The room was unusually quiet.
Jiang Mo remained silent, and Gu Ye didn’t dare to speak further, waiting nervously, his heart pounding uncontrollably in his chest.
He wished he could slow his racing heartbeat, but it was beyond his control.
Yet, he wasn’t the only one with a heart beating too fast.
Jiang Mo pursed her lips, her eyes flickering with hesitation before she finally spoke slowly, “Are you sure this isn’t just a fleeting impulse?”
“It’s not fleeting,” Gu Ye shook his head, then brought up the past. “Remember when Tan Yangming and the others came over last time? They mentioned I had a crush on someone in high school.”
At this, Jiang Mo hesitated. “Wait… are you saying you liked me back then?”
Gu Ye nodded. “I wanted to give you a love letter, to confess, but I never worked up the courage to send it.”
This surprised Jiang Mo. She thought back, murmuring, “I never noticed anything like that at the time.”
“Well, I was pretty awkward back then,” Gu Ye admitted sheepishly, rubbing his nose. “I liked you secretly and tried to get close to you so many times, but you were always so focused on your own world, you never noticed.”
Too much time had passed, and Jiang Mo couldn’t recall those moments clearly.
“Then… what do you like about me?” she asked abruptly.
The question caught Gu Ye off guard, and he stumbled over his words. “I’ve asked myself that so many times. I don’t even know how to explain it. I just know that being with you, thinking about you, makes me happy. If you ignore me, I feel miserable. I’d secretly look for news about you, and if other guys got too close, I’d get jealous.”
He patted his chest. “Maybe it’s my heart’s decision. My mouth just can’t put it into words.”
“Even in my dreams, I see you, and we—”
“Wait, stop!” Jiang Mo’s face flushed as she cut him off, afraid he’d say something even more embarrassing.
“You get jealous? But people online always say guys are supposed to be easygoing.”
“Jiang Xiaomo, don’t believe everything you read online,” Gu Ye confessed. “We’re not all easygoing. When it comes to someone we really like, we’ll fight for them.”
Flustered, Jiang Mo busied herself by grabbing a drink from the table and gulping down half the bottle before excusing herself to the bathroom.
Once she was gone, Gu Ye slumped slightly, realizing he’d broken into a thin sweat despite the air-conditioned room.
In the bathroom, Jiang Mo splashed cold water on her flushed face, trying to calm herself.
Drops trailed down her cheeks as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.
What should she do?
Gu Ye had just confessed his feelings for her.
Unlike the embarrassing eight-hour incident from before, she could tell this was entirely different.
A mix of panic, giddiness, excitement, and confusion swirled inside her.
When it came to love, she was a complete novice.
She had no idea how to respond, which was why she’d fled to the bathroom.
After composing herself a little, she flushed the toilet for appearances and stepped out, shaking water off her damp hands.
As she dried them with a paper towel, she noticed Gu Ye’s hair, which had been wet earlier, was now half-dry.
So, he’d rushed over from the Gu family home right after showering, without even drying his hair properly, the moment he heard she was leaving.
“When did you get back today? Have you eaten?”
Gu Ye nodded. “Yeah, I ate. I saw your car leaving the villa when I got home.”
“Oh.”
Silence fell between them again.
Gu Ye’s heart was still hanging by a thread. He licked his lips nervously. “So… will you give me a chance? Let’s try being together?”
Seeing the usually carefree guy acting so cautious, Jiang Mo took a deep breath. “Gu Ye, I’ll be honest—I do have feelings for you too. But I’m still a little confused. I need more time to think.”
“That’s fine. I’ll be in the ‘trial period’ until you’re ready to make it official,” Gu Ye grinned, his smile bright and unrestrained. “Don’t feel pressured. Just be yourself, and I’ll be the one moving closer to you.”
Jiang Xiaomo had feelings for him!
Jiang Mo smiled too, relaxing as she handed him two skewers of barbecue. “Want some late-night snacks?”
Gu Ye took them, savoring the sausages as if they were the most delicious thing he’d ever tasted.
“About you liking me… does anyone else know?” Jiang Mo asked, a little awkwardly.
“Well… Old Master Gu knows,” Gu Ye admitted. “And Little Zheng knows too.”
Old Master Gu knew? So that candlelit dinner last time had been…
The old man really knew how to set things up.
Jiang Mo was curious. “How did my little brother find out?”
“He guessed during our vacation. Our Little Zheng is as sharp as you.”
Meanwhile, Li Zheng, who had been praised for his cleverness, was rushing back with groceries.
At a glance, he noticed the stark difference in Gu Ye—who had looked like a stray dog earlier—now beaming like he’d found his way home.
What the heck?
Did something happen while he was gone?
Something was definitely up.
