Ye Li was lost in her thoughts when Qin Ruoying put the bowls and chopsticks on the table, looking at Chu Ge pitifully, "Brother-in-law, hurry and start eating, I'm starving."

Chu Ge, meeting Qin Ruoying's gaze, said speechlessly, "If you're hungry, just eat. It's not like the old days; you don't have to wait for me to start first anymore, right?"

"Brother-in-law, I'm just used to it, plus we're at your place. If you don't start, how could I have the nerve to eat first? Just take the first bite quickly, will you?"

Chu Ge shook his head with amusement, didn't dwell on the topic, and took a bite of the dish. Only then did Qin Ruoying start eating, while also smiling at the somewhat dazed Ye Li.

"Ye Li, little sister, you should eat quickly too, don't be shy. My brother-in-law's cooking is amazing."

The way she spoke made it seem like Qin Ruoying was the hostess here.

Ye Li snapped back to reality, forced a smile, and softly said, "Um."

Meanwhile, Qin Ruoying took another bite of the dish, chewed a couple of times, looked at Chu Ge with an odd expression, and said, "Brother-in-law, your cooking is a bit off today. Why doesn't it taste as good as what you usually make for us?"

Ye Li felt even more embarrassed, as the dishes on the table were the result of her hard work, and Chu Ge had praised this same dish endlessly the last time he ate it.

As Ye Li was about to explain, Chu Ge tapped Qin Ruoying on the head, "Just eat already; if you keep being so picky, I won't let you come over to mooch meals in the future."

Then, Chu Ge also took a bite of the dish Qin Ruoying just had, and with his signature smile said, "Hmm, it actually tastes better than the meals I usually make, why don't you try again?"

Hearing this, warmth spread in Ye Li's heart. Even though she was still a bit bewildered and unclear about the relationship between Ge and Qin Ruoying, and what exactly was going on with the Tianjiao Group chairman, Qin Ruojing, she was sure of one thing: Chu Ge was looking out for her and speaking up for her.

That alone was enough to brighten her mood.

Qin Ruoying took another bite of the same dish, chewed it thoroughly, and giggled, "Brother-in-law, you know what, taking another taste, it really does feel different from the first bite."

As the meal wrapped up, Chu Ge asked about Qin Ruojing. Knowing that the sisters were on the same page and that Qin Ruoying decided to continue hiding the truth for her sister, he felt relieved; it was undoubtedly the best outcome for the three of them.

Ye Li, sitting on the side, also pieced together the gist of it, realizing that there was actually nothing between Chu Ge and Qin Ruojing. They had just pretended to be a couple for a while, and Qin Ruoying was simply used to calling him "brother-in-law," hence the persistent address. This gave her a sigh of relief, though it also complicated her emotions.

After the meal, the three chatted for a bit, and then Qin Ruoying bid farewell, "Brother-in-law, I'm heading home. If I don't leave now, my sister will start nagging at me again, you know how she is."

Chu Ge realized it wasn't too late, so he nodded with a smile, "Alright then, I won't see you off. If you plan to come over for a meal next time, call me in advance. Otherwise, I'm not responsible if your visit is wasted."

"Okay, brother-in-law."

Qin Ruoying grinned, glanced at Ye Li, and said, "Ye Li, little sister, are you coming with me, or staying a bit longer?"

Hearing this, Ye Li's cheeks flushed, and after a few seconds, she stammered, "I... I'll leave later, um, the dishes... haven't been washed yet."

"Alright then, I'll go first, brother-in-law, Ye Li, little sister, bye-bye."

With that, Qin Ruoying waved to the two and left Chu Ge's house.

Watching Qin Ruoying's back disappear from sight, Ye Li felt a flurry of emotions, her face hot with blush. She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she kept feeling that Qin Ruoying's gaze before leaving seemed a bit off.

Ye Li's instincts weren't wrong; from the moment she stepped into the house, Qin Ruoying's look at her had been subtly complex, though not overtly expressed.

Leaving Chu Ge's house, Qin Ruoying took the elevator downstairs but didn't leave immediately. Instead, she lingered at a nearby supermarket, observing the entrance for over an hour.

Until the night fell completely, and still not seeing Ye Li come out, Qin Ruoying finally took a taxi back to her sister's place.

"You're back?" Qin Ruojing called out from the bedroom upon hearing the door.

Qin Ruoying changed into slippers, responded as she headed straight to Qin Ruojing's bedroom.

Qin Ruojing glanced at the time on the computer's bottom right corner and said without looking up, "Went over to your brother-in-law... Chu Ge's place for a meal, and stayed so long? I thought you weren't coming back."

"I would have stayed if I could, but unfortunately there wasn't a place for me. When I got there, another beauty had already beaten me to it. I couldn't push that little beauty away, nor were we close enough to comfortably stay together."

Qin Ruoying tossed her bag onto the bed, sat on the edge, and said irritably.

Qin Ruojing hesitated for a moment before reaching for the mouse, then finally looked up at Qin Ruoying, slightly furrowing her pretty brows, "Does he have another woman in his life?"

Qin Ruoying nodded gloomily, "Yeah, it looks like she might still be a student. She's the gentle, delicate, girl-next-door type."

After saying that, Qin Ruoying suddenly paused, giving Qin Ruojing a strange look, and teased with a smirk, "Sis, something's off with you. With your personality, when I said that earlier, shouldn't you have scolded me first? Like telling me I'm shameless or something?"

Qin Ruojing was also taken aback, then retorted irritably, "Oh, you know that, huh? Quite the grown girl babbling nonsense."

"Come on, don't I know you?"

Qin Ruoying pouted, paused, and then continued, "I think you're just upset hearing that brother-in-law has another woman at home, so you ignored everything else, right?"

Qin Ruojing rolled her eyes at her sister, "He's got women at his place, what's that to do with me? And since you've exposed the fake relationship between me and Chu Ge, can you stop calling him brother-in-law?"

"Why? Does calling him brother-in-law bring back fond memories? Does it make you uncomfortable? If you can't bear him leaving, why not make some effort to chase him before he becomes someone else's husband?"

Qin Ruojing glanced at her sister, both amused and exasperated, muttered "nonsense," then turned her attention back to the computer screen, continuing to browse the company's performance reports.

"Hey, Sis, your husband's about to be snatched away, and you still have the mind to look at this stuff. How can you be so indifferent?"

Qin Ruojing had just glanced at it when Qin Ruoying came over, snapped the laptop shut with a "click," and with a rare serious expression, furrowed her brows and spoke.

Qin Ruojing also furrowed her brows, locking eyes with Qin Ruoying, "What nonsense are you talking about? There's nothing between me and Chu Ge, okay? Don't disrupt things and affect my work."

Qin Ruoying kept her hand on the laptop, not letting her sister remove hers, looking both pitying and frustrated.

"Sis, can you stop being stubborn? Such an outstanding man like my brother-in-law, after being with him for so long, can you honestly say you haven't developed any feelings for him?"

Qin Ruojing immediately replied, "Why not? He's just someone I hired to act, why would I have feelings for him? What you're asking is completely nonsensical."

Though Qin Ruojing spoke with conviction, after the words slipped out, images involuntarily flashed through her mind of times she spent with Chu Ge.

On the day Hong Zude had both a heart attack and asthma attack, when everyone felt hopeless, Chu Ge smiled calmly and turned the tide.

The day the Tianjiao Film and Television Administration Department caught fire, Chu Ge drove her Audi A8, showing her what it meant to laugh in the face of danger, racing into the downpour at an incredible speed in the night.

The day a truck came barreling towards her, almost taking her life, Chu Ge raced against time, swinging her back from the brink of death, narrowly escaping the grim reaper...

At this moment, these images seemed especially vivid.

With these scenes resurfacing in her mind again, and with her sister remaining silent, quietly observing her, Qin Ruojing suddenly felt her resolve wavering, even her gaze meeting her sister's slightly shifted.

"Sis, really think about it. Do you truly have no feelings for brother-in-law?" The Qin sisters stared at each other in silence for a while until Qin Ruoying broke the silence in the room.

"I... I admit he's a nice person, and he's helped me a lot, but Chu Ge and I aren't the same kind of people. My feelings for him are, at most, gratitude, nothing more."

Qin Ruoying pinched her temple, speaking deliberately, "Are you sure?"

Qin Ruojing remained silent for a few more seconds, calmed her emotions, thought carefully, and seriously nodded, "I'm definitely sure."

Qin Ruoying suddenly patted her chest, looking relieved, regaining her usual carefree demeanor, with a smile reminiscent of Chu Ge.

"Hehe, that's good. With you saying that, I can rest easy."

The sudden change in atmosphere left Qin Ruojing a bit stunned. She hadn't expected her sister to come out with such a random remark and couldn't help but furrow her brows, "You're relieved? What are you relieved about?"

Qin Ruoying giggled, "Since you have no feelings for brother-in-law, I can confidently pursue him then, so there's nothing to feel sorry for you about."

Hearing her sister actually say such a thing, Qin Ruojing's heart skipped a beat, leaving her dumbfounded.

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