Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Chen Mo was woken up early the next morning by incessant phone notifications.

Under the dark, thin blanket, his slightly furrowed brows betrayed his annoyance at being disturbed from his sleep.

Struggling to open his eyes and get up, he sat on the bed in a daze first. This was a habit of his; letting his mind go blank allowed his overworked brain to relax effectively.

But today, it was hard to calm down.

Because he quickly remembered encountering Xi Siyan last night, and that suit he said he would send was now hanging neatly on the floor rack by the window in his bedroom.

The phone notifications continued to ring.

Chen Mo leaned back to grab his charging phone from the bedside table.

It was Lao Gou, who hadn't contacted him in a while.

Years had passed, and he was still struggling through his medical school program. Three months ago, he started an internship at the city's First Affiliated Hospital, working so tirelessly that he rarely had time to bother Chen Mo anymore.

His first voice message was, "Boss Chen! Did you hear? Xi Siyan is back in the country!"

Then he sent Chen Mo several screenshots.

They were all messages from their high school alumni group.

Chen Mo briefly scrolled through them and found that it started with an alumnus who had been on the same flight back to the country with him. At the time, there were several people around him, and the person who took the photo was shaking, resulting in a blurry side profile. They asked in the group if it was indeed him.

Many alumni who had graduated high school and gone abroad responded.

"Probably him. Your luck is incredible."

"I went to the same university as him and barely saw him a few times."

"There are rumors that CM is entering the domestic market. It shouldn't be long before we see official news and reports about him."

"Does CM need anyone? Can I even clean toilets for them?"

"Where did they land? I've only heard stories about this guy. When can we see him in person?"

The last two screenshots were different.

They were from some domestic gossip accounts.

They talked about a rising starlet in the entertainment industry who had offended a big shot and was about to be blacklisted.

Chen Mo sent Lao Gou a question mark.

Lao Gou replied instantly, sending another string of voice messages.

He said, "You must think it's strange why I'm sending you these useless media reports. But according to the latest information I got, this gossip account is talking about Xi Siyan!"

Chen Mo was speechless: "He just arrived yesterday. Are you sure?"

"Absolutely!" Lao Gou should have been doing rounds early in the morning, but his tone was quick and unbothered, "Have you heard of the six degrees of separation theory? Don't ask how I know, but I'm telling you this is true. And many people are saying the same thing. The reason the little starlet offended him was because she spread rumors that he's gay! Wow, surprising, right?"

Chen Mo rubbed his forehead, still feeling groggy and uninterested: "Did you wake me up this early just for this?"

"Aren't you angry?" Lao Gou countered, then suddenly said, "Wait, did you know he came back yesterday?"

Chen Mo leaned back against the headboard, puzzled: "What's so strange about knowing?"

"Don't tell me you're still not over him?" Lao Gou blurted out, "Boss Chen, we're leading a large team in a cutting-edge field. You understand that the past cannot be changed, right? Although it might be unfair to the class monitor, but given his current status and position, maybe he never intended to acknowledge your past together."

"Tsk." Chen Mo was annoyed, "I wouldn't admit it casually in front of my colleagues either. Why would he? Can I please have a couple of days off without being bothered? I want to sleep."

Even though he said that,

When Chen Mo lay back down on the bed with his phone, he recalled the scene from last night.

Was he avoiding something?

Chen Mo was genuinely suspicious.

Speaking of sleeping in, Lao Gou sounded miserable: "At least you have holidays. You have no idea how tough it is for a medical student. You don't know how miserable my life is right now."

"I'll take you out for dinner when I'm on vacation," Chen Mo said.

Lao Gou: "That's more like it. Let's try to get Jiang Xu and the others together. We haven't gathered since our undergraduate graduation."

Chen Mo agreed.

Over the years, everyone had gone their separate ways.

Not many of the closest friends stayed in Sui City; they could be counted on one hand. Occasionally meeting up and chatting about their lives became a routine part of Chen Mo's life over the past few years.

They always teased him by calling him Boss Chen.

As if those shared years had never changed, filled with lively banter and pure enthusiasm, providing a unique and relaxing moment in the adult world.

Chen Mo went back to sleep.

When he woke up again, it was already ten-thirty in the morning.

He got up and prepared a simple meal for himself. Despite having an unpleasant childhood, his cooking skills had always been terrible, barely reaching the level of edible and non-lethal.

Sitting at the dining table, he picked up a tomato with his fork when he received an urgent call from Old K.

"Come with me to Huanshang," he urged.

Chen Mo slowly swallowed the food in his mouth. "Why are we going to Huanshang now?"

Old K: "Pack up first. I'll be downstairs soon. We can talk on the way."

Ten minutes later.

Chen Mo came downstairs wearing a different outfit and saw Old K's car as expected.

He instinctively reached for the passenger door handle but found Yuan Hao sitting there with a large stack of documents.

Seeing Chen Mo, Yuan Hao almost burst into tears, struggling to say, "Master, sorry for disturbing your vacation. Huanshang is undergoing major reforms and requires all companies involved in cooperative projects to resubmit their project PPTs for re-screening and review. I had already submitted ours, but Huanshang questioned whether our Phase II project could meet the market share stipulated in the contract due to unclear content. Sorry, it's because I'm not good enough."

Chen Mo walked around to the back door, opened it, and got in.

He extended his hand toward Yuan Hao. "Give me the documents."

Meanwhile, Old K started the car and said, "Actually, today's visit to Huanshang is mainly for a project briefing meeting. Yuan Hao here is just inexperienced; the Phase II project has always been led by you. I thought it would be more stable if you attended."

"Hmm." Chen Mo flipped through the documents on his lap without questioning it. "We're not the only ones attending, right?"

"All companies with cooperative agreements will be there," Old K said with a smile. "So I told Yuan Hao he lacks experience. A single rejected PPT scared him out of his wits. Huanshang is making such a big fuss simply because CM needs an attitude. Our contract is signed; there won't be any changes."

Yuan Hao turned to Chen Mo. "Master, is that true?"

Chen Mo looked at him and nodded. "Probably."

"Isn't that the person we met last night?" Yuan Hao, who had been chattering non-stop, forgot his earlier anxiety and said, "The boss of CM may be your classmate, Master, but I find him a bit scary."

"There are no old classmates in business; there are only clients and suppliers," Chen Mo closed the documents and glanced out the window. "Besides, this is Huanshang's internal meeting. It might not require the presence of CM's boss."

Chen Mo's words were proven wrong when they arrived at Huanshang's office building.

As they stepped into the building, they ran into Xi Siyan and Huanshang's CEO, Song Yao.

Xi Siyan, always dressed formally, stood out among the group with a commanding presence.

Their eyes met, and both sides were momentarily stunned.

Chen Mo greeted them first. "Mr. Xi, Mr. Song."

Song Yao nodded. "Mr. Chen, you arrived early."

"Not as early as Mr. Song," Old K spoke up, engaging in friendly conversation with Huanshang's CEO.

Soon, the elevator arrived.

Chen Mo noticed that Xi Siyan, who hadn't spoken much, paused slightly before entering. Given everyone was waiting for him, he quickly went in first.

With three of them plus seven or eight others, the elevator was quite crowded.

To avoid touching Song Yao's female secretary, Chen Mo stood sideways in an uncomfortable position. Just as he couldn't find a comfortable stance, someone pulled him from behind.

"Don't move around. Stand still." It was Xi Siyan.

He pulled Chen Mo in front of him, and everyone naturally gave them some space. When Chen Mo's arm touched Xi Siyan's body, there was still noticeable room around them.

Chen Mo looked up at him. "Thank you."

The elevator wasn't quiet; Old K was engaged in effective socializing.

Thus, their subtle interaction went unnoticed.

At two o'clock in the afternoon.

The conference room at Huanshang was packed.

Xi Siyan did not sit in the main seat but took a chair beside it, offering only a few key remarks throughout the meeting without participating in decision-making.

When it was Xinrui's turn, Yuan Hao began explaining the detailed PPT about the R2D Phase II concept and technical breakthroughs, speaking confidently until he hit a snag when discussing the market, causing him to glance anxiously at Chen Mo.

Chen Mo gave him a reassuring look, stood up, and said, "Yuan Hao is one of our young technical backbone members focused on research. For the market part, I will continue. The R2D Phase II project took us six months to develop, improving on the initial phase with precise medical diagnosis... It will primarily target..."

Chen Mo did not go to the podium.

With each page flip, he spoke confidently.

His composure and calmness were not something acquired overnight, and it naturally drew people to listen attentively.

When he finished speaking, the entire room erupted in applause.

At that moment, the head of another medical equipment company working with Huanshang suddenly said, "Your ideas and concepts are indeed excellent, but as far as I know, Chuanxing Technology's smart project in the second half of the year is similar to yours, and they are ahead of you."

Chen Mo immediately thought of Ren Xiansen from Chuanxing.

He didn't know much about this person, only that he returned from abroad three years ago and served as the acting vice president. He gathered a team of industry elites, claiming to be the leader in the field, but in reality, he stole experimental results, published products ahead of competitors, and engaged in malicious competition, earning a notorious reputation.

Every time Chen Mo clashed with him, he was ruthless.

Despite this, Chen Mo had never been able to uncover which powerful backer allowed Ren Xiansen to continue operating.

Just as he was about to respond to the question, a soft tapping sound interrupted him.

It was Xi Siyan tapping his tablet on his knee. When everyone looked over, he said, "Chuanxing Technology's products have had issues multiple times. Neither Huanshang nor CM will engage in any form of cooperation with such a company. Mr. Chen's presentation was impressive, and I look forward to Xinrui's Phase II launch."

Old K next to Chen Mo clenched his fist excitedly.

Yuan Hao, returning to his seat, looked at Chen Mo with starry eyes. Chen Mo smiled and patted his head, signaling him to sit down.

As soon as he stepped in, he sensed a direct gaze piercing through him.

He followed the gaze.

Feeling that Xi Siyan's eyes were rather cold.

But he quickly shifted his gaze away, making Chen Mo doubt if he had seen it wrong.

The meeting continued until five in the afternoon.

Chen Mo had only eaten a simple salad all day and was now feeling a dull ache in his stomach from hunger.

He stood up immediately upon hearing the meeting end.

People filed out one by one.

Yuan Hao, excited, said beside Chen Mo, "Master, thanks to you today. You have no idea how nervous I was standing up there, sweating like crazy, but once you started speaking, I wasn't nervous anymore."

"Just practice more," Chen Mo said, holding his coat on his elbow, gently pressing it against his stomach.

Just as they approached the door, someone blocked their way.

"Mr. Chen, please stay a moment."

Chen Mo looked over and recognized the person as Xi Siyan's assistant.

The assistant slightly bowed and handed him a business card. "My boss has some details about the project he'd like to discuss further with Mr. Chen. Do you have time?"

Chen Mo took the card and saw that it indeed belonged to Xi Siyan.

The pure black card bore the embossed gold initials CM, with Xi Siyan's title stated simply.

Old K and Yuan Hao both leaned in.

"Boss Xi is looking for you, Master?"

"About the project? There mustn't be any issues."

Chen Mo actually wanted to tell the assistant, "No time, I just want to go eat." But seeing Old K's worried expression, he said, "It should be fine. You guys go ahead; we'll talk later." Then he turned to the assistant, "Yes, lead the way."

It was a separate office.

Apparently unused, it was quite empty, a temporary arrangement.

As soon as Chen Mo entered, the assistant tactfully closed the door behind them.

Chen Mo stood behind the door, looking at the back of the person facing away from him.

Xi Siyan had already taken off his jacket, his black shirt tucked into his trousers, highlighting an impressive figure.

Hearing the movement, he turned around, "You came."

"Could I not come?" Chen Mo's gaze swept over his features, his tone relaxed: "The client is king."

Xi Siyan smiled, picking up one of the two prepared glasses of water on the table and walking over.

He asked, "Where are your colleagues?"

"Gone."

"And your little apprentice?"

Chen Mo was surprised he cared about such trivial matters, answering, "Gone too."

Xi Siyan stopped in front of him, glancing at him lightly, "You seem to care a lot about this little apprentice, taking him everywhere."

Chen Mo reached for the glass himself, "Then you're mistaken. I don't take him along when eating, sleeping, or using the restroom."

Xi Siyan moved the glass away, lifting it to Chen Mo's lips, "Have a drink, your lips look dry."

Chen Mo suddenly felt the atmosphere shift.

Several attempts to take the glass were denied, leaving him staring at the rim of the cup, wondering why it had turned out this way. With no choice, he tried to take a few sips.

Xi Siyan didn't rush, but Chen Mo, distracted and unaccustomed, ended up choking.

Water trickled down the corner of his mouth, wetting his shirt.

He raised a hand to cover his mouth, coughing, not bothering to wipe.

Xi Siyan pushed his hand aside to check on him, frowning as he wiped his mouth.

His hand brushed against Chen Mo's chin, causing Chen Mo to stiffen, looking at Xi Siyan with slightly reddened eyes from coughing.

Xi Siyan didn't notice, wiping his lip again, his thumb applying unconscious pressure.

Seeing the blood seep back, his eyes darkened.

For a moment, neither spoke, the air thick and tense.

Until Chen Mo couldn't help coughing again, and as Xi Siyan's hand touched his lips once more, Chen Mo grabbed his wrist, breathing heavily, saying, "Xi Siyan, I'm hungry."