Pei Ting smiled, "It's fine, I was going to wash these shoes when I got home anyway."
Li Zheng held up his skewer, suddenly catching on, and teased Jiang Mo, "Sis, you stepped on the wrong person this time, huh?"
"Just eat your barbecue," Jiang Mo retorted sharply, rolling her eyes. "Can't even keep your mouth shut while eating."
Li Zheng shook his head. "Sis, you're a girl—you should be gentler in how you speak and act. Everyone likes gentle girls, right, Brother Pei?"
"Your sister is plenty gentle," Pei Ting said, glancing at Jiang Mo.
Jiang Mo pulled out her trump card. "Oh, so I'm not gentle? Fine, want me to swap you for a different sister? Weren’t you all happy mooching off me and seeking my protection at home? Didn’t hear you complaining then."
Li Zheng: "Well, sometimes you really aren’t gentle. Like when you used to tutor me—can’t even call you out on it?"
Jiang Mo nodded. "Sure, go find someone gentle then. And say goodbye to your graduation gift."
"Sis, come on, I was just joking! Can’t you take a joke? Just lightening the mood," Li Zheng chuckled, not daring to push further. He quickly changed tack. "So, what’d you get me as a graduation gift?"
"A fridge magnet I brought back from abroad. You’re welcome, lucky you."
"A fridge magnet? You’re kidding, right? Nothing else? Then just give it to someone else," Li Zheng said, unimpressed.
Jiang Mo turned to glare at him. "You should be grateful you’re getting anything at all, and now you’re being picky?"
Pei Ting watched their sibling banter with amusement, his lips curling into an involuntary smile.
"Sorry about that," Jiang Mo said, scratching her head sheepishly.
Pei Ting replied, "It’s clear you two have a great relationship. Pretty entertaining to watch."
Li Zheng seized the moment. "Do you have any siblings?"
"I have a younger sister, but she’s ten years younger than me," Pei Ting said, scanning the QR code to order more dishes. "She’s in high school now."
Jiang Mo shot her little brother a look—why are you interrogating him like this?
Li Zheng blinked back—just helping you vet him, duh.
As they ate and chatted, Jiang Mo was already full, but thanks to Li Zheng’s appetite, the extra dishes Pei Ting ordered didn’t go to waste.
Pei Ting instinctively reached for the bill, but Jiang Mo stopped him. "We agreed—tonight’s my treat."
Pei Ting paused, then joked, "Alright, thanks for the feast, junior."
The three parted ways at the door. Pei Ting’s car drove off, while the siblings headed home.
Li Zheng carried the leftover fruit platter, patting his stomach in satisfaction. Lucky he’d tagged along—free food and front-row seats to the drama.
"Sis, Brother Pei’s got a good family, a solid career, and he’s handsome. If you’ve got a shot, take it. Even if it doesn’t work out, snagging a hottie like that isn’t a loss, right?"
"Enough. I should be scolding you—what was with the interrogation at dinner?" Jiang Mo flushed. "Don’t make it seem like I’m into him. He’s the law school’s golden boy, practically untouchable."
"Even better! We lose nothing," Li Zheng grinned. "Besides, you’re smart and gorgeous. Even if he’s a god, you’re totally his match."
"Oh, so now I’m not ‘harsh’ anymore?" Jiang Mo deadpanned.
But why keep the gossip to himself? Li Zheng promptly shared the highlights in the family group chat, "Royal Council."
Li Daming immediately chimed in: "See? I told you he was a catch! You and your mom didn’t believe me, but now that you’ve met him, my judgment’s spot-on, right?"
Wang Xia didn’t fully trust Li Daming’s taste, but if their son said so, it must be true.
Wang Xia: "Any photos?"
Li Zheng: "No, but trust me, he could give some male celebrities a run for their money."
That piqued Wang Xia’s interest. Speaking of celebrities, wasn’t there one in the family?
"Really? How does he compare to Xiao Ye?"
Li Daming jumped in to defend his assessment: "Equally good-looking."
By the time Jiang Mo saw the chat, the three had already exchanged dozens of messages.
She tried to shift the topic: "Guys, Li Zheng’s college results come out the day after tomorrow. Shouldn’t we focus on picking his school and major?"
Finally, the spotlight swung back to Li Zheng.
Meanwhile, Gu Ye had a restless night, his mind racing.
Grandpa really jinxed it—talk about a "sudden rival appearing out of nowhere."
Gu Baotian: My fault?
Too wired to sleep, Gu Ye dragged himself downstairs for breakfast, yawning.
Gu Xuan tugged at him. "Second Brother, come here. I’ve got a secret."
"What secret?" Gu Ye let himself be pulled aside.
Gu Xuan glanced around conspiratorially. "Grandpa’s dating someone."
That woke Gu Ye up. "How do you know?"
Gu Xuan smirked. "Overheard Mom and Dad talking. She lives in the villa too."
Gu Ye: "..." So much for thinking he was the only one who knew. He might’ve been the last to find out.
"Let’s pretend we don’t know," Gu Xuan added.
"Kid, I don’t need you to tell me that. I’ve known for ages," Gu Ye said, salvaging his dignity as the older brother. "Now go eat."
Kids really couldn’t keep a straight face.
Gu Baotian sipped his wonton soup, eyeing his grandson. "What, is there gold on my face? Why the staring?"
"N-nothing!" Gu Xuan shook his head frantically. "Just thinking how... trendy you are, Grandpa."
"Where’d you learn to talk like that?" Su Yunjin scolded, unaware their conversation had been overheard. "Finish up and get ready for school."
Gu Xuan sighed like a weary adult. "My life is so hard. Thank goodness summer break’s almost here."
Gu Guofeng’s eye twitched. "Stop whining. Your life’s hard? Try mine—out before dawn, home after dark. That’s hard."
Gu Xuan ducked his head and went silent.
Gu Guofeng’s lecture didn’t spare Gu Ye either. "And you—this acting gig won’t last forever. Time to come back and join the family business."
"Whatever you’re earning now is peanuts. Who knows how much the family’s subsidizing you."
Gu Ye fired back, "My income’s not bad. Besides, I’ve picked up a thing or two at home. I’ve got other ventures too."
"Grandpa’s investment is safe with me. I won’t let him lose money."
Su Yunjin and Gu Guofeng both turned to Gu Baotian. "Dad, you invested in Xiao Ye too?"
Gu Baotian eyed them. "Wait, so you two also invested?"
Gu Ye was baffled. What’s going on? Since when were his parents involved?
