After breakfast, Gu Ye returned to his room to pick out an outfit for going out.
He first chose an all-black ensemble but felt it wasn’t quite right, then switched to a mint green top paired with white pants—still not satisfied.
After some thought, he settled on the simplest combination: a white T-shirt with black pants and stood in front of the mirror to check his reflection.
Just as Wang Xia knocked on the door, intending to help tidy up, she caught sight of Gu Ye scrutinizing himself in the mirror.
People always say girls are the ones who care about looks, but from what she could see, young men these days were just as vain.
"That outfit looks great—youthful, lively, and full of energy," Wang Xia praised.
"Really?" Gu Ye asked doubtfully. "Isn’t it too plain? Too simple?"
"Not at all. Sometimes, less is more. For someone like you, even without dressing up, you’d still look good. Youth is your best accessory," Wang Xia said as she gathered the discarded clothes into the laundry basket.
Gu Ye studied his reflection again. Alright, he’d trust Wang Xia’s judgment.
Then he started fussing with his hair, turning on some music as he tousled it into a more stylish shape. Only then did he grab his car keys and head out, humming a tune along the way.
Watching him leave, Wang Xia muttered under her breath, "Oh dear, looks like the peacock’s about to spread its feathers."
The night before, Jiang Mo had sent Gu Ye the address. He entered it into his GPS and drove smoothly to the apartment complex.
Upstairs, Jiang Mo had woken up early with little to pack. Before leaving, she decided to tidy up the place a bit.
When she got Gu Ye’s message, she grabbed her suitcase and said, "Nanyin-jie, I’m heading out now."
"Alright, take care. Thanks for helping these past few days," Huo Nanyin replied. "Once my foot’s better, I’ll invite you over again."
"Sounds good!" With that, Jiang Mo headed downstairs.
The complex didn’t separate pedestrian and vehicle traffic, and Huo Nanyin’s building was close to the main gate, so plenty of residents passed by.
When Jiang Mo reached the ground floor, the scene that greeted her was Gu Ye leaning casually against his car door, sunglasses on, relaxed as he scrolled through his phone.
From a distance, his tall, well-defined silhouette screamed "handsome." And sure enough, passersby were stealing glances.
Hearing the sound of rolling wheels approaching, Gu Ye looked up. Spotting Jiang Mo, he waved and strode over with his long legs, taking her suitcase. "What brought you here?"
"I was helping take care of a sister," Jiang Mo said. "Thanks for picking me up today. Got any plans? If not, lunch is on me."
Gu Ye loaded her suitcase into the trunk and ventured, "How about this? The weather’s nice—let’s find somewhere to hang out first, then grab a meal?"
It was a holiday, so going out was an option. But "nice weather" was debatable—more like the kind where you needed an umbrella and broke a sweat after five steps.
When Jiang Mo didn’t answer immediately, Gu Ye backtracked, "If you’d rather rest at home, that’s fine too. Plenty of time later."
"No, no, I was just thinking about where to go in this heat," Jiang Mo said, settling into the passenger seat and opening Xiaohongshu.
Gu Ye’s lips curled. "There’s a mild rafting spot in the suburbs—about an hour’s drive. Wanna try it?"
Rafting sounded perfect for summer. Jiang Mo perked up. "Got a link? Send it over."
The two ended up browsing guides right there in the car. After checking reviews and photos, Jiang Mo thought it looked fun—though she hesitated before asking, "Um, would you mind one more person joining?"
"Which friend?"
"Well… my little brother."
Once they decided on the suburban rafting trip, they headed to Jiang Mo’s place to pick up Li Zheng.
After getting the message, Li Zheng waited by the gate, timing it just right. Since they were going rafting, he’d even prepared some fruit and snacks.
"Is that your brother over there?" Gu Ye rolled down the window, squinting.
"Yep, that’s him." Jiang Mo stepped out and waved. "Li Zheng! Over here!"
Li Zheng jogged over, snacks in hand. "Jie!"
His sister had already mentioned who’d be joining, so once in the car, Li Zheng politely greeted, "Hey, Gu Ye-ge."
"Looking sharp, little bro," Gu Ye said, glancing back. "Heard you just finished the gaokao. How’d it go?"
As the car pulled away, Li Zheng replied, "Felt okay, but gotta wait for the scores to come out."
Settling into the backseat, he couldn’t help musing: No wonder the girls in his class had been obsessed with Gu Ye, even collecting his merch. Seeing him in person? Yeah, the guy was undeniably good-looking.
"Bet you aced it."
"Eh, could’ve been better."
Jiang Mo couldn’t take their mutual flattery anymore. "Weren’t you supposed to go traveling with your high school friends? What happened?"
"Dad cut your funding?"
"Nah, Dad paid up," Li Zheng explained. "But my friends’ parents said they gotta wait for their scores first."
Hence why he’d jumped at his sister’s rafting invite—though he wasn’t freeloading.
"Jie, Gu Ye-ge, got snacks and fruit in the bag. Help yourselves," he said, passing it forward.
Kid’s growing up—even knows to bring treats.
Jiang Mo took the bag and noticed two boxes of pre-cut fruit. "Uh, are we allowed to eat in your car?"
Gu Ye shot her a look. "Just eat."
"Want some fruit?" Jiang Mo speared a piece of watermelon with a fork.
"Nah, you guys go ahead. Driving’s distracting."
"It’s really sweet though. If you can’t grab it, I’ll fork some for you." Without thinking, Jiang Mo lifted a large chunk toward him.
Gu Ye glanced over, and Jiang Mo raised the fork higher.
Then—he leaned down and took the watermelon straight from her hand.
Jiang Mo blinked, momentarily stunned. Uh… she’d meant for him to take the fork.
"Pretty sweet," Gu Ye remarked after swallowing. "Your brother’s got good taste."
"Glad you like it, Gu Ye-ge. I bought plenty!"
From the backseat, Li Zheng had witnessed the whole exchange. Something felt… off.
Does Jie usually wait on Gu Ye like this at his place?
What kind of guy accepts hand-fed watermelon?
Or—wait. Was there something between them? This kind of scene was something he’d only seen among couples at school.
Maybe… he shouldn’t be in this car. Maybe he should be under it.
