Regarding the matter with Diao Qiuling, it is indeed as Chu Ge thought. She wasn't sent by Hong Zude to stir up trouble at Tianjiao Film and Television; she was actually commissioned by Zhou Zhigao.

As for the incident with Hong Zude becoming ill at Tianjiao Film and Television yesterday, not only did Diao Qiuling not know about it, but only Hong Zude and his secretary Luo Heng were aware of it within the entire Broadcasting Bureau.

After all, it's not something good they would advertise unnecessarily.

So, Diao Qiuling was in for a miserable shock. When she, seething with anger and wearing a mournful expression like her father had died, went to complain to Hong Zude, she was met neither with comforting words nor Hong Zude's support, but with a fierce scolding. Especially when she mentioned Chu Ge's name, Hong Zude's face instantly turned livid as he slammed the table and stood up!

"Now, immediately, right away, get back to Tianjiao Film and Television, and take Chu Ge and that Feifei person to the hospital for a checkup! If there's really something wrong with their hearing, you can just roll as far away as you can, don't bother coming back to see me!"

Hong Zude's words made Diao Qiuling's ears buzz, and the slam on the table was as hard as it could be. Diao Qiuling even saw Hong Zude's palm turn red and swollen from the impact. Just how much strength did that take?

Leaving Hong Zude's office, Diao Qiuling was both aggrieved and puzzled. Although Hong Zude's temper wasn't exemplary, he had never used foul language in front of anyone before, yet today he used the word "roll" multiple times?

To make matters worse, she didn't even know why Hong Zude was so furious, making this bout of scolding completely pointless.

When Diao Qiuling called Zhou Zhigao again and told him about the situation, Zhou Zhigao was even more confused than she was, grinding his teeth in frustration, yet, like her, could do nothing about it for the moment.

After all, though Zhou Zhigao wasn't a bigshot, he was enjoying a rise in popularity lately. Wanting to cause trouble for Chu Ge required careful consideration of repercussions; should something go wrong, his promising acting career might suffer a complete setback.

However, this didn't mean Zhou Zhigao wasn't planning to trouble Chu Ge; he was merely waiting for a perfect opportunity to strike with full confidence.

Compared to Diao Qiuling and Zhou Zhigao's frustration, everything was calm and uneventful on Chu Ge's end. The only small surprise was a malfunctioning power strip in the office; it overheated from a few people using the microwave at lunchtime, but no one took it seriously, and it was soon forgotten.

Just after Chu Ge finished lunch and was chatting with colleagues, a "knock knock" sounded at the office door.

Hearing the "knock knock", everyone felt somewhat puzzled. After all, usually, anyone coming here would just push the door open; it was rare for someone to knock. Even if someone knocked politely, it was typically a "knock knock knock" pattern.

The difference between "knock knock" and "knock knock knock" may seem just one beat, but they imply entirely different things.

"Knock knock" implies an inquiry and deference, typically used by a subordinate knocking on a superior's door.

While "knock knock knock" signifies a request or notification between equals, often with a hint of urgency.

Though Feifei and others were not government officials, as office workers they had some understanding of the nuances of knocking, so hearing the "knock knock" made them even more curious.

It seemed to everyone that this was the first time they've heard someone knock on the office door with this rhythm. The Operation Management Department was, after all, the company's most laid-back, least significant department.

While everyone was wondering, only Chu Ge smiled slightly, signaled to Feifei, and pointed to his ear under Feifei's puzzled gaze.

"Knock knock"

The knocking sounded again, and Chu Ge glanced at Lu Gang, motioning for him to open the door.

Feeling the look from Chu Ge, Lu Gang felt a certain joy, not at all thinking he was being ordered around but seeing it as a sign of close relations and a privilege.

Lu Gang opened the door gleefully, and for the third time today, Diao Qiuling's freckled face appeared at the doorway.

However, compared to the first time's sternness and the second time's fierce demeanor, this third appearance showed only repressed displeasure under a veil of humility on her face.

Lu Gang was stunned, just about to say "Hello, Director Diao", when his eyes shifted suddenly, swallowing back his words, and chuckled, "Oh, isn't it Director Diao? Are you here to inspect our Operation Management Department's work again?"

It's undeniable, after spending a lot of time with Chu Ge, Lu Gang's ability to read the room had improved significantly. He realized Diao Qiuling certainly wasn't here to cause trouble, so he maintained a façade of respect while subtly teasing her.

Diao Qiuling's face twitched slightly, and her anger flared up, thinking, damn it, it's bad enough to be annoyed by Chu Ge, now even small fry like this dare to pick on me?

But as they say, under another's roof, one has to lower their head. No matter how big her discontent, Diao Qiuling had to suppress it, silently took a deep breath, ignored Lu Gang, and walked directly into the office, fixing her eyes on Chu Ge with the most awkward grin imaginable.

"Vice Minister Chu, I'm really sorry about earlier, we might have had a little misunderstanding, haha..."

Chu Ge looked over with a blank expression, tilted his head, made a show of listening carefully, then shook his head wearily, "What did you say? Speak up, I can't hear you!"

I have to say, Chu Ge acted so convincingly that even if Diao Qiuling originally thought he was fooling around with her, seeing him like this made her heart skip a beat. She somewhat suspected that his ears really had a problem.

With her heart full of unease, Diao Qiuling moved closer to Chu Ge again, "Um, Vice Minister Chu? Please don't joke with me like that, I..."

"Auntie, how much garlic did you eat at lunch? The smell is a bit too overwhelming!"

Before Diao Qiuling could finish her sentence, Chu Ge suddenly pinched his nose, fanned his hand, and shouted loudly near her ear, then took a few steps back, putting some distance between them again.

Seeing Chu Ge like this, Diao Qiuling was so livid that her nose almost got crooked with anger. After she returned and complained to Hong Zude, she got scolded harshly and came back again, not to mention lunch, she hadn't even had a sip of water by then. Where would the garlic smell have come from?

What's more infuriating is that the last time she came, Chu Ge even called her "Big Sister," but how come in such a short time, "Big Sister" turned into "Auntie"?

For a woman, being called "Auntie" is as hurtful as telling a man he's "impotent" — it's absolutely intolerable!

But now, though Diao Qiuling couldn't bear it, she had to. If she doesn't make Ancestor Chu happy, she'll suffer just the same when she returns to the Broadcasting Bureau and faces Hong Zude.

"Um, Comrade Feifei, can Vice Minister Chu really not hear?"

To take less of a hit, Diao Qiuling turned her gaze to Feifei, her tone tinged with nervousness, eagerly looking over.

Before coming here, she didn't think there was any problem with Chu Ge's ears, but Feifei might have some, after all, her table slamming was really loud. It was a chance to test the waters.

However, an even more unsettling scene played out. Feifei had her back to her, as if she hadn't heard a thing, focusing intently on a document on her computer screen, completely absorbed in work.

Little did she know, Feifei wasn't ignoring her; she just didn't dare turn around, fearing that once she did, meeting Diao Qiuling's anxious eyes, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Diao Qiuling was utterly flustered, grabbing paper and pen from a girl's desk, writing a few words, and held the paper up in front of Chu Ge.

On it were a few words, "Vice Minister Chu, Comrade Feifei, should we go get checked at the hospital?"

Chu Ge nodded, giving Diao Qiuling a glance, as if his eyes were saying "What the heck took you so long to think of this?"

Then Chu Ge walked over to Feifei, patting her shoulder.

Feifei suppressed a laugh, putting on a bewildered expression, looked up meeting Chu Ge's eyes, then followed his gaze to the big words on Diao Qiuling's A4 paper.

The two exchanged a silent agreement and then turned their gaze to the apprehensive Diao Qiuling.

At this moment, Diao Qiuling dared not delay and quickly made a "please" gesture to them.

Chu Ge didn't leave directly but first went to the Minister's office to ask Ji Songtao for leave.

Even though Ji Songtao certainly wouldn't say anything if Chu Ge didn't ask, in Chu Ge's mind, working in this department meant giving Ji Songtao, the minister, the respect he deserved, saying what should be said and doing what should be done. Only then could the current pleasant atmosphere in the office be maintained.

When Chu Ge went into the minister's office, closed the door, and explained the situation to Ji Songtao, Ji Songtao couldn't help but laugh. Not just in Tianjiao Film and Television, even across the Tianjiao Group, or the entire city's enterprises and public institutions, there wouldn't be a second person like Chu Ge who can cause such a ruckus.

Though Ji Songtao thought Chu Ge's antics were over the top, he didn't say much more and agreed quickly. While feeling quite amused, he also developed a bit of sympathy for Diao Qiuling, the Director of the Film and Television Management Department, who he usually had to appease.

This old woman, of all people to provoke, she had to pick Young Master Chu, causing her own trouble!

When Diao Qiuling, along with Chu Ge and Feifei, left the office, everyone held their laughter for a while. It wasn't until Lu Gang peeked out to confirm the trio had entered the elevator that the office erupted into laughter.

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