After hitting a wall with Tang Mo, who couldn't be swayed by either carrot or stick, it wasn't long before Tang Lianjie moved on to another girl. He began appearing in everyone's sight, constantly hugging and holding her.
The girl's name was Li Wei, one of Tang Mo's classmates. She had a mature look, which, combined with her usual style and well-defined curves, made her quite alluring.
Seeing Tang Lianjie getting handsy with Li Wei in public every day was an absolute eyesore for Tang Mo and the others.
"How could she sell out for so little? If it were me, I wouldn't be able to eat even if there was food, not if I had to look at Tang Lianwei's face," Li Lanlan griped.
The news came from Li Wei's roommate. Apparently, Tang Lianwei gave Li Wei half a bottle of water and a pack of instant noodles every week, and Li Wei would show them off like crazy back in the dorm.
There were practically no secrets in the girls' dorms. As soon as the news got out, everyone knew why Li Wei was with "Greasy Tang."
When Tang Mo first heard this from Li Lanlan, she did a spit-take.
'Well now, he switched to someone new and the compensation went down. Just half a bottle of water and a pack of instant noodles? He cut his offer in half. How cheap.'
Since it was a consensual arrangement, Tang Mo wasn't in a position to comment. Instead, Li Lanlan and Song Qing glared at her, fiercely condemning her for wasting water.
"If you're going to sell out, isn't An Yang a much better choice than Tang Lianwei?"
Tang Mo and Li Lanlan were both stunned. They never expected to hear something like that come from the normally prim and proper Song Qing.
"An Yang would never go for her. Haven't you guys heard? Our campus belle, Xia Wei, has been chasing An Yang for ages, and he completely ignores her. If he won't even give the campus belle the time of day, he probably isn't interested in anyone else," Li Lanlan said, eagerly sharing the Eight Diagrams.
'Xia Wei? Tang Mo did indeed have an impression of her.'
'But she remembered from her past life...'
Tang Mo glanced at Song Qing, who was sitting quietly to the side, reading a book. If she wasn't mistaken, in the last life, the one An Yang had liked was Song Qing.
That had happened much later, though. It was also because of Song Qing that she had survived that accident, managing to make it out alive by a stroke of luck.
For some reason, however, the two of them never ended up together. That was something Tang Mo had never been able to figure out.
'They really were a good match. If she had the chance, she really wanted to play matchmaker for them this time and make sure those who are meant to be together actually end up together.'
At 6:00 PM, Tang Mo went to her secret base to train as usual.
At six, the sky was already dark. Walking on the path, you couldn't even see the face of someone a short distance away.
"Have you made up your mind? Once you take this, there's no backing out."
As luck would have it, Tang Mo heard Tang Lianwei's greasy voice. It was a voice that had pestered her for a month, one she couldn't possibly fail to recognize.
Tang Mo shook her head and prepared to leave. 'Who knows which poor girl that scumbag is trying to lure now.'
It wasn't that Tang Mo was being cold-hearted. It was mainly because Tang Lianwei, despite being lecherous and creepy, was surprisingly principled in his own way. He only engaged in consensual arrangements and never forced anyone.
So even if Tang Mo wanted to interfere now, the girl might not thank her. In fact, she might even get angry at her for being nosy.
She subconsciously glanced over, and the foot she had just been about to lift dropped back to the ground.
'That girl... she recognized her.'
For the sake of convenience and to train her spiritual power at the same time, Tang Mo always used her spiritual power to enhance her vision when she went out at night. As a result, her eyesight was exceptionally good.
She recognized at a glance that the girl across from Tang Lianwei was an acquaintance—it was none other than Professor Tian's daughter, Tian Shishi.
Professor Tian had a son and a daughter, both at T University. His son, Tian Zhen, was a counselor at the university, while his daughter, Tian Shishi, had been born to the professor late in life. She was only a sophomore, and Professor Tian doted on her.
Based on Tang Mo's interactions with Professor Tian's family, Tian Shishi didn't seem like the type of person who would sell herself out for a little food.
'Nope. Looks like I have to get involved in this business today after all.'
"I've made up my mind. Give it to me," Tian Shishi said, holding out her hand, her face filled with obvious disgust.
"S-Someone like you is a smart one. Stick with me, and you won't have to worry about going hungry, right?" Tang Lianwei handed her the bag. "See you here at 6:00 tomorrow. Don't forget."
"Mm," Tian Shishi responded noncommittally and turned to leave.
"Shishi, what are you doing?" A young man suddenly darted out from nowhere, his voice so loud it even startled Tang Mo.
"Brother, stay out of this." Tian Shishi, whose expression had been placid until now, suddenly grew flustered. She grabbed her brother Tian Zhen's arm, trying to pull him away.
"Stay out of it? You expect me to just stand by and watch you ruin yourself like this?" Tian Zhen's voice grew even louder as he snatched the bag from his sister's hands and threw it to the ground.
"Take your things and get lost! Get lost!" Tian Zhen yelled at Tang Lianwei, who was still stunned.
He had noticed his sister was uneasy all day, so he'd followed her out of concern. Discovering that she was about to ruin herself in exchange for food... how could he, as her older brother, not be furious?
"Fine, fine! You two just wait!" Tang Lianwei was several sizes smaller than Tian Zhen, so he obviously didn't dare to confront him directly. He spat out a threat, snatched his bag of food off the ground, and quickly left.
"Brother, why do you think I'm doing this? I don't want you and Dad to starve!" Tian Shishi finally broke down, huge teardrops splashing onto the ground.
Seeing his sister in such a state, Tian Zhen's hands, hanging at his sides, clenched into tight fists, but he remained silent.
It wasn't that he didn't understand why she had done it; he just didn't know what to say.
"Um, excuse me, but why would Professor Tian be starving to death?"
Tang Mo stepped out from behind a large tree, her expression puzzled. "Sorry, I was just passing by and happened to overhear you mention Professor Tian's name."
'She really didn't understand. The school staff were also limited to one meal a day, but their portions were much better than the students'.'
'And with the supplies she and her roommates had given the professor at the beginning, even if his family couldn't eat their fill, they definitely shouldn't be on the verge of starvation.'
"It's Tang Mo." Recognizing her face, the guarded expressions on the faces of Tian Zhen and his sister instantly softened.
Tang Mo was Professor Tian's favorite student and a frequent visitor to his lab, so they had met her before.
Besides, their father had told them that most of the supplies they received later on had come from Tang Mo, and he had told them to always remember her kindness.
If Tian Zhen hadn't later asked around and found out that Tang Mo was managing alright, Professor Tian would have insisted on returning everything to her.
"Has something happened to Professor Tian?" Tang Mo asked.
Seeing that Tang Mo wasn't a stranger and looked genuinely concerned, the siblings collected themselves and, trading off, told her the whole story.