Regarding Chu Shiyao's question, Chu Ge couldn't help but feel both amused and exasperated. After such an unexpected incident, her main concern was still how to take this bath. Just how much does she love cleanliness?
"I say, let's just skip the bath. Let's just chat and then head out, alright?"
"No way, I definitely need to bathe."
Chu Ge rolled his eyes, "So should I really turn away, and we both bathe separately?"
Actually, Chu Ge's suggestion was just a joke. Despite what Chu Shiyao just said, he still thought it was inappropriate; he didn't expect Chu Shiyao to seriously consider it and then touch her forehead, saying, "Well... Didn't I just say that? Let's go with this plan, okay?"
Chu Ge's eye twitched, and he felt a mix of sweat and anxiety. Even if Chu Shiyao didn't see him as an outsider, wouldn't bathing in his presence feel awkward to her?
"Yaoyao, I still think we should forget it, alright? If you're not uncomfortable, I surely am."
Chu Shiyao persisted, "Alright, I don't feel awkward at all, so why should you? I think... let's do it this way. Chu Ge, you go lie in that bubble tub, and once I'm done, we'll head out together."
Chu Ge scratched his head, "Is... that okay? Do you trust that much?"
"Oh, what's not to trust? You said it yourself, we're close. If I can't trust you, who can I trust?"
Chu Ge was still a bit conflicted, but Chu Shiyao, without giving him a chance, pulled him over to the spacious bathtub, giggling, "Chu Ge, go lie down in there. I'm going to take a bath. I'm sure you won't sneak a peek."
"I... okay..."
Even though Chu Ge was still filled with hesitation and helplessness, since the girl was being so straightforward, he couldn't continue to decline without seeming overly coy. He forced a smile, nodded, and agreed. Once Chu Shiyao turned around, he took off his robe and stepped into the bubble-filled bathtub.
"Chu Ge, you definitely won't peek at , right?"
Hearing the sound of water behind him, Chu Shiyao giggled and asked, as she stepped towards the pool-like bath. Chu Ge, sitting in the tub, could only smile wryly and awkwardly acknowledge her with a "hmm."
If it wasn't Chu Shiyao, Chu Ge would definitely suspect the sincerity of her words. But now, as it was her, he really didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Soaking in the bubble-filled tub felt incredibly comfortable, an indescribable relaxation spread all over his body.
After an unknown amount of ti, Chu Shiyao finally wrapped herself with a towel and approached Chu Ge's tub, turning her back and laughing, "Chu Ge, I'm done. Your turn?"
The bubbles in the tub were so many that, even if Chu Shiyao stood next to Chu Ge, she couldn't see much of anything, but she still kept a little distance as she approached.
Hearing Chu Shiyao say this, Chu Ge couldn't help but sweat again. Her words sounded so odd.
Before getting married, Chu Ge would usually play along with Chu Shiyao and crack a few jokes, but now he simply responded, got out of the tub, rinsed off the bubbles under the shower, dried off, and put his robe on.
"Alright, I'm done too. Let's head out."
"Chu Ge, I really owe you an apology. While I was bathing earlier, I was keeping an eye on your side, but you really kept your word and didn't sneak a peek. It was my suspicion that treated your honest intentions poorly."
Chu Ge laughed and said, "Uh... it's fine, haha, it's fine."
Turning off the shower head, both of them wrapped in towels made their way to the changing room. Sharing a knowing glance, Chu Shiyao then took out her clothes.
"Darling, this place is so nice. Make sure you accompany here again soday."
"Haha, as long as you like it. Whenever you want to co, we'll co."
On the surface, they chatted casually, but in reality, Chu Ge was carefully inspecting each piece of Chu Shiyao's clothing, from the inside out.
Even though these things are very private for a girl, this wasn't the ti to be coy. He couldn't overlook a single detail.
Frankly speaking, Chu Ge hoped that his search would find nothing and that Chu Chengrui truly just wanted to care for and cherish Chu Shiyao as a grandparent should. Unfortunately... during his careful inspection, he indeed discovered a very inconspicuous listening device hidden inside a decorative button on Chu Shiyao's clothing.
"Yaoyao, hear out. Your grandfather is quite old. To put it bluntly, he doesn't have many years left. As his granddaughter, you really should be a bit nicer to him. The past grudges, it's ti to let them go."
Speaking on behalf of Chu Chengrui, Chu Ge's expression was full of helplessness as he pointed at the button and sighed slightly.
Chu Shiyao looked at the button Chu Ge was pointing at, and imdiately understood his aning. She couldn't help but furrow her eyebrows tightly, feeling a strong urge to rip the button off and stomp it to pieces with her heel.
Noticing the anger in Chu Shiyao's eyes, Chu Ge shook his head, signaling her to control her emotions and react as she theoretically should.
"Alright, I know you're kind-hearted. At worst, I'll try to accept him. Everyone's heart is made of flesh. If he's always good to , then I'll definitely take good care of him too."
Chu Shiyao gritted her teeth hard before finally squeezing out a cooperative sentence.
"That's more like it. I knew our Yaoyao has the kindest heart. Good girl."
"Fine, you're just trying to sweet-talk ."
The two exchanged words playfully, dressed separately with their backs to each other, and left the bathhouse, only to see Wu Qing sitting on the sofa in the lobby, half of his face swollen and looking extrely displeased. Every guest passing by would cast curious glances at him.
Chu Ge and Chu Shiyao glanced at him without acknowledging him, and they left "Suilai Lidu" directly. They went to a mobile phone store to buy a phone for Chu Shiyao, followed by lunch, and spent the afternoon playing in an amusent park. In the evening, Chu Ge and Chu Shiyao parted ways, and she got into the rcedes that Wu Qing had been following them in.
Not to ntion the issue with Chu Chengrui, which couldn't be clarified imdiately, Chu Ge couldn't possibly stay with Chu Shiyao all the ti, as he had his own matters to attend to.
For instance, explaining things properly to Qin Ruojing was now his top priority.
In fact, if he wasn't worried about Chu Chengrui suspecting his close relationship with Chu Shiyao, he would have gone to Qin Ruojing long ago. This lunch felt bland to him, and his afternoon at the amusent park was utterly distracted.
Even though he spoke to Chu Shiyao with a carefree tone earlier, it was ultimately just to set her mind at ease.
Thinking back to his words to Chu Shiyao, Chu Ge felt quite speechless himself, especially using a phrase like "I'm not bragging, but..."
Generally, any sentence starting with such a phrase tends to lead to bragging. This was quite common, like one of Chu Ge's friends who used to speak that way. He used to laugh them off as jokes, yet today he found himself doing the sa.
There are actually many similar phrases in everyday life.
Like when soone says "I'm not bragging, but," the rest can typically be seen as boastful. Or if soone at a restaurant, faced with a bill, says "I don't care about the money," they're most likely concerned about the money. When soone says "I'm not petty," they are probably petty.
This situation is common, and it's rumored that so psychologists have specifically studied it. These kinds of phrases represent a way of convincing oneself before deceiving others.
Of course, such phrase usage is more prevalent in Hua Country. People from Western countries tend to prefer a more direct style when communicating. Many foreigners in Hua Country may initially not notice it, but once they engage more deeply with people around them, they'll often find it baffling to understand the communication style of Hua Country.
Chu Ge had seen a hilarious example. A foreigner helping wash hair at a hair salon once encountered a custor who complained about the hot water. The custor, quite displeased, asked, "Could the water be any hotter?"
The foreigner's straightforward nature led them to raise the water temperature imdiately, making the custor yelp in distress.
After dropping off Chu Shiyao, Chu Ge imdiately dialed Qin Ruojing's number. The call connected quickly, but unfortunately, it was hung up after a few rings. When he tried again, Qin Ruojing hung up once more.
Sitting in the Maserati, Chu Ge scratched his head with a wry smile. It seems... Qin Ruojing was genuinely furious this ti. But then again, what woman wouldn't be upset in such a situation?
Looking at his phone, Chu Ge didn't attempt to call again. Instead, he went to the mall to buy a delicate platinum bracelet, then headed to the market to buy a bunch of Qin Ruojing's favorite foods.
Tonight, he had to earnestly appease Qin Ruojing. He also decided not to hide anything regarding Chu Shiyao from Qin Ruojing, intending to tell her everything honestly.
While contemplating how to explain things to Qin Ruojing, Chu Ge returned to Huafu Garden District. However, when he brought the jewelry box containing the platinum bracelet and the groceries upstairs and tried to unlock the door, he was dumbfounded.
Oh... shoot!
The key no longer worked on this door. Qin Ruojing had actually changed the lock?
Though opening such a basic security door would be a piece of cake for Chu Ge, the key issue was... he couldn't do that, right?
So, Chu Ge could only knock on the door.
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