Jiang Mo understood—so they were old classmates.
She remembered that Zhuge Shen and Gu Xun had also been classmates.
"So he’s your old classmate too?"
Zhuge Shen: "Smart. The three of us were in the same high school class."
Upon entering Yun Ding Pavilion, a server approached and led them to a private room. Once everyone was seated, menus were handed out.
Jiang Mo was the last to enter. After watching the others take their seats, she chose a spot next to Zhuge Shen.
Sitting too close to the boss would make the meal feel stressful.
Gu Xun spoke up: "Order whatever you’d like to eat."
"Since we’re finally getting a free meal from the big boss, we won’t hold back," Zhuge Shen said, not forgetting to nudge Jiang Mo. "Come on, pick whatever you want. This chance won’t come again."
Yun Ding Pavilion specialized in Cantonese cuisine, known for its light and delicate flavors.
"I’m not picky, you all can order," Jiang Mo said, quietly picking up the teapot to rinse the tea cups for everyone.
"No need to be shy. Choose dishes you like," Gu Xun said, sliding the menu toward her.
Jiang Mo really was hesitant to order, but since the boss insisted, she flipped through the thick menu.
Good grief!
Plain congee for 288 yuan.
Roast duck with two preparations for 1,888 yuan.
They might as well just rob you outright—but at least they went through the motions of serving food.
Gu Xun didn’t even glance at the menu, effortlessly naming three dishes. Zhuge Shen added a soup and two more dishes.
Zhang Ruoduo, mindful of her figure, only ordered a mango shrimp salad.
Calculating that there was already enough food, Jiang Mo settled on a dessert—baked durian with cheese.
"Tsk tsk, your little nanny sure knows how to save you money," Zhuge Shen remarked, sipping his tea.
"The food here is way too expensive. This is my first time eating something this luxurious."
If not for tagging along with Young Master Gu, she’d probably never set foot in a place like this.
"Then you should eat even more later," Zhang Ruoduo said, wiping her hands with a wet wipe. "Hey, Gu Xun, where did you find this girl? She looks so young."
"I’m not that young. I graduated last year."
"Oh? Which school did you go to? What did you study?"
"University A. I majored in law," Jiang Mo replied, taking a sip of the floral tea in front of her. The aroma was rich, and it tasted surprisingly good.
Gu Xun glanced over at her words. "What a coincidence. We graduated from the same school."
Jiang Mo was taken aback. "Young Master Gu, you also went to University A?"
"Why? Is that surprising?"
"Well, I just assumed… rich people all study abroad."
Zhuge Shen chuckled. "You didn’t know? Your Young Master Gu likes to take the road less traveled."
The Cantonese restaurant served dishes quickly. In about ten minutes, all the food arrived.
Braised abalone with soft centers, steamed red grouper, crispy-skinned suckling pig, honey-glazed barbecued pork, shrimp roe with pomelo peel, and slow-cooked soup.
The plating was exquisite, and Jiang Mo suddenly realized she was quite hungry.
They were seated at a small round table in the private room. Too shy to rotate the lazy Susan, Jiang Mo stuck to eating the dishes in front of her.
Only when someone else turned the table did she try new dishes.
She had enough sense not to be the type who spins the table while the boss is serving himself.
And honestly? The food was delicious.
Especially the soup—so rich and flavorful.
She rarely had soup this good.
Eating something so tasty made her whole body relax.
The other three chatted about finance, the stock market, and old memories.
Turns out Zhang Ruoduo had come to the company today to sign an endorsement contract—and to catch up with old classmates.
Jiang Mo couldn’t really join in.
After a while, a server entered and specifically placed a bowl of bird’s nest soup in front of her.
"I didn’t order this."
"I did," Gu Xun said, loosening the collar of his white dress shirt. "I heard young women like this. Since you seem to enjoy the food here, are you full? Should we order more?"
Jiang Mo flushed bright red. "No, no, I’m stuffed."
Zhang Ruoduo glanced at her.
The meal lasted about an hour. Who knew how much it cost?
While the other three lingered over conversation, Jiang Mo excused herself to use the restroom, not wanting to hold them up later.
With the server’s help, she quickly found the bathroom.
After relieving herself, she felt much more comfortable.
As she stepped out, she saw Zhang Ruoduo washing her hands at the sink.
"Ms. Zhang, you came to the restroom too?"
"Mm, just washing my hands," Zhang Ruoduo replied, studying Jiang Mo’s reflection in the mirror.
"Xiao Mo, you have great looks and youth. Ever thought about entering the entertainment industry?"
"Ms. Zhang, don’t tease me," Jiang Mo said, knowing her own limits.
"The entertainment world is full of gorgeous people. I don’t even meet the baseline."
"You don’t need to be conventionally beautiful to make it. Having a unique charm is enough."
Jiang Mo turned her head left and right in the mirror but still couldn’t spot any "unique charm."
"Ms. Zhang, I’d rather not embarrass myself in showbiz."
"If you change your mind, I can make introductions," Zhang Ruoduo said, straightening up and drying her hands with a paper towel. "Since Gu Xun and I are classmates, and you already call Zhuge Shen ‘Brother Shen,’ no need to be formal with me. Just call me Ruoduo-jie."
"Okay, Ruoduo-jie."
"By the way, how did you end up working as a nanny for the Gu family?"
"Oh, my mom works as their housekeeper. She got me the job," Jiang Mo replied smoothly.
"I see," Zhang Ruoduo said, smoothing her hair. "Let’s exchange WeChat. If there’s any celebrity you like, I can get you their autograph."
Though unsure why Zhang Ruoduo wanted her contact, Jiang Mo complied.
At least she’d changed her ridiculous username after the last incident—no more embarrassment there.
After the meal, Zhang Ruoduo’s manager arrived to pick her up.
Logically, now that the free meal was over, Jiang Mo should head back to the Gu residence.
But she climbed into the passenger seat anyway, smiling sheepishly.
"Um, my electric scooter is still at the company. I need to go pick it up."
Zhuge Shen had seen her scooter before. "That little thing’s still running?"
Gu Xun frowned. "Didn’t the family provide you with a car?"
There were plenty of unused vehicles at home.
"They did, they did. I have a license, but I’m not very confident driving yet," Jiang Mo admitted awkwardly. Guess she’d have to ask Old Li for driving practice later.
When they reached the underground garage of Gu Corporation, she watched the two men head upstairs before retrieving her scooter from the corner and riding off.
But her luck ran out—she hadn’t fully charged it yesterday.
Just as she neared her destination, the scooter gave up.
Left with no choice, Jiang Mo had to huff and puff as she pushed the electric bike the rest of the way home.
