Gu Ye looked up, unable to see his own hair, and gave it a fierce tug.
Dye it. He'd go get it dyed black tomorrow.
"Uncle Li, this hair is all for work. Honestly, I'm really a model young man myself," Gu Ye insisted, trying to prove his point. "You've watched me grow up. You know me, don't you?"
"Exactly because I've watched you grow up, you can't fool me," Li Daming said, looking at his daughter with a mix of disappointment and frustration. "What on earth do you see in him?"
"Dad, you're looking at him through colored glasses now," Jiang Mo defended Gu Ye. "Gu Ye has plenty of good points too."
Li Daming was hurt. "It's only been a few days, and already you're taking his side. He's already led you astray."
"Just as I thought. Got a boyfriend and forgot your old dad."
"How could I? I, Jiang Mo, am not that kind of person," she said, getting up and walking behind the sofa to massage his shoulders and neck. "You must be tired after a long day. Let me give you a rub."
Seeing Jiang Mo trying to smooth things over, Gu Ye also shifted closer to Li Daming, leaning in to offer a massage for his legs.
But Li Daming's leg jerked away, avoiding Gu Ye's hand.
"Hey, you, the young master, how could you massage my legs? That's just asking for trouble."
Gu Ye awkwardly withdrew his hand and joked, "Uncle Li must watch a lot of TV dramas. You're mimicking them pretty well."
Li Daming looked at Gu Ye, sighed, and shook his head. This guy was frivolous and unreliable, his job wasn't proper, he was all smooth talk, and only his looks were passable.
He muttered under his breath, "If you really had to like someone, that senior of yours seemed pretty good to me."
Gu Ye's ears perked up. Seriously, what was he lacking compared to that senior?
Jiang Mo felt helpless. Old Li, you're muttering so loud, do you think everyone's deaf and blind? Can we please stop throwing a tantrum?
"Dad, I like Gu Ye. We're together now. So, do you agree or not?"
"What if I don't agree? What are you gonna do then?" Li Daming raised his voice.
"Then we'll just keep dating until you agree later," Jiang Mo said with a grin.
Now it was Li Daming's turn to feel helpless, and his irritation turned squarely on Gu Ye.
Stealing his daughter right under his nose, and so brazenly too.
"That hotel incident you were involved in before, what was that all about? Don't think just because your family is wealthy and you're a big star, you can bully or trick our Xiao Mo."
"It was a male friend who had too much to drink. I was just taking him to a hotel, and some unscrupulous media twisted the story," Gu Ye explained.
He really hated those gossip accounts now. Spreading rumors was easy; clearing your name took forever.
"Uncle Li, actually, I have plans to leave the entertainment industry. I've already discussed it and intend to stop acting and do other work."
Li Daming didn't have much fondness for Gu Ye being a celebrity. Wasn't the internet full of stories about messing around and cheating? Hearing this, he asked, "Really?"
Gu Ye nodded. "Yes."
"Sweetie, did you know about this?" Li Daming asked, worried it might just be a line to fool them.
"It's true. Gu Ye told me," Jiang Mo confirmed.
Only then did Li Daming's impression improve slightly, feeling a bit better about him.
Gu Ye pressed his advantage. "Uncle Li, Jiang Xiaomo and I are serious. My feelings for her are genuine, not a game... Actually, I liked her back in high school."
Li Daming: "...You two weren't dating back then, were you?"
"No," Gu Ye clarified quickly. "Xiaomo was completely focused on her studies back then. She didn't pay me any attention at all."
Jiang Mo broke into a cold sweat. She hadn't known back in high school.
Thinking back, their interactions in class hadn't been particularly frequent or special.
"Hmph, good thing she didn't pay you attention, so you wouldn't drag down her studies," Li Daming coughed twice. "Alright, it's getting late. You should head back."
Gu Ye was a bit confused about the current situation. Was that a yes or not?
But since Li Daming had spoken, he had to stand up. "Then I'll be going now."
"Dad, I'll just see him out," Jiang Mo said, moving to go down with him.
"Come back here," Li Daming shot her a glance. "It's just a few steps. It's not like he doesn't know the way. He won't get lost."
"Uncle Li is right, Xiao Mo, don't bother seeing me off. Go wash up and rest early," Gu Ye waved.
The young couple looked at each other reluctantly. Li Daming watched with disdain. The way their eyes were practically glued together...
"You really like this kid that much?"
"Hehe," Jiang Mo nodded sheepishly. "Being with Gu Ye makes me really happy."
"Dad, don't you like Gu Ye? Why were you giving him such a hard time tonight?"
"It's not that I dislike him. I've watched this kid grow up too, I know his character," Li Daming said. But then he added, "I just never expected you to end up with him."
"Ah, it feels like our whole family has somehow gotten tangled up with the Gu family."
