Tong Yaqi's worry was indeed not unfounded.

Just as she uttered these words, Long Tao, who was already furious, sat with a face as dark as water on the sofa in the living room of his villa, thinking about how to settle this score with Chu Ge, while waiting for his son Long Kun to arrive.

"Dad, you wanted to see me?" As soon as Long Kun entered the living room, he felt a suffocating atmosphere from the depths of his soul and spoke cautiously.

"Sit." Long Tao lifted his eyelids slightly and spit out a word indifferently. As soon as Long Kun sat down with half of his back on the sofa, sitting up straight, he went straight to the topic and mentioned the matter with Chu Ge.

Long Kun naturally did not dare to neglect anything. He explained in detail how he came to know about Chu Ge, and how he had openly and covertly used various methods to compete with Chu Ge several times.

After Long Kun finished, Long Tao remained silent for a while and finally made a decision that was extremely humiliating for him: to endure.

After all, the fact that Chu Ge was related to the He Family, and even closer than he had imagined, made him apprehensive. Moreover, with Chu Ge's skills, there was no guarantee of someone around him being able to kill Chu Ge.

The fact that Long Tao had succeeded in washing himself clean and that his old rivals were either dead or caught, while he remained unscathed, relied not just on luck but more on his understanding of necessary negotiations and caution at critical moments.

This decision, though utterly humiliating, seemed like the wisest choice given the current situation.

Of course, Long Tao did not intend to endure indefinitely; otherwise, he would suffocate from this suppressed anger.

Recently, he had heard rumors that the He Family was in significant trouble and if the He Family's troubles were to grow even larger, to the point where they could not attend to other matters, he would no longer need to hold back.

When that time comes, he would not hesitate to use the connections from before he washed himself clean, determined to make sure Chu Ge meets a bad end!

And from the rumors he had heard so far, that day seemed not too far away.

Leaving Qin Ruojing's house, Chu Ge drove away in the Maserati, heading into the brightly lit streets under the sparsely starred night sky.

On a usual day, the driver's seat of this Maserati made Chu Ge feel very comfortable, but at this moment, he felt extremely restless. Even lowering the car window to let the refreshing night breeze blow on his face, he still could not alleviate the slightest bit of this restlessness.

Chu Ge's restlessness, on the one hand, was naturally due to Mu Lingshan's actions that might disrupt his peaceful life, and on the other hand, because of Qin Ruojing.

Were my words too harsh just now? What was Qin Ruojing's expression at that time?

Chu Ge's fingers tapped the steering wheel unconsciously, frowning slightly, constantly considering this question in his mind.

At first, he didn't feel like he had done anything wrong, but as the events that happened since he met Qin Ruojing played back in his mind, he started feeling uncertain.

Maybe I should call her to test the waters?

The moment this thought popped into his head, Chu Ge immediately dismissed it. Isn't that too pathetic?

Despite resolutely dismissing this thought, his right hand inexplicably reached for the phone, with his index finger poised over the power button.

Frowning, Chu Ge withdrew his hand from the phone and lit a cigarette in the car.

At this moment, Chu Ge had to admit that his feelings for Qin Ruojing were evidently not just that of a superior-subordinate relationship at work or mere friends in life.

Sigh…

After finishing a cigarette, Chu Ge rubbed his forehead more irritably, drove aimlessly for a while, and finally stopped in front of a bar he had never been to before.

Tonight, it wasn't about looking for a hookup. He just wanted to find a place to sit, drink some alcohol by himself, and sort out his somewhat messy mood.

In a corner of the bar, Chu Ge shooed away a few women who came to flirt, drinking and smoking alone, daydreaming, and only when he saw it was past eleven did he get up and leave the bar.

Returning to the Yipin Spring City District, it was already midnight. With a slight hint of drunkenness, Chu Ge parked his car, and entered the elevator.

"Ding"

The elevator stopped on the eleventh floor, the voice-activated light turned on, instantly illuminating the dark corridor.

The elevator doors swished open, and Chu Ge first looked into the corridor to ensure no one was in sight before stepping out of the elevator.

Taking out his keys, he unlocked the door, and Chu Ge's slight drunkenness sobered up completely, his mouth twitched a little, and a bitter smile appeared on his face.

The reason he came home so late at night was that he was worried someone might be waiting for him at the door, wanting to avoid any disturbances.

In fact, there was indeed no one at the door. People were actually in his house, and... not just one person. As he opened the door, multiple gazes instantly fell on him.

"Manager Chu, you... finally came back." Luo Suyun stood up from the sofa, her beautiful face showing relief, followed closely by intense affection and profound gratitude.

"Uncle!" Shu Lulu rushed over immediately, her eyes red, gripping his hand tightly with all her might.

"Brother Chu, hee hee, there are so many people in the house. Were you startled?" This time it was Chu Shiyao, a playful smile on her lips, her eyebrows curved, looking cheerful and carefree as usual.

Under everyone's gaze, Chu Ge patted Shu Lulu's little head, feeling both warm and speechless, shrugging as he said to Chu Shiyao, "Yeah, I was so startled I thought I walked into the wrong house. How come all of you are here?"

Ye Li walked over to Chu Ge with some apology, "Brother Chu, it's... it's me who opened the door for everyone. Everyone is worried about you."

Chu Ge smiled, giving the women in the room a reassuring look.

"Well then, thank you all for your concern, but I'm fine as you can see. Alright, everyone should head home now, okay? We can talk another day. I'm really a bit tired and just want to sleep now."

Though these words were spoken to everyone, Chu Ge's gaze seemed to be looking, intentionally or unintentionally, at Mu Lingshan, who was standing aside and hadn't spoken since his return, her expression the most complex.

Although there was no hint of emotion in that gaze, it still made Mu Lingshan's heart uneasy.

Hearing Chu Ge say this, the women in the room couldn't help but look at each other. While a big stone in their hearts dropped, the atmosphere also became somewhat subtle and awkward.

The women present here naturally considered themselves to be very close to Chu Ge, especially after this season's "Heavy Punch" program aired and wanting to see him immediately.

Even though the women were clear in their hearts that there would definitely be many women around Chu Ge, they still found it a bit... strange when gathered together.

These women, although each possessed unique qualities, were undoubtedly all stunning beauties, making the scene inside the room appear somewhat like a beauty pageant.

Moreover... with just those present, who knew how many weren't here? Chu Ge returned home so late at night, who else did he see before this?

Nonetheless, although the women had their doubts, it was evidently not the right moment to bring up this issue.

In this subtle and ambiguous atmosphere, the room fell silent for several seconds before Chu Shiyao stretched lazily, covering her mouth with her right hand as she yawned, smiling as she broke the silence.

"Hmm, I'm really tired too. Since Brother Chu is also exhausted, I won't disturb you and will go back to sleep."

Seeing Chu Ge smile and respond with a nod, Chu Shiyao went to the door to change her shoes.

As she was leaving, she playfully stuck out her tongue and, with an expectant smile, said, "But... Brother Chu, once you're well-rested, you must tell me all about these past few days, okay?"

Chu Ge nodded, "Sure, no problem."

As Chu Shiyao left, Chu Ge turned his attention to Luo Suyun, "Sister Luo, it's already late. You have to work tomorrow, so take Lulu home. Plus, sleeping too late isn't good for your skin."

Although Luo Suyun had countless things she wanted to say to Chu Ge, it was evidently not a convenient time, so she gave Chu Ge a very complex look, pursed her lips and smiled, "Hmm, then I'll take my leave. Shall we... see each other tomorrow?"

After finishing, Luo Suyun patted Shu Lulu's shoulder, "Lulu, let's go home. Your Uncle Chu needs to rest."

By now, Shu Lulu knew about her family and Jinkai Villa's situation. Although beneath her bizarre behavior was a heart more mature than her peers, compared to others in the room, she still had more of a childlike nature. She had been waiting here for so long that she really didn't want to go back just like that.

After her mother patted her shoulder, Shu Lulu reluctantly turned her head, "Mom, can we stay at Uncle's house tonight?"

Upon hearing Shu Lulu's words, both Ye Li and Mu Lingshan were taken aback, and their gaze toward Chu Ge changed.

Chu Ge broke into a sweat. What nonsense was this little kid Shu Lulu spouting?

Not to mention that there was nothing going on between him and Shu Lulu. Even if there was something, well, Ye Li was still there, and letting her hear such words, who knew what she would think? It really was too damaging to his image.

Just as Chu Ge was about to move the hand that Shu Lulu was gripping, she shifted her gaze from her mother, looking pitiful with tears welling up in her red eyes.

Seeing Shu Lulu like this, Chu Ge felt both soft-hearted and a bit distressed, sensing she might have learned something. He smiled gently at her, helped wipe the tears from her cheeks, allowing her to clutch his hand for a few more seconds before gently withdrawing it.

Chu Ge and Luo Suyun comforted Shu Lulu for a while until she was finally led out of Chu Ge's house by Luo Suyun, turning back every three steps.

In the room, only two women remained.

Ye Li, and Mu Lingshan, who remained silent the whole time.

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.