Urban Powers After the Apocalypse

Forty-five minutes wasn't a long time. As soon as the bell rang and Old Pang left the classroom with his lesson plan tucked under his arm, the once docile students instantly transformed into a buzzing swarm of bees. The classroom became a chaotic hub of conversation, filled with an endless array of topics—celebrity gossip, neighborhood drama, street encounters, even global affairs.

Xu Bilin remained in her seat. As a newly transferred student who didn't know many people yet, she was casually chatting with her deskmate, asking about the school and the class. Sitting in front of her, Si Mobai occasionally chimed in, seemingly even more eager to answer her questions than her actual deskmate.

With one hand in his pocket tightly gripping the slip of paper, Xu Mo gathered his courage and walked over. Xu Bilin noticed him standing there awkwardly and paused her conversation, raising her bright, inquisitive eyes to him.

"Hey, do you need something?" she asked curiously.

"About earlier… thank you."

The others were confused, but Xu Bilin immediately understood what he was referring to. She simply smiled, waving it off casually. "It was nothing. Isn't helping each other what classmates should do?"

"…Do you know a girl named Ning Ning?" Xu Mo hesitated briefly. He knew how much this sounded like a pick-up line.

"Ning Ning? Someone from this class?" Xu Bilin turned to her deskmate, who also shook her head, indicating she had never heard of the name.

Of course. What were the odds?

Even though he had expected this answer, Xu Mo still felt a twinge of disappointment. He nodded slightly in thanks and was about to walk away when Xu Bilin suddenly asked, "That girl Ning Ning—is she your girlfriend?"

Her question took everyone by surprise. Both her deskmate and Si Mobai turned to stare at her in astonishment. It was such a nosy thing to ask—something even close friends might hesitate to bring up, let alone a new transfer student who had never even met Xu Mo before.

Xu Mo stopped in his tracks, instinctively tightening his grip on the paper in his hand. After a brief silence, he shook his head.

"Hey, wait a second! I wasn't finished—"

Whether it was the topic itself or Xu Mo that piqued her interest, Xu Bilin leaned forward, facing him as if wanting to continue. But before she could say another word, a thick, pudgy hand suddenly slammed down on the desk between them with a loud smack. Beneath it were two bright red 100-yuan bills.

"Two hundred bucks, Xu Mo—I want your seat!"

Even without looking, Xu Mo already knew who it was. That loud, grating voice—the kind that sounded like a pig being slaughtered—could only belong to one person in all of Class 3-1: the chubby kid from the next row, Zhu Di.

Rumor had it that his father owned a coal mine somewhere, and this kid acted like it gave him free rein to be as arrogant as he pleased. He had money to burn, throwing cash around like it was nothing, and had managed to cozy up to a few delinquent students in the class. But aside from them, no one really liked him.

Back in their first year of high school, Zhu Di had pulled this same stunt, buying out the seat behind class beauty Zhang Xiaoxiao for two hundred yuan. Now, he was clearly trying to do the same thing again.

"Two hundred's not enough? How about three hundred? Five hundred?" Zhu Di, noticing Xu Bilin's slightly parted lips and her surprised gaze, became even more smug. He pulled out his wallet, dramatically counted out another eight hundred yuan, and tossed the stack onto the desk. "Give up your seat, and this one thousand is yours!"

A collective gasp rippled through the classroom.

Even though most of the students didn't like Zhu Di—who had no skills beyond throwing money around—they had to admit that this move had some serious weight behind it. One thousand yuan was nearly half a year's worth of pocket money for an average high schooler. Real cash, right there on the table—it was hard not to be tempted.

"Zhu Di, you can't do this. The seating arrangements were assigned by the school."

Seeing more and more students gathering to watch, Si Mobai finally remembered his role as class president and hurriedly stepped in to intervene. But his soft, hesitant tone had no authority whatsoever. Then again, Si Mobai had never had any real authority in the class.

Xu Bilin, at the center of this unexpected scene, felt incredibly awkward. She knew perfectly well that Zhu Di was using the seat change as an excuse to get closer to her. But since his reasoning was technically valid, she couldn't directly step in without making herself seem narcissistic.

She definitely didn't want to sit next to this 180-pound rich kid. But Si Mobai, the so-called class president, was clearly unreliable. Her only option was to turn to Xu Mo, hoping he would reject Zhu Di outright.

Xu Mo's brows furrowed slightly. He glanced at Xu Bilin's expectant expression, then at Zhu Di's smug, contemptuous face. Suddenly, he reached out, picked up the thousand yuan, flicked through it with his fingers, and then stuffed it into his pocket.

"Pfft! What a sellout—giving in for a measly thousand bucks!"

"Please, like he had a chance with her anyway. At least now he's got some cash."

"Anyone wanna buy my seat? I'll sell it for a hundred!"

The crowd erupted in a flurry of commentary. Even Xu Bilin seemed taken aback, a flicker of disappointment flashing across her face. But in the end, it was Xu Mo's seat, and she had no right to tell him what to do with it.

Just when everyone thought the matter was settled, Xu Mo's next words made the whole class's jaws drop.

"HeShang, help me move my desk and chair over to Zhu Di's spot. Since he paid a thousand for them, we might as well deliver the goods properly."

For a brief moment, the classroom was dead silent—then it exploded into laughter.

It took Zhu Di a few seconds to realize he had just been played. He could only watch in disbelief as Xu Mo swapped their desks and then casually sat back down as if nothing had happened.

"Xu Mo! You… just you wait! This isn't over!" Zhu Di sputtered angrily, but having lost all face, he had no choice but to storm out of the classroom.

As the next period's bell rang, the students gradually returned to their seats, pulling out their textbooks and settling into their usual routine of waiting for the teacher.

Xu Mo flipped open his notes, preparing for class—when he suddenly noticed a new slip of paper on his desk.

Thank you. My name is Xu Bilin.

A familiar warmth spread through his chest. Smiling faintly, he picked up his pen and quickly scribbled a reply before tossing the paper back.

No problem. I'm Xu Mo.

As the sun dipped below the horizon and the final bell of the day rang, yet another grueling day of senior year came to an end.

Watching Xu Bilin's energetic figure disappear through the classroom doors with a group of girls, Xu Mo recalled their brief paper note exchanges throughout the day. He couldn't help but touch the bridge of his nose and chuckle to himself.

Ever since Ning Ning left, it had been a long time since he'd felt this way…

But there was no denying it—Xu Bilin really reminded him of Ning Ning. Her mannerisms, her interests, even her personality. If she hadn't insisted that she didn't know Ning Ning, Xu Mo would have sworn they were twin sisters.

Was this… fate's way of giving him a second chance?

"You were grinning like a creep just now. And you always call me the pervert?"

At some point, HeShang had finished packing up and was now standing in front of him, looking deeply unimpressed.

"I might be a little pervy on the surface, but you have perversion etched into your very bones," Xu Mo shot back, still in a great mood. Throwing an arm around HeShang's shoulder, he wiggled his fingers. "Hey, bro—let me borrow your phone. I need to call home."