Desk mate, your persona has crumbled.

The light in the classroom grew brighter as the sun rose higher, and the cicadas chirped louder outside the window.

Time slipped by quietly amidst the sound of pen nib rubbing against paper.

The homeroom teacher, Mr. Tang, walked into the classroom unhurriedly.

The previously noisy classroom immediately fell silent.

Old Tang didn't start lecturing immediately. Instead, he rested his hands on the edge of the lectern and slowly scanned the whole class with his eyes.

His gaze lingered on Xu Mo for a moment before shifting away.

"cough!"

Old Tang cleared his throat, a smile on his face: "You've all rested well? You look pretty energetic."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over several students who looked somewhat dejected, his words carrying a hint of teasing:

"It seems some students, even after two weeks of advance learning, still haven't fully enjoyed their summer vacation!"

"But it's alright, it can't stump me, I have plenty of ways!"

A murmur of suppressed laughter immediately filled the classroom.

Old Tang chuckled to himself. He picked up the course schedule on the podium, glanced at it, and then put it down.

"Okay, let's stop joking around for now."

Old Tang clapped his hands, signaling everyone to focus.

"Today marks the official start of the school year. Unlike before when classes started early, we now need to follow the regular schedule."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the entire class, his tone becoming more formal:

"So, the first thing is, starting tomorrow, we're going to resume morning self-study sessions."

Old Tang glanced at the timetable: "It's 7:00 AM, remember the time, don't be late! The school gate opens at 6:10 AM, anyone who wants to come early to study can come and roll it up."

As soon as Old Tang finished speaking, a strong response immediately erupted from below.

"Huh—"

"Grade 11 students should get their hair permed!"

"Exactly, what's so great about studying for first-year high school students!"

Old Tang listened to the sounds below, nodded slightly, and raised his hand to signal for quiet.

The buzzing in the classroom gradually subsided.

Old Tang, with a cryptic smile on his face, threw out a bait:

"Okay, let me give you some motivation. I don't know if you've heard, but our school has a rule that the top ten in the grade in the monthly exam..."

He paused deliberately, building up the anticipation.

"Reward with meal tickets, eat for free!"

There was a moment of silence below, as if people were interested in the free meal, but soon, a loud voice came out from the middle of the classroom.

"Old Tang! It's not like we can't afford to eat! Besides, we're in the top ten of the grade..."

Cheng Yuanhao shouted.

"For one month."

Cheng Yuanhao's voice immediately took a turn:

"But then again! We come to school to learn!"

A murmur of suppressed laughter rippled through the classroom, clearly amused by Cheng Yuanhao's sudden change in expression.

Old Tang chuckled: "But this semester, the rule has changed."

"ah?!"

A mournful cry suddenly rang out in the classroom.

Old Tang nodded, looking regretful: "Yes, our principal thought that wouldn't work, so he changed it to the top ten in each class."

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, Old Tang continued.

"Top students ranked 10th to 6th in the monthly exam will receive a week's worth of student cafeteria meal tickets; top five students in the monthly exam will receive half a month's worth of student cafeteria meal tickets."

"The top ten students in the grade will receive a one-month meal ticket to the teachers' cafeteria."

Xu Mo raised an eyebrow as he listened to Lao Tang's words.

Such a decision is actually not a big deal for the school's finances.

Yuedu No.1 Middle School only has 5 top classes in each grade, which is no more than the cost of meals for 150 people.

The incentive this provides is enormous.

Students who want to earn a meal ticket will study hard, and if one of them is from a 985 or 211 university, it will be a good thing for the school.

Although it's not as wealthy as private high schools, Yue Du No. 1 High School is not short of money.

As a long-established and prestigious school in Yuedu, No. 1 Middle School still has abundant resources.

Even the branch schools use the possibility of getting into the main campus of No. 1 Middle School as a recruitment resource.

The benefits for students are even more direct.

It saves money!

A day student would spend at least 20 yuan on two meals in the cafeteria, and that's assuming they're eating frugally.

Needless to say, boarding students have to eat three meals a day.

So, if you get into the top ten of your class, you can save at least 150 yuan.

The money saved from meals becomes my own pocket money.

Thinking of this, Xu Mo turned to look at Song Shuyan.

With Song Shuyan's grades, he will definitely be able to get it.

Like me, she was a day student, and she only needed to eat two meals a day at school, which meant she had an extra meal ticket every day.

After the first monthly exam, I'll ask Song Shuyan for a free meal.

Thinking of this, Xu Mo's lips curled up.

This mechanism is absolutely fantastic!

Song Shuyan, you have to live up to expectations!

May all students rank in the top ten of their grade!

Song Shuyan, who was quietly listening to Lao Zhou talk about the schedule, was completely unaware that she had been targeted by her new deskmate.

With the official start of the school year, in addition to morning self-study sessions, evening self-study sessions have also naturally begun.

In the first year of high school, evening self-study ends at 9:10 pm, but in the second and third years, it ends at 9:30 pm.

Those who are a little more diligent arrive at school at 6:10 a.m. and don't leave until 10 p.m.

Xu Mo isn't the kind of person who gets carried away.

Although he gets up early, he prefers to spend his time walking Fugui.

Although he is not Fugui's guardian, what's wrong with spoiling his mother?

In class, Mr. Tang's words had already enlivened the atmosphere of the whole class.

"Alright, that concludes the basics."

Old Tang glanced at his watch: "It's 10:20 now, half a class left. Let's open our books and get back to the main topic."

After saying that, Old Tang looked at Xu Mo.

"Xu Mo, have someone fill in that missing note you left behind."

"It's fixed!"

Old Tang nodded: "That's right. If you have any questions about the previous material, ask as soon as possible. Don't miss anything."

After saying that, Old Tang began the lesson.

Xu Mo pulled out his chemistry book from the pile of books and then opened his notebook.

Oh, I seem to have forgotten something.

He brought Song Shuyan's chemistry notebook to the edge of the table and gently touched Song Shuyan's elbow with the notebook.

The girl turned her head.

Xu Mo lowered his voice and said softly, "I've finished copying the notes, thank you!"

Song Shuyan's face remained expressionless, but Xu Mo knew that she was secretly happy.

The girl didn't say anything, but silently took the notebook.

Xu Mo smiled and was about to listen attentively to the lesson when he caught a glimpse of a pale yellow sticky note being pushed between their desks.

【You're welcome.】

Xu Mo looked at those three words, then glanced at the girl beside him.

Xu Mo chuckled silently, then added a line of text in a flamboyant style under the sticky note.

No passing notes during class!

Seeing Xu Mo's actions, Song Shuyan glanced down slightly.

The girl gently pursed her lips, then slightly parted them.

understood.

Silent words echoed in my mind.

Song Shuyan didn't touch the sticky note again, letting it lie quietly on the corner of the table.

(happy.)