Tong Yaqi drove here in a white Chevrolet. Although the car wasn't very expensive, when she stood in front of it, it created an image of a beautiful woman with a lovely car, drawing many admiring glances from passersby.

"Where do you live? If it's on the way, I... can give you a lift?" she asked with a smile, opening the car door casually.

"It's not on the way, not on the way, no need, no need."

Seeing Chu Ge shaking his head like a rattle and repeating his words twice, Tong Yaqi couldn't help but feel amused yet somewhat annoyed.

She was just offering him a ride, yet without asking where he lived, he firmly claimed it was not on the way, as if she could devour him. Was he really that scared?

"Alright then, goodbye."

Waving goodbye to Chu Ge with a smile, Tong Yaqi said no more and got into her car, quickly driving out of Chu Ge's sight.

If it weren't for the unexpected incident caused by Lu Gang and his brother Lu Bo, Tong Yaqi would find it hard to believe Chu Ge, but after what happened, she trusted that Chu Ge was someone who would do as he said.

Initially, she suspected that Lu Bo and his group were arranged by Chu Ge to put on a show, but when Lu Gang also came into the room, she was finally one hundred percent certain she had been overthinking.

Unconsciously, the image of Chu Ge protecting her appeared in her mind. Thinking back, that broad back made her feel so secure and protected.

As she was lost in thought, Tong Yaqi suddenly realized she had crossed the line at a red light.

"Annoyed, another penalty, luckily nothing happened. Really, blame it on that guy Chu Ge!"

Tong Yaqi grumbled, pounding the steering wheel in frustration.

Sitting in a taxi, Chu Ge sneezed several times and shortly after returned to his rental apartment in the Yipin Spring City District.

Taking the elevator to the eleventh floor, Chu Ge glanced at the doors of the two adjacent apartments, wondering who lived there. It would be nice if they were single beauties; even if nothing happened, it would be pleasant to occasionally meet attractive neighbors, right?

Thinking this, Chu Ge took a few extra glances, only to realize he had been overthinking. The doors of units 110 and 112 were covered with a thick layer of dust, indicating that they had been unoccupied for a long time.

Arriving at the door of unit 111, Chu Ge took out his keys and walked in.

Just as Chu Ge entered the apartment, before he could even sit down, his phone rang. He glanced at it, seeing Tong Yaqi's number on the screen. Feeling a bit conflicted, he hesitated for a moment but decided to pick up.

"Director Tong? What can I do for you?"

"It's not really 'instruction.' I just wanted to ask you something."

"Please go ahead, Director Tong."

Listening to Chu Ge's serious tone, though Tong Yaqi knew he was stating an attitude and that this was the best scenario for her, she still felt a bit uncomfortable.

Since they met at the bar yesterday, it hadn't even been twenty-four hours, yet the shift in their relationship felt turbulent and enormous.

Initially, she wanted to talk to Chu Ge a bit more about Lu Gang's situation, but now she had lost any desire to do so. Saying "never mind," she hung up the phone and sat alone on the couch, staring at the lifeless empty room, not wanting to move at all.

You wouldn't need perfectly good hearing or an IQ above sixty to sense from Tong Yaqi's final "never mind" that she was in a very bad mood.

Considering her situation, nine out of ten men would probably call her back to offer comfort and try to seize the opportunity to get closer to her, but Chu Ge was an exception. He did press a button on the phone, but it was to turn it off, not to dial.

Chu Ge dared to engage in anything, but when it came to matters of the heart, he felt it was something he couldn't handle.

Although this might seem a bit of an overreaction, when it came to anything involving emotions, even the slightest hint, he would extinguish it without hesitation.

After turning off his phone, Chu Ge did several hundred one-arm push-ups with alternating hands until he worked up a slight sweat, then stretched comfortably and took a shower in the bathroom.

Even though he was now back in the city and no longer surrounded by constant danger, he didn't want his body to go soft. Exercise, for him, was also a form of relaxation and enjoyment.

He looked at the clock; it was already close to eight. Just like an ordinary single white-collar worker after work, he lay on the bed, leisurely watched some TV, and soon started feeling sleepy. Just as he was drifting between sleep and wakefulness, he heard footsteps outside the door.

However, he didn't pay much attention to it and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Chu Ge made himself a bit of breakfast at home. After eating a little, he left the house.

He subconsciously glanced again at the doors of units 110 and 112. Chu Ge suddenly noticed that the door of 112 was spotlessly clean. When he looked at the ground, there were obvious traces of dragging luggage.

Involuntarily, Chu Ge remembered the footsteps he heard last night.

"Hmm? A new neighbor? I hope it's really a beauty of Tong Yaqi's level."

After leaving the complex, Chu Ge arrived at a bus stop and started waiting for the bus.

After the time it took for a cigarette, the bus came. It seemed there weren't many people at the bus stop, but as soon as the bus arrived, it was as if many people appeared out of nowhere, rushing towards the bus, which hadn't even stopped completely. Regardless of gender or age, everyone was trying to get in; it looked just like a battlefield.

By the time Chu Ge got on the bus, it was as crowded as it could get. There was almost no space between people. Even though it was early morning and all the bus windows were open, it was still really stuffy.

Though this feeling wasn't great, Chu Ge didn't think there was anything to complain about. After all, this was the ordinary life he chose, and squeezing into a bus was clearly an indispensable part of this life.

Besides, having many people wasn't necessarily a bad thing. At least for Chu Ge right now, it had its own unique charm.

In front of him was a girl who looked about eighteen or nineteen. Although young, she was well-developed with a curvy figure and was quite tall for a girl her age.

The girl was wearing a pale yellow short-sleeved top, tight denim shorts, and was carrying a brightly colored tassel bag. Her hair was tied in a neat ponytail with a few strands dyed a dark reddish-brown, almost unnoticeable unless seen in bright light.

Although Chu Ge wasn't intentionally trying to take advantage of the girl, because they were squeezed together, it was impossible to avoid bodily contact and friction as the bus stopped and moved along the way.

Fortunately, throughout the trip, even when Chu Ge unintentionally touched the girl several times, her gaze remained outside the window, and she did not turn to glare at him angrily.

After more than ten minutes, Chu Ge was finally approaching his stop. Just as he tried to squeeze towards the back door, the girl in front of him also started moving towards the back of the bus, seemingly about to get off too.

However, just as the bus stopped at the station and the girl moved to the door, ready to get off, something unexpected happened.

A hand quietly reached into the girl's back pocket, pinched a white bar phone peeking out, and silently pulled it out.

Chu Ge saw this but it wasn't really any of his business, so he didn't feel obligated to intervene.

Yet, just when Chu Ge was about to follow the girl off the bus, the owner of the hand thought he had succeeded, but the girl suddenly turned around, her eyes glaring at the blonde youth holding her phone, and said angrily, "How did you take it out? Put it back the way you took it out! Do you think I wouldn't notice you taking it out from such a tight spot?"

When the girl shouted this, Chu Ge was stunned. Wasn't this a bit too domineering?

The blonde youth seemed shocked by the girl's words too but quickly recovered, snorted through his nose, and said, "Just because you say it's your phone doesn't make it yours. Who saw it?"

As the two talked, Chu Ge was stuck behind them. He didn't know if the bus driver didn't hear the commotion at the back or just didn't care. Seeing on his screen that no one was still getting off, he stepped on the gas and continued driving.

"Wait..."

Just as Chu Ge was about to ask the driver to wait, to his surprise, the girl suddenly grabbed his arm, "Uncle, tell them, isn't that my phone?"

Although Chu Ge originally didn't plan to meddle in this, and he was quite speechless about being called "uncle," since the girl said so, he nodded and looked at the blonde youth, "Give the phone back to the young lady."

The blonde furrowed his brows, seemingly not expecting someone to interfere, showing some hesitation. However, when his gaze stayed on Chu Ge for a few seconds, his eyelids fluttered, and he suddenly shouted angrily, "Damn! So it's you! It's actually you!"

Chu Ge was taken aback, looked up and down at the blonde a few times, and vaguely felt he seemed familiar, but couldn't remember where they had met before.

Seeing Chu Ge's puzzled expression, the blonde's anger intensified. Without a word, he swung a punch towards Chu Ge's face.

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.