After the Reborn Young Master Embraced a Life of Wellness – Chapter 34

In the not-so-long period that followed, although life at No. 1 Middle School seemed monotonous day after day, countless new things happened every day.

For example, a student got into a premature relationship and had their parents called in.

Or someone who didn’t return home last night was dragged into the corridor early in the morning by Director Lai, shivering from the cold.

Chen Mo’s life hadn’t changed much, but it was also a little different.

That difference was more of a self-awareness. He could clearly sense the subtle shifts brought by the outside world’s changing perception of him. If his high school life in his previous life could be divided into two parts, the first half was filled with the brutality and ferocity of fists, and the latter half, after being recognized by the Yang family, was endless depression and dullness.

Chen Mo had never explained his lifestyle or attitude toward life to anyone.

It was the same in the past, and it remained the same now.

Yet, just because of a short documentary, he was passively recognized, analyzed, mocked, and envied by others.

Even though he had never experienced this before, he was no longer the person who struggled to cope with the vast class differences and the completely different teaching environment. He could handle everything he encountered with ease, digesting every gaze and evaluation directed at him. Good or bad, he accepted them all.

“Here, your milk tea.”

A cup of pearl milk tea, with distinct pearls at the bottom, was placed on Chen Mo’s desk.

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow as he picked it up.

The moderate warmth relieved his hands, which had gone stiff from the cold. He glanced at Sun Xiaoya and asked, “So generous today?”

“I treated everyone.” Sun Xiaoya pointed at the milk tea on every desk in the classroom, then turned back to Chen Mo and added, “But yours is the only hot one among the boys. Doesn’t your stomach act up in the cold? Just warm your hands with it, don’t drink it.”

Chen Mo leaned back in his chair, imitating the others in the class, and grinned. “Thank you, Sister Ya.”

“Don’t smile at me like that.” Sun Xiaoya immediately stopped him, rolling her eyes. “I may have been bewitched by you at my cousin’s engagement, but I’m still pissed that you scored just one point lower than me on this exam.”

Qi Lin and his gang entered the classroom after playing basketball.

The atmosphere instantly became lively.

Hearing this, Qi Lin fearlessly threw an arm around Sun Xiaoya’s shoulder and said, “No offense, Sister Ya, but without Old Xi here and Xue Ping, the eternal runner-up, gone, you finally had a shot at first place. Just be happy about it. If our Brother Mo had gotten one more question right, you wouldn’t have had this luck. Be grateful.”

Before he could finish, Sun Xiaoya punched him in the stomach.

The girl glared at him and snapped, “Go to hell.”

Chen Mo laughed so hard his shoulders shook.

“You’re laughing when I was helping you?” Qi Lin clutched his stomach and sat down in Xi Siyan’s seat, tilting his head as he asked, “But seriously, how did you do it?”

Chen Mo pressed the warm milk tea against his face and asked casually, “Do what?”

“Second place.” Qi Lin picked up the test paper on his desk, staring at the increasingly exaggerated scores. “Are you cheating? Old Xi is great at tutoring, but he’s barely been here this month. Don’t tell me you didn’t just not fall behind, but actually climbed up?”

Qi Lin’s tone was full of disbelief.

Especially when he saw the math score. Previously considered Chen Mo’s weak subject, he had now scored a perfect 150 after switching to a new teacher. If not, Fu Ling wouldn’t have kept urging him to try for the math competition.

Qi Lin pointed at the math test paper and demanded, “Is this something a normal person can do?”

“I never said I was normal.” Chen Mo replied seriously. “You can just think of me as a ghost. I studied finance in my past life, and advanced mathematics was my strong suit. Do you think I can’t handle high school math?”

“Damn.” Qi Lin rubbed his arms. “Your jokes are always so dry.”

Chen Mo handed him the milk tea. “Here, drink this.”

“Thanks.” Qi Lin took a sip through the straw and immediately complained, “Why do Sun Xiaoya and the girls always buy this stuff? It’s not sweet at all and tastes terrible.”

Then, as if remembering something, he asked mysteriously, “Brother Mo, what do girls generally like?”

“You’re asking me?”

Chen Mo was momentarily stunned.

Then he quickly recalled the girl Qi Lin had been flirting with online and asked, “Are you in love?”

“Hush.” Qi Lin smiled, looking both bashful and smug. “Keep it a secret. No one in the class knows yet.” He hesitated for a moment before admitting, “But my girlfriend… she’s different from other girls.”

Chen Mo asked, “Different how?”

Qi Lin scratched the back of his head, looking puzzled. “She doesn’t seem to like flowers, cosmetics, or this milk tea in my hand. You said most girls are into those things, but every time I bring them up, she doesn’t seem interested. So I don’t know what to talk about.”

Asking Chen Mo about this was definitely the wrong move.

Not only was his sexual orientation well-known, but even in his past life, despite working in an industry where he interacted with countless women, he never truly understood what went on in their minds.

Chen Mo could only give a reluctant suggestion, “Why don’t you ask Brother Yan?”

“He can’t be bothered with me.” Qi Lin slumped onto the desk. “Their training camp exams are over, but the next round is coming up right after. He hasn’t been replying to my messages lately. I bet he’s really busy.”

“Busy…?”

Chen Mo lowered his head and pulled out his phone from his desk, which he hadn’t handed in.

Looking at the chat history, the last message was from last night.

It had started simply.

During his monthly exam review, Chen Mo had encountered a difficult problem.

Subconsciously, he had sent it to Xi Siyan.

The other side responded quickly, sending a photo of handwritten solution steps.

Scrolling up, their chat history from the past week showed a consistent pattern.

Chen Mo would ask a question.

Xi Siyan would answer.

Afterward, Chen Mo would politely ask, “Are you busy? Is the competition hard? Are you still awake?”

And Xi Siyan’s replies were always brief: Not busy. It’s okay. Hmm.

Very concise.

But he always responded.

Chen Mo guessed that he was indeed very busy and often cut their conversations short. Now was definitely not the right time to tease Qi Lin—he’d probably get ignored.

So he just offered some advice instead. “You should meet up. Hobbies are hard to gauge through online chat. Besides, we’re in high school—don’t get too invested. If things don’t work out in person, it’s better to end it early.”

“Don’t jinx me.” Qi Lin grimaced. “It’s definitely going to work out. My girlfriend is not one of those unreliable types. She even told me to study hard and that we shouldn’t meet for now.”

Chen Mo couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

He remembered Qi Lin mentioning that his girlfriend was also from the local area, but he wasn’t sure if she had already graduated high school.

But seeing Qi Lin so love-struck, Chen Mo decided not to say anything.

Over the past month, aside from Chen Mo’s growing popularity, another notable event occurred—one that made waves across No. 1 Middle School.

Yang Shule.

Compared to Chen Mo, whose popularity had been uncovered like a hidden gem, Yang Shule was actively promoted. Within a single month, he had received multiple interviews and photo shoots.

His image was presented in a polished, official manner.

The headlines were full of grandeur: “One of the Top Ten High School Figures – A Closer Look at the Life of a Future Piano Prodigy” and “City’s Future Star – Discover His Study Methods.”

Seventeen years old.

A wealthy family background, exceptional grades, outstanding looks, and remarkable piano talent.

Overnight, the name Yang Shule became the talk of high school students across the city. Everything about him seemed perfect and dazzling.

Everywhere he went at school, he finally appeared as the center of attention.

The Yang family played their role flawlessly in this crafted image.

After all, this positive portrayal was beneficial to their public standing. There wasn’t a single mention of his past, and online, the baby-swapping scandal had seemingly vanished into thin air.

Until New Year’s Day arrived.

Suicheng experienced a few days of cold drizzle, and by the afternoon of the holiday, a layer of snow fell, light as powdered salt.

The school gates were bustling with students, some hurrying home, others waiting for someone.

It wasn’t even 5:30 PM, yet the sky was already dim, hinting at nightfall. The headlights of taxis lined up with passengers, illuminating the frosty street.

“Brother Mo, why aren’t you leaving yet?” A classmate nudged him at the door.

Chen Mo shoved his hands into his pockets and answered lazily, “You guys go ahead. I’ll stick around for a bit.”

“Where are you off to?”

Chen Mo chuckled. “The school bully is waiting for someone. What? Want to tag along?”

“No, no, no.” His friend waved dismissively, stepping into a taxi. “Just call me if you need backup.”

Chen Mo watched as the car disappeared. He then adjusted his backpack strap and headed toward a nearby street.

This area used to be a snack street.

But due to the cold weather, all the street vendors had packed up. Only two small shops remained open, their owners dozing off beside warm stoves.

Chen Mo walked to the end of the alley, checked the time, and leaned against the wall.

Within ten minutes, voices echoed from around the corner.

“Where’s the money?”

“I don’t have it.”

“Didn’t bring it?!”

A loud slap.

A voice filled with anger and resentment spat through clenched teeth: “You bastard! The Yang family cheated me, and now you’re following their lead? Didn’t you come to me on your own? You promised me—regular payments as long as I didn’t cause trouble for them!”

The young man’s tone was sharp and full of rage.

“You really think the Yang family cares about me that much? If it weren’t for my current reputation, that beloved son of yours would’ve stepped over me long ago!”

A chilling sneer followed.

“That’s because you’re useless.”

Chen Jianli grabbed Yang Shule by the hair.

Unlike Chen Mo, who had thin arms and was a skilled fighter, Yang Shule had no such strengths.

Chen Jianli had fallen for Chen Mo’s deception and had stormed into the Yang Group’s offices demanding money. The Yang family had promised him two million but then shamelessly denied it later. That same night, he finally found Chen Mo’s whereabouts, but fate played a cruel joke—his wife got into a car accident on the way.

With no other option, he kept harassing the Yang family for money.

Yang Shule was burning with rage.

Lately, Chen Jianli had been a constant thorn in his side. His father’s business had hit roadblocks, his mother was growing increasingly suspicious, convinced that her husband was having an affair. The family atmosphere was already strained.

Especially after his older brother, Yang Zhi, learned about this situation. Since then, Yang Shule felt like their relationship had grown colder.

He couldn’t let Chen Jianli continue causing trouble.

If this persisted, the Yang family might really send him back to that poor mountain village one day.

Before, he never believed that could happen.

But lately, the thought haunted him.

Luckily, the documentary project had come at the perfect time.

His father’s attitude had softened, and his mother had started treating him gently again. Even Yang Zhi, though cold, wasn’t completely indifferent.

Everything was finally falling into place.

Except for one problem—Chen Jianli.

Chen Jianli released his grip on Yang Shule’s hair and patted his face mockingly.

“I’ll give you two more days. If you don’t pay up, don’t blame me for getting nasty.”

“I never even knew you before!” Yang Shule gritted his teeth. “Chen Mo is your real son!”

Chen Jianli let out a chilling laugh.

“Then blame your biological mother.”

“Blame her for swapping you at birth and not covering it up well.”

“Or blame your adoptive parents—why did they have to go looking for their real son when everything was perfectly fine?”

His voice was laced with mockery.

Humming a tune, Chen Jianli stuffed the few crumpled bills he had stolen from Yang Shule’s pocket into his wallet and staggered off into the darkness.

And then—Chen Mo stood up.

His shadow loomed over the dim alley as he stepped closer.

Yang Shule, still crouched in the corner with a bruised forehead and a swollen lip, looked up and froze.

He stared at Chen Mo, as if seeing a ghost.

Chen Mo stopped in front of him.

“Why are you here?!” Yang Shule’s eyes were wide with shock.

Chen Mo gazed down at him and answered calmly, “I just wanted to see how it feels to be at the top.”

Yang Shule clearly didn’t understand why Chen Mo had shown up at this moment.

But Chen Mo didn’t care if he understood.

The same person who once sneered at him, saying “Chen Mo, I won’t compete with you. My pride won’t allow it.”

That same person was now nothing more than a lapdog, desperately clinging to the Yang family, driven by greed and fear.

To the public, Yang Shule was glamorous and admired.

But in the shadows, he was groveling at the feet of a lowlife like Chen Jianli, trying to buy his peace.

Even though Yang Shule didn’t fully understand what Chen Mo was implying, he could tell from his expression that something was off.

His face twisted in anger. “Is it you? Did you set all this up?”

“I don’t have that kind of power.”

Snowflakes continued to fall, landing on Chen Mo’s shoulders before sliding off, leaving only a few traces of moisture behind.

He wasn’t afraid to let Yang Shule know what he had done.

All he did was make sure Chen Jianli found the Yang family.

And—he had collected evidence of Yang Qi’an’s possible infidelity and sent it directly to Zhou Yaoqing.

Chen Mo looked at Yang Shule and said, “Don’t you get it? The Yang family was the one who made you and Chen Jianli recognize each other as father and son. And the reason Chen Jianli is clinging to you now is simple—you’re no longer valuable enough for the Yang family to protect.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“I just enjoy watching how ugly the truth becomes once the masks are torn off.”

“And I must say, it didn’t disappoint.”

Now, the situation had flipped.

Standing there as an outsider, watching this all unfold, Chen Mo found it almost amusing.

The validation he had once desperately sought in his past life—now, seeing Yang Shule being dragged into the same kind of nightmare he had once endured, Chen Mo finally understood.

Only when you truly break free can you see the situation for what it really is.

And honestly—it was too cold outside.

No matter how entertaining the show was, Chen Mo had no interest in staying to watch the rest.

He turned to leave.

“Stop!” Yang Shule’s voice rang out behind him.

Chen Mo paused, glancing back. “What?”

Yang Shule’s fists clenched. “I won’t lose, Chen Mo.”

Chen Mo smiled faintly. “Then do your best.”

Then, he stepped out of the alley and returned to the main road.

Just as he did, his phone rang.

“Hello.”

A familiar voice on the other end: “Where are you?”

Chen Mo had a feeling about who it was.

He lifted his gaze and scanned his surroundings.

Finally, his eyes landed across the street—on a man standing beside a car, dressed in the down jacket Chen Mo had bought and holding a black umbrella.

Through the cold winter air, Xi Siyan looked up, meeting Chen Mo’s gaze.

Then, he said, “I see you.”