Everything I bought on online shopping platforms was genuine.

Chapter 223 Classmate, Will We Meet Again?
On the third day of the National Day holiday, Lin Mo got up early for his morning exercise as usual, and did not slack off just because he was at home.

Ninety-nine percent of people in the world do things not because they lack perseverance, but because they can't see the rewards or progress.

If you can see even one, you will see the true potential of humanity.

Lin Mo was the same. It wasn't that he was particularly diligent, but rather that after each morning exercise, he could feel his body changing for the better, with the warm feeling in his lower abdomen being the most compelling evidence.

If it doesn't have this effect, he'll be so bored that he'll get up early and sleep in late in bed—how wonderful that would be!

The elderly people in the square were all full of energy. There was even an old man practicing on the horizontal bar with his shirt off. His muscular body made Lin Mo, a young man, a little scared, afraid that he might be punched to death by the old man.

Go to any park or square in the morning where there are exercise equipment, and you'll find them all silent, making it a veritable exercise ground for the gods.

Lin Mo's amount of exercise isn't even enough to warm up those elderly folks.

When Lin Mo returned from the square, covered in sweat, he stood in the living room and smiled, "Mom, do you think your son has changed at all?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Hui, the mother who brought out porridge and pickled vegetables from the kitchen, glanced at her son and said, "Except for that infuriating mouth of yours, you've changed in every way. Since you're already like this, you might as well change your mouth too, and think before you speak in the future."

Lin Mo:
"No, why are you still holding a grudge? Didn't you already hit me last night? It's all in the past!"

That's right. Although he bought a car to please his mother, he still got a beating, albeit late.

Last night, he wanted to try and do what Comrade Lin did—jump around in his mother's minefield—but he ended up messing things up.

But it wasn't without its lessons. At least he learned the steps his dad took to make his mom angry. The only thing he didn't learn was how to smooth things over so that his mom wouldn't be angry at all, but instead burst into laughter.

Hearing her son's words, Zhou Min rolled her eyes at him but didn't pursue the matter too much. After all, he was her eldest son who bought her the car, and she had to give him a few days of appeasement for the sake of the car.

"Alright, hurry up and wash up and eat!"

Lin Mo, still unwilling to give up, continued to ask, "Mom, don't you notice that your son has grown a little taller?"

This morning he came across the "Secondary Development" event again, and he had already completed the task after his morning exercise.

No mistake, the person standing in front of his mother now is Lin Mo, who is 179.5 cm tall and has grown 0.5 cm taller than a month ago.

You know, he hasn't grown any taller since he started high school. There's an old saying that people grow taller around age 23, but I don't know why that doesn't apply to him.

He only regained a glimmer of hope after the shopping page was created.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Hui, the mother, looked her eldest son up and down, then waved her hand and said, "Go, go, go wash up quickly. You're not short, why do you care about this? Growing taller is fine. If you really want to grow taller, I'll buy you a pair of height-increasing insoles tomorrow!"

It's only 0.5 centimeters, which is barely visible to the naked eye. There's no difference between it growing and not growing at all.

Helpless, Lin Mo could only go to the bathroom to wash up, secretly vowing that a year later, he would definitely show her what a 185cm tall person really looked like.

In just over a month, he has already grown 0.5 centimeters taller, and it would be easy for him to grow five or six centimeters in a year.

The holiday was peaceful, with many workers recovering their energy during this short break. However, it was also quite lively, as the National Day holiday is not only a peak tourist season but also a peak wedding season.

His mother had a wedding gift today; it was for her colleague's son's wedding, and she drove her new car there.

His father also had something to do and went out before noon to have lunch with Uncle Liu from yesterday. He said he would treat everyone today, so of course he would.

The happiness of middle-aged men is nothing more than getting off work and calling up a few friends to have some barbecue and beer.

Life in a small county town moves at a slow pace. Although income may not be high, the cost of living is also low, and there is not much pressure.

For a moment, Lin Mo was left alone at home again. He lay on the bed, bored. Through the window, he could see that the sky outside was gloomy and it was going to rain.

My cousin Su He is at home arguing with Aunt Lin Mo, insisting on seeing the boy's information and photos herself, saying that she doesn't want to meet just anyone.

It was obvious that the two men she had met on blind dates hadn't left a very good impression on her.

It rained heavily in Jiangning City today. Liu Ruyan stayed home and had tea with her mother, Ms. Cheng. As for Liu Ruyan's father, unlike Comrade Lao Yuan, he didn't take his wife and daughter out to play. Instead, he went to a banquet to sound out the project that the company had taken on.

Because of the heavy rain, Director Wang and Class Monitor Wang Jing did not go out to play today. As a result, Director Wang had a rare day of peace and quiet and stayed in the dormitory playing games.

As for Chuanmei's hometown, it was sunny and even quite hot, but Chuanmei didn't cause any trouble. She stayed at home obediently and had a small get-together with some friends from her hometown.

Meanwhile, he wasn't idle in his fan group either. Because the last live stream went very well, he updated two more of his previous content in the past two days, and the traffic was much better than before. Even advertisers didn't dare to ask for 500 anymore.

Now he's a big blogger with 200 million followers, not the small internet celebrity who didn't even have a million followers. He has the status he deserves, and his advertising rates have naturally increased. He's been making a lot of money these past few days.

Despite this, he has been guiding his fans to think about Lin Mo's painting skills in the context of finding relatives. Recently, there have been many comments in the comments section of these two videos asking him to help families searching for their relatives.

Everything was moving in a positive direction, because Chuanmei knew that once he could successfully transform his image, he might even have the opportunity to become a blogger with millions or even tens of millions of followers. However, all of this would require Lin Mo's help.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, a light rain began to fall outside the window, and a cool breeze blew in from the window, lifting a strand of hair on Lin Mo's forehead.

'Ding! '

"Ding"

"Ding!"

Suddenly, his phone beeped three times in a row with WeChat message notifications. Lin Mo, who was staring blankly at the rainy scene, snapped out of his reverie. But he didn’t pay too much attention to it, figuring it must be someone who had suddenly messaged him. It was either Director Wang or his friends, his mother reminding him that it was raining, or some close classmates from high school who wanted to invite him out for a get-together during the holiday.

But the moment I opened my phone, a name that was both somewhat unfamiliar and incredibly familiar appeared on the WeChat screen: Jiang Xia.

The name was both familiar and unfamiliar to Lin Mo. It was familiar because it was his high school classmate, and the two had been deskmates for half a year during the second semester of their senior year. It was unfamiliar because the two had not been in contact since graduation.

Lin Mo even sent her messages on holidays at first, but she never replied, as if she had vanished into thin air. As time went by, Lin Mo gradually stopped sending her messages.

After all, he lost contact with many classmates after graduating from high school, and some of them he wasn't even close to had never exchanged contact information. In addition, he had changed his phone, so Jiang Xia's name had long been removed from his message list. He would have to look for her in his WeChat contacts.

Jiang Xia's WeChat profile picture has remained unchanged for the past few years: a cartoon little girl with orange hair whose face is obscured, wearing a white dress, walking under a blue sky.

The WeChat profile picture has a red dot with the number 3 on it, indicating that the other party has sent three messages.

Upon receiving a message from an old classmate he hadn't seen in a long time, Lin Mo was taken aback, but then a slight smile appeared on his lips as he casually clicked on the profile picture.

But the moment he opened it, Lin Mo's eyes widened involuntarily, and he froze on the spot, holding his phone.

Jiang Xia: [Obituary]

Dear students, I am Jiang Xia's mother. Our only daughter, Jiang Xia, passed away at home at 12:12 on October 1st due to illness. She was 21 years old and was buried yesterday according to local customs.

During her illness, Jiang Xia did not contact anyone, not because she didn't want to, but because she knew her days were numbered and she didn't want to disturb anyone. She wanted to live out the rest of her life on her own. However, she often thought of everyone and left her belongings for all who received the message.

Students who receive this message, if you have time, please contact Ms. Qin from Experimental High School to collect it. I earnestly request all students to fulfill my daughter's last wish. Thank you very much.

In addition, there is a video that my daughter recorded a long time ago, which is a gift for everyone. Thank you again!

Her mother: Li Yanhong [Video]

【video】

Upon seeing the message, Lin Mo felt a momentary dizziness, not from physical discomfort, but from disbelief.

In Lin Mo's memory, Jiang Xia was a particularly lively and cheerful girl with two dimples when she smiled, a catfish-whisker hairstyle, and a bit of baby fat on her face.

The two were deskmates for the last six months, always bickering and joking around. How could they suddenly be gone?

He preferred to believe that the other person simply didn't want to contact him after graduation and deliberately chose to distance themselves, rather than accept this outcome.

He immediately sent a message to confirm, but the only message he received on WeChat was a confirmation of Jiang Xia's death sent on her behalf.

At the same time, his high school classmates' group, which had been silent for ages and had been set to "Do Not Disturb," started having people tagging everyone.

There are still 38 people in this group. There were more than 50 people in their class back then, so it's clear that quite a few people chose to leave the group.

At this point, many people in the group started to confirm the authenticity of the news. Even the homeroom teacher, Teacher Qin, spoke up, saying that Jiang Xia's mother had specially entrusted her belongings to him for everyone's convenience, so that the students could pick them up near the school. She also posted a location in the group.

Looking at the familiar names in the group, Lin Mo had even forgotten what these people looked like.

Taking a deep breath, he clicked on the first video. As the screen opened and the scene inside appeared, Lin Mo felt as if he had been transported back to the afternoon of the last day of his senior year of high school three years ago.

The video shows a classroom with stacks of textbooks on every desk. Blue curtains sway in the wind. In the middle of the video is a tall, thin boy wearing glasses, who is their class's study committee member, Song Haoran. Jiang Xia is holding up her phone and her face is not shown, but her clear voice can be heard.

Song Haoran, what is your biggest regret from your three years of high school?

The class representative pursed her lips, looking a little nervous in front of the camera, but still smiled and said:

My biggest regret is not winning the basketball championship in my second year of high school. I wish I had made one more three-pointer back then.

The scene shifts, and another boy appears in the shot.

Li Zhiqiang, what is your biggest regret from high school?

My biggest regret in high school was not winning over the person I liked in my junior year.

As the camera panned across the screen, almost everyone in their class appeared one by one to share their regrets.

My biggest regret is that I didn't have enough fun, I didn't study well, I didn't have a good relationship, and I didn't do anything well during my three years of high school.

My biggest regret is not being able to hold the hand of the person I liked.

My biggest regret is that I have no regrets.

More than fifty students in the class spoke one by one. Some boldly expressed their regrets, while others remained silent and said they had no regrets. Of course, there were also those who were particularly frank and felt that their high school years were very fulfilling.

At the end of the video, Jiang Xia, holding her phone, sat in a chair and asked her deskmate:
Lin Mo, do you have any regrets about high school?

The boy looked up, wearing the blue summer short-sleeved school uniform of the Experimental High School. It was Lin Mo, but he looked much younger in the video. His skin wasn't as fair, and he had a pimple on his face. He scratched his head a little embarrassedly in front of the camera and said:

My biggest regret? It's probably not being your deskmate sooner. Time was too short; we barely got to know each other before graduation.

As soon as she finished speaking, the camera turned around, and Jiang Xia, who had a slightly chubby face and a catfish-whisker hairstyle, appeared in the video for the first time. The camera was pointed at the two of them, and they were making peace signs.

[You're so reluctant to part with me, huh? Well then, I wish you all the best in the future, and may all your wishes come true!]

As soon as the bell rang, everyone in the room stood up, and many of them grabbed their backpacks and rushed out of the classroom like madmen.

Some people hurriedly packed up their belongings, preparing to move out. Everyone was beaming with joy. Lin Mo was also packing up his textbooks, ready to go home and relax early.

Of the more than fifty students in the class, only Jiang Xia stood at the door, holding up her phone to record this moment.

She would wave whenever a classmate rushed out of the classroom.

Goodbye, Song Haoran!

【goodbye! 】

Goodbye, Wang Bin!

Goodbye, beautiful Jiang!

Goodbye, Han Xue

Goodbye, Xia Xia!

See you in a couple of days!

As students left one by one, the classroom gradually emptied. Lin Mo was the last to leave, besides Jiang Xia. With his backpack on, Lin Mo waved goodbye.

Goodbye, my deskmate!

Goodbye, Lin Mo!

Jiang Xia spoke very seriously, which made Lin Mo a little flustered, and he couldn't help but laugh:
Don't act like we'll never see each other again. I'll treat you to a meal after the college entrance exam!

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xia smiled and nodded without replying. Seeing this, Lin Mo slung his backpack over his shoulder and rushed out, as the internet cafe was almost full by the time he arrived.

Just as he reached the stairwell, ready to go downstairs, Jiang Xia from his class rushed out of the classroom holding her phone and shouted at him:
[My deskmate!]

Lin Mo: [What?]

Jiang Xia: [Will we ever meet again?]

Lin Mo raised his right fist and shouted, "It definitely will!"

【come on! 】

【The same to you!】

At the end of the video, Lin Mo's figure disappeared down the corridor. Jiang Xia turned the camera around to face herself. Her eyes were already red, but she still managed a smile, her dimples particularly prominent. She choked up as she laughed:
That's enough. I feel that all the regrets of my youth have been resolved today. I have no regrets left.

At this moment, Jiang Xia's eyes shone with light, a light that seemed to convey hope, blessing, reluctance, and nostalgia.

A gust of wind blew in, the curtains fluttered, and a strand of hair on her forehead was lifted. Her smiling face became the last image in the video, capturing her spiritedness and radiant sunshine, forever frozen in that moment.

As if she were also reluctant to leave the classroom, she stayed there, becoming a farewell figure for all her classmates.

(End of this chapter)