Chapter 15

Chapter 15

This Friday afternoon, the school was on holiday, and there were no evening self-study sessions.

The other two roommates had gone home early. Chen Mo picked up a package from the guardroom and returned to the dormitory without even having time to open it when a newly added anonymous friend sent a message through the QQ app.

"Did you send the money?"

Chen Mo glanced at his phone screen. Two seconds later, he replied: "Daily act of kindness."

Guessing that the other party wouldn't believe him, he added: "I just saw your plea for help on the community forum."

The other side quickly responded: "The money is too much."

Chen Mo: "Aren't you a university student? You're majoring in programming; maybe you'll be a big shot in the industry someday. Consider this an investment, one where I won't demand returns for five or ten years."

After half a minute, the other side replied: "Thank you."

Chen Mo: "You're welcome."

Looking at the darkened phone screen, Chen Mo smiled.

He didn't plan to reveal his real name to the other party, after all, no one would believe that someone who could afford such a sum was still a high school sophomore.

At twenty-eight, Chen Mo wasn't merely busy fighting with Yang Zhi like a pair of angry chickens. He also owned a small tech company under his own name, which had just started. The legal representative wasn't himself, so not many people knew about it.

His partner was a tech genius specializing in artificial intelligence.

That person, currently struggling to raise enough medical fees for his mother who was paralyzed from the neck down, would later be known as Old K, with a personality as serious and taciturn as his messages.

On the day of the accident, Chen Mo didn't have many regrets, but he felt a bit guilty towards Old K.

The company had just started, and he, as an investor, had passed away, leaving everything behind. It hadn't been long since he and Yang Zhi had worked together, and the funds available were limited.

He didn't know if Old K had found another suitable investor later.

There was nothing more Chen Mo could do to make amends.

Chen Mo opened his phone and looked at the money he had invested recently. By today, the returns were already visible. Although it might seem opportunistic, he had used theories he had learned and years of accumulated experience. He didn't buy lottery tickets worth millions, partly because he couldn't remember them, but mostly because he believed in earning money honestly.

Chen Mo exited the earnings interface without any psychological burden.

Another message popped up on his phone.

This time, it was the familiar husky avatar, just as Chen Mo remembered, sending messages non-stop.

Gou Yiyang: "What are you doing?"

Gou Yiyang: "I heard you didn't go home."

Gou Yiyang: "Wanna come out for dinner? It's still early."

Gou Yiyang: "...Asleep?"

Chen Mo: "Who else is there?"

Gou Yiyang: "Not asleep, good."

Gou Yiyang: "Just the guys you met at the internet cafe last time. They've been waiting for you to treat them to dinner. But don't worry, we're just getting together, not planning to really take advantage of you."

Chen Mo recalled that day; they had planned to have skewers but ended up going to the hospital instead.

Chen Mo pondered for two seconds: "Sure, give me the address. Let you guys take advantage of me."

Gou Yiyang sent him a large thumbs-up emoji that almost filled the screen.

Thirty minutes later, Chen Mo met Gou Yiyang and the group at a night market stall two streets away from the internet cafe. There were quite a few people, probably around ten, including some girls.

"Over here! Brother Mo!" Someone waved at him from afar.

Chen Mo walked over to the crowded area, sat next to Gou Yiyang in the newly added seat, and looked around. "Is everyone here?"

"We were just waiting for you." Gou Yiyang placed a bottle of beer in front of him.

Chen Mo pushed it away: "I don't drink. Order whatever you want; it's on me."

This drew a round of small cheers.

The night breeze carried a hint of heat, and the sizzling sounds from the barbecue stalls mixed with the clinking of beer glasses, creating a unique atmosphere of this season, full of life and warmth.

Chen Mo didn't talk much. He held a bamboo skewer, nibbling occasionally while listening to the group's idle chatter. They talked about gossip from their school and others. After a while, Chen Mo realized that several of the girls were from other schools.

One of the unfamiliar girls had noticed Chen Mo since he arrived. Finally, she couldn't resist asking someone quietly who he was.

After all, among the boisterous boys drinking and swearing, Chen Mo seemed low-key but stood out the most.

He wore a simple white T-shirt and jeans.

Under the dim yellow light, his skin appeared visibly pale, and even his hair looked obedient tonight. Whether it was the prominent wrist bones resting on his knees or the subtle collarbone lines beneath his T-shirt, everything was lean and perfectly proportioned. He sat quietly, responding briefly when asked questions, mostly chatting idly with Gou Yiyang beside him.

When the girl asked about him, the boys couldn't help but sigh and laugh, saying, "Don't dream. Our Brother Mo isn't just anyone. Visit our school's forum; his legend is everywhere now."

"What kind of legend?" The girl became interested and asked, "Is he as famous as Xi Siyan from your school?"

Mentioning that name made her face flush slightly.

Chen Mo couldn't help but marvel that this person was popular even in other schools.

The boy immediately said, "It's not the same thing."

"For example?"

"For example, I'm a slacker." Chen Mo smiled as he continued, "Smoking, drinking, getting into fights—my dark history is full of incidents and might only grow in the future. Don't compare me to Xi Siyan; it makes me feel embarrassed."

In truth, Chen Mo was thinking about Xi Siyan's threatening face, saying that if he didn't make it into the top ten, he'd be sent down from the fourth floor. Looking at that face too much really did shorten one's lifespan.

Gou Yiyang, who was standing nearby, suddenly asked, "Seriously, is Xi Siyan helping you get into the top ten for real?"

Chen Mo looked over, "How did you know?"

"Oh, so it must be true then." Gou Yiyang didn't even plan to answer, continuing, "Everyone thought you had no chance, but now it seems there might still be hope."

Chen Mo: "May I ask who this 'everyone' refers to?"

Gou Yiyang said with a casual tone, "Just our class, everyone. No one wanted to take Bai She's class anymore, but who knew you would step up? Everyone’s waiting for the results."

Chen Mo: "…"

He felt a throbbing headache despite not having drunk tonight.

The topic hadn't been avoided recently, and now it seemed everyone believed he had to make it into the top ten?

They kept eating skewers until 9:30 PM.

The night market was still bustling.

Chen Mo settled the bill, rejecting the offer to split it among some people. It was unclear whether they were embarrassed to let him pay alone or just weren’t done partying yet.

Someone suggested going to a KTV for an all-nighter.

Chen Mo had been sleeping quite regularly lately but didn’t want to spoil the mood, so he went along.

At their age, entertainment options were mostly internet cafes and KTVs, gaming, and puppy love. Even entering a bar made them feel like they were committing a crime. The KTV they chose had decent decor; inside, everything was opulent and gilded, with good soundproofing and faint sounds coming from other rooms.

They booked a large private room.

Chen Mo sat in a corner of the sofa, feeling drowsy.

A group of boys were wildly grabbing the microphones and belting out high notes, while the girls huddled together, whispering and looking at their phones.

Just as Chen Mo was about to fall asleep, he felt the sofa dip slightly beside him.

He glanced over, seeing a girl's face glowing red under the dim lights, like an apple. With a premonition, Chen Mo leaned back a bit.

Unfortunately, the girl didn't notice, looking down and cautiously asking, "Chen Mo? Can we add each other as friends?"

"Why?" Chen Mo heard himself ask.

It wasn't that he couldn't add her; he just didn't want to add someone with an unspoken, ambiguous intention.

Sure enough, the girl looked up at him, biting her lip, "I just think you… seem like a nice person."

"Hah." Chen Mo couldn't help but chuckle softly.

He wanted to tell the girl that when he used to hang out in various entertainment venues, dealing with all sorts of fat-cat businessmen, he had held the waists of hostesses and let princesses kneel to pour drinks for him.

Say he was nice?

But now, he just smiled awkwardly, "Sorry, I don't add people randomly."

"I have no ulterior motives," the girl's face turned even redder, whispering, "Can't we just be friends?"

Chen Mo felt a bit helpless.

He got up and picked up a random orange drink from the table, downing it in one go.

Putting the glass down, he looked over, smiling wryly, "You're pretty, but I don't like girls."

"Ah, ah?" The girl opened her mouth slightly, staring at him in disbelief, stuttering, "Y-you mean…"

"Yes." Chen Mo nodded, "I'm gay."

The glass clinked against the table just as someone changed the song.

Chen Mo's words became the only sound in the room, clear enough for everyone to hear.

As the intro of the next song began, someone dropped the microphone on the floor, producing a sharp screech that emphasized the impact of his words.

On the second floor of the KTV.

Xi Jianxing was being pressured to drink in a VIP room, truly ready to surrender.

Seeing the tall figure enter through the door, he hurriedly said, "Let's stop here today… yeah, I need to go back… him? He can't stay, this is my nephew, still a high school student. You guys should behave, I’m leaving now, see you later."

Finally out of the room.

Xi Jianxing loosened his tie, cursing, "Damn, these old foxes are ruthless."

Then he looked at his nephew leaning against the wall, baring his teeth, "You came to save me, if you were half an hour later, you’d be collecting my body!"

"I could pick a good burial spot for you."

Xi Siyan stood up from the wall, putting away his phone.

Xi Jianxing almost spat blood.

His good nephew, the eldest son of the Xi family, had been dragged to some banquet tonight. Dressed in a white shirt and trousers, with gelled hair, he looked stunningly handsome.

Just lacking a bit of humanity.

"Can you walk?" Xi Siyan grabbed the swaying person. "The driver is at the door."

Xi Jianxing looked at him resentfully. "What if I can't walk?"

"Then you crawl down?"

Xi Jianxing drew in two sharp breaths, sneering, "You should really let your good classmates see the true face under this skin."

Xi Siyan followed leisurely behind. "What true face? The one that leaves your brother and sister-in-law hanging to come pick you up from a dinner where even grandpa is present? That kind of true face?"

"Pah." There was no respect or affection between uncle and nephew as Xi Jianxing exposed, "You've always hated these occasions. Haven't you played the role of the perfect son and grandson enough?"

Xi Siyan put his hands in his pockets. "If that's what you think, there's nothing I can do about it."

"Save your playboy lines for your future wife and see if she doesn't slap you in the face!"

They bickered all the way down to the lobby, passing by the restroom.

Xi Jianxing leaned against the wall, insisting he couldn't make it and needed to vomit.

Xi Siyan waited outside the restroom.

Ten minutes passed.

When Xi Jianxing finally emerged, people passing by had been staring, and Xi Siyan, already impatient, frowned. "I thought you fell into the toilet."

"I just went to watch some drama unfold."

Without waiting for Xi Siyan to ask, Xi Jianxing volunteered, "I didn't expect high school students these days to be so intense. Just now, in the restroom, two guys—one was vomiting, the other was consoling him. I heard the whole thing. The guy throwing up had been publicly outed after a girl confessed her love for him. Seems like he also has someone he loves but can't admit it, so he drank himself into a stupor. It made me feel bad too."

Xi Siyan: "Are you coming or not?"

"Coming, coming, can't you have a little patience? They might even be from your school."

Just as they were about to leave, Xi Jianxing spotted the same high school student who had been consoling his friend outside the stall, rushing out with a pale face.

Before Xi Siyan could react, his nephew suddenly reached out and grabbed the boy.

"Gou Yiyang."

"Ah?"

Gou Yiyang, still dazed, looked up and almost cried when he saw his classmate.

Xi Siyan frowned at his appearance. "What's going on?"

Gou Yiyang remembered his purpose and shakily pointed towards the restroom. "It's Chen Mo. Chen Mo is in trouble; I need to get help."

At that moment, Chen Mo was leaning against the sink, one hand on his stomach.

Everything was going black.

He hadn't felt anything wrong when he drank that cup of alcohol, perhaps because the barbecue tonight was too spicy. The combination of flavors hit him hard, and within three minutes, the familiar pain returned.

He had vomited until his stomach was empty.

He wanted to calm Gou Yiyang down, but the easily frightened teenager, who would one day wield a scalpel, was now panicking at the sight of Chen Mo's pale face and cold sweat trickling down.

It would pass soon.

Once the pain subsided, he would remember to stop by a pharmacy on the way back to stock up on some necessary medication.

As Chen Mo leaned against the sink, trying to squat down to catch his breath, he found himself being lifted by the waist.

His nose bumped into a hard shoulder, and his hand rested on the fine fabric of the shirt rolled up to the elbow. Chen Mo only managed to look up and see a jawline before hearing a familiar voice above him.

"This is the second time."

"A ride to the hospital? I'll carry you?"