After leaving a message for Huo Nanyin, Jiang Mo headed out, taking the subway to the Gu Corporation building.
When she arrived downstairs, she waited for two minutes until her ordered milk tea was ready.
Glancing at the time—only 3:30 PM—she casually made her way upstairs and slipped into Gu Xun’s secretary’s office.
“Here’s some milk tea for you two, with less sugar,” she said, handing the drinks to the two polished professional women.
The secretaries, already familiar with Jiang Mo, didn’t decline the gesture. One of them volunteered, “Young Master Gu isn’t in a meeting. He’s in his office.”
“Thanks for the tea!”
Jiang Mo waved it off, sipping her own drink. “No need to be so formal. By the way, is Secretary Zhuge in?”
The secretary nodded. “He should be in his office right now.”
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Jiang Mo grabbed her things and knocked on Zhuge Shen’s office door.
“Come in,” a deep male voice called from inside.
Pushing the door open, Jiang Mo waved the bag in her hand. “Brother Zhuge, I brought you some milk tea.”
“Oh? What brings you here? Surely not just to deliver tea?” Zhuge Shen chuckled, gesturing to the seat across from him. “Take a seat.”
“Young Master Gu asked me to come to the company. Do you know what it’s about?” Jiang Mo placed the tea on the table.
After all, relationships grow through interaction.
Now was the perfect time to strengthen connections.
“How would I know? I’m not a mind reader,” Zhuge Shen shook his head, tapping his temple. “But your Young Master Gu… I suspect he’s not acting normal lately. Probably caught the lovestruck bug.”
“Young Master Gu, lovestruck?” Jiang Mo’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. “What’s going on?”
Zhuge Shen watched as the girl across from him suddenly perked up, her eyes wide with intrigue.
Seriously, her thirst for gossip was way too obvious.
“I shouldn’t say too much. What if he hears and fires me?”
Jiang Mo glanced around. “Relax, it’s just the two of us here. No one else will know.”
Zhuge Shen had only been teasing earlier. Seeing her reaction, he smirked. “Your Young Master Gu seems to be craving a second chance.”
“The moment he heard she got hurt, he couldn’t wait to rush to her side. I told him, ‘If you’re this worried, just hire her a caretaker.’”
Jiang Mo stayed silent at that, thinking to herself: Well, he didn’t hire one—he just sent me instead.
Her lack of response was telling.
Zhuge Shen narrowed his eyes. “Wait… Did he send your mom—or you—over there?”
“Heh, no wonder you’re the chief secretary,” Jiang Mo replied. “I’m just helping Nanyin-jie with daily stuff.”
“That old fox, I should’ve known he’d—”
Before he could finish, the door was knocked and then pushed open.
“You should’ve known what?” Gu Xun stood at the entrance, cutting him off.
Jiang Mo immediately stood up, forcing a polite smile. “Young Master Gu.”
Zhuge Shen’s mind raced. “Nothing, you misheard. We were just discussing stocks and investments. Little Mo here wanted some advice.”
Gu Xun gave him a look that said, Do you really expect me to believe that?
With a scoff, he ignored the excuse and turned to Jiang Mo. “Come to my office.”
Jiang Mo mouthed a quick “talk later” before obediently following Gu Xun.
“Young Master Gu, here’s some milk tea for you.”
Gu Xun glanced at it. So that’s why the secretaries and Zhuge Shen all had tea on their desks—she’d been handing them out.
“Are you settling in okay over there?”
“Yeah, it’s fine,” Jiang Mo replied, though she’d only been there half a day.
Gu Xun checked his phone. “I ordered some ingredients. They’ll be delivered downstairs later. Dinner’s also arranged—you can pick it up.”
“Once everything’s ready, I’ll drive you back.”
Jiang Mo nodded. “…Sure.”
Honestly, having it delivered straight to the Huo residence would’ve been easier.
With her task clear, Jiang Mo went downstairs to wait for the deliveries. By around 5 PM, everything had arrived.
Gu Xun came down at the same time. Jiang Mo spoke up, “Young Master Gu, if you’re busy, I can just take a cab back.”
“I’ll drive you. There’s a lot to carry.”
“Really, it’s no trouble. I can handle it.”
Gu Xun ignored her, loading the items into the car’s trunk.
Suddenly, Jiang Mo had an epiphany—Zhuge Shen’s words echoed in her mind. Was Young Master Gu acting out of character just to find an excuse to see Huo Nanyin?
Otherwise, it didn’t make sense.
She was convinced: Zhuge Shen had probably hit the nail on the head.
Back at Huo Nanyin’s apartment complex, Gu Xun automatically took on the role of porter while Jiang Mo carried the lighter items upstairs first.
Huo Nanyin, sitting in the living room, noticed the commotion. “What’s all this?”
“Not me—Young Master Gu bought it. There’s more downstairs.”
Two minutes later, Gu Xun walked in with an armful of goods. “Some food gifts from a business partner. Too much for me, so I thought I’d share with you two.”
“Young Master Gu also arranged dinner—it’s still warm,” Jiang Mo added.
Huo Nanyin looked slightly overwhelmed, flustered. “Gu Xun, thank you, but this really isn’t necessary.”
“What, can’t we even be friends after breaking up?” Gu Xun loosened his tie. “It’s nothing extravagant.”
Jiang Mo watched, recognizing his tactic—a roundabout approach to make refusal awkward.
Sure enough, Huo Nanyin hesitated before murmuring, “…Alright, thank you. But please don’t send more in the future.”
Jiang Mo plated the dishes and set the table. “Young Master Gu, Nanyin-jie, dinner’s ready.”
“I’ll wash my hands first,” Gu Xun said, heading to the bathroom.
Dinner was much quieter compared to the last meal with six people, with Jiang Mo steering most of the conversation.
Though tonight’s atmosphere was noticeably cooler.
After eating, Jiang Mo excused herself to take out the trash, leaving the two alone.
While strolling around the complex, she received a message from Jin Yingying:
“Mo, my housekeeper’s on leave for a couple of days. My mother-in-law was wondering if you know anyone who could fill in temporarily?”
They’d exchanged contacts at the auction house days ago, and Jiang Mo had assumed it was just polite small talk.
But now, here was an actual request—probably because finding help was tough, and Jin Yingying thought she might have connections.
After a moment’s thought, Jiang Mo replied: “I’m not sure, but I’ll ask around for you.”
Jin Yingying: “Thanks, dear. I’ll give you a red envelope for your trouble.”
Jiang Mo: “No need! You’re close with Madam Huo—it’s nothing.”
After killing about 30–40 minutes downstairs, Jiang Mo figured enough time had passed and returned upstairs. Gu Xun had already left.
She tidied up, then helped Huo Nanyin wash her hair.
The next day, the two stayed in, cooking with the delivered ingredients and cleaning the apartment.
On the afternoon of the third day, Huo Nanyin had a class, and Jiang Mo volunteered to take her to school.
"I have an electric scooter," Huo Nanyin said. The school wasn’t too far, and the scooter was quite convenient.
Jiang Mo patted her chest confidently. "Don’t worry, I’m a seasoned electric scooter expert."
The scooter lived up to its reputation, arriving at the school in about ten minutes and coming to a smooth stop in front of the lecture hall.
Jiang Mo carried a water bottle and teaching materials while Huo Nanyin leaned on her crutches, entering the classroom before the crowd grew.
When the bell rang, the hallway outside buzzed with noise, and soon, the classroom filled with students.
Jiang Mo chose a seat near the back, and before long, two girls sat down beside her.
Watching Huo Nanyin speak confidently at the podium, Jiang Mo found her quite charming.
But glancing at the equations written on the blackboard, she thought, This math is really hard.
"Tell me about it," one of the girls next to her muttered, clearly dazed by the lecture. "I should’ve never picked this major. Heaven knows how torturous it is once you’re in."
"Hey, what year are you in?"
"Sophomore. You’re not from our department?"
Jiang Mo nodded. "I’m just auditing the class."
"Oh, here to see our famous professor, huh?" The girl gave a knowing look. "Gotta admit, Professor Huo’s impressive. So young and already a doctoral advisor."
Her voice brimmed with admiration. "Started college at 16, studied at Columbia, won a bunch of awards—a real eagle among women. My absolute idol. And she’s gorgeous too."
Jiang Mo was stunned. "She entered college at 16?"
Damn, she knew Huo Nanyin was smart, but this was next-level brilliance.
