At that moment, Chen Mo was telling the old man about planting rice in the countryside. He said that if you went to the fields barefoot for less than half an hour, you would most likely have leeches crawling up your legs. The old man chimed in, saying that when he was young and went to the countryside, he had seen leeches as big as his little finger. 　　Yang Shule greeted the old man and, after receiving a lukewarm response, stood aside with her head bowed. 　　Yang Shule knew that the old man didn't like him. He used to listen to his parents and try to please him, but he had long since given up. 　　He looked at Chen Mo. 　　Seeing that he hadn't given her a second glance from beginning to end, she felt somewhat disdainful. 　　What good is it to please the old man? 　　He's old, how many more years can he make decisions for him? 　　The others came back in the evening. 　　Yang Qi'an followed the old man to the study to discuss official business, with Yang Zhi accompanying them, while Zhou Yaoqiong busied herself in the kitchen preparing food. 　　Chen Mo could clearly sense that everyone was being extremely cautious. 　　The old man was like a guiding light for the Yang family, a mountain of support. As long as he was alive, his sons and grandsons respected him. Not to mention that Yang Qi'an, to protect the company from turmoil and rumors, had gone so far as to conceal the switch of sons, so naturally he would follow the old man's lead in everything. After all, the old man had more than one son, and the internal struggles within the group were fierce. He couldn't allow anyone to seize on the slightest flaw and make a big fuss about it, so many things still required his father to mediate. 　　To my surprise, I was scolded harshly that very night. 　　The old man pounded his cane, his voice filled with exasperation. "Tell me what you've done! Switched babies? That woman stole your son! He's your own son! All you see is money and profit! Your wife is confused, and you're confused too, aren't you? I've said it before, she spoils the child rotten, it's normal that she can't let go of the child she raised, but what have you and your wife done to Chen Mo?" 　　Yang Qi'an wiped his face and frowned: "Did Chen Mo complain to you?" 　　"Tell him a complaint? It would be better if he wanted to!" 　　Yang Zhi, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped forward and gently patted the old man's back. 　　“Grandpa,” Yang Zhi said, “please calm down. Dad’s problem isn’t just about the company. Shule has had a recurring high fever for the past two weeks, and Mom and Dad don’t want to upset him any further. The lawsuit is just postponed, not actually withdrawn.” 　　The old man snorted coldly, "In the end, it's all for Yang Shule." 　　“Dad,” Yang Qi’an said, “I’ve raised that child as my own son for over ten years.” 　　"What about Chen Mo?" The old man sat down in the chair, sighed, and shook his head. "It's been so long, have you thought about changing his surname? One of the children's illnesses keeps recurring, but can't you see that the other one is also sick?" 　　"Is he sick?" Yang Qi'an was taken aback. "He didn't say that." 　　"He didn't say you couldn't see! Your complexion was so bad, and there wasn't a trace of color on your lips." She became even angrier, and sighed even deeper. "He was probably sleepy because of the medicine. He forced himself to stay up all afternoon with this old man, without revealing a single word. You, you, how could my Yang family have produced such a blind and stupid fool like you!" 　　Yang Qi'an lowered his head, being scolded like a grandson, without uttering a single word in rebuttal. 　　Yang Zhi, standing to the side, remained silent for a long time. 　　He thought again of the needle hole and the other person's indifferent tone. 　　When Chen Mo was first found, he was like an unyielding steel bar. He was wary of people, unwilling to suffer losses, and his straight back easily kept people at a distance. 　　Now something seems to have been pulled out of his body and disappeared. 　　Some details are particularly glaring, and some words sound so irrefutable that they leave one speechless. 　　Is this Chen Mo's new tactic? 　　The old man is indeed a very good target. 　　Chen Mo was unaware of everything that had happened in the study. 　　On the sofa in the living room, Chen Mo crossed his legs and looked at his phone. The fruit in the fruit bowl next to him was cut into evenly sized pieces, which was perfect for people who were too lazy to peel the fruit. 　　When I opened my phone, I discovered that someone with a husky profile picture had added me as a friend that afternoon. 　　Chen Mo knew without even guessing that it was Gou Yiyang. 　　After all, this guy's profile picture is still the same ten years later. 　　Chen Mo had just clicked "accept" when a message popped up on the other end. 　　"What's up, Young Master Mo?" 　　"Why are you making a fuss? Call him Chen Mo." 　　"Alright, Brother Mo. Just call people 'brother,' and you'll save yourself a lot of trouble." 　　Chen Mo shook his head and replied, "You'll regret it." 　　He recalled those years when Gou Yiyang often complained that if it weren't for his tireless efforts over the years, Chen Mo would have died of illness in some remote corner long ago. 　　Old Gou was still young and naive: "Didn't you say you had so much money you didn't know what to do with it? Someone like you is perfect to be my friend." 　　"Stop joking around, did you need something?" 　　"I felt bad about leaving you alone last night, so I just wanted to check on you." 　　Chen Mo reminded him, "It's not just one person." 　　Gou Yiyang: "It's precisely because you're not alone that I'm worried. You've only been here a short time, so you might not know, but our class monitor, Xi, and Yang Shule are known as the twin stars of our school. Some people on certain campus forums are secretly fantasizing about them as a couple, like the prince and his beloved little master. Think about it, think about this relationship carefully. Just thinking about sending you into the tiger's den last night makes me tremble." 　　Chen Mo suddenly chuckled. It turned out that Gou Yiyang's habitually gossipy, unlike most straight men, had been foreshadowed back in high school. Chen Mo replied, "Isn't it a bit late to remind him now?" 　　Gou Yiyang: "I really didn't think of that. It's mainly because of Xi Siyan. Once you see him, it's hard to pay attention to anyone else. He's the dream of thousands of girls in our school, and that's no exaggeration." 　　Gou Yiyang then asked, "If I may ask, you weren't assassinated last night, were you?" 　　Chen Mo: "He's already dead. Remember to burn paper money for him." 　　Gou Yiyang: "Then I must come to your family's class reunion tomorrow to pay my respects and see your remains." 　　Chen Mo raised an eyebrow: "You're here too?" 　　Gou Yiyang replied instantly. 　　"I swear to God, I was just a bystander." 　　　　The next morning, before Chen Mo even got out of bed, he heard a commotion outside.

Chapter 12