Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Chen Mo's feet were forced off the ground, and their upper bodies instantly drew close. He had no idea what was happening, and his first reaction was shock. "I weigh over a hundred pounds, at least. You making this look so easy makes me feel like a weakling."

"Is that the point?" Xi Siyan asked, lowering his gaze.

Being so close, his breath was almost touching Chen Mo's face.

Chen Mo finally felt a bit uncomfortable and shifted. "Let go of me first."

"Where are your shoes?" Xi Siyan didn't let go but looked around for them.

Chen Mo rolled his eyes. "They're outside the door. If you hadn't pushed me just now, I wouldn't have kicked them out."

"Sorry." Xi Siyan's chest vibrated slightly, as if he was holding back laughter. "I ran into someone I didn't want to talk to, so I came here to hide."

Chen Mo thought about the person Yang Shule mentioned on the phone and guessed who it might be.

But if he didn't want to meet them, it made no sense for him to appear at the Yang family's place.

Chen Mo asked, "Why are you here?"

"Can't I come?" Xi Siyan countered, adding, "Your family sent an invitation to my parents. They couldn't come because they had to deal with family matters during the New Year, so they sent me instead."

It sounded reasonable.

If not for the fact that no one from the Xi family came last time, Chen Mo might have believed he was here for the sake of the families' relationship, representing his parents.

But Chen Mo didn't delve deeper. He pushed against Xi Siyan's shoulder, preparing to hop away and change into another pair of shoes.

He managed to push, but before he could hop, there was a knock on the door.

"Chen Mo, are you in there?"

The voice was cold and stiff, revealing reluctance.

Chen Mo paused mid-hop and replied, "Yes."

"Big Brother wants you to hurry down."

Yang Shule said this and turned to leave.

Because of the final exam results, he had lost face in front of all the relatives today and didn't want to say anything more to Chen Mo. But as he turned, he suddenly saw a shoe lying on its side by his foot.

For some reason, he had a sudden premonition.

He stood outside the door for two seconds and called out again, "Chen Mo."

"What is it?"

The voice inside confirmed Chen Mo was behind the door.

What situation would make him leave a shoe outside and refuse to open the door?

Yang Shule directly asked, "Have you seen Brother Yan?"

When this question came from outside, Chen Mo looked at the person in front of him. Xi Siyan had already released his grip on Chen Mo's waist and leaned against the door, seemingly waiting to see how he would handle the situation.

Chen Mo remained silent for a moment. Xi Siyan mouthed, "Say I'm not here."

Why should he? Chen Mo gave him a look of exasperation.

Xi Siyan glanced at him twice and suddenly forced him to turn his head, then whispered in his ear, "If I go out now, within half an hour, your parents will tell all the relatives and business partners that I am very close friends with Yang Shule."

Chen Mo tilted his head to avoid the action that made him feel pressured and doubted, "You've already come here; shouldn't you have been prepared?"

"I was." Xi Siyan nodded. "But the person I'm supposed to be close friends with isn't you?"

This threw Chen Mo off guard.

He felt something was different about Xi Siyan today, and being so close, he was momentarily dazed when he heard those words.

Fortunately, he quickly regained his composure.

Looking up, he said coldly, "Then beg me."

"Beg you." Xi Siyan's usual demeanor shattered.

Chen Mo was incredulous. "How can you be so shameless?"

"Am I?" He remained calm. "Everyone encounters difficulties. Isn't seeking help a natural instinct?"

Natural instinct, my foot.

At one point, Chen Mo wondered if the person in front of him was possessed.

While it was indeed very Xi Siyan to be so serious and unexpected, it still seemed odd.

The person outside the door seemed to hear the rustling inside and started knocking faster, sounding urgent. "Chen Mo, why aren't you answering? Did you see Xi Siyan? He shouldn't be in your room, right?"

In the next second, the door creaked open slightly.

Chen Mo poked his head out, expressionless. "No, he's not here. Anything else?"

"Are you sure?" Yang Shule tried to look past him.

Chen Mo grabbed the door frame with one hand and feigned a smile, tilting his head. "Hey, what's up? Isn't this a bit too much, trying to catch someone in the act?"

Yang Shule was taken aback. "You talk without thinking!"

"Thanks," Chen Mo said. "I love talking nonsense. Xi Siyan is right behind me; he came specifically to see me. We just hugged, do you believe it? Want to come in and take a look?"

Yang Shule stared blankly for two seconds.

He finally believed that Xi Siyan wasn't there and stormed off angrily.

Chen Mo squatted down, picked up his other shoe, and hopped back.

He hadn't even glanced at Xi Siyan, hopping back to the bed, plopping down, and putting on his shoe while lifting his knee. He said, "He's gone. You came here today mainly to visit my grandfather, right? He should be entertaining guests on the third floor. If you don't want to be disturbed, wait half an hour before going up."

As he finished speaking, he noticed Xi Siyan standing right in front of him.

And he was smiling. "Didn't you say I came specifically to see you?"

"Come on." Chen Mo tied his shoe, stood up, and patted Xi Siyan's shoulder. "Jokes are jokes when they're one-sided, but when two people are involved, it goes too far. If I really ruin your reputation, should I commit suicide outside your house as an apology?"

Xi Siyan raised an eyebrow. "Reputation?"

"Yeah, didn't you say you don't like guys?"

Chen Mo remembered Xi Siyan saying this. In his previous life, the rumors about Xi Siyan and Yang Shule were likely orchestrated by Yang Shule himself.

The result was that after coming out, Xi Siyan was forced abroad by his family.

Chen Mo asked again, "Are you planning to go abroad after high school?"

Xi Siyan looked surprised. "Who told you that?"

See, it was indeed because of this.

Chen Mo sighed and advised, "If you're not planning to go abroad, you should stay away from Yang Shule. The room is yours; stay in here for half an hour before coming out."

After saying this, Chen Mo opened the door and left.

So he missed the moment when Xi Siyan hooked his index finger under his brow, revealing a helpless expression as if he had shot himself in the foot.

But this emotion quickly vanished from Xi Siyan's face.

He took a call.

It was from someone he had assigned to monitor the Yang family's movements.

The person said, "Young Master Yan, regarding the matter of whether Chen Mo transferred money to Chen Jianli, according to my investigation, apart from the initial payment to lure Chen Jianli into the scheme, he hasn't given any more money since then. There's no sign of blackmail or extortion."

Xi Siyan stood by the window in Chen Mo's room and pulled the curtains open, acknowledging with a nod.

The light outside was fading.

But the daylight was enough to illuminate Chen Mo's room in the Yang residence.

The space was large and luxurious, but it felt empty, almost devoid of personal items, like a place occasionally borrowed for stays, lacking any personal touch or sentiment.

The voice on the phone continued, "However, there was an unexpected discovery I thought I should mention."

"What?" Xi Siyan shifted his gaze back to the window.

The person replied, "Chen Mo has a considerable amount of funds in his personal account. Besides the regular living expenses and tuition from the Yang family, he also excels in investment and wealth management, generating substantial returns. About two months ago, he gave a large sum of money to a college student."

Xi Siyan frowned. "Who is the recipient?"

"It's not anyone suspicious. It seems to be a student facing financial difficulties. They have no connection, so it might be a simple charitable act."

Whether it was charity or not was debatable.

But since Chen Mo wasn't being blackmailed by Chen Jianli, Xi Siyan called it off. "Don't delve too deeply into his private matters. Stop here."

"Understood," the person responded.

But it was someone close to the old man.

They couldn't help but ask, "Why are you so interested in Chen Mo?"

Xi Siyan looked outside, at the cold winds of New Year's Eve.

After a long pause, he said, "You can understand it as guilt."

This guilt had been lingering for a long time, though its origins were unclear.

Recently, he kept recalling the first time he met Chen Mo in that distant village. He never got out of the car. This coldness stemmed from what? Unfamiliarity, arrogance, prejudice, or perhaps seeing too many melodramatic scenarios in wealthy families? He thought Chen Mo would be no different.

Whether it was power struggles or surviving in a wealthy family, what did it matter to him?

Reality proved otherwise.

He overestimated himself and underestimated Chen Mo.

He kept asking questions, trying to understand what Chen Mo had experienced and how he struggled. Did he truly accept reality without resentment, willing to give everything up?

He couldn't help but pay attention, show favoritism, offer warnings, and even intervene.

He realized that his initial feelings had changed.

The subtle pain was a prolonged torment, requiring self-reflection to understand its nature. Later, during tutoring sessions, at the Chinese medicine clinic, in Icefield Town, and through Chen Mo's candid and unguarded gaze, he recognized that feeling as empathy.

It's rather ironic.

The only thing Xi Siyan ever felt genuine sympathy for in his life was a stray cat he wanted to take home when he was five years old. The cat died under the wheels of a car before he could bring it home.

Xi Siyan had seen the cat's eyes.

They were like glass, trembling, wanting to be close to people but also afraid.

Completely different from Chen Mo.

So his sympathy was different too.

At five, all he could think about was taking the cat home and hiding it.

By seventeen, he had learned to stand by quietly. He understood that only a stray cat with countless scars would dare to peek out and lower its guard around a scheming human.

Xi Siyan didn't stay in Chen Mo's room for even half an hour.

He did receive a reminder to visit Old Master Yang at the Yang residence, so ten minutes later, he opened the door and went up to the third floor.

No one knew what Old Master Yang and he talked about.

All they knew was that before the banquet in the evening, he helped the elderly man down from upstairs, looking as if they had had a pleasant conversation.

Meanwhile, downstairs was quite a scene.

This year, there were far more people than Chen Mo remembered from previous years.

There were relatives like the ones who visited Chen Mo's aunt this morning, behaving like demons. There were courteous visits from the Zhou family. There were children screaming and running around the hall, and some small company representatives handing out business cards everywhere.

It was more than just chaotic.

At that moment, Chen Mo leaned against the glass window in the back hall, amidst this seemingly lively yet actually farcical New Year's Eve gathering.

Watching Yang Shule being the life of the party.

Watching Yang Zhi acting like a polished elite, socializing with others.

As soon as Xi Siyan appeared, supporting Old Master Yang, the chaos suddenly quieted down.

Chen Mo, through the crowded hall filled with clinking glasses, locked eyes with Xi Siyan, who stood beside Old Master Yang, looking like the most well-bred young member of high society.

Away from the confined space of the room, Xi Siyan's aura had changed entirely, as if he was born superior and unreachable. It was hard to imagine that he was the same person who, not long ago, had begged without batting an eye.

Chen Mo whistled loudly, the perfect response to seeing this scene.

Everyone turned to look.

All they saw was the son the Yang family had found, dressed in a luxurious yet understated tuxedo, looking dazzling.

But his behavior upon seeing the young member of the Xi family.

Made him look like a little hooligan.