After the Reborn Young Master Embraced a Life of Wellness – Chapter 39

A week after returning to Suicheng from Bingyuan Town, Xi Siyan moved back into the dormitory, and everything returned to normal.

The first half of the second year of high school had entered its final review phase. In a place like the experimental class, the intense academic atmosphere became more apparent by the day.

Chen Mo had now become a focal point for many subject teachers.

They were worried that his careless attitude might cause him to fail miserably in the final exams, dropping him back to the bottom of the rankings. As a result, he became a frequent visitor to the teacher’s office, often getting called in for additional guidance.

Near the end of the semester.

“Brother Mo, you again?” Several students from the neighboring class, who were often dragged into the office for scolding, couldn’t help but tease him.

Chen Mo leaned on the desk of his homeroom teacher, Xiang Shenglong, and nodded. “Yeah, fate keeps bringing us together. This is already the third time this week.”

“Damn it,” one of the boys from the next class took advantage of the fact that no one else was in the office and complained with a laugh, “This time, it’s really not our fault. Those punks from the rival school started it first.”

Unfortunately, Chen Mo wasn’t particularly interested in the ongoing feud between schools. He simply responded perfunctorily, “Yeah, definitely not your fault.”

But perhaps because of his reputation as the former school bully, the others were eager to discuss the matter with him.

“Actually, this whole thing started because of Li Rui.”

“After getting beaten up by you last time, Brother Mo, and sent home for ‘re-education,’ you’d think he would’ve learned his lesson. But nope, this time, he started trouble supposedly for Yang Shule from our school, and we got dragged into it for nothing.”

“Who told Yang Shule to be so popular lately? Some guys from the rival school can’t stand him.”

“Li Rui must be out of his mind, standing up for Yang Shule. But honestly, that guy doesn’t even care about him. With the path he’s taking now, it’s only a matter of time before he gets a recommendation for university.”

Chen Mo hadn’t heard anything about Yang Shule in a long time.

After leaving the Yang family and no longer being in the same class, if he didn’t deliberately keep tabs on him, he would almost forget his existence.

As for Li Rui—

Perhaps out of fear from their last confrontation, Chen Mo had barely seen him since then.

He hadn’t expected these two to actually get involved with each other, and now, people were talking about them.

Chen Mo wasn’t particularly interested in hearing more details.

Two days before the final exams, gossip about the two spread like wildfire.

That morning, after finishing the math exam, Chen Mo and his group were eating in the cafeteria.

Not far away, diagonally across from them, people noticed that the so-called “future star” of No. 1 Middle School—who had recently gained widespread popularity through excessive publicity—was actually having lunch with the former school bully, who had left in disgrace.

This was like setting off a bomb in a beehive.

Many students turned their heads, sneaking glances at them.

From the outside, the “future star” truly lived up to his title. He spoke to Li Rui from time to time, his expression calm and composed, showing no discomfort at all.

But in reality, Yang Shule had been forcing himself to stay composed.

He knew Li Rui had a thing for him, and he was quite happy to see Li Rui targeting Chen Mo.

Who would have thought that Li Rui was so useless? Chen Mo easily turned the situation around, and now, not only was he surrounded by people, but he also had a much better reputation among the teachers.

This only made Yang Shule feel even more desperate.

So, he fully cooperated with all the promotional efforts, shaping his image as a young prodigy. Next month, he would even be performing at the largest cultural exchange center in Suicheng. On the surface, he was still leading a glamorous life.

If only Chen Jianli weren’t constantly asking him for money.

And if only those thugs from the rival school hadn’t caused him trouble last week.

Otherwise, he would have continued believing that he was far superior to Chen Mo.

It was precisely because of this recent incident that he and Li Rui were now enduring so many curious stares in the cafeteria.

“Thank you again,” Yang Shule expressed his gratitude once more. “If it weren’t for you last time, I might’ve been in serious trouble.”

Li Rui’s face turned red with excitement.

He never expected Yang Shule to actually accept his invitation, especially now that he was so popular.

Quickly, he waved his hands, “You don’t have to keep thanking me. I’m really happy to be able to help you.”

Yang Shule lowered his eyelashes slightly, revealing a hint of disappointment.

As expected, Li Rui anxiously asked, “What’s wrong? Are those guys still bothering you?”

“Not really,” Yang Shule poked at his food as if he had lost his appetite and smiled bitterly. “As you know, my family background is complicated. Lately, my biological father has been showing up, and I don’t dare to tell my adoptive parents.”

Li Rui frowned. “Your biological father?”

“Yeah,” Yang Shule hesitated, as if he had difficulty speaking. “He… he’s actually just a rural thug, a gambler, and a drunkard. He keeps pressuring me to ask my adoptive parents for money.”

Li Rui suddenly felt a great sense of responsibility.

Just imagining someone like that constantly harassing Yang Shule—who had always lived a comfortable life—made him feel both furious and heartbroken.

Li Rui immediately reassured him, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of this for you.”

“You’ll take care of it?” Yang Shule hesitated, looking embarrassed. “But we’re just students. He’s an adult…”

Li Rui was full of confidence. “Don’t worry about that. I know people. I won’t let him bother you again.”

Yang Shule’s eyes were filled with gratitude. “Thank you. You know, the school used to say bad things about you, but I think they misunderstood you. Also, about my second brother—oh, my second brother is Chen Mo—do you…”

“He is not worthy of being compared to you,” Li Rui interrupted bluntly. The moment he thought about how Chen Mo and Xi Siyan had ruined his reputation, while Chen Mo’s own reputation was only improving, he felt nothing but hostility and disgust. “He just used some cheap tricks to get close to Xi Siyan. They’re working together. Don’t think too highly of him and keep calling him ‘second brother.’ If you’re not careful, he’ll cause you trouble in the future.”

When Li Rui mentioned Xi Siyan, a dark glint flashed through Yang Shule’s eyes.

But he concealed it well. Ever since Chen Mo returned, it had been a long time since he met someone as easy to manipulate as Li Rui, which made him feel relieved and pleased.

So, he smiled but still showed a trace of disappointment. “Chen Mo and Si Yan are really close now. He must have his own strengths.”

“What strengths?” Li Rui refused to acknowledge it. With a hint of flattery, he mocked and belittled Chen Mo, “He just wants to come between you and Si Yan. He can’t stand to see you doing well. He wants to steal everything that belongs to you.”

“No way, right?”

“Shule, you’re just too kind.”

Chen Mo, of course, was not fortunate enough to witness this self-scripted and self-acted performance.

If he had been there to hear it in person, he would have gained an even deeper appreciation for Yang Shule’s ability to manipulate people—and might have even applauded his impressive acting skills.

Chen Mo ate his lunch slowly, taking his time.

In the end, he was stuck debating over the last two ribs on his plate—eating them would make him too full, but leaving them felt wasteful.

He hesitated.

Until someone reached over from across the table, took his plate away, and stacked it with their own, acting as if they hadn’t seen anything.

Chen Mo looked up. “…There’s still some left.”

“I know. If I were two seconds later, you would’ve already stuffed them into your mouth.” Xi Siyan gave him a glance and reminded him, “If you don’t want a stomachache and end up unable to eat, stop forcing yourself. You have an exam this afternoon.”

Qi Lin couldn’t bear to watch anymore.

With a look of contempt, he said, “Old Xi, do you realize you sound like a strict parent who doesn’t even let his kid eat enough?”

The “strict parent” remained calm as he took the tray away.

The rest of the group also got up from their seats and started leaving the cafeteria.

Just as they were walking out, there was a loud clang.

Heads turned.

Xi Siyan, who had been walking in front, had stopped.

The tray in his hand had hit the ground, spinning several times before coming to a stop. As for the two ribs Chen Mo left behind, they had rolled back right to Chen Mo’s feet.

“Sorry, didn’t see you there.” Li Rui stood there, looking at Xi Siyan provocatively.

Behind him, Yang Shule appeared taken aback, as if he hadn’t expected Li Rui to be so reckless as to provoke Xi Siyan directly.

He looked like he wanted to pretend not to know him.

But Li Rui, completely clueless, thought Xi Siyan had fallen out with Yang Shule. In an effort to prove himself in front of Yang Shule, he boldly provoked him.

Qi Lin and the others immediately flared up.

“Li Rui, are you crazy?”

“The idiot did it on purpose!”

“Didn’t see it? Are you blind?”

Li Rui put on a fake, scared expression, playing the role of an arrogant, spoiled brat. Raising his voice, he sneered, “Wow, being the top student in the grade is so impressive. I already apologized, but you still have your dogs attacking me?”

Qi Lin was about to charge at him. “Who the hell are you calling a dog?!”

“Qi Lin.” Xi Siyan’s voice was calm but cold.

He looked at Li Rui, then at Yang Shule standing behind him. Anyone who knew Xi Siyan well could tell he was in a bad mood.

Yang Shule obviously knew it too.

He hesitated for two seconds before stepping forward. “Brother Yan, I…”

“Shule, why are you afraid of him?” Li Rui yanked Yang Shule behind him, completely ignoring the glare Yang Shule shot him—the kind of look that said you’re an idiot.

Li Rui continued sarcastically, “Some people are blind. Why waste time trying to please them? It’s not worth it.”

The students watching from the side exchanged confused looks.

Some whispered among themselves.

“Wait, is he saying Xi Siyan is blind for being friends with Chen Mo?”

“Even though Yang Shule is really popular, let’s be honest—this semester, everyone knows Chen Mo is actually a decent guy. I haven’t heard of him doing anything bad lately.”

“Honestly, how did Yang Shule and Li Rui even end up hanging out? Who’s the real blind one here?”

“Ridiculous.”

“No wonder Li Rui lost his reputation as the school bully. With that kind of face, who’d respect him?”

Their words weren’t exactly quiet, and the tension in the air thickened.

If someone like Lao Gou, a regular on school forums, were to describe this scene, he’d probably spin it into some melodramatic drama like “Childhood friends turned enemies, with one bringing in a third party to cause trouble—is it revenge or unresolved feelings?”

Unfortunately, not many people at the scene were buying into the drama.

Especially those who had expected a full-on clash between the former school bully and the top student—only to witness something completely different.

Chen Mo, who had been walking at the back, bent down and picked up something near his feet.

He pushed through the crowd, stepped forward, and just as the defeated antagonist was about to open his mouth to speak—

He stuffed the thing he was holding into Li Rui’s mouth, firmly covering his mouth with his hand so he couldn’t spit it out.

Silence.

A very direct and violent move.

Li Rui made muffled sounds, his face turning bright red as he struggled.

A few seconds later, Chen Mo finally let go. He took a step back and looked down at his hand in disgust.

Li Rui immediately spat out what had been shoved into his mouth. It was the leftover rib bone from Chen Mo’s plate.

His expression twisted into one of pure rage. “What the hell are you doing?!”

“Biting people.”

Chen Mo wiped his hand on a napkin, then looked around for something else to clean with. His eyes landed on Xi Siyan’s pocket. Without hesitation, he walked over, reached in, and pulled out a pack of tissues.

As he wiped his hands, he spoke to Li Rui in a bored tone, “Didn’t you say he lets his dogs bite? Well, now you’ve been bitten.”

Li Rui’s entire face turned dark red. “Chen Mo, you bastard!”

With that, he yanked Yang Shule along, shoving past a few people before storming out of the cafeteria.

Qi Lin and the others, still fuming, turned to the onlookers. “What the hell are you looking at? Scram.”

Chen Mo continued wiping his hands, still thinking about where the nearest sink was.

As he glanced around, someone took hold of his hand.

Xi Siyan’s palms were warm even in the winter. When they touched Chen Mo’s cold wrist, it was noticeably comforting.

Chen Mo looked up. “What?”

Xi Siyan took the tissue from him and handed him a fresh one. “You really say the wildest things.”

Chen Mo was indifferent. “Would’ve been great if he choked to death. What an idiot.”

Xi Siyan gently wiped the tissue over Chen Mo’s palm.

Chen Mo frowned, trying to pull his hand away. “I need to go wash up. Just thinking about touching that makes me want to puke up my lunch.”

Xi Siyan rolled his eyes at him.

“Who told you to fight like that?”

“How was I supposed to know it’d be that disgusting?” Chen Mo scowled. “I already committed to it. I couldn’t back down halfway—it would’ve been embarrassing.”

Xi Siyan let out a laugh, exasperated.

“You actually care about keeping up appearances?”

Chen Mo tilted his head. “It’s your face I’m protecting.”

Then, with a smirk, he added, “Brother Yan’s reputation—how could I let it get tarnished? That would be unacceptable, wouldn’t it?”