Gu Ye felt like he had shot himself in the foot and couldn’t help but glare at Li Zheng across the table.
"Young as your sister is, are you really in such a hurry to kick her out of the house?"
"Are you one of those 'carry on the family name' types?"
Li Zheng felt like a huge accusation had just been thrown at him. He quickly swallowed the food in his mouth and protested, "I’m innocent! I’d never dare!"
"If anyone in my family were to be kicked out, it’d definitely be me, not her."
Gu Ye snorted. "Then why are you so eager to push your sister into dating? Once she starts dating, marriage is the next step."
Li Zheng widened his eyes, baffled by how quickly Gu Ye’s mood had shifted from their earlier lighthearted banter. "We were just talking, and I casually mentioned it. That’s all."
"Hahaha, look how worked up you are! I was just joking," Gu Ye laughed, waving it off. "Eat up, have more."
Li Zheng: "......" Wait, who was the one who got worked up just now?
Gu Ye wondered if he’d overreacted. He’d invited Li Zheng out today to win him over as an ally in his plans. If he scared him off, it’d be counterproductive.
"This restaurant you picked is really good," Gu Ye complimented casually.
Li Zheng replied, "My sister recommended it."
"Then your sister has great taste," Gu Ye said, taking a sip of water before asking, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "Hey, we’ve known each other for a while now. What do you think of me?"
Known each other for a while?
Li Zheng thought to himself—hadn’t they met less than a week ago? "You’re great. I thought rich heirs like you would be hard to get along with, but you’re actually really down-to-earth."
"We’re not as exaggerated as the rumors make us out to be. We’re just ordinary people," Gu Ye coughed lightly. "I’ve reached the age where my family’s pressuring me to get married, but there’s no one suitable around. What do you think about me and your sister giving it a shot?"
Without hesitation, Li Zheng shook his head vigorously. "Bro, stop joking. With your family background and looks, there’s no way you don’t have girls lining up for you."
Gu Ye: "......" You’re one to talk about your sister being slow on the uptake. You two are cut from the same cloth—might as well sit at the same table.
After dinner, Gu Ye drove Li Zheng back to his neighborhood and waited until he entered the gates before leaving.
When he got home, Gu Baotian was watching TV in the living room, with two dogs curled up at his feet.
"Well, look who’s back early—the superstar of the universe," Gu Baotian teased.
Too tired to retort, Gu Ye collapsed onto the sofa. "Grandpa, why didn’t you take the dogs out today?"
The sound of the TV filled the room as Gu Baotian focused on his phone, typing out a reply. "Even beasts of burden get a break. Can’t your grandpa take a day off?"
Gu Ye tilted his head—not that he meant to snoop, but his grandfather had set the font size on his phone comically large, and his own eyesight was just too sharp.
The person Gu Baotian was chatting with was unmistakably a woman. She’d even sent a photo, which his grandfather had opened and admired with a wide grin before replying.
Something was off. Was Grandpa secretly having a late-life romance behind the family’s back?
Seriously? He was struggling just to confess his feelings, yet Grandpa was out here making it look easy?
Gu Baotian finished typing and noticed his grandson’s stare. He grabbed a cushion and threw it at him. "No honor among the young, huh? Sneak attacks now?"
"I wasn’t sneaking. I was looking openly," Gu Ye said defensively. "You’re the one who exposed yourself. Grandpa, what’s going on? Do Mom and Dad know?"
"What’s it to you? It’s not illegal to date. Since when does the son dictate the father’s life?" Gu Baotian shot back. "Look at you—all bark and no bite. If you’d inherited even a fraction of my charm, you wouldn’t be struggling to confess."
Gu Ye’s ears turned red, as if his deepest secret had been exposed. "Grandpa, what nonsense are you spouting?"
"Nonsense? You think you can hide anything from me?" Gu Baotian crossed his legs smugly. "Listen, kid—if you want something, go for it. Otherwise, someone else might swoop in, and you’ll regret it."
"But what if it ruins our friendship?"
"Worrying for nothing. You won’t know unless you try."
"Easy for you to say," Gu Ye muttered. "But don’t worry—I’ll keep your little secret."
Meanwhile, Jiang Mo lay in bed scrolling through her feed. She saw her brother’s post—three photos from an arcade, not a single girl in sight. How clueless could he be?
Just then, Pei Ting sent her a message—tickets to a theater performance.
"Hope I’m not disturbing you. I have tickets for Dream of the Red Chamber tomorrow night. Would you like to go?"
"These are hard to get! How’d you manage, Pei?" Jiang Mo, genuinely interested, agreed. "How about I treat you to dinner after?"
Pei Ting replied, "Sounds great. See you tomorrow."
Wang Xia watched her daughter wriggling on the bed like an excited worm and teased, "What’s got you so happy?"
"Mom, I’m going to a theater show with a senior tomorrow night, so I’ll be back late," Jiang Mo explained.
Wang Xia nodded, then suddenly remembered something. "A senior? The one your dad mentioned last time?"
Jiang Mo clarified, "Yes, but we’re just friends."
"Did I say anything? I’m very open-minded. Even if you were dating, it’s normal," Wang Xia said knowingly.
Jiang Mo turned away and went back to her simulation game.
The next day, after finishing her work at the Gu residence, Jiang Mo left right on time, eager for the show.
Gu Ye wandered around but couldn’t find her. He asked Wang Xia, "Where’s Jiang Mo?"
"Oh, she went to see a performance with a senior," Wang Xia answered. "Did you need her for something?"
Without a word, Gu Ye walked away, leaving Wang Xia puzzled.
Jiang Mo checked the time—she’d make it to the theater with time to spare. Once on the subway, she relaxed.
At the theater entrance, Pei Ting stood out among the crowd, waiting for her.
"Pei!" Jiang Mo called out as she jogged over.
Pei Ting smiled. "No rush, we’ve got time." He handed her a cup of milk tea. "Here, hydrate first."
The cold drink was refreshing. Jiang Mo grinned and pulled two corn cobs from her bag. "Let’s snack on these before the show. I’ll treat you to late-night food afterward."
"What a coincidence—I brought snacks too," Pei Ting said, lifting his own bag.
Chatting, they headed inside. After finishing their snacks, they queued for tickets and entered just as the show was about to start.
