Chapter 76

Chapter 76

The incessantly unreachable phone planted seeds of suspicion in Chen Mo's heart, leaving him with little patience to engage with Yang Shule. Seeing Yang Shule's face turn pale and red from his single remark, Chen Mo released him and turned to call President Zhu Zhengtao.

The news he received was that since yesterday afternoon, the connection between him and CM headquarters had also been severed.

When Chen Mo returned to the table, the dinner party was already halfway through.

Chen Mo walked over to Lao Gou and Jiang Xu, greeted them, and said, "I have something I need to take care of, so I'll be leaving early. Please continue without me."

"What happened?" Lao Gou could tell something was wrong by looking at his face.

Jiang Xu also leaned in, "Brother Mo, what's going on?"

"It's nothing serious," Chen Mo maintained a calm demeanor.

He didn't really believe that Lunaer could do anything significant to Xi Siyan.

But the possibility wasn't zero. As he grabbed his bag, he already had a rough plan in mind. The fastest solution would be for him to fly abroad overnight.

Someone at the table noticed the commotion.

They also saw Yang Shule entering from outside, watching Chen Mo leave with a dark expression.

A nosy person glanced between Chen Mo and Yang Shule and suddenly laughed, saying, "President Chen, you're in such a hurry to leave? Shule actually had a good relationship with everyone back in high school; it just gradually faded later. Besides, your nominal relationship with him is closer than ours, right? What misunderstanding can't be resolved?"

Jiang Xu stood up abruptly.

His leg pushed the chair far away.

He knew today's situation was because of him.

Angrily, he lashed out at the person who spoke, "Qin Yu, you don't know anything! Why are you talking nonsense!"

"Jiang Xu!" The boy also stood up, "Most people here today only came for the sake of your girlfriend! Do you think anyone else would want to come?"

Jiang Xu's girlfriend, sitting beside him, looked quite upset.

Chen Mo held Jiang Xu back and turned to the boy, "Qin Yu?"

"That's me." The boy sneered, "Qin Kai is my cousin."

Chen Mo was puzzled, "Who is Qin Kai?"

The boy's face instantly turned sour, and someone nearby chuckled, making Qin Yu's face even redder. He snapped at Chen Mo, "Stop pretending to have amnesia! My brother's engagement to Liao Tingting was called off partly because of you, wasn't it?"

Chen Mo did indeed pause for a few seconds, trying to recall the event five years ago when Sun Xiaoya tricked him into attending her friend's gathering, and the boyfriend of Liao Tingting whom he had met only once.

The incident was indeed unpleasant.

But attributing the failed engagement to him seemed unreasonable.

Chen Mo responded, "Even if I weren't pretending to have amnesia, there's nothing about Qin Kai worth remembering. I've seen Qin Shuhua, the head of your family, quite often in recent years, and she never mentioned having two brothers who constantly flaunt the family name. Is it a tradition among the men in your family to bully others under the family's name?"

"Chen Mo, you..."

Chen Mo patted Jiang Xu's shoulder, signaling him to sit down.

He then walked around the table directly toward the door, ignoring Qin Yu, who was still speaking.

Stepping outside, Chen Mo realized it was pouring rain.

There were not many people at the hotel entrance at night.

Cars passed by on the distant road, their red taillights weaving through the rain, creating a sense of urgency unique to rainy nights.

While waiting for the doorman to fetch an umbrella, Chen Mo noticed several people from the private room rushing out.

"Why are you all here?" Chen Mo asked, surprised, turning to Jiang Xu and Lao Gou, who were leading the way.

Lao Gou glanced back, "We thought you were angry and insisted on coming to see you off."

Someone added, "Brother Mo, don't mind it. This gathering was our idea. Everyone went to the same school, and Qin Yu is just like that. Don't take it personally."

Chen Mo smiled, "This really isn't worth getting angry about. It's fate that brings us together. I have work to attend to, so I have to leave early."

"Okay."

"Did you drive here? It might be hard to get a taxi in this weather."

Chen Mo replied, "No worries, I called a car. It should be here soon."

"In that case, we must meet again next time, Brother Mo. You can't refuse."

"Of course, I'll definitely come." Chen Mo nodded.

Those who followed him out clearly didn't want to offend him.

Compared to the past, Chen Mo's current professional approach was much more diplomatic. Even in social settings labeled as "old classmates," he usually wouldn't outright refuse if he could maintain a cordial relationship.

Whether there would be a next time was something only he knew.

At that moment, someone suddenly said, "Yang Shule, are you leaving now too?"

Everyone then noticed that Yang Shule had also come out.

He walked through the crowd, standing next to Chen Mo, and said, "My fiancé sent someone to pick me up. Sorry, everyone."

The impact of the word "fiancé" lay not in the identity but in the gender.

Chen Mo came out in high school, and the whole grade knew about it.

But Yang Shule was different. The rumors of him having an unusual relationship with his childhood friend were known only to a few. Now that he admitted to having a fiancé, it was no small matter.

Chen Mo could hear the whispers behind him.

"Damn, a fiancé? Who is it?"

"I heard there were rumors at school that he went abroad to chase after someone."

"Heavens, it can't be..."

"This is big news."

Amidst these comments, a familiar Maybach broke through the darkness and approached slowly.

Chen Mo's heartbeat faltered slightly. When he saw who got out of the car, his heart, which had been hanging since the phone call didn't go through, finally settled.

He let out a breath of relief without realizing it.

The tall figure holding an umbrella, wearing a coat that reached his knees, closed the car door and walked over.

Chen Mo could feel the voices around him growing louder.

Excitement that couldn't be concealed even when they tried to keep their voices low.

"Holy shit, Xi Siyan, it's really him."

"He's the one the alumni said would clean toilets at his company."

"The important part is, he's really Yang Shule's fiancé?!"

Everyone's attention was not only on Xi Siyan as he approached but also on Yang Shule. And what they saw was shocking.

Yang Shule's face was pale and stiff.

Everyone was puzzled.

Soon, everyone understood why.

Because Xi Siyan's target wasn't Yang Shule at all; it seemed like he hadn't even noticed him. Instead, he walked straight to the person beside Yang Shule—Chen Mo, the CEO of New Edge Technology, whom many now sought to curry favor with.

"Why are you all standing outside?" Xi Siyan climbed the steps, closed his umbrella, and looked around before turning to Chen Mo. "Is it already over? Did I come too late?"

Before Chen Mo could respond, someone nearby answered enthusiastically.

"Not at all, President Chen had work to attend to, so he needed to leave early."

"Leaving?" Xi Siyan's tone was light, ignoring the eager gazes. He looked back at Chen Mo. "Let's go then. Seems like I arrived just in time."

The others were stunned.

They thought he had come for the gathering. Wanting to keep him but unsure how to express it, someone blurted out, "President Xi, Yang Shule is still here."

Xi Siyan glanced at the pale-faced Yang Shule and then back at the speaker. "Oh, so what?"

"Ah, this..." The person noticed Xi Siyan's hand resting on Chen Mo's back and felt embarrassed, realizing they had made a mistake.

Just then, another black car pulled up at the restaurant entrance.

The short driver rushed into the rain, ran up the steps, and said to Yang Shule, "Mr. Yang, Mr. Lunaer sent me to pick you up."

The honest driver didn't even step up, letting the rain pour down on him.

This made the situation even more awkward.

Yang Shule, enraged, asked, "Didn't you bring an umbrella?"

"Ah, sorry, sorry, Mr. Yang, I was in such a hurry I forgot."

Yang Shule glared at him. "Idiot!"

Many people frowned at this display of bullying a worker.

After all, the wealthy young man known for his good temper in high school was revealing a surprisingly harsh side, shocking everyone.

By the time everyone refocused, they realized the other two had already left.

Chen Mo was pulling him along, while Xi Siyan held the umbrella, tilting it towards Chen Mo, speaking in a somewhat bewildered tone: "Slow down, why are you walking so fast?"

"Shut up." Chen Mo's voice carried from a distance, loud enough for those at the entrance to hear.

Those who couldn't understand the situation only thought it fitting that the core of New Edge Technology, a talented and capable individual, had a temper as rumored.

Especially when Chen Mo pushed Xi Siyan into the car first upon reaching the vehicle.

This only reinforced that impression.

Once inside, Xi Siyan placed the dripping umbrella at his feet and turned sideways. "Are you angry?"

"No," Chen Mo leaned back, his hand on his forehead.

Xi Siyan's gaze swept over Chen Mo's profile and elongated neck before returning to his face. "Who organized this gathering?"

Chen Mo finally lowered his hand and looked over. "When did you get back?"

"Just landed half an hour ago," Xi Siyan said. "I knew you guys were meeting here before boarding the plane, so I came straight here."

Chen Mo said, "Do you know I called you many times?"

"…There must not have been any call notifications." Xi Siyan reached for his phone.

But Chen Mo pressed down on his hand and got up, leaning in to kiss him without any warning.

Xiaolin, who had been quietly observing the backseat, was startled and immediately looked away, raising the soundproof partition.

In the increasingly cramped and quiet space, Xi Siyan was stunned by the sudden attack for a few seconds.

But he quickly recovered and began to return the kiss.

The intimate sounds became evident in the confined space.

Chen Mo took the lead, as if the emotions he had been suppressing were reaching their limit, or perhaps he needed to confirm something. He straddled Xi Siyan's lap, kissing him slowly and intensely from above, with quickening breaths, both passionate and tantalizing.

Xi Siyan, having no choice, gripped his waist and tilted his head back to catch his breath, "Chen Mo, you better give me a reason."

"A reason," Chen Mo murmured slowly, his lips sliding from Xi Siyan's mouth to his neck and back to his ear, sounding like a reluctant surrender under no threat, "Let's get back together, Xi Siyan. I admit it, you damn well won."