As for why he didn't pull her into an embrace, it was because so many good friends were present. He was afraid Jiang Mo, being thin-skinned, would feel awkward.
It being their first meeting, Jiang Mo did initially feel a bit shy.
Most importantly, if she were to get all touchy-feely with Gu Ye in front of these friends, who knew how these chatterboxes would tease her.
"You're trying to turn into a gossip reporter today, aren't you?" Jiang Mo said. "Hurry up and eat, there's so much delicious food here."
"This food isn't as tasty as your relationship gossip," Zhang Qingqing chuckled. "Besides, it's not just me who wants the tea, right?"
Li Wan'er and Guo Yanni nodded in agreement.
"So, which one of you confessed first?" Li Wan'er's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Xiao Mo, don't tell me you had a crush on him back then too? Was it a mutual secret crush?"
"Mutual secret crush! I know all about that, it's straight out of a novel plot," Zhang Qingqing exclaimed excitedly. "The young master of a wealthy family and the resilient little white flower's angsty youth romance!"
"Qingqing, have you gone overboard with your novel writing lately?" Jiang Mo grinned, teasing her. "Now you're bringing up 'angsty youth'?"
"My mistake, there's nothing angsty about you two. It's pure sweetness," Zhang Qingqing chuckled. "You still haven't said if you had a crush on him back then."
Gu Ye also leaned in to listen, just in case there was a chance.
Jiang Mo rubbed her nose, feeling a bit awkward. "Actually, no. Back then, I had cast aside all worldly desires and was focused solely on studying."
At that time, she really hadn't thought about romance. Plus, given Gu Ye's status, it never even crossed her mind.
"She was the good girl type. Besides studying, her only hobbies were reading comics and snacking," Gu Ye recalled.
Jiang Mo was puzzled. "How did you know I loved secretly reading comics in high school?"
"You silly, he must have been secretly observing you," Zhang Qingqing sighed. "Who would have thought Comrade Gu was such a pure romantic."
Jiang Mo looked at Gu Ye. Had he really been secretly watching her all through high school? Why hadn't she noticed at all?
Gu Ye poured some juice for Jiang Mo. "I used to hang around you whenever I had free time. You didn't notice. I even wrote you a love letter."
"Huh? A love letter? When?" Jiang Mo had no memory of it at all, nor had she ever seen one.
"On Christmas night during our senior year," Gu Ye blurted out, remembering it clearly.
It was the first time he'd written a love letter to a girl he liked. After sending it, he tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.
The next day, he went to class pretending to be nonchalant, waiting for her to approach him, but there was no reaction.
The inexperienced young man faced his first setback.
Luckily, he hadn't signed his name directly. Instead, he left his WeChat ID, planning to arrange a date after adding her as a friend.
That wish, however, took many more years to come true.
Jiang Mo racked her brains trying to remember but couldn't recall anything. If she had received it, she would definitely remember.
"Maybe it got lost?"
"I know this one! According to novel tropes, there must have been some mix-up in the middle," Zhang Qingqing said knowingly, looking back and forth between the two and nodding frequently. What great writing material this was.
Inspiration for her next book, right there.
...
The group chatted while eating, firing questions at Gu Ye one after another, determined to get the full scoop.
After dinner, Gu Ye drove them all to Jiang Mo's place.
As he was leaving, Gu Ye asked, "Do you need me to be your chauffeur tomorrow?"
"No need, I can drive them around tomorrow myself," Jiang Mo waved him off.
Once they were back home, Li Wan'er said, "After tonight, Comrade Gu has passed the test. On a scale of one to ten, I give him a nine. Don't want to give a perfect score and make him too proud."
Guo Yanni nodded. "A fed mouth and a gifted hand are both softened. Even though I've been both fed and gifted tonight, I have to say Gu Ye is pretty great."
Meanwhile, Zhang Qingqing boldly spoke up, dropping a bombshell. "Xiao Mo, have you... you know... experienced the abs?"
