Chapter 2 – Standing Tall: The Reborn Young Master Faces His Bullies
Chen Mo took off his jacket, slouched into the large chair in the corner of the internet café, and silently lit a cigarette.
The first inhale burned through his lungs, dragging his sluggish thoughts back into focus. He sat there for a long time, letting the smoke curl around him, before finally coming to terms with the undeniable truth: he had returned to high school.
The room was filled with the cursing voices of teenage boys, the humid smell of sweat, and the suffocating mix of cheap cigarettes, instant noodles, and stale snacks. It was the sticky, stifling atmosphere of summer, clinging to everything and everyone.
A vibration pulled his attention back to his phone.
A message had arrived.
[Big Brother]: Where are you?
Chen Mo didn’t bother to reply.
Two minutes later, another message came in.
[Big Brother]: Uncle Li, the driver, said he didn’t pick you up after school. Are you trying to make trouble because our parents are unhappy about dropping the lawsuit? You want to kick Shule out of the Yang family? That’s impossible. Let me give you some advice: stop stirring up trouble.
Another two minutes passed.
[Big Brother]: Reply. Don’t tell me you don’t even know how to use a phone.
The tone was growing sharper, patience clearly running thin.
At just twenty-five years old, Yang Zhi, Chen Mo’s eldest brother, had already been recognized as the heir to the Yang family fortune.
The Yang family’s wealth and power were largely due to Yang Qi’an, their father, who had wrested control of the family business from his four siblings. But his rise to power wasn’t just due to skill—it was also because he had married Zhou Yaoqun, the second daughter of the equally influential Zhou family. Their marriage had always been a business transaction, a fragile alliance held together by mutual interests rather than affection.
By the time Chen Mo and Yang Shule were born, their parents’ relationship was already on the verge of collapse.
Because of this, the elders of both the Yang and Zhou families doted on Yang Shule, showering her with love and attention.
Yang Zhi, eight years older than Chen Mo, had been raised to be a serious and old-fashioned man. But he genuinely adored his younger sister and had protected her fiercely over the years.
Chen Mo, on the other hand, was different.
He had appeared out of nowhere, a stranger to the Yang family, with no emotional ties to them. The only connection he felt was a vague sense of guilt and obligation.
They had given him everything: the best high school, the best classes, unlimited pocket money.
And yet, they didn’t understand why he was still dissatisfied.
Chen Mo’s thoughts drifted to the message Yang Zhi had sent.
The incident had started when the Yang family accidentally leaked news of their search for their biological son. The public revelation caused fluctuations in the company’s stock price. Around the same time, Yang Shule had fallen ill for over half a month, leaving their parents deeply worried. In the end, they decided to withdraw the lawsuit against Li Yunru, Chen Mo’s adoptive mother, and issued a public clarification: the child had been misplaced at the hospital due to a nurse’s error. There had been no deliberate child swap.
The Yang family even went so far as to paint Chen Mo as a “rural inspirational role model” in their clarification statement.
He was ambitious and sensible.
Though poor, his family was harmonious.
His parents had worked tirelessly to support his education, and he was grateful to them.
His background meant nothing more to him than having an additional “home.”
In his previous life, this public statement had enraged Chen Mo.
He had caused a massive uproar within the Yang family, insisting that if they wanted to withdraw the lawsuit, Yang Shule must leave the Yang family.
It wasn’t just a demand—it was his way of retaliating against Li Yunru’s cowardice and selfishness.
By then, Chen Mo had already realized that Li Yunru didn’t love him. Not even a little. He wasn’t even worthy of the scraps of maternal affection she had left over.
But somehow, the news of his demand for Yang Shule to leave the family had spread to the school.
That was why Li Rui and his gang had cornered him in the internet café.
And how had the Yang family responded? They believed he was acting out of jealousy and resentment. Even Yang Zhi had sent him messages to reprimand him.
How ironic.
Two lifetimes later, the memory still felt bitterly absurd.
And yet, the details were clear. Chen Mo remembered that he had been running a high fever when Li Rui and his gang dragged him into the internet café. After he fainted, it wasn’t his family who came to his rescue—it was the café owner who sent him to the hospital.
Not a single member of the Yang family had asked where he was that night.
The next morning, when Chen Mo returned home, he found Yang Shule feverish and clutching a suitcase, preparing to leave the Yang family.
Yang Qi’an and Zhou Yaoqun, their parents, were distraught. They pulled Yang Shule aside, pleading with her:
“Where are you going? You’re so sick. You can’t leave. You’re not allowed to go.”
Yang Zhi had taken the suitcase from her hands, shooting Chen Mo a meaningful look as he said, “Shule, this is your home. No one has the right to make you leave.”
The driver and the servants gathered around, whispering among themselves.
“Why should Xiaole move out? She’s everyone’s favorite.”
“Exactly. So what if he’s the biological son? The moment he came back, he started bullying her.”
“He even wanted to send his foster mother to jail. How ungrateful!”
“Growing up in the countryside, it’s no wonder he’s so cruel.”
Yang Shule, standing at the center of it all, looked pitiful and aggrieved. She turned to Chen Mo, her voice trembling.
“I’ll move out, Chen Mo. But can you stop upsetting our parents and being so harsh on my brother in the future?”
At that moment, something inside Chen Mo snapped.
“Move out? Fine.” He sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “But make sure you remember to love your real parents while you’re at it.”
Did she move out?
Of course not.
Instead, that day marked the moment Chen Mo fully understood his place in the family.
If he couldn’t keep up with the fast-paced academics of his prestigious urban high school, he would study harder.
If he wanted something, he would fight tooth and nail to claim it—even if it was something that should have been his in the first place.
The anger and resentment burning in his chest had no outlet, so he channeled it into his relentless drive for success. That fire grew stronger and stronger, until it consumed him entirely, leaving nothing but ashes in its wake.
By the time Chen Mo turned 28, he was a man feared and hated by many. He had power, wealth, and confidence—but his body was riddled with scars from the battles he had fought.
His stomach problems were so severe they bordered on cancer.
Chronic respiratory infections left him feverish more often than not.
His knees, damaged from years of abuse, ached unbearably during rainy weather, even after surgery.
One of his doctors, a longtime acquaintance, had slammed his medical records on the table and snapped, “If you don’t quit smoking and drinking, you’ll be dead in no time!”
Chen Mo had only laughed. “No need to worry. I’ll make sure no one has to collect my body.”
“You’re insane!”
“You knew that from the start, didn’t you?”
Not long after, Chen Mo met his end.
The Yang family’s longtime rival, a middle-aged businessman who had been ruined by their scheming, cornered him with a dozen men in an unfinished building.
The man’s eyes burned with hatred. “Yang Zhi is ruthless, but you? You’re even worse. You destroyed me! Everything that’s happening to you now—you deserve it. Your whole family deserves it!”
Leaning against the edge of the fourth floor, Chen Mo had remained eerily calm. There was no surprise, no fear. Only resignation.
“I don’t deny it,” he had said. “I worked with Yang Zhi to bring you down. Who doesn’t love money?”
“But you’re wrong about one thing.” He smiled faintly.
“My last name is Chen.”
“If you think killing me will hurt the Yang family, you’re mistaken.”
Chen Mo never knew if anyone came to collect his body.
But he figured someone probably did. After all, within ten days or so, someone would have noticed his absence. The Yang family, for the sake of their reputation, wouldn’t skimp on funeral expenses.
Would they?
Yang Zhi didn’t send any more messages. Instead, his name lit up the phone screen as he called directly.
Chen Mo let the phone ring, ignoring it as he tapped the ash from his cigarette onto the armrest of the chair.
The fever was getting worse.
His limbs ached, his head throbbed, and his thoughts felt heavy, as though they were swimming through molasses. The dizziness made it hard to focus, but the noise from the boys playing games nearby filled the silence.
“Go around! Go around!”
“Fuck! Dead again. Restart!”
As they waited for the next game to load, their conversation shifted.
“Did you check the group chat? I think Li Rui and his gang blocked someone at this internet café today.”
“Who’d they block?”
“Chen Mo from the experimental class.”
“Oh, you mean that guy? Isn’t he in your class, Lao Gou? Must be one of those model students.”
The boy called Lao Gou, who happened to be sitting next to Chen Mo, cursed, “Get lost.”
“C’mon, spill the tea. What’s the deal with him? There’s been a lot of gossip about him and that Yang Shule girl from your class. I’m curious.”
“I don’t know him well,” Gou Yiyang replied dismissively. “If you’re so interested in gossip, why don’t you go to the market and buy some melons? Three yuan for two kilograms. Eat your fill.”
The group burst into laughter.
Another boy chimed in, “I heard his family paid for everything. You know how it is—backward counties and their education methods. All their so-called top students are just nerds who are good at rote memorization.”
Chen Mo, bored and half-distracted by their chatter, asked casually, “What does a nerd look like?”
The sudden voice startled Gou Yiyang. He turned to see who had spoken, and his first thought was: Who is this guy? He looks kind of familiar…
Two seconds later, recognition hit him, and with it came a wave of awkwardness. Oh, shit. That’s Chen Mo.
There’s nothing worse than being caught talking about someone behind their back.
“Lao Gou, who’s that?” someone asked, oblivious.
Gou Yiyang coughed twice, leaned back in his chair, and awkwardly introduced him. “Chen Mo. My classmate.”
The group fell silent.
The boy sitting casually next to Gou, with his legs crossed and a tired look in his eyes, didn’t match the image of the “nerdy top student” they’d been gossiping about. His school uniform hung loosely on his frame, and his face was faintly pale, but the cigarette in his hand and the faint smirk on his lips made him look more like a delinquent than a bookworm.
Even Gou Yiyang was thrown off. He hadn’t interacted much with Chen Mo since he transferred to the experimental class over a month ago. His only impression of him was from the self-introduction Chen Mo had given on his first day.
Chen Mo hadn’t been as ostentatious as people had expected. He wasn’t smug about being the Yang family’s biological son, nor did he carry the arrogance of someone who had clawed his way to the top. Instead, his cold, distant eyes gave the impression that he was someone who was hard to approach.
So when Chen Mo suddenly spoke, Gou’s first instinct was to assume trouble was brewing. Trying to smooth things over, he said, “Don’t mind them. They didn’t mean anything by it.”
Chen Mo raised an eyebrow and replied, “Do I look like the kind of person who’d make a fuss about it?”
Caught off guard, Gou hesitated, then shrugged. “If you’ve got a problem, take it out on me.”
Chen Mo studied him for a moment before suddenly laughing. “Forget it.”
Chen Mo’s mood shifted as he looked at Gou Yiyang. In his previous life, Gou had become a doctor, someone Chen Mo had grown close to after college. But seeing him now, young and full of awkward energy, was strange. Chen Mo realized he couldn’t even remember what Gou had been like in high school.
Before he could think further, a shout came from the front door.
“Lai Tuzi is here!”
“Fuck!”
“Run! Run!”
The internet café erupted into chaos.
Chen Mo looked toward the door just as someone grabbed his arm and yanked him up.
“Brother,” Gou said urgently, “let’s put our grudges aside for now. Saving our asses is more important.”
Chen Mo moved to grab his coat as Gou dragged him toward the back door. “Are you seriously that scared of him?” he asked.
“Are you not?” Gou shot him a look that said, You must be crazy. “That’s Lai Xianfu, the head of the senior class! If he catches us in an internet café, especially you and me from the experimental class, we won’t see the sun tomorrow.”
Chen Mo allowed himself to be pulled along, his fever making him too dizzy to argue. They ran out the back door with a group of boys, spilling into the dark alley behind the café.
The backstreets were dimly lit, with only a few scattered shops casting weak yellow light. The air smelled of damp concrete and rotting garbage. Stray cats, startled by the commotion, darted out from behind trash bins.
Chen Mo leaned against a wall, clutching his coat as his heart raced unnaturally fast. The fever had soaked his back with cold sweat, and the cool night air sent a chill deep into his bones.
Someone leaned over, hands on their knees, panting. “Did Lai Baldy follow us?”
“Doesn’t look like it.”
“Man, I didn’t even get to play today. What a shitty night.”
“Wanna grab some barbecue?”
The group turned to Chen Mo.
Despite the earlier gossip, they didn’t seem hostile. Unlike Li Rui’s gang, these boys were just ordinary classmates. There was no real grudge between them—just idle curiosity and rumors.
Chen Mo shook his head, his voice hoarse as he said, “You guys go ahead.”
Gou Yiyang, who was watching him closely, frowned. “You don’t look good. I noticed it back in the café—are you okay?”
The others turned to look at him, their curiosity now mixed with concern.
Chen Mo, used to dealing with the adult Gou, responded instinctively, “I won’t die.”
Before anyone could reply, Chen Mo’s phone buzzed again. Another message from Yang Zhi.
[Yang Zhi]: Do you even know what time it is? Chen Mo, no matter how unhappy you are, there has to be a limit.
Chen Mo stared at the message, feeling a flicker of disbelief. Had Yang Zhi sent this many messages in his previous life?
He typed a quick reply.
[Chen Mo]: Care about me?
The reply must have disgusted Yang Zhi into silence because no further messages came. Satisfied, Chen Mo typed one more line before shutting off his phone.
[Chen Mo]: Please don’t disturb me while I’m enjoying my retirement.
Shoving the phone into his pocket, Chen Mo reached for his cigarettes, only to remember he’d left his lighter in the internet café. With a sigh, he gave up and looked up—only to realize the group of boys hadn’t left.
“Aren’t you going for barbecue?” he asked. Then, on a whim, he added, “I’ll treat.”
The boys exchanged glances, clearly surprised.
“Treat us?”
“No need, man.”
“Yeah, that’s too much.”
Chen Mo smirked faintly. “Let’s go. I’ve got too much money and nowhere to spend it.”
The group burst into harmless jeers. “Mr. Mo is so generous!”
“Rich kid energy!”
“Guess you’re not as cold as you look.”
As they laughed, Chen Mo stood, only to feel a wave of dizziness wash over him. He swayed slightly, and Gou grabbed his wrist, alarmed.
“Fuck! You’re burning up! Your temperature’s way too high.”
Chen Mo steadied himself, meeting Gou’s concerned gaze. “Relax. I’m not dying yet.”
“You’re insane.”
Chen Mo chuckled softly, but Gou looked unamused. “Shut up. What’s so funny?”
Unable to find a taxi nearby, Gou called someone to pick them up. Ten minutes later, a sleek car slid into the alley. The rear door opened, and a long leg stepped out.
The boys immediately recognized the newcomer.
“Brother Yan, over here!”
“Squad leader, you’re fast!”
“Damn, showing up in a Maybach? Are you trying to scare Lai Baldy off with your car?”
The man, tall and broad-shouldered, wore a cap that shadowed his sharp features. His dark eyes swept over the group as he asked in a deep, calm voice, “Where’s the person from our class who’s so sick he can’t walk?”
Chen Mo, still leaning against the wall, cursed softly under his breath when he saw who it was.
The squad leader of the experimental class.
The top student of the grade.
And Yang Shule’s childhood sweetheart—the boy she had liked for years.
Chen Mo closed his eyes briefly. Damn it, Gou. You really screwed me over.
