Early August. The senior year placement exam. Mathematics examination room.
"Goddamn conic sections."
Lin Mo put on his pain mask. Even though a beautiful girl sat to his right, he was in no mood to appreciate her.
That feeling of powerlessness while doing math was like seeing a dried-up Erii in Tokyo.
Was this already his final ripple?
It was all Bai Limeng's fault!
Bai Limeng was the childhood sweetheart who lived next door. They'd grown up practically wearing the same pair of shorts. She could do splits, practiced taekwondo, did yoga. Slender waist, long legs, fair skin—only her personality was rotten beyond redemption.
She liked leaving her worn socks and underwear everywhere, even stuffing them inside his pillowcase, saying it would help him sleep! What kind of person was she?!
Last semester, he'd gone through a failed secret crush. Knowing full well it was hopeless, he'd been egged on by Bai Limeng to confess, only to be ruthlessly rejected.
Originally, after the heartbreak, he should have been restless and in desperate need of a pick-me-up. Indeed, that was the case.
Back then, he'd returned home, howled at the heavens, and screamed, "Don't mock a youth for his poverty!" a hundred times. Truly spirited and gallant!
But even the best-laid plans had a flaw. While he was howling, he'd forgotten to soundproof against the childhood sweetheart next door.
Afterward, under the guise of helping him rediscover himself, the childhood sweetheart came knocking.
The entire summer break, she enticed him with honeyed words while sending him benefits, giving him pocket money, buying him a bunny girl figurine, even asking if he wanted the ninety-eight-yuan Tender Cat Girl that she could personally help warm up and charge for him.
Lin Mo had actually thought his childhood sweetheart was genuinely concerned about him. He'd been incredibly grateful back then, but the more he thought about it now, the more something felt wrong!
He'd done everything that summer except study!
Bai Limeng absolutely did it on purpose! She wanted to watch him slowly degenerate, then finally stand above him, stepping on his chest, covering her mouth as she let out a triumphant cold laugh:
"Za gu, za gu~"
His current sorry state—like a helpless husband staring at a math exam paper—was all her fault!
Chikushou! Hmph, hmph, REEEE—
No, calm down. Calm down first. If he really lost his composure now, he'd be falling right into Bai Limeng's trap.
Even if he couldn't test well enough to move up a class this time, he still had to score enough points to avoid being mocked by Bai Limeng when he got back.
Lin Mo took a deep breath, looked at the math problems, rested his chin on one fist, raised his knee, narrowed his eyes, deciding to cosplay as *The Thinker* sitting on a toilet.
One breath.
Two breaths.
Suffocation.
Still couldn't solve it.
It couldn't be helped. If you didn't know math, you just didn't know math. Sometimes while thinking about it, you'd start pondering the meaning of life instead, your soul flying beyond the heavens, entering sage mode.
He fantasized that he'd transmigrated into a female-supremacy parallel world, becoming a coveted Holy Grail-tier heartthrob. The United Nations Empresses would start World War III to fight over him, but he actually possessed a 100% forced-divorce ability. After being claimed by an Empress, he'd immediately divorce her and take half her cultivation, then return through transmigration, viewing math problems as mere ants.
【Life Scandal System】
Huh?
He hadn't fantasized a system. What was going on?
The moment Lin Mo thought this, text flashed through his mind:
【Given the tragic ending of your life, this system is dedicated to reversing your future.】
Something was wrong.
Chotto matte!
How was his ending tragic already? Was failing one exam that serious?
【To reverse your life, you must first remedy your cognitive information gap. Scandal targets have been listed according to the current emergency.】
【Note: All scandal targets are people who directly caused the tragic "destruction" of your life.】
Lin Mo was stunned for a moment. Seeing this, he was certain he wasn't imagining things. This system existed independently in his mind.
【Scandal Target: Bai Limeng】
He couldn't keep his composure when the first name appeared. That much did align perfectly with his views—his childhood sweetheart was a stumbling block on his path to success! Expose her dirt! He had to expose her!
【Scandal Target: Xu Lingxi】
Uh... that was the name of the girl who rejected him. Last semester she had been an outer sect disciple in the ordinary class, sharing a class with him. Now she was an inner sect disciple in the elite class. But he'd already given up. What else could tie them together?
【Scandal Target: Li Zhihan】
The text in his mind stopped here. Lin Mo felt a wave of unfamiliarity.
Thinking of something, Lin Mo looked toward the girl on his right.
His movement was careful, because this girl had left a very different impression on him. It wasn't just coldness anymore; it was hostility, a keep-away aura that seemed to go against everyone, as if she walked in the opposite direction of the rest of the world.
The girl sat perfectly straight. Her shoulder-length hair was smooth as spilled ink, draped over her shoulders and back, making her look delicate and fragile. Her hair held no ornaments. A simple white school uniform. Her unadorned, pure beauty was mesmerizing.
Her profile, partially veiled by strands of hair, was a perfect three-dimensional painting. Her eyelashes would flutter slightly from time to time, as if fanning the coolness of autumn.
Her grace was like a feather lifted by a gentle breeze.
Lin Mo followed her desk corner to the exam information card. It was blurry, but he confirmed the seat number and her name.
Li Zhihan.
He suddenly recalled that she was quite famous at school. The boys constantly talked about her, calling her some untouchable flower, a white moonlight. Though he didn't believe in such reputations, he had to admit her fame wasn't unfounded.
"Hey, hey, student in the back row, don't look around!"
Suddenly, the proctor noticed his small movement and shouted in this direction.
Li Zhihan started at the words. Her slender shoulders trembled. The quiet cold beauty seemed to suddenly shift from autumn into winter.
She turned her gaze to look at him. Her clear eyes were full of vigilance and an indescribable sense of hostility.
Lin Mo was startled by that gaze for a moment, quickly retracting his eyes, and explained:
"Oh, oh, Teacher, my neck is sore."
"No small tricks, alright!"
Lin Mo was embarrassed for a moment, returning his attention to the exam paper. System text resurfaced in his mind:
【You have formed a preliminary acquaintance with Li Zhihan.】
【Li Zhihan's primary scandal has been unlocked.】
【Ten years later, you sever ties with Bai Limeng, but ultimately still fail in your business venture. You become a complete failure, accomplishing nothing in the vast sea of people.】
【You become reclusive and taciturn.】
【You return to your high school, planning to work as a librarian and muddle through the rest of your life.】
【But one day, while enjoying solitude in the library, you discover a woman who clearly isn't a student. She is beautiful, but also looks like trouble. Seemingly to disguise herself as staff, whenever students are around, she simply stands in your work area.】
【You wanted to say something, but looking at her lavish attire, you abandon such communication across a vast gap. Though you don't know her purpose, at least without talking, you remain at leisure.】
【She stood for an entire day, only leaving unsteadily when the library closed.】
【The next day, she came again. This time, you brought out a chair for her to sit.】
【She didn't speak, still standing. You also didn't care. Goodwill offered; accepting or not is another person's business, unrelated to you.】
【The third day, she came even earlier. This time she stood for half a day, finally sitting in the chair, yet didn't say thank you.】
【The fourth day, she brought a carton of milk, placing it on your workstation without a word.】
【Such a childish expression amused you. Thinking that courtesy demands reciprocity, the next day you brought her a seat cushion.】
【After a month, your home had accumulated over a dozen cartons of milk. You gradually developed a tacit understanding. You would prepare meals for her; she would bring you small gifts. But you and she haven't spoken a single word. You coincidentally learn her name—Li Zhihan. You were high school classmates.】
【You discover that you and she are the same, both indulging in self-harming loneliness and silence.】
【One day, she came very late. The meal you prepared for her had gone cold. In the darkness, she watched you silently go to reheat the food, and finally spoke.】
【You are stunned, because Li Zhihan's voice is very pleasant. She asks very carefully, very timidly. The way she speaks is vastly different from her cold, silent self.】
【Turns out she is extremely, even pathologically, socially anxious.】
【"...Marry me?"】
【"If possible, please help me."】
【She grabs your hand, her face flushed with shame.】
【"No bride price needed."】
【Her first time speaking leaves you at a loss.】
【.】
【Remaining scandals await unlocking.】
【Reward obtained: Brain-boosting milk. After drinking, mental power and focus are greatly enhanced for one hour. Cooldown: one day. Each use: two cartons.】
*Regarding the Matter of the Socially Anxious, Cold Beauty with a Gap Moe Personality's Flash Marriage with Me*
And she doesn't even need to grind for bride price fragments? Is this for real?
Liu Cixin wouldn't dare write this.
While Lin Mo was still in a daze, he suddenly felt his pants pocket bulging. Reaching in, he pulled out two cartons of milk in packaging he'd never seen before.
The last time he'd pulled something from his pocket that existed beyond his comprehension was when Bai Limeng had crumpled her socks into a ball and stuffed them into his pocket, lying that she'd bought him breakfast—a mantou bun.
He'd arrived at school, wanted a bite of breakfast, pulled them out, and bit into a sock.
But obviously, Bai Limeng couldn't fly over to stuff milk into his pocket. It wasn't only Bai Limeng who affected his life, but also this Ms. Li who didn't like talking much.
He spaced out for a moment, fully realizing the gravity of the situation. Unconsciously, he inserted the straw into the milk carton and took a small sip.
Instantly, his thoughts became crystal clear. The exam paper before him seemed as weak and puny as a Lu Mingfei.
He choked.
It was real.
He couldn't tell. He really couldn't tell.