Yang Shule's voice sounded trembling in his ear, as if she were talking to herself, or as if she were asking him, "Why? Why me of all people? I don't have biological parents like that. I will never acknowledge them." 　　Xi Siyan's tone remained calm and composed. 　　It was also like sarcasm: "You're probably not the only one who wants to know why." 　　This was the maximum response he could give to the matter. He had already done his best in helping the Xi and Yang families find their sons, and he didn't care about anything more. 　　Less than a month later, the Yang family indeed made some noise. 　　Withdrawing the charges does seem like something that couple would do. Yang Zhi might be more suitable to manage the Yang family. Unfortunately, for a family like theirs, it's clearly more appropriate to "pamper" a seemingly obedient younger brother. 　　Perhaps we don't know on what day, at what occasion, or at what gathering, we will witness the end of this drama. 　　Unexpectedly, they encountered Chen Mo, who was running a high fever in the back alley of an internet cafe. 　　His words were sharp and impolite. 　　Xi Siyan recalled when she had offended him. 　　Then he realized that almost everyone who seemed to have a connection with the Yang family was unforgivable in his eyes. 　　And then what? 　　Things seem to have deviated somewhat from expectations. 　　The Chen Mo I met later was the same, yet very different. 　　You say he's not competitive or aggressive, yet he never suffers a loss; you say his ambition remains the same, yet you can no longer see even a trace of it in him. The change is subtle, yet impossible to ignore. 　　Like now. 　　Today's highest surface temperature is 35°C. 　　One morning, someone who was still half asleep and had gotten into a fight with that unlucky guy Qi Lin was now holding his ordinary-looking, unassuming blue-gray thermos and blowing on it. 　　I tried taking a small sip. 　　He got burned and muttered, "Damn it!" 　　I took another sip. 　　He frowned and muttered, "It's so bitter, there must be something wrong with the instruction manual." 　　After holding back for a long time, Xi Siyan finally asked, "Do you absolutely have to drink this hot water?" 　　Someone looked over. 　　"Like you guys, all sweaty and flashy with a bottle of ice water?" 　　Xi Siyan smirked, “Perhaps there is another kind of water in this world called room temperature.” 　　"It won't steep at room temperature. Chrysanthemum tea is good for clearing heat, shall I have a packet?" 　　"No need." 　　Chen Mo and Xi Siyan sat at the same table for almost a week. 　　Excluding his current and future relationship with a certain classmate Yang, Chen Mo had no further objections to him as his deskmate. 　　Quiet, doesn't cause trouble, and can even copy homework. 　　After all, there's a lot of homework in high school, and even if he knew the answers, he was too lazy to bother thinking about it. 　　I don't know what happened today? 　　Is it bothering him to drink some hot water? 　　Chen Mo held the cup, his eyes full of suspicion: "Jealous that I have a healthy lifestyle?" 　　Xi Siyan seemed to have heard some absurd joke. 　　I laughed in exasperation. 　　"Jealous that you drink cigarettes with black tea?" 　　"Apply an ice pack to a disfigured face?" 　　"Drink hot water when staying up late?" 　　Chen Mo: "...Shut up." 　　Two seconds later, the math teacher, wearing those conventional black mid-heeled shoes, stood solemnly on the podium. 　　She held a stack of quiz papers in her hands, slammed them onto the lectern with a dull thud. 　　"This exam." 　　Overall, the results are satisfactory. 　　The female teacher, in her thirties, had her hair neatly styled. 　　The light gray business suit seemed to confine her into an unchanging, fixed shell—rigid, solemn, and devoid of any joy. 　　"However, there are some people I want to criticize seriously today." 　　As soon as he said that, the classroom started buzzing. 　　As if he had a premonition, Chen Mo met the female teacher's piercing gaze and heard her say, "Chen Mo, 125 points. This score is barely acceptable in our experimental class. But tell me, how did you solve the last big question?" 　　"Is there anything wrong with my solution, Professor Bai?" Chen Mo slowly stood up from his seat. 　　His eyes seemed nonchalant, but in reality, a shadow of gloom had settled over them. 　　Bai Suxiu was also Chen Mo's math teacher in his previous life. 　　Chen Mo still remembers that sentence. 　　—Yang Shule has always had excellent grades and a lot of competition trophies. He didn't accuse you of cheating and even covered for you! What about you? 　　That wasn't a pop quiz; it was Chen Mo's first monthly exam after transferring to No. 1 High School. 　　He didn't live in a dormitory in his past life either. 　　Yang Shule, the math class representative, held the math test paper she had accidentally brought home from the office the day before and explained to Bai Suxiu, "Teacher Bai, it was my fault." 　　In the teacher's office, Bai Suxiu accused Chen Mo in a matter-of-fact tone: "Chen Mo, the difficulty of our No. 1 High School is not like your previous high school. You got the exact same 149 points as the class representative, and you even got the same question wrong. You're telling me it's a coincidence? As long as you apologize today, I'll pretend this never happened." 　　An apology is out of the question. 　　Zhou Yaoqiong was invited that time. 　　The woman, dressed elegantly, looked apologetic: "I'm so sorry, Teacher Bai, it's my fault for not disciplining my two children properly." 　　Bai Suxiu softened her tone: "I know Shule, this child has nothing to do with him. It's good that Chen Mo wants to improve himself, but he has to follow the right path." 　　Yes, yes. 　　On the way home that day. 　　Zhou Yaoqiong, still feigning concern for his self-esteem, said, "Xiao Mo, I didn't tell your dad and brother. They'll definitely be furious if they find out." 　　Chen Mo sneered: "You can tell them." 　　Zhou Yaoqiong interpreted this statement as a sign of his guilty conscience and lack of manners. 　　Later, Chen Mo's grades in all subjects steadily improved, but he could no longer concentrate on any of her math lessons. 　　That final, small difference in the college entrance exam score was also the reason for my failure. 　　Today and today. 　　It was as if history was repeating itself.

Chapter 29