Jiang Rou glanced over and said unhappily, "You’ve only played a few rounds, and you’re already letting her take over."
"I’m tired and need a break to snack. Can’t my goddaughter play a few rounds for me?" Su Yunjin raised an eyebrow. "Or are you worried you can’t handle losing?"
"Ridiculous! What’s there to be afraid of? It’s not certain who’ll win or lose yet!" Jiang Rou huffed, shifting in her seat.
The two other ladies at the table didn’t mind Jiang Mo stepping in—just a young girl playing a few hands, no big deal. They didn’t think much of it.
But soon, their opinions changed.
Not only did the girl avoid making mistakes, but she also won quite a few rounds. In no time, she had recouped all the losses Su Yunjin had suffered earlier.
"You’ve got some skill, young lady," one remarked.
"Oh no, no, just a bit of luck. I only won because you all went easy on me," Jiang Mo replied humbly.
Jiang Rou couldn’t stand it. The girl was clearly skilled.
What a fake.
She tossed out a tile and muttered, "You all don’t know, but she’s actually won awards in mahjong tournaments. Su Yunjin brings her along just to clean us out. We don’t stand a chance."
The two ladies gasped. "You’re that good at mahjong, young lady?"
Jiang Mo grinned shamelessly. "Jiang Rou, let’s keep it low-key. How about I go easy on you later?"
As if I need your pity!
Jiang Rou felt her temper flare as she carelessly discarded an Eight of Characters. "Don’t get ahead of yourself—"
"Eight of Characters—I win!" Jiang Mo beamed.
Jiang Rou did not beam.
"Didn’t Wen Li just play an Eight? Why didn’t you win off her tile?" Jiang Rou demanded.
Wen Li, the curly-haired lady, checked and confirmed she had indeed played one.
Jiang Mo scanned the table. "Oh, I must’ve missed it earlier. I only saw yours just now."
...
Su Yunjin had deliberately let Jiang Mo take over for a reason.
Jiang Rou’s snide remarks had gotten on her nerves.
Might as well make her contribute a little more to the pot.
After mingling with the host of the banquet, Su Yunjin spotted her eldest son in the crowd.
"Xun," she called out, admiring how dashing he looked in his suit, towering above everyone else.
That height, that build, that face.
Her genes had clearly not gone to waste—her son was downright handsome.
Hearing his mother’s voice, Gu Xun excused himself from his companions and strode over.
"Mom, when did you get here? I didn’t see you earlier."
"I arrived a while ago. I was playing mahjong in the lounge."
Men loved to smoke, and when they gathered, the air grew thick with it—annoying. So the lounges were kept separate.
Su Yunjin asked, "What about you? I didn’t hear you were coming."
Gu Xun explained, "I wasn’t planning to, but an overseas meeting wrapped up early."
Su Yunjin nodded. "Then we’ll leave together after the banquet."
"Oh, Mo came with me too. I didn’t know you’d be here, so I brought her along to keep me company. Let me tell you, that girl’s a mahjong prodigy."
By the time Gu Xun followed Su Yunjin back to the lounge, Jiang Mo was dominating the table.
Her back was to the door, so she only heard Su Yunjin’s voice behind her.
"Mo, how’s the game going?"
"You’re finally back! Your little protégé here has wiped us out," the curly-haired lady joked.
As Su Yunjin moved to the side of the table, Jiang Mo quickly made to stand and give up her seat.
"Keep playing," Su Yunjin patted her shoulder.
She stood by to watch, pleased at the sight of the growing pile of chips. Not bad—today’s earnings were substantial.
Ah, this girl really was her little lucky charm.
Seeing the other three players sighing in defeat, Su Yunjin decided to quit while she was ahead.
"We’ve been at it for a while. How about we take a break?"
"Fine by me. My luck’s been terrible today—lost quite a bit," the curly-haired lady admitted.
Jiang Rou forced a smile. "Hmph. We’re just cannon fodder. Su Yunjin’s the only winner today."
Su Yunjin smirked. "Well, thank you for your generous contributions. Let’s play again soon."
Jiang Rou turned her head away. Play again? As if! You think I’m made of money?
Meanwhile, the curly-haired lady leaned toward Jiang Mo. "Young lady, you’re so good. Are there any tricks to mahjong?"
"Absolutely!" Jiang Mo chirped. "If you have 1-4-7, discard the 1. If you have 2-5-8, discard the 5. If you have 3-6-9, discard the 9."
"Keep familiar tiles if you need pairs, keep unfamiliar ones if you need sequences."
"..."
After sharing her mahjong wisdom, Jiang Mo finally noticed Gu Xun.
When did he get here? She hadn’t heard a peep from him.
Since he was her boss, she bounded over to greet him. "Young Master Gu, you’re here!"
Gu Xun glanced at her, then looked away with a quiet "Hmm."
Tsk, so cold.
At dinner, the three were seated together. Jiang Mo eyed the spread of delicacies and, following the "phone eats first" rule, snapped a flurry of photos.
Looking around, she seemed to be the only one digging in with gusto.
After finishing a conversation, Gu Xun watched Jiang Mo eat with single-minded enthusiasm.
Was the food really that good?
The ingredients were decent, but the cooking was mediocre at best.
"Young Master Gu, you should eat too. The madam paid a hefty gift—we can’t let it go to waste. At least have a bite."
Gu Xun: "…Alright."
He’d never heard such a uniquely pragmatic reason to eat.
After polishing off an abalone, Jiang Mo reached for a drink to cleanse her palate. She took a sip from the wineglass.
Not sure what the beverage was, but it was light, slightly fruity, and delicious. She downed it in one go and asked the server for a refill.
Noticing the flush creeping up Jiang Mo’s cheeks, Gu Xun warned, "Take it easy."
Was there a limit on this drink too?
A while later, when Jiang Mo started feeling woozy, she realized—it was alcohol.
Seriously? This tastes way too good to be liquor.
When Su Yunjin found out Jiang Mo was drunk, she scolded, "Why didn’t you keep an eye on her?"
"I tried. She was too quick," Gu Xun said helplessly.
Fortunately, Jiang Mo was a well-behaved drunk. Two glasses in, she was already swaying.
After dinner, Su Yunjin chatted with the other ladies while Gu Xun and she assessed the drowsy Jiang Mo.
"Son, you’re young and strong. She’s your responsibility now—should’ve watched her better," Su Yunjin directed. "Your car’s bigger. Lay her down in the back seat."
Gu Xun bent down, scooped Jiang Mo up in his arms, and carried her out.
Dazed, Jiang Mo blinked up at him, her blurry vision catching his sharp jawline, straight nose, and handsome profile.
"Wow… a hottie. Hehe."
Gu Xun looked down and murmured, "Stay still."
Miraculously, Jiang Mo obeyed, nestling deeper into his hold.
By the time he settled her into the back seat, a thin layer of sweat glistened on Gu Xun’s forehead.
Su Yunjin’s car sped ahead, arriving home first.
Spotting Aunt Wang, she explained, "Jiang Mo’s in Gu Xun’s car. She accidentally had some alcohol at the banquet, so they’re driving slower."
Twenty minutes passed, and Gu Xun’s car still hadn’t returned.
Strange. They’d left right after each other.
Su Yunjin dialed Gu Xun’s number.
"We're fine... on the way, almost there," Gu Xun replied on the phone while watching Jiang Mo crouch by the roadside, munching on a fried banana.
Halfway through the drive, Jiang Mo had woken up at some point and insisted on buying snacks from a street vendor. She'd already eaten plenty at the banquet, and the roadside stalls weren’t exactly clean with all the traffic passing by, so he hadn’t responded at first.
"Just one, just one, please?" Jiang Mo pleaded, her big eyes wide and hopeful, reminding him of the adorable stray puppy he’d adopted as a child.
Gu Xun wasn’t used to dealing with young women—his family only had two younger brothers—and saying no felt a little too harsh.
"Fine, go ahead," he relented, escorting her out of the car. That was why Su Yunjin had called to hurry them along.
Jiang Mo took a bite of the fried banana, savoring it with pure delight. "Want some? Here, try it—it’s so good!" She swayed slightly as she held the banana out to Gu Xun.
He caught her wrist. "No thanks, you have it."
The vendor nearby glanced at them and shook his head with a smirk.
The man was dressed in a tailored suit, the woman glowing with charm. Their car? A luxury vehicle. When they first stepped out, he’d thought he’d landed a big sale.
Turns out, all they wanted was one skewer of fried banana—and they were sharing it.
Rich people really are stingy.
Once Jiang Mo had finished eating, Gu Xun nudged her. "Let’s go back."
Only then did she nod contentedly—before casually snatching the Nezha helium balloon tied to the vendor’s son’s metal stand.
Gu Xun silently paid for the balloon.
Back in the car, Jiang Mo dozed off again without a fuss.
As the black Rolls-Royce Cullinan pulled into the courtyard, Wang Xia hurried to the door at the sound of the engine.
"Young Master Gu, you’re back," she greeted, peering past him.
Gu Xun stepped out and walked to the passenger side. "Aunt Wang, Jiang Mo had a little too much to drink—she’s asleep."
"Madam already told me. Honestly, this girl—how irresponsible, drinking until she passes out? Let me wake her up." Wang Xia marched forward, ready to pinch Jiang Mo’s nose.
Jiang Mo was deep in a dream, celebrating a lottery win of a million yuan, when suddenly she couldn’t breathe. She flailed awake to find Wang Xia’s face looming over her.
"Now that you’re up, hurry and get out!"
Still dazed, Jiang Mo let Wang Xia guide her back to her room, where she collapsed onto the bed and immediately fell asleep again.
The next morning, Wang Xia roused her with a stern lecture.
Jiang Mo blinked at the Nezha balloon by her bedside.
"Mom, did you buy me a balloon?"
"Me? Buy you a balloon? How about I buy you a car while I’m at it?" Wang Xia scoffed. "Who knows where you swiped that from last night."
I swiped it? Jiang Mo had no memory of it.
This was the first time she realized her alcohol tolerance was so poor.
She hadn’t done anything too embarrassing, had she?
Better to show some remorse.
Jiang Mo raised two fingers in a solemn vow. "This was a one-time mistake. I’ll never drink again—if I do, I’m a dog."
Her phone buzzed with a voice message from Liu Guochuan. "Young lady, are you coming fishing today or not?"
"I’ll be there, Grandpa Liu! Just let me finish up some things first."
