Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Chen Mo was drenched in sweat, preparing to leave the dance floor with Xi Siyan amidst various admiring and astonished gazes.

At that moment, a soothing piano melody began to fill the hall.

Everyone turned their heads.

Yang Shule, dressed in a white tuxedo, sat behind a piano playing "Für Elise" for the newly engaged couple. The spotlight centered on him, elegant and dreamy.

The crowd gradually gathered around the stage.

Beside him, Sun Xiaoya's face darkened, and she gritted her teeth, "He just had to play now, making sure everyone knows he’s good at this. It’s so showy, it’s disgusting!" Her voice suddenly rose, "…and he’s even looking over here! Clearly trying to provoke us!"

Chen Mo looked over and met Yang Shule's gaze.

In that split second, Chen Mo knew that Yang Shule was responding to his earlier comment about being "deliberate."

Chen Mo didn’t bother to look away; instead, he smiled at Sun Xiaoya, "Who cares if he’s provoking you? You can’t ruin your cousin’s engagement party today."

"Of course not," Sun Xiaoya’s expression remained tense as she angrily said, "Otherwise, I’d definitely go up there and tear his face apart."

Chen Mo had seen them fight before and wasn't surprised by her anger.

But he didn’t remind Sun Xiaoya that Yang Shule was clearly targeting him tonight.

Chen Mo had known this day would come.

Yang Shule could no longer maintain his facade of nobility and indifference. Now, whether at school or within the Yang family, his situation had deteriorated. They were never a pair who could tolerate each other; in the previous life, it was Chen Mo who couldn’t take it anymore. There were too many people Chen Mo couldn’t tolerate, not just Yang Shule. So he let Yang Shule sit high and maintain his image of elegance, kindness, and warmth, allowing him to compare and suppress, eventually reaping the benefits effortlessly.

In both lives, the one truly indifferent to such competition was always Chen Mo himself.

What he fought for was recognition, favoritism, and proof that his birth wasn’t a mistake.

But reality taught him that these luxuries were mere reflections in a mirror. Once touched, they revealed nothing real.

Between husband and wife, father and son, mother and son, brothers—what seemed beautiful was merely a façade.

Underneath lay all kinds of selfishness, manipulation, and costs.

Everyone was an excellent actor.

So Chen Mo felt out of place.

Eventually, he and Yang Zhi each controlled half of the Yang family business, while Yang Qi'an and Zhou Yaoqing’s attitudes shifted from initial indifference to cautious sincerity. Yang Zhi often threw tantrums in his office, making every subordinate tremble, but when facing Chen Mo again, he would calm down, only to lash out angrily, "Do you ever treat me like your brother?!" It was as if he had a mental disorder.

When Chen Mo broke ties with the Yang family over shares, everyone felt relieved.

For everyone, it was a release.

This time around, Chen Mo genuinely didn’t want to compete, so he played along well.

But for Yang Shule, it was different.

Chen Mo took the path he deemed unworthy of competing for, leaving him feeling cornered, so he had to stand up.

As the music ended, he stood amidst applause.

He leaned into the microphone, smiling, "Second Brother."

The room buzzed.

"Second Brother? The Yangs have ranked their sons. Seems like the real and adopted son get along well."

"Where is the one they found?"

Yang Shule waited until the murmurs died down, then continued smiling, "Mom and Dad asked us to perform a blessing for our cousins. Second Brother, it’s your turn. The dance doesn’t count."

He made a gesture of waiting, but his smile did not reach his eyes.

He was waiting to see Chen Mo embarrass himself after his recent success.

Beside him, Sun Xiaoya was speechless, "What is he doing?! Causing trouble? Does he really think he’s the star of the day, choosing who performs next?!"

Sun Xiaoya’s reaction didn’t reflect everyone else’s.

After all, engagement parties usually included performances.

Yang Shule led the way, naming Chen Mo next, so everyone naturally looked at him expectantly.

Many were skeptical.

"That’s Chen Mo, who danced with the Sun family’s daughter. He doesn’t seem like someone found in the countryside."

"The Yangs must have trained him. Isn’t he here for Grandma Zhou to see?"

"Social dancing can be mastered with practice, but piano takes years."

"Just saying some blessings would be fine."

"Such a difference between the two sons will make the younger one look bad. No one likes to be embarrassed."

Chen Mo heard these comments intermittently.

But his face showed no extra emotion.

Amidst Sun Xiaoya urging Xi Siyan to do something, he stepped forward. Slowly, he walked through the crowd of elegantly dressed guests and onto the stage.

Unlike in his past life, where Yang Shule’s performance left Chen Mo forced onto the stage by his fans, ending in awkward silence.

Now, there aren't many people below who bear ill will.

Most are just curious.

Only Yang Zhi, who was drinking with someone far away, stopped and frowned as he looked over. The Yang couple, holding hands, muttered, "When did we let the child perform? Shule is being ridiculous." Then, in response to Zhou Yaoqing's words, "Young people, they're just playing around," the matter was dropped.

The only one coming down from the second floor was Old Lady Zhou.

Looking at the two people on stage from a distance, she turned to the person beside her and said, "Let's go back."

"Aren't you going down?" the person beside her asked.

Old Lady: "Young people should handle their own affairs. It wouldn't be right for an old lady like me to interfere."

"What if the child gets hurt?"

"It won't happen." The old lady smiled, her tone certain.

In fact, Chen Mo, who had taken the microphone from Yang Shule, had his hand in his pocket and said, "Unlike my brother, I'm not so well-versed. I really can't play the piano, but I can sing decently."

The crowd hollered, "We'll have to hear it to believe it!"

"Sure," Chen Mo smiled, then took out his phone in the next moment. "But I don't quite remember the lyrics. I hope my cousin and cousin-in-law don't mind if I look at my phone while singing. Although I prepared hastily, my sincerity is genuine."

It was genuinely amusing.

Both protagonists shouted, "We don't mind!"

The atmosphere was casual and relaxed, completely different from what Yang Shule had envisioned.

Everyone thought they were about to hear some funny live versions of songs like "Today You're Getting Married" or "I Will Love You Till I Die."

Soon.

A pure voice with a slightly raspy texture came clearly through the microphone.

Low and pleasant, and it was a cappella.

What would I do without your smart mouth

An all-too-familiar song, "All Of Me," filled the air. When the young man on stage sang the first line with lowered eyes, the venue suddenly fell silent. At seventeen, he didn't need to feign depth, yet his performance was unexpectedly heartfelt.

From the second line onwards, everyone suddenly noticed that accompaniment had been added.

The young man from the Xi family, who had been inquired about by many tonight but never appeared, now sat behind the piano.

His playing was casual and relaxed, and he never glanced at the person singing with the phone.

One standing, one sitting; one in the light, one in the shadow. They performed as if they had rehearsed beforehand.

At the end of the song.

Thunderous applause broke out. Someone sprayed champagne, and others cheered loudly.

It was time to cut the cake.

The towering cake tower, adorned with various chocolates, fruits, and cream flowers, looked beautiful.

Those participating in this segment were mostly young people who could cheer and holler. They played games, made the main characters kiss each other, and then had them cut the first slice of the cake together.

The crowd was buzzing with excitement.

Chen Mo stepped off the stage and didn't push forward. He leaned against the stage, holding a piece of cake that someone had enthusiastically handed him.

Many called out, "Chen Mo, come over, join us."

Chen Mo smiled and shook his head, "You eat."

Then another voice entered his ears.

"Shule, why don't you call him? Didn't you call him Second Brother? His singing video has been shared, and several of my classmates want his contact information."

"Yeah, Shule, you go."

Yang Shule sounded embarrassed, "Stop teasing me. My Second Brother... likes guys."

"Huh? Guys? He's gay?"

"Completely unexpected."

"Shule, your family doesn't know about this, right?"

"The one who accompanied him on the piano was Xi Siyan, right? Does your Second Brother like him? Or are they both..."

The few people around the cake whispered, their tone full of secrecy.

As they spoke, they suddenly fell silent.

Because they realized the subject of their conversation was standing right behind them.

"Go on."

Chen Mo tilted his head, smiling, "What about us?"

"Second Brother," Yang Shule stepped forward, "you..."

His voice trailed off.

Because Chen Mo, without hesitation, pushed his head into the cake.

The next moment, he yanked Yang Shule's hair at the nape of his neck, pulling him up. In the stunned silence that surrounded them, he looked regretfully at the cake and said slowly, "Such a nice cake, even if it's half-eaten, it's a pity."

Chen Mo looked at the face smeared with cream, unsure of what expression it was making, and continued, "I've put up with you all night. Are you done yet?"

The claim that the adopted son of the Yang family had a good relationship with the real son was now shattered.

"What's going on here?!" At this point, many elders who had been informed of the situation finally arrived, including the Yang couple.

Everyone started talking at once.

"Yang Shule started it by insulting Chen Mo first."

"No, Chen Mo was the one who made the first move."

"You guys were the ones who said Chen Mo is gay, and even said... even said..."

"What did you say?!" Yang Qi'an asked loudly, already furious.

The rumor about Chen Mo being gay had finally spread from the school to the entire upper circle of Sui City.

Regardless of how each family felt, Yang Qi'an was clearly very angry.

The person who had just spoken didn't back down and shouted, "They also said Chen Mo likes Xi Siyan! Xi Siyan accompanied him on the piano; they might be dating!"

Chen Mo rubbed his forehead.

Looking at Yang Qi'an's expression shift from fury to shock, then numbness, and even a mix of surprise and joy, he felt nauseous.

Chen Mo glanced at the person who had spoken earlier and said, "Classmate, accompanying someone on the piano means I like them, and appearing in the same frame means we're dating? We even live in the same dorm; should I say we're sleeping together? Are you spreading rumors about Xi Siyan because he's not here?"

This left the person speechless, their mouth agape.

Chen Mo ignored Yang Qi'an's gaze and looked at Yang Shule with disgust. He said, "Take care of your precious son. Whether I'm gay or not doesn't need his announcement. If the Xi family causes trouble for Xi Siyan over this, Mom and Dad, it won't just be embarrassing for you."

At the back door of the banquet hall was a small garden.

Ten minutes later, the protagonist of the incident stood in the shadows, the tip of his cigarette flickering on and off.

Someone emerged from the arched entrance opposite him—it was Xi Siyan, who had disappeared after accompanying him on the piano tonight.

He approached and stood there.

Chen Mo looked up, "Did you hear? Sorry for involving you."

Xi Siyan glanced at him, "You refuted it, saying something about sleeping together. That makes me wonder about your school environment."

"It's okay," Chen Mo replied half-heartedly.

He remembered Lao Gou mentioning that Xi Siyan had gone abroad last life, possibly due to his sexual orientation. Being subjected to such rumors, he seemed surprisingly tolerant.

But since Xi Siyan had stated he wasn't interested in men, and Chen Mo had clarified, he wouldn't pry further.

He simply said, "What was your deal today? You were late and lied to Sun Xiaoya about traffic. Where did you go all night?"

"Curious?" he asked.

Chen Mo paused and nodded.

In the next moment, the person bent slightly, and Chen Mo felt fingertips touch his wrist. The fingers slowly traced down his hand, across his palm, and finally took the cigarette from between his fingers.

Xi Siyan straightened up, looking at the cigarette in his hand and raised an eyebrow, "Smoking again?"

"Irritated," Chen Mo frowned.

He hadn't come here to play along with Yang Shule's drama; he ended up performing for free.

And for nothing.

Xi Siyan's eyes darkened, and Chen Mo had a fleeting feeling that he seemed rather pleased tonight.

He soon heard Xi Siyan say, "Hand over the pack. I'm confiscating it."

Slowly, but firmly.