That day, many people came to Shengcaotang to get a consultation with Mr. Pang.
Amid the chorus of patients exclaiming, “It hurts, it hurts!”, “Be gentle!”, and “That’s enough, don’t go on!”—many of whom were simply reacting out of psychological fear—the youngest apprentice, who was busy assisting the elderly Chinese doctor, noticed a particularly unique presence.
The patient appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen years old, dressed like a student.
He was suffering from severe traumatic rheumatic bone pain in his knees.
Mr. Pang had mentioned that after the external medicine was applied—causing a burning sensation on the skin—and the acupuncture stimulated his meridians, this young man should have the most intense reaction out of all today’s patients.
Yet, from beginning to end, his strongest response was merely clenching his fingers tightly around the armrests, his veins subtly protruding.
A fine layer of cold sweat trickled from his forehead down to his collarbone. When he turned his head, the sweat accidentally pressed against the waist and abdomen of the person standing behind him. Despite enduring the discomfort for so long, by the time he turned back, his expression had already returned to normal.
The young apprentice curiously asked his master, “Isn’t that Mr. Xi’s grandson? Why is he here?”
“He came with his classmates.”
The young apprentice had, of course, noticed that much.
What truly surprised him was that the young man seemed to have a rather good relationship with his classmate—which was quite unexpected.
After all, the apprentice had accompanied his master to the Xi family’s ancestral home several times. Every time he saw this new-generation heir of the Xi family, he was always standing behind the elderly patriarch, clad in a meticulously pressed shirt adorned with gold embroidery. He didn’t look like an ordinary high school student at all.
And he certainly didn’t seem like the kind of person who would tolerate someone else’s sweat getting on his clothes.
Yet, here was reality.
The one rubbing his sweat on someone else’s clothes remained completely oblivious.
And the one being rubbed on didn’t seem to mind in the slightest.
After the Treatment
“Are we still meeting up with Qi Lin and the others?” Chen Mo shook his damp hair, stood up, tugged at the collar of his shirt, and sniffed. “I can’t shower for now after acupuncture, but I definitely need a change of clothes.”
Xi Siyan packed up his things and walked behind him, scrolling through messages. “They’re done and heading out to eat. Let’s go.”
“Where are they going?”
“Aren’t you buying clothes first?”
“Oh, right. I’ll buy you a set too. You’re such a germaphobe—if you have to eat dinner in these clothes, I bet you won’t be able to stomach it.”
Their casual conversation gradually faded as they left the clinic.
The young apprentice thought to himself, Ah, I was wrong.
The one who rubbed his sweat on someone else did realize it.
And the one being rubbed on really was a germaphobe—just to the extent that he couldn’t tolerate it.
He didn’t witness what happened next.
Out on the dimly lit street, the so-called germaphobe glanced down at himself and said indifferently, “No need.”
Chen Mo simply assumed he was being polite.
Pretending to be composed even in this situation?
Chen Mo reached out and tugged at Xi Siyan’s sleeve. The damp fabric clung slightly to his arm. He didn’t avoid it, and the soreness in his knee was indeed pronounced, so Chen Mo simply let it slide.
Either way, Chen Mo still bought the clothes.
There was a large shopping mall near the clinic. Without hesitation, Chen Mo picked out a long, black-and-white down jacket for Xi Siyan—it was priced at 3,500 yuan. He fell in love with it at first sight and even thought the salesgirl was right when she said it looked better on him than on the store mannequin.
The knee-length coat fit him perfectly, accentuating his figure, and as he tried it on, he unintentionally drew the attention of several young men and women in the store.
Chen Mo took a good look and nodded approvingly. “Not bad. You’re going to competition training anyway, right? I heard the dorm conditions there are terrible, no heating or anything. The weather’s getting colder—this will be perfect.”
Xi Siyan took off the coat and draped it over his elbow, commenting, “It’s too expensive.”
“Expensive?” Chen Mo thought to himself, Anything you casually pull out of your closet is probably worth more than this.
But soon, Chen Mo used practical actions to demonstrate just how little he thought of the price.
Chen Mo’s shopping style could only be described as reckless extravagance.
A bit like how the nouveau riche in TV dramas throw money around.
The only difference was that he wasn’t accompanied by a curvaceous secretary, nor did he have a potbelly or a thick gold chain around his neck.
Instead, the store clerks saw a tall, slender young man with striking features—he looked like a rich young master, but not the kind who squandered money mindlessly.
He was seriously shopping.
From one shelf to the next, he swiftly amassed a mountain of clothing.
By the time he was done, he was holding over a dozen pieces.
The prices ranged from a few hundred to several thousand, even up to tens of thousands.
The styles covered everything from casual sportswear to trendy street fashion.
He even threw in two boxes of boxer briefs—one black, one gray—at checkout.
The salesgirl assisting him was grinning so widely her face nearly split in two.
Meanwhile, Xi Siyan, who had been following him silently, finally asked, “What’s this new shopping method of yours? Have you been locked up in school too long? Is this some kind of revenge spending spree?”
Chen Mo shrugged. “It’s my own money anyway.” He handed one of the bags to Xi Siyan, his tone casual but affectionate. “Think of it as a thank-you gift for all the tutoring you’ve given me. Wear it if you want.”
Xi Siyan finally accepted the bag. He glanced at Chen Mo, then nodded. “Alright. As long as the young master is happy.”
Chen Mo chuckled.
As they checked out, he leaned over and explained, “I just hate shopping. I don’t have high standards for clothes, and I don’t like online shopping either. So whenever I do go shopping, I buy in bulk.”
Most of the clothes were to be delivered straight to his school dorm by the store clerks.
After grabbing a few of the bags himself, Chen Mo went for a quick haircut before meeting up with Qi Lin and the others.
They arrived at a bustling hotpot restaurant during the dinner rush.
As soon as they walked in, laden with shopping bags, Qi Lin’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Damn, you two went shopping together?”
Chen Mo casually pulled out a chair and sat down. “Just bought some things on the way.”
Bai Cheng and the others immediately dug through his shopping bags. Someone pulled out a particularly colorful shirt and hesitated before commenting, “Uh… No offense, Master Mo, but are you actually planning to wear this?”
“What’s wrong with it?” Chen Mo nonchalantly picked up a mushroom from the broth and dropped it into his bowl.
Qi Lin turned to the man lounging across the table, still scrolling through his phone. “Old Xi, how could you allow him to have such horrendous fashion taste?”
Xi Siyan finally looked up from his screen, glanced at the shirt, and responded indifferently, “Looks fine.”
Chen Mo nodded smugly. “See? He agrees.”
Xi Siyan let out a soft hum. “Besides, it’s expensive. That one cost 8,800.”
The table went silent for a moment.
Then—
“Holy shit! That’s insane!”
“Beauty and ugliness are meaningless in the face of money. I declare this shirt to be absolutely stunning.”
“Dad, do you still need a son?”
Chen Mo looked up and grinned. “Son, your dad is rich, not stupid. Your intent to inherit my fortune is way too obvious.”
Bai Cheng held up the shirt, flipping it back and forth in his hands.
“But Brother Mo, this shirt doesn’t really suit the current season.”
Chen Mo continued fishing in the hot pot but struggled to scoop out a fish ball. After a moment, he gave up and said, “I’ll wear it for New Year’s.”
“New Year’s Day?”
Chen Mo glanced at the two meatballs that had suddenly appeared in his bowl.
While Qi Lin was still loudly pleading, “Old Xi, I want one too!”, Chen Mo glanced at Xi Siyan, who was still fishing for Qi Lin, and replied, “Well… maybe I’ll go to the southern hemisphere to sunbathe.” He paused briefly before adding, “It’s just a possibility.”
Somehow, this remark struck a chord with the group of boys, and they immediately started venting their grievances.
“Brother Mo, your hatred runs deep! Can you believe I have to go to cram school over Chinese New Year? My mom said that if my chemistry grades don’t improve by the end of the semester, I won’t have a happy New Year at all!”
“Ugh, the worst part about New Year’s is visiting relatives. I want to go sunbathing too!!”
“Every Chinese New Year, my house is packed with kids. It’s so annoying—I can’t even play games in peace.”
Amid the swirling hotpot steam, Chen Mo listened to their lively discussion about the upcoming New Year—some excited, some dreading it, some warm and cheerful, some indifferent.
He chimed in occasionally, blending seamlessly into their banter, like any other ordinary person.
But in the midst of the chatter, across the table, their seats arranged diagonally, Chen Mo locked eyes with Xi Siyan through the rising mist.
At that moment, they both understood.
Chen Mo had been to Yuhuai Village.
The Xi family had played a key role in the search during the family recognition process.
Thus, every secret he had in front of Xi Siyan—except for the one that he wasn’t actually the real seventeen-year-old Chen Mo—had already been laid bare.
There was no awkwardness, just a moment of dazed realization.
It struck him then—he couldn’t recall any memories of this person from his past life.
They had never sat so closely across from each other at a table, never shared a dorm room where their heads rested inches apart at night, never gone shopping together, and certainly never bought clothes for each other.
How had they even gotten to this point?
Chen Mo couldn’t remember the exact reason.
“Why are you staring at me?” Xi Siyan’s voice carried through the heat, his gaze sharp and unwavering. “No matter how much you look, it won’t help. If you don’t want your stomach to turn red, stop fishing things out of the broth.”
Chen Mo propped his chin on his hand and suddenly laughed.
So what if he couldn’t remember?
How long could moments like these last anyway?
Youth was fleeting, and it was rare to find a group of people you genuinely didn’t hate.
After dinner, they stepped out of the restaurant.
It was already ten o’clock at night.
Xi Siyan stood by the roadside, talking on the phone. Qi Lin and the others were debating whether to stay out or return to the dorm. Meanwhile, Chen Mo casually scrolled through his phone. Among the notifications of his spending for the day, he also saw a transfer reminder from five hours ago.
Just then, his phone buzzed with an incoming call.
An unfamiliar number.
“Hello,” Chen Mo answered.
The other end was silent.
Chen Mo wasn’t in a hurry to hang up.
After about five seconds, a voice hesitantly called out, “Xiao Mo.”
It was Li Yunru.
As if afraid he would hang up, she quickly continued, “I… I’m not calling to bother you. I just wanted to warn you—your father… no, I mean, Chen Jianli, has recently arrived in Suicheng. I’m worried he might try to cause trouble for you again, so be careful. If… if you have no other options, reach out to the Yang family. They will definitely handle it.”
Chen Mo took a few steps to the left and stopped in front of a brightly lit 24-hour convenience store.
With his hands in his pockets, he stared at his own blurred reflection in the glass door and spoke in a casual tone, almost as if he was in a good mood. “Oh? So you care about me now?”
The other end fell silent again.
Then, after a moment, she stammered, “Xiao Mo, if you don’t mind… maybe warn that boy too. He probably hasn’t encountered someone like Chen Jianli before. He might get scared.”
“No need,” Chen Mo replied. “He has bodyguards.”
“Is that so?” She let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”
Realizing her concern had been too obvious, she quickly added, “Xiao Mo, how have you been lately? I know I don’t have the right to call you, and I have no place to ask about your life, but I just…”
“You miss your son, don’t you?” Chen Mo suddenly interrupted.
The other end fell silent again.
But Chen Mo didn’t really care. He continued, “I get it. If you want to see him, just turn on your TV next Wednesday.”
Before she could respond, he ended the call.
When he turned around, he noticed Xi Siyan standing not far away, watching him.
A moment later, Xi Siyan walked over.
“Who was that?” he asked.
Chen Mo answered indifferently, “My adoptive mother, Li Yunru.”
Xi Siyan’s brows furrowed slightly. Then, as if recalling something from the phone call earlier, he suddenly asked, “The guy you chased down this afternoon… was that Chen Jianli?”
Chen Mo was briefly taken aback. “Wait—aren’t you a high school student? How the hell do you know about that?”
Xi Siyan narrowed his eyes. “You are also a high school student, and yet you had the guts to team up with reporters to manipulate public opinion?”
For the first time, Chen Mo clearly grasped just how quickly and efficiently the Xi family could gather information.
“How could I have that kind of ability?” Chen Mo laughed, his eyes curving. “Chen Jianli came looking for me, tried to blackmail me. Since you already know about it, you should also know that all I did was throw some money at a couple of second-rate gossip sites to say a few good things about me. Just a little self-preservation. After all, the Yang family cares more about their precious childhood sweetheart, Brother Yan. What choice do I have?”
Xi Siyan scrutinized his face, searching for any trace of sincerity.
But all he found was nonchalance.
Like a veil of mist—there was sincerity there, but no one could see through it to the scene beyond.
Finally, Xi Siyan said, “I told you before, she’s not a childhood sweetheart.”
“Oh,” Chen Mo dragged out the word. “How heartless.”
At that moment, Qi Lin and the others started calling for them.
Chen Mo responded, “Coming.”
He lifted his foot to walk away but was suddenly pulled back.
Xi Siyan’s voice was calm but firm. “Chen Mo, don’t mess around.”
“You’re overthinking things.” Chen Mo shook the bag of cassia seed tea he had gotten from the hotpot restaurant. “I’m just a good student—focused on self-improvement, only concerned about eating and sleeping. A seventeen-year-old minor, ranked ninth in the grade. Do you really think I’d be messing around?”
He glanced at the person in front of him.
“Oh, right.” His lips curled into a smirk. “I’m also gay. Would harassing male classmates count as reckless behavior?”
