Lin Mo had never been particularly competitive. If someone wanted the last piece of cake, he would simply buy another one. If someone wanted the better seat, he would find another. If someone wanted to beat him at a game, he would usually play until he won once and then leave. There was no reason to suffer unnecessarily. But that morning, standing outside the university auditorium, Lin Mo discovered something unexpected. He wanted their project to win. Not because of the internship. Not because of the prize. Not because Shen Yichen's company was among the sponsors. He simply wanted the little thing they had built to be recognized. He looked at the presentation board. CampusLink. He still hated the name. But he had helped build it. That made it different. “Why are you staring at it?” Gu Wen's voice came from behind him. Lin Mo turned. “Making peace with it.” “With the project?” “With the name.” Gu Wen smiled. “You still don't like it?” “No.” “Then why didn't you change it?” “Democracy.” Gu Wen nodded solemnly. “Very tragic.” “Exactly.” Inside the auditorium, teams were taking their places. Some had built complicated artificial-intelligence systems. Some had developed financial applications. One team had created a smart agricultural monitoring system. Lin Mo looked at their presentations. Then looked at CampusLink. Ours is basically a campus toolbox. He suddenly felt less confident. Zhao Kai noticed. “Don't worry.” “I'm not.” “You are.” “I'm thinking.” “You're frowning.” “I always frown.” “No, you don't.” Lin Mo looked at him. “Do you want me to start?” Zhao Kai immediately turned away. “Never mind.” Sun Qing laughed. The competition began. Team after team went onto the stage. Their presentations were polished. Their slides were beautiful. Some students spoke with incredible confidence. Lin Mo became increasingly uncomfortable. He whispered, “We're doomed.” Zhao Kai whispered back, “We're not.” “They have drones.” “So?” “We have lost-and-found.” “That doesn't make us doomed.” “They have artificial intelligence.” “We have class schedules.” Lin Mo sighed. “That's worse.” Sun Qing covered her mouth to hide her laughter. Eventually, their team was called. “Next team: CampusLink.” Lin Mo stood. His legs felt strangely heavy. He walked onto the stage. The auditorium suddenly looked much larger from there. Hundreds of students. Professors. Judges. Company representatives. Lin Mo swallowed. This was terrible. He glanced toward the side of the auditorium. Gu Wen was there. He gave Lin Mo a small nod. For some reason, Lin Mo relaxed. He looked at the screen. “Good afternoon.” His voice wasn't loud. But the microphone carried it across the room. “Our project isn't revolutionary.” A few people smiled. Lin Mo continued. “We didn't try to build something that could change the world.” He clicked the remote. The campus map appeared. “We wanted to solve problems students actually encounter every day.” Lost property. Classroom changes. Building schedules. Emergency announcements. Small things. Annoying things. Things people dealt with every day. Lin Mo spoke simply. No exaggerated claims. No complicated vocabulary. Just the reasons behind every decision. As he explained the project, something strange happened. He stopped being nervous. He was no longer presenting. He was explaining something he understood. Something he cared about. When the demonstration began, the system worked perfectly. For once, technology didn't betray him. The audience laughed when the lost-and-found function displayed a missing umbrella. Lin Mo smiled. “Apparently, someone really did lose an umbrella.” The atmosphere became lighter. By the time they finished, Lin Mo realized he had actually enjoyed himself. They stepped off the stage. Zhao Kai immediately grabbed his shoulder. “You were good.” “Really?” “Really.” Sun Qing nodded. “You didn't even look nervous.” “I was terrified.” “You hid it well.” Lin Mo looked toward Gu Wen. Gu Wen was smiling. And somehow, that made him happier than the applause. During the break, Lin Mo went outside. He needed air. He stood beneath a tree and looked at the sky. “Done.” A voice came from behind him. “Congratulations.” Lin Mo turned. Shen Yichen. Of course. Lin Mo sighed inwardly. Why does this man always appear when I'm trying to relax? “Thank you.” Shen stood a few steps away. “I watched the presentation.” Lin Mo nodded. “Was it terrible?” “No.” “Good.” “You explained the project well.” Lin Mo looked at him suspiciously. “Is that praise?” “Yes.” “Okay.” Shen almost smiled. “You've changed.” Lin Mo blinked. “How?” “You used to avoid anything that looked troublesome.” “I still do.” “You went on stage.” Lin Mo considered that. “This was different.” “How?” Lin Mo looked toward the auditorium. “Because I built it.” Shen was silent for a moment. Then he nodded. “I understand.” Lin Mo didn't expect that answer. Before he could say anything, someone called his name. “Lin Mo!” Gu Wen was approaching. Lin Mo turned. “Coming.” He looked back at Shen. “I have to go.” Shen nodded. “Good luck.” Lin Mo smiled. “Thanks.” He left. Shen watched him go. The student who had once looked at him as though simply being near him was dangerous had just stood on a stage in front of hundreds of people without hesitation. Interesting. But Shen no longer thought of Lin Mo as merely interesting. There was respect there now. And something quieter that he hadn't yet named. The final results were announced that afternoon. Third place. CampusLink. Lin Mo stared at the screen. “We got third.” Zhao Kai shouted. “We got third!” Sun Qing hugged both of them. Lin Mo stood there stunned. Third. Out of dozens of teams. They hadn't won. But they had made it. And suddenly Lin Mo didn't care that they hadn't come first. He looked at the certificate in his hand. A small smile appeared. “I think I'm happy.” Zhao Kai stared at him. “That's a normal reaction.” “I know.” “Why are you surprised?” “Because I don't usually care about things like this.” Gu Wen, standing nearby, heard him. “Maybe you care more than you thought.” Lin Mo looked at him. Maybe. That evening, the three teammates went out for dinner. Lin Mo ordered too much food. Zhao Kai stared at the table. “Are you celebrating?” “Yes.” “By yourself?” “No.” Lin Mo pointed at the food. “All of us.” Sun Qing laughed. “You're paying?” Lin Mo paused. “Why me?” “You're the richest.” Lin Mo immediately looked offended. “That's discrimination.” Zhao Kai laughed. In the end, they split the bill. Lin Mo was satisfied. Fairness had been restored. Later that night, Lin Mo returned to his dorm. He placed the third-place certificate on his desk. He looked at it. Then at his laptop. Then back at the certificate. His phone vibrated. A message from Gu Wen. Good work today. Lin Mo replied: You too. Three dots appeared. I wasn't competing. Lin Mo smiled. You were supporting me. That's harder. There was a pause. Then: Then I'll keep supporting you. Lin Mo stared at the message. Something warm settled in his chest again. He didn't understand it. He simply smiled and put his phone down. Outside his window, the university campus was quiet. For the first time since transmigrating into this world, Lin Mo realized something. Maybe he didn't have to spend his entire life hiding from the plot. Maybe he could simply live. Make friends. Build things. Eat noodles. And occasionally— Want something for himself. He looked at the certificate again. Third place. Not bad. Lin Mo smiled. “Next time, first.” The words left his mouth before he could stop them. He froze. Then slowly covered his face. “What happened to my salted-fish life?”

The First Time Lin Mo Wants To Win