After the Reborn Young Master Embraced a Life of Wellness – Chapter 66

Chen Mo was awakened early the next morning by the ringing of his phone.

Under the thin, dark quilt, his slightly furrowed brows showed his irritation at having his sweet dream interrupted.

After struggling to open his eyes and get up, the first thing he did was sit on the bed and stare blankly. This was a habit he had formed long ago—clearing his mind helped his overworked brain relax as much as possible.

But today, it was difficult to calm down.

Because he quickly remembered what had happened with Xi Siyan last night. The suit Xi Siyan had promised to send him was now hanging neatly on the standing rack by his bedroom window.

The phone’s notification tone kept ringing.

Chen Mo reached over and retrieved his charging phone from the bedside table.

It was a message from Lao Gou, someone he hadn’t been in touch with for a while.

After all these years, he was still struggling through the grueling process of earning both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in medicine. Three months ago, he started his internship at the city’s First Affiliated Hospital. His daily schedule was so packed that he barely had time to pester Chen Mo anymore.

His first voice message was:

“Mr. Chen! Did you hear that Xi Siyan has returned to China?”

Then, he sent a bunch of screenshots.

They were all from their old high school alumni group chat.

Chen Mo skimmed through them and saw that the discussion had started because one of their former classmates had been on the same flight back to China as Xi Siyan. Several people had been around him at the time, and the person who took the photo had shaky hands, so only a blurry silhouette was captured. That classmate had posted it in the group, asking if it was really him.

Then, many alumni who had gone abroad for university chimed in:

“It should be. You’re incredibly lucky.”

“He and I went to the same university, but I’ve only seen him a few times.”

“There are indeed rumors that CM is entering the domestic market. It won’t be long before there are official announcements and large-scale reports.”

“Does CM still need people? I can clean toilets!”

“Where did he land? I’ve always heard legends about him. When can I see him in person?”

The last two images were different.

They weren’t group chat messages but rather posts from domestic gossip and marketing accounts.

One of them told a story about a rising actress in the entertainment industry who had offended a powerful figure and was about to be blacklisted.

Chen Mo sent a “?” to Lao Gou.

Lao Gou immediately replied with another long string of voice messages.

“You must be wondering why I sent you these meaningless posts from shady media outlets. Because, according to the latest news I’ve received, the person this gossip account is talking about is Xi Siyan!”

Chen Mo was speechless for a moment. “He just arrived yesterday. Are you sure?”

“One hundred percent!” Lao Gou was probably still free before his ward rounds began, so he spoke rapidly, without hesitation. “You’ve heard of the six degrees of separation theory, right? Don’t ask how I know—it’s just the truth. This is real, and it’s not fake at all. And get this, many people are saying that the reason this little actress offended him was because she spread rumors that he’s gay! Whoa, are you surprised?”

Chen Mo covered his forehead, still groggy, and replied without much enthusiasm, “You woke me up early in the morning just for this?”

“Aren’t you mad?” Lao Gou asked before suddenly realizing something. “Wait… you already knew he came back yesterday?”

Chen Mo leaned back on the bed, puzzled. “Why would that be strange?”

“You still can’t let it go, huh?” Lao Gou sighed. “Mr. Chen, you’re leading a big team now and pioneering an emerging field. You know better than anyone that the past is the past. I mean, it’s a bit unfair to say this about our old class monitor, but he’s clearly trying to avoid any gay-related gossip. Given his current wealth and status, maybe he really never intended to acknowledge your past together.”

“Tsk.” Chen Mo was irritated. “I wouldn’t acknowledge it in front of my colleagues either. Why should he? I finally got two days off—can you just let me sleep?”

Having said that, Chen Mo lay back down, still holding his phone, as memories of last night resurfaced in his mind.

Was Xi Siyan really avoiding the topic?

Chen Mo couldn’t help but feel a little suspicious.

On the other end, Lao Gou grumbled about his own situation. “At least you get time off. You have no idea how miserable life is for a med student like me.”

“I’ll treat you to a meal during the holidays,” Chen Mo offered.

“Deal. When you’re free, invite Jiang Xu and the others too. We haven’t had a proper gathering since graduating college.”

Chen Mo agreed.

Over the years, everyone had gone their separate ways.

Most of the people he had been closest to in the past had left Suicheng, and those who remained could be counted on one hand. Occasionally getting together to catch up had become a rare but treasured routine in Chen Mo’s life.

They always jokingly called him “Mr. Chen.”

As if nothing had changed from their school days—still noisy, still pure, still full of youthful energy. It was one of the few times in the adult world when he could truly relax.

After that, Chen Mo fell asleep again.

By the time he woke up, it was already half-past ten in the morning.

He got up and made himself some food.

Although Chen Mo had endured a rough childhood, his cooking skills had always been terrible. He could only manage to cook food that was just edible—but at least not lethal.

Chen Mo was sitting at the dining table, using his knife and fork to pick out the tomatoes from his plate, when he received an urgent call from Lao K.

“Come with me to Huanshang,” Lao K urged.

Chen Mo slowly swallowed the food in his mouth. “Why are we going to Huanshang at this time?”

“Just pack up first. I’ll be downstairs soon. We’ll talk on the way.”

Ten minutes later.

After changing his clothes, Chen Mo went downstairs and, as expected, saw Lao K’s car parked outside.

Instinctively, he reached for the passenger door, only to find Yuan Hao sitting there, holding a thick stack of documents.

The moment Yuan Hao saw him, he almost looked like he was about to cry. “Boss, I’m so sorry for disturbing your vacation. Huanshang is undergoing a major overhaul and has requested all companies involved in the project to resubmit their PPTs for reevaluation. I already submitted ours, but they questioned whether Phase II of our project could meet the market share requirements in the contract due to unclear details in the report. I’m really sorry, it’s my fault for being incompetent.”

Without a word, Chen Mo walked to the back door, opened it, and got in.

He reached out toward Yuan Hao. “Give me the documents.”

At the same time, Lao K started the car. “Actually, the main reason we’re going to Huanshang today is for the project briefing. Yuan Hao is a nervous wreck under pressure. Since you’ve been leading the second phase, I figured it’d be safer if you attended.”

“I see,” Chen Mo said as he flipped through the documents on his lap. He didn’t seem surprised. “We’re not the only newcomers attending, are we?”

“Every company we’re collaborating with will be there,” Lao K replied with a smirk. “That’s why I said Yuan Hao still lacks experience. He got spooked over a rejected PPT. Huanshang is making a big deal out of this because CM wants to show a stance on their investment. Our contract is already signed; nothing will change.”

Yuan Hao turned around and asked, “Boss, is that true?”

Chen Mo glanced at him and nodded. “Most likely.”

Yuan Hao, now distracted from his nerves, suddenly became chatty. “Isn’t CM’s boss the guy we met last night? Even though he’s your old classmate, I think he’s kinda intimidating.”

Chen Mo’s tone was indifferent. “Business doesn’t care about old classmates. In this industry, we’re just Party A and Party B.” He closed the document and looked out the window. “Besides, this is an internal meeting at Huanshang. The boss of CM might not even show up.”

However, as soon as they stepped into Huanshang’s office building, Chen Mo’s words were immediately proven wrong.

Right at the elevator, they ran into Xi Siyan, who was standing alongside Huanshang’s boss, Song Yao, and a group of executives.

Nowadays, Xi Siyan always dressed in formal attire, his presence exuding an intimidating aura even among a crowd of people.

When their eyes met, both of them froze for a brief moment.

Chen Mo spoke first. “Mr. Xi, Mr. Song.”

Song Yao nodded. “Mr. Chen, you guys are quite early.”

“Not as early as Mr. Song,” Lao K responded smoothly on behalf of Chen Mo, engaging in small talk with Huanshang’s boss.

Soon, the elevator arrived.

Chen Mo noticed that Xi Siyan, who had remained silent throughout, hesitated slightly before stepping in last. But since everyone was waiting, Chen Mo entered first.

With three people from their side and another seven or eight from Huanshang, the elevator became quite cramped.

To avoid accidentally touching Song Yao’s female secretary, Chen Mo turned sideways in an awkward position. Just as he was struggling to find a stable stance, someone grabbed him from behind.

“Don’t move, just stand still.”

It was Xi Siyan.

He pulled Chen Mo in front of him, causing the others to instinctively make room, ensuring that Chen Mo’s arm only lightly pressed against his body while still having enough space to stand comfortably.

Chen Mo looked up at him and said, “Thanks.”

The elevator wasn’t exactly quiet—Lao K was keeping the conversation lively with his networking skills.

As a result, no one noticed the subtle interaction between the two.

2:00 PM

Huanshang’s conference room was packed.

Xi Siyan didn’t sit at the main seat but instead took a chair to the side. Throughout the meeting, he only provided a few key suggestions and refrained from making any major decisions.

When it was their turn, Yuan Hao took the lead, presenting the PPT with a detailed explanation of the second phase of the R2D project. He spoke clearly about the technical aspects and concept but froze when it came to the market analysis. In a panic, he looked at Chen Mo for help.

Chen Mo gave him a reassuring look, then stood up and took over. “Yuan Hao is one of the promising young talents in our technical department, deeply committed to research. As for the market strategy, I’ll explain that part. The second phase of R2D was developed after half a year of in-depth assessment of common medical conditions based on Phase I data… In the future, our focus will be on…”

Chen Mo never stepped onto the stage.

Instead, he guided the presentation with a laser pointer in his hand, seamlessly transitioning between slides.

His composed and confident demeanor wasn’t something that could be developed overnight. His words carried a natural persuasiveness that made people instinctively follow his line of thought.

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

Just then, a representative from another equipment company collaborating with Huanshang suddenly spoke up. “Your new ideas and concepts are indeed impressive. However, from what I understand, Chuanxing Technology’s smart project for the latter half of the year is quite similar to your research direction, and they seem to be ahead of you in progress.”

Chen Mo immediately thought of Chuanxing’s executive, Richie Ren.

He didn’t know much about him, except that Ren had returned to China three years ago and had since taken over as acting vice president of Chuanxing. He had poached a team of industry-leading technical experts and branded himself as the sole pioneer in the field. In reality, he was notorious for stealing research results and launching similar products ahead of competitors through underhanded tactics.

Every time Chen Mo had gone up against him, he had been ruthless.

Yet, despite his shady reputation, Richie Ren always seemed to have powerful backing, allowing him to continue his antics unchecked.

Chen Mo was about to respond to the question when—

Tap. Tap.

Two gentle tapping sounds interrupted him.

Everyone turned their heads and saw Xi Siyan lightly tapping his tablet with the back of his hand. Under their gazes, he spoke in a calm and unhurried tone:

“This isn’t the first or second time Chuanxing Technology’s products have had reported issues. Neither Huanshang nor CM will collaborate with such a company in any capacity. Mr. Chen’s report just now was excellent—I’m looking forward to seeing Xinrui’s Phase II press conference soon.”

Sitting next to Chen Mo, Lao K clenched his fists in excitement.

Yuan Hao, who had just returned to his seat, shot Chen Mo a look full of admiration, his eyes practically sparkling.

Chen Mo found it amusing. He reached out and pressed Yuan Hao’s head down, silently telling him to sit properly.

But just as he made the motion, he suddenly sensed a gaze fixed on him.

Following the feeling, he turned his head—

And met Xi Siyan’s eyes.

There was an inexplicable chill in them.

However, Xi Siyan quickly looked away, making Chen Mo wonder if he had imagined it.

The meeting lasted until 5 p.m.

Chen Mo had only eaten a light vegetable salad all day. By now, hunger gnawed at his stomach, the dull ache making him frown.

The moment the meeting was declared over, he stood up without hesitation.

The attendees exited the room one by one.

Yuan Hao walked beside Chen Mo, still excited. “Boss, it’s all thanks to you today. You have no idea how nervous I was—I was sweating bullets standing up there! But the moment you started talking, all my nerves disappeared.”

“It’ll get easier with practice,” Chen Mo replied, casually draping his coat over his arm and pressing lightly against his stomach.

Just as he was about to step out the door, someone called out to him.

“Mr. Chen, please stay.”

Chen Mo turned and saw that it was Xi Siyan’s assistant.

The assistant bowed slightly and handed over a business card. “My boss would like to discuss some project details with you. May I ask if you have time?”

Chen Mo took the business card and glanced at it.

It was indeed from Xi Siyan.

The sleek black card bore the letters CM in gold, with Xi Siyan’s title printed succinctly beneath.

Lao K and Yuan Hao came over.

“Boss, President Xi is looking for you?”

“About the project? Could there be an issue?”

Chen Mo actually wanted to tell the assistant he didn’t have time—right now, all he wanted was to grab a meal.

But seeing Lao K’s slightly concerned expression, he sighed inwardly and relented. “It shouldn’t be anything major. You guys go ahead, I’ll contact you if anything comes up.” Then he turned to the assistant. “Lead the way.”

The office he was taken to was separate from the main workspace.

It seemed unused—empty and hastily arranged for this meeting.

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

He stood just inside, his gaze falling on the man with his back turned.

Xi Siyan had removed his coat. His black dress shirt was tucked neatly into his trousers, accentuating his tall, well-proportioned figure.

Hearing the noise, he turned around. “You’re here.”

“How could I not come?” Chen Mo’s gaze swept over him casually, his tone relaxed. “Party A’s requests are as good as divine mandates, after all.”

Xi Siyan chuckled. He picked up one of the two glasses of water prepared on the table and walked toward him.

“Where are your colleagues?” he asked.

“They left.”

“Even your little apprentice?”

Chen Mo was slightly surprised that he even cared about such a trivial matter. “Yeah, he left too.”

Xi Siyan stood in front of him, looking at him steadily. His voice was calm but carried a subtle weight. “You’re really good to him, always bringing him along everywhere.”

Chen Mo reached out for the glass. “Then you’re mistaken—I don’t bring him when I eat, sleep, or go to the restroom.”

But Xi Siyan dodged his hand, refusing to let him take it. Instead, he raised the glass slightly. “Drink some. Your lips are a little dry.”

The atmosphere shifted.

Chen Mo felt something was off.

He reached out again, only to be denied once more.

His gaze landed on the rim of the cup in front of him. He had no idea how things had ended up like this. Left with no choice, he leaned forward and took a few sips.

Xi Siyan wasn’t in a hurry.

Chen Mo, however, wasn’t used to the situation. Distracted, he choked slightly.

Water slipped past his lips, soaking into the fabric of his shirt.

He covered his mouth with his hand and coughed, not bothering to wipe the spilled water.

Xi Siyan, however, reached out, gently pushing his hand away to check.

Frowning, he took a napkin and started wiping for him.

The skin on the back of his hand brushed against Chen Mo’s chin.

Chen Mo stiffened.

His eyes—slightly reddened from coughing—lifted to meet Xi Siyan’s.

Xi Siyan didn’t seem to notice. He continued wiping, fingertips grazing the corner of Chen Mo’s lips.

Then, subconsciously, he pressed down with the pad of his thumb.

A faint trace of blood beaded where he had rubbed too hard.

His gaze darkened.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

The air in the room grew thin and heavy.

Then, Chen Mo coughed again, breaking the tension.

As Xi Siyan’s hand moved toward his lips once more, Chen Mo caught his wrist, exhaling lightly.

“Xi Siyan, I’m hungry.”