Jiang Mo and Li Wan'er chatted for a while longer before parting ways. Jiang Mo walked back home, leading two dogs by their leashes.
Wang Xia noticed her return with the dogs and called her over. "Young Master Gu will be back soon. Make sure to bring him some sobering soup when he arrives."
"Got it," Jiang Mo replied, checking the time—it was already half past nine.
She had no idea when Young Master Gu would return.
Though Gu Xun now owned a separate property not too far from the Gu family estate, Su Yunjin often urged him to visit, so he still came back to stay every now and then, especially now that Gu Baotian had also returned from the countryside.
Jiang Mo was editing a video in the side hall when she heard movement outside. She quickly turned off her phone and rushed out.
"Young Master Gu, you're back! Would you like some sobering soup before resting?"
Gu Xun had a slight headache from drinking at dinner. He glanced at Jiang Mo and said, "Bring me a bowl."
Jiang Mo ladled out a bowl of sobering soup and placed it on the dining table before quietly retreating to the kitchen. She couldn’t help but notice that Young Master Gu looked somewhat exhausted.
She planned to wait until he finished before cleaning up.
But Gu Xun called out to her, "Is there any food left at home?"
Jiang Mo was taken aback—it was already past ten. Had Young Master Gu not eaten enough at the business dinner, or did he just want a late-night snack?
"Would you like me to make you some noodles?" she suggested tentatively. A full meal was out of the question at this hour, as Chef Li had already clocked out.
Gu Xun nodded. "Sure."
Making noodles was simple enough, and the kitchen was well-stocked.
Considering the late hour and the fact that he had been drinking, she decided to prepare a light broth with noodles.
Ten minutes later, Jiang Mo brought him a bowl of noodles. She noticed he had already finished the sobering soup, so she refilled it and placed it beside him.
Gu Xun looked at the noodles—scallions floating on the surface, with a poached egg and some greens on the side. It looked plain, but after taking a bite, he found it better than expected. Before he knew it, he had finished the entire bowl.
"Bring me a glass of warm water to the study," Gu Xun instructed before heading upstairs.
Jiang Mo nodded, cleared the dishes, and then carried a glass of warm water to his study.
Seems like he’s planning to work late tonight.
Speaking of work, while some burned the midnight oil, others had to rise early to get things done.
Jiang Mo was still deep in sleep when Wang Xia woke her up before dawn.
Bleary-eyed, she grabbed her phone from the bedside table—it wasn’t even six yet.
"Mom, why are you up so early?"
"Gu Ye has an early flight today. I need to make sure his luggage is packed and prepare breakfast for him," Wang Xia said, pulling the blanket back over Jiang Mo. "Go back to sleep."
Yawning, Jiang Mo rolled over and drifted off again.
Wang Xia tiptoed upstairs to Gu Ye’s room, where he had just woken up.
"Let me check your luggage one more time to make sure nothing’s missing," Wang Xia said. "Go wash up, then come down for breakfast."
Gu Ye nodded groggily and stumbled toward the bathroom.
Wang Xia had already packed his luggage the night before, but she always double-checked before a trip.
Satisfied that everything was in order, she headed downstairs to prepare breakfast.
By the time Gu Ye came down, he sat at the table and dug in.
The traditional Chinese breakfast was nutritious and wholesome. As he ate his steamed egg custard, he glanced around but saw no one else.
It was barely past six—most of the household was still asleep.
By the time Jiang Mo woke up for work, Gu Ye was already at the airport.
Two busy days later, Saturday arrived—the day of Zhong Xiaoqin’s birthday celebration.
Liu Guochuan, hearing that everyone was going, had arranged in advance for a spacious van so they could all travel together, making the trip livelier.
Jiang Mo wore the pale green strapless dress Gu Baotian had bought her, paired with heels and light makeup. She took a taxi to the villa, where they had agreed to meet before heading out together.
Entering through the side gate, she caught the eye of the security guard on duty.
First impression—stunning. Second glance—familiar.
Wasn’t this the Gu family’s housemaid?
He almost didn’t recognize her. As the saying goes, clothes make the man—or in this case, the woman. She looked more like a young socialite than a domestic helper.
Unaware of the guard’s musings, Jiang Mo only felt the slight discomfort of walking in heels.
She had no idea how people managed to wear them all day for work.
Gu Baotian had also dressed early and prepared his gift.
"Grandpa, am I late?" Jiang Mo asked as she stepped into the living room.
"Not at all, we still have time," Gu Baotian replied. "Liu Guochuan and Pan Weidong just called—they’ll be here soon. We’ll wait for them."
Jiang Mo exhaled in relief. "Okay."
Wang Xia knew about the birthday celebration, but she was still taken aback by her daughter’s appearance.
"You look beautiful today. When did you get this dress?"
Jiang Mo grinned. "Grandpa Gu bought it for me the other day when we went out."
"I knew it looked expensive," Wang Xia said, turning to Gu Baotian. "Sir, she’s still young. You really shouldn’t have spent so much on her. It’s too generous."
"It wasn’t much," Gu Baotian waved off. "As long as she likes it."
Jiang Mo shrugged at her mother with an innocent smile—sometimes, his enthusiasm was hard to refuse.
Su Yunjin also complimented Jiang Mo’s outfit. "We women should dress up while we’re young and beautiful."
At ten o’clock, Liu Guochuan’s luxury van arrived.
After welcoming Liu Guochuan and Pan Weidong inside, Su Yunjin chatted with them for about ten minutes before the group set off.
Jiang Mo naturally took a seat in the back, waiting for the three elders to settle in before the driver started the engine.
During the ride, Liu Guochuan mentioned that the venue for the birthday celebration—Emerald Lake Manor—was partially owned by Grandma Zhong.
The celebration would run from noon until evening, with a simpler luncheon and a grand dinner.
As they approached the manor, the grand entrance came into view. The car wound through vast green lawns and artistic topiaries before stopping in front of the French-style mansion.
Following the others inside, Jiang Mo couldn’t help but murmur, "So many people."
Men in tailored suits and women in elegant dresses filled the hall.
As soon as the four entered, a server approached with a tray of champagne flutes.
Jiang Mo took one, following the crowd.
"Where’s Grandma Zhong?" she asked, scanning the room.
Liu Guochuan said, "Probably upstairs. Let’s go see her."
Pan Weidong joked, "She didn’t even come down to greet us. Clearly, we’re not important enough."
"Grandma Zhong must be busy with other guests," Jiang Mo said, admiring the manor’s lavish decor. "She texted me earlier asking when we’d arrive."
The three made their way to the second floor, where they found Zhong Xiaoqin in one of the rooms.
The other person was wearing a sky-blue close-fitting cheongsam with frog buttons, paired with a pearl necklace and earrings. There was also a green jadeite inlaid on the pearl necklace.
Her hair was coiled up, and she had a light makeup on. Although there were traces of time on her face, she looked extremely elegant.
There were three or four people around her, and they were in the middle of a conversation.
Someone came over. Naturally, Zhong Xiaoqin noticed them. When she looked up, she saw an old acquaintance.
There was also a stranger beside the old acquaintance. The stranger looked a bit familiar. Zhong Xiaoqin raised her eyebrows and remembered something.
"Wow, you've really made quite a grand occasion for your birthday," Pan Weidong clicked his tongue and took out a gift box. "This is a gift for you."
"This is my gift," Liu Guochuan also presented his gift. "Whether you dislike it or not, it's just this."
"Come on, I don't even need to guess what gifts you two are giving. It's always the same old things every time you give gifts," Zhong Xiaoqin said with a smile, her tone full of feigned disgust. She directly let the servant beside her take the gifts.
"Happy birthday, Grandma Zhong! This is the gift I made for you," Jiang Mo stepped forward. "It's not something valuable. It's a sachet I made. I noticed that you like to wear cheongsams. You can wear it or hang it on the frog buttons when you wear a cheongsam."
"Good, good. You're so thoughtful," Zhong Xiaoqin said with a smile as she sized Jiang Mo up. "You look really nice today."
Jiang Mo pinched the hem of her skirt. "Hehe, it's a new dress. I have to dress up nicely for your birthday party."
Then she introduced Gu Baotian beside her. "This is Grandpa Gu I told you about."
Gu Baotian touched his nose and said somewhat uneasily, "Well, sorry to intrude on your birthday party. This is a gift for you."
Jiang Mo quickly handed over the gift.
Zhong Xiaoqin forced a smile, and her enthusiasm seemed to fade a bit. "You're welcome. I hope you'll enjoy the food, drinks, and have a good time here."
Jiang Mo clearly noticed that something was off. She shifted her gaze back and forth between the two parties.
Grandpa Gu was very eloquent and could get along well with Liu Guochuan and Grandpa Pan. He shouldn't act like this when meeting Grandma Zhong.
Grandma Zhong's look was also quite thought-provoking.
Putting aside her curiosity, Jiang Mo planned to find an empty place later to ask Grandpa Gu about it.
They chatted in the room for another twenty minutes, and Gu Baotian occasionally joined in the conversation during this period.
Jiang Mo was sure that there was definitely something going on.
Some new guests came upstairs to greet Zhong Xiaoqin, so the group stepped out.
Downstairs, Jiang Mo grabbed Gu Baotian and dragged him to a sofa in a more secluded corner.
"Grandpa Gu, did you know Grandma Zhong before?"
Gu Baotian gave an awkward smile. "Hehe..."
Jiang Mo said, "I guessed right!"
"You have sharp eyes," Gu Baotian rubbed his face. "Do you remember the day when I came back from walking the dog in the morning and someone said that Dahuang was ugly?"
With this reminder, Jiang Mo remembered. Gu Baotian was quite unhappy that day.
Wait... It seemed that it was mentioned that the other person's family had a little white dog.
Oh no. Zhong Xiaoqin had a white Pomeranian.
"Grandpa Gu, was it Grandma Zhong who had an argument with you that day?"
"… Who else could it be," Gu Baotian said. "What a mess this is."
If he had known it was her birthday, he wouldn't have come to this party.
After Gu Baotian's recollection and explanation, Jiang Mo finally understood what had happened before.
Previously, Gu Baotian was walking Dahuang when he met Zhong Xiaoqin walking her Pomeranian. The Pomeranian went towards Dahuang, and Dahuang wanted to run away, but the Pomeranian followed.
Grandma Zhong picked up the Pomeranian and said that she would find a pretty female dog for it, as Dahuang didn't match it.
Well, people always think their own pets are the best.
When Gu Baotian heard this, he thought she was looking down on his dog, so he mumbled with some dissatisfaction.
Zhong Xiaoqin was also unhappy when she heard this, and the two had a little argument about the dogs.
"Is that all?" Jiang Mo covered her face after hearing this.
Gu Baotian said, "Yes, that's all. We civilized people only use our mouths, not our fists."
"Then should I leave now?"
Jiang Mo shook her head and disagreed. "Grandpa Gu, since we're already here, we can just take this opportunity to clear up the misunderstanding."
Liu Guochuan and Pan Weidong came over. "What are you two whispering about here?"
"Come on. There are some old friends of mine over there. I'll introduce you to them."
Without giving them a chance to refuse, they were led away.
Jiang Mo followed behind. As she heard all the introductions of various big names, she thought, wow, there's a big shot on the left, and hey, there's another big shot on the right.
Listening to the big shots chatting was so boring.
Gu Baotian noticed her restlessness. "Go and take a break over there and have some snacks."
This was just what Jiang Mo wanted, so she quickly slipped away.
She went to the dessert table alone and started tasting the desserts.
Just as she was enjoying herself, someone walked over. "Which family do you belong to? Why haven't I seen you before?"
Jiang Mo was just stuffing a strawberry cake into her mouth. She turned her head and saw a girl with her arms crossed, looking at her.
She looked around to make sure the girl was talking to her.
After swallowing the cake, she replied, "Miss, who are you? I don't seem to know you."
"Zhong Xiaoqin is my grandma. I'm Bai Hui," Bai Hui sized Jiang Mo up from head to toe. "And you? Who did you come with?"
Everyone at the party came for the socializing, not for the food. This girl was the only one enjoying the food so much. Although she was wearing luxury clothes and carrying a luxury bag, in Bai Hui's observation, this girl wasn't rich.
Jiang Mo could tell that the girl's tone and attitude were unfriendly.
"Of course, Grandma Zhong invited me here. I'm a good friend of Grandma Zhong," Jiang Mo forced a smile.
Zhong Xiaoqin had said that there were only two grandsons in the family, and one of them was studying abroad. There was no granddaughter in the family.
Bai Hui rolled her eyes. "You're a good friend of my grandma? That's such a lie. My grandma is in her seventies, and you're only in your early twenties. Who would believe that?"
Jiang Mo picked up another small cake and put it into her mouth. "Believe it or not. I don't have the obligation to explain."
After saying that, Jiang Mo walked a bit further to the side.
Unexpectedly, the girl followed her. Jiang Mo thought it was so strange.
Was there something wrong with this girl?
"Who knows if you sneaked in from somewhere. Maybe your clothes and bags are all fakes. You can't afford them," Bai Hui saw Jiang Mo's calm reaction and kept pressing on.
She had been scolded by her family just now and was in a bad mood. Seeing Jiang Mo alone, she was in a bad temper and wanted to cause some trouble.
"Fakes?" Jiang Mo looked down at her things. "Are these clothes and bags that expensive? Can't you even afford them?"
