Xi Siyan’s identity was bound to be revealed sooner or later. The fact that he was the young president of CM Group wasn’t difficult to uncover. That night, however, the newcomers in the group looked at Chen Mo with newfound curiosity.
Chen Mo simply said that Xi Siyan was an old classmate and showed no interest in explaining their relationship any further.
Later that night, he found himself sitting in a private KTV lounge, still wearing the unfamiliar suit jacket that dampened his usual presence. The others, though brimming with questions, didn’t dare to ask.
After all—who drapes a suit over an old classmate?
Halfway through the night, Su Qianran arrived.
She had been absent from several company events lately, and as soon as she stepped in, she apologized.
Then, carrying her elegant leather handbag, she took a seat beside Chen Mo and said, “Ayan is back. Did you hear?”
Chen Mo nodded. “Yeah, I saw him.”
He deliberately ignored the subtle shift in the atmosphere as the people around them pricked up their ears.
Su Qianran was surprised. “You saw him? That soon? He just got off the plane this morning.”
“It was a coincidence,” Lao K interjected, swirling the wine in his glass. With an air of feigned nonchalance, he added, “We were having dinner outside and happened to run into him while he was socializing with the boss of Huan Shang.”
Then, almost as an afterthought, he smirked and said, “He came up to greet us first. Or, well—he greeted Chen Mo alone.”
Chen Mo shot him a speechless look.
Unlike Su Qianran, Lao K only had a vague understanding of Chen Mo’s past. Only now was he realizing that the influential CEO of their partner company—and the investment group they were working with—wasn’t just an acquaintance of Chen Mo’s, but something more.
Beneath his teasing tone, Lao K’s curiosity burned brightly.
Su Qianran, however, hadn’t been present for the events after dinner.
Given her background, Chen Mo was certain that she had known something about the circumstances surrounding Xi Siyan’s departure abroad.
But she was smart.
Noticing the subtle tension in the room, she swiftly changed the subject.
Ten minutes later, in the hallway outside the KTV box.
Su Qianran lit a slim cigarette, the glow of the ember reflecting in her eyes. She held it between her slender fingers, the contrast against her pale skin giving her an air of refined elegance.
She smiled at Chen Mo and asked, “I didn’t ruin your business back there, did I?”
“You think too much,” Chen Mo replied casually, leaning against the opposite wall.
The suit jacket was a little too big for him, almost swallowing his frame.
Resting one foot against the wall, he flipped his black phone over in his hand and asked, “How much do you know?”
“Not much.” Su Qianran exhaled a soft plume of smoke. “But whatever the Xi family wants to keep hidden, they will keep hidden. The only thing we knew was that when he went abroad, aside from the Xi family’s internal strife, the old man also issued a warning to the Yang family.”
Chen Mo frowned. “A warning? To the Yang family?”
“To be precise, it was directed at your father.” Su Qianran’s tone remained calm as she revealed, “Just two days after Xi Siyan left the country, your father was set on sending Yang Shule away as well. The only reason he held off until graduation was because Yang Zhi had taken over the Yang Corporation in your senior year of high school and refused to agree. Your father had no choice but to relinquish control.”
Chen Mo had assumed that the Xi family’s warning to the Yangs had been because of him.
But upon hearing the real reason, he was momentarily stunned.
Su Qianran continued, “But I have a guess…”
She trailed off deliberately, waiting for Chen Mo to process everything before finishing with a knowing smile.
“The Xi family acted as if they were worried about Yang Shule getting involved with Xi Siyan,” she mused, “but the one who actually mattered to him… was you, wasn’t it?”
Chen Mo arched an eyebrow. “Where’s your evidence?”
Su Qianran took another drag of her cigarette. “I don’t have any. I’m just guessing.” She tilted her head slightly. “You probably don’t realize it yourself, but you weren’t in a good state during your senior year of high school.”
She exhaled, the smoke curling between them.
“I don’t know about the rest of your life, but every time you talked to me back then, you deliberately avoided mentioning Xi Siyan. You were afraid.”
Chen Mo’s fingers stilled over his phone.
Afraid?
He had never associated that word with himself before.
Su Qianran continued, “You weren’t afraid of the Xi family, nor were you afraid of being found out. You were afraid of yourself. You were suppressing something. You can blame it on the stress of senior year, but I’ve never seen anyone so ‘stressed’ that they have an actual physiological reaction to a breakup.”
Chen Mo denied, “I think I was fine.”
Su Qianran gave him a knowing look. “I’m a graduate student minoring in psychology.” She didn’t argue, just stated it matter-of-factly.
“Insomnia. Loss of appetite. Abnormal heart rate.”
She met his gaze.
“Don’t tell me you didn’t experience those.”
Chen Mo let out a helpless laugh. Lowering his head, he pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Boss Su, don’t hit where it hurts,” he teased lightly. “We did have something once—wouldn’t it be crazy if I had no reaction at all? I’m not made of stone.”
Su Qianran smirked. “Boss Su? Call me Sister.”
Chen Mo chuckled. “Alright, Sister Su.”
She stepped closer and patted his shoulder. “Don’t get me wrong. I’ll always be on your side. I just want to remind you—sometimes, you need to be selfish. Xi Siyan isn’t the same person he was before. Don’t let yourself get hurt.”
Chen Mo smiled. “We’re all adults now. No one’s that childish anymore.”
“Good.” Su Qianran reached into her bag and pulled out a red invitation card with gold embossing, handing it to him. “You’ll come, right?”
Chen Mo flipped it open. “Of course. But… do you really have no regrets?”
“I never allow myself to regret a decision once I’ve made it,” she replied, still as straightforward as ever. But when she mentioned Yang Zhi, her expression softened slightly.
“And it’s not just us—everyone changes,” she said. “But you probably wouldn’t be interested in knowing, so I won’t tell you.”
Chen Mo nodded. “Alright. Happy wedding.”
“Thanks.”
At the same time, in He Jin Club.
Xi Siyan was among a gathering of business elites, including the boss of Huan Shang and several other industry leaders.
It wasn’t a particularly formal occasion, and many of those in power had long shed any pretense of restraint. In addition to the club’s own hostesses, some had even brought second- and third-tier celebrities from the entertainment industry.
Despite the extravagant atmosphere, Xi Siyan remained composed.
CM Group was the central topic of the night, yet he remained indifferent. He had refused the server’s offer to pour his drink earlier, and although the setting was luxurious, the night unfolded with an unexpected sense of restraint.
The conversation never strayed far from him.
“President Xi is truly young and promising.”
“I heard CM has been planning to expand into China for a while now. Does this mean you’ll be staying this time?”
Seated on the sofa, Xi Siyan swirled the ice cubes in his whiskey glass and answered casually, “Mn. I won’t be leaving.”
“Then we’ll be relying on you in the future. A toast to President Xi!”
Xi Siyan leaned forward, clinking glasses with the slightly overweight boss across from him. “No need for such formalities.”
Compliments were endless.
But to him, they were just noise.
After an hour of drinking and conversation, Xi Siyan finally found a moment of respite. Han Qian leaned in and whispered, “You were too distracted tonight. This concerns whether CM can land smoothly without complications. I don’t want to spend another two months working overtime every single day.”
Xi Siyan propped his elbows on his knees, tilting his head slightly. “How about I tell the old man that you don’t want to do this anymore?”
“…You’re heartless.” Han Qian choked, clicking his tongue. “I don’t know who was so desperate to break free from family constraints that they made a bet with the old man. I followed you through thick and thin for five years, clearing all the obstacles so CM could stand independently. And now, you decide to return to the country on a whim, and you’re threatening to send me back?”
Xi Siyan raised his glass and clinked it against Han Qian’s.
“Thanks.”
Han Qian choked again, then muttered, “Forget it. I don’t regret it.”
After all, he had experienced too much in the past five years, and no one understood better than him what it had taken to get to this point.
The Xi family had indeed done Xi Siyan a favor, but that alone wouldn’t have been enough to make Han Qian follow him loyally for five years. When they first started, Xi Siyan had only just reached adulthood. Even if he was a tiger cub, his claws weren’t yet sharp enough. But the fact that he had come this far proved everything.
At that moment, a young woman in a tight dress suddenly approached.
“Mr. Xi.” Her voice was sweet and sultry. Even under heavy makeup, her delicate features were apparent. She sat down naturally beside Xi Siyan, resting a hand on his shoulder with a smile. “May I have a drink with you?”
Han Qian watched the scene play out with amusement.
At the same time, he whispered in Xi Siyan’s ear, “Be careful. This is still China, after all. Although this woman is just a lead actress in a low-budget web drama, if I remember correctly, the man backing her is Ren Xiansen. Back when Ren was abroad, he was nothing more than a stray dog. But now that he’s back in China and has joined Chuanxing Technology, we can’t touch him for the time being. Don’t reject her outright yet—let’s see what she’s up to.”
Before he could finish speaking, Xi Siyan had already pushed the woman’s hand away.
“Excuse me.”
Han Qian smoothly interjected, “Apologies, Miss. Mr. Xi is a bit of a germaphobe. It’s best not to touch him.”
“Oh, I see.” The woman nodded, seemingly unfazed, though her gaze still burned with determination. “I wonder what Mr. Xi’s hobbies are? You must enjoy sports—you seem to work out often. Or do you prefer leisure activities?”
She was persistent.
It was clear she wanted to take a shortcut by getting close to Xi Siyan.
After all, as the CEO of CM, he was young, fit, and handsome. From start to finish, he had never been seen with any woman of notable status, leading to the assumption that he was some sort of untouchable, chaste figure.
From the moment he had walked in, he had already become the “prey” of many women in the room.
And for a small-time web drama actress like her to even get through the door—no one believed she had done it by her own merit.
She played her part well, casually adjusting her hair now and then, subtly showing off her figure.
The implication was obvious.
Unfortunately, the target of her seduction remained completely indifferent.
Left alone, the woman’s enthusiasm turned awkward.
Before long, she was replaced by someone else. Meanwhile, Xi Siyan turned to Han Qian and asked, “Has Chuanxing Technology started looking for investors for their new project?”
Han Qian clicked his tongue. “If I let you ‘fish,’ do you think I’m asking you to take the bait yourself?”
Then, with a smirk, he said, “Yeah, they’re scouting for investors. If Ren Xiansen found out that his current mortal enemy, Xinrui—the same Xinrui that gives him nightmares—is actually your ex-boyfriend, do you think he’d drop dead from rage?”
Xi Siyan frowned slightly at the mention of “ex-boyfriend.”
Han Qian continued teasing, “I have to admit, though, you and Chen Mo really do have a knack for picking the same enemies.”
Xi Siyan set his glass down. “Ruyi’s downfall clearly wasn’t enough to wake him up.”
Han Qian shrugged. “She was Ren’s old flame, after all. Now that you’re back, you’ve taken her down. Ren’s only going to assume that you did it as a warning to him. He has no clue that it’s actually related to Xinrui.”
At that moment, when no one was paying attention—
The woman who had just been pushed away had a flicker of irritation in her eyes.
But she quickly composed herself when she noticed a phone on the table—the one that Xi Siyan had just been holding.
From the corner of her eye, she saw that the man was still engaged in conversation, too busy to check his phone.
Summoning her courage, she quietly picked it up.
As soon as she did, the screen lit up.
She froze.
The lock screen displayed a photo—a sleeping figure.
It appeared to be a boy in a school uniform, lying on a desk, his slightly messy hair falling over his forehead.
Before she could get a better look, a call came in.
The contact name was just a single letter—“A.”
But it was precisely because of this simple letter that this number always appeared first in the phone book.
Panic surged through her. She quickly declined the call.
A few seconds later, the screen lit up again.
Above the sleeping figure’s photo was an unread message.
“Busy? Send me your address, and I’ll drop off your clothes.”
Her heart pounded.
She quickly pulled out her own phone and aimed it at the screen, ready to snap a picture.
But before she could press the shutter—
A hand with long, slender fingers reached over and took the phone from her grasp.
Then came a voice, calm yet carrying an unmistakable chill.
“Han Qian, escort this young lady out. Be polite—don’t scare her.”
The weight of those words sent a shockwave through the room.
Tonight, Xi Siyan had been nothing but well-mannered and reserved. No one understood why his mood had suddenly turned. Even those who weren’t involved could sense the shift, their expressions turning wary.
The woman sat frozen on the sofa, guilt and panic flashing across her face.
She scrambled for something—anything—that could turn the situation around.
Suddenly, inspiration struck.
Raising her voice, she declared, “Is Mr. Xi that terrified of people knowing he’s gay?!”
No matter how powerful or wealthy someone was, if their sexual orientation was exposed, they were bound to feel ashamed or enraged.
She thought that was the reason he had reacted so strongly—because he was afraid of people knowing he kept a photo of a high school boy on his phone.
Desperation was evident in her gaze.
Xi Siyan’s steps paused slightly at her words.
He turned back and looked at her. His expression remained unreadable.
After a moment, he said, “If Ren Xiansen wants to be UA’s lapdog, he should at least learn how to be original. Go back and tell him—if he’s so desperate to dig up dirt on me, he should first figure out what he can’t afford to touch.”
The woman’s face turned ghostly pale.
The tension in the room was palpable.
Han Qian cast her a pitying glance.
With a half-smile, he mused, “Did Ren never tell you what happened to the people UA sent after Xi three years ago? Why would you provoke him for no reason?”
By then, Xi Siyan had already stepped out, phone in hand.
Everyone heard him speak, his voice as steady as ever, “Did you go home? Yeah, I was busy just now.”
