Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Chen Mo tried to clarify: "You only said no smoking in room 413, but this is off-campus. There's no such rule here, right?"

"Mm." Xi Siyan replied, "Now there is."

Chen Mo: "Not giving it."

"Really not giving it?" Xi Siyan raised an eyebrow.

Chen Mo mimicked him: "Mm."

The door to the back garden was occasionally pushed open; people went in and out. Occasionally, someone would notice two figures standing close together in a dark corner.

But the light was dim, making their faces hard to see.

If anyone could recognize them, they would find that the "model child" often used by various families to educate their younger members—the prodigy of the Xi family—was now blocking Yang Shule, who had been found by his birth family. It was neither polite nor gentlemanly.

He easily pressed down on the person's hand, restrained it, and reached into the other's pocket, pulling out half a pack of cigarettes.

It was like a brazen robbery; he didn't even bother to argue.

Chen Mo was completely stunned by this move.

Only when the cigarettes landed in the other's hand did he open his mouth, asking belatedly, "If you want them, you can have them. Why resort to grabbing them?"

At that moment, someone approached. Xi Siyan casually tossed the cigarettes to the person, glancing at Chen Mo: "I don't smoke."

The person who caught the cigarettes in a fluster was Qi Lin.

Chen Mo met him for the first time tonight, abandoning the matter of the stolen cigarettes, and asked, "Did you just get here?"

"I've been here all night," Qi Lin said, leaning over with one elbow on Xi Siyan's shoulder, flipping through the cigarettes and saying to Xi Siyan, "What's going on? You've driven your uncle to curse you every chance he gets, and then you're bullying your dormmate here. You should be grateful that Chen Mo helped clear your name when those rumors were spreading."

Chen Mo frowned, "What kind of rumors were those?"

But the main point wasn't that. Chen Mo had seen Xi Siyan's uncle at the hospital after his stomachache at the KTV. He asked Xi Siyan, "What's going on between you and your uncle?"

Xi Siyan said, "It has nothing to do with my uncle. Don't listen to his nonsense."

"What do you mean?"

Qi Lin, beside them, argued, "How is what I'm saying nonsense? Wasn't the Education Bureau's high school life documentation project sudden? You're not participating, so why are you getting involved? Your uncle must have been confused when they came to him. Otherwise, why would he curse you?"

When Chen Mo heard "documentation project," he was taken aback.

There was indeed such a thing.

In his previous life, both Chen Mo and Yang Shule were candidates.

The so-called documentation project involved filming students' daily lives at school and interactions with their parents at home, for promotional and educational purposes. The chosen individuals needed to have something worth documenting, such as good grades, interesting stories, or public curiosity. Chen Mo had all these qualities.

If he agreed, it meant being exposed to the camera without any escape.

Chen Mo himself didn't want it, and the Yang family wouldn't agree either.

So, in the end, the documentary featured Yang Shule and three other students from the school.

In his previous life, the school notified them about it. Chen Mo refused from the start and didn't pay much attention afterward. He only later noticed that Yang Shule seemed very popular during that period, drawing crowds wherever he went.

This time, learning about it in advance felt somewhat strange.

Chen Mo looked at Xi Siyan, "Is this project related to you?"

"Just got a heads-up on some developments," Xi Siyan said, his expression not entirely denying it. He continued calmly, "But I suggest you participate."

Chen Mo: "Why?"

"On the day you gave me clothes, I apologized for accusing you of trying to control public opinion. The fact is, you handled it well."

Qi Lin, confused, asked, "What are you guys talking about?"

Xi Siyan looked at Chen Mo, continuing, "This project is an opportunity. Whether you use it or not, the Education Bureau will proceed anyway. In my view, it's best to go all out. Only by taking control do you have the power to choose."

In that moment, Chen Mo saw the Xi Siyan he would later encounter in business—a ruthless businessman.

Was this person helping him now?

Then, in his previous life, his name appearing on the candidate list couldn't have been a coincidence.

What was he after?

Chen Mo: "Why are you reminding me?"

"You spoke up for me tonight," Xi Siyan said.

Qi Lin was thoroughly confused by these two, expressing his incomprehension but also excitedly urging Chen Mo, "Participate! Why not participate? This kind of documentation project exists in many provinces across the country. You might even become a city star."

Chen Mo remained silent.

Unlike Qi Lin, Chen Mo understood Xi Siyan's intentions more clearly.

He knew that Chen Mo had just brought Yang Shule and the Chen family together. The documentation project included daily life, which meant either revealing the entire switch scandal or letting the Yang family control everything.

For Chen Mo, that would mean repeating the same mistakes.

Even if his goal this life wasn't revenge, some things still needed to be resolved.

Just like how if he hadn't handled it back then, Chen Jianli would have kept causing trouble for him.

Up until today.

He truly had no way out.

And Xi Siyan's suggestion gave Chen Mo an illusion. It felt as if, had he participated in the past, things might have turned out differently. It seemed that he indeed once had a chance to change something, but he had missed it.

Just like with Xi Siyan, because of that year in Yuhuai Village, where he and Yang Shule appeared together, Chen Mo never thought of truly getting to know this person.

He couldn't even imagine that one day, he would remind himself to go all out when doing something.

While Chen Mo was lost in thought.

The conversation between Qi Lin and Xi Siyan continued clearly.

Qi Lin: "What should we do with these cigarettes? I don't smoke either."

"Throw them away," said Xi Siyan.

Qi Lin: "Old Xi, you're overstepping here. Chen Mo isn't your student or your son. You manage everything at school, but now you're managing Xiao Mo's smoking outside the school gates. That's too much."

Xi Siyan: "Are you going to throw them away?"

"Throw them, throw them," Qi Lin conceded, turning to Chen Mo and saying, "Bro Mo, I'll throw them away for you. Your stomach isn't good; you should smoke less."

Chen Mo nodded indifferently, "Throw them if you must."

Xi Siyan glanced over, "Aren't you arguing with me anymore?"

Chen Mo looked back, "Didn't you grab them first?"

Qi Lin didn't care what they were talking about and excitedly said to Chen Mo, "But Bro Mo, you did something big tonight. You actually came out to your parents. That takes some courage."

Chen Mo didn't respond.

If it weren't for Yang Shule, he wouldn't have been interested in making a fuss about it with the Yang couple.

The banquet ended late into the night.

The crowd dispersed.

Chen Mo hailed a taxi on the roadside, preparing to return to school.

A black car quickly pulled up in front of him, with Yang Zhi sitting in the back seat, "Get in."

Chen Mo got in without hesitation. Since Yang Zhi had brought him here, it was normal for him to take him back.

After all, he didn't want to stand by the roadside in the cold.

As Yang Zhi's car drove off, another car that had been parked by the roadside also moved.

Uncle Lin asked the person in the back seat, "He got into his brother's car. Should we follow?"

"No need," Xi Siyan looked away, "Let's go back."

Uncle Lin turned at the intersection.

Driving towards the old mansion of the Xi family, he asked the person closing their eyes in the back, "Why not tell him that his adoptive father would have caused a scene if you hadn't intervened? If the wedding banquet had been ruined, both the Zhou family and the Yang family would have blamed him."

Xi Siyan opened his eyes slightly.

"Since the Yang family promised money but didn't deliver, this can't be blamed on Chen Mo. The consequences shouldn't be borne by him," Xi Siyan's tone was calm, "Since we interfered in public opinion, it was only right to help him avoid some trouble."

Uncle Lin smiled, "Then why use your uncle as an excuse?"

"An excuse?" Xi Siyan slightly turned, looking out the window at the night sky, "The event is real, and wanting to remind him is also real. It's not really an excuse."

Uncle Lin looked ahead and sighed, "This is the same road, right? I remember the first time I saw you taking that kid to the hospital. With your temper, you left him right at the hospital entrance."

Xi Siyan probably remembered too.

He smiled softly.

"Times have changed."

Uncle Lin: "It hasn't been that long, has it?"

"But I'm a bit regretful, Uncle Lin."

That emotion was unfamiliar to Xi Siyan.

He actually felt regret.

And the reason was merely leaving a not-so-familiar "classmate" at the hospital entrance while he was running a fever and alone. Xi Siyan had no doubt that he spent that entire night alone in the hospital.

As for why he regretted it.

Uncle Lin seemed to understand. He said, "Ah Yan, your grandfather once said something about you that I think is true. You've always had everything and been too excellent. One day, you will regret your arrogance. That kid has a good character and is open-minded. He probably won't hold that small incident against you."

Xi Siyan leaned his elbow on the car window, "Indeed."

Chen Mo wouldn't care; it was just a minor thing compared to what he had experienced.

For Xi Siyan, who now knew Chen Mo well enough, once was enough.

Xi Siyan took out his phone and sent a message to Chen Mo, "Let me know when you get to school."

Ding. A message came through from the other side.

"Can't make it. Staying home tonight."

Xi Siyan's eyebrows furrowed.

Another message came through, "Yang Zhi went crazy for some reason. I woke up to find him already at the door..."

Xi Siyan could almost see the exasperation in those periods.

He chuckled.

"Coming to pick you up?"

"There's no need for that. If I'm staying, I'm staying. At least the bed is softer than the dorm's."

Chen Mo replied and finally got off the car.

The Yang family villa was still brightly lit at night.

This was Chen Mo's first time back since he started boarding school. The Yang couple and Yang Shule had arrived earlier.

The servants were bustling about, especially since the young master had come back with his head covered in cream. The couple's expressions were varied, as if they had quarreled on the way back and immediately retreated to their rooms without speaking to each other.

Chen Mo followed Yang Zhi, yawning as he entered.

A servant holding a small bottle hurried by, nearly bumping into Chen Mo.

"Smash!" The purple-red bottle shattered.

The strong fragrance made everyone's noses itch.

Yang Zhi glared coldly, "What are you doing? So clumsy."

"Master," the servant shuddered, especially when he saw that the person beside him was Chen Mo. After all, he still remembered how Chen Mo had smashed a clay pot of soup. He nervously explained, "This is the brand of incense Shule Young Master always uses. It ran out in his room, so I was bringing it up."

As soon as the servant finished speaking, a loud voice rang out from upstairs, "Ah Xiang! Why hasn't it been brought up yet!"

At the same moment, Yang Shule, wearing a bathrobe, appeared at the top of the stairs.

His hair still showed traces of cream, and his flushed face indicated he had scrubbed hard, looking annoyed and ready to explode.

But when Yang Shule saw who was standing below, he rushed down the stairs.

Baring his teeth, "Chen Mo! How dare you come back after what you did?!"

Chen Mo looked at Yang Zhi, "I also want to know, how did I come back?"

Seeing Yang Shule's attitude, Yang Zhi frowned deeply, "Shule, this is also his home. What's wrong with him coming back?"

"Brother." Yang Shule was initially angry, then turned furious and aggrieved when he met Yang Zhi's eyes, pointing at Chen Mo, "He pushed me into the cream in front of everyone! He's too much!"

Yang Zhi continued to frown, "Didn't you force him to go on stage first?"

"I just mentioned it during the interaction. He danced in front of everyone; how was I supposed to know he didn't want to?"

"Oh." Chen Mo drew out the word, "I just felt like it and accidentally pushed you in. You didn't react, so I thought you were okay with it."

"Chen Mo, you!"

Chen Mo stepped over the broken glass.

To the stunned servant, he said, "Bring me some essential oils to my room, something for a relaxing bath. Not too strong."

"Yes, yes." The servant responded.

Yang Shule: "Bring mine first! Since it broke, get a new one!"

The servant was at a loss, unsure what to do.

Chen Mo walked upstairs, "Give his first. Goodnight, brother."

Behind him, Yang Shule's complaints continued, along with Yang Zhi's indiscernible response, whether soothing or impatient.

Chen Mo went upstairs and entered his room.

The room was unchanged since he left, and it had been cleaned well.

Chen Mo picked a sleep robe he hadn't worn before and went into the bathroom.

The only good thing about this room was the oversized bathtub with massage jets. Chen Mo filled it with hot water and soaked until he was drowsy.

Until there was a knock on the door.

The servant cautiously handed him the essential oils and phone, saying, "Young Master Mo, your phone kept lighting up, so I brought it in."

"Thanks."

Chen Mo took it with wet hands and found many messages.

The latest one was from Xi Siyan, asking if he was sure he didn't need a pickup.

With wet hands, it was inconvenient to type, so he simply sent a video call.

This was the first time Chen Mo had called Xi Siyan on video. After all, they usually saw each other at school.

After two rings, the call was answered.

Xi Siyan's face looked even more striking in the video. It showed only his upper body, making it impossible to tell where he was. It seemed like he was in a room or at home, as the surroundings were very quiet.

"Class monitor," Chen Mo addressed him.

The hot water had made his voice slightly hoarse. The massage at his waist was at its strongest point, causing him to hum softly before lazily saying, "Don't worry, you really don't need to answer." Then he added, "Thanks, caring about your classmate so late at night."

Xi Siyan's gaze in the camera slightly narrowed, and he frowned, asking lowly, "What are you doing?"

"Taking a shower."

Chen Mo responded, then noticed that his face in the small window was flushed, his hair wet, and his whole body slightly trembling due to the vibrating massage function.

He realized that the other party might have misunderstood.

Laughing, he leaned sideways on the edge of the bathtub, looking into the camera, "Relax, even if I'm shameless, I wouldn't do anything while looking at your face."

Xi Siyan watched the person on the phone who couldn't stop laughing.

He asked, "What could you do?"

Chen Mo, because of his leaning position, was very close to the camera, seemingly intentional but without speaking aloud. Only from his lip movements could one vaguely make out two words.

— Masturbating.

Then, amid Xi Siyan's unreadable expression, he burst out laughing.