Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  Lin Zhou pursed her lips. “Do you know who his desk mate is?”


  Lu Shangjin saw Lin Zhou’s face turn grave and pondered it for a few seconds. “Judging from how upset you are, is it Gu Mang?”


  “Yes.” Lin Zhou was filled with fury upon bringing up this topic. “It was my fault for misunderstanding the relationship between you and Gu Mang. I had no objections, too, when you were making arrangements for Gu Mang to enter Ming City High School. However, this is the last straw. I will not allow her to lead Lu Yang astray.”


  Lu Shangjin laughed out loud. “It’s Lu Yang. What is there to lead astray?”


  It was not his intention to look down on his son. His son was adept at spoiling himself with the pleasures of eating, drinking, and fun. Only he himself was to be blamed for being too busy at work and for failing to discipline his son.

  Lin Zhou became increasingly cold. “What do you mean by that? Are you really going to side with an outsider? Don’t think that I have no idea what Gu Mang was up to in the past. Fighting, making trouble, and playing truant. Hasn’t she done enough?”


  Lu Shangjin knitted his eyebrows together. “Gu Mang isn’t as bad as you make her out to be.”


  Lin Zhou scoffed. “She’s been to a reformatory. How can she be a good student?”


  Lu Shangjin’s lips twitched. He did not feel like explaining any further. “If you’re unhappy, ask Lu Yang to request a new seat.”
……

  Lu Yang returned to the Lu residence after an evening self-study class.

  At the dining table.

  “I’m not changing seats,” Lu Yang said simply while picking up a piece of pork rib.

  Lin Zhou choked on her own anger. Not wanting the relationship between the mother and son to be affected, she immediately passed to him the folder that she had prepared in advance. “See for yourself.”


  Lu Yang raised his eyebrows. He uncoiled the thread securing the folder and pulled out Gu Mang’s information.

  The corners of his lips twitched when he flipped to the page about her examination results.

  Everything was zero. Even he wasn’t as awesome as that. How did she do it? How neat!

  “You’ve seen it for yourself.” Lin Zhou looked at Lu Yang’s astonished face, feeling rather relieved. “Gu Mang’s not a good student. You better keep your distance from her. I’m not expecting you to be as outstanding as your sister, but you should not bring shame upon this family.”


  Lu Yi grinned while eating in silence. Lu Yang lifted his eyes up after flipping through Gu Mang’s information. “Mom, you don’t need to worry about these things. I’ve grown up and I know how to handle my own matters.

  Lin Zhou sensed that they were worlds apart. “What do you mean by that?” Her eyes became serious.

  Lu Yang put the data aside and picked up his chopsticks. “I won’t change my seat. There’s no use talking to Ms. Xi too. You know my temperament.”


  Lin Zhou’s face turned ashen in an instant and she glared at him with icy fury.

  Lu Yang giggled while he picked up some pieces of fish for Lin Zhou. “Don’t be angry, mom; you’ll get wrinkles. You should eat.”


  Lin Zhou’s plan had failed. Her eyes filled with icy fury upon learning that he had no intention of staying away from Gu Mang……

  Gu Mang left the evening self-study class and exchanged greetings with Meng Jinyang. She then walked out of the school gate with the exeat that Xi Yan had signed earlier in the afternoon.

  Tian Que.

  There was going to be an important transaction tonight.

  Gu Mang sat in front of the bar. “One mojito, please.”


  Lin Zhuang turned her head and saw the young girl sitting to the side with her characteristic black peaked cap and black hoodie.

  “What’s up with the situation that you need my involvement?” Gu Mang asked.

  Lin Shuang sighed. “I had no intention of bothering you. After all, you’re already counting down the days until the college entry exams.”


  Gu Mang raised an eyebrow and said, “Good of you to know that I still need to go to college.”


  Lin Shuang almost choked to death on her beer. The world’s best hacker just said she needed to go to college.

  She wiped the beer off the corner of her mouth with her thumb and returned to the subject matter. “I was unable to hack into Tian Que’s monitoring system. If you help me, I’ll give ten percent of the bounty upon completion.”


  Gu Mang raised an eyebrow and carelessly held up two clean, fair-skinned fingers. “Twenty percent.”


  It was terrible of her to profit from her misfortune.

  Lin Shuang gritted her teeth. “Deal accepted.”