After the Reborn Young Master Embraced a Life of Wellness – Chapter 67

“You… what?” Xi Siyan paused, caught off guard. The already tense air around them seemed to grow heavier.

For some reason, Chen Mo’s heartbeat skipped a beat. He looked up, his expression sincere.
“I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten properly since this morning. Are you free to join me? My treat.”

The strange atmosphere evaporated in an instant.

Xi Siyan glanced down at Chen Mo, whose hands were hidden under his coat, pressing against his stomach. A frown formed between his brows.

He made two calls—one to order food, and another to get a doctor to come check on Chen Mo. But Chen Mo stopped him. Once he confirmed it wasn’t anything serious, Xi Siyan simply took him away from Huanshang headquarters.

The driver was Xi Siyan’s current chauffeur.

Old Lin had retired two years ago, and the one at the wheel now was Xiao Lin—his nephew, and a newcomer to the job.

Xiao Lin was a spirited young man. When he saw his boss leaving with someone in tow, he instinctively perked up. The two of them—one walking ahead calmly and confidently, the other modest and composed—looked strikingly compatible. Even as they left Huanshang, they attracted curious glances from bystanders.

“Mr. Xi,” Xiao Lin asked once they were both seated in the car, “Where to next?”

“Juxiangzhai,” Xi Siyan replied.

“What kind of place is that?” Chen Mo asked from beside him.

Before Xi Siyan could respond, Xiao Lin answered eagerly,
“It’s a really famous private dining restaurant in Suicheng. My uncle used to say that Mrs. Xi loved the food there back in the day. She even had their chefs prepare customized meals at home.”

The place only served regular members. Most people had never even heard of it.

When Xiao Lin first started the job, Old Lin had told him clearly: Mr. Xi values his privacy more than anything. That’s why he couldn’t help being curious—who was this man his boss was personally taking to such an exclusive place?

But glancing in the rearview mirror, it didn’t look like anything special was going on.

The two men sat on opposite sides. His boss had been on an urgent phone call since getting in the car, dealing with work. And the man beside him didn’t try to interrupt or probe into the details like the usual bootlickers. Instead, he turned to chat with him, the driver.

“My surname’s Chen,” the man said with a warm, refined smile. “I’m from Xinrui Technology.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Chen,” Xiao Lin nodded politely.

Two seconds later, Xiao Lin suddenly turned his head, eyes wide in disbelief.
“Xinrui Technology? Wait—your surname is Chen? Mr. Chen, don’t tell me… are you the Chen Mo who created the R2D concept?!”

Chen Mo smiled faintly.
“Am I that famous?”

“Are you kidding? More than famous!” Xiao Lin muttered, still reeling from the realization.

Smart tech had always been a hot topic among younger generations.

But R2D wasn’t just a concept—it had real potential to bring tangible benefits to everyday life.

Xiao Lin looked at him with admiration, genuinely impressed.
“Someone like you is definitely destined for great things, Mr. Chen.”

Chen Mo chuckled.
“I’ll take that as a good omen. Thanks.”

If fate gave him another chance to come back, it would already be a blessing. But whether or not he’d live long enough to enjoy it… that was another matter entirely.

Just then, a motorcycle suddenly swerved in from the front—without slowing down.

Xiao Lin slammed on the brakes in a panic.

Bang!

The seatbelt yanked Chen Mo forward abruptly, then snapped him back into his seat.

Still shaken, Xiao Lin quickly looked behind him.
“Mr. Xi, Mr. Chen, I’m so sorry! Are you—”

His apology halted mid-sentence when he caught sight of the scene behind him.

The phone call was long forgotten.

Xi Siyan, who’d just been answering emails calmly a moment ago, now had one hand braced on the back of the passenger seat, and the other arm wrapped tightly around Chen Mo, shielding him. His palm cupped the back of Chen Mo’s head, tucking it protectively against his shoulder.

His reaction had been lightning-fast, his expression icy.

“What happened?” he barked, voice sharp and low.

Xiao Lin stammered, but before he could respond, the man in Xi Siyan’s arms stirred.

Chen Mo’s face was flushed red from the jolt, his breathing a little uneven from being caught off guard.

He spoke up first.
“I saw the motorcycle—it cut in without following traffic rules.”

Xi Siyan scanned his shoulder, frowning again.
“You really didn’t hit anything?”

“Really, I’m fine,” Chen Mo reassured him, motioning for him to let go.

Then he turned to Xiao Lin.
“Let’s get someone to check it out. I saw the motorcycle crash into the flower bed. Let’s go see what happened.”

The motorcyclist was a burly man with no shirt under a black jacket. It was already October, and his exposed shoulder bore a large, messy tattoo.

By now, he had gotten up and was supporting the bike, face twisted with anger.

Passersby began gathering around.

With help, the motorcycle was lifted upright again. The moment the man heard someone approaching, he yelled without even turning around,
“How the hell do you drive?! Are you blind?!”

Seeing that he was uninjured, Chen Mo calmly stepped forward.
“If you could see clearly, why did you cut in?”

“Heh.” The shirtless man sneered. Noticing how well-dressed and polite Chen Mo looked, he instantly grew bolder.
“So what if you drive a luxury car? You hit someone and still act all high and mighty. Pay up! If you don’t compensate me today, this isn’t over!”

Chen Mo was starving.

Really starving.

The gnawing hunger was starting to fray his nerves. Faced with such an unreasonable thug, his expression instantly turned cold.

He was just about to step forward when someone pulled him back from behind.

The burly man, who had been so cocky just a second ago, watched as another man stepped out from behind the one he thought he could intimidate.

He wasn’t muscular or physically imposing.

He was also different from the gentlemanly air Chen Mo gave off.

There was a sharp, almost commanding look in the newcomer’s eyes as he glanced at the motorcyclist.

“I’ve already called the police. You’ll be compensated fairly according to the report,” he said. His tone wasn’t harsh, but it carried a weight that made the other man instinctively back down.

Photos were taken, statements recorded, and responsibilities clarified.

They were stuck at the scene for nearly half an hour.

Once back in the car, Xiao Lin muttered from the driver’s seat, “That guy totally thought you were easy to bully, Mr. Chen. Even when the police got there, he kept insisting you were the one who cut in, and your attitude was ‘terrible.’”

Chen Mo looked genuinely curious.
“Do I really look like I have a good temper?”

“Well… kind of,” Xiao Lin nodded seriously. “You’re gentle and well-mannered. You give off that scholarly vibe, like someone who’s spent years in academia. It’s hard to describe, but yeah.”

Chen Mo was caught off guard for a second—then burst out laughing.

“If Mr. Xi hadn’t stepped in, you might’ve seen me and that guy at the police station.”

“Huh? Why?” Xiao Lin asked, confused.

“Because of the fight.”

But it wasn’t Chen Mo who said that.

It was Xi Siyan.

He glanced sideways at Chen Mo, who happened to be looking over as well, and said calmly,
“We’re almost there.”

“No rush. I’m already past the point of hunger.” Chen Mo smiled faintly.

Xiao Lin, sitting awkwardly in the front, couldn’t help but feel like he’d accidentally stepped into something he shouldn’t be part of.

After all, who would’ve guessed that this calm, elegant man was once known as the “school tyrant” for two straight years? It was hard to reconcile that image with the Chen Mo in front of him now—accomplished, poised, successful.

Even more so, because from Chen Mo’s perspective, there was a version of himself from the past that even Xi Siyan didn’t know.

Back then, the word “good temper” had nothing to do with him.

He and Xi Siyan had only ever been surface-level acquaintances.

The most “memorable” interaction they’d had was second-hand gossip from Lao Gou, saying he once got drunk and acted like a lunatic in front of Xi Siyan—and that was about it.

There was no reason the two of them should be sharing a car right now.

Five years had passed like a blank page. They had each become their own person—independent, mature. That they could now sit calmly together in the same space… Chen Mo didn’t know what Xi Siyan was thinking, but to him, this was simply the basic decency adults should extend to one another.

Even just an hour ago…

In that office at Huanshang, his heart had been skipping beats from the emotional storm stirred up by seeing him again after so long.

And when the accident happened…

The moment Xi Siyan stood in front of him without hesitation, Chen Mo was shaken.

He couldn’t pretend to be as indifferent and unaffected as he wanted to believe he was.

But he also knew that Xi Siyan—now CEO of CM—had just returned to China. His calendar was probably packed, and the elite tech team he led was already preparing for the next phase of development. When people mentioned Xi Siyan now, they rarely brought up his background. And in Chen Mo’s current social circle, hardly anyone even knew about his past or family origins.

They had both moved on. The path ahead was broader, brighter.

There was no point dwelling on whether this emotional tug was nostalgia—or just the sting of something left unresolved.

By 6:00 PM, the city lights flickered on.

Juxiangzhai was tucked away in an old alley downtown, hard to find if you didn’t know where to look. The stone path leading to its entrance was laid with aged blue slabs, and red lanterns hung under the eaves. From the outside, it didn’t even look like a restaurant.

The owner was a man in his forties, with a warm and friendly demeanor.

When he saw Xi Siyan walk in, he blinked in surprise.
“You’ve changed a lot in just a few years! When did you get back?”

“Just two days ago,” Xi Siyan replied as he walked in.

He gave the man a brief introduction. When it came to Chen Mo, he simply said they were old classmates.

The owner gave Chen Mo a once-over and smiled meaningfully.

Chen Mo was puzzled.
“What’s with that look?”

The man raised his chin toward Xi Siyan and said,
“It must be you. Back in the summer before his second year of high school, this guy called me several times asking how to make soup—real detailed stuff. I thought he was planning to become a chef or something. Turns out it was because someone he knew had a weak stomach.” He added with a teasing grin, “When I saw the stomach-care meal order come in today, I wondered if it was for the same person. Handsome guy, too.”

That little joke didn’t stop Chen Mo from looking stunned.

That summer… that summer vacation.

There were times that summer when they would stay at that house during the day, doing their own things out of sheer boredom. Chen Mo had tasted the soup Xi Siyan made, eaten the dishes he cooked. Back then, he thought he was just following some recipe—he never imagined there was a story behind it.

All those tiny details came rushing back now, one after another, crowding into his mind during this short afternoon spent with Xi Siyan.

Which might explain why, when the server brought out a set of standard appetizers, Chen Mo, without hesitation, picked the smashed cucumber dish from among the foie gras and smoked salmon.

He just wanted something—anything—to fill his empty stomach.

Before he could take a bite, the plate was suddenly moved away.

By Xi Siyan.

Chen Mo paused mid-air with his chopsticks, staring at him in mild disbelief.

Xi Siyan frowned and said,
“You’ve got a sensitive stomach and you go straight for cold food? You talk about health and wellness, but have you been having stomach issues all these years?”

Chen Mo: “…”

It had been a long time since anyone had dared to stop him from doing something so directly.

At work, he was treated like a boss. At school, he was mostly around juniors. People came to him for advice—he was used to being the mentor. To suddenly be schooled like this… it felt just like back then, the year someone had scolded him for smoking and drinking strong tea.

Chen Mo chuckled and rubbed his forehead.

Xi Siyan didn’t say much more. He just pushed over a bowl of corn soup that had just arrived.

“Don’t rush if you’re starving. Warm your stomach with some soup first.”

His tone was calm and even. After watching Chen Mo drink two sips, he frowned again.
“You really aren’t planning to get checked out?”

“Really,” Chen Mo replied, head down. “The company offers free health checks every six months. I visited Lao Gou two months ago and had a few extra things looked at while I was there. Nothing serious.”

Of course, Chen Mo left a lot out.

Like how his workaholic lifestyle and irregular meals often triggered stomach problems. How his leg acted up whenever the seasons changed. How, when anxiety kicked in, he sometimes needed sleeping pills just to fall asleep.

All small things.

And honestly, no one with a basic sense of boundaries would spill all that to an ex-boyfriend who’d just returned to the country. He wasn’t crazy.

Even though Chen Mo hadn’t said everything, judging from Xi Siyan’s look, it was clear he knew. Knew that he hadn’t said the whole truth. After all, this was the former golden boy of No. 1 High—his brain worked differently than most.

Chen Mo casually asked about his company, what he’d been doing abroad these past years, and why he’d decided to return to China.

Their conversation was… normal. Too normal.

Like they were just catching up. Polite, interested. Like old classmates meeting again after years apart. If they hadn’t had history, Chen Mo might’ve really believed they were nothing more than acquaintances.

Sometimes, when life moved forward too fast, it made him question whether the past had even been real.

They ate slowly, unhurried, under Xi Siyan’s watchful eye. The meal wasn’t even halfway done.

Chen Mo never expected what would happen next.

The two of them ended up on local social media news.

“Drive carefully. Be responsible—for yourself and for society.”

That was the slogan posted by the local police department’s official Weibo account, a standard public safety post.

The clip showed a fierce-looking tattooed man breaking down in tears once he learned he’d have to cough up a hefty compensation payment.

But what the police didn’t expect…

Was that a video which usually got barely a hundred views blew up completely.

The comment section exploded.

【Damn, that’s a top-tier luxury car. That tattooed guy thought he was tough, but in the end, justice still got him.】
【Wait wait wait—did no one else see those two handsome guys in the background??】
【I spotted them right away and took a screenshot.】
【Okay, I don’t know if I should say this, but I’m pretty sure I know who they are. Go look up CM Group and the breakthrough tech that’s been all over the news these past couple years. You’ll be shocked. Not much info out there though, so tread lightly.】
【Thanks for the rabbit hole. Also: is this the standard for bosses these days?】
【Am I the only one who noticed the way they leaned in and whispered to each other in the background? That vibe was not platonic.】
【Fujoshis are wild.】
【Y’all see a little skinship and call it gay. Calm down.】
【No way, they went to the same high school as me. They’re just old classmates, okay?】

At that exact moment, Chen Mo was sitting in the restaurant, feeling like he’d just been smacked in the face with a frying pan.

He turned to Xi Siyan and asked,
“Who’s the last commenter?”

Then his phone started blowing up.

Lao Gou: “???”

Qi Lin: “…”

Sun Xiaoya: “……………”

Jiang Xu: “You two??”

…

All these people he hadn’t talked to in forever suddenly came out of the woodwork—everyone asking the same thing:

Holy shit. You two got back together?!