Chapter 309: Having A Clear Mind

Gu Ruoyan pursed her lips, wanting to say something but holding back.

This Chu Ge, he was holding a grudge.

The words about being “unemployed” were spoken by her during her blind date with Chu Ge. Back then, it must have stung him quite a bit, and now he had thrown it back in her face as if it were a slap.

Her retreat and his boldness were emphasized by these words.

She had to admit that this time, everyone in their fancy attire had been overshadowed by this unemployed wanderer.

Everyone had their reservations, and he genuinely didn’t. He was just a web writer, only responsible to his readers and not beholden to bureaucrats. Setting aside his parental identity, even if he were from a family of people who worked in Beijing all year round, local officials would have a hard time finding fault with him.

So he had no reservations, and he pursued a noble ideal.

This was not just about reservations; it was about chivalry.

For the first time, Gu Ruoyan felt a slight regret about her past choices. This man was truly exceptional.

A pity.

Chu Ge was still taunting the secretary-general, showing off his eloquence, “Sir, are you thinking of reporting me for provocation and causing a disturbance? Come on, take a look at the handprint on the girl’s face. I suggest you start by dealing with this foreigner; a slap evens things out. Otherwise, if I’m detained for a few days and write a few essays on social media, and you, sir, are embroiled in a public relations crisis, even if you can suppress and quell the situation, it might not bode well for your career. By the way, I have 600,000 followers on Weibo.”

The Secretary-General: “…”

One of his subordinates whispered, “I know him, he’s Chu Ge, a Weibo internet celebrity and a local author with a published book.”

An internet celebrity and an author. If each of these attributes was mentioned separately, it might not be a big deal, and they could even be objects of ridicule. But when you combined these two attributes, it was quite troubling because neither attribute relied on a particular location to make a living. They could easily relocate and live elsewhere at any time, and their influence on public opinion was particularly significant.

In particular, being an author – this thing – getting into a fight and being detained for a few days wouldn’t be much of an issue. And an author could use it to create a sentimental story, write a few sentences of reflection on life, and suddenly, the secretary-general, who already had a bad reputation, would become notorious, and even if they could suppress it, it would cast a shadow over his political career.

This person even seemed quite knowledgeable about this. Had he been through this before?

The secretary-general pondered for a long time and couldn’t believe that he was genuinely concerned about such a person. Could it be that cultured hooligans were the most fearsome?

His subordinate even added a more devastating piece of information, “He has a girlfriend, but they’re probably not married yet.”

The final blow.

In this day and age, having a girlfriend meant nothing, but being unmarried was key. What was there to fear when you weren’t tied down by a family?

Chu Ge looked at the secretary-general’s fluctuating expression with a cryptic smile, then turned and led the girl away from the banquet hall.

“Stop!” The assistant who had been slapped covered his nose and was followed by a group of Robin’s subordinates who caught up with them.

Chu Ge came to a halt and turned, his expression cold.

The group of people stopped in their tracks, suddenly remembering that this was not the place for a brawl.

“This is China,” Chu Ge said indifferently before looking at the resentful gaze of the man with his nose still bleeding. He then turned and walked away with the girl.

The assistant stared at his retreating back with hatred, but ultimately didn’t dare to make another move.

The entire room fell into silence, and no one spoke.

It wasn’t until Chu Ge disappeared outside the door that Cheng Guangyao suddenly burst into laughter. “Interesting young man, not a wasted trip.”

After speaking, he stood up and left the banquet as well.

“Thank you, Big Brother.” Outside the banquet hall, the girl broke into a smile, expressing her gratitude to Chu Ge.

Her tears had not yet dried, but her smile was as fresh as a morning flower.

Chu Ge felt content in his heart and smiled back. “Don’t follow these celebrities, especially people like this. Have you learned that there are not many good things out there? You’re still in school and it’s late. Go home.”

The girl blinked her eyes. “Big Brother Chu, the hero who saved me, aren’t you interested in developing something more? You haven’t even asked my name. It’s nighttime, you know?”

Chu Ge raised his head and said, “I have a girlfriend, and besides, you’re not beautiful.”

The girl stamped her foot. “Stupid straight guy.”

Chu Ge waved his hand and left with a smile.

“I’m still going to follow celebrities,” the girl said from behind.

Chu Ge: “…”

Then he heard the girl say, “Treat Qiuqiu nicely, my dear Chu Chu.”

Chu Ge stumbled and almost fell.

So, you’re a fan of mine?

…

After saying goodbye to the girl, Chu Ge’s mood was so good that it was about to explode.

What is having a clear mind? This is.

What is walking the rivers and lakes as imagined by Qiu Wuji? This is.

The only regret is that Qiuqiu is not here… it’s okay, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future.

Once upon a time, Chu Ge didn’t want to get involved too much, fearing it would affect his normal life. He had to pretend to be a goody-goody. But as his cultivation deepened, he found himself caring less and less.

What’s the point of hiding everything and practicing? After all this training, wasn’t it just to be able to stop wearing a mask and do what he wanted to do?

What if he offended the secretary-general? Who was more afraid of whom was still uncertain.

What if he offended Robin? Even if he was the real boss, well, come on, the two of us will handle you. We can take on anyone.

This feeling of an open heart was liberating. Chu Ge felt so free he wanted to sing to the moon.

Turning a corner, Gu Ruoyan was leaning against a lamppost under the streetlight, waiting for him.

Chu Ge wasn’t surprised. He approached with a smile. “Did I cause any trouble with my little act?”

Gu Ruoyan smiled wryly. “Have you been waiting for a long time to do this in front of me?”

Chu Ge shook his head. “I didn’t have the leisure to plan for this, it just happened.”

Gu Ruoyan remained silent for a moment before letting out a sigh.

She thought he was still carrying a grudge, ready to show off for her. In reality, he hadn’t remembered her at all.

Chu Ge nowadays and his girlfriend were the type who focused on each other and didn’t care much about anything else. Remembering their parents was hard enough, let alone anyone else.

She didn’t bring up the topic again, instead saying, “If you ever get into more trouble, and the police weren’t called on the spot, then it should be fine. The secretary-general was more cowardly than I had imagined… But I wonder if he might give you some trouble later. In general, I don’t think he can really do much to you.” Here, she added with some self-deprecation, “It’s not easy to be an official these days. I should have realized that I have many concerns, and so does he. In fact, he probably has more concerns than me.”

Chu Ge didn’t mock her. “If I ever need you to pull strings for me in the future, I’ll give you a call to help me out. Don’t tell me you can’t.”

Gu Ruoyan chuckled. “Don’t tell me you don’t see yourself as the second generation?”

Chu Ge was taken aback for a moment. “Uh…”

Not at all… he hadn’t even thought about it from start to finish.

“Good thing,” Gu Ruoyan smiled and repeated, “a good thing.”

Chu Ge was annoyed. “You only mentioned the secretary-general, what about Robin?”

“His composure is impeccable. He continued to host the auction and the following dance with a smile. It looks like it won’t end until well past midnight, so I left for now.”

“By coming out like this, didn’t you miss the task of keeping an eye on him?” Chu Ge asked, “Did my actions disrupt what was supposed to be normal observational activities?”

“Do you remember who said that ‘I may be a bit indignant, but I won’t act rashly? I’m just an ordinary person trying to live life.'”

“Emm…”

“But Chu Ge, you’re right.”

Chu Ge smiled faintly.

Gu Ruoyan continued, “The reason I stopped watching isn’t because there was nothing to watch, but because I noticed a problem.”

Chu Ge was taken aback. “What problem?”

“When you physically attacked the assistant, Robin had an immediate instinct to retaliate, but he managed to suppress it. At that moment, I sensed fluctuations in his ability.” Gu Ruoyan’s expression turned serious. “He’s an ability user, a powerful one.”

Chu Ge’s expression also became serious.

He hadn’t expected that the person he thought would be challenging to investigate, and would require prolonged observation, had revealed a weakness due to this minor incident.

As for whether it was the same person from Shanghai, that wasn’t the key issue. The mere fact that he was an ability user changed the nature of the situation. From this moment on, he fell under Gu Ruoyan’s jurisdiction and there was no longer any need for prior concerns.

Chu Ge remembered his own surprising discovery. “I noticed something too. When Robin was inquiring about what happened, that troublemaker assistant nodded to him. Is that the subordinate’s way of responding to a superior’s inquiry?”

Gu Ruoyan frowned. “It’s the way of ‘following the plan’.”

Chu Ge snapped his fingers. “Exactly. At the very least, it shows that they didn’t just bully someone accidentally or because they were used to being arrogant; it was intentional.”

“Intentionally bullying a young girl? What’s the purpose of that?”

Chu Ge pondered. “A test, perhaps? A test to see how far they can push the limits of the people in Nanjiang? Or maybe, it’s about the girls who aren’t too fanatical, using the excuse of compensating with auction items to force them into doing something?”