At this moment, the living room was utterly silent, and the sound of Ye Li's footsteps became particularly clear.

Chu Ge stuck to his old tactic and pretended to be asleep with his eyes closed.

Ye Li's footsteps approached the living room and stopped beside Chu Ge, with nothing else being heard for a long while.

It was unclear how much time had passed when Ye Li's hand gently touched Chu Ge's hand, but she still remained silent and made no other reaction, as if nothing had happened.

"Brother Chu."

After several minutes passed in silence, Ye Li finally spoke up, uttering a gentle call.

Chu Ge hesitated for a moment and then opened his eyes. In his line of sight, those eyes were as deep as the vast universe.

"Hmm, Ye Li, not asleep yet?"

Chu Ge let Ye Li hold his hand, looking at her clear eyes, and with a sheepish laugh, he knowingly asked.

"Brother Chu, I... can't sleep. I want to ask you a question."

"Sure, ask away."

Ye Li's gaze wandered for a few seconds. She bit her lip, seemingly gathering a lot of courage, and finally looked into Chu Ge's eyes to ask, "Do you... even like me a tiny bit? Is there even a tiny bit of desire to... be with me?"

Chu Ge laughed bitterly to himself; such a wonderful girl, it would be strange if he didn't like her. At first, he indeed only regarded her as a sister, but over time, his feelings for her had subtly and unconsciously changed.

Chu Ge hesitated for a few seconds and then vaguely responded, "Uh... uh-huh."

A trace of joy appeared on Ye Li's pretty face, and she immediately said, "Then... Brother Chu, wait for me to take a shower."

Hearing Ye Li's shy voice reach his ears, Chu Ge was first slightly stunned, then quickly grabbed Ye Li's hand, "No, no need, really no need."

Upon hearing Chu Ge say this, Ye Li thought he was maybe a bit impatient, and said softly, "Brother Chu, I..."

Chu Ge hurriedly shook his head, "No, that's not what I mean. I mean, go back and sleep well, just simply sleep."

Ye Li's expression froze, "Brother Chu, didn't you just say you wanted to..."

"Just because I want to doesn't mean I have to do it. We're not a couple, and I let you stay here without any ulterior motives. It's just because you looked so skinny, I wanted to nourish you, let you eat some good food."

Ye Li bit her lip and said, "But... but..."

Chu Ge cleared his throat twice before saying, "Ye Li, really, there's no 'but.' Listen to Brother Chu, go back and sleep well. I'm really not a good person, not worthy of you giving anything for me."

"Brother Chu, please don't say that. No matter what you want to do, I am willing. I don't ask to be your girlfriend; just knowing you like me even a tiny bit, knowing I have just a tiny bit of place in your heart, makes me satisfied."

Ye Li smiled gently and again held Chu Ge's large hand, softly saying.

Feeling Ye Li's warmth, her attitude of giving and expecting nothing in return filled Chu Ge's heart with sorrow.

"Ye Li, you..."

Just as Chu Ge wanted to say something, Ye Li shook her head.

"Brother Chu, actually, I have a lot I want to say to you, but I'm pretty clumsy with words. Even though there's a belly full of things, I don't know whether I should say it, and if I should, I don't know where to begin. Today, just let me say it all, or else I will feel stifled inside."

Feeling Ye Li's warmth, Chu Ge gently nodded.

Ye Li smiled softly and began to speak in a gentle voice.

"The day you saved me from the pit of fire, I felt you were an especially good person. At first, I did want to repay you, but to my surprise, you refused."

"Honestly, at that time, I felt you were rejecting me, and I felt particularly wronged about it but didn't let you know. However, as I got to interact with you, I gradually realized that I was wrong. You weren't rejecting me; you genuinely cared for and respected me. It was after realizing this that I truly started to like you."

"Brother Chu, you are the first man I've ever developed feelings for since I grew up. Even though I know I'm not worthy of you, I couldn't stop myself from liking you. Whenever it quiets down, my mind is full of you, and I've finally understood that what the books describe about liking someone is all true."

"I also want to be someone who can always face life with a smile like you, facing each day with optimism and strength, but... but I am so useless. When I get bullied, I can only hide in a place where no one sees me and cry secretly. I've thought about calling you for help more than once, dialed your number a few times, but stopped in the end."

"Although... I know you would definitely help me, but I... I really don't want you to see me so useless. I don't want to become your burden and trouble. We're both orphans, and I think the things you can do, I should be able to do too, but in the end, I am still a useless person."

"Later on, you eventually found out about Li Nan and Lin Ling bullying me. When I saw you being so fierce, I was suddenly a bit confused. I couldn't figure out what kind of person you really were. Until you actually made that Brother Li apologize to the restaurant owner, only then did I understand, with no more hesitation in my heart."

"You are a man worth loving deeply for a lifetime."

As she spoke up to this point, Ye Li snapped out of her reminiscence, her face reddened, and she shyly said, "Brother Chu, do you... think these words are particularly cheesy, or do you find me funny?"

Listening to Ye Li's gentle confessions, the softest part of Chu Ge's heart was deeply touched. He shook his head and said, "Ye Li, I... thank you, but I'm not worthy of all this."

Ye Li wanted to say something more, but Chu Ge spoke first, "Say no more, just sleep, okay?"

Ye Li softly agreed, smiling gently, "Brother Chu, good night."

Watching Ye Li walk back to her bedroom, Chu Ge felt an indescribable mix of emotions. He was aware of Ye Li's feelings for him but didn't expect them to be so profound, so deep that they felt like an unbearable weight.

Early the next morning, when Chu Ge woke up, a fragrant aroma of rice porridge wafted in from the kitchen.

Smelling the delicious scent of the porridge, Chu Ge got up from the sofa and walked into the kitchen.

In his line of sight, the soft morning sunlight streamed through the balcony window into the kitchen, creating such a beautiful scene on Ye Li.

At that moment, Ye Li was wearing a very loose nightgown, her delicate face bathed in a soft golden glow, smiling serenely as she cooked porridge in an electric cooker.

In her hand was a wooden rice paddle, gently stirring clockwise. Although her gaze was on the aromatic porridge in the cooker, she seemed absent-minded.

Watching Ye Li like this, warmth and tenderness welled up in Chu Ge's heart. He had intended to have Ye Li stay with him so he could take care of her more, but she ended up acting like a devoted wife, getting up early to cook for him.

"Ye Li, you're up so early."

Hearing Chu Ge's voice, Ye Li returned to her senses and turned her head. She apologetically said, "Brother Chu, was I too noisy and woke you up? I'm sorry."

Chu Ge felt at a loss for words. This Ye Li always thought of others first. He walked over to Ye Li and, with a smile, said, "No, I usually wake up at this time too. Next time, use a pressure cooker for the porridge; it's easier that way. You're making it too hard on yourself."

Ye Li sweetly smiled, "Brother Chu, I'm not tired at all, and the porridge cooked in a pressure cooker doesn't taste as good as this. I don't have anything else to do anyway, and besides, I have to eat too."

"You've worked hard. Tonight, I'll make dinner for you. Don't fight me on this, okay?"

With a gentle caress of Ye Li's soft hair, watching her smile serenely at him and nod in agreement, Chu Ge then walked into the bathroom to wash up. Toothpaste was already squeezed onto his toothbrush; Ye Li was as considerate as ever.

Picking up the toothbrush, Chu Ge felt a warm sense of comfort. He was increasingly grateful for meeting Ye Li on that day. If he had missed her, done something else, or not reached out to help her that day, this girl's situation might have been...

Ye Li's foster father really was a peculiar one. Chu Ge had seen his fair share of scum, but scum to this extent was truly rare. He couldn't understand how that scum could do such excessive things to such a good girl like Ye Li.

Anyone with a bit of sense who gets to adopt a kind, pure, selfless, gentle girl like Ye Li should feel incredibly fortunate and treat her well. But that scum, because of his own selfishness, almost pushed Ye Li into a pit of fire.

Chu Ge shook his head, not wanting to think further. A good girl like her deserves a wonderful life, and since he was lucky enough to meet such a good girl, he felt he should do something for her. If she needed anything, he was willing to help.

Chu Ge never really saw himself as a good person, but to be able to help someone he deemed worthy made him feel really good. Without a doubt, Ye Li was someone worth helping.

Many things might be trivial for him but very difficult for Ye Li. Actually, not to mention that the things Ye Li needed help with were small in his eyes, even if they were troublesome for him, he would certainly be willing to lend a hand.

When Chu Ge finished washing up, Ye Li had already finished cooking the porridge and served it in bowls at the table.

"Brother Chu, give it a try. I don't know if it suits your taste. Tell me what's not good, so I can improve next time."

Chu Ge took a sip of the porridge; it was very delicious.

Seeing the anticipation in Ye Li's eyes, Chu Ge smiled slightly and sincerely said, "Impeccable."

After breakfast, Chu Ge stayed at home with Ye Li for a while longer, left her a set of house keys, and then headed out to Tianqing Company.

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