"Brother-in-law, I'm really not talking in hindsight, I was truly thinking that."

Chu Ge chuckled, nodded, and said, "Uh-huh, I know, that's exactly what you were thinking."

Qin Ruoying still pouted, "Brother-in-law, what's with that expression? I don't think you believe me at all."

Chu Ge felt a bit speechless, scratched his head, "Actually, I do believe you, but if you don't trust that I trust you, there's nothing I can do. Anyway, I'll go back to keep your sister company, you should get some sleep too, okay?"

"Well, brother-in-law, good ni..." Qin Ruoying was about to say "good night," but suddenly said, "Brother-in-law, wait a second."

Chu Ge was about to head back into the room, but when he heard Qin Ruoying say "wait," he paused and asked, "What's up?"

"I'm sure my sister is still in a bad mood right now." Qin Ruoying lowered her voice, "I think you should wait a bit before going back, just until she's asleep, otherwise, beware of her turning into a roaring lioness."

Chu Ge burst out laughing, surprised that Qin Ruoying was actually quite thoughtful of him, but at this moment, he simply played along while pretending not to understand.

"It shouldn't be that exaggerated, right? Your sister is usually very composed. Besides, it's really nothing, just a crab dropped on her, and I helped her take it off. What could she be in a bad mood about?"

Qin Ruoying pursed her lips, "Her? Composed? Yeah, right! She's even more sensitive than I am when it comes to image! That person is extremely conscious of her image, even in front of me, my mom, and my dad, she's always particular about it."

Chu Ge thought about it, and Qin Ruoying was actually right. Qin Ruojing always cared about her image, and while he didn't think today's incident was a big deal, Qin Ruojing might definitely not feel the same way.

She just bought some crabs with good intentions, through no fault of her own, and then a crab ended up on her, scaring her quite a bit. It's just unlucky, really. For someone so mindful of her image, how could she not get upset?

Perhaps, as Qin Ruoying just mentioned, if he went back to the room now, Qin Ruojing might really give him an earful. Even though he helped her remove the crab with good intentions, if he ended up getting scolded, how unjust would that be?

Huh? Roaring lioness? That phrase... seems like it should only be used for married couples, right? Qin Ruojing isn't his wife, so using the phrase here might be a bit inappropriate?

While Chu Ge was amusingly caught up in this train of thought, he heard Qin Ruoying continue, "Brother-in-law, since my sister takes a while to sleep, why don't you just stay here and chat with me, watch TV, and wait a bit longer? After all, she'd probably be too embarrassed to come out. I guess after watching two or three episodes of a drama, she should be asleep even if she sleeps slowly."

Chu Ge nodded, "Sure, I'll take your advice. I'm not that sleepy, so let's chat for a while."

Qin Ruoying giggled, "Okay then, brother-in-law, what should we talk about?"

Chu Ge laughed, "Anything, I'm fine with whatever. Your brother-in-law is eight talents in one, no matter what you want to talk about, I'm sure we can have a good conversation."

Chu Ge thought this would earn a sarcastic eye-roll from Qin Ruoying, but he was surprised when she nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I think so too. Whatever I say, we can definitely connect."

Chu Ge was surprised and, following that, a bit embarrassed, "Come on, Xiaoying, you're giving me too much credit. I was just saying that casually, you really think I'm an all-knowing guru? There are tons of things I don't know."

"Alright, brother-in-law, no need to be modest. Even if you're not all-knowing, you're definitely more knowledgeable than someone like me who knows nothing. Let's talk about your hobbies?"

"Me? I don't really have any big hobbies, I guess cooking's one, eating's another."

Qin Ruoying giggled again, "Brother-in-law, stop teasing me, that's barely an answer. What else? Name a few more."

"Hmm... I used to really enjoy playing video games as a kid, but I haven't played in a long time."

"..."

Chu Ge and Qin Ruoying continued chatting through the time of two drama episodes. Qin Ruoying guessed that Qin Ruojing would be asleep by now, so she said "good night" to Chu Ge and went back to her room.

Even though both Chu Ge and Qin Ruoying thought that enough time had passed for Qin Ruojing to fall asleep, in reality, Qin Ruojing was eavesdropping the entire time.

Hearing her younger sister say that, Qin Ruojing finally breathed a sigh of relief, then lay back down. Hearing the sound of Chu Ge's footsteps and the bedroom door opening, she quickly shut her eyes, pretending to be fast asleep, fearing that Chu Ge would tease her again.

However, when she realized that Chu Ge had no intention of speaking to her and instead got directly into bed and fell asleep, soon letting out the steady breathing of a deep sleep, she felt an inexplicable agitation.

As Qin Ruojing tossed and turned, Chu Ge wasn't really asleep either. He just pretended to be, to avoid making Qin Ruojing feel awkward.

Plus, the whole incident was too funny. He worried that if he made eye contact with Qin Ruojing, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from laughing. Since he was a child, he enjoyed eating crabs, and catching them was second nature to him, but this time, catching a crab turned into such a bizarre story.

Normally, there are several methods for catching crabs, such as using crab grids, crab trawls, crab nets, multi-mouth cylindrical crab traps, single-mouth ink bottle-shaped crab traps, box-style crab traps, and so on.

The crab grid is a simple barrier-style bamboo trap for catching crabs. Its structure consists of thin bamboo sticks or thick reeds woven into a grid, set up in pre-planned formations in advantageous places like river ports and lake inlets with flowing water.

The lower end of the grid is inserted into the waterbed, while the upper end emerges above the water surface, forming a regularly curved barrier. At the top, drum-shaped crab baskets are hung, featuring an entry funnel for river crabs at the bottom, with a lid at the top and a central concentration area for river crabs.

When river crabs migrate downstream toward the sea, the crab grid intercepts them. Blocked, they climb along the grid or crawl into the crab baskets, which can then be lifted to catch the crabs either on the grid or inside the baskets.

The crab trawl is a wingless single-pocket trawl fishing tool, made up of a rectangular mesh sack and a shallow snare net. It is operated by a single boat, with one netting pole extending from each end, attaching 8 to 12 hill nets.

The operation area should be selected in fast-flowing deep waterways. To set the net, first lower the sails, paddle towards the waterway to make the boat receive flow sideways, and then place the net in the water to drift along the current. River crabs will quickly enter through the net entrance.

Once inside the net, some crabs climb along the back of the net and are diverted into the side nets upon encountering blockages. Others remain in the net sack, with a lift performed every hour to catch crabs, then moved to another location and the crabs are emptied from both the net sack and pocket.

While Chu Ge was contemplating those methods of catching crabs, Qin Ruojing's mind was also occupied.

This guy, saved my life during the day, and just now caused such an awkward incident. Does he really have nothing to say to me? Is he a reincarnation of the god of sleep? How can he sleep so easily?

After a while, Qin Ruojing cautiously turned over, seeing Chu Ge lying properly with his back facing her, only showing her the back of his head, which intensified her frustration, making her feel a strong urge to kick him awake.

However, impulse remained just an impulse. She truly didn't know what she would say if Chu Ge started talking about those two matters.

As time ticked by, Qin Ruojing watched the man beside her. Even though she was only looking at his back, her gaze unintentionally grew serious and focused.

It seemed like this person was filled with countless mysteries.

Uncertain how long she stared, Qin Ruojing sighed softly, sat up against the bedhead, and pinched her brow with force.

She had no choice but to admit that, after spending so much time with Chu Ge, her feelings towards him were getting somewhat complicated.

Previously, she thought Chu Ge lacked ambition and had no business sense; yet now, he had become the CEO of a company.

No matter if it was due to accompanying the Crown Prince at school or any other reasons, facts were facts.

Previously, she considered Chu Ge heartless, always doing things that spoiled the mood.

However, once she calmed down and reflected, facts repeatedly proved that Chu Ge was actually very meticulous, just unwilling to show it in words or expressions.

Qin Ruojing's heart was in turmoil.

Even though she couldn't figure out what these feelings meant, she felt she had to seriously consider the future between her and Chu Ge.

Qin Ruojing had never been indecisive, yet this time, she spent half the night making a decision.

This charade to appease her family should come to an end.

When Qin Ruoying left again, she would follow Chu Ge's earlier suggestion and find a suitable opportunity to tell her family she was dumped by Chu Ge, using this decisive move to cut through the tangled mess!

No matter how good Chu Ge was, what they had was ultimately fake.

Even if so many things had happened between them, it could not overshadow this fact.

She was the employer, he was the employee—it's that simple.

Besides, the first time they shared a room, she heard Chu Ge talk indistinctly in his sleep, mentioning a woman's name.

If a woman can be repeatedly called in a man's sleep, it proves she holds an important place in his heart.

Moreover, Chu Ge had an unclear relationship with Tong Yaqi.

Having made this decision, Qin Ruojing breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she would sleep peacefully, but instead, she tossed and turned, her heart filled with a gradually spreading emotion, seemingly... called 'loss.'

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