Gu Wen arrived twelve minutes later.
Lin Mo knew because he had spent all twelve minutes staring at the library entrance.
Not because he was waiting.
Absolutely not.
He was simply—
Hungry.
That was different.
The moment Gu Wen appeared, Lin Mo sat up.
“You're late.”
Gu Wen looked at his phone.
“Twelve minutes.”
“Exactly.”
“Sorry.”
Lin Mo reached for the bag in his hand.
“What did you bring?”
Gu Wen held it out.
“Noodles.”
Lin Mo's eyes brightened.
“And?”
“Extra chili.”
A satisfied expression appeared on Lin Mo's face.
“You're a good person.”
Gu Wen laughed.
“I'll remember that.”
They found an empty table outside the library.
The night air was cool, and the campus had become much quieter.
Lin Mo opened the container.
He took one bite.
His expression immediately softened.
“Worth waiting for.”
Gu Wen rested his chin on his hand.
“You're easy to satisfy.”
“That's a compliment.”
“It is.”
Lin Mo continued eating.
After a moment, Gu Wen asked,
“How's the project?”
“Almost finished.”
“Are you nervous about the competition?”
“No.”
“You really don't care?”
Lin Mo paused.
“I care whether the project works.”
“And winning?”
“If we win, I'll be happy.”
“And if you lose?”
“I'll eat noodles.”
Gu Wen laughed.
“That sounds like you.”
Lin Mo looked at him.
“You keep saying that.”
“Because it's true.”
There was something different in Gu Wen's eyes when he said it.
Lin Mo didn't notice.
He was busy adding more chili.
---
The next morning, Lin Mo arrived at the computer laboratory at eight.
This alone shocked his teammates.
Zhao Kai stared at him.
“You're early.”
“I couldn't sleep.”
“Why?”
“Someone stole my blanket.”
Sun Qing looked confused.
“Who?”
“My roommate.”
Zhao Kai sighed.
“You're impossible.”
Lin Mo sat down.
“Let's finish this.”
For the next three hours, none of them joked.
They worked.
The navigation function was completed.
The lost-and-found module was nearly finished.
The notification system still had problems.
At eleven thirty, Zhao Kai suddenly leaned back.
“Done.”
Lin Mo looked over.
“Really?”
Zhao Kai nodded.
They ran the program.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then—
The application loaded.
All three stared at the screen.
The campus map appeared.
Buildings loaded.
Class schedules appeared.
The lost-and-found section opened.
Notifications worked.
Silence.
Then Sun Qing whispered,
“We actually did it.”
Lin Mo smiled.
A real smile.
“We did.”
Zhao Kai immediately pulled out his phone.
“Photo.”
“No.”
“Come on.”
“No.”
“Just one.”
“No.”
Sun Qing grabbed Lin Mo's shoulder.
“Too late.”
The camera flashed.
Lin Mo looked at the photograph afterward.
Zhao Kai was grinning.
Sun Qing looked exhausted.
And Lin Mo—
Was smiling.
He stared at the picture for a few seconds.
Then saved it.
He didn't delete it.
---
That afternoon, Professor Zhang reviewed their final version.
He spent nearly twenty minutes testing it.
Finally, he nodded.
“Good.”
Lin Mo waited.
Professor Zhang looked at him.
“You expected criticism?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because teachers usually find something wrong.”
Professor Zhang laughed.
“There are still things to improve.”
Lin Mo's face fell.
“But for a student project, this is quite solid.”
Lin Mo recovered immediately.
“Thank you, Professor.”
Professor Zhang handed the documents back.
“The preliminary presentation is next week.”
Lin Mo nodded.
“Remember,” Professor Zhang continued, “the judges aren't only looking at whether the application works. They'll want to know why you built it this way.”
Lin Mo frowned.
That sounded troublesome.
Professor Zhang smiled.
“You'll be presenting.”
Lin Mo immediately looked at Zhao Kai.
Zhao Kai looked away.
Sun Qing suddenly became fascinated by the ceiling.
Traitors.
All of them.
---
Later that evening, Lin Mo received a message.
Gu Wen:
«Finished?»
Lin Mo:
«Yes.»
Gu Wen:
«Congratulations.»
Lin Mo:
«Thank you.»
A few seconds passed.
Gu Wen:
«Dinner?»
Lin Mo considered it.
Then replied:
«What are we eating?»
The response came quickly.
«You choose.»
Lin Mo smiled.
«Noodles.»
Gu Wen sent back a single message.
«I knew it.»
---
They went to a small noodle shop outside the university.
It wasn't fancy.
There were only eight tables.
The owner knew the students who came regularly and didn't bother asking too many questions.
Lin Mo liked it immediately.
They sat by the window.
Gu Wen ordered his usual.
Lin Mo ordered noodles with extra chili.
While they waited, Gu Wen asked,
“Do you have any plans after graduation?”
Lin Mo thought about it.
“Get a job.”
“That's all?”
“Earn money.”
“Then?”
“Buy a house.”
“And?”
“Eat good food.”
Gu Wen smiled.
“Anything else?”
Lin Mo looked at him.
“Sleep.”
Gu Wen laughed.
“You really don't have any grand ambitions.”
“No.”
“That's rare.”
“Is it?”
“Yes.”
Gu Wen looked out the window.
“Most people I know want something.”
“Money?”
“Money. Status. Recognition. Freedom.”
Lin Mo stirred his tea.
“I want freedom too.”
“What does freedom mean to you?”
Lin Mo thought for a while.
“Being able to decide what I do tomorrow.”
Gu Wen became quiet.
Then he smiled.
“That sounds nice.”
The noodles arrived.
Lin Mo immediately stopped thinking about philosophy.
Gu Wen watched him eat.
“You really love noodles.”
“Yes.”
“I've noticed.”
“Good.”
“Why good?”
“So you'll know what to buy if you ever want to treat me.”
Gu Wen paused.
Then smiled.
“I'll remember.”
---
Across the city, Mo Ren closed a folder.
The university competition had appeared in another report.
He had seen Lin Mo's name once before.
This time, there was a photograph attached to the project file.
A young man sitting in a computer laboratory.
Nothing remarkable about the photograph.
Mo Ren looked at it for only two seconds before moving on.
“Campus technology projects?”
His assistant nodded.
“Several companies are interested in the students because of the internship opportunities.”
“Any Shen family involvement?”
“Indirectly.”
Mo Ren tapped the table.
“Then keep an eye on the company representatives.”
“Should we investigate the students?”
“No.”
He closed the folder.
“Not unless there's a reason.”
Lin Mo's name disappeared beneath several other documents.
For now, it meant nothing to him.
---
Back at the university, Lin Mo walked beside Gu Wen.
The campus lights illuminated the path ahead.
Gu Wen suddenly asked,
“Lin Mo.”
“Hmm?”
“If you could do anything without worrying about money, what would you do?”
Lin Mo answered immediately.
“Play games.”
Gu Wen laughed.
“You're hopeless.”
“Then sleep.”
“Anything productive?”
Lin Mo thought.
“Maybe build things.”
“Like your project?”
“Maybe.”
Gu Wen looked at him.
“You might actually like computer science more than you think.”
Lin Mo looked toward the university buildings.
Maybe.
He had never considered it seriously before.
For most of his life, he had thought of work as something people endured so they could afford the rest of their lives.
But recently, whenever he solved a problem and watched something he built actually work—
He felt something.
Not ambition.
Not fame.
Just satisfaction.
Maybe that was enough.
His phone suddenly rang.
Zhao Kai.
Lin Mo answered.
“What?”
“Emergency.”
Lin Mo stopped walking.
“What happened?”
“The presentation slides.”
Lin Mo closed his eyes.
“What's wrong with them?”
“Everything.”
Silence.
Then Lin Mo sighed.
“Send them to me.”
“You'll fix them?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“I'll tell you what's wrong.”
“Same thing.”
“No. Fixing them is work.”
Zhao Kai laughed.
“You're unbelievable.”
The call ended.
Gu Wen looked amused.
“Emergency?”
“Apparently.”
“Want help?”
Lin Mo looked at him.
Then smiled.
“Yeah.”
And the two of them walked back toward the library.
Neither noticed how natural it had become—
Walking together.
Eating together.
Studying together.
Sharing small pieces of ordinary life.
For Lin Mo, it was friendship.
At least for now.
For Gu Wen, the word was beginning to feel slightly too small.