Chapter 26

Chapter 26

That day at the Holy Herb Hall, many people came to queue for Old Pang's treatment.

Amidst the cacophony of patients who were already complaining about various "pains" and "be gentle" and "that's enough," the youngest apprentice, who was assisting the old doctor, noticed someone special.

The patient was only seventeen or eighteen years old, looking like a student.

He had severe traumatic rheumatic bone pain in his knees.

Old Pang said that after the medication was burned on the skin and the needles inserted along the meridians, this patient should have the strongest reaction among all today.

Unfortunately, from start to finish, the strongest reaction he showed was the slight tensing of the veins in his hand gripping the armrest.

The fine layer of cold sweat from his forehead to his collarbone accidentally brushed against the waist of the person standing behind him when he turned his head. After enduring the longest period of discomfort, he turned back with his face as composed as ever.

The young apprentice curiously asked his master, "Isn't that Grandpa Xi's grandson? What is he doing here?"

"He came with a classmate."

The young apprentice thought, of course, he had seen that.

What surprised him was that he seemed to have a good relationship with this classmate, which was unexpected.

After all, the young apprentice had accompanied his master to the Xi family's old residence several times and had seen this young man of the new generation standing behind the elder in a gold-patterned shirt, bearing little resemblance to an ordinary high school student.

He didn't seem like someone who would tolerate someone sweating on his clothes.

But in reality,

the one who sweated on his clothes was completely unaware.

And the one whose clothes were soiled seemed not to care.

After the treatment ended.

"Do you still want to find Qi Lin and the others?" Chen Mo shook his sweaty hair and stood up, pulling at his damp shirt and sniffing it. "I can't shower right after acupuncture, but I need to buy a new set of clothes."

Xi Siyan followed behind, packing up. "They've finished and gone to eat. Let's go."

"Where?"

"Aren't you going to buy clothes?"

"Sure, I'll get you a set too. You're so germaphobic; I'm afraid you won't be able to eat dinner otherwise."

Ordinary conversation faded away as they left the clinic.

The young apprentice thought, well, I was wrong. The one who sweated on the clothes noticed, and the one whose clothes were soiled really is germaphobic, to the point of being intolerant.

So he didn't notice that outside, under the streetlights, the person he thought couldn't tolerate it looked down at himself calmly and said, "No need."

Chen Mo thought this guy was just being polite.

Saying he was putting on airs now.

When Chen Mo touched his clothes, he paused, but Xi Siyan didn't dodge. With the throbbing pain being quite intense, Chen Mo let it be.

Anyway, Chen Mo did buy him new clothes.

At a large mall near the clinic, a black-and-white long down jacket priced at 3,500 yuan caught Chen Mo's eye after Xi Siyan tried it on. He even agreed with the saleswoman that he looked better than the mannequin outside.

The jacket reached his knees and fit snugly, complementing his face, drawing frequent glances from the young men and women in the store.

Chen Mo observed, "Not bad. Since you're going for competition training, I heard the conditions there are poor, no air conditioning in the dorms. It's getting colder, so it's suitable."

Xi Siyan took off the jacket and draped it over his arm, commenting, "Too expensive."

"Expensive?" Chen Mo thought, any piece from your suitcase is probably more expensive than this.

But Chen Mo quickly proved to Xi Siyan that he wasn't bothered by the price.

Chen Mo chose clothes for himself in a straightforward manner.

A bit like some nouveau riche characters in TV dramas.

Except he didn't have a buxom young "secretary" by his side, nor did he have a potbelly and thick gold chain on his pinky.

In reality, the staff saw a tall, slim young man who looked like a wealthy young master, yet not a reckless spendthrift.

He was genuinely selecting clothes.

From one rack to another, he already had over ten pieces in his hands.

Prices ranged from a few hundred to thousands or even tens of thousands.

Styles varied from casual sportswear to streetwear.

Thicknesses covered all seasons, from spring to winter. At checkout, he even picked two boxes of boxers, black and gray.

The saleswoman attending him couldn't stop smiling.

Following him without a word, Xi Siyan finally spoke when Chen Mo decided to pay: "What's this new shopping method? Revenge spending because you were cooped up at school?"

"It's my own money." Chen Mo handed him the already packed bags, rather affectionately. "Consider it a thank-you gift for tutoring me. Wear them if you want."

Xi Siyan reached out to take them, looked at him, and nodded, saying, "Fine, Master is happy."

Chen Mo followed with a smile.

While settling the bill at the front desk, he leaned against the counter and explained to Xi Siyan, "I just didn't feel like shopping. I don't have high standards for clothes, and I don't enjoy online shopping. So I took this opportunity to buy a bit more."

Most of the items were sent to the school by the store staff.

Chen Mo casually carried a few bags, got a haircut, and then went with Xi Siyan to meet up with Qi Lin.

It was a hot pot restaurant, bustling during dinner time.

Seeing them enter with their bags,

Qi Lin exclaimed, "Damn, you two went shopping together?"

"Just picked up a few things along the way," Chen Mo said as he sat down on one side of the square table.

Bai Cheng and the others came over to rummage through his bags, pulling out a colorful shirt with an indescribable expression, "Not to criticize you, Boss Mo, but are you going to wear this?"

"What's wrong with me wearing it?" Chen Mo picked a shiitake mushroom from the clear broth and placed it in his bowl.

Qi Lin looked at the person leaning back in his chair and checking his phone, "Old Xi, how did you let him get away with such questionable taste?"

"It's not bad," Xi Siyan looked up from his phone and glanced at the shirt.

Chen Mo nodded, "See? He even said it's good."

Xi Siyan added, "The price is great too; this one costs 8,800."

There was a brief silence at the table.

Then,

"Damn! Impressive."

"Before money, who cares about aesthetics? I declare this shirt absolutely beautiful."

"Dad, do you need another son?"

Chen Mo looked up and smiled, "Son, Dad has plenty of money, but I'm not stupid. Your intentions are quite obvious."

Bai Cheng held the shirt and examined it closely.

"But Boss Mo, it's not really suitable to wear now."

Chen Mo continued fishing for food in the hot pot, but after failing to retrieve a fish ball, he gave up and said, "I'll wear it during the New Year."

"New Year??"

Chen Mo noticed two extra balls in his bowl.

Amidst Qi Lin's loud demands of "Old Xi, I want some too!" Chen Mo glanced at Xi Siyan, who continued to fish for food for Qi Lin, and replied to the previous question, "Yeah, maybe we'll go sunbathing in the Southern Hemisphere." Then he paused, "Just possibly."

This somehow struck a chord with the young men.

They began to complain.

"Boss Mo, you're making us all jealous. I still have to attend tutoring classes during the New Year. My mom says if my chemistry grades don't improve, I won't have a good holiday."

"Ahh, I hate visiting relatives during the New Year. I wish I could go sunbathing too!"

"Every year, there are so many kids at home during the New Year, it's so annoying. I can't even play games."

In the steamy atmosphere, Chen Mo listened to their discussions about the New Year—both happy and unhappy moments, lively and warm ones.

He would chime in occasionally, just like any normal person.

Except for Xi Siyan.

They sat diagonally across from each other.

Through the fog, Chen Mo met Xi Siyan's gaze, both knowing everything.

He had been to Yuhuai Village.

The Xi family had played a role in finding him during the reunion.

So, apart from the fact that he wasn't really seventeen-year-old Chen Mo, there were no secrets between them.

No embarrassment, just a slight daze.

Dazed because he couldn't recall more memories of this person from his past life.

They had never sat face-to-face at such close proximity, nor shared a dormitory, or gone shopping together. He certainly hadn't bought clothes for him.

Why did they become close? Chen Mo couldn't remember the exact reason.

"Why are you looking at me?" Xi Siyan's gaze cut through the steam and landed on his face, finally saying, "Looking at me won't help. If you want your stomach to be fine, stay away from the spicy broth."

Chen Mo propped his head up and suddenly laughed.

He thought, what does it matter if he can't remember?

How long could these moments last? Youth is short, and meeting people you don't dislike is already rare.

After dinner, they left the restaurant.

It was already ten o'clock at night.

Xi Siyan was making a call by the roadside, while Qi Lin and the others discussed whether to stay out or return to the dormitory. Chen Mo checked his phone, which showed today's consumption messages and a transfer notification from five hours ago.

The phone suddenly vibrated.

It was an unknown number.

“Hello,” Chen Mo answered.

No one spoke on the other end.

Chen Mo didn't rush to hang up either.

After about five seconds, "Xiao Mo."

It was Li Yunru's voice.

As if afraid he would hang up, she quickly added, "I—I'm not calling you for anything specific; I just wanted to remind you. Your father, no, Chen Jianli, has recently arrived in Sui City. I'm worried he might cause trouble for you again. You should be careful. If you can't handle it, tell the Yang family; they will definitely take care of it."

Chen Mo took a few steps to the left and stood at the entrance of a brightly lit 24-hour convenience store.

With his hands in his pockets, he looked at his blurry reflection on the glass door, his tone light and seemingly cheerful, "Concerned about me?"

The person on the other end was taken aback.

Then hesitantly said, "Xiao Mo, if you don't mind, could you also remind that child? He might not have met someone like Chen Jianli before; I'm afraid he might get scared."

"He won't," Chen Mo replied, "he has bodyguards with him."

"Is—is that so?" The person on the other end sighed in relief, "That's good."

Then, as if realizing it was too obvious, she asked, "Xiao Mo, how have you been lately? I know I don't have the face to call you, and I certainly don't have the right to care about you, but..."

"Do you miss your son?" Chen Mo suddenly interrupted her.

The person on the other end fell silent for a moment, but Chen Mo didn't mind and continued, "Understandable. Turn on your TV at home next Wednesday, and you'll see him."

Without waiting for a response, Chen Mo hung up the call.

Turning around, he noticed Xi Siyan watching him from a distance.

He walked over.

"Who was on the phone?" he asked.

Chen Mo didn't mind, "My foster mother, Li Yunru."

Xi Siyan subconsciously frowned, then remembered the news he had just heard on his own phone and suddenly asked, "Was the person you chased this afternoon Chen Jianli?"

Chen Mo was taken aback, "Aren't you still in high school? How do you even know about this?"

Xi Siyan stared at his face, squinting slightly, "You're also in high school, yet you dared to collaborate with journalists to manipulate public opinion?"

For the first time, Chen Mo clearly felt the speed and capability of the Xi family in obtaining information.

"I don't have that kind of ability," Chen Mo said with a sad smile, "Chen Jianli came looking for me and tried to extort me. Since you ask, you must know that I only bribed a couple of mediocre gossip media outlets to speak well of me for self-protection. After all, the Yang family is more concerned about your childhood sweetheart, Brother Yan. I have no choice."

Xi Siyan's gaze scanned his face, trying to find evidence of sincerity.

All he saw was indifference.

His sincerity seemed shrouded in mist, making it impossible to discern what lay beyond the fog he had created.

Xi Siyan said, "I've already told you, she's not my childhood sweetheart."

"Oh," Chen Mo responded, "How heartless."

Just then, Qi Lin called out to them.

Chen Mo acknowledged, "Coming."

He started to walk away.

After a few steps, he was stopped by Xi Siyan, who reminded him, "Chen Mo, don't do anything reckless."

"Don't worry," Chen Mo shook a packet of cassia seed tea given by the hotpot restaurant, "I'm just a well-behaved student focused on eating and sleeping. I'm ranked ninth in my grade, a seventeen-year-old minor. Reckless? Really?"

Chen Mo glanced at the people around him.

"Oh, right, I'm gay. Does harassing male classmates count as reckless?"