"Brother Chu? How do you have time to call me?"

The call was quickly connected, and Ye Li's voice was soft, making it comfortable to hear, with an obvious hint of surprise in it.

"I haven't seen you for a while, wanted to see if you'd join me for a meal. Also, there are some things I'd like to consult you about. Are you at school now? Do you have time?"

"Yes, I'm at school, and I don't have classes this afternoon. Brother Chu, where are you? Shall I come find you?"

"I'll come to you instead. How about I wait for you where I dropped you off last time?"

"Okay, see you in a bit, Brother Chu."

Fifteen minutes later, Chu Ge arrived at the location. Since Ye Li wasn't there yet, he didn't rush to get out of the car. He waited a few minutes and was about to lower the car window to have a smoke when he noticed a girl in her twenties, dressed rather provocatively, approaching.

"Maserati! I wonder who it's here to pick up? If only I could do something inside this car, that would be really something."

The girl looked at the Maserati, her tone slightly envious as she muttered to herself, standing to the side and eyeing the car with great admiration.

Chu Ge sat inside the car, able to see outside, but the girl outside couldn't see inside. Not wanting to embarrass her, he returned the cigarette already in his mouth back to the pack, deciding to smoke later.

However, the girl evidently had no intention of leaving. She even took out a makeup kit from her small bag, using the car window as a mirror to apply her makeup.

Between Chu Ge and the girl, there was only the car door. He could clearly see every little detail of her face and all the messy tattoos on her body.

The girl was fairly attractive, with big eyes, double eyelids, thin lips, and a pointy chin.

However, her makeup was a bit heavy, her long nails painted a purplish-red, and her body decorated with abstract tattoos, giving off a somewhat wanton vibe. She was the kind of girl men might think is easy to flirt with, just for fun, but unlikely to consider seriously for a relationship.

Watching the girl apply makeup there, Chu Ge was a bit speechless. Her standing there completely blocked his view, so much so that even if Ye Li came, he wouldn't see her.

After waiting a little longer, just as Chu Ge was about to roll down the window and say something to her, the girl glanced back casually, then stood up straight, put away her makeup kit, and walked away.

The view suddenly opened up again, and through the car window, Chu Ge caught sight of Ye Li's slender figure walking toward him.

Chu Ge was about to get out of the car when he suddenly noticed that the girl seemed to know Ye Li. They walked face-to-face, exchanged some words, and his already extended hand paused.

After all, he hadn't driven the car onto the campus to avoid any misunderstandings about Ye Li or spreading rumors that would embarrass her. Not to mention, stepping out of a Maserati would make things worse.

In Chu Ge's sight, after Ye Li spoke with the girl, her expression turned unpleasant, as if explaining something. However, the girl obviously had no intention of listening, raising her chin and pointing at Ye Li, seemingly cursing, her eyes full of disdain.

Seeing this, Chu Ge couldn't help but frown slightly but still didn't get out of the car. Instead, he continued watching the situation outside the window, calling Ye Li, pretending he wasn't aware of the trouble she'd encountered, saying he'd be there soon and asking her to wait for him in a small restaurant nearby.

After the call, Chu Ge observed for a while longer, seeing that Ye Li entered the restaurant as he instructed, and the girl, after cursing a few times, didn't bother her further and left on her own. Only then did he get out of the car and walk into the restaurant where Ye Li was.

With a casual glance, Chu Ge spotted Ye Li sitting at a table, biting her lip, her face clearly not in good spirits.

"Ye Li, sorry, I was a bit slow getting here. Have you been waiting long?"

With his usual smile, Chu Ge walked to the table where Ye Li was and greeted her.

"Brother Chu."

Ye Li was a bit dazed at the moment, and upon hearing Chu Ge's voice, she shivered slightly before looking up, clearing away the grievance and difficulty on her face, and smiled at Chu Ge.

Sitting across from Ye Li, Chu Ge casually asked, "What's wrong? You seem a bit off. Did you run into any trouble?"

Lightly biting her lip, Ye Li shook her head with a smile, "No, I'm fine."

But even if Chu Ge hadn't seen the incident with Ye Li and the girl from the car, with his keen eyes, how could he not notice the unnaturalness in her smile?

Sure enough, this girl, even when facing grievances, wanted to endure them alone, not wanting to cause trouble for others at all.

Chu Ge sighed internally, suddenly realizing that he hadn't contacted Ye Li for quite some time, and apart from that day, this girl had never taken the initiative to contact him either.

Today, when I saw Ye Li being scolded with a finger pointed at her nose, I really didn't know if she had endured any other grievances that I hadn't seen during this time.

Chu Ge was feeling a bit melancholic when Ye Li forced an unnatural smile and suggested, "Brother Chu, can we go to another place for dinner? I suddenly don't feel like eating here anymore."

If it weren't for what happened earlier, Chu Ge would have naturally agreed to her request to switch to a nicer restaurant, but this time he just smiled and shook his head.

"Let's eat here. As soon as I walked in, I smelled the aroma, and the food here seems to be exactly to my taste."

If Chu Ge guessed correctly, Ye Li wanted to switch places because of that girl earlier, so he wouldn't leave.

If that girl doesn't come back, then fine, but if she really comes back to trouble Ye Li, he wants to see what's really going on between them.

Ye Li seemed surprised that Chu Ge refused, and a bit of anxiety flashed across her graceful face.

"Brother Chu, here... here..."

Ye Li was trying to find an excuse to leave, but the waiter waiting to take their order became a bit impatient, glanced at Ye Li, then at Chu Ge, and asked, "Would you like to discuss it further? I can serve other customers first."

Chu Ge waved his hand and, without waiting for Ye Li to speak, smiled at the waiter, "No need, we'll order now. Sweet and sour crispy pork, fish-flavored pork, spicy boiled pork slices, a mixed broccoli salad, two bowls of rice, and two bottles of beer."

Then Chu Ge looked at Ye Li, "Do you like these dishes? Is there anything you don't eat?"

"No, but..."

Before Ye Li could finish, Chu Ge nodded to the waiter, "That will be all."

After the waiter left, Ye Li glanced at him and then at Chu Ge, secretly sighed, knowing that now that they had ordered, Chu Ge would be even more reluctant to leave.

She could only hope she was overthinking the situation...

Thinking of this, Ye Li felt a twinge of sympathy looking at Chu Ge and said, "Brother Chu, it's just the two of us; you ordered so many dishes, we can't finish them all."

"It's okay, I have a big appetite, I'll finish it all, don't worry."

Ye Li softly replied "Mm," but her gaze was still fixated on the restaurant entrance, clearly a bit absent-minded.

Fortunately, until the four dishes were served one after the other, what she had been worried about didn't happen, so she could slightly relax and start eating her meal.

However, just as Ye Li had taken a few bites, her gaze unknowingly drifted to the entrance countless times, she suddenly froze, her pupils constricted, and she hurriedly lowered her head, raising a hand to cover her face.

Noticing the change in Ye Li's expression and actions, Chu Ge knew that Ye Li's trouble had arrived, so he glanced toward the entrance. Sure enough, the girl who had been applying makeup in the car window earlier had returned.

This time, she brought along another girl who dressed even more provocatively, with pitch-black nails, a few strands of hair dyed silver, short shorts adorned with a conspicuous skull belt, a fierce ghost tattoo on her left shoulder, and a cigarette in her mouth.

Seeing these two girls, especially the one with the cigarette, at least half of the people in the restaurant dining were startled, thinking to themselves how Li Nan, the notorious female troublemaker, suddenly ended up here? Someone was going to have a hard time!

These two girls were absolutely eye-catching, and as soon as they entered, there was a table of student-looking customers who didn't know them and secretly glanced over. Sensing these stares, Li Nan exhaled smoke, squinted her eyes, and cursed.

"What the hell are you looking at? Want a beating?"

With such an arrogant and domineering remark, the whole restaurant instantly fell silent. The students who had been sneaking glances all turned their heads away, and several middle-aged men frowned but said nothing.

After cursing with the cigarette in her mouth, Li Nan scanned the room and quickly saw Ye Li, who was using her hand to cover her face, as well as Chu Ge, who had locked eyes with her, and she frowned slightly.

Although she didn't expect anyone else with Ye Li, since she was here, she certainly wasn't going to leave just like that.

Moreover, she had already figured out Ye Li's background, knowing she was an orphan adopted from an orphanage, whose foster mother had passed away first and whose foster father later severed ties with her. She had no support at all.

Even though there was now a man present, she quickly assessed Chu Ge's plain attire and simply assumed he was someone like a former brother from Ye Li's orphanage days, thus not bothering to take him seriously.

She raised her chin, flicked the ash from her cigarette, and beckoned to Ye Li with a rather unfriendly gesture.

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