Chapter 78

Chapter 78

When Chen Mo received Su Qianran's message asking about the situation, he was sitting on the sofa drinking hot water.

In the kitchen, a clay pot was bubbling away on the stove, filling the entire house with a rich aroma. The process of cooking the Angelica and Codonopsis pigeon soup mixed the fragrance with a faint scent of Chinese herbs.

This apartment was chosen during the busiest period of Chen Mo's work.

Firstly for convenience, and secondly because it had excellent natural light.

He had held meetings in the living room, stayed up late writing academic reports, and even slept on the sofa when too exhausted to return to his bedroom.

This was the first time Chen Mo felt such a simple, homely atmosphere in his own home.

It made him so drowsy that he could fall asleep at any moment.

So when Su Qianran asked,

Chen Mo typed back: "Yes, that's right, we're together again."

Su Qianran replied instantly: "So you two really did it? Or are you living together?"

Chen Mo: "How did you come to that conclusion?"

Su Qianran: "You don't understand what it's like having a man over six feet tall tossing and turning beside you for two hours without closing his eyes. I asked him, and he said he suspects that Xi Siyan took advantage of him."

Chen Mo: "…Is he sick?"

Chen Mo's suspicion wasn't baseless.

He couldn't fathom how Yang Zhi's mind worked, thinking that he would engage in improper transactions with the Yang Group and Xi Siyan. In Yang Zhi's perception, perhaps Xi Siyan took advantage of the situation and coerced him into agreeing to some unfair terms.

Su Qianran: "I can understand this. When Xi Siyan left for abroad, there were reasons related to the Xi family's interference, though not the main cause. It highlighted the fact that the Yang family wasn't strong enough. Yang Zhi told me personally that on the day you officially took over the New Frontier Research Center, Grandpa instructed him. He said that if the Xi family sets their sights on something or someone, they won't easily give up. If one day you have no choice but to go against your will, he wouldn't stand idly by. This wasn't just Grandpa's instruction; I know that in his heart, you've always been his younger brother, even though he never says it aloud."

Chen Mo held the cup in his hand, not drinking for a long time.

His mood inevitably grew heavier.

Because the old man who secretly planned a way out for him was still lying unconscious in the hospital.

And in his previous life, the person he considered an enemy now had someone telling him that he was always regarded as a brother.

Those intense confrontations, every harsh word exchanged, were still vivid in his memory. Chen Mo believed that Yang Zhi had changed a lot in this life, but he remained skeptical about being considered a brother.

Because he remembered those words— "In my understanding, I've always had only one brother, and that person can never be you."

He didn't know what expression Yang Zhi had on the day the Yang Group went bankrupt after his death.

He had no way of knowing, nor any interest in knowing.

But since Yang Zhi had promised Grandpa this time,

Chen Mo was willing to put all his efforts into saving the Yang Group once more.

When Xi Siyan entered the door carrying two large bags, Chen Mo was still sitting on the sofa typing a plan.

"What did you buy?" Chen Mo looked up and asked.

Xi Siyan: "Just some daily necessities we need."

Chen Mo watched him change his shoes at the door, then carry the bags into the kitchen. He came back with a hot water bag, placing it on Chen Mo's knees.

The warmth seeped into his bones and also warmed his slightly cold wrists resting on the keyboard.

Chen Mo looked at the person bending over, his hair brushing his forehead, and said, "If someone didn't know better, they'd think our New Frontier recently developed some kind of smart household robot, commonly known as the Snail Prince?"

Xi Siyan draped a blanket over him and glanced at him, "Isn't it supposed to be all-purpose?"

"Are you going to be all-purpose?" Chen Mo said, "That's exhausting."

Xi Siyan's lips curved slightly, "Willing to serve, but I prefer providing emotional support and sensory services whenever you need them."

Chen Mo understood his underlying meaning.

Rolling his eyes, "Then I think your program might have some errors, unable to understand the master's commands."

"Really?" Xi Siyan lifted Chen Mo's chin, leaned in, and kissed him gently, murmuring, "Then you haven't studied it thoroughly enough. Try a few more times."

After saying this, he stood up.

While Chen Mo was still distracted and hadn't recovered from the kiss, Xi Siyan turned and went to the kitchen.

A man who usually wore suits and appeared serious in the office or at social events, now wearing an apron and standing there, made Chen Mo feel as if time should stop right there.

At this moment, he wanted to selfishly keep this person all to himself forever.

On this Tuesday, after a series of secret shareholder meetings, CM suddenly announced that it held 37.6% of the Yang Group's shares, surpassing the golden threshold for control. This gave CM veto power over major internal matters of the group.

The internal strife within the Yang Group, which initially seemed like a family property dispute, transformed into a capital market battle.

The Yang Group faced unprecedented attention amid these intense changes.

The factions split into two.

Publicly, the factions led by Yang Zhi and Yang Shule became proxies for the capital operations of CM and UA.

The outside world was in an uproar.

The discussion heated up once again, reaching new heights.

"Is the Yang family ultimately doomed to be controlled by foreign capital?"

"Thinking too much, perhaps? It's not clear who will win or lose. Although UA seems to have taken the lead, don't forget the shocking financial case on Wall Street three years ago, where UA lost terribly."

"CM's sudden involvement is indeed surprising."

"I can confirm that essentially, the Xi and Yang families have had a long-standing relationship. It makes sense for them to present a united front now. The problem lies with that illegitimate son, who is willing to hand over the entire family business just to gain power."

"What illegitimate son? He's an adopted son."

"Never heard of this person in our circles before. Could he be one of those revenge-driven characters who were mistreated or marginalized by their biological family when they were young, only to return after a few years abroad to claim their inheritance?"

"That can't be right. I remember reading online that the biological son has a bad relationship with the Yang family."

"This incident has blown up so much, yet the real person involved hasn't shown up at all."

"Maybe he's not interested in participating?"

Only a few noticed that among the initial sibling rivalry, there was another legitimate heir involved.

After it was said that he had a poor relationship with the Yang family or no interest in participating,

someone keenly observed that during the multi-party negotiation meeting on Wednesday, one person's presence was particularly noticeable.

First thing in the morning,

media reporters captured CM's representative, Han Qian, accompanied by a young man.

He got out of the car with Han Qian and walked alongside him.

Wearing a black suit, he didn't seem like an assistant or subordinate. Occasionally, when Han Qian turned to speak with him, he nodded slightly, exuding an extraordinary demeanor.

At the entrance, they encountered Yang Zhi, the CEO of the Yang family, which was even stranger.

Because instead of immediately addressing CM's representative, Yang Zhi first spoke to the person beside Han Qian. His behavior seemed natural, as if they were familiar and intentionally close to show closeness.

Logically, Yang Zhi's faction should be led by CM.

Unfortunately, all the photos released that day featured only an unknown young man in the center.

And due to strict security, most of the photos showed only his profile, without a full frontal view.

Initially, the media was confused but rushed to publish the pictures to grab the front page, omitting any introduction about him. This led to speculation, with some even suspecting he might be the boss of CM.

"I remember CM's president doesn't look like that. I saw an exclusive interview with him abroad, and his demeanor was different."

"Something tells me this person's identity is significant."

"These media outlets are useless, aren't they? They published without confirming the identities of the attendees. Anyone can see his voting rights are above Han Qian's."

These speculations were partially answered twenty minutes into the negotiations by an obscure media outlet.

The headline read: Mysterious Youth May Become Key Player; Suspected First Appearance of Yang Family's Biological Son.

Unlike other reports analyzing capital movements or trends,

the focus was solely on the young man who appeared in front of the media cameras, drawing considerable attention.

The author claimed to have obtained insider information from elsewhere.

His name was Chen Mo.

Yes, he doesn't share the Yang surname.

It's true that he has a poor relationship with the Yang family, having grown up in the countryside. His appearance at the negotiations likely relates to the incident involving the Yang family's patriarch.

This report was clearly rushed.

It did not delve deeply into Chen Mo's background, focusing more on the circumstances surrounding the patriarch's incident.

The conclusion was that the incident wasn't an accident but part of a conspiracy related to the power struggle within the wealthy family. It also suggested that the patriarch's preferred successor wasn't the eldest grandson, Yang Zhi, but Chen Mo, whom the Yang family had found years ago.

"So, this is actually a three-way battle, each fighting for themselves?"

"Han Qian's appearance with him proves that CM supports Chen Mo, not the Yang family?"

"Whoever convinced CM must be someone truly remarkable, even more intriguing than the adopted son."

"So, this is the actual revenge-driven character?"

With a clear name and a rough description,

curious netizens began digging deeper. What they found was shocking.

"Second place in the provincial college entrance exam..."

"Currently pursuing a combined master's and doctoral program at Q University..."

"One of the founding investors of a cutting-edge technology company..."

"Core member of the research and development center..."

"Holds over a dozen international and national patents..."

"I'm the clown here."

"How could I forget? The leader of the R2D product development team introduced to our hospital this year is named Chen Mo!"

"Being a big shot not only means being a big shot, but also coming from a wealthy family."

"Who on earth gave me the wrong impression that he was an ordinary person who despises the struggles of the rich and is willing to blend in with the crowd!"

Unaware that his background had just been completely exposed, Chen Mo was sitting at the negotiation table in the large conference room.

It felt like the countless negotiations he had engaged in with competitors in his past life.

Facing him across the massive table was a foreigner whose face was flushed red with anger.

Lunaer had one-quarter Chinese ancestry, but his thinning yellow curly hair, thick white beard, aged and weathered face, and dark eyes made him look even older than he actually was.

He was quickly speaking to the translator beside him, gesturing dramatically with his hands, appearing both angry and helpless.

Chen Mo understood him and simply ignored him, getting up and throwing one document after another onto the center of the long table.

The first one, "This is the final voting result from the shareholders."

The second one, "This is the official proof that your fiancé Yang Shule's inheritance is invalid."

The third one, "This is a joint statement from four parties..."

...

Thinking about how this person had repeatedly tried to take Xi Siyan's life, Chen Mo’s eyes turned cold as he leaned his hands on the long table.

Word by word: "Lunaer."

When Lunaer turned to look at him, Chen Mo said, "You can't win. Take your empty pockets and your ambitions and get lost."