novelraw Chapter 187 : Professor Mu’s Three Plans — Upper, Middle, and Lower
Chapter 187 : Professor Mu’s Three Plans — Upper, Middle, and Lower
Chapter 187: Professor Mu’s Three Plans — Upper, Middle, and Lower
It was an ordinary night, yet three young people were caught in light insomnia.
The first was Mrs. Zhao, Zhao Yun. Although she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she couldn’t help but feel as if she had been cheated on — and the battlefield was right downstairs.
That torment was worse than being offended in front of her husband. She kept feeling that in the next second, her Rushuang would turn into someone else’s shape.
The second was Liu Rushuang, who was occupying Lin Mo’s bed. Perhaps it was because she was covered with Lin Mo’s blanket — she felt surrounded. Though her heart was at ease, she also felt secretly excited, as if at any moment Lin Mo might crawl out from some corner under the quilt.
And although she had locked the door, deep inside, she still harbored a tiny hope — that Lin Mo might come knocking at her door in the middle of the night. Just like when she once got up late at night at Su He’s house and went to Lin Mo’s room. Thinking about it was thrilling — should she pretend not to hear it, or open the door and tease him a little?
The third, naturally, was Lin Mo, who had been kicked out of his own bed. He couldn’t sleep, partly because he had been forced onto the couch, and partly because there was now a gorgeous beauty sleeping in his bedroom — it felt strange.
Of course, that was still fine. What had truly been torturous was earlier — when Mrs. Zhao had just left, and Liu Rushuang went into his bedroom bathroom to take a shower.
He could faintly hear the sound of running water from the living room. So that’s what the saying “half-concealed beauty” really meant — what one couldn’t see was the most alluring. If everything were laid bare in front of one’s eyes, perhaps that mysterious charm that scratched one’s heart would vanish entirely.
After tossing and turning for who knew how long, no matter how many thoughts they had, the three eventually succumbed to sleepiness and drifted off one after another.
Meanwhile, back in the dormitory, Wang Chu and Sichuan Girl both wore sly grins.
Wang Chu said, “Hehe, Old Mo would never guess that we came back to stay here tonight.”
Sichuan Girl replied, “Exactly! For all we know, he might’ve gone to my place and pounded on the door! Lucky we had the foresight to return early. It’s just… there are mosquitoes here in the dorm. I didn’t bring my mosquito net, I’m suffering. How about we squeeze together?”
Wang Chu: “Don’t even think about it! No way I’m sharing a bed with another man — not even if you were Li Shiya!”
“But this can’t go on,” he added. “We dodged him tonight, but what about tomorrow? If you go back, Old Mo might come knocking at your door.”
Sichuan Girl, however, had already thought ahead. “Dummy, tomorrow I’ll go to class with you and Class Monitor. Worst case, we’ll bring Class Monitor to see Old Mo together. With Class Monitor there, he won’t dare go too far!”
Wang Chu nodded. That did sound like a good plan — dodge today, dodge tomorrow. As the saying went, “the first strike is strong, the second is weak, the third exhausted.” If they could avoid Lin Mo for two days, his anger would probably fade.
But little did they know, some so-called geniuses always overestimated themselves — while the two of them were feeding mosquitoes, Lin Mo didn’t have a single second to bother with them.
He himself was already living in water and fire; how could he have time to “fix” the two of them?
After an entire day — first the ordeal with Mrs. Zhao Yun, then the follow-up appointment with Professor Li, then the battle in the “Asura Field” — not between Liu Rushuang and Zhao Yun, but between himself and Zhao Yun. After all, he was the one “competing” with Zhao Yun over a woman, so he was naturally part of the Asura Field.
Thankfully, with Empress Rushuang supporting him from the side, things hadn’t turned too ugly. But now, Liu Rushuang was even staying overnight — not a moment of rest! Too much happened in one day; even Superman would be exhausted.
The next morning, probably because of the previous night’s insomnia, Lin Mo woke up slightly later than usual. Seeing the bedroom door tightly closed, he didn’t make a sound. Moving quietly, he stepped out and prepared to go down for morning exercise with the old lady from school.
Just as the elevator doors opened, he saw Mrs. Zhao inside, yawning with sleepy eyes.
“Eh? You’re up this early too?” she greeted.
Lin Mo replied, “Uh, yeah. You heading to work?”
He was already late — more than twenty minutes past his usual time.
Mrs. Zhao nodded. “Mm, going to work. You didn’t sleep well?”
Lin Mo indeed looked tired. He hadn’t even washed his face — how could he look energetic?
“Sort of. You don’t look too great either,” he replied.
Mrs. Zhao’s eyes were bloodshot, dark circles faintly visible.
“Yeah, I stayed up late last night. By the way… where’s Rushuang?” she asked with a hint of implication.
Lin Mo, unaware of the undertone, casually said, “Oh, she hasn’t gotten up yet. Guess she’s tired.”
What he meant was that Liu Rushuang had worked all day and come all the way over, without resting properly. But to Mrs. Zhao’s ears, it sounded completely different — as if all her worst imaginings had come true. Her beloved Rushuang had not only become “his shape,” but was now too tired to get out of bed — and this wretched man was also yawning!
He really was unforgivable!
In that moment, Mrs. Zhao’s sorrow surged like a river — yet she couldn’t show it.
Thankfully, the elevator reached the first floor. “Um, I’m running late, I’ll go first!” she blurted, dashing out.
Lin Mo blinked, bewildered. “It’s only six-thirty though… is her workplace that far?”
When Mrs. Zhao stepped out of the community gate, she spotted Liu Rushuang’s car parked by the roadside. So, she really hadn’t gone home last night. At that instant, the last bit of hope in her heart died.
Then the strong girl with fists stronger than a man’s felt her heart shatter even more. She broke into a sprint — from jogging to full-on running.
Meanwhile, Lin Mo quickened his pace and soon spotted Professor Mu at the school track. The old lady had just finished her arm-swinging self-smacking exercise and was now… bumping herself against a tree.
It was some new body-strengthening technique she had picked up. The movement consisted of slamming her own body into a tree. Anyone unaware would think she was practicing “Earth-Fist.” And to be fair, her form was quite standard.
No wonder martial artists could tell each other’s sect at a glance — clearly, the old lady’s “Earth-Fist” was looking quite authentic.
“Xiao Lin, you’re late today! I thought you weren’t coming,” Professor Mu said with a laugh.
Lin Mo scratched his head sheepishly. “Uh, didn’t sleep well last night, overslept.”
After exchanging greetings, they started jogging together. As they ran, Professor Mu asked, “So, did you go yesterday? What did my old man say? Is your health better now?”
Lin Mo nodded. “Mm, the teacher said my body’s almost recovered. I don’t need to take herbal medicine anymore. My two roommates still need some conditioning though.”
Professor Mu smiled with satisfaction. “That’s good! You’re still young, recovery’s fast. But don’t rely too much on youth and neglect your health. You’ve been exercising regularly — that’s great! Sometimes good habits work better than medicine.
“Look at me — I haven’t taken medicine in years, and I’m still healthy as a horse! My husband’s a Chinese medicine doctor, yet his health’s worse than mine!”
If Professor Li had heard that, he would’ve loudly refuted her and lectured her on human physiology. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to exercise — between classes, students, and patients, when could he find the time?
Professor Mu, though also a respected academic, simply cursed when annoyed, never bottling up emotions. Now half-retired, she was relaxed and cheerful — no wonder she was in such good shape.
After half an hour, the two stood quietly on the track, practicing stance training — arms raised as if holding something invisible, their bodies moving slightly with their breath.
“Teacher, can I ask you something?” Lin Mo suddenly spoke up.
Professor Mu’s eyes brightened. “Oh? Another question you don’t understand? Is it about differential equations, multivariable function continuity, or substitution in definite integrals?”
Lin Mo: “…”
Just hearing those terms made him want to give up on life. As expected of an academic — her mind immediately went to math.
“Uh, not calculus,” he said awkwardly.
Professor Mu’s face changed instantly. “Then I don’t know!”
Lin Mo: “…”
Seriously? Was calculus the only thing she knew?
“But if it’s about dating, I might have some interest,” she added with a grin.
For someone her age, apart from her field of study, matchmaking for her juniors was probably the only other joy left.
Lin Mo’s eyes lit up. “Actually, that’s kinda related!”
“Oh? Let’s hear it,” said the old lady, intrigued.
After organizing his words, Lin Mo spoke carefully: “Do you know of any way I could hold a girl’s hand — and keep holding it for more than half an hour?”
Professor Mu: “???”
“Do you even hear yourself? Don’t you already have a girlfriend? Wait — don’t tell me you two haven’t even held hands yet?!”
Lin Mo: “Uh…”
“What a disgrace! Don’t ever tell people you’re my student — I’d die of shame!” she said disdainfully.
She couldn’t fathom how this student of hers could fail at something so simple — and yet not understand calculus either. Did all his talent go into medicine? Maybe she should hand him over to her husband.
“I did hold her hand! It’s just… I made her mad last night, and now she won’t let me hold it again,” Lin Mo hurried to explain.
It wasn’t a complete lie — they had held hands. He just omitted that the real reason had something to do with his “shopping page.”
【Double-barrel Coach Gun; Bullets 30; Trouble nonstop, keep your head down; ￥4.12】
【Box of Durian; ￥0.01】
【Kato Hawk’s Hand – Enhanced Edition: Massage a woman’s fingers for 30 minutes to greatly improve dexterity; Multiple uses, explore freely; ￥80】
【Box of Jinsha River Noodles; Northeasterners may never finish this in a lifetime; ￥0.86】
After several days, a new skill finally appeared! He couldn’t let this chance slip — it was practically a gift.
He remembered seeing a similar skill before but had skipped it. Now it was back, stronger and pricier — definitely an upgrade.
And since it had appeared the night Liu Rushuang stayed over, he strongly suspected it was some kind of sign.
“Happy Fingers of the Rich Lady” — oh, he understood its meaning perfectly. He could already think of ten ways to use it, each one enough to make Empress Rushuang walk out holding the wall.
Since the skill appeared because of her, the precondition must involve her too.
But how could he get Liu Rushuang to willingly let him hold her hand for thirty straight minutes without interruption?
“Ha! That’s nothing. I have three strategies — upper, middle, and lower. Want to hear them?” said Professor Mu, proudly.
Lin Mo clasped his hands together. “Teacher, please teach me!”
Professor Mu: “The upper plan — just go for it! Grab her hand. If she resists, kiss her. After kissing, grab again! Be shameless — even if she hits you, don’t let go! Works every time, quick and effective!”
Lin Mo: “Uh… anything less violent? I’m thin-skinned.”
Professor Mu glared. “Fine. The middle plan — pull her into your arms, be a bit domineering, then gently apologize. Once she calms down, slowly take her hand — and once you do, don’t let go!”
Lin Mo: “Better tell me the lower plan…”
It was a great method — but fit only for real couples. If he tried that rashly, he’d get slapped — or worse, arrested. And with Mrs. Zhao living upstairs, she’d catch him before he even left the building.
“The lower plan,” said Professor Mu with exasperation, “is to cater to her interests. Buy her what she likes, do what she likes. Be what you young people call a ‘simp.’ Keep at it — eventually, it’ll work.”
Lin Mo thought it over — that one actually seemed the most practical.
Soon, their morning exercise ended, and they went their separate ways. Lin Mo walked while thinking hard — what did Empress Rushuang like?
Jewelry? No, she already had plenty. And with his budget — cheap gifts looked insincere, expensive ones hurt.
Luxury bags? Impossible — he’d never even seen her carry one.
Clothes? Maybe, but his fashion sense was terrible. Worse, he didn’t even know her size.
After much thought, his only asset seemed to be his cooking. Maybe he could make her breakfast?
Then he suddenly remembered — Empress Rushuang was a devoted lover of beautiful skin.
“Could it be…? Ah, whatever — die then die!”
Resolute, Lin Mo ran toward the market to buy ingredients.
At 8 a.m., Liu Rushuang, hair slightly tousled, barefoot, emerged from the bedroom. She had slept wonderfully.
Suddenly, a delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen. She turned to look — and there stood a figure wearing only an apron, exactly like the scene from her dream last night.
“Gulp.”
She couldn’t help but swallow, her eyes nearly glued to the sight. This scene was just too much to love!
“This early in the morning, and we’re eating this well?”
Lin Mo: “???”