Leaving the Tianjiao Group building, the two didn't take a taxi but instead boarded a bus at Chu Ge's suggestion.

Because Chu Ge suggested taking the bus, Mo Xiaoran felt that the distance between them suddenly shortened a lot. Additionally, with Chu Ge telling her a few jokes along the way, she gradually became less uneasy. A shy smile appeared on her face, and occasionally, she would take the initiative to say something to Chu Ge.

After transferring buses twice, they finally arrived at a suburban warehouse, a rather remote place, with the advantages of enough space and cheap rent.

Once inside the warehouse, Mo Xiaoran introduced Chu Ge to the person in charge and started checking the inventory list.

Once in working mode, Mo Xiaoran seemed like a different person. The shyness disappeared, replaced by an extremely serious demeanor.

Chu Ge, not slacking at all, busied himself with moving things around and humbly asking questions, looking nothing like a person with a strong background, more like an ordinary, hardworking employee.

Mo Xiaoran noticed Chu Ge's attitude, and unknowingly, the sense of distance between them dissipated substantially.

After they finished checking the props warehouse and confirmed everything matched the list, it was almost noon. The person in charge of the warehouse offered to treat them to lunch. Chu Ge didn't respond, instead casting a questioning look at Mo Xiaoran, meaning it was up to her to decide.

Mo Xiaoran politely declined the invitation from the warehouse manager and left the warehouse with Chu Ge.

"Xiaoran, they offered to treat us to a meal, why did you refuse?" Chu Ge asked once they had walked a short distance away.

"When you take from others, you lose your independence. Even though we're just small employees, we're representing the company for this inspection. If we eat and drink with them and they think we are familiar, they might tamper with the warehouse later, which would be bad."

Mo Xiaoran said earnestly. After finishing, she seemed to realize she was being a bit formal and gave a shy smile.

"It's truly a blessing for the company to have such a dedicated employee like you," Chu Ge said with a smile, praising Mo Xiaoran. Mo Xiaoran blushed and didn't respond but smiled slightly, clearly pleased to hear such words.

"Chu Ge, you must be hungry after a busy morning, right? Shall we have a meal nearby before heading back to the company?"

Chu Ge's stomach indeed felt a bit empty. He nodded with a smile, glanced around at the nearby small restaurants, and casually pointed to one with the cleanest facade, "Shall we eat there?"

Mo Xiaoran was slightly stunned before nodding, "Okay, sure."

She thought, since Chu Ge was someone with a background and the meal expenses could be reimbursed, he would choose a decent restaurant. She hadn't expected him to pick such a place to eat.

Seeing Mo Xiaoran's change in expression, Chu Ge understood what she was thinking and felt relieved. He believed that the feeling of distance in Mo Xiaoran's heart would greatly decrease again.

Entering the small restaurant, they took a small private room. Chu Ge ordered stir-fried shredded potatoes, while Mo Xiaoran ordered spicy green pepper with dried tofu, along with two bowls of rice, and nothing more — just a very simple work meal.

Mo Xiaoran ate elegantly, taking small bites with poised posture, clearly reflecting good family upbringing. Watching her eat was a delight to Chu Ge.

In contrast, Chu Ge's eating manners were a bit rougher. While not exactly ravenous, he ate in large bites. However, he was careful when serving food, keeping his chopsticks only on his side to avoid letting Mo Xiaoran eat his saliva.

Although a minor detail, it elevated Chu Ge in Mo Xiaoran's eyes even further.

Not feigning sophistication while eating indicates openness, and careful serving shows his cultivation.

Mo Xiaoran felt that a man like this, even with a background, would clearly be pleasant to have as a colleague, and there seemed no reason for her to feel uneasy.

Understanding this, Mo Xiaoran completely relaxed. Despite the simple meal on the table, she enjoyed it thoroughly.

Unfortunately, when three young men entered the restaurant — sporting exaggerated hairstyles and dressed like delinquents, clearly troublemakers — and sat in the adjacent booth, loudly spewing vulgar and obscene words, her good mood was thoroughly ruined by the voices seeping through from next door.

"Da Lv, you don't know, last night the girl I saw was so damn fair. Her thighs were so white, it's blinding when I think about it now."

"Are you serious?"

"Of course..."

Listening to the increasingly outrageous conversation and the obnoxious laughter from next door, Mo Xiaoran lost all appetite, swallowed the food in her mouth, and put down her chopsticks.

"Chu Ge, let's go."

Chu Ge looked at the remaining half bowl of rice in front of Mo Xiaoran and asked, "Eating so little, are you full?"

Mo Xiaoran forced a smile, "Yeah, I'm full."

Judging by Mo Xiaoran's expression, Chu Ge knew she wasn't being entirely truthful, clearly disturbed by the noise from next door. But he couldn't possibly cause trouble next door over this, so he just nodded, "Alright, then let's go."

The two of them left the private room, and after Chu Ge settled the bill, just as they were about to leave, Mo Xiaoran blushed and said, "Chu Ge, I'm going to the restroom; you wait for me outside."

Chu Ge nodded, lit a cigarette, and stepped outside to wait. He hadn't smoked for several hours, first checking the warehouse and then having dinner with Mo Xiaoran, which had left him craving.

If it were Tong Yaqi or Qin Ruojing, women who were relatively more assertive, Chu Ge wouldn't have hesitated to smoke, but in front of Mo Xiaoran, so gentle and shy, he felt embarrassed to do so. Moreover, he wanted to make a good impression on her, hoping she would speak well of his easy-going and humble nature when they returned and others asked about him.

Mo Xiaoran quickly used the restroom, but as she pushed open the door to leave, she was startled. In the small hallway outside the restroom stood a young man with an exaggerated hairstyle and strange clothes. Seeing her, he first froze and then showed a lewd smile.

Seeing the malicious gleam in his eyes, Mo Xiaoran panicked, pursing her lips and lowering her head, she tried to walk past him. But unexpectedly, as she moved left, the young man moved left; as she moved right, he moved right, blocking her way completely.

"Excuse me... could you let me through?"

Seeing no other option, Mo Xiaoran timidly spoke up, but she kept her head down, not daring to meet his eyes.

Seeing Mo Xiaoran's timid demeanor, the young man felt emboldened, gave a wicked grin, and said, "Little beauty, I've been waiting here for a long time; I'm about to piss myself. Shouldn't you make it up to me? How about you call me 'brother,' and I'll let you through."

Hearing his voice, Mo Xiaoran's heart sank. It was clearly one of the voices from the adjacent room earlier, making her even more anxious and scared.

"Bro... Brother..."

Even though Mo Xiaoran felt deeply humiliated, to get rid of this young man who scared her at first glance, she pursed her lips and, with a very small voice, called out.

"What? Louder, I can't hear you," the young man licked his lips, grinning even more lewdly.

"Bro... Brother, can you please... let me through?"

Mo Xiaoran was almost in tears, regretting deeply that if she hadn't come to this restroom, nothing would have happened.

"Hehehe, little beauty, that's more like it. But where do you want me to go?"

The more Mo Xiaoran showed vulnerability, the more confident the young man became. With a sly grin, he leaned his head, placed his arm against the restroom door in a domineering stance, trapping Mo Xiaoran there.

"I... I..."

Even though Mo Xiaoran knew he was being deliberately difficult, she didn't dare to shout nor knew how to reply. Her lips trembled slightly, and tears began to well up in her eyes.

Seeing Mo Xiaoran's pitiful appearance, the young man became even more complacent. He initially just wanted some verbal advantage, but now felt she was easy to bully; without hesitation, he reached out to touch her delicate face.

"No... no... don't, I'll... I'll call for help..."

Seeing the hand getting closer and closer, Mo Xiaoran widened her eyes in fear. She wanted to scream, but dared not, wanting to run away, but her whole body felt weak and powerless. She could only lean against the restroom door, her frail body trembling instinctively.

"Call for help? Hahaha, go ahead and try! Do you think anyone will help you? Hmm? Go on, shout," the young man laughed more wickedly and triumphantly, swallowed hard, and the hand slowly reaching out finally lunged forward.

But just as his right hand was less than an inch from Mo Xiaoran's face, it could move no further. He suddenly felt a yank at the collar of his neck; the Mo Xiaoran up close was abruptly pulled away from him.

Then, all he heard was a "clang" near his ear and felt a pain at the back of his head, causing a buzzing in his brain. And then, everything went black, and he knew nothing more.

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