Gu Ye was puzzled—had his grandfather prepared something else? He had indeed asked the old man for some help, but this setup—candlelit dinner, romantic flowers—felt a bit too formal.
His mind had been racing earlier, wondering if he should take advantage of the atmosphere to confess his feelings. Just as he was figuring out how to proceed, the doorbell rang.
Putting down his chopsticks, he got up to answer the door.
Li Zheng and Gu Xuan walked in, and the moment they saw the scene in the living room, Gu Xuan exclaimed, "Wow, Second Brother! You’re sneaking around eating a feast in the hotel without us!"
Li Zheng, taking in the ambiance and decorations, sensed something was off. Though he’d never been in a relationship himself, he’d seen enough to recognize the signs.
This situation… felt a little too intimate.
Could it be… that his sister and Gu Ye were secretly dating behind everyone’s backs?
If Gu Xuan hadn’t complained about being bored and insisted on coming back, they’d never have stumbled upon this.
The way Gu Ye avoided eye contact, the way his sister acted unnaturally—it all added up.
He was convinced he’d uncovered the truth!
Jiang Mo, seeing the two return, quietly let out a sigh of relief. The earlier tension had been a bit too much for her.
She waved them over. "Have you eaten yet? We just started—come join us."
Gu Xuan pulled up a chair and sat down at the table. "Neither of us has eaten."
"Why’d you suddenly come back? Weren’t you supposed to be on the night tour with Grandpa and the others?" Gu Ye asked, confused.
Their return had thrown off his plans.
"Grandpa and Grandma’s activities are boring," Gu Xuan complained. "You guys didn’t go either."
Meanwhile, Li Zheng sat down beside Jiang Mo, his eyes darting between the two of them.
Noticing her brother’s odd behavior, Jiang Mo shot him a look. "Why are you staring at me? Do I have gold on my face?"
Li Zheng shook his head dramatically and sighed. "Sis, am I still your dear little brother? You’re keeping secrets from me now."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Jiang Mo frowned. "What secrets?"
Gu Xuan perked up. "What’s Sister Mo hiding?"
Li Zheng was itching to spill, but then it occurred to him—if these two were keeping things under wraps, there must be a reason.
Was it… because the Gu family didn’t approve? Or was Gu Ye, being a celebrity, unwilling to go public?
Either way… wasn’t his sister the one getting the short end of the stick?
Everyone waited for him to continue. Li Zheng licked his lips and said, "Of course, she’s hiding this whole table of delicious food from me!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Jiang Mo flicked his forehead. "Behave. Less talking, more eating—unless you’d rather have instant noodles instead."
Li Zheng: …Fine, I’ll endure it.
With her brother lightening the mood, Jiang Mo relaxed a little, finally able to enjoy the meal.
Even if she was slow on the uptake, she could sense something unusual was going on.
After the lively dinner, Jiang Mo retreated to her room.
She buried herself in the soft blankets, rolling back and forth a few times.
She thought about talking to Li Wan’er but worried about being bombarded with questions.
Instead, she turned to a social platform, asking netizens for relationship advice.
Meanwhile, in another room, the atmosphere was just as tense.
After dinner, Gu Ye noticed Li Zheng was giving him the cold shoulder.
For example, when Gu Ye recommended a new game, Li Zheng just responded with a flat "Oh" and nothing else.
Normally, the kid would chatter nonstop.
Gu Ye couldn’t figure out what he’d done wrong, so he decided to ask directly. "Zheng, are you mad at me? Or is something bothering you?"
"Nope," Li Zheng denied, rolling over. But he felt miserable—he’d considered Gu Ye a close friend, yet the guy was dating his sister behind his back. And not just dating, but keeping it a secret from him!
The denial made him feel even worse, so he jumped out of bed. "Actually, yeah, I am mad."
Gu Ye was lost. "At me? Why?"
"Why?" Now that it was just the two of them, Li Zheng planted his hands on his hips. "You and my sister are dating right under my nose, and you didn’t even tell me!"
Gu Ye: "…"
"What, cat got your tongue?" Li Zheng gloated, convinced he’d hit the nail on the head.
Gu Ye looked baffled. "Where’d you get that idea?"
"My two eyes saw everything," Li Zheng said smugly. "You think you can fool me?"
"I wish I were dating your sister," Gu Ye muttered in frustration.
Now it was Li Zheng’s turn to be confused. "Huh? What do you mean?"
Gu Ye decided to lay it all out. "If you and Xuan hadn’t come back, I was planning to confess to your sister."
"I’ve liked her for a long time."
"Uh…" Li Zheng’s bravado deflated. He glanced down at his bare feet, quietly hooking his slippers back on with his toes.
Maybe exposing this wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
Gu Ye reached out, clapping a hand on Li Zheng’s shoulder. "You wouldn’t have a problem with me dating your sister, right?"
"That depends on whether she agrees," Li Zheng grumbled, scratching his head. So he’d misread the situation.
But at least now he knew Gu Ye’s feelings.
"Good. Haven’t spoiled you for nothing all these years," Gu Ye said. "Keep this to yourself for now, okay?"
Li Zheng nodded, though curiosity got the better of him. "When did you start liking my sister? What do you even like about her?"
Gu Ye just smiled. "You’ll understand when you meet someone you like."
"Playing mysterious, huh? Who knows if my sister will even say yes," Li Zheng teased.
"Don’t jinx it," Gu Ye warned. "Or do you not want me dating her?"
Li Zheng shook his head. With Gu Ye’s looks and charm, his sister wouldn’t be losing out.
Meanwhile, Jiang Mo’s post on the platform had sparked a flood of comments—some supportive, some skeptical.
One even accused her of overthinking things.
Was she really just imagining it all? She couldn’t help but doubt herself.
The next morning, she woke up earlier than the others and made herself a cup of coffee.
Gu Baotian smiled at her. "Jiang Mo, did you like the arrangements I made for you yesterday?"
"Thank you for going to the trouble, Grandpa. The food was great," Jiang Mo replied. "How was the night tour?"
"Wonderful! I didn’t even want to leave," Gu Baotian said, sipping his tea while studying her expression. Had nothing happened last night?
When Gu Ye finally emerged, Gu Baotian pulled him aside. "I gave you the perfect opportunity yesterday. Did you make your move?"
Gu Ye shook his head.
"Useless," Gu Baotian huffed.
"I was going to confess," Gu Ye said, "but Grandpa, why did you let those two come back? With those loudmouths around, how was I supposed to make progress?"
