Even though they knew Chu Ge was probably just messing with them, Chu Ge's expression was so convincing at the moment that they couldn't help but laugh.

This side of Chu Ge made them feel even more close to him.

Isn't this also a kind of carefree and unconventional charm?

When He Junming and Chu Shiyao finally stopped laughing, Chu Ge continued, "Who of you two has some cash? Lend me a bit. Two bucks will do, I just need to take a roundtrip bus."

Upon being asked by Chu Ge, He Junming immediately perked up, "I've got it, I've got it. Envious, aren't you?"

Knowing that He Junming wanted to switch the roles from before, Chu Ge played along with an "uh-huh."

"Being envious won't help! Hahaha! I'm not lending you anything!"

Having avenged himself for the previous jabs, He Junming beamed, but his laughter quickly became boring as he noticed Chu Ge's face showed no sign of distress.

"Sigh... Bro, why do I always feel like every time I'm with you, your charisma shines so brightly, and I'm just like a fool?"

Suppressing his dry laughter, He Junming scratched his head and sighed.

Chu Ge glanced at He Junming with amusement, "Want to know why?"

He Junming nodded seriously, "I do."

Chu Ge laughed out loud, "Not telling you. Figure it out yourself."

It's not that Chu Ge truly wanted to keep secrets from He Junming; he just knew that even if he explained it, He Junming wouldn't understand. It wasn't a matter of IQ or EQ, but of what kind of experiences one has had while growing up.

"Alright, stop overthinking it. Lend me two bucks. I need to head out."

"Okay."

He Junming agreed, took out his wallet from the bag hanging on the wall, and pulled out a few hundred-dollar bills to hand to Chu Ge.

"Bro, why take the bus? Just grab a taxi. Where're you heading to?"

Since Chu Ge really regarded He Junming as his little brother, he didn't hold back and took the bills directly.

After handing over the money, He Junming thought for a moment and said, "Forget it, don't take a taxi either. I'll have my family's driver take you."

"No need. I'm off."

Waving his hand, Chu Ge walked out of the room.

Catching a taxi, Chu Ge drove straight to Tianjiao Group. Even though he'd only been away for just over a day, it felt like quite a long time had passed.

After receiving the change from the driver, Chu Ge exited the car. As he walked toward the entrance, the two security guards at the door gave him a crisp salute, their expressions filled with excitement and admiration.

Chu Ge paused for a moment, glanced at the two security guards, and then realized they were faces he had seen at the fire scene the night before last.

One of them was the young guard who was very concerned about him from the start, and the other was the one who had a similar build and lent him his clothes.

"Big brother, I finally get to see you. How are you?" The young guard asked eagerly and concernedly before Chu Ge even reached the door.

Patting the young guard on the shoulder, Chu Ge smiled, "I'm okay. I should be back to work in a few days. You guys seem to be doing well too?"

"Yeah! Thanks to you, big brother, not only were we not kicked out, but we even got a pay raise. We owe it all to you."

It seemed like speaking with Chu Ge was an immense honor. This time, before the young guard could speak, the other guard eagerly said his piece.

"That's good. You guys keep on guard duty. I'll head in."

"Big brother, um... um..."

Chu Ge nodded with a smile, inwardly praising Qin Ruojing's actions, and headed forward.

However, he had only walked a few steps when he heard the hesitant voice of the young guard behind him.

Turning back, meeting the young guard's anxious gaze, "What's up?"

"Big brother, a few of us wanted to... to..."

The young guard's face turned beet red, unable to complete his sentence for quite a while due to nervousness, beads of sweat even forming on his forehead.

Seeing the young guard like this, Chu Ge couldn't help but laugh, "Little brother, if you have something to say, just say it. Do I look that intimidating?"

"Not scary, not scary at all. Big brother, you are the most amiable leader I've ever seen!"

The young security guard quickly shook his head like a rattle drum, and this time he spoke quite fluently.

"Then I'll say it, if I've upset you, I'll apologize to you first."

Seeing the young security guard looking so anxious and nervous, Chu Ge secretly thought, "Could it be that he spread the news about what happened that day?"

Even though he was thinking this, Chu Ge did not show any displeasure. He continued to smile lightly and nodded, "What's the matter? Tell me what's on your mind first."

The young security guard bit his lip, glanced at the other security guard beside him who also looked uneasy, and then, as if making a big decision, finally spoke up, "Big brother, a few of us would like to invite you to dinner."

Chu Ge was taken aback. He hadn't expected that after all this hesitation, this was what the young security guard wanted to say, and he felt a sense of relief.

Seeing Chu Ge not answering immediately, the young security guard's face showed obvious disappointment. However, this was something he had expected, so he awkwardly smiled and said, "Big brother, if you're busy, then never mind. Just pretend I didn't say anything."

In the young security guard's eyes, Chu Ge was someone with a close relationship to the chairman and belonged to a completely different world from the security guards.

For them to invite Chu Ge out for a meal was like reaching above their station. How could someone of Chu Ge's status have the time to bother with them?

Being able to have a friendly chat with him was more than enough, and if he asked for more, it would be ungrateful.

Yet, just when the young security guard felt at a loss and was forcing a smile, expecting Chu Ge to find him amusing and then walk away, an unexpected scene unfolded right before his eyes.

Chu Ge did exactly as he imagined, gave him an amused look with a faint smile, but instead of turning away, he nodded naturally and spoke six words that made him doubt his ears.

"Sure, when and where?"

"Ah... ah... ah?"

The young security guard was stunned. It took him a full seven or eight seconds to recover from looking at the smiling Chu Ge, still blinking in confusion and muttering "ah" several times unconsciously.

This time, watching the young security guard's face turn from bewilderment to disbelief, then to being overwhelmed and finally to pure joy, Chu Ge did not find it funny. Instead, he sighed lightly within his heart.

Chu Ge knew very well why the young security guard reacted so strongly and could empathize with his feelings at this moment.

Judging from his dark complexion and slightly accented Mandarin, he was mostly likely a young man who came from the countryside to make a living in the city with dreams in his heart.

Without a high level of education nor significant skills, just a young body, a heart full of aspirations for a better future, and shoulders that have borne life's burdens early on.

To this young security guard, being a security guard at the Tianjiao Group was something to be proud of, but watching those white-collar professionals in suits and ties coming and going, all he felt was admiration and envy.

Although Chu Ge had no obligation to do anything for this young security guard, he would not refuse such a small request because of the concern he once showed him.

Patting the young security guard's shoulder again, Chu Ge smiled and gave him his phone number. After asking for his name, he waited for him to awkwardly wave his phone before carefully saving his number in front of him.

"Brother Tiezhu, once you decide the time and place, contact me. I'll wait for your call. I have something to attend to now, so I'll leave first, alright?"

"Okay, okay."

Looking at Chu Ge, smiling warmly and even seeking his opinion, Wang Tiezhu almost cried from excitement and nodded vigorously.

With conspicuous bandages and carrying an even more conspicuous little bear lunch box, under the curious stares, Chu Ge nonchalantly entered the elevator and made his way to the ninth floor of the Tianjiao Group.

As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he saw several familiar faces in the corridor whose names he couldn't recall. They were initially surprised to see Chu Ge but quickly put on familiar and polite expressions, calling him "Vice Minister Chu" and greeting him.

He nodded and smiled at each of them before heading towards the Operation Management Department's office.

The office door had been replaced, and the surrounding walls had a new coat of paint, though there were still some charred marks on the door frame.

With a creak, Chu Ge pushed open the door.

The condition inside the room was much better than Chu Ge had anticipated. Although the wooden partitions were damaged and hadn't been replaced yet, new desks were in place with fresh computers and a full set of office supplies, retaining the previous layout.

What surprised him, although it was expected, was that his new desk was significantly larger than the others and made from high-end mahogany. The computer and office supplies on it were also more advanced than the others.

On one side of the desk, there was an exquisite glass fish tank with colorful ornamental fish swimming inside; on the other side, a vibrant clivia plant added to the pleasant ambiance, exuding a subtle fragrance.

Everything on his desk and the nearby floor was spotless, suggesting that his workspace had never been affected by the fire at all.

Looking at everything in the office, Chu Ge felt both familiar and fond, and couldn't help but cough with a smile.

"Cough cough, Hu Hansan is back again."

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