After the Reborn Young Master Embraced a Life of Wellness – Chapter 45

Before the second semester of junior year ended, the school received exciting news—Xi Siyan had led his team to victory in the International Physics Olympiad, securing both the gold medal for the team and first place in the individual category. Alongside this, he received early admission offers from Peking University and Tsinghua University, as well as invitations from prestigious foreign universities.

This happened almost half a year earlier than in the previous timeline.

With Xi Siyan effectively stepping out of the academic race, the top rank in the grade finally had a new name—Chen Mo.

On the day of Xi Siyan’s return, the school went all out, even hanging a massive banner at the school gate:

“Warmly welcoming our outstanding student, Xi Siyan, who has returned with honors!”

The principal, along with a group of school officials, personally went to greet him.

“Did you memorize your lines?” Director Lai tugged at the sleeve of a student beside him.

The current top student in the grade was standing lazily, his school uniform loose and untidy. Director Lai frowned and smacked him lightly before asking, “What did you do last night?”

“Studied,” Chen Mo replied, holding a bouquet of sunflowers in his hand. His tone was casual. “You think it’s easy being first in the grade? I have to grind day and night.”

“Yeah, right,” Director Lai scoffed, unconvinced. His frown deepened. “I heard from your roommates that you’ve been self-studying programming? Chen Mo, you need to remember that you’re a student preparing for senior year. If you overwork yourself and ruin your health, all your efforts will be pointless.”

Chen Mo chuckled, looking at the balding middle-aged man beside him.

Seeing that Director Lai was genuinely concerned, he stopped teasing and admitted, “Alright, fine. I was actually up until two last night playing games.”

The moment Director Lai’s expression darkened, Chen Mo added with a smirk, “Don’t you know? Geniuses don’t need to work hard. It’s enough to just stay ahead of most people.”

Director Lai lifted his foot as if to kick him.

If not for the presence of the other school officials, Chen Mo would have definitely gotten an earful.

Glancing ahead at the approaching bus, Chen Mo commented, “Honestly, this whole welcome ceremony is unnecessary. Whether or not Xi Siyan likes it, just standing out here in this heat must be torture for everyone.”

“You think you’re the only one who knows everything?” Director Lai huffed. “I think you’re just jealous that he got first place.”

Chen Mo knew that good students were the teachers’ treasures, especially ones like Xi Siyan. Any negative comments about him were simply not tolerated.

“I’m serious,” Chen Mo continued. “He’s someone with standards. This kind of grand welcome is probably the last thing he’d want.”

Director Lai hesitated. “Are you two that close?”

“Close?”

In truth, they hadn’t been in contact for a while.

Given their respective situations, keeping in touch wasn’t exactly convenient. But more than that, there hadn’t been much to say.

It wasn’t like Chen Mo could just randomly text him with updates like, Hey, Qi Lin ate snail noodles in the dorm again today. Lao Gou fell off his bike over the weekend. Oh, and guess what happened to so-and-so in class.

Chen Mo had never been the type to form deep, close-knit connections. He simply didn’t have that habit.

But as he watched the specially-marked bus slowly approach, he realized something.

The moment Xi Siyan stepped off the bus, it felt like no time had passed at all.

He was still the same.

Dressed casually, wearing a black baseball cap, with a shoulder bag slung over his back—simple and effortless.

The only difference was the swarm of school officials eagerly gathering around him, bombarding him with questions—Was your trip smooth? Were you nervous during the competition?

It was truly a hero’s welcome.

Originally, Chen Mo was supposed to present the flowers and deliver a short congratulatory speech.

But when the time came, he realized there wasn’t much need for him at all.

After all, Xi Siyan had noticed him the moment he arrived.

Given that Director Lai was the only person who could drag Chen Mo into something like this, it wasn’t hard for Xi Siyan to figure out why he was there.

So, after briefly responding to the school officials, Xi Siyan walked straight up to him.

“Are these for me?” he asked.

Now that he was up close, Chen Mo noticed that he’d lost a bit of weight, and his exposed forearms were tanned from the sun.

Without a word, Chen Mo handed him the bouquet. He hadn’t bothered memorizing any scripted lines.

Instead, he simply said, “Congratulations.”

“Thanks.” Xi Siyan accepted the flowers with a smile, all while Director Lai shot Chen Mo a glare.

Once Director Lai was distracted by someone else, Xi Siyan turned his attention back to Chen Mo, his gaze lingering on the faint dark circles under his eyes.

“Didn’t sleep well?” he asked in a low voice.

Chen Mo glanced at him and grumbled, “Last night, some guy next door had a falling out with his roommate and ended up crashing with Jiang Xu. He snored the entire night—like thunder. You wouldn’t believe how bad it was.”

That was the real reason for his exhaustion.

Then, with a teasing smirk, he added, “The only thing keeping me going is our deep and unbreakable bond as classmates. Are you touched, Brother Yan?”

“I’m touched,” Xi Siyan replied, matching his tone perfectly.

Then, suddenly, he said, “Don’t move.”

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Before he could react, Xi Siyan leaned in slightly, studying his face for a brief moment before reaching out and plucking a tiny, glittering speck from the corner of his eye—a stray sequin that had fallen from the bouquet’s wrapping.

Holding it up for Chen Mo to see, he straightened up and smirked.

“For a second there, I thought you were so moved by my return that you were about to cry,” he teased.

“Get lost,” Chen Mo retorted.

—

These days, the school bully had officially transformed into an academic elite.

At least, that was how the rest of the school saw it.

As the two of them walked across campus—passing the tree-lined avenue, the library, and the edge of the sports field—students on break couldn’t help but whisper among themselves.

Chen Mo, who hadn’t paid much attention to his reputation recently, was genuinely surprised by the things he overheard.

“Damn, that’s the guy who got early university admission in his junior year. The seniors must be so jealous.”

“Xi Siyan? No surprises there.”

“That’s Chen Mo next to him, right? Makes sense—academic geniuses always stick together.”

“Wasn’t Chen Mo the one who got publicly criticized in that announcement last year?”

“That was ages ago. Check the school honor board—his photo’s up there now, and it actually looks good.”

“He’s good-looking too.”

“I heard he has a really nice personality.”

“Yeah, just super low-key.”

Chen Mo: “…”

He turned to the person beside him and asked suspiciously, “Are they talking about me?”

Xi Siyan laughed. “Looks like Brother Mo’s been doing pretty well lately.”

But not everything had been smooth sailing.

For the past two months, Lao K had been busy preparing for a project bid. Chen Mo had given him some strategic advice based on his past experience. However, just a week before the bidding, their proposal’s baseline price was maliciously leaked.

The idea was plagiarized by a company called Zhicheng and rushed into production first.

All the hard work and effort of the entire team had been reduced to ashes.

Chen Mo suddenly found himself juggling too many things at once.

Between his studies and dealing with the fallout from the leaked project, he had to come up with countermeasures and emergency plans. Since it wasn’t convenient for him to step forward directly, he coordinated everything through Su Qianran.

Su Qianran was an interesting person.

She never once questioned why Chen Mo knew so much or how he had such a sharp sense for market trends and future business opportunities.

Instead, she casually suggested, “If you’re finding it hard to focus in the dorm, why not rent a place near school? It won’t interfere with your studies, and you’ll have your own space.”

Chen Mo had actually considered it. In fact, he had already arranged a house viewing for that very afternoon.

However, that same evening, there was a celebration party for Xi Siyan’s return, so Chen Mo decided to postpone looking at apartments.

That night, they booked a bar in Suicheng.

It was owned by Sun Xiaoya’s cousin, and they were just borrowing the venue. Sun Xiaoya assured the owners that they wouldn’t be drinking, so they managed to secure the place without any issues.

By eight o’clock, the place was packed.

People had invited their own friends, so aside from familiar faces, there were also plenty of strangers. In total, at least thirty to forty people had gathered.

Under the flashing neon lights, with deafening music blasting through the speakers, and a bunch of underage teens dancing wildly, the whole scene looked like a crime waiting to happen.

Compared to the girls, who had taken extra care with their makeup and wore stylish outfits, the boys were much more casual.

“Are you sure this is okay?” Chen Mo glanced at a couple making out on one of the sofas and turned to Sun Xiaoya, who had her hair tied into pigtails. “There are a lot of people here who aren’t from our school, right? What exactly did you tell your relatives?”

Sun Xiaoya looked at him in shock, then burst out laughing. “Chen Mo, I really didn’t expect you to have the highest moral standards out of everyone here.”

Chen Mo glanced over at the group where Xi Siyan and Qi Lin were sitting.

No one was wearing school uniforms. Especially Xi Siyan, who was leaning against the sofa in a black dress shirt. Under the dim lighting, he looked like he belonged in a place like this—far removed from the aloof, straight-laced academic genius he was at school.

Chen Mo thought so, too.

This group of people—born into wealth and privilege—were the real young masters. This kind of environment was just child’s play to them.

Someone asked Xi Siyan, “Young Master Yan, since you got early admission in your second year, are you planning to enroll in university ahead of time, or will you wait until after senior year?”

The people around them were all curious about this.

Xi Siyan twirled the transparent glass in his hand and replied, “I haven’t decided yet.”

“You haven’t even thought about which school?”

“No rush.”

The people around sighed, “Damn, must be nice to be rich.”

“More like must be nice to be smart and rich.”

“Yeah, even if he slacked off for the rest of his life, he still has a family fortune worth billions waiting for him.”

Laughter erupted around them.

Chen Mo didn’t join in.

He had never been a fan of places like this. In his past life, he had seen too many filthy transactions and disgusting deals take place in similar settings. He could play along and maintain appearances when necessary, but the moment he stepped into his apartment afterward, he would feel nauseous.

So when a girl from another school approached him and handed him a beer, he instinctively refused.

“It’s just beer,” the girl, who was wearing heavy makeup, looked at him like he was some rare species and teased, “There aren’t many guys who don’t drink nowadays. Don’t tell me you’re gonna pull the ‘I’m underage’ excuse. Who cares?”

Chen Mo sighed and smiled helplessly. He was about to take the bottle just to be polite when, halfway through, another hand intercepted it.

“He has stomach problems,” Xi Siyan said, taking the bottle instead and setting it aside before sitting down next to him.

The girl blinked, called out, “Brother Yan,” then, realizing it wasn’t a big deal, simply shrugged and left.

Chen Mo turned his head toward the person beside him. “You drinking?”

“It’s unavoidable,” Xi Siyan replied.

Aside from the faint scent of alcohol on him, there were no visible signs of drunkenness.

Chen Mo leaned over and handed him the untouched glass of water in front of him.

Taking the glass, Xi Siyan suddenly asked, “What have you been busy with lately?”

“Busy?” Chen Mo played dumb. “What could I possibly be busy with?”

Xi Siyan’s expression remained unreadable. He took a sip of water and said casually, “I heard you’re moving out of the dorms?”

“Yeah.”

Chen Mo had been looking for a place to stay, so it was only natural that word had gotten around. His dormmates knew about it, too. However, he hadn’t shared the specifics, so he simply said, “Recently, I found something I really want to do. I read until late at night, and you know how next semester is senior year—everyone in the dorm needs proper rest. So, after thinking it over, I decided to move out.”

Xi Siyan said nothing.

Chen Mo returned the question, “What about you? When do you plan to leave school?”

“Soon.”

There was a brief pause before Xi Siyan answered, and Chen Mo had a feeling that his original response had been different—like he had changed his answer at the last second.

But Chen Mo didn’t press further.

It was too noisy around them.

In an atmosphere like this, it was hard to stay completely sober even if you weren’t drinking.

Chen Mo’s arm was resting against Xi Siyan’s, and through the thin fabric of their shirts, he could clearly feel the warmth of the other’s body.

People kept coming over to talk to Xi Siyan—some to congratulate him, some to joke with him, and some to tease him.

Chen Mo watched the endless flow of people, listened to Xi Siyan making small talk, and saw him drink more and more.

For a moment, a strange feeling crept up inside him—a vague, unshakable regret.

He thought, If I hadn’t lived two lifetimes…

If I had let go of everything in my previous life earlier, then maybe we would have already been familiar with each other in this life. Maybe it wouldn’t be like this—separated by time and circumstance. If that had happened, then Xi Siyan might have had the chance to meet a younger, more passionate, and reckless version of Chen Mo.

A version of himself that even he had never seen before.

But that was impossible now.

No matter how impulsive or outrageous Chen Mo acted today, it couldn’t change the fact that, deep down, his thoughts were always calm and calculated.

Just then, Lao Gou rushed over, shoving his phone in front of Chen Mo.

“Bro, the Yang family is losing their shit!”

It all started with Yang Shule.

A media platform had repeatedly captured photos of him meeting with Chen Jianli.

The reporter probably thought that by digging into his background, they could unearth something even more sensational.

The old “switched at birth” scandal resurfaced.

But this time, the headline was even more chilling:

“Why Are Wealthy Families Covering Up Child Abuse?”

“Seventeen Years in the Mountains: The Hidden Struggles of a Young Man”

Although the Yang family was facing a crisis, the real focus of public scrutiny was Chen Mo.

As the Yang Group’s stock price plummeted, media outlets started digging into every aspect of Chen Mo’s past.

News reports featured interviews with people from Yuhuai Village.

There were statements from his former teachers and classmates.

Even the owner of the restaurant where he had once worked spoke up.

Their words were eerily consistent:

“That child was hardworking and resilient. He endured so much, but he was stubborn—he wouldn’t bow to anyone. His childhood was miserable.”

The lively atmosphere at the party instantly turned somber.

More and more people picked up their phones to read the news. The deeper they read, the more awkward the mood became.

Everyone around him had always seen Chen Mo as the cool, indifferent top student. But now, the person they read about in these reports—someone who had suffered years of hardship and abuse—felt like an entirely different person.

It was difficult for them to reconcile the two.

Yet, that didn’t stop them from feeling sympathy. Some of the girls even teared up, whispering in disbelief.

Chen Mo, however, had long been prepared for this moment.

The only thing that annoyed him was that it happened at such an inconvenient time and place.

Rubbing his forehead to ease his growing headache, he waved off Lao Gou and Qi Lin.

“Go back inside, keep the party going.”

Then, he got up and went to find Xi Siyan, who had just stepped out of the bar.

The entrance of the bar was located at the end of an entertainment street, accessible only by descending a few steps.

At that moment, Xi Siyan was leaning against the wall just outside, one-third of his body illuminated by the streetlights.

Chen Mo approached and overheard his conversation.

His voice was ice-cold—colder than Chen Mo had ever heard before.

Xi Siyan: “I’m not looking for an explanation—I need a solution! What do you mean the media we dealt with before won’t confront this head-on? What the hell does ‘official media can’t be challenged’ even mean? I told you to sue them for violating the privacy of a minor, and now you’re telling me it’s ‘official’? Bullshit. Stop with the excuses—I’ll have my grandfather handle this personally…”

Chen Mo stood at a distance, listening for a long time without stepping forward.

Then, Xi Siyan turned and saw him.

He frowned. “Why did you come out?”

“Everyone inside is looking at me like I’m their long-lost child. I can’t take it.”

Chen Mo walked up and asked, “So you were the one who handled the media back when Chen Jianli first found me? No wonder things went so smoothly. Why didn’t you tell me? Thanks, by the way.”

Xi Siyan put away his phone, his expression still tense. “That’s all I could do.”

“Brother Yan,” Chen Mo smiled faintly, “Don’t forget, you’re still a few months away from turning eighteen.”

That remark didn’t make Xi Siyan laugh.

If anything, his expression darkened even further.

At this moment, Xi Siyan was filled with rage.

It wasn’t just about the countless painful details being exposed in those interviews—he hadn’t even had time to read them all yet.

What infuriated him the most was realizing that Chen Mo had been dissected and put on public display like this, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Even his efforts to suppress the news were being blocked.

He was forced to confront his own limitations—stark and undeniable.

Just hours ago, he had been receiving endless praise for winning a world championship.

Yet, at this very moment, the person who had been weighing on his heart—the person whose pain had haunted him since their first meeting—was being torn apart by the media without any warning.

The child who had trudged through harsh winters to buy medicine for his sick foster mother.

The boy who had been tied to a well and left to freeze overnight.

The teenager who had fought back against his abusive foster father.

One after another, these images flashed through his mind.

Now, that same person was being sensationalized in the news as a “tragic rich young master.”

The ache in his chest was unbearable.

For the first time, seventeen-year-old Xi Siyan was confronted with the painful reality of his own powerlessness.

And he was furious.

Not far away, a few students from No. 1 Middle School were whispering among themselves.

They hadn’t noticed Chen Mo and Xi Siyan standing nearby.

“I really didn’t expect Chen Mo’s past to be that miserable.”

“The Yang family must be crazy. If it were me, I’d sue those so-called ‘parents’ and make sure they rot in jail. But they haven’t done anything. Why?”

“It’s probably because of Yang Shule. Think about it—this news broke so fast, and Yang Shule’s nowhere to be seen. The Yang family has always favored him, and there were already rumors that he and Chen Mo didn’t get along.”

“Yeah, and then there’s Xi Siyan. There have been rumors for a while now that Chen Mo stole Yang Shule’s girlfriend because of him.”

“You mean… Chen Mo and Xi Siyan…?”

“It’s not that simple. Remember, Chen Mo already admitted he likes guys. And did you see the way Xi Siyan reacted when the news broke? His face was so cold, I was actually scared.”

…

Chen Mo, who had unintentionally eavesdropped on the entire conversation: “…”

He turned to look at Xi Siyan, who was still leaning against the wall, his gaze also fixed on him.

Chen Mo hesitated. “Want me to clear things up for you?”

Xi Siyan raised an eyebrow. “What exactly do you plan to say?”

Chen Mo decided instantly: “I, Chen Mo, swear that in this life, the next life, and the one after that, I will never have anything to do with you, Xi Siyan.”

Xi Siyan’s eyes turned cold.

He suddenly reached out, grabbed Chen Mo’s wrist, and before Chen Mo could react, pressed a firm kiss against the top of his head.

Though the kiss barely lasted a second, Chen Mo was completely stunned.

Still in shock, he quickly looked around to see if anyone had witnessed the scene.

Then he turned back, completely baffled.

His brain short-circuited.

His voice came out doubtful, almost hesitant. “…Are you drunk?”

Even though Xi Siyan’s expression remained unreadable, his fingers absentmindedly brushed against Chen Mo’s earlobe—slowly, lightly.

It was a subconscious movement, soothing yet possessive.

His voice, hoarse from emotions held back too long, was low and certain:

“No.”