The meal ended awkwardly, and the Yang couple headed to the company, leaving only Chen Mo and Yang Shule at home. After his morning outburst, Yang Shule had lunch brought to his room by the servants and didn’t show his face.

At midday, with the sun hanging high in the sky, Chen Mo dozed off in the outdoor lounge area downstairs.

In the distance, a few servants were watering the flowerbeds during their lunch break, and snippets of their conversation occasionally drifted over.

"How’s the young master today?" one asked.

"Which young master?" another replied.

"Oh, come on, of course I mean Master Shule. He’s been sick for so long and lost a lot of weight. He hasn’t even been going to school. Tomorrow’s class reunion was actually suggested by Mr. and Mrs. Yang, hoping it would lift his spirits."

"If it were me, I wouldn’t be so happy either. Not going to school isn’t just because he’s sick, I think it’s also because he doesn’t know how to face his old classmates. He used to be so popular, shining like a star, and now there’s all these rumors."

"Let’s just hope a certain someone doesn’t cause trouble tomorrow, and everything will be fine."

At that point, the conversation quieted down, as if they were afraid to say more.

"I mean, it’s weird. He used to make such a fuss, but now that he’s stopped, it’s almost scarier."

"I’m really worried he’ll cause trouble tomorrow."

What happened tomorrow?

Chen Mo, who had a random book covering his face, seriously thought about it.

In his past life, something similar had happened.

At that time, Chen Mo hadn’t known that while the Yang family had dropped the lawsuit and told him to be magnanimous, they had immediately turned around and enthusiastically arranged a class reunion for Yang Shule. The contrast felt like a slap in the face.

Moreover, some of the people attending were part of Yang Shule’s close-knit group of friends, and their words had been particularly harsh.

It had ended badly.

Chen Mo had thrown those few people into the house’s swimming pool, and even Yang Shule hadn’t escaped the fate.

In the sweltering September heat, Yang Shule had climbed out of the water, shivering as if he’d been tossed into ice water.

The condemning stares from those around him.

The accusations from his parents and Yang Zhi.

And afterward, his increasingly difficult situation at school—it all seemed so distant and blurred now.

Thinking back, after all the experiences and toughness he’d gained from years in the business world, combined with having faced death once, it was clear that the younger version of himself who thought these things could truly hurt him was laughably naïve.

The conversation among the servants continued.

Now they were talking about how Yang Zhi had stormed off during lunch.

Then came the sound of an elderly man’s cough from behind, followed by Butler Xu’s reprimand, "Don’t you all have anything better to do?!"

Chen Mo lowered the book from his face and looked up at the elderly man standing behind him, dressed in a white, thin-collared tunic and leaning on a cane. He froze for a moment.

Yang Congxian was being supported by Butler Xu, his hands resting on his cane, his expression unreadable.

The servants were all terrified.

It wasn’t just because they hadn’t realized the person they were discussing had been sitting nearby the whole time.

It was also because the elderly man before them was none other than the head of the previous generation of the Yang family.

Yang Congxian’s rise to prominence had a touch of legend to it. Now, nearing 80, he was still in good health.

He was undoubtedly the backbone of the entire Yang family.

In Chen Mo’s previous life, he had found the old man too intimidating and had kept his distance. It wasn’t until three years later, when Yang Congxian’s health declined rapidly and he passed away, that Chen Mo realized this elder had been the only one in the Yang family to support him.

He had supported Chen Mo’s so-called aggressive behavior, which others saw as being overly competitive.

He had understood Chen Mo’s desire for revenge and had tolerated his indiscriminate attacks on the Yang family.

He was the first person to tell Chen Mo, "You didn’t do anything wrong."

Chen Mo rose from the lounge chair.

The sun umbrella above cast shadows on the stone tiles at his feet. Chen Mo met the old man’s gaze for a few seconds before speaking, "Grandfather."

"Hmm." Only then did Yang Congxian move.

He walked over to Chen Mo and sat down on one of the matching rattan chairs around the small round table.

His eyes, though cloudy with cataracts, did not appear muddled. He glanced at the row of servants standing stiffly, then said, "What do you think?"

"Hmm?" Chen Mo was puzzled. "Think about what?"

Yang Congxian raised his eyes. "Should we fire them?"

The servants immediately tensed, and one of the younger ones looked like she was on the verge of tears.

Chen Mo finally understood what the old man meant and smiled. "No need to go that far, Grandpa. It was just some gossip. Being nosy is part of human nature."

"Your father is a man who cares too much about appearances," Yang Congxian said as he scanned the area. "He likes to put on airs. This house is full of incompetent people. Talking behind their employer’s back—if this were the main residence, they’d have been gone long ago."

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the main residence, Chen Mo thought.

The two who had been the most talkative, the ones who had said the most unpleasant things, were the servants who usually took care of Yang Shule. They pampered and coaxed the young master, and Yang Shule, always sweetly calling them "sisters," wouldn’t let them go so easily.

Noticing that Chen Mo’s mind had wandered, the old man tapped his cane on the ground.

"You’re part of this family too. You have the right to decide whether they stay or go." As if worried Chen Mo wouldn’t dare speak up, he added, "Today, I’ll back you. Your parents won’t say anything."

Chen Mo stood before the old man.

"Thank you."

"But it’s unnecessary."

The old man was puzzled. "Aren’t you angry?"

Chen Mo smiled. "Being angry is bad for the liver."

That afternoon, Chen Mo accompanied the old man for a stroll around the villa. Knowing that Yang Congxian had died of a heart attack, Chen Mo made sure to keep the conversation light, bringing up trivial topics to keep the old man’s mood in check.

The entire villa echoed with the sound of the old man’s laughter that day.

This surprised many people.

After all, though Yang Congxian had four children, and those children had given him many grandchildren, he was too strict. Even though he had handed the company over to Yang Qian'an, he was still very critical of his son. None of his grandchildren were particular favorites, and before Chen Mo was brought home, not even the well-liked Yang Shule could win his approval.

Upstairs, Yang Shule, having learned from the servants that the old man had arrived, finally emerged from his room to greet him.

At that moment, Chen Mo was telling the old man about planting rice in the countryside, explaining how stepping into the fields barefoot for less than half an hour would almost certainly result in leeches climbing up your legs. The old man chimed in, saying he had seen leeches the size of a pinky finger during his time in the countryside.

Yang Shule greeted the old man, receiving only a lukewarm response, then stood quietly to the side with his head lowered.

He knew the old man didn’t like him. In the past, he had tried to follow his parents’ advice to curry favor, but had long since given up.

He glanced at Chen Mo.

Seeing that Chen Mo hadn’t even spared him a glance, Yang Shule felt a bit disdainful.

What good would it do to win the old man’s favor?

He’s old. How much longer can he be in charge?

That evening, when the others returned, Yang Qian'an went to the study to discuss business with the old man, accompanied by Yang Zhi, while Zhou Yaoqiong busied herself in the kitchen, preparing dinner.

Chen Mo could feel the tension in the air, as if everyone were walking on eggshells.

The old man was like the compass that directed the Yang family. As long as he was around, everyone—his children and grandchildren—respected him. Especially Yang Qian'an, who, for the sake of avoiding scandals and rumors that could harm the company, had gone so far as to hide the truth about the baby switch. Naturally, he would do anything to keep the old man happy. After all, Yang Qian'an wasn’t the old man’s only son, and the company’s internal competition was fierce. He couldn’t afford to give anyone a reason to exploit a weakness, and he still needed his father to mediate many affairs.

Who would have thought that, that very evening, he’d be thoroughly scolded?

The old man’s cane thumped on the floor with each angry outburst. "Do you realize what you’ve done? You mixed up the babies! That woman stole your son! That’s your real son! All you care about is money and profit! Your wife is foolish, and you’re following right behind her! I’ve told you before, she spoils the boy too much, but what about Chen Mo? What have you and your wife done for him?"

Yang Qian'an wiped his face, frowning. "Did Chen Mo complain to you?"

"Complain? I wish he would!"

Yang Zhi quickly stepped forward, gently patting the old man’s back.

"Grandpa," Yang Zhi said, "calm down. Dad wasn’t only thinking about the company. Shule’s been sick with a fever for half a month, and they didn’t want to upset him further. The lawsuit has only been postponed, not canceled."

The old man snorted. "All for Yang Shule."

"Dad," Yang Qian'an said, "I’ve treated that boy like my own son for over ten years."

"And what about Chen Mo?" The old man sank into his chair, sighing and shaking his head. "All this time, have you ever thought about giving him the family name? One child’s been sick, and you can’t even see that the other one is sick too?"

"Sick?" Yang Qian'an froze. "He didn’t say anything."

"He didn’t say anything, so you don’t look? His face was pale as a ghost, and there wasn’t any color in his lips!" The old man’s frustration grew as he sighed even more deeply. "He must’ve taken medicine that made him sleepy. He spent the whole afternoon with me, forcing himself to stay awake, and didn’t say a word about it. You, you—you’re so blind and foolish!"

Yang Qian'an lowered his head, taking the scolding like a child, without a word of protest.

Yang Zhi, standing nearby, remained silent for a long time.

His mind wandered back to that small bruise, the needle mark, and Chen Mo’s dismissive attitude.

When Chen Mo had first returned, he had been like a rigid, unbendable steel bar—guarded, unwilling to be taken advantage of, always standing tall and keeping people at arm’s length.

Now, something seemed to have drained from him, leaving nothing behind.

Certain details stood out more sharply, and some words now sounded harder to refute.

Was this Chen Mo’s new strategy?

The old man was indeed a perfect target.

Chen Mo, meanwhile, was unaware of what was happening in the study.

He sat on the living room sofa, legs crossed, scrolling through his phone. The fruit on the plate beside him had been neatly cut into even-sized pieces, perfectly suited for someone too lazy to peel them.

When he opened his phone, he noticed a request from someone with a husky dog avatar.

Chen Mo didn’t need to guess—it was definitely Gou Yiyang.

After all, even ten years later, this guy still used the same avatar.

As soon as Chen Mo accepted the request, a message popped up.

"What’s up, Master Mo?"

"Cut the crap. Just call me Chen Mo."

"Alright, Chen-ge. Call me ‘ge’ and you’ll climb fewer hills."

Chen Mo shook his head and replied, "You’ll regret that."

He recalled how, years later, Gou Yiyang would often grumble that if it hadn’t been for him, Chen Mo might’ve died in some forgotten corner.

The current Gou was still young and naive. "Nah, you said it yourself—you’ve got money to burn. You’re exactly the kind of person I should be friends with."

"Cut the nonsense. What do you want?"

"Well, I felt bad for leaving you on your own last night. Just checking in."

Chen Mo reminded him, "I wasn’t alone."

Gou Yiyang: "That’s exactly why I’m worried! You’ve only just transferred, so you might not know, but our class rep, Xi Siyen, and that Yang Shule are known as the twin stars of our school. Some fans on the forums ship them as a couple—the ‘crown prince’ and his ‘beloved young master.’ You get the picture? So when I think about how I left you to be thrown to the wolves, I’m trembling."

Chen Mo couldn’t help but laugh. Gou Yiyang’s penchant for gossip was already evident, even in high school. Chen Mo replied, "Isn’t it a bit late to warn me?"

Gou Yiyang: "I honestly didn’t think of it until now! But it’s just that Xi Siyen is so imposing that when you see him, it’s hard to notice anyone else. The man’s a walking dream for half the girls in school, and that’s no exaggeration."

Gou Yiyang added, "By the way, I hope you didn’t get assassinated last night?"

Chen Mo: "I’m already dead. Don’t forget to burn me some paper offerings."

Gou Yiyang: "Well then, I guess I’ll just have to come to your family’s party tomorrow and witness your corpse firsthand."

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow. "You’re coming too?"

Gou Yiyang replied immediately.

"Scout’s honor, I’m just here to watch the drama unfold."