Chapter 85

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Chen Mo had been listening to the two people complaining all along. When he heard Xiao Yuxian's words, he chuckled and said, "That top student in the province is me, but I heard our scores were the same. How did I end up ranking ahead of you?"

Xiao Yuxian laughed and said, "The secret lies in our names. You have the surname Chen, which starts with C, and I have the surname Xiao, which starts with X. According to pinyin order, I naturally rank behind you."

Chen Mo smiled and said, "I didn't expect my surname to give me such an advantage. I'm sorry for putting you at a disadvantage."

Zhu Yuanxiang, seeing Chen Mo joking again, couldn't help but look at him with renewed respect and said, "Chen Mo, I won't say anything else, but just your broad-mindedness and demeanor are something we can't match. Even at this moment, you still have the heart to joke. I admire you, brother."

Chen Mo had already asked Professor Hu about his evaluation results during the assessment. According to Professor Hu, his evaluation results should rank first, which clearly showed that he was still stronger than the other students in the天才少年班 (Genius Youth Class). Besides, it was just school, and as long as he worked hard, there was no need to worry so much.

Seeing Zhu Yuanxiang and Xiao Yuxian looking a bit dejected, Chen Mo encouraged them again, "Even if the students from Linhai lose, they shouldn't lose their spirit. The current scores don't mean much. Good future performance is what really matters. You two shouldn't keep your heads down. In the future, eat and drink as you please, and don't burden yourselves with unnecessary worries."

Xiao Yuxian looked at Chen Mo and smiled, "From your appearance, I can tell you're from the countryside. My teacher once told me that people from the countryside are very hardworking and have a stronger mental resilience than us city kids. I didn't believe it at the time, but now seeing how optimistic you are, I realize that we city kids are indeed not as strong."

Zhu Yuanxiang, however, was puzzled and said, "My teacher also said that children from the countryside are more timid. But seeing Chen Mo's performance, I realize that children from the countryside are actually quite brave. Chen Mo, your skin is so dark, I can tell you've endured a lot. Do you work part-time to earn your tuition while studying?"

Xiao Yuxian and Zhu Yuanxiang had always been very friendly, which made Chen Mo have a very good impression of them. Since they were from the same place, Linhai, and would be his classmates in the Genius Youth Class, he naturally treated them warmly. He smiled and said, "It's not as mysterious as you think. I just helped with household chores from a young age. As for working part-time to earn tuition, I haven't done that."

Xiao Yuxian asked curiously, "What does your family do, Chen Mo? Helping with household chores could make you so dark?"

Chen Mo smiled and said, "My parents are fishermen. I help them go out to sea to fish, so it's no wonder I'm so dark from the wind and sun."

Zhu Yuanxiang gave Chen Mo a thumbs up and said, "Chen Mo, you are definitely my role model. I've never done household chores, not even washed dishes. My parents said I just need to focus on my studies, and they'll take care of everything else."

Xiao Yuxian chimed in, "I'm an only child, and my grandparents and great-grandparents have always pampered me. They never let me do any household chores. Compared to you, we are indeed very fortunate."

Chen Mo asked curiously, "What do your families do?"

Xiao Yuxian answered, "My family runs a chain of supermarkets."

Zhu Yuanxiang scratched his head and said, "Don't laugh at me, but my family runs a mahjong parlor."

Xiao Yuxian joked, "It's rare that you can achieve such good grades coming from such a family. Is it because you learned to play mahjong from a young age, which trained your brain, making you so smart?"

Zhu Yuanxiang, hearing this, immediately joked back, "Do you help your family with accounting, which is why your brain is so sharp?"

Chen Mo, seeing the two of them joking, felt that this was their normal behavior. Their previous dejected looks were just awkward.

The three of them continued to chat until the sun set. Chen Mo suddenly remembered he hadn't gone to the roll call and slapped his head, saying, "I was so engrossed in chatting with you that I forgot the teacher was going to take attendance! You two wait here, I'll be right back!"

As Chen Mo was about to rush to the teaching building, Zhu Yuanxiang stopped him and said, "The roll call has been canceled. The teacher hasn't arrived yet, so don't worry. It's already dinner time. Why don't we go eat together? To celebrate our meeting today, we should definitely have a few drinks!"

Zhu Yuanxiang's suggestion was fully supported by Xiao Yuxian. Only Chen Mo smiled bitterly and said, "Eating is fine, but I don't know how to drink."

Zhu Yuanxiang and Xiao Yuxian, one on each side, pulled Chen Mo towards the school gate. They both said, "Precisely because you don't know how to drink, you should drink. If you don't know how to drink now, you will after drinking a lot."

To thoroughly convince Chen Mo, Zhu Yuanxiang said in a mature tone, "There was originally no path, but as more people walked it, it became a path. By the same logic: you don't know how to drink, but after drinking a lot, you will know how to drink!"

Chen Mo, a bit at a loss, was pulled along by the two. Halfway through, he remembered he didn't have any money. When he said he needed to go to the dorm to get money, Xiao Yuxian generously said, "My parents gave me 5,000 yuan as a reward for getting into the Genius Youth Class. Do you think I would let a fisherman's son pay for this meal? Just follow us, and order whatever you want. Don't be shy!"

Chen Mo had no choice but to agree. The three of them found a restaurant that looked relatively upscale at the school gate. During the meal, Zhu Yuanxiang and Xiao Yuxian were very enthusiastic. Chen Mo, who originally planned to just taste the drinks, was encouraged by them and drank two bottles of cold beer for the first time in his life.

An hour and a half later, the three teenagers left the restaurant, supporting each other. Zhu Yuanxiang and Xiao Yuxian were just a bit dizzy, but Chen Mo was drunk. His head was fuzzy, and his limbs were weak. He kept trying to perform a prone position while walking.

As they walked through the campus, they encountered many college students. Seeing the three of them walking unsteadily, the students moved aside to avoid them.

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