Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Xi Siyan's departure was swift and silent.

It wasn't until the start of their final year of high school that classmates gradually accepted the fact that he had gone abroad, grumbling that even as class president, he didn't give them a chance to hold a farewell ceremony. Qi Lin and the others found out earlier, but since they couldn't reach Xi Siyan, they also complained frequently.

"What's going on now?" The teaching building for seniors had undergone renovations during the summer break. At the beginning of the term, the atmosphere wasn't yet tense. After class, a group of students were chasing each other in the hallway, while Qi Lin and Jiang Xu cornered Chen Mo who was returning from the restroom. "Mo Ge, aren't you guys... close? Has he contacted you?"

Chen Mo stopped and shook the water off his hands: "We broke up."

"Br...broke up?!!!"

"Holy shit!!"

"Old Xi actually dumped you to go abroad? First step to moving on, cut ties with your lover? Didn't think he was that much of a jerk."

Jiang Xu, who had been shouting loudly, received a slap on the back of his head from Qi Lin.

Because of his family connections, he knew some details about the Xi family. He said, "Old Xi left because of family issues. Also, can you keep it down? Do you want everyone to know Chen Mo got dumped?"

Chen Mo was amused by these people.

Xi Siyan had asked them not to spread the news around, so they talked loudly among themselves but kept it quiet outside.

"You can still laugh?" Jiang Xu whispered, "Mo Ge, if you're really upset, you don't have to pretend to be happy."

Chen Mo glanced at him, "What? Can only he dump me, not the other way around?"

"You...?" They were stunned, "You dumped Old Xi?"

Chen Mo sighed, "Why do you keep harping on this? No, it wasn't like that. We broke up amicably."

"Why?" This time, Qi Lin asked. Perhaps due to his special experience over the summer, he seemed quieter than before. Frowning, he asked Chen Mo, "Wasn't breaking up necessary? If you love each other enough, nothing should stand in the way, right?"

Bai Cheng rubbed his arm, feeling nauseous, and commented, "Qi Lin, what's wrong with you? Are you brain-dead with all this love talk?"

Chen Mo paused for two seconds, "Then let's say we didn't love each other enough."

He once felt conflicted when deciding whether to try a relationship with Xi Siyan, thinking he might seem indecisive and thus unreliable.

Now, he didn't care how others judged him.

After all, he genuinely disliked having expectations or attachments. In his past life, he had experienced both, and he didn't enjoy the feeling of handing over his fate and emotions to someone else. Even if that person was Xi Siyan, he didn't plan to do so.

Chen Mo could imagine the challenges of maintaining a long-distance relationship across different time zones and environments. It would make their relationship seem more precious and difficult.

But it was too exhausting.

This was clearly not a good time, especially with Xi Jianxing's situation. For both of them, still young and facing significant challenges, it felt like being shackled.

So, it was simply not enough love.

Chen Mo told everyone who knew about their relationship this, and he accepted it calmly himself. Because it wasn't enough love, there was no need to persist; because the feelings were shallow, it was easy to end.

Qi Lin and the others exchanged glances.

From then on, they never asked Chen Mo about it again.

Chen Mo continued on his path, the same as before, yet different.

He was still the school bully with his thermos always at hand, consistently topping the grade rankings. During the winter of the first half of senior year, he wore knee pads, gloves, and masks. He still loved to bicker with Lao Gou and coldly intimidated those who annoyed him into apologizing.

But he never touched cigarettes again.

No matter how bad his mood or how stressful senior year became, he quit without anyone reminding him.

In the classroom, the seat next to him remained empty. Despite many seating changes, Chen Mo never moved.

The class president became Xue Ping, and occasionally Chen Mo would criticize his rigid style. At such times, others would reminisce about when Xi Siyan was still around, and Chen Mo would agree.

He still lived in the house off-campus. A month after Xi Siyan left, the Xi family sent people to collect his belongings from the room next door. Occasionally, when Qi Lin and the others were driven mad by exams and tests, they would gather at Chen Mo's house to get drunk.

Lao Gou often stayed in the neighboring room, sometimes taken over by others.

Had Xi Siyan and Chen Mo completely severed ties? Lao Gou secretly asked him, careful not to upset him.

Of course not.

Who would be that immature?

For the first month after Xi Siyan left, he was likely busy dealing with his uncle's affairs and didn't send any messages.

But later, they could communicate normally.

However, with a half-world apart, their schedules were completely opposite, making it hard to synchronize.

Halfway through senior year, Chen Mo spoke to him via video call.

It was Chen Mo's eighteenth birthday.

They chatted about their current situations. Chen Mo learned that Xi Siyan had entered a globally renowned university, dealing with heavy coursework and research projects. The Xi family's business abroad was also expanding rapidly.

In the video, Xi Siyan's hair was shorter. He sat on a black leather sofa, wearing a black shirt.

Unlike his usual white shirts, the black one made his features appear sharper and more defined, his eyes cold and stern, a visible change even through the screen.

He said, "Happy birthday."

He also said, "I originally planned to return to the country, but something came up at the last minute and I couldn't make it to celebrate your birthday."

Chen Mo gestured to the cake in front of him that was mostly cut, smiling, "It's fine not to celebrate this birthday; they're too noisy, giving me a headache."

The mess from the celebration had yet to be cleaned up.

Chen Mo looked at Xi Siyan's bloodshot eyes, leaned forward on the sofa, picked up a spoon, and tasted a bite. He wasn't sure where Lao Gou had ordered it from; the taste changed quickly, inexplicably leaving a bitter aftertaste.

Later, Xi Siyan fell asleep on the sofa with the video call still open.

Half an hour later, Chen Mo ended the call and sent him a message.

"Brother Yan, take care of yourself."

After that, their contact became less frequent.

Apart from holiday greetings, there were rarely any casual chats.

Chen Mo was busy studying for the college entrance exam and continued his collaboration with Su Qianran, planning to meet Old K before the exam.

News about Xi Siyan occasionally came from Qi Lin or Sun Xiaoya.

Their news mostly came from their respective families.

In Sui City's second-generation circle, someone had risen above the rest, making a name for themselves in the international financial world right after turning eighteen, becoming a legend.

The name Xi Siyan seemed to have become a distant, untouchable symbol.

Impressive, yet expected.

He stood so high that most people could hardly reach his level.

Chen Mo performed exceptionally well on his college entrance exam.

Mathematics, which had tripped him up in his previous life, earned him a high score of 149, allowing him to smoothly enter the Intelligent Science and Technology program at Q University.

Lao Gou was at the medical school next door, just a street away from Q University.

Qi Lin and Jiang Xu were also admitted through recommendations or exams during the second half of their senior year.

Time flew by, and youth passed in a rush.

At the tail end of this youth, the only unexpected twist was Yang Shule's poor performance on the college entrance exam, with unprecedentedly low scores.

This former star, once featured on educational channels and followed by the Education Bureau, quietly fell from grace.

He stumbled and ended up in a mess.

If he hadn't been sent abroad by the Yang family immediately after the exam to the same country and city as Xi Siyan, Chen Mo might not have even noticed.

Despite the completely different circumstances, some things still coincidentally aligned with his previous life.

For example, Xi Siyan ultimately went abroad.

And despite seemingly having no further intersection, Yang Shule being sent abroad brought their names together again.

Things like "Xi God crossing the ocean, Yang Shule chasing love across thousands of miles," or "the sequel to the love-hate story of childhood friends." When Lao Gou saw these posts on the school forum, he nearly exploded with anger in Chen Mo's rented apartment.

Chen Mo was packing his luggage.

Preparing for his university registration.

"Listen to this nonsense," Lao Gou jabbed at his phone screen, asking, "Don't you have any reaction?"

Chen Mo sealed the cardboard box, asking, "What reaction should I have?"

Lao Gou was momentarily speechless.

Then he declared indignantly, "That kind of attitude where anyone else can, but not you, Yang Shule. Your relationship is enough to trample each other underfoot. You should be the type who says, 'Even if I don't want him anymore, you, Yang Shule, are not worthy to stand beside him.'"

Chen Mo was speechless, "Can you be less crude? There's a fundamental difference between simply sleeping together and truly being intimate."

Lao Gou: "...Your point is unusually clear. Are you regretting it?"

"Get lost."

Lao Gou continued unperturbed, "Indeed, it's a pity. That's Xi God's body, potentially a future giant abroad, someone we'd bow to. Just thinking about it makes me feel sorry for you."

Chen Mo didn't bother responding.

He knew that for a year, no one dared to mention his relationship with Xi Siyan in front of him, but no one believed they had ended things calmly.

In many people's speculations,

Either they were torn apart, or someone strayed.

Their ending seemed to require some dramatic flair to fit the conventional narrative.

Chen Mo never explained.

And he had no intention of explaining.

"Really not going to admit it?" Lao Gou persisted, "I've been itching to expose our past relationship."

"Do you have a problem?" Chen Mo handed the tape to Lao Gou, asking him to help pull it, while sticking it onto the box, saying, "Some people have their own fantasies; do I need to go into their heads and wash them out?"

Lao Gou sat up from his reclined position.

"I'm just trying to stand up for you, clearly..."

"Enough with the obvious." Chen Mo interrupted. "Are you trying to give me more trouble?"

Lao Gou shut up.

After all, Chen Mo had secured the second place in the province and first place in his school to get into Q University.

Since the results came out, his world hadn't been peaceful. The old man said he would throw a grand celebration banquet for him, and the Zhou family issued an ultimatum to Zhou Yaoqing, insisting that she must personally bring Chen Mo back to the Zhou residence for a meal, aiming to mend their mother-son relationship.

There were also offers from various universities.

And media interviews, among other things.

This was why he was eager to head to the university early.

Chen Mo spent half a day organizing.

Living here for a year, his belongings weren't too many or too few.

When he left, he placed the key under a plastic pot on the flower stand by the door.

The afternoon sun cast an orange-yellow glow in the hallway, as if imprinting some traces of old times, silently lingering and preserved.

Lao Gou waited with the luggage.

He asked, "You're taking the key, right? You're not coming back?"

"Not coming back," Chen Mo said slowly, looking at the door.

The house belonged to Xi Siyan.

Chen Mo had left here his unregretful and precious youth, along with everything related to Xi Siyan.

Closing the door, he turned and walked forward.