Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Late at night in the Xi household, because Xi Siyan had finally returned home for the winter break, his mother Jiang Jing was bustling around the kitchen, determined to prepare a feast that would satisfy her son.

The food was all laid out on the table, but the main guest hadn't shown up after a long while.

"Go call him," Jiang Jing patted her husband beside her.

Xi's father pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and continued reading his newspaper, dismissively saying, "He's old enough now; if he's hungry, he can come out himself."

"I find him strange," Jiang Jing leaned over to the sofa and whispered to her husband, "Your son grew up with Grandpa, and his mind is so deep that I sometimes doubt he even acts like a student. But haven't you noticed how much he's changed in the past six months?"

"Like what?" Xi's father finally gave her a glance.

Jiang Jing listed them off, "I found that for a while, his notebook pages were filled with tutoring notes, densely packed. He's never been that diligent with his own studies, right? Also, he suddenly moved into the school dorms, and during the mid-competition break, he didn't come home for New Year’s Eve, instead going to some place called Icefield Town. The key point is that Jian Xing told me privately that he's been having someone keep an eye on the Yang family's movements. What do you think he's trying to do?"

Xi's father finally took it seriously, "The Yang family?"

"Yes, the Yang family that has been pestering you to do things for them these years."

Jiang Jing frowned as she spoke.

The two families had a superficial relationship for many years. There weren't many young people in the Xi family, and their son was completely different from those energetic youngsters, so she was happy to see the young ones interact.

But ever since the Yang family had the scandal about the real and fake heir,

she felt more and more that the Yang family was losing its sense of propriety. So when she learned that her son had distanced himself from Shule Yang, although she said a few words of persuasion, she was actually pleased with the outcome.

Now, however,

her son seemed to be more concerned with the Yang family. Could it be just because of the son they recently found?

Xi's father pondered for a moment, then returned to his calm demeanor, suggesting, "That guy has Grandpa's connections, and inheriting the Xi family is inevitable. If he doesn't have a sense of balance and propriety regarding such matters, what can you expect him to achieve in the future?"

"I'm afraid he'll achieve something big!"

Jiang Jing looked at her husband irritably, "Do you remember he's still a student? A high school student! With such determination, aren't you worried he might cause a huge mess one day?"

"What kind of mess counts as huge?" Xi's father, who had seen countless storms in his life, said, "As long as he doesn't commit any crimes, I don't consider anything a big deal."

Jiang Jing took a deep breath and rolled her eyes, "Then you just leave him alone. You've never really cared about your son anyway."

Xi's father chuckled softly.

Just then, there was a noise upstairs, and their son, whom his wife had been nagging about, came down.

Xi's father waved him over, "Siyan, come sit here."

"Dad." Xi Siyan, holding his phone, sat down naturally across from his parents.

Even in front of his parents, with whom he shared the closest blood ties, Xi Siyan maintained a composed and well-mannered demeanor.

Due to limited interaction with his parents, mutual understanding was somewhat strained.

But Xi's father had a natural trust in his son, presenting a kind paternal figure and smilingly asked, "What have you been busy with in your room since you got back?"

Xi Siyan twirled his phone in his hand and smiled lightly, "Not busy, just chatting with classmates."

"Is that so? Your parents never doubted your character in making friends," Xi's father praised him first, then suddenly asked, "How is the child the Yang family found?"

Xi Siyan's hand paused slightly, his gaze shifting from his father to his mother.

Then he leaned back into the sofa, his smile unchanged, "The Yang family's situation has been so public; why are you asking me?"

Xi's father replied, "Are we so dictatorial? You're the one who has actually interacted with him, so your evaluation is obviously closer to reality."

Xi Siyan raised an eyebrow, pausing for a moment, "He's good."

"Just good?"

"If you insist on an answer," Xi Siyan thought for a moment and then said, "Being born into the Yang family is his misfortune."

Xi's father was taken aback, and the couple exchanged glances.

Jiang Jing hesitated, "Son, you... you..."

"Hmm?" Xi Siyan looked at her.

Jiang Jing immediately shook her head, her smile somewhat forced.

For a moment, she felt that her son wasn't talking about Chen Mo as if he were a classmate or friend. But how could that be possible?

Jiang Jing said, "Since you speak so highly of him, does he have a girlfriend? Your aunt's daughter, who's in high school abroad, is coming back for the holidays. Young people should get to know each other..."

Xi Siyan laughed, seemingly not finding it absurd that his parents supported early relationships.

"He doesn't like girls."

When both parents looked at him skeptically, Xi Siyan stood up calmly and said, "Don't look at me like that. There's no sign of anything, and we haven't talked about it."

The couple hadn't fully relaxed yet.

Xi Siyan added, "However, whether I get married in the future or whether I like men or women, I can't guarantee anything, and I hope there won't be any interference."

Xi Siyan finished calmly, said let's eat, and walked towards the dining room.

Behind him, Jiang Jing looked at her husband.

"How do I feel like this is a warning to us?"

Xi's father looked deeply at his son's back and said softly, "It's not bad that he still thinks about getting a head start. Back when you wanted to marry me, you didn't even..."

"Shut up!" Jiang Jing glared at her husband.

Three days after the winter break, the results of the second-year first-semester final exams were released.

Despite being away from school for a long time due to competitions, Xi Siyan and Xue Ping still secured the top two spots in the grade. This was already enough to make Sun Xiaoya, who had finally managed to take the top spot in the monthly exams, feel quite depressed.

Even more astonishingly, the third place in the grade this time went to Chen Mo.

He finally surpassed Sun Xiaoya.

This made Sister Ya so angry that she declared in the class group chat that she would challenge Chen Mo to a showdown.

Chen Mo had always been indifferent about grades.

After all, fundamentals were fundamentals. He could perform better each time without putting in as much effort as those in the experimental classes because what he had learned far exceeded that of an average high school student.

It felt somewhat like taking a shortcut.

So on the morning of New Year's Eve,

when Chen Mo's other two uncles and one aunt brought their families over, they immediately surrounded Yang Shule upon entering, lavishing him with praise, saying how outstanding he had become. Not only did the school value him, but his grades must be among the best.

This was awkward not just for Yang's parents but also for many of Chen Mo's cousins of the same age.

After all, Yang Shule might have shifted his focus elsewhere, and his drop of nearly a hundred places in the final exam was only unknown to some of the older relatives.

Among them, Chen Mo's aunt was the most exaggerated.

She had also fallen in love freely, but unfortunately, it turned out poorly. Her marriage had been a mess for years, and she often had to return to the Yang family to cry poor to the old man. Her impoverished husband was also arranged to work as a mid-level manager in the Yang Group, which made this aunt rather harsh.

She completely missed her children's eye-rolling, knowing that Zhou Yaoqing liked Yang Shule, she first praised him and then turned to Chen Mo, asking, "Xiao Mo, do you agree with your aunt? Don't feel uncomfortable; after all, the teaching quality where you were before was poor. It's normal to not match up to Shule. Keep trying."

Chen Mo was holding a glass of milk prepared by the kitchen.

Taking a sip, he nodded repeatedly, "Yes, Aunt, you're right."

"Right?" The aunt was quite pleased and turned to Yang's couple, saying, "Chen Mo is actually quite polite."

Zhou Yaoqing's smile was becoming stiff.

She never liked some of the Yang family's relatives, but she hadn't expected Shule to perform so poorly in the exams.

She had to welcome them into the house first.

For lunch, only the Yang family's relatives came. With this aunt around, there was no shortage of conversation at the table. It was somewhat similar to what Chen Mo experienced in his previous life, yet different.

After all, Chen Mo didn't flip the table.

After eating, he switched to a cup of goji berries and jujubes, listening to the uninformed relatives bring the topic back to praising Yang Shule again. Lying on the sofa, he echoed, "Yes, yes, you have good eyes."

The aunt's vanity was satisfied, and she couldn't help but belittle Chen Mo again.

She said, "Chen Mo, look at how you sit; you don't look like a young master of a wealthy family at all. Also, what's in your cup? Your aunt brought you some brain-nourishing supplements. You need to fix your old habits and learn more from Shule. Don't think it's unpleasant when elders speak."

Chen Mo listened drowsily, "What you say is true; I don't mind. You can shout it on the streets if you want."

Those who tried to assert their seniority found him impervious.

Instead, several cousins who couldn't stand it any longer pulled their parents aside, embarrassed and wanting to find a hole to hide in. They said, "Can you stop? Cousin ranked third in the grade, doing exceptionally well."

"That's right. Instead, Shule is reportedly ranked over a hundred places down."

"Brother Mo, how did you improve so quickly? Teach me."

The younger children began to admire Chen Mo for some inexplicable reason.

After all, they were also nagged by their parents daily until their ears were calloused, but Chen Mo could let things slide and occasionally respond in a way that left his parents speechless.

Upon learning the truth, the elders fell silent.

Chen Mo enjoyed the peace and quiet, avoiding the group of kids by retreating to his room to watch a movie, eventually falling asleep halfway through.

He was later awakened by the sound of messages on his phone.

He found that Yang Zhi had sent him a message.

He said that relatives from the Zhou family and some of his father's business partners had come to visit, asking him to go downstairs to greet them.

If it weren't for the presence of an elderly relative from the Zhou family, Chen Mo would have ignored the message.

He checked the time; it was four in the afternoon.

Since it was winter, the sky outside was already darkening, and the cold wind blew dry branches, creating a desolate atmosphere.

Chen Mo resigned himself to getting up from the carpet.

He changed clothes and opened the door to put on his shoes.

Just then, he heard Yang Shule's voice. He seemed to be talking to Yang Zhi on the phone.

Yang Shule: "I couldn't find him. Should I call Chen Mo too?" His tone was slightly complaining, "He has such a temper; if he's sleeping, how dare I wake him? Besides, Dad asked me to find..."

Chen Mo stood up, ready to signal that he had seen the message.

But halfway through raising his head, he found a pair of shoes in front of him.

Chen Mo assumed it was Yang Shule.

The next moment, a force pushed against his shoulder, and with one bare foot, he was shoved into the room. With a "click," the door closed again.

"Fuck you..."

Chen Mo's curse stopped abruptly when he looked up and saw who was in front of him.

The curtains in his room were only half-drawn, so the light was somewhat dim, but this did not hinder him from seeing Xi Siyan leaning against the door with his broad shoulders, one hand still around Chen Mo's waist to prevent him from falling.

Chen Mo was stunned for a moment, looking at the person in front of him and then at the door.

"What's going on?" he asked, bewildered.

He didn't remember anyone from the Xi family coming over on New Year's Eve in his previous life.

Xi Siyan's gaze swept down to Chen Mo's bare foot on the floor. He lifted it slightly, allowing Chen Mo's foot to rest on the back of his shoe.

Xi Siyan said, "Don't step on the cold floor."