Li Daming chuckled heartily, "This is all thanks to my dear daughter's filial piety, treating me to a meal. Dad will take you out for something even better next time."
Jiang Mo pouted playfully, "Then next time, I want a feast!"
"Sure, no problem!"
"Dad, you always claim you don’t have a secret stash, but your wallet seems pretty full to me."
Li Daming shook his head in denial, "This little stash of mine is nothing compared to your mom. She holds all the financial power in this household—even the rent goes straight to her."
Jiang Mo asked curiously, "So, are the other two properties mortgaged or fully paid off?"
"Back then, housing prices here were cheap. Your mom said she borrowed money to buy them and later paid it off," Li Daming admitted, acknowledging that his wife had a sharper investment eye than he did.
At the time, he had thought owning one home to live in was enough. But Wang Xia insisted that prices would rise, and buying more would secure assets for their children in the future.
Sure enough, housing prices later skyrocketed.
Jiang Mo joked, "If I’d known we had rental properties, you and Mom should’ve told me earlier. I could’ve been a landlady, lounging around collecting rent."
"If anyone’s lounging, it should be your mom and me first. You’re still young—find something you enjoy doing, then think about lounging later."
As they walked forward and entered the elevator, Li Daming pondered his daughter’s words before asking, "Sweetheart, do you not like working at the Gu family’s place?"
"Not at all. Why do you ask, Dad?"
"Well, you just mentioned wanting to lounge around."
"Oh, that’s just a phrase us young people throw around," Jiang Mo replied. Then she hesitated, "Dad, if I told you I might want to return to my original field and leave the Gu family, would that seem ungrateful?"
After all, the cushy job there came with great benefits.
Li Daming boomed enthusiastically, "My daughter is so talented—she’ll succeed at anything! Whatever you want to do, Dad supports you. If you need money or help, just say the word. As long as it’s within my power."
Jiang Mo was touched, though slightly embarrassed by his booming voice echoing in the elevator. She tugged at his sleeve and said softly, "Got it, Dad."
After two days off, Jiang Mo drove her beloved car to work at the Gu residence.
Li Daming became the car’s first passenger.
Jiang Mo pulled Wang Xia over to the vehicle and said, "Mom, from now on, I can drive you wherever you want to go."
"Great! Now I’ve got my own chauffeur," Wang Xia replied, though she added sternly, "But you’re still a new driver—safety first on the road."
Jiang Mo nodded, "I know."
After checking out the car, Li Daming secretly reported to Wang Xia, "Honey, I messed up the covert operation—accidentally let something slip."
Wang Xia frowned, "What did you reveal?"
"That we own other properties in the neighborhood. Jiang Mo knows now."
Wang Xia shrugged, "Oh, the ones in our complex? No big deal. You didn’t say anything else, did you?"
"Anything else? Even I don’t know much more than the kids do," Li Daming lamented.
——
Gu Ye knew Jiang Mo was coming to work today. After sprucing himself up, he hurried downstairs, only to slow his steps as he reached the cat room door.
Inside, Jiang Mo was tidying up, gathering cat fur with cleaning tools.
She turned and noticed Gu Ye lurking at the doorway. After a brief pause, she teased, "Looks like the economy’s really taken a hit—even big celebrities aren’t getting gigs."
Gu Ye didn’t quite catch her words and stepped inside. "What did you say?"
"Nothing," Jiang Mo shook her head.
Gu Ye instructed, "After you finish cleaning, come to my room."
"Sure," Jiang Mo assumed he needed help organizing his space.
But when she arrived, Gu Ye handed her something.
Puzzled, Jiang Mo took it—it was surprisingly heavy. "What’s this?"
"You asked for my autographed photo before," Gu Ye said, hands in his pockets. "I framed it for you. You can display it in your room."
"Oh, the photo."
"You wanted it, didn’t you?"
"Well, actually," Jiang Mo laughed awkwardly, "It was for a friend. Just a regular autograph would’ve been fine—no need for all this trouble."
She unwrapped it and examined the frame—a vintage style that complemented the photo nicely.
Gu Ye’s excitement deflated. Hearing her words, he quickly reached out to take it back. "Then I’ll sign a new one for you. I’ll keep this one."
"Wait! You already prepared it with my name on it," Jiang Mo protested, hugging the frame to her chest as she noticed his disappointed expression. "Just sign two new photos for my friend."
"I thought you wanted it. Don’t force yourself if you don’t."
"Who said I’m forcing myself? It’s a great photo," Jiang Mo insisted. "I just… didn’t have the courage to ask before."
Gu Ye’s mood lifted slightly. He casually pulled out two more photos from a drawer, signed them, and handed them over. "Here, for your friend."
"Thanks! With these, I can mooch a meal off my friend. Guess I’m dining thanks to your fame," Jiang Mo grinned.
Phew—good thing she’d reacted quickly and smoothed things over.
She carried the photos downstairs and placed the framed one in her room.
