"Alright, Uncle Li," Gu Ye said, tugging at his clothes with slight distaste. "Um, I’d like to take a shower before eating, if that’s okay?"
The kid’s got standards, Li Daming thought. "Of course it’s fine. The only thing is, we don’t have any spare clothes for you. If you don’t mind, you can wear Little Zheng’s."
Gu Ye: "I don’t mind."
It wasn’t like he hadn’t worn them before anyway.
Jiang Mo finished applying her makeup—though "makeup" was a stretch, since she’d only dabbed on some foundation, tidied her brows, and swiped on lipstick.
She packed away her cosmetics. "Maybe you should tough it out, eat breakfast first, and shower when you get back home."
Gu Ye thought about it. It really wasn’t convenient here, and he didn’t have a change of clothes. "Fine, I’ll endure it a little longer."
After washing up, he sat down to eat the steamed buns and eggs on the table. Watching Jiang Mo, who was dressed to the nines, he asked, "Are you going out today?"
"Yep, I’ve got a concert date," Jiang Mo hummed lightly.
Gu Ye took a bite of a steamed bun, his words muffled. "Who’d you invite? That girl who works at our villa?"
Jiang Mo shook her head. "No, it’s my senior."
Gu Ye’s guard went up, and his chewing slowed. "That lawyer senior of yours?"
"How do you know my senior’s a lawyer?" Jiang Mo frowned, tilting her head as she studied him before walking over to the dining table.
"I heard Aunt Wang mention it in passing," Gu Ye said, shifting slightly on his chair. "It’s so hot out today. Wouldn’t it be more comfortable to just stay home with the AC?"
Jiang Mo rolled her eyes. "The concert hall has AC, you know. And you’re complaining about the heat now? You didn’t say a word about it yesterday when you went fishing with my dad."
Just then, Jiang Mo’s phone buzzed with a message. Pei Ting told her he’d arrived at the neighborhood and was waiting at the gate.
She typed back: "Got it, I’ll be right down."
Gu Ye craned his neck to peek. "What, your senior texting you?"
"Why do you care so much?" Jiang Mo checked her bag and started changing her shoes. "Dad, I’m heading out."
Li Daming called back: "Alright, come home early tonight. If you need a ride, just message me."
As Jiang Mo walked out, Gu Ye hastily put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and said, "Uncle Li, I’m done eating. Can you take me home now?"
"I’ll go down with Jiang Mo and wait for you outside."
Li Daming stood inside, watching Gu Ye’s hurried retreat. "It’s not like you’ve got anything urgent at home. No need to rush like that."
Jiang Mo waited by the elevator in the hallway. Hearing footsteps, she glanced back and raised a brow—what are you doing here?
"I finished eating. I’m going home. Uncle Li told me to wait downstairs for him," Gu Ye said. "Aren’t concerts usually at night? Why are you leaving so early?"
Jiang Mo found Gu Ye unusually chatty this morning. "The concert’s at night, but we’ve got other plans during the day. Got a problem with that?"
The elevator arrived, and the two stepped in. Gu Ye stood beside Jiang Mo. "Nah, just making conversation."
The walk from their building to the gate was a bit of a distance. Jiang Mo assumed Gu Ye would wait for Li Daming downstairs, but when she opened her parasol and started walking, he followed.
She stopped, and so did he. "The car’s parked at the gate. I’ll wait there."
"Get under the parasol," Jiang Mo said, making space. It was a long walk to the gate.
Gu Ye wordlessly ducked under and took the parasol from her.
Once outside the neighborhood, Jiang Mo scanned the roadside. She only remembered the car was black, not the license plate.
Pei Ting, glancing up periodically, spotted them the moment they stepped out. He opened the car door and stood beside it. "Jiang Mo, over here."
Jiang Mo saw him and reached for the parasol. "I’m leaving now. You can wait for my dad under the supermarket awning."
Gu Ye held onto the parasol, his gaze fixed on Pei Ting.
He’d rushed down to get a look at this so-called senior everyone kept mentioning.
Now he saw him—height, looks, style, all clear at a glance.
And he didn’t like what he saw.
As a guy himself, Gu Ye knew a man like Pei Ting, who kept asking Jiang Mo out, was trouble.
Unbeknownst to him, Pei Ting was sizing him up too.
Their eyes met across the distance.
"Did you hear me?" Jiang Mo repeated when Gu Ye didn’t move.
Gu Ye snapped out of it and reluctantly handed over the parasol. "Here. Don’t stay out too late tonight."
"I know. And don’t stand around in the sun," Jiang Mo said before walking toward Pei Ting.
Gu Ye scratched his ear and ambled toward the supermarket.
When he looked back, the car was already gone.
He opened the freezer and caught his reflection in the glass. He looked… a little rough.
Well, he hadn’t changed clothes or done his hair.
Damn it. Why did the senior have to show up looking all polished today, of all days?
Gu Ye chugged half a bottle of water to cool down, then decided he needed intel on this senior.
After a moment’s thought, he messaged Li Zheng: "Hey kid, having fun out there?"
Li Zheng sent back two photos. "So much fun. The scenery here is insane."
Gu Ye exchanged a few more pleasantries before cutting to the chase. "Hey, do you know anything about your sister’s senior? Like his name or which law firm he works at?"
"Bro, why are you asking?" Li Zheng replied. "I don’t really know. You could ask her yourself."
Gu Ye gave up. Obviously, he’d ask Jiang Mo if he could. But it’d be awkward.
Li Daming, running late, came out to find no one in sight.
When he finally spotted Gu Ye, he grumbled, "What’s the rush?"
In the car, Gu Ye, out of options, casually asked, "Uncle Li, what’s Jiang Mo’s senior’s name? Do you know where he works?"
"His surname’s Pei. His whole family’s in law," Li Daming said. "Why, you need legal advice?"
"Yeah, something like that," Gu Ye said, pulling out his phone to message Zhuge Shen: "Deep bro, can you look into law firms in Jiangcheng for me? A young lawyer named Pei, comes from a legal family."
Zhuge Shen read the message and mentally translated it into classic domineering CEO dialogue:
"Within three minutes, I want all his information."
"Why are you investigating this guy?" Zhuge Shen asked.
Gu Ye: "It’s for something important. You’ve got the skills—this should be easy for you."
This kid, buttering him up now.
Zhuge Shen stared at the message. A lawyer named Pei… Honestly, one person immediately came to mind.
Meanwhile, Jiang Mo and Pei Ting were on their way to an indoor rock-climbing session.
Pei Ting asked, "Is the temperature in the car okay? Let me know if it’s too cold."
"It’s fine, very comfortable."
"Who was that guy with you earlier? He looked familiar."
Of course he looked familiar. While guys don’t follow celebrities as much, there are still some stars everyone recognizes.
Jiang Mo said, "The second son of the Gu family—also my high school classmate."
