After Su Yunjin finished applying her makeup, Jiang Mo had already ironed the clothes she needed for going out.
Before leaving, Su Yunjin instructed, "Xiao Mo, please keep an eye on Xiao Ye. If he still isn’t feeling well, call the private doctor for a house visit."
"Understood, Madam," Jiang Mo nodded.
Jiang Mo went downstairs to help Wang Xia water the potted plants in the garden and did some light trimming of the flowers and shrubs in the yard.
Remembering Su Yunjin’s instructions, she hurried upstairs to check on Gu Ye.
She knocked on the door and, hearing a response, stepped inside to find Gu Ye sprawled on his luxurious bed, playing with his phone.
"Aren’t you going to take a nap? Didn’t you say you haven’t been resting well these past few days?"
Gu Ye had just washed his hair and taken a shower. Dressed in black pajamas with the collar wide open, his fair skin contrasted sharply with the exposed chest muscles, giving him the air of a delicate, sickly young man—the kind often seen as the male lead in novels.
Jiang Mo thought his current state would be perfect for playing such a character.
But the moment he spoke, the illusion shattered.
She almost wanted to cover his mouth.
"Sleep my ass! Tan Yangming’s calling me to play games in the group chat," Gu Ye rasped, noticing the faint look of disdain on her face after he spoke.
Jiang Mo frowned. "Couldn’t you just say no? Tell them you’re not feeling well."
"I did say my throat hurts, but those heartless jerks just said, 'You don’t need your throat to play games,'" Gu Ye grumbled about his so-called friends.
Ah, the unmistakable vibe of modern youth.
Truthfully, Gu Ye wasn’t sleepy at all in the middle of the day.
Jiang Mo walked to the balcony and pulled open the curtains, letting sunlight flood the room. "Are you feeling okay now? No fever?"
Gu Ye shook his head. "I’m fine."
"Then rest up. I’ll go make you some throat-soothing soup."
Wang Xia had prepared plenty of ingredients the night before after hearing Gu Ye’s hoarse voice on the phone, so Jiang Mo only needed to ladle the soup from the kitchen.
When she brought it upstairs, Gu Ye had just finished a round of gaming. He gulped down the soup and then glanced at her.
"Tan Yangming and the others are coming over tomorrow to see me," he said. "If you feel awkward about it, you can just go out for the day and skip coming here."
Jiang Mo understood what he meant. "Why would I feel awkward? I’m working as a housekeeper here—there’s nothing embarrassing about that. Let your old classmates come. How many are coming?"
They wouldn’t just drop by and leave immediately; they’d probably stay for a meal. She’d have to inform Wang Xia and Chef Li to prepare in advance.
"Not sure. Let me ask in the group," Gu Ye said, typing out a message while explaining, "I didn’t mean anything by it. Just didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable."
In other words, he was worried she’d feel embarrassed or lose face.
Jiang Mo shrugged. Lose face? This "shameful" job was something many people would kill to have.
After fiddling with his phone—likely getting a response from the group—Gu Ye said, "Tan Yangming says he and Liu Jia are coming tomorrow morning."
Jiang Mo nodded. "Got it. I’ll let Mom know so she can arrange lunch for the guests."
Later that afternoon, when Gu Xuan returned from school and heard Gu Ye was back, he rushed over to ask for autographed photos.
"I don’t have any on me. Next time," Gu Ye said.
"Second Brother, you’re such a procrastinator! Last time you said 'next time,' and now you’re saying it again," Gu Xuan pouted.
He was still fixated on what Jiang Mo had mentioned before—that Gu Ye’s autographed items could be worth a lot. He wanted to see just how much they could fetch.
Maybe this could be his ticket to riches.
He’d also heard somewhere that fans would buy anything a celebrity had used—clothes, accessories, whatever.
Was that really true?
His eyes roamed around the room. "Second Brother, do you have anything you don’t need anymore?"
Gu Ye was baffled. What was this kid scheming now?
"What are you up to?"
"Nothing! Just wondering if you could give me stuff you don’t want," Gu Xuan said innocently. "I’ll take them to school for a charity sale."
To make it sound legit, he added, "Mom and the others are supporting it too."
Then he started eyeing things around the room—the headphones on the desk, the decorative figurines...
Gu Ye pulled him away. "You’re not touching any of that. I’ll give you something else."
He rummaged through a drawer and pulled out spare sunglasses, small accessories—some he didn’t use, others were gifts from brands.
"Alright, take these and scram."
Gu Xuan grinned, clutching his haul. Now he’d see just how valuable his brother’s fame really was.
Meanwhile, Jiang Mo informed Wang Xia that Gu Ye would have two classmates visiting the next day and that they’d stay for lunch.
"Got it," Wang Xia replied, already planning the menu in her head.
Dinner that night was just the three generations of the Gu family. After the meal, Gu Baotian sneaked out again, leash in hand, to walk the dog.
Wang Xia watched the old man’s retreating figure and muttered, "Ever since he got that dog, he’s been going out nonstop."
"Try to help walk the dog when you can. Don’t let him overexert himself," she told Jiang Mo.
Jiang Mo spread her hands helplessly. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to help—Gu Baotian just never gave her the chance.
The classmates said they’d arrive at 9:30 a.m., and for once, they were punctual. At 9:15, the security guard called to confirm their visit.
"Yes, let them in. Thanks," Jiang Mo said before hanging up.
Turning to Gu Ye in the living room, she announced, "They’ll be here any minute."
Gu Ye smirked. "For once, they’re on time. Usually, they drag their feet whenever we meet up for meals."
Of the two, Tan Yangming had been to the Gu residence before, but this was Liu Jia’s first visit.
Both were young and eager to appear mature today, carrying a basket of premium fruits they’d specially bought.
"Did you see that security guard? Young and handsome, not like the half-asleep old men in our neighborhood," Liu Jia remarked in awe. "This is what a luxury estate is like."
Tan Yangming chuckled. "Well, compare the salaries. Your neighborhood probably pays peanuts. A place like this? They spare no expense in every detail."
Liu Jia’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. "How much do you think they make here? Maybe we should apply—skip twenty years of struggle."
Tan Yangming gave him a once-over. "Doubt you’d pass the looks check."
"What’s wrong with my looks?!"
Bickering and laughing, they reached the Gu residence. After a moment of hesitation, they rang the doorbell.
A minute later, the door swung open, and they stepped inside.
Crossing the courtyard, they spotted Jiang Mo waiting at the entrance.
"Come in," she said warmly. "Gu Ye’s waiting for you."
As old classmates, Tan Yangming and Jiang Mo were naturally familiar with each other. Tan Yangming exclaimed in surprise, "What are you doing here? Did you come to see Gu Ye today too?"
"No, I'm working as a nanny for the Gu family," Jiang Mo replied, taking the items from their hands.
Hearing Tan Yangming's words, Gu Ye rushed over and slung an arm over his shoulder. "I told you not to call me that. Why are you still doing it?"
"What's the big deal? We call you that in the group chat all the time," Tan Yangming said, confused. If anything, the nickname elevated Gu Ye’s status—wasn’t that a good thing?
Gu Ye thought to himself, That’s completely different. In the group, it’s just banter. But in other settings, certain nicknames could make a person cringe hard enough to dig a castle with their toes.
Gu Ye tightened his grip, gritting his teeth. "Just act normal today, alright?"
Tan Yangming relented. "Got it, got it."
Meanwhile, Liu Jia stood to the side, taking in the opulent hall. Everything reeked of money—it was beyond impressive.
"Are your parents not home? Shouldn’t we at least greet them?" Liu Jia asked.
"No need. My dad’s at work, and my mom’s out," Gu Ye replied. "Don’t just stand there—come inside and sit down."
Once they settled on the couch, Tan Yangming scrutinized Gu Ye. "You seem pretty lively to me—not like someone who’s sick. Just a bit hoarse. Your complexion looks fine too."
Jiang Mo waited until everyone was seated before asking, "What would you like to drink? Coffee, tea, or juice?"
Tan Yangming: "Juice for me."
Liu Jia followed suit. "Same here."
As Jiang Mo headed to the kitchen, Tan Yangming turned to Gu Ye. "How come Jiang Mo’s working as your nanny? You never mentioned that before."
"Well, her mom also works for my family. We were short-handed, so she came to help out," Gu Ye explained, watching their reactions.
"Does your family need any more help? Like a driver, maybe? I can drive," Liu Jia chimed in, unfazed by Jiang Mo’s job. "If not, I’ll even take the security guard position by the gate."
Lately, his job had been drowning him in overtime, leaving him miserable. Seeing older colleagues in his department already balding in their forties made him fear for his own hairline.
Gu Ye scoffed. "Cut it out. We don’t need a driver."
"Look at you, scheming away. So you’ve just given up on hard work, huh?" Tan Yangming chuckled. "Put me on the waiting list too."
"Both of you, quit joking around," Gu Ye said, exasperated. "There are snacks and fruit on the table—help yourselves."
Without any adults around, the atmosphere was much more relaxed.
The two didn’t hold back, digging into the snacks.
Just then, Jiang Mo returned with their drinks—juice for the guests and a soothing herbal tea for Gu Ye.
"Stop fussing and sit with us," Gu Ye said, tugging at Jiang Mo’s sleeve to pull her down.
"Yeah, come on," Tan Yangming agreed. "Hey, have we even seen each other since graduation? We’ve lost touch with so many old classmates."
"So, still single and fancy-free, beautiful?"
Jiang Mo sat down and shook her head with a sigh. "Only the rich get to be called 'single and fancy-free.' For the rest of us, it’s just 'forever alone.'"
