Chapter 94

Chapter 94

After that night, Chen Mo thought the matter would just fade away.

Unexpectedly, before New Year's Day, Genting Bay's villa welcomed an unwelcome guest.

Early in the morning, frost coated the branches of the yard with a layer of cold white.

Sister Liu, who was responsible for cooking and cleaning, knocked on the door and said, "Mr. Chen, someone is here to see you."

At that time, Chen Mo was organizing clothes in the closet.

The walk-in closet in the master bedroom had gradually filled up over the days since they moved in. Chen Mo opened the half belonging to Xi Siyan and suddenly saw a down jacket hanging inside.

He paused for a moment before responding to Sister Liu, "I'll be right down."

He recognized the jacket—it was the one he had bought for Xi Siyan years ago as a token of gratitude. It was also winter then; after his training camp, he picked him up to celebrate New Year's Eve together, wearing this very jacket.

The jacket looked new and well-preserved.

Back then, their feelings were still unclear, but Chen Mo could still recall the chance encounter at the ski resort and the warmth of the towel he had placed on his knee at midnight.

So until he went downstairs, Chen Mo's mood was quite good.

Until he saw the couple sitting on the sofa.

Sister Liu, seeing him come down, walked over to him hesitantly and said, "They insisted on coming in; I couldn't stop them."

"It's not your fault, Sister Liu," Chen Mo reassured her. "Today, when you deliver lunch to Xi Siyan's company, don't mention anyone coming to the house."

Sister Liu hesitated. "Not tell him?"

"Yes, he must have mentioned not letting the Yang family in," Chen Mo smiled. "You know that."

Sister Liu nodded.

Although she had only been there for a short time, she knew from the beginning about their relationship and could see how President Xi always treated matters concerning Chen Mo with extra care.

Sister Liu left.

Chen Mo walked over and casually sat down opposite the sofa.

He had no intention of speaking first.

Instead, Zhou Yaoqing and Yang Qi'an exchanged a glance, and Zhou Yaoqing spoke, "Xiao Mo."

"Mr. Yang, Mrs. Yang," Chen Mo addressed them, causing both of their faces to change. Ignoring their reaction, he continued, "I don't remember anything worth your visit. If it's about Grandpa's inheritance..."

"No, no," Zhou Yaoqing quickly assured him.

Yang Qi'an took over, saying, "Your aunt won't bother you again. If it happens again, they will be removed from the group's dividend list and lose their positions within the company."

Chen Mo didn't want to ask who made those decisions.

Nor did he care about the internal divisions within the Yang family.

He asked, "Then why are you here?"

Zhou Yaoqing looked at Chen Mo, her eyes welling up with tears. Knowing Chen Mo didn't like it, she quickly composed herself and forced a smile, saying, "We just came to see how you're doing. Every time we invited you back these past few years, you refused. Now that Grandpa is gone, your father and I wanted to see for ourselves how you're doing."

Yang Qi'an wasn't as tactful as Zhou Yaoqing. His hair had turned gray over the years, and deep lines marked his forehead. He said bluntly, "If you're not doing well, come with us..."

"I'm fine."

Chen Mo interrupted. There hadn't been any major conflicts. He gestured towards the kitchen, "No passive-aggressive helpers, no arguments over a bowl of soup at the dinner table. No unwarranted advice, work is going well, everything is peaceful."

His words carried a clear implication.

The couple looked embarrassed.

Looking around the house,

it wasn't as lavishly decorated as the Yang family's villa. The interior was carefully designed, bright and clean.

In contrast, the Yang family's villa was now empty and quiet, with most of the servants dismissed, leaving only an elderly helper for daily chores.

As the couple left Genting Bay, they paused outside the yard.

Turning back, they saw Chen Mo standing there, and tears suddenly welled up.

"Xiao Mo," Zhou Yaoqing choked out, "Mom is sorry, Mom doesn't expect your forgiveness, truly sorry."

Yang Qi'an added, "It's okay if you don't want to associate with us, but don't cut ties with your older brother. In times of need, he will still stand by you."

Chen Mo crossed his arms and leaned against the door, his eyes distant and cold.

The landscaping in the villa's yard was being tended to by Sister Liu's husband, still in progress. Given the season, it had a characteristic bleakness. Watching the couple, defeated by time, support each other as they left, Chen Mo felt as if he had crossed a long river of time to reach this moment.

Chen Mo didn't know what they looked like after his death in his previous life.

But at least in this moment, he found some peace with himself.

No need for forgiveness or memories.

From the day he died, he had forgotten himself.

Yang Qi'an and Zhou Yaoqing's visit eventually reached Xi Siyan's attention,

because they had plans to go out together on New Year's Day.

The last bit of the holiday was filled with busy tasks for everyone to handle.

As it turned out, just as the workday ended, his car was already parked downstairs at Xinrui.

"Why did you come over now?" Chen Mo asked while fastening his seatbelt.

Xi Siyan pressed the accelerator and said, "I'm taking you somewhere."

"Where?"

Xi Siyan didn't answer.

The car drove forward and eventually stopped at the private restaurant where Xi Siyan had taken Chen Mo when he first returned from abroad.

"Aren't you supposed to have hired someone to tailor a menu?" Chen Mo followed him inside, still asking, "Why did you suddenly decide to eat here again?"

Then his voice trailed off.

"Chen Mo."

"Xiao Mo."

Compared to Yang Qi'an's parents who looked aged, the wrinkles on Uncle and Auntie's faces after five years were more from hard labor. But upon seeing Chen Mo, their smiles were bright and their joy evident.

After his surprise, Chen Mo quickly walked over. "When did you arrive? Why didn't you contact me?"

Auntie patted his hand and smiled, saying, "Our son is getting engaged this year. The girl is from another place, so your uncle and I went to propose marriage and passed through Sui City, thinking we'd visit you. Although we've been in touch by phone these past few years, we only learned that your house caught fire when we came looking for you. It scared us, but thankfully your classmate contacted us soon after."

Someone must have been watching the Rhine Ark house for Xi Siyan, which is why he got the news so quickly.

The scene from when they went to Yuhuai Village with Xi Siyan seemed like it was still fresh in his mind.

Now, perhaps only these two elders would see them without caring about their wealth or background.

Xi Siyan called out, "Uncle, Auntie, please sit down."

"You two have been together for so many years, and your relationship is still so good." Auntie smiled warmly and then asked Uncle to bring out a bag.

It was a very ordinary fertilizer sack. Auntie sorted through it and said to Chen Mo, "These are things your uncle and I grew ourselves. They're clean and healthy, mostly dried for easy storage. Take some back with you."

"Thank you, Uncle and Auntie." Xi Siyan naturally accepted the items and added, "We live together now."

Uncle said, "You still live together? We know Chen Mo hasn't married yet, but aren't you planning to find a girlfriend, young man? You're not getting any younger."

Xi Siyan smiled, "I found one."

"You found one? That's great, that's great."

The meal was enjoyed with much conversation.

Xi Siyan had booked a hotel for the couple and sent them there. Afterward, he and Chen Mo left the hotel.

Stepping on the polished marble floor, Chen Mo said to Xi Siyan, "During dinner, I thought you were going to tell them about our relationship."

"Not yet," Xi Siyan put an arm around his shoulder, "Let's wait until we get married and invite them then."

Chen Mo was stunned, "Marriage?"

"What? Mr. Chen doesn't want to take responsibility?" Xi Siyan raised an eyebrow, "I don't ask for much. Just a simple ceremony after we register overseas."

Chen Mo: "...If you put it that way, refusing would make me look bad."

Leaving the hotel,

Chen Mo looked up at the top.

Xi Siyan stood beside him and suddenly said, "If you're unhappy, I'm always here."

Only then did Chen Mo realize that Xi Siyan knew about the visit from the Yang family.

Chen Mo looked at him, stepped forward, and gently hugged him.

Then he said, "There's nothing to be unhappy about. Seeing Uncle and Auntie made me even happier."

"Is that so?" Xi Siyan's chin brushed against his temple, and his sigh dissipated in the wind, "Good, as long as you're happy."

On the first day of the New Year's holiday,

Chen Mo drove Xi Siyan to Yuan Hao's hometown.

Compared to the familiar Baima County, this small city was more prosperous. During the holiday, lanterns decorated the streets, and roadside vendors set up stalls, creating a unique, lively atmosphere of a small place.

Chen Mo followed the navigation system all the way.

The traffic was congested, stop-and-go.

Chen Mo's phone, which had been placed beside him, suddenly started ringing nonstop.

"Can you check it?" Chen Mo said.

Xi Siyan picked up his phone and flipped through it, saying, "It's from the high school group. Everyone is celebrating the holiday."

Chen Mo was surprised, "Didn't the class group die out long ago? I heard Lao Xiang compared every new experimental class to ours, causing quite a bit of resentment."

"Mm." Xi Siyan looked at it, "After all, you set such a high standard."

"Still setting standards?" Chen Mo steered with one hand, not admitting it, "Second in the province on the college entrance exam, the first was a county student. Lao Xiang almost died of anger. If you had participated, the chance of that happening would be zero."

Xi Siyan: "That's just your illusion. There are always geniuses coming out of the college entrance exams every year."

Chen Mo continued to ask, "How did the group come back to life?"

"Qi Lin," Xi Siyan said, scrolling up leisurely while leaning back in his chair. "He came out in the group, don't know what got into him."

Speaking of Qi Lin, Chen Mo was very clear that he had not become the top domineering guy in Sui City.

He wasn't even in Sui City; he went to college elsewhere. Chen Mo later learned from Sun Xiaoya that he had found out the guy who deceived him in high school was from there and went to seek revenge.

Chen Mo reached over to grab the phone.

In the group chat full of resurrected old classmates, everyone was excited and joking about him finally realizing himself.

Someone posted, "Damn, Qi Lin, you're awesome. I always thought it was weird how you were always hanging around with our class president."

Qi Lin seemed eager to clarify and cursed in the group, "Don't talk nonsense, I don't like him! Xi dog has someone he likes."

"Who is it?"

"Huh? The class president had a crush in high school?"

When Jiang Xu returned last time, Chen Mo and Lao Gou attended a gathering, and some other classmates saw Xi Siyan picking up Chen Mo.

Someone timidly commented in the group, "Is it Brother Mo?"

"They're both in Sui City now."

"Yeah, I ran into them at dinner last time."

Some were shocked, "Brother Mo and God Xi?"

"So is it really true?"

"Qi Lin, aren't you childhood friends with the class president? Where is he?"

There happened to be a traffic jam.

Chen Mo typed, "In the car."

Before Chen Mo could type where he was going, the group chat froze for a moment, then quickly became lively again.

"In the car?"

"Bold question, Brother Mo, are you on a physical or theoretical car ride?"

Sun Xiaoya: "...Because we're adults now, can we be so bold? Which car are you in?"

Chen Mo aimed the camera at Xi Siyan, intending to take a picture of his hand and half of the car's interior to send to the group.

But as he looked through the lens, seeing Xi Siyan slightly lowering his eyes and looking at his phone, he changed his mind.

He knew these people probably didn't truly believe they were together; they were just joking around.

Talking with old acquaintances easily brought back past memories.

Chen Mo chuckled and replied, "At least not on the way to kindergarten."

"Damn!"

"It's gotta be Brother Mo."

"On the first day of the new year, I declare that the history of No. 1 High School has been rewritten—'On How My Wild and Free School Bully Fell Hard for the No. 1 High School Hunk.'"

Simultaneously with this message,

the account XSY also posted.

XSY: Stop messing around.

Chen Mo looked at Xi Siyan.

Xi Siyan looked back at the same time and changed his words, "Focus on driving, don't be reckless."