Although Chu Ge didn't care much in his heart, these two were, after all, Mu Lingshan's classmates from the party school. Out of respect for Mu Lingshan, he didn't want to create a nasty atmosphere.

So even though Chu Ge was thinking "get lost," he maintained a harmless and peaceful smile on his face.

"I appreciate your kindness, but I think I'll not intrude."

Nodding and smiling at Huang Yourong and Chang Xin, Chu Ge turned around with Mu Lingshan and started walking toward another empty table.

"Brother Chu, since it's our first meeting, no need to be so unfriendly, right?"

Chu Ge had just taken a step when Chang Xin's voice came from behind. If his tone had been polite before, now it was clearly discontented.

Hearing Chang Xin's words, Mu Lingshan felt a bit awkward, but Chu Ge didn't stop and, with a smile, said "sorry" before leading her away.

Holy shit! This guy doesn't know how to appreciate kindness?

Watching Chu Ge leaving with Mu Lingshan, Chang Xin squinted his eyes, his expression darkening completely.

You must know their inspection office's job is to find faults and end people's careers. Even higher-ranked officials get nervous seeing them, because who dares claim they're absolutely clean these days?

Seeing people smiling at him was common for Chang Xin, but he hadn't met someone who showed him no respect in ages.

Seeing the same scene, Huang Yourong's eyes glistened with an unusual light. This guy is quite straightforward, isn't he?

Involuntarily, Huang Yourong became more and more interested in Chu Ge.

By this time, Chu Ge had already taken Mu Lingshan to a table far from Chang Xin and Huang Yourong, sitting down leisurely.

After ordering, the waiter left the table, and Mu Lingshan glanced in Chang Xin's direction, worriedly saying, "Chu Ge, weren't you a bit too straightforward in your rejection just now?"

Chu Ge calmly poured a glass of chilled beer for both himself and Mu Lingshan, slowly smiling, "What? Do you really want to have dinner with that guy?"

Mu Lingshan rolled her eyes at Chu Ge, "What do you think?"

"So you don't want to?"

Chu Ge lifted his glass, gently clinked it against Mu Lingshan's, and then downed it, letting out a satisfied sigh. A cold beer going down from throat to stomach sure felt good.

"Nonsense." Mu Lingshan also took a sip of beer, "I'm talking seriously here, stop joking around."

"If I hadn't been straightforward and gave him a chance to speak, it wouldn't have been easy for us to leave. Anyway, I'm just an ordinary person; there's not much he can do to me. But during the time you're studying here, stay away from him. He sees you as fresh prey near his den and is constantly thinking about how to seduce you."

When she heard the first half of Chu Ge's words, Mu Lingshan thought for a moment and realized it was true. If Chu Ge had been more polite to Chang Xin, and if Huang Yourong had intervened, leaving would have been difficult.

After all, aren't many unnecessary social engagements because people feel awkward saying "no" at first?

Actually, the principle is quite simple; it's just that many people are too concerned with saving face to say "no."

Just when Mu Lingshan felt a sense of sudden enlightenment, the second half of Chu Ge's sentence reached her ears, making her rub her forehead speechlessly.

"Can't you speak more gracefully? Just because you're sleazy, don't think everyone else is too, alright? Chang Xin is actually quite gentlemanly."

Chu Ge shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Although he had no doubt about his intuition, there was no need to explain anything intentionally.

Seeing Chu Ge remain silent, Mu Lingshan assumed he had nothing to say, filled his glass again, and said, somewhat disdainfully, "Besides, there's a saying that goes 'Rabbits don't eat the grass near their nest.' You know, being uncultured is terrible; you're making a fuss for no reason, and loudly too."

This saying was something Mu Lingshan had seen online before. The original line was "making a fuss for no fucking reason and loudly," but she was too embarrassed to say those words out loud. She needed to maintain her image.

Coincidentally, Chu Ge had heard the original line before. Seeing Mu Lingshan looking both disdainful and slightly embarrassed, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Regardless of the jest, this Tiger Girl was still quite naïve. She didn't see through or knew little about certain matters.

Mu Lingshan originally thought Chu Ge would retort, but she didn't expect he'd start laughing, and laughing with such joy, with his gaze at her quite odd, as if what she said was incredibly funny, which made her a bit nervously annoyed.

This guy surely knows that saying too, right? Oh gosh, why did I have to bring this up? It's so embarrassing!

"What's so funny? What's hilarious about it?"

"Hahaha..." Chu Ge almost managed to hold back his laughter, but seeing Mu Lingshan's expression at this moment, he couldn't help but laugh even more brightly.

"You're still laughing? Bastard, if you keep laughing, I'll leave!"

Mu Lingshan glared fiercely, stood up from the table with a whoosh.

How could Chu Ge let Mu Lingshan just leave like that? He hurriedly grabbed her arm, "Alright, alright, I won't laugh, pfft... hahaha!"

Mu Lingshan was even more frustrated, gritting her teeth and almost stomping her feet. Only after Chu Ge coaxed her for a long time did she finally sit back down, albeit with a huff, turning her face away and pouting, refusing to look at Chu Ge.

Chu Ge finally managed to stop laughing, but he didn't say anything immediately. He shook his head with amusement and helplessness, putting the barbecue brought by the waiter onto the grill, and started flipping and turning it.

As a sizzling sound came from the grill, the aroma of the barbecue soon wafted out. After a short while, Chu Ge had grilled a few slices of beef and placed them on the plate in front of Mu Lingshan.

"Eat up, it's grilled by Chef Chu, the taste is definitely amazing."

Mu Lingshan still said nothing, neither looking at the steaming barbecue on her plate nor at Chu Ge.

"You're not eating? If you don't eat, I'll have it."

While saying this, Chu Ge picked up a piece of barbecue he had just placed on Mu Lingshan's plate, and started eating it with relish, huffing and puffing as he went.

"Mmm, it's delicious, really fantastic, why am I so great at this, this grilling, tsk tsk!"

Saying this on purpose, Chu Ge reached his chopsticks towards Mu Lingshan's plate again.

Mu Lingshan finally couldn't hold back. Before Chu Ge's chopsticks reached over, she quickly grabbed those pieces of barbecue and stuffed them into her mouth, chewing in big bites, while glaring viciously at Chu Ge.

This time Chu Ge didn't tease Mu Lingshan anymore. Instead, he leaned back in his chair relaxedly, took a sip of beer, and a gentle curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Being looked at with such a gentle gaze by Chu Ge, Mu Lingshan instinctively slowed her chewing, and a very strange emotion arose in her heart, a feeling a bit flustered, yet warm.

Gulping down the barbecue in a few bites, Mu Lingshan took another sip of beer, slammed the glass onto the table with a "thud," and said somewhat fiercely, "What are you looking at! Never seen a woman eating?"

"You..." Chu Ge chuckled, gently flipping the barbecue on the grill, "A silly person like you is indeed more suited to be a little police officer."

"I..." Mu Lingshan was taken aback, completely unable to understand why Chu Ge would suddenly say such a thing. Her pretty brows furrowed, "Bastard, how am I silly again?"

"There's a saying that rabbits don't eat the grass next to their nests, but it depends on the situation. In the environment you're in now, the grass next to the nest is indeed more appetizing."

While saying this, Chu Ge added a few more pieces of barbecue to Mu Lingshan's plate. Mu Lingshan, still stunned, paused for two seconds before finally asking, "What do you mean by that?"

"Because in this circle, the grass next to the nest often represents safety."

"Safety?"

Chu Ge nodded, "That's right, safety. You often hear about some official getting into trouble for keeping a mistress, don't you? But think about it, don't you rarely hear about any negative news of officials having improper relations with their subordinates?"

Hearing Chu Ge say this, Mu Lingshan pondered for a moment. It seemed true, but she was still puzzled and nodded as a matter of course, "Yeah, doesn't that show that rabbits don't eat grass next to their nests?"

Chu Ge shook his head, "No, quite the opposite. This only further proves those two words I mentioned earlier: safety. Whether it's in the workplace or the entertainment circle, such rumors about eating the grass next to the nest always come out. Do you think there's nothing like that in your circle? Is that possible?"

Mu Lingshan was completely dumbfounded. She had never thought about these things before, but thinking about it now, could it be possible? The answer seems... no, of course not.

Mu Lingshan felt her head hurt from thinking, so she simply tossed the question back to Chu Ge, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"What I'm trying to say is that in this circle, people often consent mutually, take what they need from each other, don't interfere with each other, mutually benefit, and coexist harmoniously."

"Even if some accidents or disputes arise occasionally, everyone is smart enough to quickly calm down and make the wisest choice, which is to remain silent. After all, if things truly escalate, too many things would be affected, far from being as simple as in the workplace."

Saying this, Chu Ge rested his arm on the table, leaned slightly forward, and looked seriously into Mu Lingshan's slowly widening eyes.

"After saying so much, I actually just want to tell you one thing, although I'm not sure if I should say it, or if I have the right to say it, but I still want to tell you."

Facing Chu Ge's rare seriousness and gentle gaze, Mu Lingshan pressed her lips tightly together, her heart rate speeding up, her nerves also tensing up.

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