eat something else.” Lin Mo looked offended. “That isn't the point.” “What is the point?” “I came here for noodles.” Gu Wen sighed. “Fine. I'll wait.” Lin Mo looked at him. “Really?” “Yes.” “You're a good person.” “I've been promoted.” “To what?” “Your noodle assistant.” Lin Mo smiled. “Excellent.” They eventually got their food. Lin Mo sat down happily. Gu Wen watched him eat. “You look much happier.” “Noodles solve many problems.” “Not all.” “Most.” Gu Wen shook his head. “You're hopeless.” Lin Mo didn't answer. His attention was completely occupied by breakfast. That was when his phone vibrated. He glanced at it. An email from the university. Subject: Technology Competition Registration Lin Mo immediately deleted it. Gu Wen saw. “You didn't even read it.” “I don't need to.” “You might be missing something.” “I am deliberately missing it.” Gu Wen laughed. “Professor Zhang really wants you to participate.” “That makes two of us.” “Who?” “Professor Zhang and the competition.” Later that morning, Lin Mo went to class. Everything was normal. Until the professor announced that the university had invited several external companies to observe the upcoming technology competition. Lin Mo's pen stopped. He slowly looked up. External companies. No. Absolutely not. He didn't like the direction of this. The professor continued. “The competition is still voluntary. Students who are interested can form teams.” Lin Mo immediately lowered his head. Not interested. Not forming a team. Not participating. Not getting involved. Perfect. Then the professor added casually, “Several teams will also receive internship opportunities from participating companies.” Lin Mo's head rose again. Internship? That was different. Not because he wanted one. But because internships could lead to jobs. Jobs meant money. Money meant food. Food was important. Lin Mo began thinking. Maybe participating wasn't completely terrible. Maybe he could join without becoming important. He could submit something ordinary. Something useful but not outstanding. Then leave. Perfect. He turned to Gu Wen. “Do you know how much those internships pay?” Gu Wen stared at him. “You're considering it?” “I'm considering money.” “That's different?” “Very.” By the afternoon, Lin Mo had reluctantly registered his interest. He did not form a team. He did not ask anyone to join him. He simply submitted his name. That was all. At least, that was what he thought. Unfortunately, the university's system had other plans. The next morning, he received an email. Your team has been automatically assigned. Lin Mo stared at the screen. “No.” There were three names listed. Lin Mo. Another student from the software department. A student from the information engineering department. Lin Mo leaned back. Fine. At least it wasn't a protagonist. That was already a victory. The first team meeting was held in a classroom after lunch. Lin Mo arrived early. One student was already there. A tall boy with glasses looked up. “Lin Mo?” “Yes.” “I'm Zhao Kai.” They shook hands. The other team member arrived five minutes later. A girl with short hair and a backpack. “Sorry, I'm late.” “I'm Lin Mo.” “I'm Sun Qing.” They introduced themselves. Simple. Normal. Nobody had a tragic backstory. Nobody had an expensive car waiting outside. Nobody seemed suspicious. Lin Mo relaxed. This might actually work. They spent the next hour discussing possible project ideas. Zhao Kai wanted to create a campus navigation system. Sun Qing wanted to improve the university's lost-and-found system. Lin Mo suggested something simpler. “Combine them.” They looked at him. “Why?” “Because the university already has too many separate systems.” He opened his laptop. “If students can report lost items, locate classrooms, check building schedules, and receive notifications from one application, it'll actually be useful.” Zhao Kai nodded slowly. “That could work.” Sun Qing looked interested. “We could also add accessibility features.” Lin Mo nodded. “Good.” For the first time, he felt comfortable. Nobody was trying to impress anyone. They were simply solving a problem. He liked that. At the end of the meeting, Zhao Kai suddenly asked, “Have you worked on anything like this before?” Lin Mo hesitated. “A little.” “You seem experienced.” “I'm not.” “But you knew exactly what to change.” Lin Mo closed his laptop. “I just don't like complicated things.” Zhao Kai laughed. “That doesn't explain your skills.” “It explains everything.” That evening, the three students submitted their preliminary proposal. Lin Mo left the classroom feeling strangely satisfied. He hadn't expected to enjoy it. Maybe he had found something he genuinely liked. Not competition. Not recognition. Just building something useful. He was still thinking about it when someone called his name. “Lin Mo.” He turned. Shen Yichen stood several meters away. Lin Mo wasn't surprised anymore. “Again?” Shen walked toward him. “I could say the same.” “You keep appearing.” “So do you.” Lin Mo considered that. “Fair.” Shen's eyes moved briefly to the documents in Lin Mo's hand. “Competition?” “Yes.” “I heard.” Lin Mo narrowed his eyes. “You heard quickly.” “The university is working with several companies.” “Ah.” Lin Mo relaxed. That made sense. Shen wasn't specifically following him. Probably. “What are you working on?” “Campus services.” “Interesting.” “Not really.” Shen looked at him. “You don't think it's interesting?” “It's practical.” “That can be interesting.” Lin Mo shrugged. “You're the business person.” “And you're the student who keeps finding technical problems.” Lin Mo sighed. “We've discussed this.” “I know.” There was a brief silence. Then Shen asked, “Are you looking for an internship?” Lin Mo became alert. “Maybe.” “If you want one, I can arrange an interview.” Lin Mo immediately shook his head. “No.” Shen's eyebrow lifted. “You didn't even ask where.” “With you?” “Yes.” “No.” “Why?” Lin Mo answered honestly. “Because then I'd owe you something.” Shen was silent. Lin Mo continued, “I don't like owing people.” Something in Shen's expression changed. Not surprise. Recognition. Perhaps he had expected that answer. “You wouldn't owe me.” “I'd still feel like I did.” Shen looked at him for a moment. Then nodded. “Understood.” Lin Mo relaxed. “Thanks.” Shen turned to leave. Then stopped. “Lin Mo.” “Yes?” “If you ever change your mind, you can contact me.” Lin Mo nodded. “Okay.” Shen left. Lin Mo watched him disappear down the corridor. He didn't feel pressured. That was important. Shen had offered. He had refused. Shen had accepted the answer. Simple. Maybe they really could remain ordinary acquaintances. That night, Shen Yichen sat in his office. His assistant placed a file on the desk. “The student competition.” Shen opened it. Lin Mo's name was there. “He joined?” “Yes.” “What is his project?” The assistant explained. Shen read the proposal. It was simple. No groundbreaking technology. No ambitious claims. Just a practical system designed around students' actual needs. Shen stared at it for a while. Then said, “Don't interfere.” The assistant nodded. “Understood.” Shen closed the file. There was no reason to interfere. Lin Mo had chosen something for himself. That was enough. Elsewhere, in another office, Mo Ren received a different report. He glanced at the first page. Then stopped. “Shen Yichen is participating in the university technology competition?” “His company is one of the sponsors.” Mo Ren smiled faintly. “Of course.” He flipped through the documents. There were several participating companies. Several student projects. Several potential partnerships. Nothing particularly interesting. Until his eyes landed on one name. Lin Mo. Mo Ren paused. The name meant nothing to him. Not yet. He read the project description. Then put the document down. “Who's this?” The employee beside him checked the information. “A university student. Computer science. One of the competition participants.” “Any connection to the Shen family?” “Not that we know of.” Mo Ren nodded. “Then forget it.” He moved on to the next document. The name disappeared from his thoughts almost immediately. For now. That night, Lin Mo sat on his bed. His laptop was open. His new project was already taking shape. He looked at the screen. Then smiled. Maybe university wasn't so bad after all. He had friends. He had food. He had games. And now— he had a project that actually interested him. He leaned back. “This is fine.” For once, he wasn't thinking about the original novel. He wasn't thinking about the protagonists. He wasn't thinking about the villain. He was simply Lin Mo. A university student working on a small project with two classmates. Nothing special. Nothing dangerous. Nothing that could possibly change his life. At least— that's what he believed.

The Person Behind The Name