Putting on a slightly flustered expression, Chu Ge shook his head and whispered, "I don't know, these guys just charged in and started fighting, scared me to death. Let's hurry and leave before we get splattered with blood."

Although Chu Ge's voice wasn't loud, Scarface and the others were paying such close attention to him that they treated him like royalty. Upon hearing his words, everyone's movements paused momentarily, and their faces all twitched at once before they collectively rolled their eyes.

Oh, come on! Scared you to death? You're the one who nearly scared us to death, okay? How did you manage to say such a thing?

Qin Ruoying nodded in agreement, tightly holding onto Chu Ge's arm. She glanced at the gang of thugs nearby and quickly picked up her pace.

As they put some distance between themselves and the thugs, Qin Ruoying noticed something extremely peculiar.

She realized that the entire arcade was eerily quiet, with everyone seemingly stupefied, silently staring in the direction of her and Chu Ge, their gazes following their footsteps.

"Brother-in-law, why is everyone looking at you?" Qin Ruoying asked softly in this absurdly strange atmosphere.

"They're not looking at me; they're all captivated by your beauty."

Though Qin Ruoying still felt it was odd, she said nothing more and followed Chu Ge's steps, moving towards the entrance.

As Chu Ge reached the door, he suddenly sensed a gaze that was different from the others.

It was a very delicate feeling, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, silently observing its opponent, teetering between concealment and attack.

Since leaving the organization and returning to the city as an ordinary person, Chu Ge felt this for the first time.

Although the sensation wasn't strong, anyone who could evoke even the slightest hint of this feeling for him was undoubtedly worthy of being called "unusual."

He paused, turned his head in the direction from which the feeling was coming, and in his sight, there appeared the silhouette of a man just turning away on the stairs leading to the second floor.

Chu Ge couldn't clearly see his features, but before he turned around, Chu Ge caught a glimpse of a slight upward curve at the corner of his mouth.

Though it was just a quick glance, Chu Ge was one hundred percent certain that the delicate gaze had definitely come from this man's eyes.

As Chu Ge looked back, the man's steps also paused slightly, though he didn't turn back.

Interesting...

Both Chu Ge and the man ascending the stairs simultaneously thought this, then resumed their respective steps.

After leaving the arcade, Chu Ge parted ways with Qin Ruoying and boarded a bus heading to Tianjiao Group.

Just after finding a seat, Chu Ge's phone rang. Glancing at it, he saw an unfamiliar number.

"Hello?"

"Chu Ge, it's me, Chen Lei. Where are you now?"

Upon hearing Chen Lei's voice, which clearly carried hints of urgency and excitement, Chu Ge felt a bit speechless. Was this guy a glutton for punishment or something?

"Minister Chen, what's up?"

"I want to meet up with you. A friend of mine wants to challenge you in basketball."

"Sorry, I don't have time right now," Chu Ge said, ending the call without giving Chen Lei a chance to respond.

"Hello? Hello?"

In an open-air basketball court in a neighborhood, Chen Lei looked at the phone Chu Ge had hung up, his excitement instantly turning into irritation and frustration.

"What? The amazing guy you mentioned doesn't have time?"

Beside Chen Lei, a taller and more muscular man with short hair spinning a basketball on one finger asked.

"He doesn't have time…"

A word starting with "bull" was about to escape his mouth, but Chen Lei suddenly remembered he was standing next to Peng Xianggang! That's when he quickly swallowed that word.

"He probably has time. Only two people skipped the Tianjiao basketball team's training today, and one was me, and the other was him. Brother Peng, I think he's just brushing me off because he heard I brought someone and doesn't dare to meet me."

Peng Xianggang laughed indifferently, "Forget it, no need to get worked up. Since you've reached out to me, I definitely have to meet him. But is he really as amazing as you say? Dribbling like Sakuragi Hanamichi?"

Chen Lei smiled bitterly, "Brother Peng, would I lie to you about this? I was truly embarrassed yesterday. Forget the ball; I couldn't even touch his clothes. To be honest, if I could handle him, I wouldn't have come to you for help."

Peng Xianggang nodded, intrigued, "Alright, how about this: before you finish work today, I'll stop by your company to deal with that Chu Ge. Might help you eat and sleep better."

Chen Lei's eyes lit up, "Thank you so much, Brother Peng!"

"Haha, it's nothing, just passing time. Care to play with me now?"

"Uh... Brother Peng, I have something to do, I'll head out first. See you this afternoon."

Upon hearing this, Chen Lei immediately scratched his head with an awkward smile and excused himself.

He had just been crushed by Chu Ge yesterday, and he didn't want to face another beating today. Despite thinking he's quite good at basketball, compared to Peng Xianggang, they're completely different levels.

After all, Peng Xianggang is the main forward of the Lidu City basketball team. To put it bluntly, being beaten by him is like a college student beating an elementary school kid.

However, thinking that Peng Xianggang would personally help him regain his pride tonight, and soon witnessing Chu Ge being utterly crushed, Chen Lei felt great, energized, and began to hum a tune.

Watching Chen Lei's back, Peng Xianggang shook his head with amusement, muttering to himself, "This kid talks too much nonsense, dribbling like Hanamichi Sakuragi? What a joke! Is that even something a human can do?"

Turning his gaze to the hoop, Peng Xianggang casually took a standard fadeaway shot, and with a swoosh, the three-point shot went straight through the net.

After getting off the bus, Chu Ge eventually went to the basketball gym booked by Qin Ruojing. After all, this was a matter of great importance to Qin Ruojing.

He met with teammates from various companies, played some ball while exchanging pleasantries, and soon the time reached noon. Chu Ge grabbed a bite outside for lunch and then returned to the Tianjiao Building.

In the blink of an eye, the afternoon passed, and as Chu Ge ended his workday, he walked out of the Tianjiao Building with Feifei and Lu Gang, only to see Chen Lei holding a basketball, together with a man standing with his arms crossed next to him, causing Chu Ge some headache.

It was obvious that Chen Lei was still waiting for him, and the man next to him was likely the help that had been called in.

He looked Peng Xianggang over; with a burly physique, estimated over 1.90 meters tall, long arms and legs, and muscular, clearly a perfect build for a basketball player.

"Brother Peng, it's him." Seeing Chu Ge come out, Chen Lei quickly informed Peng Xianggang.

Peng Xianggang nodded and sized up Chu Ge, unable to see what was so special about him, frowning slightly with disappointment, thinking his trip here might not be as worthwhile as expected.

Watching Chen Lei and Peng Xianggang standing like two guardian deities looking at Chu Ge, Feifei and Lu Gang were taken aback.

This... what's going on?

Didn't Chen Lei already have a match with Chu Ge yesterday? Why is he holding a basketball here again today?

Could it be... did Chu Ge beat Chen Lei in a one-on-one yesterday? Is he coming back today for a rematch?

With this suspicion, Lu Gang instinctively took another look at Peng Xianggang, and upon seeing him, his pupils shrank sharply.

As a basketball enthusiast, Lu Gang certainly knew who Peng Xianggang is; in fact, almost everyone in Lidu City's basketball community knows him.

Lu Gang had seen Peng Xianggang's games on TV many times and admired his aggressive style and precise shooting.

Lu Gang couldn't have imagined he'd meet Peng Xianggang in person here, and if not for the seemingly inappropriate situation, he'd want to ask for an autograph and a photo.

While Lu Gang was in shock, Chen Lei strode towards Chu Ge.

"Chu Ge, let me introduce you. This is Brother Peng Xianggang, our main forward in Lidu City's basketball team."

Chen Lei's tone clearly carried a sense of pride and satisfaction, as if knowing Peng Xianggang was an exceptional achievement.

Chu Ge helplessly smiled, glanced at Peng Xianggang, nodded, and treated it as a greeting.

Seeing Chu Ge's reaction end there, Chen Lei's expression turned sour, and Peng Xianggang's brows furrowed further.

In Peng Xianggang's perspective, upon hearing his name and meeting him in person, even if Chu Ge didn't show a shocked expression, he should at least come up to shake his hand enthusiastically.

Just a nod, what does this mean? Is this kid too arrogant?

Initially, Peng Xianggang felt his presence was unnecessary upon first seeing Chu Ge. Now, observing Chu Ge's casual demeanor, he genuinely felt displeased.

"Brother Peng, this one is..."

"No need for introductions; I just came to play with him and help you regain your pride from yesterday. As for his name, I'm not interested."

Before Chen Lei could finish, Peng Xianggang waved dismissively and impatiently interrupted him.

Upon hearing Peng Xianggang's words, Feifei and Lu Gang first froze, then swiftly turned their gaze to Chu Ge.

During the celebration banquet yesterday, Chu Ge never mentioned his one-on-one with Chen Lei, leading them to believe he had lost and chose not to bring it up.

From the current situation, that doesn't seem to be the case, right?

So Chu Ge won? Chu Ge actually won?

After momentarily blanking, Feifei looked at Peng Xianggang again with slight disdain, thinking why is this person talking so big? Would he die if he didn't boast?

Lu Gang, however, didn't share this thought. From his perspective, with Peng Xianggang's abilities, he truly has the qualification to speak that way!

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