After the Reborn Young Master Embraced a Life of Wellness – Chapter 75

In the following days, the Yang family remained at the center of public attention, attracting widespread scrutiny.

At the same time, some sharp-eyed observers noticed that within a short period, Yang Group had merged with two other similar companies. Despite being in a precarious position, the Yang family, compared to the merged companies, still held a dominant position — thereby gaining actual control and strengthening its bargaining power.

UA was forced to return to the negotiation table, entering a prolonged phase of tug-of-war and bargaining.

—

“Have you been busy lately?” Gou Yiyang — who had finally taken off his white coat — asked Chen Mo out for dinner.

In a bustling seafood buffet, Lao Gou was dismantling crabs with his bare hands, frowning as he said, “Look at your face. It’s obvious you haven’t been resting well. You’re even worse off than me, and I work night shifts!”

Chen Mo, who had indeed been overwhelmingly busy the past two weeks, casually picked a piece of corn out of his soup and said, amid the rising steam, “It’s fine. Things are basically wrapped up. I can finally take a breather.”

“I knew you must have gotten involved in the Yang family’s mess during this time.” Lao Gou said with certainty, while frowning even more. “Also, I saw some leaks on the professional forums. The capital backing Yang Group and those mergers and acquisitions… It’s CM, right?”

Chen Mo looked up at Lao Gou, then laughed. “Since when did you start paying attention to financial news?”

“I’m not following financial news — I’m following you!” Lao Gou, who was a little chubbier now compared to their high school days, scolded. He was slowly becoming the familiar figure Chen Mo remembered from his previous life, a little rounder, a little more steady. “Since I’m following you, of course I also keep an eye on him. If I’m following him, naturally I’d notice these developments.”

As he spoke, he kicked Chen Mo lightly under the table.

“Hey, what’s going on between you two?”

“Nothing.” Chen Mo replied calmly, “He’s been abroad recently.”

“Damn,” Lao Gou cursed under his breath. “I thought he came back to chase you! How long has he been back? Gone again? How many years will it take this time?”

Chen Mo was silent for a second before saying, “Put away those ridiculous fantasies. He went out on business. He’ll be back next week.”

“You even know when he’s coming back?” Lao Gou narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “And you still say there’s nothing going on?”

Chen Mo said, “We’re working together. Of course I know his return schedule.”

After trying for a long time to dig for gossip and getting nowhere, Lao Gou finally gave up, shaking his head in defeat. “I feel like you’re getting harder and harder to deal with. Seriously, can your subordinates even stand you?”

“That’s none of your business,” Chen Mo replied coolly.

Their way of getting along hadn’t changed over the years.

Even though they were both busy and didn’t meet up often, when they did, there was no sense of awkwardness.

Chen Mo also understood why Lao Gou had asked him out this time.

The old man — Chen Mo’s grandfather — was hospitalized at the hospital where Lao Gou worked. Just the day before, the hospital had notified Chen Mo that the old man’s condition had deteriorated sharply, with less than a 10% chance of waking up.

But tonight, neither of them brought it up.

They just talked about irrelevant things.

Later, they even started pulling people into their old high school WeChat group.

Lao Gou posted: Anyone free this weekend? Let’s get together for a meal.

Chen Mo was also in the group, but he rarely spoke. Over the years, it was always Lao Gou dragging him into conversations, keeping his “presence” alive.

For example, when Jiang Xu asked Lao Gou: “I’m coming back this weekend. Who else is coming?”

Lao Gou immediately took a picture of Chen Mo sitting across from him and posted it in the group.

The group immediately exploded.

“Holy crap, even busy Brother Mo is coming?”

“Mr. Chen, you’re joining the reunion too?”

“Lao Gou, look at the photos you post — even the blurry ones can’t hide Brother Mo’s handsomeness. And you? You’re getting fatter every year. Shameless.”

It wasn’t easy for high school classmates to gather together.

The group chat became lively.

Just then, a familiar account suddenly appeared, tagging Lao Gou:

“Seafood is cold. Tell him to eat less.”

The chat fell silent for a few seconds.

“Old Xi?”

“Damn, squad leader, you’re still alive?!”

“You haven’t spoken much in two years, and Mr. Mo barely talks either. We thought you changed accounts.”

Xi Siyan sent another message:

“I’ve been reading the group chat the whole time.”

Besides Jiang Xu and Qi Lin, many other old classmates had been added to the group over the years.

Most people didn’t have as close a relationship with Xi Siyan as the original dormitory group did.

So the moment Xi Siyan showed up, the whole group shifted its attention toward him:

“I get it now — everyone’s seen the news about CM entering China. I’m a programmer myself, things are crazy busy now.”

“President Xi, I heard CM is looking into the Helin project. Is that true?”

“Squad leader, will you come to the reunion too?”

—

There were too many questions flying around.

Ironically, Jiang Xu and the original few who spoke earlier had gone quiet.

Because after all, the adult world runs on practicalities.

Lao Gou munched his crab and scrolled through the group chat with a frown. “What kind of person is this Bai Cheng brought in last year? Jumping straight into project questions? So tactless.”

“Normal,” Chen Mo said, picking up another crab. “People just want to network. It’s just that because of Xi Siyan’s status, it feels a bit out of place.”

This was also the main reason Chen Mo rarely spoke in the group anymore.

Favors are hard to manage, and he honestly found it exhausting.

However, just as he dropped a freshly shelled crab into his bowl, Lao Gou snatched it away.

“You can’t eat this. Squad leader just said so in the group.”

Chen Mo’s forehead twitched. “If I can’t eat seafood, why did you drag me to a seafood place?”

“I told you — this place serves more than just seafood! And two-person meals get a discount. Plus, am I stopping you from eating? It’s the squad leader who said it.” Lao Gou expertly cracked open a second crab and continued grumbling: “Honestly, some people are so shameless. Squad leader obviously showed up for you, but they all rushed over trying to network, no sense of shame at all.”

Chen Mo ignored him and didn’t even bother checking his phone.

The more Lao Gou thought about it, the more annoyed he got. Feeling protective, he typed a reply in the group:

“Boss Mo says the squad leader is abroad, no way he’s making it to the reunion.”

Sure enough, as soon as this news was posted, it drew waves of regretful sighs from the group.

Lao Gou watched for a bit, then put down his phone and said to Chen Mo, “Old Xi didn’t say anything, which obviously means he agrees with my version.”

The next second, Chen Mo’s phone rang.

It was an overseas number. Just seeing it, Chen Mo immediately knew who it was.

“Hello.”

“Why are you eating seafood?”

The background noise at the buffet was chaotic, making the quietness on the other end of the call even more obvious. Chen Mo set down his chopsticks, leaned back in his chair, and said, “Lao Gou wanted to use the discount deal and begged me to come.”

Lao Gou immediately raised his head and glared at him, muttering, “Traitor.”

A soft chuckle came through the phone.

“Is everything going smoothly for you?” Chen Mo asked.

Xi Siyan answered with a hum, “It’s going well.”

At this moment, in a high-end apartment overseas, Han Qian glanced at the man leaning against the bedside — his arm freshly bandaged by the doctor. Seeing Xi Siyan hang up the call so casually, Han Qian sneered mockingly, “I really didn’t expect you to take the path of patience. I thought you’d take this chance to tell him someone slashed your arm and you got thirteen stitches — maybe make Chen Mo feel sorry for you.”

Xi Siyan ignored Han Qian’s sarcasm.

“Have they caught the person?” he asked.

Han Qian’s gaze turned colder. “You should know it’s useless even if we catch them. You deliberately left yourself vulnerable, and Lunar knows you ruined his plans — he wouldn’t leave any evidence against himself.”

“I know.” Xi Siyan stood up from the bed shirtless, his steps steady. As he buttoned up his shirt, he said, “I’m not looking for leverage. If someone dares to mess with me, it’s only fair I return the favor.”

Han Qian smiled grimly, a vicious glint in his eyes. “I get it.”

After buttoning up, Xi Siyan walked over to the water dispenser and poured himself a glass of water.

Taking a slow sip, he said, “Unlike you, I’m not that petty.”

Han Qian looked like he’d been attacked. He pointed at himself incredulously, “Say that again? Who are you calling petty?!”

But Xi Siyan was already gone, leaving Han Qian standing there fuming.

He couldn’t wrap his head around it — this man, who had carefully plotted everything, endured getting stabbed just to throw UA’s headquarters into chaos for two days and cause near-bankruptcy-level losses… still had the nerve to call others petty?

—

Although Chen Mo occasionally received updates about Xi Siyan through work-related messages, not a single word mentioned his injury.

Three days later, Lao Gou dragged him to a hastily arranged class reunion.

They called it a reunion, but people brought friends, girlfriends, boyfriends — the crowd was bigger than expected.

When they arrived at the venue, Chen Mo didn’t recognize many people — it was a mix of old classmates and other alumni from No. 1 Middle School.

“I thought we were just here to welcome Jiang Xu?” Chen Mo asked, glancing around at the private dining room filled with a giant round table for dozens of people. “Where did all these extras come from?”

Lao Gou scratched his head awkwardly. “Originally, it was just supposed to be a few of us. But you know Jiang Xu’s girlfriend, right? Her family is pretty rich, and she’s a bit snobby. Jiang Xu’s background isn’t bad, but compared to hers, well… people talked. Now she wants to show everyone how great her boyfriend is. As his buddies, how could we refuse?”

At this point, Jiang Xu spotted them.

From across the room, he waved and shouted, “Lao Gou! Chen Mo! Over here!”

Everyone around the table suddenly turned to look.

Lao Gou felt his scalp go numb and muttered under his breath, “Shit, did Jiang Xu have to yell that loud?”

“Stop complaining.” Chen Mo shoved him forward.

The two of them started making their way around the big round table toward Jiang Xu.

Halfway there, a voice suddenly called out from Chen Mo’s left:

“Second Brother, now that we’re meeting again, you don’t even want to say hello?”

Chen Mo stopped in his tracks and turned.

Immediately, Lao Gou bristled with anger. “What are you doing here?! Who invited you?!”

Chen Mo motioned for Lao Gou to calm down.

Facing him was Yang Shule, dressed head-to-toe in designer brands, looking every bit the spoiled second-generation rich kid.

Thinking back to what Lao Gou had said about Jiang Xu’s girlfriend being from a wealthy family, Chen Mo wasn’t surprised to see Yang Shule here.

What did surprise him was how, despite the internal war he was waging against the Yang family, Yang Shule still dared to initiate conversation in such a setting.

Most people present were either alumni of No. 1 Middle School or at least knew of it.

Even if they had gotten married or gained weight over the years, it wouldn’t be hard for anyone willing to ask around to know that the names Chen Mo and Yang Shule were closely linked.

Someone who knew a bit of the backstory quickly tried to smooth things over:

“Mr. Chen, come, have a seat. I was just about to contact you about a project recently.”

“Back in the day, Brother Mo was the school tyrant of No. 1 Middle School — who would’ve thought he’d be the one doing the best now.”

“Exactly. Jiang Xu, grab another chair.”

But Chen Mo didn’t move.

He knew Yang Shule hadn’t come for any simple reason.

Sure enough, Yang Shule stood up, smiling slightly. “I wasn’t even sure you’d show up. Chen Mo, did you know he was attacked while abroad?”

Chen Mo’s hands clenched slightly, his brow furrowing. “What did you say?”

“Oh, so you really didn’t know,” Yang Shule’s smile twisted into a look of mockery and pity. “I thought he would tell you everything. Turns out it’s not much more than this. What I can tell you is — Lunar sent people after him, tried to kill him. You know three years ago he was almost killed too, right?”

People around them couldn’t hear the full conversation.

They only saw Chen Mo suddenly whip out his phone and storm outside.

Chen Mo stood against the wall, dialing over and over again.

He called again and again, his brows knotting tighter and tighter each time the call went unanswered.

Behind him, Yang Shule followed, smirking maliciously.

“I didn’t think you were so insignificant. Guess I really overestimated you,” he sneered.

Chen Mo grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall. “Then remember this — that was the second time. I’m keeping track.”

Yang Shule’s face flushed with anger. “You—”

“And you.” Chen Mo’s voice was ice cold. “Whether Xi Siyan lives or dies, it’s none of your damn business. Don’t even think about him. I don’t like him anymore.”