Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Chen Mo sent Lao Gou six dots.

Lao Gou persisted, "Just tell me if it was you or not?"

Chen Mo: "It doesn't matter. All these speculations are nonsense."

Lao Gou immediately replied, "Alright, no need to explain further. I knew it was you!"

Without waiting for Chen Mo to continue,

Lao Gou started ranting. "As your brother, I'm really worried sick about you. You were so upset last night, right? Brother Yan comforted you, didn't he? Some people are just too idle, taking pictures for no reason and spreading rumors."

Lao Gou thought he had found the most reasonable explanation.

Chen Mo didn't have the heart to say that they kissed last night; he feared it would shock Lao Gou to death.

Although Lao Gou is always at the forefront of gossip, he's a straightforward guy.

Chen Mo had mentioned to him before that Xi Siyan doesn't like men, so he probably believed it more than Chen Mo himself did. Otherwise, back in Icefield Town, he wouldn't have pushed Chen Mo to live with Xi Siyan.

Chen Mo replied, "It's a small matter. Don't spread rumors in the group." He added, "Even anonymous accounts are not allowed."

"I wouldn't do such a thing," Lao Gou sent him a rolling eye emoji. "If there was something going on between you and the class president, I could secretly spill some beans and enjoy watching everyone's curiosity. But since there's nothing, why would I go around saying, 'I know who was photographed last night! It's my buddy, and he's a guy!' That's not funny. Spreading rumors about the class president being gay, I'd be scared he'd kill me."

Chen Mo couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.

He wasn't sure whether to call Lao Gou perceptive or dense.

He didn't sense anything amiss at all.

Chen Mo ended his chat with Lao Gou.

He grabbed his bank card, room key, wallet, and other items, then stood up and said to Xi Siyan, "Is there anything else? Let Uncle Lin take me there."

"Let's go," Xi Siyan glanced at him without asking any extra questions.

It was around four in the afternoon.

The sun had been high all day, and the ground temperature reached over forty degrees. At this hour, the sun was setting slightly, but the temperature had only dropped a little, and there were few pedestrians on the road.

However, the car was well air-conditioned, making the temperature just right without feeling cold.

Uncle Lin remained as silent as usual.

Chen Mo looked at the person sitting beside him, who had his legs crossed, and the laptop screen showed the website of a prestigious foreign university.

Chen Mo glanced at it briefly and asked, "Have you decided on a school?"

"No," Xi Siyan looked at the computer without lifting his head, raising an eyebrow as he explained, "Uncle sent this link for me to check out. He happens to be abroad recently and says he'll prepare a recommendation letter if necessary."

Chen Mo honestly said, "It's a good opportunity."

At this moment, Xi Siyan looked at him, "You think it's a good opportunity?"

"Yes," Chen Mo nodded.

Xi Siyan asked again, "Have you ever thought about studying abroad?"

"Me?" Chen Mo was taken aback and laughed, "No plans for that."

Uncle Lin coughed from the front seat and interjected, "Young Master Mo, actually, studying abroad is quite good. Isn't it popular nowadays to get a degree overseas? Even my own kids, if their grades weren't so bad, would have been sent abroad years ago by the old master. What a pity."

Chen Mo could see that Uncle Lin genuinely felt it was a pity.

He smiled, "Uncle Lin, don't call me that anymore. No need to use that title in the future."

Uncle Lin paused, looked at Xi Siyan through the rearview mirror, and seeing no reaction, he agreed.

Soon, the car stopped in front of the Yang family's gate.

From a distance, they saw many reporters with cameras standing outside.

Xi Siyan looked outside and said, "Uncle Lin, get rid of these people."

"Alright," Uncle Lin responded.

After a few phone calls, the reporters outside the Yang family's gate cleared out within ten minutes.

"Are you okay on your own?" Xi Siyan asked him.

Chen Mo glanced at the Yang family's villa and said, "Yes, I've been waiting for this day for a long time."

In his previous life, this day came much later.

Back then, years of accumulated grievances had reached a peak, and all emotions had worn thin. He and every member of the Yang family despised each other, harboring the darkest suspicions. It even surpassed the animosity between Chen Jianli and Li Yunru.

On the day of their final rupture, it was quite ugly.

Shares, money, power—it seemed whoever had the upper hand could control the other's fate, and the ugliness made Chen Mo feel revolting every time he recalled it.

This time, Chen Mo returned here on a sunny afternoon with a calm mind.

He was only seventeen, having been back with the Yang family for just one year.

But one year was enough.

Seeing the pond turn murky with his own eyes, he felt he had made amends with his past self.

He asked his past self, "Did you see it clearly this time? This is the truth and essence you tirelessly pursued all your life. It's not worth wasting so many years on."

Behind him,

Uncle Lin asked the person in the backseat, "Is it really okay to let him go in alone? The Yang family must be in chaos right now."

"Chaos has its benefits," Xi Siyan said, turning away. "The Yang family has been too stable for too long; they've forgotten their original intentions."

Uncle Lin sighed.

"Pity Chen Mo, that boy. He's good in every way, just unlucky." Uncle Lin turned around. "Siyan, aren't you going to tell him about the old man insisting he goes abroad?"

"There's no point in talking about something that isn't certain yet," Xi Siyan replied indifferently.

Uncle Lin seemed to give a bitter smile. "If only there were more children in the Xi family, things wouldn't be so heavy on your shoulders. Unfortunately, your parents never had that intention, and your second uncle is unreliable. This time, he's supposed to oversee the business overseas for the old man, but he's never dealt with it before; he'll likely make mistakes."

Xi Siyan closed his laptop and looked out the window again.

Uncle Lin didn't say anything more.

He had lived most of his life, driving for the old master. In his memory, Siyan was always a child. Two years ago, when he was assigned to drive for him, he knew then that the future heir of the Xi family would be no one else.

But only at this moment,

Uncle Lin felt that the child in his memory had truly grown up.

Perhaps he had long possessed the ability to oppose the old master.

But what he was thinking was no longer easily discernible.

Inside the Yang family villa, the atmosphere was tense.

Since early morning, journalists had gathered outside, prompting the Yang family to initiate emergency public relations, making explanations and statements to the media. Everything seemed to be improving until an interview with Li Yunru in the afternoon ruined everything.

Yang Shule had already thrown a hysterical tantrum.

He smashed countless cups and plates in the living room, leaving a mess everywhere.

Yet, the screen that occupied half the wall kept replaying the woman's voice: "It was a rainy day. I slipped while walking to work and was taken to the hospital... I escaped from the hospital with that child. We hid for days, fearing discovery. The child's face was bruised for a long time; I thought he wouldn't survive..."

"Turn it off! Can't you turn it off!!!"

Yang Shule shouted at the servants.

Unfortunately, no one listened to him this time.

Yang Qi'an was still by the window, speaking on the phone, his voice weary. "Yes, we adults were foolish... The lawsuit has entered the process; an announcement will be made. We're not just suing for extortion but also for child abuse..."

Usually, if Yang Shule threw such a tantrum, Zhou Yaoqing would have comforted him, but now she stared blankly at the screen, her expression dazed. The words of the haggard woman on TV shattered her self-deception.

She remembered the pain of childbirth.

She had hoped her husband would come sooner, but when she woke up, her eldest son held her hand, excitedly saying, "Mom, it's a brother."

Hearing the child was unwell, she instinctively shed tears without realizing it.

Over the years, this son had indeed improved their marital relationship. She devoted herself to raising him, feeling guilty for not giving him a healthy body, pouring all the love she lacked from her husband into the child.

So when she learned the son wasn't hers, she subconsciously couldn't accept it. Even if it was true, after raising him for over a decade, he had become like her own.

Especially when she realized Chen Mo was far from her ideal, she avoided, neglected, and ignored it.

Sadly, this self-deception had to shatter eventually.

And it came suddenly.

Especially when she heard Li Yunru say she had stolen a premature baby from the hospital and hidden.

She suddenly remembered that the child she had given birth to hadn't even seen the light of day before almost disappearing forever. She recalled Chen Mo's poor stomach and injured leg, the real reason he rarely returned from school.

She looked up at her eldest son, "Where's Chen Mo? Haven't you found him yet?"

Yang Zhi's face was grim as well.

Because the report made him recall when his mother was pregnant. Back then, his parents' relationship was strained, and he genuinely yearned for a sibling related by blood. He had looked forward to having a younger brother, free of any ulterior motives.

Yang Zhi shook his head, "Not yet."

"At this point, isn't it too late to find him?" Su Qianran, who had been trapped in the villa due to the reporters, sat on the other end of the sofa and sarcastically remarked, "If I were Chen Mo, I wouldn't come back."

Yang Zhi stiffened.

Rubbing his temples, he said, "Don't add to the chaos."

Su Qianran gave a cold humph.

She wouldn't tell Yang Zhi that his brother probably didn't care about this at all.

She had witnessed his intelligence and abilities.

She knew he could live well without the Yang family.

Only after his outburst did Yang Shule realize the changed attitudes of everyone in the family, and he panicked.

"Mom, Dad, Big Brother," Yang Shule approached the sofa with red, swollen eyes.

He reached for his mother's sleeve habitually, his voice trembling, "I'm sorry. I know I disappointed you this time. I'll apologize to Chen Mo. I shouldn't have contacted Chen Jianli out of jealousy because he was doing better than me at school. As a result, I dragged the family into this. I..."

Su Qianran rolled her eyes from the side.

Zhou Yaoqing, however, did not react particularly.

Yang Qi'an, who had just returned after making a phone call, sat on the sofa and rubbed his temples.

"Dad," Yang Shule called out nervously.

Yang Qi'an looked up at him with a cold gaze and said, "You don't need to worry. The Yang family won't do something as heartless as kicking someone out, especially at this critical moment. You're still the son of the Yang family, but I must make one thing clear: you absolutely cannot compete with Chen Mo for anything. The Yang family will also do everything possible to compensate him, and..."

As Yang Qi'an spoke, he noticed the maid at the door suddenly calling out twice.

"Master Xiao Mo?" first in a hushed, shocked tone.

Then louder: "Master Xiao Mo is back."

Everyone in the room stood up.

They watched as the young man slowly entered through the doorway, stepping over the scattered debris.

He was dressed simply, just as he had been the first time he walked through that door, yet completely different.

He glanced around and said calmly, "Everyone's here."

"Xiao Mo."

"Where have you been these past few days?"

"Hurry, come sit down."

"No need to sit."

Chen Mo gave Su Qianran a smile when she winked at him, then took out a bank card from his pocket and placed it on the coffee table.

He spoke slowly but firmly, "This card contains a total of 158,325 yuan."

"Fifty thousand is for this year's pocket money, and one hundred thousand is for all my expenses since the day I entered the Yang family—food, clothing, housing, and travel. Since it's hard to calculate exactly, I rounded it off. As for the additional 8,325 yuan, that's the cost of the gifts you brought me when you visited Yuhuai Village. I've seen the receipts; not a penny more or less, it's all here."

More than one person was stunned.

Yang Zhi frowned, seemingly sensing something, and asked, "Chen Mo, what does this mean?"

"It's very clear. I, Chen Mo, am now even with the Yang family."

Yang Qi'an said angrily, "You are our son!"

"Dad," Chen Mo smiled lightly, then turned cold, "I don't remember my surname being Yang."