Chapter 17

Chapter 17

That night, Chen Mo had originally planned to find an internet cafe or somewhere similar to spend the night after getting his IV drip done, since the school had a curfew. However, not only did Gou Yiyang stay, but Xi Siyan also reappeared in the corridor shortly after Chen Mo started his drip, telling him there was an empty bed in the ward.

Chen Mo didn’t hesitate and went.

It was already close to midnight.

The nurse hung his drip by the bedside, gave some instructions, looked at the boy lying on the bed, and then glanced at the two others standing beside it.

"Classmate?" the nurse asked Chen Mo.

Chen Mo leaned back slightly and nodded.

The nurse smiled, "Your classmates seem to be quite close, staying with you in the hospital late at night. But after midnight, only one person can stay to accompany you. There’s a folding bed next to the bed, it’s a bit hard, but young guys can manage."

Chen Mo: "It’s fine, they’ll be leaving soon."

The nurse said no more, nodded, and left.

As soon as the nurse left, Gou Yiyang dragged the folding bed out and said, "I’m not going back, I’ll stay here with you tonight." He then looked across and said, "Brother Yan, you should go back. Looking at your outfit, do you have something planned for tonight?"

"There’s nothing," Xi Siyan’s gaze returned from Chen Mo’s IV drip.

Just as he finished speaking, his phone rang.

Upon answering, the voice on the other end could be faintly heard in the quiet ward, and it wasn’t unfamiliar—it was class representative Sun Xiaoya.

Sun Xiaoya shouted loudly, "Everyone wants to know where you are!"

Xi Siyan: "What for?"

On the other end, it sounded like a lively place with fireworks exploding and young people playing around. Someone seemed to have approached Sun Xiaoya’s phone, chattering away.

"Old Xi, where have you been all night? Hurry up!"

"Xiaoya, tell him to hurry, we specially arranged a meet-up at the beach. Someone has been waiting all night, how inconsiderate!"

"Liao Tingting, why are you blushing?"

"Go to hell!"

Finally, a young girl’s voice came through, sounding both angry and playful. Sun Xiaoya seemed worried that the phone wouldn’t be clear enough, so she walked to a quieter spot.

Sun Xiaoya: "How dare you ask what for? Didn’t I say it’s Tingting’s birthday? When will you get here?"

"I won’t make it," Xi Siyan switched hands with the phone, "I’m at the hospital."

"Damn! You’d rather get yourself hospitalized than face her?" Sun Xiaoya’s voice carried shock, quickly followed by anger, "No matter what, you must come tonight. I’ve already told everyone. Yang Shule is here too, with so many people watching. If you don’t show up, he’ll be laughing in his dreams."

Xi Siyan: "Sun Xiaoya, are you crazy?"

Suddenly hearing Xi Siyan curse, Gou Yiyang shrank his neck and gave Chen Mo a fearful look.

Chen Mo leaned against the pillow on the hospital bed, watching Xi Siyan drag a chair over and sit down. His long legs, encased in dress pants, stretched out and then curled back. Elbows resting on his knees, he spoke into the phone, "Do you feel better stirring up trouble every day? Just celebrate the birthday properly. Why invite someone you dislike? Are you looking for trouble?"

"Didn’t he provoke us first? Besides, if we didn’t invite him, it would look like we’re excluding him. I’ve seen through Yang Shule; he clearly likes you! It makes me sick!"

It was unclear whether she was attacking Yang Shule or the idea of a guy liking another guy.

Xi Siyan frowned, "Stop talking about liking someone like it’s a cartoon equation. Do you even know what liking someone means?"

"What are you talking about! Could it be you actually like him?"

"If you keep spouting nonsense, I’m hanging up."

"Are you coming or not?"

"Not coming."

"How do I believe you’re really at the hospital unless you have a more convincing reason than breaking your leg?"

"Wait."

Xi Siyan hung up after saying those two words.

The call seemed to have irritated him; he furrowed his brows, lifted his phone, and snapped a photo of the hospital bed, then opened a social app, searched for a name, and sent it.

Gou Yiyang waited until he finished his operation before saying, "I didn’t expect the class representative to be so temperamental. Brother Yan, you seem to be closer to the class representative than I thought."

Xi Siyan glanced at him, "She’s been banging on my door in diapers since she was three, crying for me to save her brother Qi Lin. Oh, Qi Lin almost choked on cherries from the neighbor’s house and nearly ended up in the hospital for a tracheotomy."

Gou Yiyang almost burst out laughing.

Even Chen Mo smiled slightly.

Before the smile faded, Xi Siyan looked over.

"Does your stomach still hurt?"

Chen Mo: "Much better."

"Hmm, I took a photo of you. Do you mind?"

"Would it matter if I did?"

Xi Siyan glanced at his phone, "Can’t undo it now, time’s passed."

Chen Mo: "…Then did it turn out well?"

Xi Siyan glanced at his phone again and nodded hesitantly, "It's... okay?"

The slight rise in pitch at the end made Chen Mo refrain from commenting on the "okay," but it genuinely left Sun Xiaoya on the other end of the phone stunned for a moment.

The beach at night was bustling with activity.

Many wealthy young people from Sui City had gathered here for a beach party to celebrate the eighteenth birthday of a beautiful girl in a white dress standing at the center.

Amidst the seemingly lively crowd, more than one person was distracted.

Especially when someone saw Sun Xiaoya holding her phone and shouted, "Xiaoya? Are you done with your call? When is Brother Yan coming?"

Sun Xiaoya felt many intense gazes due to this shout.

Expectant, curious, subtly excited.

Tonight, Sun Xiaoya wore a knee-length black dress and walked over to Liao Princess, linking arms with her and apologizing softly, "Tingting, I'm sorry. Xi Siyan probably can't make it."

The long-haired girl's eyes dimmed as she whispered, "Ah, he's not coming? Got it."

Sun Xiaoya felt terrible and quickly added, "He has something important; it's not that he's deliberately avoiding it."

"That's right," someone nearby chimed in, "Isn't there an important banquet at the Xi family tonight? He might be tied up, right Shule? Didn't you go with your parents? You must have seen him."

The person suddenly mentioned stood among several close male friends.

The seventeen-year-old boy was initially stunned but then smiled amidst the many gazes, nodding, "Yes, he should be quite busy tonight. Uncle and Aunt Xi specifically told him not to wander off."

This response did not elicit agreement or consolation but instead brought a cold laugh from Sun Xiaoya.

As if she had finally found an opportunity, her face filled with disdain, "How do you know he's busy? He didn't even attend the banquet tonight; he's at the hospital."

Yang Shule was taken aback.

Someone suddenly said, "Look at the group chat for No.1 High School."

Some present were not students of No.1 High School, but being around the same age, they crowded around others' phones to see.

This group was not an official one but a gossip group where people chatted privately.

However, rumors had it that a teacher had infiltrated the group recently, causing it to quiet down for some time. But tonight, just before eleven, someone posted a video clip about seven or eight seconds long.

It showed Xi Siyan carrying someone out of a KTV.

Due to the angle, Chen Mo's face wasn't visible.

Messages still flooded the group rapidly.

"An hour has passed; any updates yet?"

"Truly the son of God, Xi Siyan is so handsome, especially carrying a guy."

"Did anyone notice how slim the waist of the person being carried is?"

"Give us ten minutes; we need all the details on that mysterious guy!"

"Some people need to check the situation; it looks like something happened."

"True, the person being carried is probably from our school."

...

The commotion on the beach gradually faded away.

Groups of three or five discussed the matter.

The one who had confidently claimed Xi Siyan was busy with the banquet now stared straight at his phone, his lowered eyelashes making it hard to discern his thoughts.

After a while, he looked up, appearing nonchalant and even politely asked Sun Xiaoya, "It seems you know what's going on."

Everyone turned to look at her.

Sun Xiaoya met Yang Shule's gaze, a mischievous smile crossing her face.

"Of course, because of your good brother."

Teenage girls couldn't bear to hold back their frustrations. If someone upset her, she retaliated directly. She opened her phone, almost shoving it in his face.

Sun Xiaoya: "Clearly, he's sick. Xi Siyan couldn't even come to Tingting's birthday party tonight, which means he needs to stay by his side. He was barely welcomed back by your Yang family and didn't want to trouble your parents since you still live with them, while he stays at school alone. Since you always say Xi Siyan treats you nicely only because of the Yang family, wouldn't you mind if he helps take care of him? After all, he should have been a Yang."

These words plunged the scene into silence.

All these pampered kids had heard whispers about the Yang family, but out of respect and upbringing, they never mentioned it openly. They still invited Yang Shule to gatherings and events.

But Sun Xiaoya's words tore away the last shred of pretense.

Yang Shule's expression finally broke.

He stared at Sun Xiaoya and said, "I know you hate me because of what happened back then, but I've already explained that I had no idea Liao Tingting was going to confess to Ah Yan that day."

The nearby Liao Tingting turned pale, her face full of embarrassment at being exposed publicly.

Sun Xiaoya exploded with anger, cursing, "Yang Shule, are you crazy? Addicted to acting, are you? Even calling him Ah Yan! You're just a thief who stole someone else's identity and flaunts it around. If you had any backbone, you'd leave the Yang family!"

Everyone watched as Yang Shule glared at Sun Xiaoya for a few seconds before saying, "Why are you sticking up for Chen Mo? Did I force him to live on campus? Suddenly getting all the attention and then falling ill, only a fool like you would believe it!"

Yang Shule's barely controlled emotions surprised everyone.

After all, this youngest son of the Yang family, who often appeared alongside Xi Siyan, was known for being modest, polite, and genuinely kind.

But Yang Shule couldn’t bear it anymore.

When he saw the video in the group chat, he could hardly hold back.

Recent events had made him feel uneasy.

His elder brother, who had never visited his school before, had surprisingly gone there for Chen Mo’s sake.

His parents were also asking why Chen Mo didn’t come home on the weekend.

More importantly, there was Xi Siyan.

They became desk mates, and during math class, he stood up for him, even vowing to help him get into the top ten of the grade.

Tonight, he had been pleasing the elders of the Xi family at a banquet, only to turn around and find Chen Mo with Xi Siyan at the hospital.

How did things gradually become like this?

He went from confusion to a growing sense of fear.

The outside world seemed to have turned upside down.

Yet, in an ordinary hospital room, the lights had already been turned off.

After finishing his IV drip, Chen Mo, feeling no discomfort, lay on the single bed, drowsy and about to fall asleep. Just as he was drifting off, he heard a slight noise from the folding bed, causing his closed eyes to flutter slightly.

As if half-awake, half-asleep, he mumbled, “Is your family’s mattress not soft enough, or are the dozen servants not serving you well? Are you rushing here just to avoid a girl you admire? Is the folding bed comfortable?”

He then heard the person on the folding bed turn over.

A light scoff followed.

“Pretty comfortable, actually. It’s new.”

“Nonsense. Then don’t turn over; you’re keeping me awake.”

“Tsk.” The person on the folding bed seemed annoyed but held back their words due to the steady breathing nearby.

The ward fell silent once again.

Only the faint glow of a phone screen flickered, along with a softly amused remark.

“It’s clear that only you can sleep.”

Unbothered by anything, indifferent to knowing.