Lin Mo stared at Gu Wen's message for a full minute. Gu Wen: Nothing troublesome. Those words were suspicious. Extremely suspicious. Lin Mo had read enough novels to know that whenever someone said nothing troublesome, trouble was usually already standing behind them with a knife. He typed carefully. Lin Mo: If it's troublesome, I won't do it. The reply came almost immediately. Gu Wen: It's really simple. Lin Mo narrowed his eyes. Lin Mo: Define simple. There was a pause. Then— Gu Wen: Help me pick up some books. Lin Mo blinked. Books? That was it? He leaned back against his pillow. Perhaps he had been too paranoid. Lin Mo: Where? Gu Wen: The old library storage room. Lin Mo paused again. Old library. Storage room. That sounded significantly less appealing. Lin Mo: Why can't you get them yourself? Gu Wen: I have a seminar tomorrow morning. Gu Wen: And the books are for it. Lin Mo thought about it. He could refuse. He should refuse. His survival rules clearly stated: Avoid unnecessary involvement. But this wasn't involvement. It was carrying books. People carried books every day without accidentally becoming supporting characters. Lin Mo: Fine. Gu Wen: Thank you. Lin Mo put down his phone. Then immediately regretted agreeing. The next afternoon, Lin Mo stood outside the old library. He looked at the building. Then at the message Gu Wen had sent him. Second floor. Storage room 204. Lin Mo sighed. “Why does every university have a place that looks like the beginning of a horror movie?” He pushed open the door. The inside was quiet. Too quiet. Dusty shelves filled the room. Old books were stacked against the walls. A broken fan sat in one corner. Lin Mo pulled out his phone. Lin Mo: I'm here. Gu Wen replied. Gu Wen: I'll be there in ten minutes. Ten minutes. Lin Mo looked around. Fine. He could wait. He found a chair. Sat down. Opened a game. Five minutes later— He was asleep. “Lin Mo?” A voice woke him. Lin Mo opened one eye. Gu Wen was standing in front of him. “You fell asleep?” “No.” “You're sitting in a chair with your eyes closed.” “I was thinking.” “With your mouth open?” Lin Mo immediately closed his mouth. Gu Wen laughed. “Come on.” They found the books on the third shelf. There were eight of them. Lin Mo stared. “You said some books.” “Yes.” “This is a small library.” “Technically.” “Gu Wen.” “Yes?” “You owe me dinner.” Gu Wen smiled. “Deal.” They carried the books downstairs. Halfway down, Lin Mo stopped. “Wait.” Gu Wen turned. “What?” Lin Mo pointed at the bottom book. “This one is upside down.” Gu Wen looked. It was. Neither of them knew how it had happened. They fixed it and continued. It was completely ordinary. Almost boring. Lin Mo liked it. Outside the library, Gu Wen suddenly asked, “Do you want to eat?” Lin Mo answered immediately. “Yes.” “There's a restaurant near the east gate.” “Expensive?” “Not really.” “Then yes.” They walked toward the east gate. Neither noticed the black sedan parked across the road. Neither noticed the man sitting inside. The man wasn't looking at them. He was reading a report. A business report. A familiar name appeared repeatedly throughout it. Shen Yichen. The man turned a page. Then paused. His eyes moved toward the university entrance. A moment later, the sedan drove away. Lin Mo knew nothing about it. He was currently arguing with Gu Wen about whether dumplings counted as a complete meal. “They do,” Lin Mo insisted. “They're mostly filling.” “That's the point.” “You need vegetables.” “Vegetables are optional.” “They aren't.” “They are if you close your eyes.” Gu Wen looked at him. “You have a very strange understanding of nutrition.” “I have a very efficient understanding of nutrition.” Gu Wen laughed. They entered the restaurant. Lin Mo sat down. He opened the menu. Then froze. “Gu Wen.” “Hm?” “They have my noodles.” Gu Wen looked at the menu. “The menu changed?” “No.” Lin Mo's eyes lit up. “They have my noodles.” Gu Wen smiled. “Then order them.” “I will.” For the first time that day, Lin Mo felt genuinely grateful. This was university life. Friends. Food. Games. Classes. Nothing dramatic. Nothing dangerous. Nothing connected to the novel. At least, that was what he believed. That evening, Lin Mo returned to his dorm. He dropped onto his bed. His phone vibrated. A message from Gu Wen. Gu Wen: Thanks for helping today. Lin Mo replied: Lin Mo: Dinner was enough payment. A moment later: Gu Wen: Then I'll owe you another dinner. Lin Mo smiled. Lin Mo: Deal. He put his phone down. Then his smile slowly disappeared. Something had been bothering him. Not Gu Wen. Not the books. Not the restaurant. Something else. The original novel. He remembered the timeline. Gu Wen was supposed to meet Shen Yichen during an academic event several months from now. That meeting would eventually become important. Very important. But today... Nothing happened. Gu Wen had simply asked him to carry books. Lin Mo stared at the ceiling. Maybe the story really wasn't following the original plot anymore. Or maybe— His expression became serious. Maybe it was following it differently. He immediately rejected the thought. “No.” He pulled the blanket over his head. “Don't think about it.” Five seconds passed. He lifted the blanket. “Actually, I don't care.” He turned over. “I definitely don't care.” Another five seconds. “...But what if—” “No.” He covered his head again. “I am a salted fish.” And salted fish did not investigate mysterious plot deviations. They slept. At least, they tried to. Because at 11:47 p.m., somewhere across the city, Shen Yichen received a report containing a name he had seen before. Lin Mo. Shen Yichen looked at the name for several seconds. Then closed the file. He didn't know why the name kept appearing. And he had no reason to investigate. Yet.

A Favour That Was Supposed To Be Simple