"How did you get here?" Jiang Mo looked at the person who had suddenly appeared before her.
"Surprise! Bet you didn’t see this coming?" Li Zheng squeezed through the door, carrying a large backpack.
Jiang Mo closed the door and eyed her little brother, who had noticeably tanned. "You still haven’t answered me. How did you know which hotel I was staying at?"
"Of course, I had an insider," Li Zheng said, dropping his backpack. Seeing his sister’s confusion, he decided not to keep her in suspense. "Brother Ye told me. He’s the one who invited me to come hang out."
He was now Gu Ye’s gaming buddy, often teaming up online whenever they had free time.
A couple of days ago, Gu Ye had learned that Li Zheng was returning to Jiangcheng after his trip and invited him to join their vacation.
At first, Li Zheng had refused, thinking it might be awkward to intrude on the Gu family’s private getaway. But after Gu Ye’s enthusiastic insistence, he’d agreed.
Jiang Mo handed him a bottle of water. "You kept this under wraps pretty well. Couldn’t even give me a heads-up?"
"Well, Brother Ye told me not to say anything in advance," Li Zheng replied, glancing around the suite. He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and whistled. "Sis, you never mentioned how amazing your work benefits are. This place is swanky!"
"Yeah, I didn’t dare tell you. I was afraid you’d die of envy," Jiang Mo joked. Now that he was here, she couldn’t exactly kick him out. She asked warmly, "Have you had lunch yet?"
Li Zheng nodded. "Ate on the way. Where’s Grandpa Gu and Brother Ye?"
"Grandpa Gu went to a nearby farm to pick fruit and have a countryside meal. Gu Ye and Xiao Xuan are swimming at the hotel pool—they should be back soon."
"Cool. I’ll rest for a bit then. I’m exhausted."
Jiang Mo studied him as he flopped onto the sofa. "You look like you lost weight during your trip."
"Of course! I’ve been hiking every day. Don’t I look even more handsome now?"
"Pfft, spare me the ego."
The siblings bantered back and forth until Gu Ye, timing it perfectly, arrived upstairs wrapped in a towel.
"Whoa, Brother Ye, your physique is insane!" Li Zheng greeted him, then turned to Gu Xuan beside him. "Hey, Xiao Xuan! Looking sharper than ever."
Gu Xuan beamed at the sight of Li Zheng. "Brother Zheng! I’m so glad you’re here. Now we can all hang out together!"
"Told you it’d be worth it—cool weather, great views," Gu Ye said. "Just relax and enjoy yourself. Don’t worry about anything else."
Li Zheng flashed a grin. "Thanks, Brother Ye!"
Jiang Mo turned to Gu Ye. "You invited my brother without telling me?"
Gu Ye shrugged. "I figured you might not let him come if I asked."
He wasn’t wrong. Jiang Mo probably would’ve hesitated, not wanting her little brother to freeload.
"Then I’ll book him a separate room later," Jiang Mo said. "And he’ll pay for his own sightseeing tickets."
"Come on, don’t be like that," Gu Ye protested. "I invited him as my guest—if I made him pay, what kind of second young master would I be? Besides, the whole point was to have fun together. He can stay in the suite with us."
He rattled off the sleeping arrangements. "Zheng can bunk with me, and Xiao Xuan can share with Grandpa."
Gu Xuan whipped his head around. "Second Brother, you didn’t even ask for my opinion!"
I’m your actual blood brother, you know.
Gu Ye raised an eyebrow. "Fine, I’m asking now. What’s your opinion?"
Feeling the unspoken threat, Gu Xuan gulped. "Heh… I love sharing a room with Grandpa."
"Since no one objects, it’s settled," Gu Ye said cheerfully. "Little bro, where’s your luggage? Let’s get it to our room."
Li Zheng grabbed his backpack from the couch and slung it over his shoulder with a pat. "Who needs luggage? A backpack’s all I need."
The two walked off toward the bedroom like brothers, leaving Jiang Mo staring after them, baffled.
Since when were they this close? How did she not know about this?
"The room’s pretty spacious—two beds. You take the one by the window," Gu Ye said.
Li Zheng nodded appreciatively. "Gotta hand it to five-star luxury hotels. Way better than the places I stayed during my trip."
"Stick with me, and you won’t have to worry about food or accommodations," Gu Ye said, clapping him on the shoulder.
The kid was easy to win over.
With the little brother secured, the future brother-in-law wouldn’t be causing any trouble. Who knows—he might even put in a good word for him with Mom and Dad Li.
Oblivious, Li Zheng grinned like an idiot, just happy to be getting along so well.
When Gu Baotian returned that evening and saw Li Zheng, his face lit up. "Zheng! It’s been ages. Look at you—turned into quite the handsome young man."
"Grandpa, with Brother Ye around, I can’t possibly claim that title," Li Zheng said humbly. "Sorry for barging in on your vacation."
"Nonsense! The more, the merrier," Gu Baotian said warmly. "If you need anything, just ask your Brother Ye."
Not bad, the kid’s making an effort to bond with Jiang Mo’s family.
Still, Jiang Mo pulled her brother aside for a quick reminder. "Try not to inconvenience them, okay?"
"Relax, sis. I know my limits," Li Zheng said, peeking into her room. "Damn, you’ve got this huge bed all to yourself."
"Yep. Too bad you’re my little brother. If you were my little sister, I might’ve shared."
"Well, I can’t exactly turn into a little sister," Li Zheng said, stroking his chin mischievously. "Hey, sis, have you seen Brother Ye’s body? Those pecs, those abs—whew."
Jiang Mo’s mind instantly flashed back to a certain vivid memory from a few days ago.
Clearing her throat, she forced a smirk. "Why are you checking him out?"
"I just wanna know if I can get that ripped too," Li Zheng said dreamily.
Maybe he could even become a fitness influencer.
"Go to sleep, you dork," Jiang Mo said, shoving him out of her room.
A short while later, someone knocked on her door. Assuming it was her brother again, she opened it—only to find Gu Ye standing there, freshly showered, water still dripping from his hair.
"Do you have moisturizer? Mind if I borrow some?"
"Let me grab it for you," Jiang Mo said, retrieving the jar from her dresser. Gu Ye squeezed out a generous dollop and rubbed it into his face.
He knew modern women were shallow about looks—he had to maintain his best assets.
Jiang Mo leaned against the doorframe, one foot crossed behind the other, her eyes flickering over the V-neck of his robe.
Those pecs probably took some serious work.
As Gu Ye handed back the moisturizer, his loosely tied robe gaped even wider.
A mature man should have no shame flaunting his charms in front of the woman he liked. The goal was to make her crave him.
"Tomorrow we’re hiking. The trail isn’t too steep, but wear comfy shoes and a sunshirt."
"Got it," Jiang Mo mumbled, avoiding eye contact.
For heaven’s sake, could he please cover up properly?
