Chapter 39

Chapter 39

A week after returning from Icefield Town to Sui City, Xi Siyan moved back into the dormitory, and everything returned to normal.

The second semester of senior high entered its final review month. In an experimental class like this one, the increasingly intense academic atmosphere was palpable.

Chen Mo had now become a key focus for many subject teachers.

They feared that his carefree attitude might lead to a disastrous performance on the final exams, causing him to plummet back to the bottom of the rankings. As a result, he became a constant target for tutoring and moral guidance, often seen in the teachers' office.

Near the end of the term.

"Brother Mo, here again?" A few students from the neighboring class, who were frequently summoned to the office for scolding, couldn't help but tease him.

Chen Mo leaned against the desk of his homeroom teacher, Xiang Shenglong, nodding. "Yeah, it's quite a coincidence. This is the third time we've run into each other this week."

"Damn." One of the boys from the neighboring class, taking advantage of the empty office, complained with a smile. "This time, it's not our fault. It was those jerks from the other school who started it."

Unfortunately, Chen Mo had little interest in the inter-school feuds and responded rather dismissively. "That's true; it's not your fault."

Perhaps due to his reputation as the school bully, the others were eager to fill him in.

"Actually, Li Rui started this whole thing."

"After you beat him up last time and he got lectured, he still didn't learn his lesson. This time, it was supposedly because of Yang Shule, and it ended up involving us."

"Yang Shule has been getting a lot of attention lately. Some people from the other school just can't stand it."

"Li Rui must be crazy to stick up for Yang Shule. But Yang Shule doesn't even care about guys like Li Rui. With his current path, getting recommended to university is just a matter of time."

Chen Mo hadn't heard much about Yang Shule recently.

After leaving the Yang family environment and being in different classes, Chen Mo almost forgot about him if he didn't pay attention.

As for Li Rui,

he seemed wary of past events and Chen Mo had barely seen him since the last incident.

He didn't expect these two to end up together, as told by others.

Chen Mo wasn't particularly interested in hearing more details.

However, during the two days of the final exams, more stories about the two circulated among many people.

On the day they finished the morning math exam,

Chen Mo and his friends were eating in the cafeteria.

Not far away, someone noticed that the "future star" of No.1 High School, who had been heavily promoted recently, and the former school bully who left under less-than-glorious circumstances, were actually eating together.

It was like a beehive had been stirred up.

Many people were secretly glancing over.

If they looked closely, they would see that the future star indeed wasn't ordinary, chatting casually with Li Rui without showing any signs of discomfort.

In reality, Yang Shule was enduring significant discomfort.

He knew Li Rui had feelings for him. Initially, he was pleased when Li Rui targeted Chen Mo.

But Li Rui proved to be useless, allowing Chen Mo to easily turn the tables. Now, Chen Mo was surrounded by many people and had a good reputation among the teachers.

This increased Yang Shule's sense of urgency.

So he cooperated fully with all the promotions, crafting an image of a prodigy. Next month, he had a piano performance at the largest cultural exchange center in Sui City, maintaining his glamorous life.

If only Chen Jianli didn't keep asking him for money.

And the trouble caused by some thugs from the neighboring school last week. Despite these setbacks, he believed he still surpassed Chen Mo.

It was because of these minor incidents that he endured the strange looks while dining with Li Rui in the cafeteria.

"Thank you," Yang Shule expressed his gratitude once again. "If it weren't for you, I might have been in big trouble last time."

Li Rui's face turned red with excitement.

He never thought Yang Shule would accept his invitation, especially given his current popularity.

He quickly waved his hands. "You don't need to thank me repeatedly. I'm happy to help."

Yang Shule lowered his eyelashes, revealing a hint of disappointment.

Sure enough, Li Rui asked anxiously, "What's wrong? Are those people still bothering you?"

"Not really," Yang Shule poked at his meal plate as if he had lost his appetite, showing a bitter smile. "You know, my background is complicated. My biological father keeps coming to see me, but I dare not tell my adoptive parents."

Li Rui frowned. "Your biological father?"

"Yes," Yang Shule hesitated. "He... is just a village thug, a gambler who drinks a lot, and always wants me to ask my adoptive parents for money."

Li Rui felt a sense of responsibility.

Thinking of how such a person often troubled Yang Shule, he felt helpless and distressed.

Li Rui immediately promised, "Don't worry, I'll take care of this."

"You will?" Yang Shule looked doubtful. "We're just students, and he's an adult..."

Li Rui was confident. "Don't worry about that. I know some people in society who can handle him and make sure he won't bother you anymore."

Yang Shule's eyes were filled with gratitude. "Thank you. It seems the rumors about you at school were all misunderstandings. Plus, you and my second brother, oh, my second brother is Chen Mo. You two..."

"He doesn't even come close to comparing to you." Li Rui cut him off bluntly. Thinking of how Chen Mo and Xi Siyan had made him despised by everyone while Chen Mo's popularity grew, his eyes filled with resentment and disgust. "He merely cozied up to Xi Siyan through underhanded means. They collude together. Don't think too highly of him; calling him your second brother will only lead to disappointment."

Mentioning Xi Siyan darkened Yang Shule's expression.

But he hid it well. Since Chen Mo's return, he hadn't encountered someone as easy to manipulate as Li Rui in a long time, which gave him a sense of ease and joy.

So he smiled slightly, yet there was a hint of loss. "Chen Mo is now so close to Siyan; he must have his exceptional qualities."

"What exceptional qualities could he possibly have?" Li Rui refused to acknowledge it, adding a touch of flattery and ridicule. "He's deliberately trying to drive a wedge between you and your friends. He can't stand seeing you happy and wants to take everything from you."

"Really?"

"Shule, you're just too nice."

This self-directed performance, oblivious to others, was something Chen Mo missed out on witnessing.

If he had heard it, he would have gained a deeper appreciation for Yang Shule's skill in manipulating hearts and applauded his acting prowess.

During this lunch, he ate slowly and attentively.

In the end, he hesitated over the two remaining ribs on his plate, feeling that eating them would be too much but not eating them would be wasteful.

Quite indecisive.

Until someone across from him reached over, took his plate, and stacked it on top of their own, effectively clearing the sight.

Chen Mo looked up: "...There are still leftovers."

"I know. If I waited another two seconds, you'd already have stuffed them in your mouth." Xi Siyan glanced at him, reminding, "Don't force yourself to eat if you don't want to get a stomachache. We have exams this afternoon."

Qi Lin couldn't stand it anymore.

He spat, "Old Xi, do you realize you sound like an abusive parent, not letting the kid eat enough?"

The person being criticized calmly took the plates away.

Others also started leaving the table.

As they walked away, a loud "clang" drew everyone's attention.

Xi Siyan, who was leading the way, had stopped.

His tray had fallen to the ground, spinning several times before coming to a stop. As fate would have it, the two ribs left by Chen Mo rolled back to his feet.

"Sorry, didn't see it." Li Rui stood there, looking provocatively at Xi Siyan.

Yang Shule stood behind Li Rui, his gaze towards Xi Siyan carrying a hint of surprise, seemingly not expecting Li Rui to confront Xi Siyan so recklessly.

He seemed eager to pretend he didn't know Li Rui.

But Li Rui clearly didn't understand the situation. He thought Xi Siyan and Yang Shule had fallen out and might be trying to assert himself in front of Yang Shule, showing considerable audacity.

Qi Lin and the others were already getting angry.

"Li Rui, are you crazy?!"

"You're clearly doing it on purpose!"

"Didn't see it? Are you blind?"

Li Rui put on a nauseating act of fear, fully embodying the traits of a spoiled rich kid, raising his voice deliberately. "The top student is impressive, huh? Already apologized, and you're still sending dogs to bite people!"

Qi Lin was about to move. "Who are you calling a dog?!"

"Qi Lin." Xi Siyan called him back, his tone calm.

His gaze shifted to Li Rui, then lightly passed over Yang Shule behind him. Anyone familiar with Xi Siyan knew he was already quite displeased.

Yang Shule clearly understood this too.

After hesitating for a moment, he stepped forward. "Brother Siyan, I..."

"Shule, why are you afraid of him?" Li Rui pulled Yang Shule behind him, ignoring the look of disdain Yang Shule gave him, and mockingly addressed Xi Siyan. "Some people are blind themselves; why bother trying to please them? It's not worth it."

Many students who knew the history between them watched this scene in confusion.

Whispers spread.

"Calling Xi Siyan blind because of his friendship with Chen Mo?"

"Though Yang Shule is popular, Chen Mo has been acknowledged as a good person this semester. I haven't heard anything bad about him."

"Honestly, how did Yang Shule and Li Rui end up together? Who's really blind here?"

"Unbelievable."

"No wonder Li Rui lost his status as the school bully with that attitude."

These comments inevitably reached the ears of the involved parties, making the atmosphere increasingly tense.

If Lao Gou, a seasoned forum lurker, were to describe this scene, it would likely turn into a drama titled "Former Childhood Friends Turn Enemies: The Childhood Friend Brings a Third Party to Confront, Is It Revenge or Unresolved Feelings?"

Unfortunately, few people present were truly invested in the drama.

Especially those hoping to see the former school bully continue his tirade against the top student, only to witness the new school bully, who was walking at the back, bend down, pick something up, push through the crowd, and approach the defeated opponent. Just as the latter was about to speak, the new bully shoved the object into his mouth, held his head still, and covered his mouth to prevent him from spitting it out.

Silence fell upon the world.

Very violent, very direct.

Especially with Chen Mo's expressionless face, coupled with Li Rui's muffled sounds and his red, swollen neck, the scene was particularly impactful.

After about half a minute, Chen Mo stepped back two paces, looking at his hand with disgust.

Li Rui spat out the bone in his mouth, his eyes dark and menacing.

He was furious, pointing at Chen Mo, "What are you doing?!"

"Biting," Chen Mo looked around, finally focusing on Xi Siyan's pocket. He walked over and used his other hand to pull out a pack of tissues, taking two to barely cover his dirty hands. Irritated, he said to Li Rui, "Didn't you say he let his dog bite people? Well, it bit you."

"You fucking... fine! Chen Mo, you win this time!"

Li Rui pointed at Chen Mo, then dragged Yang Shule, whose lips were bitten pale from Chen Mo's attitude, and stormed off, pushing past several people.

Qi Lin and the others were still fuming, yelling at the crowd, "What are you looking at? Scram!"

Chen Mo, however, was focused on wiping his hands, thinking about where the nearest faucet was.

As he was looking around, someone grabbed his hand.

Xi Siyan's palm was warm even in winter, contrasting with Chen Mo's cold wrist, sending a wave of heat through him.

Chen Mo looked up, "What are you doing?"

Xi Siyan took the tissue from his hand and gave him two new ones, "You really can say anything."

Chen Mo shrugged, "Best if it pisses him off, that idiot."

Feeling the pressure of the tissue in his hand, Chen Mo pulled back slightly, frowning, "I need to wash my hands. Just thinking about that touch makes me want to throw up what I just ate."

Xi Siyan rolled his eyes.

"Who told you to get physical with him?"

"I didn't know it would be so disgusting." Chen Mo frowned, "I already put my hand there; I couldn't just let go halfway, right? That would be too embarrassing."

Xi Siyan laughed in exasperation.

"Do you even care about your dignity?"

"It's your dignity." Chen Mo looked up, "Brother Yan's dignity, we can't lose it for you, can we?"