When Chu Ge returned to Qin Ruojing's bedroom, he paused slightly. In his sight, Qin Ruojing had already opened her eyes and was struggling to sit up against the headboard.

"Awake?" Although Chu Ge had noticed this long ago, he didn't say it outright and instead pretended as if he hadn't noticed anything, asking.

"Mm... thank you." Meeting Chu Ge's gaze, Qin Ruojing said softly.

Chu Ge entered the room with a towel, smiling as he rubbed his nose, "What's there to thank for? If not for my jinxing today, maybe you wouldn't have a fever. Lie down, let me give you a cold compress again."

Qin Ruojing didn't lie down as instructed but shook her head, "No matter what, I should thank you. Even if you hadn't said so, I would've gotten a fever anyway."

Chu Ge looked at Qin Ruoying in surprise and scratched his head, "Haha, you're actually being reasonable?"

Qin Ruojing rolled her eyes at Chu Ge, "In your impression, am I someone who argues irrationally?"

Chu Ge smiled but didn't continue the topic, placing the cool wet towel on Qin Ruojing's forehead.

"Chu Ge, I want to eat something. Could you help me warm up some food?" Holding the wet towel pressed on her head, Qin Ruojing said weakly.

"Sure, hang on."

Chu Ge went to the kitchen but didn't warm up the leftovers, which were a bit greasy for someone with a fever, and instead made a fresh bowl of sweet corn pumpkin porridge.

Hearing the footsteps coming from the kitchen, smelling the aroma of corn pumpkin porridge filling the air, and looking at Chu Ge's signature smiling face, Qin Ruojing once again felt her nose tingle.

If Chu Ge's smile had been a bit more gentle, perhaps she really might have cried.

A sick person is not only physically weak but also mentally more vulnerable than usual. Qin Ruojing was clearly in this state now.

Chu Ge didn't scoop some porridge, blow on it gently, and feed it to Qin Ruojing like often shown in dramas. Instead, he placed the porridge bowl on the bedside table.

"Wait a bit, let it cool down before drinking."

"Mm, thank you."

"If thanks were useful, why work for a salary? A bonus would be more practical." Looking at the unusually gentle Qin Ruojing, Chu Ge jested, removing the towel from her forehead before turning to the bathroom again.

When he cooled the towel again and placed it on Qin Ruojing's forehead, while casually checking the porridge bowl's temperature, he suddenly heard Qin Ruojing's hesitating voice.

"Chu Ge, can I ask you a question?"

Turning around, Chu Ge met Qin Ruojing's very serious eyes and jokingly said, "Did you burn out? I'm just a small employee under you. Is this formality really necessary?"

Normally, just hearing Chu Ge speak like this, Qin Ruojing wouldn't have shown him a good face. But this time...

She didn't refute him but rather seriously nodded, "Yes, and for my question, I hope you won't brush it off and tell me the truth."

Chu Ge nodded with a smile, "Go ahead."

"Chu Ge, do you have dreams? The kind you strive for, no matter how hard or tiring, relentlessly wishing to achieve." Meeting Chu Ge's gaze, Qin Ruojing asked earnestly.

"Yes, of course."

"What is it?" Seeing Chu Ge answer so readily, Qin Ruojing's eyes lit up, and she immediately pursued the question.

"Hehe, my dream is quite grand. I don't usually tell it to just anyone." With a trademark smile, Chu Ge said mysteriously.

Seeing Chu Ge's smiling face, Qin Ruojing felt half discouraged, instinctively sensing he wouldn't provide a genuine answer. Yet, despite this, she earnestly asked again.

"What exactly is it?"

Chu Ge shook his head with a smile, picking up the now not-so-hot porridge bowl from the bedside table.

"Why not tell me yours first? I'm afraid if I tell you, you'll be too shocked to eat. The porridge isn't too hot; why not eat and talk?"

Frowning slightly, Qin Ruojing stared at Chu Ge for a few seconds, before finally accepting the porridge bowl he handed over, and began sipping it one spoon at a time.

Quietly drinking the porridge, feeling a warmth rising in her empty stomach, Qin Ruojing's thoughts unconsciously drifted back to those plain yet carefree days of the past.

Qin Ruojing had a refined way of eating; watching her eat was a pleasure. During the few minutes she drank the porridge, neither of them spoke until the bowl was empty, and Qin Ruojing put the bowl back on the bedside table, lifting her head to meet Chu Ge's eyes again.

"Actually, you noticed the photo on the TV cabinet and the note beside it a long time ago, didn't you?"

Chu Ge nodded slightly, without needing to ask, he already knew that Qin Ruojing was referring to the photo of the Qin Family sisters and another girl.

"The girl in the middle of the photo is named Du Lin, she was a high school classmate of mine and Yingying. Her greatest hobby used to be writing, and her biggest dream was for her work to be recognized and turned into a published novel or a screenplay for a movie."

Qin Ruojing's gaze was somewhat misty, clearly still lost in a memory, her expression and voice both carrying a faint sense of melancholy, helplessness, and sadness.

"That day, the screenplay you saved from the fire was written by Linlin, and the story in that screenplay is the one Tianjiao Film and Television wants to make into a movie. That was Linlin's greatest dream once, and it's also my greatest dream now."

Qin Ruojing sighed, "I've finished talking, now it's your turn."

Since Qin Ruojing kept using the word "used to" when mentioning Du Lin, Chu Ge asked, "That girl named Du Lin, she now..."

Qin Ruojing shook her head, interrupting Chu Ge's words, "Let's just stop talking about Linlin, okay? Don't ask anymore, let's talk about your dreams instead."

Since Qin Ruojing didn't want to say more, Chu Ge didn't ask further. He smiled and nodded, "Okay, my dream is actually...the health of my body and world peace, how about that? Isn't it great?"

Qin Ruojing pinched the bridge of her nose, her expression showing a bit more disappointment, but there was no surprise in it. She sighed lightly again, "Mm, very great. I'm tired, I want to sleep."

Chu Ge chuckled, and picked up the porridge bowl to fill it again for Qin Ruojing in the kitchen, placing it on her bedside table.

"Chairman, good night. If you need anything, just call me."

"Okay, good night."

After closing Qin Ruojing's door, Chu Ge lay back on his bed, but found it difficult to sleep in the darkness.

Once, on a night like this, there had been a girl who asked him the same question, and at that time, his answer had been completely different from today.

It was precisely because of his answer back then that led to what happened later, and left an unsolvable knot in his heart to this day.

Perhaps this knot could remain unresolved for a lifetime.

Getting out of bed, Chu Ge stood by the window and lit a cigarette. As the cigarette end burned a bright red, he watched the azure smoke spread into the window and dissipate, gazing at the Lidu under the night's cover, feeling restless and chaotic.

Throughout the rest of the night, Chu Ge stood still like a sculpture by the window, until the myriad stars gradually disappeared, the eastern sky began to lighten, and then a gentle sun fully brightened the night, slowly rising from the horizon.

A new week had begun.

Due to a fever and insomnia, Qin Ruojing didn't get up as early as usual. It wasn't until after ten in the morning that she opened her eyes. When she walked out of the bedroom dragging somewhat weak legs, Chu Ge had already left for work, but breakfast had been left for her in the kitchen.

When Chu Ge returned to the office of the Operation Management Department, everything seemed no different from before. Lu Gang was still just as attentive, Ji Songtao as polite as ever, Mo Xiaoran still as shy, and Feifei along with a few other girls, continued to teasingly banter with Chu Ge deliberately or not.

The only difference from usual was that everyone's spirits appeared somewhat exuberant, almost all of their spare time spent discussing tomorrow's upcoming company sports meet.

Especially Lu Gang, who could hardly contain his excitement for the basketball game between departments.

With everyone's eager anticipation of the company sports meet, the day passed quickly.

Tomorrow was the official opening day of the company sports meet.

After work, Chu Ge went straight back to Qin Ruojing's house. When he opened the door, he was stunned for a moment.

Qin Ruojing had come back even earlier than him, and was actually sitting comfortably on the sofa, casually eating potato chips and leisurely watching TV?

"Honey, you're back?"

When he saw Qin Ruojing actually turn her head and say this with a smile, he was even more confused. What was going on with her today?

"Um... why are you back so early today?"

"I wanted to see you sooner, so I came back early. Honey, was work tiring today? Do you want me to give you a shoulder massage?"

Qin Ruojing left the sofa with a smile, her eyes caught a thin layer of gauze on Chu Ge's hand, and she paused for a moment before walking towards him like a gentle wife.

This time, Chu Ge finally figured it out. How could this possibly be Qin Ruojing? It was obviously her sister, Qin Ruoying!

Touching his nose speechlessly, "Yingying, why didn't you give us a heads-up when you came? You're way too stealthy, aren't you?"

Qin Ruoying was taken aback, her face puzzled, "Hey? Honey, what are you talking about? I'm Qin Ruojing."

Poking Qin Ruoying's forehead, Chu Ge laughed, "Come on, do you really think your brother-in-law's eyesight is that bad? I've been living with your sister for so long, of course I'd catch on when you speak. Trying to fool your brother-in-law, huh, you need to practice a bit more."

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