After the Reborn Young Master Embraced a Life of Wellness – Chapter 79

The details of that day’s negotiation were not made public. All that was known was that UA had ultimately lost the battle and been forced to retreat. A photo of Lunard, looking as though he had to be carried into the car by bodyguards, was widely circulated under the mocking caption: “Drowning Dog on the Stake.”

In truth, Chen Mo had never expected Lunard to go down so quickly.

Sure enough, two days later, a joint venture company led by Chuanxing Technology and backed by foreign capital launched a nationwide “technological innovation seminar,” under the pretense of promoting tech sharing and complementary advantages. Their real goal was to encourage partnerships between startups and venture capitalists—an obvious ploy to re-enter the domestic tech market.

Inside CM’s headquarters, located on the top floor of a high-rise in China—

Han Qian slid his phone across the desk toward the man seated behind it.

“This is a photo we got—Lunard meeting Ren Xiansen at the airport. Take a look.”

Xi Siyan gave it a passing glance. “Do we have any hard evidence?”

“Not yet. Lunard is being especially cautious this time.” Han Qian leaned over, took the phone back, and frowned. “But it’s pretty much confirmed he’s going back to his old turf to make another play for fortune. It’s a shame, really—some of the small businesses he’s targeting were just founded by fresh college grads. If Lunard succeeds, the market will be upended overnight.”

Xi Siyan turned his chair and looked out the window.

“There are too many people involved,” he said. “Not everyone will sit idly by.”

“Chen Mo, for example?” Han Qian smiled. “Lunard took a major hit from him this time—his hopes were completely crushed. I heard he was so furious he spent two days in the hospital. And Chen Mo just happens to be Ren Xiansen’s mortal enemy. This is a grudge match for an entire circle of power. I’ve said it before—you two really know how to pick your opponents.”

Xi Siyan placed his pen back onto the desk.

“Book me a flight to Huajing. 9 a.m. tomorrow.”

Han Qian was caught off guard. “You’re going in person?”

“Mm.”

“There’s no need.” Han Qian tried to dissuade him. “You didn’t even attend the Yang family’s negotiations in person. Our team can monitor everything this time.”

As he spoke, Han Qian suddenly paused, then looked at him in shock.

“Don’t tell me you’re abusing your authority for personal reasons. Can’t stand being apart from your ex for three days and two nights, so you’re tagging along for the ride?”

Xi Siyan picked up the pen and threw it at him. “Just book the ticket.”

“Touchy,” Han Qian muttered as he caught the pen. He turned to ask his secretary to book the flight while mumbling to himself, “I get it. Mr. Chen isn’t exactly idle either—running between schools, companies, and hospitals. He just wrapped up the Yang family matter and now he’s off on another business trip without even resting. But let’s not rush it. You know the more eager you are, the worse it looks…”

His rambling was abruptly interrupted by Xi Siyan’s phone ringing.

Han Qian almost felt cursed. Like speaking of the devil would make him appear.

But when Xi Siyan answered the phone with a calm “Mom,” Han Qian realized who it was—none other than the legendary eldest daughter-in-law of the previous generation of the Xi family.

In Han Qian’s eyes, Jiang Jing’s life was something out of a novel.

She had a loving marriage, a successful son, and was a business powerhouse in her own right. When her husband decided to leave the Xi family to start his own company, she followed him without hesitation and used her connections to help build a successful enterprise.

Even if Xi Siyan hadn’t inherited the Xi family legacy—

As long as he leaned on his parents, he’d never lack for anything in his life.

Yet their family was now filled with elites, and none of them needed to cling to one another for status.

On the phone, Jiang Jing’s voice was unusually gentle when she spoke to her son.

“No meetings? Am I disturbing you?”

“No,” Xi Siyan replied, placing his phone on speaker while he continued reviewing documents.

“That’s good. You’ve been back for quite a while—shouldn’t you at least come home for a meal?”

“Alright,” he said. “I’ll check my schedule.”

Their conversation was simple and only lasted a few sentences.

After a short pause, it was Jiang Jing who brought something up.

“By the way, I heard you’re looking for a famous internal medicine doctor?”

Xi Siyan’s fingers paused mid-turn. “You know someone?”

“I do. I can introduce him to you.” Jiang Jing added, “But first, tell me the truth. Are you doing all this for that person?”

“Yes,” Xi Siyan answered calmly. “And he has a name—it’s Chen Mo, not ‘that person.’”

“Why do you always bristle like a porcupine the moment he’s mentioned?” Jiang Jing sounded a bit exasperated. “Back then, it was just bad timing. The old man simply went along with the flow, thinking it’d be best if you two broke up. Now, the Xi family has no control over you—even if they wanted to. But ask yourself this: if your family really wanted to stop you, don’t you think they would’ve found a way?”

That was a peace offering—a softened stance—and Xi Siyan knew it.

Then Jiang Jing returned to the topic at hand.

“I heard that kid had issues with his legs. Didn’t you get Elder Pang to treat him in high school? Why are you looking for an internal medicine specialist now?”

At this, Xi Siyan’s brow furrowed.

“Low-grade fever,” he said. “It’s been persistent.”

Jiang Jing asked, “What triggered it?”

Xi Siyan pinched his brow and was silent for a moment, then answered bluntly: “Sex. Still want to hear it?”

Jiang Jing: “…”

Han Qian, who was still standing nearby: “…”

Xi Siyan didn’t care at all about their reactions—or what they might be imagining.

Every time he brought up Chen Mo’s condition, he couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

Several days had passed since that night.

The fever would spike in the morning, then drop, but it never fully went away. A persistent low-grade fever lingered.

Even on the day of the Yang negotiations, his temperature had hovered around 37.8°C.

Xi Siyan had consulted many doctors, and they all prescribed medication.

Their conclusions were similar: the fever stemmed not only from physical exhaustion caused by intense intimacy, but also from Chen Mo’s constant overwork. But the root cause lay deeper—in his childhood.

Premature birth. Weak digestive system.

He had almost completely missed the window of early development that might’ve allowed his body to recover. Not only was there no special care, those first ten years had been like taking a fragile sheet of paper and slicing it over and over again, then patching it up, only to slice it once more. The result was a body full of hidden wounds.

Xi Siyan had never tried to excuse himself for this.

Because the truth was, he had been absent—for five whole years.

In those five years, Chen Mo had survived entirely on his own—but at great cost.

The damage done in his early years had now come back to haunt him, like a boomerang. A wound that had pierced Xi Siyan’s heart five years ago still hadn’t been pulled out. The longer it lingered, the deeper it drove in. And it festered, like rusted metal.

Every time he thought about it, it hurt.

Xi Siyan didn’t drag it out any further. He said to Jiang Jing directly, “If you find someone suitable, send me their information. I’ll get in touch.”

Jiang Jing was silent for a long while before finally speaking.

“Well, son… I know you’ve always been proud. Now you’re in a powerful position, with money and influence…”

“But just because you’re successful now doesn’t mean you can throw your weight around,” Jiang Jing said. “I’ve heard Chen Mo is also young and doing quite well in his career. The Xi family won’t go around bullying decent people. You—”

“You’re overthinking it,” Xi Siyan cut in with a sigh.

“Really?” Jiang Jing clearly didn’t believe him.

In her eyes, her son had always been a heaven-blessed genius, someone who had never tasted failure. After separating from the person he liked five years ago and suddenly getting back in touch now, if there was any reluctance on the other side—or any resistance at all—she couldn’t help but suspect that her son had done something overbearing.

Even as his own mother implied this, Xi Siyan’s expression didn’t change.

He gave her a few perfunctory words of reassurance, then ended the call.

Han Qian, who had been waiting for a long time to speak, finally seized the moment: “Wait, are you seriously getting back together? When did this happen?”

“Do I need to report to you?” Xi Siyan closed the signed folder and handed it to him. “You’re coming with me on this trip.”

Han Qian pointed at himself, incredulous. “Me? Why? You’re flying across the country to chase your man and you need someone to carry your bags too? What, am I supposed to sit there and watch you two cuddle in bed at night?”

The document in Xi Siyan’s hand changed from submit to throw.

Expressionless, he said, “Get lost.”

Han Qian had teased enough for one day. He grabbed the document and made a quick exit.

Outside the office, the chief secretary of the admin office spotted him, glanced toward the executive suite, and asked, “Assistant Han, is Mr. Xi in a bad mood? Should I make him a cup of coffee?”

Han Qian patted her on the shoulder. “I’d advise against it. He’s spending tonight alone in an empty hotel room—mood’s terrible.”

The secretary looked shocked.

“Mr. Xi is married???”

Han Qian wore an inscrutable expression. “No, but there is someone.”

The chief secretary looked like she’d just stumbled across a massive piece of gossip but didn’t dare say it out loud. “Who is it?”

“Don’t ask me that.” Han Qian returned to his usual tone. “Go prep the meeting materials. Some people are only born to flirt, but we… we’re born to grind like donkeys.”

CM had only recently set up its China branch, and most of its staff were high-level recruits poached from other firms. Naturally, there was endless curiosity about the company’s mysterious young president, whose life seemed like something out of a legend.

His capabilities were obvious—after all, it had been his bold decision to invest in Huanshang right after returning to China. And as one of the key players behind the Yang family’s internal shake-up, his composure was unmistakable.

He also had a severe case of mysophobia.

Even the janitors rarely dared enter his office, and it was common knowledge that he disliked strong perfume scents on his colleagues.

This kind of boss, who seemed like he belonged to an asexual alien race, was now rumored to be in love?

Even with gossip coming directly from the secretarial office, some people were still skeptical.

“It’s gotta be fake. I can’t picture Mr. Xi—who only says things like ‘Come in,’ ‘Continue,’ and ‘Redo’—falling for anyone.”

“So it’s definitely someone outside the company.”

“Right. Who knows—maybe in private, Mr. Xi calls someone ‘baby.’”

“Stop. If that’s the case, then I claim the title. I am the baby.”

“Wake up, dream’s over. The only time your boss calls you ‘baby’ is when he’s firing you: ‘You can’t even handle such a basic task, baby. You’re fired.’”

…

Chen Mo had just gotten off the plane when he received a screenshot message from Han Qian.

Huajing had entered its cooling season, and the temperature was noticeably lower.

Yuan Hao, Lao K, and two other colleagues from the sales department were walking beside him. When they saw him take out his phone, they automatically helped him carry his luggage.

On WeChat, Han Qian asked: “Just curious—does he really call you that in private?”

Chen Mo figured the man was probably just bored to death. Raising an eyebrow, he replied:
“Jealous?”

Han Qian answered with a disgusted face emoji.

“Please don’t. I’ll have nightmares. Thanks.”

Chen Mo thought about it and realized—over all this time, he and Xi Siyan had mostly just called each other by name.

But maybe… having nightmares was still better than having to hear someone complain about sleeping alone.

He opened his chat with Xi Siyan. The last message was from two hours ago, asking if he had boarded the plane.

Chen Mo was walking at the end of the group when, without thinking too much, he typed two characters.

“Baby.”

Click. Send.

The reply came instantly:
“?”

Chen Mo, whose chat alias was Silence is not golden, your grandfather, responded:
“Can’t I call you whatever I want?”

Xi Siyan: “Isn’t this what people in love do? I can’t call you that?”

Staring at that name in the chat, Chen Mo got goosebumps and couldn’t help but laugh out loud while looking at his phone.

But just as he was grinning, a call notification popped up.

Incoming call.

Chen Mo hesitated before answering. “…Hello?”

Xi Siyan’s voice came through, calm and deep:
“Go ahead. I’m listening.”

At the airport, facing the suspicious stares of his colleagues, Chen Mo muttered into the phone:
“…My bad. Please don’t. I still need to save some face at my age.”