"Me?"

Asked so directly by Tong Yaqi, Qin Ruojing was first taken aback, then she shook her head with a playful smile, "Sister Yaqi, stop joking, why would I be worried?"

"Chairman, you've spent the most time with Chu Ge, and he's done the most for you. If feelings develop over time, it wouldn't be surprising, right?"

Qin Ruojing's expression grew more amused, "Sister Yaqi, stop teasing me, how could I ever fancy that guy?"

"Chairman, I'm not joking. If someone like He Qing can secretly have feelings for him, you liking him wouldn't be so odd, would it?"

Qin Ruojing opened her mouth to refute but found she had nothing to say. After all, in many ways, she felt inferior to He Qing. If even He Qing was indeed interested in Chu Ge, then thinking he's not good enough would mean there's a problem with her judgment.

She rubbed her forehead and asked with a peculiar expression, "Sister Yaqi, although that guy has accomplished a few impressive things, is he really that exceptional? Exceptional enough to catch even He Qing's eye?"

Tong Yaqi smiled slightly, "Chairman, honestly, I got to know him through a chance encounter at a bar. Since then, our interaction hasn't been particularly extensive. Still, being said, compared to me, you've spent much more time with him, so you should know him better, right?"

Unexpectedly, Tong Yaqi spoke so candidly that it made Qin Ruojing a bit awkward. Nevertheless, she followed Tong Yaqi's words and thought carefully.

Scenes of events since she met Chu Ge flashed through her mind. She had to admit, many times, Chu Ge indeed wasn't simple. Yet, his usual carefree demeanor made her often overlook his merits.

Besides, her younger sister secretly came back yesterday and again today after waking up, without calling her, her own sister, but directly contacting Chu Ge.

It's worth noting, no matter how cheerful Qin Ruoying is every day, she hardly ever proactively contacts any man. From this perspective, it undeniably proves just how extraordinary Chu Ge is.

Thinking of this, Qin Ruojing shook her head again. Anyway, once Qin Ruoying leaves, she'll terminate the fake couple relationship with Chu Ge. In the future, they'll only be work partners, maybe adding a friendship to the mix.

While Qin Ruojing contemplated these things, Tong Yaqi wasn't idle either, constantly weighing whether she should accept the general manager position at Tianqing Company.

Knowing Chu Ge is the company's president, the balance in her heart involuntarily started to tilt.

Both women were lost in their thoughts when Chu Ge finished the call from Qin Ruoying and walked in.

Qin Ruojing and Tong Yaqi glanced at Chu Ge, their mood slightly changed from earlier.

"Chairman, I'll think about it and get back to you as soon as possible. I'll take my leave now?"

Noticing Qin Ruojing seemed to have something to discuss with Chu Ge, Tong Yaqi proposed to leave.

Qin Ruojing nodded. Tong Yaqi gave another look at Chu Ge and then walked out.

"What did my sister want from you?" As soon as Tong Yaqi closed the door, Qin Ruojing asked.

"Not much, just checking if your anger has subsided, and mentioning she's hungry now, hoping I'd cook something for her."

With a thought of what happened last night, Qin Ruojing felt irritated and snorted, "What did you say?"

Chu Ge shrugged, "I said I'll consult with you and call her back later."

"This little brat! You're not her nanny, why is she clinging to you? Don't call her back; she has hands and feet, and I left her money. She definitely won't starve. If she calls you again, tell her I'm still angry, and she'd better not stir up trouble for me, or I won't let her off."

Seeing Qin Ruojing grit her teeth, Chu Ge couldn't help but find it amusing. Rather than being angry with Qin Ruoying, it seemed she was upset about yesterday's incident, but he definitely couldn't say this out loud.

All day long, Chu Ge stayed in Qin Ruojing's office. Just before leaving work, he received another phone call from an unknown number.

Answering the call, Chu Ge felt quite surprised; it was Li Youcheng calling him.

What left him speechless was that Li Youcheng called to extend goodwill, saying he wanted to invite him for dinner tonight.

Hanging up, Chu Ge chuckled; this guy is truly interesting.

Li Youcheng was demoted from his position as deputy director of Tianjiao Film and Television Administration Department because of him. His uncle then faced setbacks with Qin Ruojing and got intimidated by him at the restaurant. No matter how Chu Ge looked at it, this guy should despise him. Inviting him to dinner was probably a pretense, with ulterior motives being the truth.

"What's up? Who called you?"

When the phone rang, Qin Ruojing assumed it was Qin Ruoying calling Chu Ge and instinctively glanced in his direction. However, after hearing a few sentences, she realized it wasn't the case. Seeing Chu Ge's amused expression, she curiously asked.

"Li Youcheng, that's Director Liu's nephew."

"What does he want from you?"

"He said he wants to invite me to dinner."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ruojing had an even stranger expression and furrowed her brows, saying, "He's inviting you to dinner? Are you sure?"

Chu Ge nodded with a smile, "Yeah, the guy said he was wrong about what happened before and wants to apologize to me in person and be friends in the future. But I suspect he's setting up a trap, probably with some ulterior motive."

Qin Ruojing furrowed her brows even tighter and asked, "You know he might be up to something, so why did I hear you agree just now?"

Chu Ge grinned, "I'm free anyway, plus it's just a guess. Maybe he really just wants to buy me dinner."

Watching Chu Ge's carefree smile, Qin Ruojing shook her head and was about to tease him, but suddenly realized something—Chu Ge might have accepted the dinner not for the reason he said, but for her sake.

After all, Li Youcheng's uncle is a director of the company. Chu Ge probably doesn't want the relationship between her and Liu Dong to become too strained. After all, as the saying goes, 'One doesn't hit a smiling face.' If he doesn't go even after Li Youcheng takes the initiative to invite him to dinner, it would be a clear sign of disrespect.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with Chu Ge looking down on Li Youcheng himself, but given that Li Youcheng has an uncle who is a director at Tianjiao Group, things are a bit different.

So, even knowing the situation could be problematic, Chu Ge still needs to go.

The more she thought about it, the more Qin Ruojing felt this was the case. Her gaze towards Chu Ge became much softer.

In a sense, Chu Ge and she are really alike, even if they want to do something nice for someone, they never show it off, but do practical things instead.

Thinking of this, Qin Ruojing said, "How about this, I'll go with you tonight."

Upon hearing this, Chu Ge knew she had understood his intentions, and couldn't help but shake his head with a smile.

"Chairman, don't tease me. You're the chairman, and I'm your secretary. Do you think it's appropriate for you to go?"

Although Chu Ge didn't spell it out, it was obvious. If the two of them went to have dinner with Li Youcheng, it would easily make people overthink, turning nothing into something, and Liu Dong might make a big deal out of it.

In fact, when Qin Ruojing said that earlier, it was completely instinctive. As soon as she said it, she realized the issue. Now, being questioned like this by Chu Ge, her expression became a bit conflicted.

"I think maybe you shouldn't go either, just come home with me."

Chu Ge chuckled, "Chairman, weren't you going to have a talk with your sister? If I go home with you now, your sister will definitely ask me to speak for her. What am I supposed to do stuck in the middle? Me going out gives you two some time alone."

Since Chu Ge put it that way, Qin Ruojing couldn't persuade him further and just nodded, "Alright, go check it out. Don't stay out too late, come home early."

"Got it, I'm off."

Feeling the concern in Qin Ruojing's gaze, Chu Ge smiled, gave her a reassuring look, and walked out of the office.

Leaving the Tianjiao Building, Chu Ge hailed a taxi and headed directly to the upscale restaurant where he had arranged to meet Li Youcheng.

As he approached the restaurant, before getting out of the taxi, Chu Ge already saw Li Youcheng loitering at the restaurant entrance. The guy's face showed a hint of scheming and smugness.

Amused, Chu Ge secretly shook his head. This guy is so impatient. If you're going to pull something, at least act nonchalant, right?

Getting out of the taxi, Chu Ge walked towards Li Youcheng.

Seeing Chu Ge approach, Li Youcheng quickly suppressed the malice in his eyes and stepped forward to greet him.

"Secretary Chu, thank you for honoring me with your presence. Please, come inside."

Observing Li Youcheng's hypocritical humility, Chu Ge found it amusing but put on a pleased facade, speaking with affectation.

"Youcheng, since you're taking the initiative to apologize, I'm not one to hold grudges. To err is human, right? Don't dwell on past mistakes. Considering your sincere efforts today, I won't hold it against you."

Li Youcheng feigned a humble smile, "Thank you, Secretary Chu, for your generosity."

Inwardly, he cursed Chu Ge's ancestors to the eighteenth generation, smugly thinking, "Don't be so pleased with yourself now; once this dinner is over, let's see if you can still keep that smile!"

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