Chu Ge was initially stunned, then a bit conflicted, and finally became very conflicted.

Uh... What does Mu Lingshan mean? She couldn't possibly mean that, right?

But... what if she really does mean that?

Time seems a bit tight, if that Huang Jie and Director Chang come over, it might be a bit of a hassle?

Forget it, don't worry about those two, who cares about them? Worst case, I'll just take another dive into the water tank.

But... I don't know what tomorrow's meeting with Liang Chen will be like. Tonight, it's best to eat and drink well, go back early to rest and conserve energy, that's the proper way, right?

Ah, to hell with the proper way, if something were to happen to me tomorrow, at least today I'd be happy!

Uh... I'm already a family man, no matter what, this, this really isn't great.

Inside, Chu Ge was having a battle between his heart and mind. As Qin Ruojing's face gradually became clear in his mind, he finally sighed slightly in his heart, pulled out the hand Mu Lingshan was holding, and grinned at her.

"You told me to leave, I left. You want me back, sorry, too far gone."

Making a bit of a joke, just as Chu Ge was about to leave, Mu Lingshan blushed and cursed "bastard", but when she tried to grab him again, she missed, her body swayed and she almost fell.

In such a situation, Chu Ge certainly couldn't stand by and do nothing, he quickly supported her and asked, a bit helpless, "Tiger Girl, you're not planning on doing something here, are you?"

Mu Lingshan rolled her eyes dramatically, "Are you crazy or am I crazy?"

Chu Ge pretended to be startled, "Uh? So you're not letting me leave because..."

"My legs are numb, I can't get up, if you don't help me, I can't get out." Mu Lingshan raised her hand to tap her forehead, looking at Chu Ge with both anger and amusement, "Calling you a rogue isn't an injustice at all, it's amazing you can even think of that, why are you so shameless?"

Chu Ge blinked, scratched his head, and laughed even more helplessly, "Just kidding, why so serious?"

Mu Lingshan gave him another eye roll, "You're such a weirdo, who knows if what you say is true or false. I've known you for so long, often I think you're joking, turns out you're serious, I think you're serious, and it turns out you're joking instead."

Hearing Mu Lingshan say this, Chu Ge found it even more amusing, "Doesn't that just show you're not bright enough? If you can't even tell whether I'm joking or being serious, what else can you do?"

"Get lost, you think everyone is as weird as you? Clearly, I'm the normal one, you're the abnormal one, right?"

"If you're dumb, just admit it. Your promotion doesn't mean your IQ has improved, with your IQ, I'm really worried you'll accidentally arrest a good person and let a criminal go, I'm telling you, it's not scare tactics, this could definitely happen to you."

"Why are you so mean? Can't you say something nice? Since I started this job, I've never wrongly accused anyone!"

"Hey? You're really shameless to say that, am I not the wrongly accused good person?"

The two bickered while listening to the outside, confirming no one was around, Chu Ge helped Mu Lingshan up from the floor, waited for her to straighten her clothes, then helped her out.

At the sink, Chu Ge leaned against the wall, as Mu Lingshan washed her hands she asked, "What are you doing in the provincial capital?"

Chu Ge smiled slightly, "Came to see you, would you believe it?"

"Yeah, right, as if I'd believe that." She said with her mouth, but Mu Lingshan's cheeks flushed slightly, her expression both annoyed and pleased, "If you don't want to say, no need to make up such an outrageous reason."

Chu Ge shrugged, "What about you, that guy earlier, and that Director Chang, what's up with them?"

Mu Lingshan gave a wry smile, turned off the faucet, and flicked the water from her hands, "Just classmates from Party school, purely socialising, would you mind being my boyfriend for a while?"

Chu Ge flashed an 'I knew it' smile, "Any benefits?"

Mu Lingshan walked over to him, flicked some water on his face, "Get lost, will you help or not?"

"What do you think?" Seeing Mu Lingshan puffing with anger, Chu Ge smirked, temporarily tucked the ring on his left ring finger into his bag, stretched out his right arm, "Let's go!"

"That's more like it." Mu Lingshan smiled triumphantly, naturally taking his arm, the two looking every bit like an intimate couple, left the restroom and headed back to the hall.

Though neither of them knew what their relationship actually was or what it might become, in this moment, they were truly a couple, no acting needed.

On their way back, Mu Lingshan briefly explained the current situation to Chu Ge.

The person who just went to the restroom, Huang Yourong, is a section chief at the Jiangyun City Investment Bureau. She's a socialite type who is amiable and adaptable. Since there are relatively fewer women attending the Party School, Mu Lingshan naturally ended up getting closer to her, and over time they became quite well acquainted.

Originally, today's meal plan was just for Mu Lingshan and Huang Yourong, but after they arrived, they coincidentally ran into another Party School classmate at the entrance, Deputy Director Chang Xin from the Provincial Public Security Department's Supervisory Office.

Then Huang Yourong suggested they have a meal together, and Chang Xin, unable to refuse such enthusiasm, gladly accepted.

Mu Lingshan was quite helpless, but she couldn't bring herself to say much more, so the three of them ended up sitting together. However, although Chang Xin originally wanted a private room, Mu Lingshan suggested staying in the main hall instead.

Chu Ge chuckled upon hearing this; what kind of coincidence is that? It was clearly premeditated.

Although a bit displeased, Chu Ge didn't take it to heart; after all, young and pretty female officials naturally draw attention.

Since Chang Xin hadn't actually done anything to Mu Lingshan, he wasn't going to be petty. He just wanted Chang Xin to know that Mu Lingshan had a boyfriend, so he wouldn't bother her in the future.

After Mu Lingshan said all this, they had returned to the main hall but hadn't reached the table where Chu Ge had passed by earlier when Huang Yourong spotted them first, suddenly freezing with an expression that turned rather odd.

Noticing the change in Huang Yourong's demeanor, Chang Xin followed her gaze and immediately a shadow appeared in his eyes as he slightly frowned.

When Chu Ge and Mu Lingshan got closer, Huang Yourong stood up from the table, "Shanshan, you're back, haha... and who might this be?"

Though speaking to Mu Lingshan, her gaze was curiously sizing up Chu Ge.

To be fair, Chu Ge wasn't the type that was particularly trendy at the moment—neither a sharp chin nor fair skin.

But for Huang Yourong, who has seen countless people—or rather, countless men—whether it was Chu Ge's appearance or the way he walked, he exuded a robust masculinity mixed with a bit of roguishness that was incredibly attractive to her.

The first time she looked into Chu Ge's eyes, her eyes lit up and her heart skipped a beat. She initially thought they wouldn't have any interaction, and felt regret. Unexpectedly, they met again so soon, and this man showed up with Mu Lingshan right in front of her.

Mu Lingshan gracefully smiled, "Sister Huang, Director Chang, let me introduce you, my boyfriend, Chu Ge."

"Chu Ge?" Huang Yourong paused a moment, lowered her voice, and asked, "Could it be the same Chu Ge you mentioned on the 'Heavy Punch' program before?"

Mu Lingshan nodded with a smile, "Yes."

"Haha, I've heard so much about you! So you are the mysterious big hero. I'm Huang Yourong, you can just call me Yourong." Huang Yourong's smile brightened even more as she extended her hand to Chu Ge.

Chu Ge returned a polite smile to Huang Yourong, extended his hand for a polite shake, and suddenly felt a tickle in his palm, obviously the result of her discreet touch.

Chu Ge couldn't help but roll his eyes inwardly, thinking, "Lady, aren't you going overboard? Mu Lingshan said I'm her boyfriend, are you pretending she doesn't exist?"

While Chu Ge found it both amusing and slightly annoying, Chang Xin's voice reached his ears again.

"Miss Mu, I hadn't heard you had a boyfriend before, and Mr. Chu, when did you arrive?"

Although Chang Xin's tone was quite calm, it was nonetheless filled with suppressed animosity and irritation.

"Director Chang, you didn't ask if I had a boyfriend, did you?" Mu Lingshan leaned against Chu Ge with a smile, turning to glance at Chu Ge, "He just arrived; honestly, I didn't even know he was coming. He wanted to give me a surprise."

Seeing Mu Lingshan's face full of the joy of a little woman, Chang Xin got even more frustrated inside, but under the circumstances, he could only bottle up his displeasure and forced a gentlemanly smile at Chu Ge.

"Mr. Chu, you are indeed a mindful person; no wonder you won the beauty's heart. Fellow men should really learn from you."

Although Chang Xin was smiling, it was a kind of awkward smile, and his words were pleasing enough but carried a definite tone of jealousy.

Chu Ge offered a faint smile without responding, and since this guy had no intention to shake hands with him, that was for the best—he wasn't interested in dealing with this guy anyway.

Huang Yourong giggled and made a gesture towards Chu Ge, "Haha, it's better to meet by chance than to be invited. Since we've run into each other today, Mr. Chu, don't just stand there. Join us for a bite?"

Chang Xin also nodded at Chu Ge, "Yes, Brother Chu, please have a seat. I originally intended to learn from you; no better day than today, it can be considered as me welcoming you."

Chu Ge secretly rolled his eyes, thinking, "What kind of senior are you pretending to be? You think you're qualified to be my brother?"

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