After the Reborn Young Master Embraced a Life of Wellness – Chapter 35

As Xi Siyan crossed the road and approached Chen Mo, the distant honking of traffic mixed with the soft rustling of snowflakes falling against his umbrella.

Before long, half of the black umbrella was tilted over Chen Mo’s head.

Xi Siyan glanced at his slightly damp hair and shoulders. “Why didn’t you bring an umbrella?”

“Did you just get back today?” Chen Mo asked at the same time.

After their questions overlapped, Chen Mo answered first.

“Didn’t think about it.” Then he added, “The rain had stopped when school let out, and I didn’t expect it to start snowing… seeds.”

Xi Siyan seemed amused by the way he emphasized his words. After all, Chen Mo had once said that back where he grew up, winter snow would pile up as high as a person’s calves.

The umbrella in Xi Siyan’s hand tilted even more in Chen Mo’s direction.

At the same time, he glanced back toward the street Chen Mo had just emerged from and commented, “Some years, Suicheng gets heavy snow too. But it’s only New Year’s Day, so even if it does snow, it wouldn’t be this early.”

After saying this, he turned back and said, “Let’s go.”

Chen Mo frowned. “Where are we going?”

Xi Siyan gave him a look. “Are you really planning to stay at school for all three days of New Year’s?”

“That was the plan.” Chen Mo walked alongside him, back toward the traffic light. “Lao Gou and the others wanted to celebrate in a place called Icefield Town. They said there’d be New Year’s Eve festivities and a ski resort, but I didn’t feel like dealing with the crowds, so I turned them down.”

Just then, the traffic light turned green.

Xi Siyan stepped onto the street ahead of him, holding up the umbrella as he waited. “I happen to be heading there. They asked me to bring you along.”

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you just get back?”

“Icefield Town isn’t far.” Xi Siyan chuckled. “Besides, I did well in the semi-finals, so now they want me to treat them.”

Chen Mo commented dryly, “They’re pure extortionists.”

He didn’t need to ask about the so-called “good” performance. Knowing Xi Siyan, that likely meant first place in the city-level competition.

Not just that—Xi Siyan was heading toward national competitions, even the International Physics Olympiad. In Chen Mo’s previous life, he had assumed Xi Siyan would continue down that path, but he had instead given up his guaranteed admission to prestigious universities and gone abroad. A few years later, he returned to take over the massive Xi family, leading it with remarkable success.

For someone from the Xi family, there was never just one path.

No matter what he chose, it was a future that most people could only dream of.

Xi Siyan glanced at him. “So? Are you coming? This might be one of the few chances you get to keep up with me.”

Chen Mo took the opportunity to ask, “Now that you’ve made it to nationals, when does training start?”

“Probably after the New Year.”

Chen Mo nodded.

He understood that, starting in the second half of the school year, he’d hardly get to see Xi Siyan at school anymore.

By now, they had reached the car.

Xi Siyan opened the back door, shielding the roof with his hand in a gentlemanly gesture before tilting his head slightly. “Get in first, or we’ll be late.”

Chen Mo hesitated. “I never said I was going, did I?” He looked down at himself. “Besides, I didn’t bring anything.”

Xi Siyan gave him a light tug, guiding him into the car.

“You can buy it when we get there.”

—

By the time Chen Mo realized what had happened, the car had already traveled several hundred meters.

He turned to the man beside him, whose eyes were closed, and asked, “Don’t tell me… You never planned to take me back to school in the first place?”

Xi Siyan opened his eyes and glanced at him.

He raised an eyebrow. “I came all this way just to pick you up. Are you sure you want to back out?”

The interior lights of the car were dim.

Chen Mo studied Xi Siyan’s face. He seemed genuinely exhausted.

“Didn’t get enough sleep?”

“Mm.” Xi Siyan leaned his head back, massaging his temples with his fingers. He chuckled helplessly. “I spent two straight days on an experiment and haven’t slept. Are you really going to be heartless enough to reject me? Let me nap for a bit.”

Chen Mo was suddenly speechless.

It wasn’t like he needed to go, but there was no way he could ask the driver to turn around now.

A notification popped up on his phone—it was a message from Lao Gou.

Lao Gou: “Where are you?”

Chen Mo: “…How do you know I’m coming?”

Lao Gou: “Squad Leader asked about you in the group chat. I told him you weren’t here, so he said he’d pick you up.”

Chen Mo: “Didn’t you guys ask him to take me?”

Lao Gou: “Is there a difference?”

Chen Mo: “…”

Lao Gou: “Doesn’t matter. Even if you went into hibernation, I bet Brother Yan would still find a way to dig you out.”

Chen Mo: “Thanks.”

—

Chen Mo wasn’t actually afraid of the cold.

He just didn’t like the trouble and physical discomfort that winter brought—joint pain, freezing hands and feet, and no amount of medicine making a difference.

Right now, though, the car was warm.

Chen Mo leaned back into his seat and quickly began to feel drowsy.

Not to mention, there was a genius running on forty-eight hours of no sleep right next to him.

Uncle Lin drove steadily.

Chen Mo had no idea when he fell asleep.

The only thing he knew was that when he woke up, his shoulders and neck were sore.

As he shifted, he realized that he had been sleeping with his head on Xi Siyan’s shoulder the entire way.

Meanwhile, Xi Siyan’s long legs were awkwardly stretched out, his hands tucked into his pockets. He was clearly just as uncomfortable, but he hadn’t moved at all.

But he was still asleep.

Chen Mo glanced at the fabric of Xi Siyan’s down jacket and instinctively reached up to pat out the wrinkles.

The next second, a hand grabbed his wrist.

Xi Siyan opened his eyes, his voice hoarse from sleep. “What are you doing?”

“You’re really that alert?” Chen Mo gestured for him to let go. “Just fixing the wrinkles. I paid for that coat, remember? I wanted to ask, how does it feel to wear?”

Xi Siyan stretched, rolling his shoulders uncomfortably. He frowned slightly before turning to Chen Mo.

“Want to take it off and try it for yourself?”

Chen Mo: “You don’t have to be that literal.”

Outside, the sky had already gone dark.

Bingyuan Town was over 100 kilometers away from Suicheng, and the temperature there was noticeably colder. By the time they arrived, it was already past 8 PM, and patches of snow could be seen on the roadside grass—unlike Suicheng, where the snow melted as soon as it hit the ground.

Up ahead, traffic had started to build up, signaling they were nearing their destination.

Chen Mo turned to Uncle Lin, the driver. “Have you been here before?”

Uncle Lin smiled, glancing at Xi Siyan before replying, “I come here often.” He then looked at Chen Mo and added, “Did Siyan not tell you? The Xi family owns a resort here. Every winter, the number of visitors breaks records. It’s incredibly lively—there’s the Ice and Fire Festival, hot pot in ice sculptures, amusement parks, and a New Year’s Eve bonfire party. Plenty of things to do.”

Chen Mo looked at Xi Siyan, who didn’t seem fazed by any of this. “So this is basically your own turf. The others don’t know about this, do they? If they did, I doubt they’d be asking you to pay for their meals.”

“Hmm, I wouldn’t know.” Xi Siyan replied nonchalantly while patting his pockets.

Chen Mo: “What are you looking for?”

Xi Siyan quickly pulled out a medal and casually tossed it to Chen Mo, as if he were handing over a pack of tissues.

“Left in a hurry, didn’t go home. This is all I’ve got with me.”

Chen Mo held the medal up to the light, inspecting it. Then, raising an eyebrow, he asked, “Are you giving this to me?”

“Yeah.”

“Bribing me?”

“Can I even bribe you?”

Chen Mo flipped the medal over a couple of times before stuffing it into his pocket.

With a small smile, he remarked, “Then I guess I’ll have to see how Brother Yan treats us on his home turf.”

—

As it turned out, the group from school had actually booked their trip at the Xi family’s resort.

This resort, which had been expanded in the past two years, was located halfway up the mountain. It was just as extravagant as luxury hotels in first-tier cities. At night, the entire place was brilliantly lit, and there was even a fountain at the front, offering a breathtaking view of the entire town below.

The medal that Xi Siyan had tossed so casually to Chen Mo was really just a plaything to him.

The wall of honor in his house was likely already packed with these. Naturally, he wouldn’t take it too seriously.

But surprisingly, Chen Mo found himself acting like a tourist.

He checked in, registered, and even lined up at the front desk to collect his room key.

Just then, Lao Gou and Qi Lin, wearing hotel slippers, stepped out of the elevator and spotted them.

“Squad leader? Damn, you’re finally back!”

“Master Mo!”

“You didn’t even call when you got here! So sneaky.”

Lao Gou threw his arm around Chen Mo’s neck, grinning. “I knew you’d come. You really need to get out more, right, Brother Yan?”

He turned to Xi Siyan, looking for approval.

Xi Siyan handed Chen Mo his ID card and smiled. “Yeah.”

“Hey, don’t give it to me, don’t give it to me!” Lao Gou quickly snatched the ID card from Xi Siyan’s hand. “I already booked a room for you, but it’s a double. You wouldn’t believe the prices here—the online reviews said the service was amazing and the environment was great, but I had no idea the rates were insane. And it’s double the price during holidays! These capitalist scumbags are so damn greedy.”

Chen Mo glanced at Xi Siyan, a true capitalist, and barely held back a laugh.

He nodded in agreement. “Yeah, sounds pretty ruthless.”

The others went downstairs for dinner, but Chen Mo and Xi Siyan headed upstairs.

Just as the elevator stopped on the fifth floor, Chen Mo suddenly remembered something—he forgot to get the room key from Lao Gou.

So, he called him.

The hallway outside the elevator was carpeted, so their footsteps were silent.

While following Xi Siyan, Chen Mo spoke into the phone, “Which room are you guys in? 502, right… Wait, you didn’t give me the room card. I’ll go grab it from the front desk later. What? Two people in 502? Why didn’t you tell me earlier that you—”

Before he could finish his sentence, Xi Siyan suddenly stopped.

Chen Mo walked straight into him.

Since Xi Siyan had removed his coat upon entering the villa, he was now wearing only a white cotton sweater. When Chen Mo bumped into him, he felt the warmth radiating from his body.

Startled, Chen Mo looked up. “What’s wrong?”

Xi Siyan hesitated for two seconds before looking down at Chen Mo’s dazed expression.

Meanwhile, Lao Gou’s voice continued through the phone, loud and clear:

“Yeah, I’m sharing a room with Jiang Xu. He insists on playing games all night. Brother Mo, you’ll have to bunk with the squad leader. The suite has two single beds, and the squad leader doesn’t like men anyway. Just treat him like me. Even if you two hug in your sleep, I trust you’re both pure and innocent.”

Chen Mo’s forehead twitched.

Before he could even start cursing, a hand reached out from in front of him and took his phone away.

Xi Siyan hung up the call for him.

With his other hand, he swiped the room key, pushed open the door, and leaned lazily against the doorway.

Then, in an almost teasing tone, he asked, “Have you two ever hugged each other?”

Chen Mo rolled his eyes. “Don’t listen to his nonsense.”