As the owner of the law firm and a seasoned lawyer, Li Canlan possessed strong professional skills. After Jiang Mo joined the firm, she was directly placed under Li Canlan's mentorship.
Right after completing her onboarding, Jiang Mo was handed two cases, tasked with liaising with clients and organizing materials.
She had thought there would be an adjustment period, but she was thrown straight into the deep end.
At noon, noticing the receptionist was quite young, Jiang Mo invited her out for lunch.
After getting acquainted, she learned the other girl had only joined the company a month earlier and had just graduated this year.
Being peers, the two quickly found common topics and became fast friends.
Overall, Jiang Mo's first day at work felt quite positive.
As the busy day drew to a close, with just half an hour left before clocking out, she received a message from Pei Ting.
"I just got back from handling a case out of town. Congratulations on your new job. Let me treat you to dinner. You should have time, right?"
Jiang Mo thought about it. She actually had some professional matters she wanted to consult him on. So she replied, "Sure! But you've always treated me before, senior. This time it's my turn. Don't you dare fight me for the bill."
Pei Ting: "Alright, as you wish."
After settling on the time and place, Jiang Mo wrapped up her final tasks for the day, picked up her bag, and left the office.
The traffic was a bit heavy, so by the time she arrived, Pei Ting was already there.
You look a bit thinner since I last saw you, Senior Brother. Has the recent case been tough? Jiang Mo asked as she took her seat.
"Is that so? Probably just haven't been resting well lately," Pei Ting said, pouring tea for her. "Congratulations on returning to being a lawyer."
At this mention, Jiang Mo felt a little embarrassed. Pei Ting had offered to help her before, but back then she had insisted she was quite content being a nanny.
Now she had turned around and run off to a law firm. Would he think she was too fickle?
"It was just that a classmate helped with a referral, and I thought I'd give it a try. Turned out I got quite lucky with the opportunity."
After ordering, Pei Ting asked if she wanted to add anything else. "If you encounter any cases where you need help, you can come to me."
“Then I won't stand on ceremony with you later, Senior,” Jiang Mo said, glancing at the order and adding one more dish.
As the food arrived, they ate and chatted, naturally drifting into discussions about various cases.
Pei Ting had rich practical experience, and Jiang Mo wanted to hear more of his opinions.
Her phone on the table vibrated, a WeChat message popping up on the screen.
"How was your first day at work? Tired? Are you home yet?"
Jiang Mo picked up her phone. "Not yet."
"Your company is that awful? Making you work overtime on the very first day? What time is it now?" Gu Ye complained. "Have you had dinner?"
"Having a feast out right now, not overtime," Jiang Mo typed back.
Gu Ye sent a sweating emoji of misunderstanding. "Uh, who are you having dinner with?"
Jiang Mo answered frankly: "With Senior Pei."
Pei Ting noticed Jiang Mo had stopped eating, waiting for her to finish dealing with the messages and turn off her screen before continuing, "I have a flight to Rongcheng the day after tomorrow in the afternoon. If you're free, could you drop by my place to feed my cat in the evenings and play with it a bit?"
"Of course, no problem at all," Jiang Mo agreed immediately. She was an expert at pampering cats and dogs.
Over on Gu Ye's side, after receiving Jiang Mo's message, he couldn't stay calm.
He wouldn't worry about her having dinner with just anyone, but this Pei Ting was someone he absolutely had to be wary of.
A man's intuition told him that Pei Ting definitely had feelings for Jiang Xiaomo.
Jiang Xiaomo clearly hadn't picked up on it.
No, he had to declare his sovereignty.
So he sent Jiang Mo another message: "Where are you guys eating? I'll come pick you up."
After a while, he got a reply: "I have a car. I'll drive myself back."
Well, at least Pei Ting couldn't give Jiang Xiaomo a ride home to get closer. That made him feel slightly better.
Back at the restaurant.
Pei Ting gave Jiang Mo his address and door lock code. "I'll be away for about seven or eight days this time. You don't need to go every day. There's an automatic feeder at home. Going once every two or three days is fine, just to check on the cat's condition."
"Leave it to me," Jiang Mo said, remarking, "You've been traveling quite frequently lately, senior."
"A bit, yes. Things should calm down after this," he replied. If he hadn't suddenly gotten so busy recently, he would have considered confessing his feelings to Jiang Mo.
But in his current state, constantly on the move, it was better to wait until he returned from this business trip.
As they were leaving, Pei Ting handed her a gift box. "A gift for you. I brought it back from out of town."
Thank you, senior. I said I'd treat for dinner, but you still got me a gift. You really shouldn't have.
"The gift isn't expensive, don't feel burdened."
Jiang Mo drove home, carrying her things, her steps light as she walked towards her building.
Just as she reached the entrance, someone darted out from the side. "Jiang Xiaomo."
"You really... where did you materialize from? You scared me half to death," Jiang Mo said, clutching her chest. "What are you doing here so late at night?"
"Missed you, so came to see you," Gu Ye stated directly.
Jiang Mo pressed her lips together, a smile curving them. "Well, you could have waited upstairs. There are too many mosquitoes down here."
"I asked your little brother. He said Uncle Li is home. I wouldn't dare make a scene."
