Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The meal ended in discord, and the Yang couple left for work, leaving only Chen Mo and Yang Shule at home. Yang Shule had caused a commotion that morning and ate lunch alone in his room, not even showing his face.

At noon, with the sun high overhead, Chen Mo was dozing in the outdoor lounge area downstairs.

On the lawn around the corner, a few servants were watering the flower beds during their lunch break, occasionally exchanging casual chatter.

"How does the young master look today?"

"Which young master are you asking about?"

"Come on, it's obviously Young Master Shule. He's lost so much weight from being sick for so long, and he hasn't been to school. The class reunion tomorrow was actually suggested by Mr. and Mrs. Yang earlier, just to cheer him up."

"If it were me, I wouldn't be happy. Not going to school is partly due to illness, but also because he doesn't know how to face his old classmates. He used to be so popular and bright, but now he has to deal with all those rumors."

"As long as that person doesn't cause trouble, everything should be fine."

At this point, their conversation grew quieter, as if they were avoiding something.

"Speaking of which, it's strange. When he used to cause a fuss at the Yang residence, it didn't feel like anything. But today, when he didn't make a scene, it felt kind of creepy."

"I'm genuinely afraid he'll find fault tomorrow."

What happened tomorrow?

Chen Mo, with a book covering his face, thought about it seriously.

In his previous life, something similar did happen.

Back then, Chen Mo had no idea that the Yang family had withdrawn their lawsuit and acted magnanimous, only to happily organize a class reunion for Yang Shule right after. That contrast was no different from slapping him in the face.

Moreover, some of the people who came that day were part of Yang Shule's close-knit group, and they were quite harsh in their words.

The event ended in an ugly manner.

Chen Mo threw everyone into the swimming pool, including Yang Shule.

In the sweltering heat of September, Yang Shule shivered as if he had been thrown into icy water.

The condemning looks around him.

The questioning from his parents and Yang Zhi.

The increasingly difficult situation at school afterward, now seemed distant and blurry.

Not to mention the resilience he developed over the years in his career, but even the experience of dying once made him realize that feeling hurt by all this was unnecessary.

Their conversation continued.

They were now discussing the lunch table incident where Yang Zhi stormed out.

Until an elderly cough echoed behind them, followed by Butler Xu's reprimand: "What are you all doing?!"

Chen Mo removed the book, looked up, and saw the elderly man in a white mandarin-collar shirt holding a cane, and was taken aback.

Yang Congxian, supported by Butler Xu, stood with his hands on the cane, his expression unreadable.

The servants were terrified.

Not only because they hadn't noticed the subject of their discussion sitting nearby, but also because the elderly man who appeared was the patriarch of the Yang family from the previous generation.

Yang Congxian's rise to power had a legendary quality to it, and despite being nearly eighty, he remained robust.

He was undoubtedly the backbone of the entire Yang family.

In his previous life, Chen Mo found him too stern and kept his distance. It wasn't until three years later, when Yang Congxian's health declined rapidly and he passed away, that Chen Mo realized this elderly man was the only one in the Yang family who supported him.

He supported Chen Mo's competitive behavior, understood his desire for revenge, and tolerated every indiscriminate attack on the Yang family.

He was the first person to tell Chen Mo, "You haven't done anything wrong."

Chen Mo got up from the lounge chair.

The shadows cast by the umbrella underfoot, Chen Mo met the elderly man's gaze and said after a few seconds, "Grandpa."

"Hmm." Yang Congxian then moved.

He walked to Chen Mo's side and sat down in the wicker chair beside the small round table.

His eyes, already clouded with cataracts but still sharp, glanced at the servants standing in a row and asked, "What do you think?"

"Hmm?" Chen Mo was puzzled. "About what?"

Yang Congxian raised his eyes. "What about firing them?"

The servants immediately tensed up, and one of the younger ones started tearing up, looking like she was about to cry.

Chen Mo finally understood the old man's intention and smiled. "Why go through all this trouble, Grandpa? It's just idle talk; gossip is human nature."

"Your father cares too much about appearances," Yang Congxian scanned the surroundings. "He always puts on a grand show, but ends up hiring people who don't fit. Those who gossip about their employers would have been dismissed long ago if they were in the main house."

Unfortunately, this isn't the main house, Chen Mo thought.

The two most enthusiastic gossips were the ones who usually took care of Yang Shule. They often coaxed and comforted the young master, and Yang Shule called them "sister" sweetly, so they wouldn't be easily fired.

Yang Congxian noticed him spacing out and tapped his cane.

"You're part of this family too; you have the right to decide these people's fates." As if afraid he wouldn't dare speak up, he continued, "Today, I'll take the lead for you. Your parents won't dare say anything."

Chen Mo stood in front of the old man.

"Thank you, sir."

"But it's unnecessary."

The old man was puzzled. "Aren't you angry?"

Chen Mo smiled. "Getting angry is bad for the liver."

In the afternoon, Chen Mo accompanied the old man around the villa. The old man had died from a heart attack, so emotional fluctuations were strictly avoided. Chen Mo tried to lighten the old man's mood by chatting about trivial topics.

That day, every servant in the villa could hear the old man's occasional laughter.

It drew much surprise.

After all, although Yang Congxian had four children and many grandchildren, the old man was very stern. Even though he had handed over the company to Yang Qi'an, he never seemed pleased with his son. Among the grandchildren, there wasn't anyone he particularly liked. Before Chen Mo was found, even the popular Yang Shule couldn't win his favor.

Upstairs, Yang Shule probably learned from the servants that the old man had arrived and finally left his room to greet him.

At that moment, Chen Mo was talking to the old man about planting rice in the countryside, mentioning how leeches would likely climb up one's legs within half an hour of entering the fields. The old man responded by recalling how he had seen leeches as thick as a pinky finger when he was young.

Yang Shule greeted the old man, receiving a lukewarm response, and then stood quietly beside him.

The old man disliked him, and Yang Shule knew it. He had once tried to please his parents' wishes but had long since given up.

He looked at Chen Mo.

Seeing that Chen Mo hadn't spared him a glance, he felt a bit disdainful.

What good would it do to please the old man?

He's old; how many more years can he control things?

In the evening, the others returned.

Yang Qi'an followed the old man to the study to discuss business, with Yang Zhi accompanying them, while Zhou Yaoqing busied herself in the kitchen preparing food.

Chen Mo could clearly sense everyone's caution.

The old man was like a compass for the Yang family. As long as he lived, his sons and grandsons respected him. Especially Yang Qi'an, who concealed the child-switching incident to avoid scandal, always obeyed the old man. After all, the old man had more than one son, and internal strife within the group was intense. He couldn't afford any missteps.

Unexpectedly, that night, he received a scolding.

The old man's cane thumped loudly, frustrated. "Tell me what you've done! A mix-up? That woman stole your son! That's your real son! You only see money and profit! Are you as blind as your wife? I've said before that she spoils her children too much. It's normal for her to be attached to the one she raised, but what have you two done to Chen Mo?!"

Yang Qi'an wiped his face, frowning. "Did Chen Mo complain to you?"

"Complain? If he did, it would be better!"

Yang Zhi hurriedly stepped forward to pat the old man's back.

"Grandpa," Yang Zhi said, "calm down. Dad isn't just thinking about the company. Shule has been running a high fever for half a month. Mom and Dad don't want to upset him further. They've only postponed the lawsuit, not canceled it."

The old man snorted. "In the end, it's all for Yang Shule."

"Dad," Yang Qi'an said, "I've raised that child as my own for over a decade."

"What about Chen Mo?" The old man sat down in his chair, sighing and shaking his head. "All this time, have you ever thought about changing his surname? One child is sick, and you can't see that the other is also ill?"

"Sick?" Yang Qi'an was taken aback. "He didn't say anything."

"If he didn't say anything, couldn't you see? His complexion is terrible, and his lips have no color." The old man grew angrier, sighing deeply. "He must have been taking medication and felt drowsy, yet he still kept me company all afternoon without a word. You, you... why did our family produce such blind and foolish fools?!"

Yang Qi'an hung his head, scolded like a grandson, without a single rebuttal.

Meanwhile, Yang Zhi remained silent for a long time.

He thought again about the needle mark and the other's indifferent tone.

When Chen Mo was first found, he was like an unbendable steel bar. He was guarded, unwilling to be wronged, and his straight back kept people at a distance.

Now, something seemed to have been extracted from him, vanished.

Some details became glaringly obvious, and some words sounded irrefutable.

Was this Chen Mo's new tactic?

The old man was indeed a good target.

Chen Mo was unaware of everything happening in the study.

On the living room sofa, Chen Mo crossed his legs and checked his phone messages. The fruits in the nearby fruit platter were cut into uniform pieces, perfect for those too lazy to peel them.

Opening his phone, he realized someone with a husky avatar had added him earlier.

Chen Mo knew it was Gou Yiyang without guessing.

After all, this guy's avatar hadn't changed in ten years.

As soon as Chen Mo accepted the friend request, a message popped up.

"What's up, Boss Mo?"

"Don't call me that. Just call me Chen Mo."

"Alright, Brother Mo. Call someone 'Bro' and you'll save yourself a long climb."

Chen Mo shook his head and replied, "You'll regret it."

He recalled those years when Gou Yiyang often complained that if not for his hard work, Chen Mo would have long since died in some remote corner.

The current Lao Gou was still young and naive: "Didn't you say you had more money than you knew what to do with? Someone like you is perfect for being friends with me."

"Cut the crap, what do you want?"

"I just felt bad about leaving you alone last night, so I thought I'd check in."

Chen Mo reminded him, "I wasn't alone."

Gou Yiyang: "Exactly because you weren't alone, I was worried. You might not know this since you just transferred here, but our class president, Xi Siyan, and that Yang Shule are known as the twin stars of our school. Some campus forums ship them privately, fantasizing about the Young Master and his beloved boy. You can imagine, think about it carefully. Now that I think about leaving you alone with them last night, I'm trembling."

Chen Mo suddenly chuckled. It seemed Gou Yiyang's penchant for gossip had shown signs even back in high school. He replied, "Isn't it a bit late to warn me now?"

Gou Yiyang: "I really didn't think of it until now. Mainly, with Xi Siyan around, it's hard to pay attention to anyone else. He's the dream of thousands of girls in our school, no exaggeration."

Gou Yiyang then asked, "May I ask, did you get assassinated last night?"

Chen Mo: "I'm already dead, remember to burn some paper money."

Gou Yiyang: "Then I definitely have to come to your class reunion tomorrow to pay my respects and see your remains."

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow: "You're coming too?"

Gou Yiyang replied instantly.

"I swear to God, I'm just a spectator."