Chapter 9.2: First Day Tensions

Later that afternoon, Bei Ling caught up with Shi Mo near the vending machines.

"I heard what happened."

Shi Mo pulled out a bottle of water. "Nothing happened."

"Luo Kai doesn't let things go. Be careful."

Shi Mo opened the cap and took a sip. "I can handle it."

Bei Ling crossed her arms. "You're fearless, huh?"

Shi Mo gave a small smile. "Not fearless. Just uninterested in cowards."

Bei Ling grinned. "You really do fit in here."

She paused, then added more seriously, "Fu Yunshen doesn't usually intervene. For anyone."

Shi Mo said nothing.

"Maybe he sees something in you," Bei Ling mused.

"Or maybe he hates bullies," Shi Mo replied coolly.

Bei Ling tilted her head. "Maybe."

They stood there for a moment, the vending machine humming between them.

Then Shi Mo's phone buzzed.

System Notification:Brotherhood Value: 33 / 1,000,000Mission Progress: 0.0033%

Shi Mo sighed. "That's it? All that, and I only get thirty-three points?"

[Character growth isn't a sprint, Host. It's a marathon.]

"I'm sprinting in pain."

[Well, keep running. The finish line is still… approximately 99.9967% away.]

Shi Mo resisted the urge to throw her phone.

That evening in the dorm, Fu Yunshen was once again seated at his desk, earbuds in, eyes scanning some dense textbook.

Shi Mo was lying on her freshly replaced bed, arms behind her head, staring at the ceiling.

"Thanks for earlier," she said suddenly.

Fu Yunshen didn't look up.

"You didn't have to step in."

Still no response.

Shi Mo turned her head. "But you did."

Finally, he glanced over, expression flat.

"I didn't do it for you."

Shi Mo nodded slowly. "Got it."

He returned to his book.

Shi Mo smiled to herself.

Brotherhood wasn't about grand gestures. It was about moments like this—small, real, unspoken.

And she was one step closer.