After the Reborn Young Master Embraced a Life of Wellness – Chapter 36

Chen Mo walked in naturally, tossing his shoulder bag onto the bed near the window.

No wonder Lao Gou had complained about the prices—the room was well-equipped, neatly arranged, and carried a faint, luxurious fragrance. The view from the window was excellent, offering a clear sight of the snowy landscape outside.

Behind him, Xi Siyan entered and asked, “Are you hungry?”

Chen Mo, still admiring the view, turned back. “What about you?”

Xi Siyan tossed his room card onto the bedside table, turned on the air conditioner, and adjusted the temperature. “I’m fine. It depends on you. If you’re not hungry, we can freshen up first and then meet up with the others for dinner. If you are, just order room service and eat something simple.”

It was already late.

Chen Mo was feeling lazy and didn’t want to go out. “Let’s order room service. I’ll handle it. What do you want?”

“Up to you.”

Without hesitation, Chen Mo picked up the phone and placed an order.

During that time, Xi Siyan went to take a shower.

Left alone, Chen Mo casually unzipped his bag. Aside from a few books and papers, there was nothing much inside.

Just then, the phone on the bed vibrated.

At first, Chen Mo ignored it, assuming it wasn’t urgent. However, the vibration stopped, only to start again two seconds later.

He hesitated, then called out, “Xi Siyan.”

No response—only the sound of running water from the bathroom.

With no other choice, Chen Mo got up, picked up the phone, and saw the caller ID: “Mr. Jiang.”

Walking to the bathroom, he knocked on the door. “Xi Siyan, your phone keeps ringing. Do you want me to bring it to you?”

The water shut off. “Who’s calling?”

Chen Mo glanced at the screen. “Mr. Jiang.”

“That’s my mom. Pick it up and tell her it’s inconvenient for me right now.”

Since it was an elder, Chen Mo felt uncomfortable answering directly. “Open the door. I’ll hold the phone, and you can talk through it.”

A faint chuckle came from inside. “Chen Mo, I’m still naked.”

“I have no interest in seeing anything.”

Through the frosted glass, Chen Mo could see the vague outline of a figure. After some rustling inside, there was a click, and the door opened slightly—just one-third of the way.

A wave of steam escaped.

Inside, Xi Siyan was reaching for a bath towel from a nearby hook. His forearm muscles tensed slightly, and the veins on his arm were faintly visible as he swiftly wrapped the towel around himself.

“Alright, hand it over.”

Chen Mo pressed the answer button, switched to speakerphone, and reached the phone inside the door.

A woman’s voice came through clearly.

Jiang Jing: “What took you so long to answer? I’ve been calling.”

Xi Siyan: “Taking a shower.”

“Are you done?”

“No.” Xi Siyan cut the pleasantries short. “What’s the matter?”

Jiang Jing was used to his bluntness and got straight to the point. “The Yang family has been approaching your father repeatedly about the Beichuan project. Normally, I don’t interfere in his business matters, but yesterday, Aunt Yang came to see me. She asked if you and Shu Le had any conflicts lately.”

Xi Siyan’s tone was calm, as if discussing the weather. “Since they failed to pressure my father through business, they’re trying a different approach. Didn’t you realize that?”

“Do you have to be so blunt?”

Jiang Jing sighed. “Adult matters should be handled in an adult way. You’ve known each other since childhood—are you really planning to cut ties completely?”

By now, Xi Siyan had already dressed.

He fully opened the bathroom door, took the phone from Chen Mo’s hand, and walked out.

Right then, the doorbell rang—room service had arrived.

Xi Siyan gestured toward the door. “Go open it. I’ll handle this.”

Chen Mo stepped away to answer the door while Xi Siyan continued his conversation. “The only reason we interacted as kids was because of our families. Now that he has no bottom line in what he does, there’s no need for further contact. It’s true that the Yang family’s great-grandmother almost died saving you when you fell into the water, but that favor has nothing to do with him.”

Jiang Jing was momentarily surprised. “Are you saying something else?”

Meanwhile, at the door, Chen Mo was discussing the menu with the waiter.

The resort offered a free dessert, and the waiter asked if Chen Mo could sample it and give his opinion.

Over the phone, Jiang Jing suddenly sharpened her tone. “What’s that noise in the background?”

“A classmate.” Xi Siyan glanced over.

He saw Chen Mo casually filling out an evaluation form, completely unbothered by their earlier conversation.

The sight was amusing.

Looking away, Xi Siyan said to his mother, “Next time someone asks, just say I get along well with the Yang family’s son.”

Jiang Jing: “That’s nonsense. Not only did you kick him out of your cycling club, but I heard you played a role in forcing him out of the experimental class. Back then, I could tell you disliked him tagging along, but you never took it this far.”

Xi Siyan: “It’s not nonsense. The Yang family didn’t treat the son they found like family, but at least he still holds the title of their son.”

Before Jiang Jing could respond, Xi Siyan simply said “Goodnight” and hung up.

Chen Mo returned with the food.

“Finished arguing?”

Xi Siyan tossed his phone onto the bed. “Yeah.”

“Then let’s eat?” Chen Mo raised the tray in his hands.

There was no dining table, only a coffee table.

Xi Siyan sat on the sofa, not caring about his still wet hair, while Chen Mo plopped onto the carpet after tossing a pillow down.

Xi Siyan glanced at him and warned, “The floor is cold.”

“Just for a while. No big deal.”

—

The earlier conversation was now over, but Chen Mo was still thinking about it.

He knew some details about the Xi and Yang families’ long-standing relationship, thanks to old family stories. But after hearing Xi Siyan’s words, it became clearer—this was a relationship built on manipulation and mutual exploitation.

In his previous life, he hadn’t fully grasped it.

Even when he later held a senior position in the business world, he had never dealt with any business related to the Xi family—except for one project, the last one before his death.

At that time, news of Xi Siyan’s return to China was everywhere.

Despite Chen Mo’s team working tirelessly for half a month to compete for that project, he wasn’t confident about winning.

At that moment, Chen Mo was hit with a sudden curiosity. He looked at Xi Siyan and asked, “If you become a big boss in the future, and I don’t do well after graduation, would you open a back door for me if I wanted to intern at your company?”

“Come here,” Xi Siyan said.

Chen Mo picked up a leafy green from his plate, stuffed it into his mouth, and shot him an unimpressed look. “No.”

“Why?” Xi Siyan asked, his tone calm.

Chen Mo chewed slowly before replying, “The fact that you agreed so casually proves that your company isn’t that great.”

Xi Siyan: “…”

—

The two of them finished their simple dinner.

By then, Lao Gou and the others had returned from eating at the restaurant outside.

Since it was already late, everyone just came in one by one, exchanged greetings, made plans for a walk the next day, and then went back to their rooms to rest.

—

After showering, Chen Mo lay on his bed, lazily playing with his phone.

On the other side, Xi Siyan was going back and forth cleaning, even though the room was already spotless.

Watching this, Chen Mo finally put down his phone and spoke up, “If the manager of this resort knew that the boss himself came in and started inspecting hygiene like some quality control officer, he’d probably be too nervous to sleep tonight.”

Xi Siyan tied up a trash bag, placed it near the door, and finally sat down on the bed. “I’m not used to eating in the room. I always feel like the smell lingers.”

Chen Mo was puzzled, “Then how do you survive in the dorm?”

After all, Qi Lin and the others were always eating instant noodles, stinky tofu, and snail rice noodles in their dorm.

Xi Siyan looked at him and said matter-of-factly, “Limited conditions.”

Chen Mo: “…Forget it.”

He tossed his phone aside and turned off the lights, deciding to sleep before Xi Siyan decided he was a walking germ and kicked him out.

—

The mountain nights were quiet.

Even though Bingyuan Town was lively during winter, with ski resorts at the top of the mountain lit up in the distance, it was silent at this late hour.

Chen Mo had no idea what time he fell asleep.

Then, he had a dream.

—

Inside the Dream:

He was back in high school, but he couldn’t tell if it was his second or third year.

It was winter.

He still couldn’t get used to Suicheng’s cold, damp winters.

There was no heating in the classroom, and after sitting all day, his legs would hurt so much that standing up became difficult.

After school, it was raining outside.

Most students had already left, only a few still packing up slowly.

Chen Mo thought about staying a bit longer to wait out the rain, but then he got a message.

It was from the family driver, urging him to leave because Yang Shule was in a hurry to get home.

Outside the classroom, voices drifted in from the corridor.

“Old Xi, you’re not leaving yet?”

Someone replied, “You guys go first. I still have to go to Lao Xiang’s office.”

“Alright, see you tomorrow!”

Chen Mo was annoyed.

He muted his phone and ignored it.

He just sat there, unmoving.

Until someone suddenly stood next to his desk.

A voice asked, “Not leaving?”

Chen Mo turned his head and looked at the person, expressionless.

The other person didn’t seem to mind his cold attitude and casually glanced down. “Leg pain?”

“No.”

Chen Mo stood up, slung his schoolbag over his shoulder.

His knee twitched in pain, but he only paused briefly, then walked out as if nothing had happened.

As he left, a thought nagged at him.

Who was that just now?

Oh.

It was Xi Siyan—Yang Shule’s childhood friend.

In the dream, Chen Mo found his own reaction strange.

There was a voice in his heart, whispering:

“Aren’t we quite familiar with each other now? Why did I act like that?”

He almost turned back, but when he did, the classroom was already empty.

Nobody familiar was there anymore.

—

Chen Mo Wakes Up:

Suddenly, Chen Mo’s eyes fluttered open.

He blinked a few times, dazed, trying to remember where he was.

Then he felt something off.

The room was dimly lit by a bedside lamp.

Someone was sitting on his bed.

“Awake?” Xi Siyan’s voice asked.

Chen Mo propped himself up on his elbows.

He was shocked to realize that his knees were resting on Xi Siyan’s legs.

And in Xi Siyan’s hand was a towel, which he was pressing gently against Chen Mo’s knee. The warmth from it was soothing the pain he hadn’t even been fully aware of.

“What’s going on?” Chen Mo asked, confused.

Xi Siyan glanced at him and explained, “You were tossing and turning in your sleep, then you curled up and hugged your knees. I figured you weren’t used to the cold here.

Old Pang mentioned that hot compresses help with circulation and relieve pain, so I did it for you.”

Chen Mo stared at him, speechless.

He awkwardly shifted backward and muttered, “Thanks… but you really don’t have to. My acupuncture treatments already fixed most of it.”

But just as Chen Mo tried to pull away, Xi Siyan’s palm pressed firmly on his knee, holding it in place.

His voice was calm but firm.

“Don’t move.”