C10 A Bait Casually Scattered by Her

The middle-aged man didn't immediately reply; he wasn't even sure what he should say at that moment. The young man standing before him was all smiles, yet for some reason, the middle-aged man felt a chill down his spine and goosebumps rise involuntarily.

Terrifying? Perhaps that was the word.

Given his age, the middle-aged man could think of no other term than terrifying to describe the youth's capabilities.

"Alright, I understand. I'll tell you everything, honestly. I just hope you can keep this a secret and not let it slip," Chen Mo agreed, nodding. "Of course, as long as I learn what I need to know, we'll be square, and I'll act as if nothing ever happened."

The middle-aged man's eventual compromise was anticipated.

Even if he had resolved to resist to the end, Chen Mo wasn't overly concerned.

His words weren't just for the middle-aged man; they were also for all the bystanders, particularly the auntie serving food.

From the clues Chen Mo had pieced together, it was evident that the job meant a great deal to the auntie at that moment.

While everyone else was resting, she alone continued to work tirelessly. Although her diligence could be seen in a positive light, Chen Mo leaned towards the idea that she valued her job due to her family's financial struggles.

With the leverage from his earlier words, Chen Mo knew he could easily pry the information he wanted from the auntie later on.

Though he felt uneasy about pressuring an innocent person, his own life and safety were on the line, forcing him to go through with it.

The results, however, were more rewarding than expected. The haul from this venture far surpassed his initial expectations.

He had not only pieced together the sequence of events but had also unearthed the exact residence and social identity of the man who had taken over the shift.

The man who had paid the auntie and some of the staff to bend the rules, allowing him to fill in, was called Black Jason, currently about 32 years old.

Despite being of an age to be an uncle, he lived a life of idleness, more akin to a street thug than anything else, with no legitimate job or stable income.

And by a twist of fate, he resided in the same neighborhood as the auntie.

After being cornered by both financial incentives and intimidation, the auntie had no choice but to comply with his demands. She even went as far as to bribe some of the staff to ensure the smooth progression of events.

After uncovering the identity of the person who framed him, Chen Mo found himself not with clarity, but with even greater confusion.

He was sure he had never met someone named Black Jason, and there was no possibility he had offended him. Chen Mo's life was a simple routine between home and school, leaving little room to encounter or upset any rogue elements in society.

It was obviously a trap. Black Jason was merely a conspicuous black chessman, a pawn being manipulated, with the true schemers lurking in the shadows.

"Man, this is such a headache."

Chen Mo sighed in frustration. He just wanted to peacefully get into college, but now he seemed to have provoked some unknown, vengeful entity. Could his late parents have concealed some secret identity?

Or could he himself be more than ordinary, perhaps an heir of a wealthy family, now caught in their internal battles for power?

That idea was a stretch...

Chen Mo couldn't think of any reasonable explanations, only these improbable scenarios.

"Hey, young man, you seem to be in trouble?"

"What do you think? This world isn't so kind that you can avoid trouble by minding your own business!"

"Come on, young man, invest all your money here. The system has selected a deluxe gift pack especially for you, to ensure your rapid rise and dominance over any adversaries!"

"Are you tempted? If you're excited, why not act on it? Deposit now, get rich quick, and reach the summit of life."

The chatty system emerged once more, eager to assert its relevance, but Chen Mo was completely indifferent to its pitch.

"System, there's no way I'm spending money, so give it a rest..."

"If you're not spending, how do you plan to get through this predicament? Your enemy is in the shadows, while you're in the open, and your life is constantly at risk. The Life Pendant is useful, but it's not a miracle worker. It can heal limbs and mend a broken heart, but a bullet to the head would be the end of you."

"So the head is the weak spot?"

"Thanks for the tip. But if the enemy is hidden and I'm exposed, the first step is actually quite simple: uncover the hidden enemy."

"System, playing dumb isn't a good habit. You have access to all the information I do. Since we're on equal footing in terms of information, I highly doubt you can't guess what I'm thinking."

(Hehe?)

"Has the system been exposed? That's a shame. But I'll just sit back and watch, young man... Hehehehe!"

"The bait has been cast; now to see if the fish will bite."

"I feel a bit guilty using my friends, but to keep them out of this whirlwind, it's the only way. If things get serious, I'd be endangering them..."

Chen Mo felt a pang of regret for leveraging his friendships to achieve his goals.

Regardless, Faang Zheyou and Yi Zi'ang must not get dragged into this situation. It's better to let events unfold naturally and reveal the truth to them later—that's the true way to keep them safe.

Chen Mo had few friends, which is why he valued their friendship so much.

If he had been more vigilant and thoughtful in the cafeteria, he might have stuck close to them, finding excuses to prevent them from discovering anything. But since they were already in the know, the subsequent events were unavoidable.

To keep them from falling deeper, Chen Mo resolved to keep his hunches to himself.

...

Gossip, it seems, is something everyone, regardless of age or gender, enjoys.

It's found in every corner, as ubiquitous as rumors and whispers.

Some stories are fascinating, terrifying, cruel, or eerily realistic...

As a high school student, he filtered through a myriad of messy information daily, like a sieve separating the mundane and worthless from the interesting or thought-provoking.

Of course, a lot of it was gossip—unfounded, inaccurate, and without any guarantee of truth. Yet, this kind of talk was particularly popular in the high school milieu.

Consider a recent rumor that had been slowly brewing. It wasn't the most exciting piece of gossip, but it had nonetheless made its way around the entire school.

Someone claimed to have found a needle in their cafeteria meal. This simple claim circulated, evolving as it passed from freshmen to sophomores, and finally to the seniors. In less than half a day, the story had taken root and flourished, eventually reaching the ears of the school administration. But this type of gossip, lacking solid details or evidence, was generally not taken seriously by anyone.

One of the most common topics that crop up in casual conversations is the latest piece of gossip. During a meal at the cafeteria, someone allegedly found a needle in their food. This simple statement was repeated and embellished until it spread from the freshmen to the sophomores, and finally to the seniors. Within half a day, the rumor had taken root and sprouted, reaching the ears of the school administration. However, without any specific details or even a shred of evidence, such gossip was generally not taken seriously.

It was just an amusing topic for a group of students with nothing better to do. Naturally, those who frequented the cafeteria continued to do so, and those who preferred to eat out kept to their usual habits. No one was going to let a rumor disrupt their daily life. After all, no one could prove they had actually consumed something harmful.

Half a day had passed, and when Chen Mo returned home, he even heard Yun Yiyi talking about the rumor, reminding him to be cautious in the cafeteria. Yun Yiyi herself usually had her lunch off-campus.

Life went on as usual for Chen Mo. He maintained his regular routines, with the only change being that he now spent his post-lunch hours in the library instead of the classroom. The rumor had its moment on Thursday but quickly lost steam.

In the end, it wasn't a particularly gripping story. Its brief surge in popularity was due to its relevance to the students' daily lives, but as time passed and nothing else happened, it faded into the background.

Chen Mo was patient, quietly waiting for the right moment.

In truth, the bait Chen Mo had casually thrown out was a long shot; he didn't really expect it to attract anything. It was more of a playful act than anything else.

As Wednesday afternoon turned into Thursday, and then Friday noon arrived, Chen Mo, seated in the library, was suddenly approached by an unfamiliar figure.