Everyone standing outside was suddenly gripped with a sense of dread.

They couldn’t quite explain why. Despite being roughly the same age as them, the Chen Mo they had imagined—the one they had either heard about or met briefly—wasn’t someone who, with just a few words, could intimidate everyone into silence.

"Chen Mo, what exactly are you trying to do?" Yang Shu Le's fingers gripped the door frame so tightly that his knuckles turned pale.

His voice quivered, unable to conceal his emotions.

He was furious, and deeply embarrassed.

The eyes of all those around him felt like slaps to his face.

At that moment, a voice came from behind.

"What’s going on here?"

It was Yang Zhi.

As soon as the eldest son of the Yang family appeared, the crowd naturally parted to make way for him. Only then did they realize that Yang Zhi must have been home for a while. Standing beside him was Xi Si Yan, and the two seemed to know each other well, their conversation interrupted by the commotion.

Despite the age gap between them, the two didn’t seem out of place together.

One frowned in displeasure, while the other remained indifferent, as if none of this concerned him.

“Brother,” Yang Shu Le called out softly.

His eyes briefly flicked to Xi Si Yan standing next to Yang Zhi, suppressing his frustration as he explained, “My classmates wanted to swim, but the servants wouldn’t let them in.”

He didn’t mention Chen Mo by name, but anyone with eyes could see who was responsible for not letting them into the pool.

Seeing Yang Shu Le's barely restrained anger, his eyes red with embarrassment, Yang Zhi glanced at Chen Mo with clear displeasure. He opened his mouth to say something, but as soon as his gaze met Chen Mo’s distant, emotionless expression, he paused.

There was no trace of emotion in Chen Mo's eyes, no reaction whatsoever.

Yang Zhi had never felt anything toward this so-called younger brother of his. From the moment they found him in the countryside, he had known that they were fundamentally different. In his mind, his true brother was someone like Shu Le—intelligent, capable of charming everyone around him, and receiving the love and attention of their parents. Shu Le was the brilliant, well-mannered youngest son of the Yang family, adored by all.

Shu Le’s intelligence served to win their parents' favor and showcase his cleverness to others. He was talented and considerate, the perfect child of the Yang family.

But Shu Le's smarts were never used to challenge family authority or seek power.

Chen Mo, on the other hand, was different.

That day, when everything changed for the family, as the rain poured down, Yang Zhi could clearly see the shock, confusion, and finally the simmering anger in his younger brother’s eyes.

That was why Chen Mo would never be treated the same as Shu Le.

Yet something had gone wrong. Ever since that Friday night, when Chen Mo didn’t return home, something had begun to shift. Something was being lost, fading away.

Today, despite how busy he was at the company, with so many matters awaiting the attention of the future head of the Yang family, Yang Zhi had taken the time to come home during lunch.

His assistant had asked why, and he had simply said that Shu Le was hosting a reunion and might need help. At the time, he believed that to be the truth.

But for some reason, the moment he walked through the door, his subconscious had started searching for another person in the house.

When he heard the commotion, beneath his visible frustration, there was a strange sense of relief, as if something had reassured him. He thought, Of course. That’s just who my brother is. If he didn’t cause a scene to embarrass us today, it wouldn’t be the Chen Mo I know.

But as their eyes met, it wasn’t quite what he had expected.

Yang Zhi maintained the authoritative air of the eldest son of the Yang family, frowning in clear displeasure. Yet before he could reprimand Chen Mo, Qi Li, who had been standing beside Shu Le, suddenly jumped in.

Positioning himself where Yang Zhi could clearly see him, Qi Li's face twisted with mockery. “Chen Mo, you’re being way too overbearing. Shu Le went out of his way to invite so many classmates to his home, and this is how you act? Picking on Shu Le is one thing, but just because his personality isn’t as strong as yours and he’s better at everything, and because he gets along with more people, you think you can keep bullying him? Today, with all these classmates here, and even his brother around, don’t think you can push your luck anymore!”

As Qi Li righteously scolded him, everyone watched as Chen Mo did several things.

He casually grabbed a robe from the chair and threw it over his shoulders.

He shook out his wet hair and lazily dried it with a towel.

Then, he turned and reached into the pool, pulling up a familiar face, who was staring wide-eyed in shock.

He said nothing.

But the mockery was palpable.

Qi Li, who had started with such confidence, gradually faltered. His voice lowered, and a flush of embarrassment spread across his face, his words turning into a humiliated murmur.

“Let’s go,” Chen Mo tossed another towel to Gou Yiyang, “Next time, we’ll come back when they’ve changed the water.”

Gou Yiyang was practically in awe of him.

In a low voice, he whispered in Chen Mo’s ear, “Damn! That was the first time I’ve been half-naked in front of so many people. I’m not clean anymore.”

Chen Mo glanced down at him, “Half-naked?”

“Hey, it’s still legal, alright?”

Chen Mo chuckled but didn’t reply.

He didn’t care much whether they stayed or left, but since Gou Yiyang was involved, he didn’t want to drag him into the mess.

They started to head for the door, about to push through the crowd, when Qi Li, still nursing his wounded pride, turned his anger on Gou Yiyang. “Gou Yiyang, what’s your deal?!”

Gou Yiyang stopped and let out a laugh.

“Qi Li, could you stop embarrassing the honors class? You just said there are so many classmates here today. Anyone who doesn’t know us might think our entire class is made up of people like you.”

Qi Li’s face turned red with fury, his voice rising. “People like me?!”

“You talk too much. You sound like a squawking hen with a filthy mouth. Do you want me to keep listening to this?”

Chen Mo stood off to the side, arms crossed.

Chen Mo had never doubted Gou Yiyang’s ability to handle a verbal fight. He had seen him deal with medical disputes, and each time it had been a battle of words worthy of a scholar.

Qi Li was practically panting in anger. He had started this to stand up for Yang Shu Le, but now it seemed like he had become the main culprit. He glanced at Shu Le, only to find him avoiding his gaze.

Qi Li couldn’t let this end like this; otherwise, how could he ever show his face at school again?

With a cold laugh, he finally said, “Gou Yiyang, your last name may be Gou, but I didn’t know you’d actually become Chen Mo’s loyal dog…”

Suddenly, a figure moved.

In an instant, Chen Mo kicked Qi Li squarely in the shin, producing a sharp crack that sent a wave of pain through everyone’s nerves. Just as Qi Li’s scream reached his throat, Chen Mo grabbed him by the hair and slammed his head into the doorframe with a loud thud.

As Qi Li slid down the door, his pitiful groan filled the air.

Chen Mo stood over him, speaking calmly, “Don’t worry, you won’t die. I just thought someone needed to teach you some manners. Remember this pain. If I hear another word from you, I’ll have an ambulance take you home.”

Chen Mo turned his cold gaze toward Yang Shu Le.

Seeing the genuine fear in Shu Le’s wide eyes, Chen Mo turned and walked over to Yang Zhi.

They stood face to face.

Recalling the decisiveness with which Chen Mo had acted, Yang Zhi could only say, “You went too far.”

“No need for you to worry, big brother.”

Chen Mo was still holding the paper he had casually picked up earlier, wiping his fingers as if he had touched something dirty.

Yang Zhi’s temples throbbed in frustration.

Chen Mo’s ruthless and violent streak had clearly been fostered by his time with the Chen family—he couldn’t tolerate being taken advantage of, not even once.

Just as Yang Zhi was about to speak again, he noticed that Chen Mo’s gaze had shifted.

“Class President.”

Chen Mo’s lips twitched into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “You wouldn’t be interested in hearing about someone else’s dirty family business, would you?”

It was a clear dismissal.

Yang Zhi’s face stiffened. “Chen Mo…”

“No worries,” Xi Si Yan interrupted, his gaze fixed on Chen Mo, a sincere smile tugging at his lips. “Since this didn’t happen at school, I won’t report it to the homeroom teacher as a fight. However, Chen Mo, if the other party brings this up at school, I’ll have to tell the truth about what I saw. You don’t have any objections, right?”

“Of course not. That’s your responsibility as class president.”

Xi Si Yan handed the folder he was holding to Yang Zhi, still smiling. “Big brother, please give this to Shu Le so he can bring it to school on Monday. I have a game to get to, so I’ll take my leave.”

“What game?” Yang Zhi tried to keep him. “At least stay for lunch.”

Without answering, Xi Si Yan simply said, “Next time, I promise.”

Chen Mo watched as Xi Si Yan waved to a few others, signaling for them to follow him out.

One of the boys asked, “Yan-ge, will we really be able to get into that venue?”

“Yeah.”

“Hell yeah, today we’re going to destroy those guys!”

Their voices faded as they left, with Yang Shu Le pushing his way through the crowd to chase after them.

Yang Zhi shifted his gaze back, lowering his voice in displeasure. “Do you have any idea how important our business with the Xi family is? You can’t just talk to him like that! If you offend him, you won’t need me to tell you the consequences—they’ll be more than you can handle!”

Chen Mo showed no intention of responding.

Yang Zhi’s tone softened as he continued, “You didn’t know who he was. Let’s just forget about it this time.”

Chen Mo gave a slight, mocking smile. How could I not know?

He knew very well. In fact, he knew that in the future, there was even a chance the two families might become one.

But Chen Mo had no intention of continuing the conversation.

“I’ll be staying in the school dorms starting next week,” he said suddenly.

“Staying at school?” Yang Zhi frowned. “What’s so great about the dorms? You have a driver to take you to and from school every day. It’s much more comfortable than the dorms.”

Chen Mo’s smile widened slightly. “Going to the dorms is the best compromise I can offer, Yang Zhi.”

He didn’t even address him as "big brother."

Yang Zhi’s expression darkened, but before he could say anything, Chen Mo continued, “If you don’t want me to expose the Yang family’s secret—about how you switched me with Shu Le for the sake of profit, lying to the world—then you’d better let things be. All I want is a normal, peaceful life. You want to maintain the image of a harmonious family. So, let’s each get what we want. Talk to Mom and Dad about the dorm situation.”

Without waiting for Yang Zhi’s response, Chen Mo turned and walked away.

After what had just happened, anyone who still remained looked at Chen Mo with fear in their eyes.

Qi Li had already been carried off by a few others.

Gou Yiyang caught up to Chen Mo.

“What were you talking about with your brother just now?” Gou Yiyang asked.

“About staying in the school dorms,” Chen Mo replied.

“You’re going to live in the dorms?” Gou Yiyang was surprised.

“Yeah, any problem with that?”

“There’s nothing wrong with it. But I should warn you, our school may be a top institution, but the dorm conditions are pretty rough. It’s six students per room. If you think you can handle living with the smell of stinky socks and instant noodles, then go ahead.”

Chen Mo laughed, “Sounds perfect.”

He knew what Gou Yiyang was really trying to say.

That in Chen Mo’s current situation, dorm life might not be the best fit.

But what Chen Mo didn’t tell him was that if he stayed at the Yang family home any longer, after a few more incidents like today, he might just lose control and burn the whole house down. Then his "retirement" would be spent in prison.

As Chen Mo placed one foot on the stairs, he suddenly stopped.

“Help me out,” Chen Mo said.

Gou Yiyang looked confused. “What?”

Chen Mo gripped the banister with his left hand and repeated, “Help me up.”

It was only then that Gou Yiyang noticed something was off about Chen Mo’s right leg.

“What’s going on?” he asked as he grabbed Chen Mo’s arm. “Did you cramp up? Or did you hurt yourself when you kicked that guy?”

Chen Mo gritted his teeth, enduring the sharp pain.

“Rheumatism.”

Gou Yiyang was speechless. “...If you’re embarrassed about hurting yourself from kicking someone, you don’t have to make up excuses.”