"Miss He is visiting, how could I be so ungrateful? Please come in." Chu Ge smiled, stepping aside to gesture for her to enter.

If someone else had said such a thing and made such a gesture, He Qing wouldn't have felt anything, but since it was Chu Ge, her originally heavy heart lightened considerably.

Once inside, He Qing sat on the sofa in the small living room, glancing around. Everything was just as it was before she left, making her feel familiar and warm, even bringing a sense of peace and coziness. Even the scent of Chu Ge that filled the room was pleasant.

"Miss He, are you planning to experience the life of ordinary people again on this trip to Lidu?"

Chu Ge closed the door, poured He Qing a glass of water, and handed it to her, asking cheerfully.

He Qing smiled slightly, shook her head, "It's not about experiencing; I've always been an ordinary person. I was before, and I will be now and in the future."

Chu Ge grinned, saying, "Miss He, you must be joking. Once you appear, it's not just your reputation as the most beautiful woman in Hua Country; just your status alone is enough to make mayors and municipal party secretaries curry your favor, not to mention provincial leaders who must show you respect. How can you be just an ordinary person?"

"Ha... I'm afraid in a few days, they'll avoid me when they see me."

Chu Ge was slightly taken aback. From the moment he saw He Qing, he felt something was off about her. Now, hearing her say this, it seemed even more unusual.

Chu Ge's expression turned a bit sincere, and he sat down beside He Qing, "Miss He, what do you mean by this?"

He Qing parted her delicate lips, took a sip of water, put the cup on the coffee table, and spoke with a complicated smile, "Have you watched the news these days?"

Chu Ge thought for a moment, suddenly recalling the news he had seen about several officials falling from grace, which made him frown slightly. He had some guesses, but didn't voice them and instead shook his head.

"I watched it a few days ago but haven't since. What's going on?"

"To put it simply, Beijing is in turmoil now, and our He Family is not in a good situation. Several officials who recently fell from grace and 'accidentally' died were all from our He faction. If this trend continues, our He Family might..."

He Qing's words trailed off, but her meaning was clear.

Upon hearing such news, Chu Ge was truly astonished. He Qing's father was the municipal party secretary of Kyoto, and her grandfather was the former second-in-command of the country. The He Family's status in Hua Country was like a deeply rooted towering tree. Yet, could this sudden storm truly shake the He Family's position?

Chu Ge's brows knitted tighter, "How could this happen?"

"I didn't expect it either. It just happened." He Qing still wore a smile, but it seemed forced to Chu Ge.

"Miss He..."

Facing Chu Ge's gaze, He Qing shook her head.

"No need to comfort me. I grew up under the emperor's feet, watching all sorts of people every day. Watching them rise with high towers, host guests, and then watch those towers collapse is something I'm used to. Even if it's our He Family's turn this time, I can only lament the unpredictability of life, but there's nothing unbearable about it."

After saying this, He Qing stretched and looked into Chu Ge's eyes, smiling lightly, "I'm just a little tired. Mind if I borrow your shoulder for a while?"

For a man, faced with such a request from a beautiful woman, most would not refuse, especially when it's the most beautiful woman in Hua Country. Probably no man could refuse.

Chu Ge was no exception, nodding, "The pleasure is mine."

Leaning on Chu Ge's shoulder, He Qing felt a sense of security, like finding a harbor where she could temporarily lay down all her strength.

He Qing didn't speak again, closing her eyes. She didn't want to think about anything now—she just wanted to breathe in Chu Ge's scent and silently lean for a while.

Unknowingly, the exhaustion of recent days overcame her, and He Qing fell asleep, leaning on Chu Ge's shoulder.

Looking at He Qing's tired face, Chu Ge felt a hint of sigh. This truly is like the unpredictability of the weather, and the fortunes and misfortunes of life. If he were still in the organization, he might have been swept into this storm, either to kill or protect someone he had never intersected with.

Thankfully, he's now free, living each day carefreely, without any plans, goals, or the need to face cold corpses after severing one or many lives, sighing and questioning whether what he did was right or wrong.

Perhaps, in the eyes of many people, especially Qin Ruojing, his current life might seem idle and carefree, incomprehensible, maybe even despicable. But only he knows how precious this peace is after experiencing so much life and death.

One life, rare is it to be muddled.

Now, apart from hoping to see Situ Ying again, he is very content with this life, not having any extravagant desires.

The morning passed unknowingly, He Qing slept soundly. Chu Ge didn't have the heart to wake her, so he put both phones on silent, watching that antique old phone, reminiscing about the past, and remained unmoved on the sofa.

The screen of the iPhone 5S suddenly lit up, displaying Ye Li's number.

Chu Ge glanced at it but didn't answer, guessing that Ye Li probably didn't have anything urgent.

Moreover, from He Qing's slightly furrowed fine eyebrows while she slept, it was clear that she had been exhausted lately. It was rare to see her sleeping so soundly, so it was better to let her sleep a little longer.

However, Chu Ge didn't pick up the call. The phone's screen lit up and dimmed repeatedly, as Ye Li kept calling.

From this, it seemed that Ye Li really had something important to discuss.

"Brother Chu... I..."

Upon answering the call, Chu Ge heard Ye Li's voice tinged with tears and couldn't help but hurriedly ask, "Ye Li, what's wrong?"

"My dad, he... he..."

"What happened to him? Don't cry, tell me slowly."

Chu Ge slightly furrowed his brow, immediately recalling Ye Li's disgusting foster father. Could that scum be trying to do something to Ye Li again?

However, after listening to Ye Li's broken sobs, he sighed in relief. It turned out that things weren't as he feared; that scumbag was dead.

Chu Ge not only felt relieved but also a bit glad. Such scum staying in this world could only bring harm, and his death brought peace.

However, although he was happy inside, he couldn't say it out loud. He had to consider Ye Li's feelings. It wouldn't be appropriate to say something like "serves him right" at this moment, so he comforted her a bit and promised to go over and check on her.

"Did your friend's family member pass away?"

After hanging up the call, He Qing opened her eyes, gently rubbed her forehead, and asked.

"Yeah, I need to head out for a bit. I originally wanted to make a meal to welcome you, but it seems I can't now."

Chu Ge turned to glance at He Qing. Although thinking about such things at the moment seemed inappropriate, he genuinely thought that He Qing's just-awoken appearance was incredibly beautiful, and he couldn't help but be slightly distracted.

Moreover, the number of men in this world who could both let He Qing lean on their shoulder to sleep and see her as she woke might be very few, right?

He Qing's mood was already a bit down, and hearing that Chu Ge was leaving made her feel even more low-spirited. After all, she was only human. At such times of physical and mental exhaustion, she naturally hoped the person she liked could stay with her longer. However, noticing the change in Chu Ge's gaze lifted her spirits significantly.

He Qing smiled slightly, stood up from the sofa, and said, "You go take care of your business. I've borrowed your shoulder for so long; I can't keep delaying your time. Besides, that girl on the phone probably needs your shoulder more than I do now."

Chu Ge snapped back to reality, apologizing, "Alright, I'll give you a proper welcome dinner tonight, and I'll buy some groceries when I return. What do you want to eat?"

"Anything you make is fine."

Chu Ge agreed and headed for the door, with He Qing walking with him out of the room. Seeing Chu Ge about to go downstairs, she hesitated for a moment and called out to him from behind.

"If it's convenient, can you drop me off somewhere? I want to visit my uncle and my brother."

Chu Ge certainly had no objections; he nodded and went downstairs with He Qing.

After dropping He Qing off at the gate of the State Security Bureau's family compound, Chu Ge drove away in the Maserati.

He Qing stood in place, watching the Maserati vanish into the distance. A self-mocking smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

She actually didn't want to come here. She planned, if possible, to stay at Chu Ge's place all day, to have a moment of peace and, for once, be a little selfish, temporarily not thinking about the recent storm.

"I never thought I'd have such a time, being a bit clingy like a young girl."

Smoothing her hair that was tousled by a slight breeze, He Qing murmured to herself. A slightly yellow leaf drifted past her eyes, making her feel a chill. Turning her head to look at a tree by the roadside, she inadvertently noticed traces of mottled colors amidst the greenery that stirred her emotions.

Autumn was fast approaching, and who knew if the He Family would wither now or endure the turbulent autumn, the chilly winter, and then find rejuvenation after the ice melted and spring returned?

Feeling slightly emotional, seeing that the Maserati had completely disappeared, a subtle, indistinct smile again appeared at the corner of He Qing's mouth.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.