Jiang Mo wasn't really hungry.
But she felt too embarrassed to admit she'd already sneaked some dinner, so she nodded along with his suggestion. "Yeah, a little hungry. What should we eat?"
Gu Ye proposed, "There's a nice Western restaurant upstairs with great ambiance and privacy. How about we go there?"
Jiang Mo had no objections.
The two went upstairs and got a private room.
Gu Ye handed her the menu. "Order whatever you want—no need to hold back."
Jiang Mo wanted to say she wasn’t holding back; she just genuinely wasn’t hungry.
After skimming the menu, she settled on a vegetable salad and dessert.
"That’s all you’re having? Something on your mind?" Gu Ye teased.
Jiang Mo made up an excuse on the spot. "I’m on a diet."
Gu Ye looked skeptical. "Weren’t you secretly eating midnight snacks just the other day?"
A few nights ago, he’d gone downstairs to grab something and noticed the kitchen light was on. When he got closer, he saw Jiang Mo happily slurping up instant noodles.
She’d even offered him a bite when she spotted him.
Jiang Mo retorted, "You need energy to diet properly. Balance is key."
Gu Ye chuckled. "Alright, alright. I won’t pry into a girl’s dieting secrets."
"How long is your break this time? Are you jumping into another drama or a variety show after?" Jiang Mo asked between bites.
"Still picking scripts. No filming for the next two months," Gu Ye said, cutting into his steak. "Might do some variety shows and commercials later."
"By the way, how about coming to work for me as my personal assistant?"
Jiang Mo shook her head like a rattle-drum. "No thanks. I’m perfectly happy being a housekeeper."
Gu Ye persisted, "Then should I ask my brother to get you a job at the company?"
"Absolutely not," Jiang Mo eyed him. "Wait—are you trying to get me out of your house?"
"Not at all," Gu Ye defended. "I just don’t want your talents wasted working for me."
Jiang Mo picked at her salad, eating the meat first before nibbling on some greens. Then she leaned in and whispered, "So… any actresses you like in the entertainment industry?"
She quickly added, "Don’t worry, my lips are sealed. I won’t tell a soul."
Gu Ye denied it immediately. "Of course not. I’m focused on my career."
After a pause, he studied her. "What about you? Got a boyfriend now?"
"Nope. Men are just obstacles on my path to success," Jiang Mo declared, slouching back and patting her stomach.
Gu Ye raised an eyebrow. "Didn’t you date someone in college? Broke up?"
"How’d you know about that?" Jiang Mo frowned.
"Uh… heard it from high school classmates."
Jiang Mo nodded. She’d vented to her high school roommate about it—probably how the gossip spread. She often got updates on old classmates the same way.
"Don’t bring up that jerk."
Hearing the disdain in her voice, Gu Ye didn’t push further.
After the meal, Jiang Mo excused herself to the restroom. On her way back, she took a wrong turn and accidentally pushed open the wrong private room.
Realizing her mistake, she quickly tried to leave—but not before spotting a familiar face.
"Young Master Gu."
Gu Xun looked up. "Here for dinner?"
"Yeah, I came with the second young master. Wrong door—sorry to disturb you," Jiang Mo apologized before hastily closing the door.
Across from Gu Xun sat an older woman, likely a business associate.
When Gu Ye went to pay the bill later, he found it had already been taken care of.
"I ran into Young Master Gu earlier. He must’ve paid," Jiang Mo explained.
Gu Ye pocketed his phone. "Nice. Free meal courtesy of my brother today."
Jiang Mo sighed. "Young Master Gu always seems so busy."
Even at the Gu residence, he was rarely around, often returning late at night.
"Thankfully, my brother handles the company. Otherwise, that’d be me," Gu Ye said. "He didn’t even want to join the family business at first. But when Dad’s health took a turn, he stepped in—and just never left."
Years ago, when Gu Guofeng fell ill, Gu Xun had been working at a materials research institute. He returned to take over the family company—and thrived.
Even after Gu Guofeng recovered, he refused to let his son go back.
Jiang Mo nodded. Young Master Gu was clearly the genius type. No surprise he excelled at everything.
Meanwhile, Jiang Mo had bought materials online to make a DIY gift for Su Yunjin. But after chatting with Wang Xia, she learned Su Yunjin was a huge fan of singer Zhang Qizhe.
"Madam loves his music—buys all his albums and used to attend concerts. But as she got older, she felt awkward about ‘fangirling’ like a teenager, so she gradually stopped," Wang Xia shared.
Zhang Qizhe, the "Prince of Love Songs," had countless hits and widespread fame.
"Is that so?" Jiang Mo changed her plan. Instead of a handmade gift, she checked ticket availability for his upcoming concert.
Luck was on her side.
Zhang Qizhe was performing in Jiangcheng in two days—but tickets were sold out.
She turned to a resale platform and posted a request.
Soon, a seller reached out.
"I’m a staff member. Got tickets—guaranteed entry."
Jiang Mo replied, "Need two VIP front-row seats. Best available."
"Got three left. 1,800 per ticket, 3,600 for two."
To prove legitimacy, the seller even flashed a staff badge.
For Su Yunjin’s concert experience, no expense was spared. Despite the markup, Jiang Mo paid without hesitation.
Two days later, Jiang Mo handed Su Yunjin a cup of coffee and whispered, "Madam, Zhang Qizhe’s concert is tonight. I have two tickets—want to go?"
"You’re going to his concert?" Su Yunjin asked. "You like his music too?"
"His songs are really nice," Jiang Mo grinned. "I heard from my mom that you’re a fan."
Su Yunjin smiled but declined. "Oh, no. You go with a friend. At my age, bouncing around at a concert would be embarrassing."
"You’re not old at all! You look amazing. Besides, your idol’s still up there performing. Concerts have fans of all ages—no need to worry."
"And it’s right here in town. Missing it would be a shame."
Su Yunjin hesitated. She did want to go—none of her socialite friends would join her for something like this.
It had been years since her last concert, and she had no plans tonight.
"How long is the concert? Would we make it back in time?"
That sounded promising. Jiang Mo answered, "Starts at 6:30 PM. Three hours total."
