MASG chapter 118

 

This was the most brain-wracking day of Mo An’s fish life.

Aside from humanities subjects, which he could read and understand, everything in science looked like meaningless symbols to him. He tried hard to pay attention in class, but the teacher’s words turned into drip-drip sounds, leaving him completely confused. The only good thing was that this virtual world still had English class.

Mo An went from knowing absolutely no English to becoming proficient in just half a class period. He spent a few minutes reading the textbook and listening to the audio. By the time the teacher called on him to answer a question, Mo An could respond smoothly in fluent English. He instantly became the focus of the entire class.

Even the English teacher asked him, “You must have studied abroad before, right? It sounds like your native language.”

“It’s not my native language. I learned it in class,” Mo An answered. “At a high school in Qingyao City.”

Besides mastering everything he could, Mo An also became familiar with the rhythm of the school. There were bells for class and dismissal, a break, and lunch at noon. School let out at 7:30 p.m. Aside from PE class, there were no physical training or combat courses. If you didn’t want to go home, you could stay at school until 9:30 p.m. for evening self-study. The classrooms were open until 10 p.m. and the library closed at 10:30 p.m. Everything was orderly, like a paradise outside the real world.

However, today Mo An wasn’t planning to stay for evening self-study because xla was coming to pick him up after school.

It sounded strange, as if he were still a child or an unhatched fish fry.

“Goodbye, Teacher Chen.” As he left the classroom, Mo An bowed to Chen Ailu.

“Wait a moment.” Chen Ailu walked over. She already had the academic evaluations from all the subject teachers. The results were as follows: average in humanities, very bad in sciences, and at a ceiling-level in English. “Tonight, I’ll have a call with your father, mainly about your future tutoring.”

“Me… tutoring?” Mo An pointed at himself.

“The college entrance exam is next year, and your subject imbalance is far too serious. I’ll talk to your father about it. You should also be mentally prepared,” said Chen Ailu.

But I won’t even last until the college entrance exam. I might leave with xla next month. No, this world is simple and easy to reset. Maybe after September ends, it’s still September, and everyone starts over again. That’s what Mo An thought, but he still looked eager for knowledge on the surface. “Okay, thank you.”

After bowing again, he ran toward the back door. Xia Yu had already been waiting for a while.

“Brother, why did you have to wait for him?” Xia Xiaoxiao stayed by his side, still shaken.

“Well, he’s family now.” Xia Yu smiled brightly as he carried his backpack. “Having an extra younger brother suddenly feels really strange. He’s not familiar with the new home either. We can’t just leave him alone.”

“What younger brother? He’s so much taller than you,” Xia Xiaoxiao muttered. She stopped talking when Mo An ran over.

“Sorry, the homeroom teacher just talked to me about something.” Mo An only needed to guess a little to understand Xia Xiaoxiao’s mood. “Are you hungry? I’ll treat you to a meal?”

Zhang Mingqiao had already helped him get a new phone and given him money. When the money was placed in Mo An’s palm, it was the first time he had an intuitive sense of what circulating currency felt like. From childhood to adulthood, money had come and gone from his account, but he had never known what it looked like. Virtual currency only circulated within accounts.

Xia Yu sized him up first. What was going on? After just one day of classes, Mo An was worn down like this? Not only was Mo An tall, he was also very handsome. His arrival stirred up the calm and dull senior year. Wherever he went, people discussed the “dyed-hair one.”

But now, the eye-catching, silver-haired him standing in front of him looked a bit downcast and disheveled.

“Let’s eat at home. Mom and Dad have already cooked; they’re just waiting for us to go back,” said Xia Yu, glancing at his electronic watch. “But I already told them we’d take you to buy a bicycle.”

Mo An kept his head down, not saying anything, his thoughts stuck in his chest. He had received plenty of side-eye in class because he was bad at math, but now he felt that it had all been worth it. Getting a look from the data people meant nothing; it was painless and irrelevant. He didn’t need to establish genuine connections with them.

As he followed Xia Yu out of school, Mo An was so excited that he kept sweating, as if his head were heating up. “Are school days always like this?”

“Huh?” Xia Yu didn’t understand. “What?”

“Just going to class every day, getting out of class, and then going home?” Mo An asked.

“Haha, you’re pretty funny. It’s not your first day of school.” That strange feeling came again. Xia Yu really wanted to pat him on the back. “Do you want to stay for evening self-study?”

Xia Xiaoxiao pushed her bicycle while walking beside her brother and keeping her eyes on Mo An at all times. She was afraid that the slightest movement on the road would trigger his symptoms and cause him to grab Xia Yu and run off again.

“No, no, I don’t want to stay at school.” Mo An slowly shook his head. I just want to be with you. “What I mean is… I don’t really know how to describe it. In the future, can it be like this every day? Going to school together and leaving school together?”

Xia Yu nodded, a smile forming at the corners of his mouth. “What else would it be?”

“Yeah, what else would it be?” Xia Xiaoxiao followed up. Originally, she thought Mo An would become a school celebrity. Novels always write about flashy transfer students or rich kids from big cities who dominate the basketball court after school or monopolize a lane in the swimming pool. Mo An looked exactly like that type. But why was he so attached to home? Why was he so clingy with her brother?

“Haha, yeah.” Mo An laughed and scratched the back of his head.

Xia Yu pushed his bicycle. The big backpack he had been carrying earlier was already on the bike seat. It seemed like he understood the loneliness in Mo An’s heart. “Is Penghu City too boring? Compared to Qingyao City, there aren’t many entertainment facilities here. The island residents also don’t have a strong sense of competition. Most people just want to live peacefully their whole lives, even if they never leave the island.”

“It’s fine. I like it here.” Mo An lied. Not only did he not like it; he strongly resisted it. In the real world, people who didn’t want to compete were at a dead end.

The three of them walked in silence for a while, passing a convenience store and a gas station. Mo An watched Xia Yu park the bicycles and buy three bowls of shaved ice. Holding this cold bowl of shaved ice, he didn’t know how to eat it. He didn’t have any basic life skills and had to copy others.

The transparent ice shavings looked like crystal, like a mermaid’s tears. The light pink strawberry syrup on top dyed the ice a gradient color, reminding Mo An of that jar of pink tear beads. He also thought of Little Blue, imitating humans inside a glass bottle.

After turning a corner, they arrived at the bicycle shop. Mo An stood in front of the store like a flustered thief, unsure which bike to choose. Xia Xiaoxiao, who had always been wary of him, was much livelier now, chatting happily with the owner. They talked about mountain bikes and modifications, and Mo An unconsciously developed an illusion—that this world was real.

No, impossible. Mo An threw the bowl of shaved ice into the trash can.

In the end, with Xia Yu’s help, Mo An chose a pure black bicycle. Its entire body was pitch black, except for the main frame, which was a dazzling shade of pure gold color. When Mo An held the handlebars, Xia Yu rang the encouraging bell. “Want to try it? It’s actually very simple.”

“Brother, he said he can’t ride,” Xia Xiaoxiao reminded him.

But Mo An was already in a tipsy state of mind, like a drunk mermaid. How could he embarrass himself in front of Xia Yu? “No, I think I should be able to ride. This isn’t hard.”

“Then be careful.” Xia Yu met his eyes. “If it feels wrong, squeeze the hand brake.”

“Okay.” Mo An didn’t hear anything; he only remembered Xia Yu’s encouraging gaze. He transformed from a powerful siren into a gentle little fish, facing the miracle-like red burning clouds and putting both feet on the pedals. Occasionally, cyclists passed by on the roadside. Their movements were standard, their speed moderate, and their balance just right, making riding look easy.

It was definitely much easier than skydiving and not worth mentioning compared to killing a parasitic host. So, Mo An focused on the handlebars and cautiously rode forward.

The moment he lost control of his speed and rushed down the slope, he heard Xia Yu and Xia Xiaoxiao scream behind him.

So embarrassing—this was Mo An’s last thought. Immediately after, he flew into the air and crashed into the grass with his newly bought bicycle.

Today was also a day of Lao Gui working diligently. Compared to high school students who were constantly taking exams, his days were much easier. With his real-life experience, the work in front of him was just a piece of cake. If he wasn’t careful, he’d finish everything. Zhang Mingqiao and Xia Li were two very good bosses who didn’t squeeze their employees. As long as Lao Gui finished his assigned work, he could do whatever he wanted with the rest of his time.

So, when Mo An and the others returned, Lao Gui was chatting with the neighbor next door.

“Hahaha, thank you!” Lao Gui handed a cold beer to his new friend, Wang Ming. “I just mentioned that I wanted holey clogs, and you gave me a pair.”

“No problem. I bought too many anyway. This pair has never been worn.” Wang Ming looked toward the doorway. “Someone from your family is back.”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s just about the time school gets out.” Lao Gui’s gaze lingered briefly on Wang Ming’s face, then turned to the three figures. “Why are you so slow? Didn’t you say… Wait, what’s wrong with your face? Damn! Why are you injured?”

Mo An pushed the bicycle. There was a fresh wound on his nose, and a blade of grass was stuck in his hair. “Don’t ask.”

“He doesn’t know how to ride at all, yet he lied to us and said he could. In the end, he veered off the road,” said Xia Xiaoxiao, still shaken. “This really isn’t us bullying him. He insisted on riding himself.”

“Of course, of course. I know. None of you could bully him anyway.” Lao Gui hurried over and plucked the grass out of Mo An’s hair. “Your athletic ability…why is it so weak?”

I don’t know either. Mo An had taken a hard fall, and he could still feel the pain.

“Sigh. I originally thought he was a sports ace.” Xia Xiaoxiao handed Mo An a pack of tissues. “The whole-island sports festival and swimming competition are coming up soon. I thought our family might have a representative.”

“Xiaoxiao, don’t laugh at Mo An.” First, Xia Yu scolded his sister, then turned to comfort Mo An. “Are you okay? Do you need to see a doctor?”

“It doesn’t hurt at all. It’s fine.” Mo An never expected his heroic image to crumble in the data world. To salvage it, he immediately agreed. “I can sign up for the swimming competition. I’m confident that I can compete for first place. I used to swim every day in Qingyao City. I’m more comfortable in the water.”

“You’d better forget it.” Lao Gui didn’t dare believe him anymore.

“Really, believe me. Xia Yu, I can really swim.” Mo An mainly wanted Xia Yu to see him swim, so he jumped into the fish pond in front of them. As he grew up, he learned to control when the fish tail appeared. At most, he could maintain it for three to four minutes. Once those minutes passed, the tail and scales would appear.

This time, Mo An entered the water in human form, silently waiting for gill slits to grow at his collarbone. Just as he planned to impress the person he liked, there was no movement on his collarbone. The gill slits didn’t appear.

What was going on? Mo An touched his neck and sank to the bottom unknowingly.

Without gill slits, he didn’t know how to breathe underwater like a human.

“Mo An!” Xia Yu didn’t wait for him to surface and jumped in after him. This younger brother… he might really have some aftereffects.