"Ugh," Jiang Mo sighed as she looked at the contact name she had saved for this person: Pei Ting, Senior.
If it weren’t for the note, she would have thought it was just another spam link.
But this law firm ranking—Pei Ting’s Junhe Law Firm was already so prestigious. Did they really need this kind of voting?
"Voted," Jiang Mo tapped the link, lazily sprawled on her bed, quickly casting two votes with a flick of her fingers.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Pei Ting paced back and forth in front of a wide floor-to-ceiling window overlooking Donghu Lake, the most famous scenic spot in Jiangcheng.
A notification chimed on his phone. He opened it to see Jiang Mo’s reply and hesitated for a moment before typing, "Thanks. The firm needed some extra votes."
"About the suggestion I made earlier—have you reconsidered?"
Jiang Mo rolled over on her bed. Pei Ting’s suggestion, made some time ago, was for her to consider working at Junhe Law Firm.
Pei Ting was a legal elite, and the Pei family was a dynasty of lawyers—three generations deep in the profession. Junhe Law Firm was, after all, founded by the Peis.
At the time, she had just started working at the Gu household two weeks prior. After careful consideration, she had declined.
"Thank you, Senior, but no need. I’m quite happy with my current job."
"If you’re doing well, that’s good. But if you ever change your mind, my door is always open," Pei Ting replied, settling onto the sofa. "Teacher Yuan’s birthday is coming up. I was thinking of visiting him. Would you like to join me?"
"Sure, let’s go together," Jiang Mo answered.
Pei Ting’s long fingers tapped on his phone. "Then let’s set a time in a couple of days. Send me your address—I’ll pick you up."
After finalizing the plans, Jiang Mo browsed an online shopping site for birthday gifts, deciding she’d also order a bouquet of flowers later.
When Jiang Mo returned to work at the Gu residence after her break, she happened to see Gu Guofeng heading upstairs.
Something felt off.
Huh? Wasn’t today a workday? Shouldn’t Gu Guofeng, the ever-busy man, be out at the office by now? Why was he still home?
She looked around for Wang Xia but spotted Li Daming there too.
"Dad, what’s going on? Are you taking the day off?"
Li Daming was in the middle of explaining something to Wang Xia. Without looking up, he said, "Yeah, yeah. I’m talking to your mom. Go do your thing."
Something was definitely up. Jiang Mo took in the scene—Wang Xia’s expression was stormy, clearly upset.
No way was she leaving now.
Wang Xia planted her hands on her hips, scolding Li Daming. "You’re always with Mr. Gu, and I told you to keep me updated. How did you miss that his old flame is back in the picture?"
"I’m innocent! When Mr. Gu goes out to eat, I can’t exactly follow him into the restaurant, can I?" Li Daming defended himself, raising his hands. "You know I’m on your side—and Madam’s—always."
"Besides, they just had a meal. Nothing happened. You’re making it sound worse than it is."
"Words are cheap. Who knows what else you’re hiding from me?" Wang Xia glared, her trust in him clearly shaken.
Jiang Mo chimed in, "Dad, you’d better confess now. Resistance is futile."
"Don’t stir the pot," Li Daming grumbled.
Wang Xia shot him a look. "I think Jiang Mo’s right. Out with it—everything you know."
"There’s nothing to say! I know even less than you do," Li Daming sighed. He was a driver, not a gossip columnist.
Wang Xia narrowed her eyes. "Really? No secrets?"
Li Daming held up two fingers. "Swear."
From the fragments of conversation, Jiang Mo pieced together that there might be trouble between Madam Su and Mr. Gu.
As she slipped into the living room to grab something, she saw Su Yunjin descending the stairs, Gu Guofeng close behind. The air between them was heavy.
She was about to retreat when Su Yunjin spotted her. "Jiang Mo, get me a coffee."
"Right away, Madam."
Su Yunjin sat on the sofa and let out a dry laugh, eyeing the man across from her. "Why are you following me? Shouldn’t you be at work?"
"I’m not feeling well. Taking the day off," Gu Guofeng said.
Su Yunjin raised a brow. "Then you should be resting upstairs, not wandering around."
When she didn’t even ask about his health, Gu Guofeng sighed. "Yunjin, there’s really nothing between us. It was just a business meeting over lunch."
The "her" Gu Guofeng referred to was his childhood sweetheart—the same one Wang Xia had called his "old flame."
They had dated in their youth, but she had left him for his best friend—though that relationship didn’t last either. Back then, everyone dreamed of going abroad, and his ex had married a wealthy foreigner.
After returning to China, she had briefly caused tension between Gu Guofeng and Su Yunjin, nearly leading to a breakup.
"You’re the one making a big deal out of this. Did I say anything?" Su Yunjin smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
Some said silence was the scariest reaction.
Gu Guofeng was feeling it now. He’d rather she yelled—at least then he’d know how to respond. This calm detachment left him scrambling.
And that woman—posting ambiguous photos and captions, knowing Su Yunjin would see them. He’d spent half the day explaining already.
"As long as you’re not misunderstanding me."
Su Yunjin scoffed. "At our age, I’m not stopping you. If you want a divorce, I’ll take one of the sons. But the housekeeper comes with me."
Jiang Mo, who had just set down the coffee, nearly dropped the tray.
Wait—in high-society divorces, besides splitting assets and kids, they fought over the housekeeper now?
Not daring to eavesdrop further, she hurried off to report to her mom.
Wang Xia took it all in stride. "Relax, it won’t happen. Madam’s just venting. Mr. Gu won’t let it go that far. They’re just bickering—that old flame won’t cause real trouble."
Reassured, Jiang Mo let it go.
A short while later, Su Yunjin called Jiang Mo upstairs to pack her suitcase.
Wait—was this a separation?
Turns out, she was overthinking it.
"Later, you and Wang Xia should pack too. We’re going on a trip," Su Yunjin said, calmly applying her makeup.
She seemed… in a decent mood?
Jiang Mo blinked. "Madam, when are we leaving?"
"Today, of course. A vacation is about spontaneity—go whenever you feel like it."
Jiang Mo ventured another question. "Where are we going?"
Su Yunjin replied, "Last time you went to Mount Tai with Grandpa, didn’t you say you wanted a beach getaway? How about the Maldives?"
Jiang Mo grinned so wide her front teeth showed. "Whatever you say, Madam."
She dashed downstairs to tell her mom—they were going on a trip! The two of them began packing in a frenzy.
Meanwhile, Li Daming was sent home to fetch their passports.
Over this period, Jiang Mo had unknowingly moved quite a few of her belongings into Wang Xia's room, so there was no need to go back home to pack.
For the wealthy, travel is a whim—one moment the idea strikes, and the next, they're already on their way.
For ordinary people, traveling depends on whether they have the time, planning this and that, often ending up shelving the idea altogether.
"You’re lucky to work for the madam—such great benefits. A vacation just like that, no hesitation," Li Daming said as he handed over their visas, unable to hide his envy.
"Exactly. Choosing the right boss makes all the difference," Wang Xia remarked, directing Jiang Mo with the luggage while she headed upstairs to check Su Yunjin’s suitcase.
Jiang Mo grinned. "Don’t be jealous, Dad. I’ll take lots of beautiful photos for you."
And so, an hour later, the three of them were on their way to the Maldives.
Wang Xia drove them to the airport, while Jiang Mo pushed the suitcases, feeling as if even the air tasted sweeter.
Maldives, here I come!
Gu Ye had stayed up all night and only fallen asleep around three or four in the morning. By the time he woke up, it was already afternoon.
He had no idea about his parents’ argument, nor that his mother had taken off on a trip with the two housemaids.
Bleary-eyed, he wandered downstairs and looked around, noticing the house was unusually empty. No sign of Jiang Mo—not even Wang Xia was around.
Finally, he caught Chef Li in the kitchen.
"You didn’t know?" Chef Li asked.
"Know what?"
"The madam took Wang Xia and Jiang Mo on an overseas vacation."
Gu Ye: "......"
