Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

The two argued back and forth, blaming each other and feeling sorry for the gifts they had given away. They argued until their faces were red.

In the end, neither of them could win the argument, and they were persuaded to separate by those around them. The more they thought about it, the more frustrated and resentful they became.

After working hard for several days, spending money and doing favors, only to have it all benefit someone else in the end, no one would be happy about that.

……

In the afternoon, Liu Da Nao drove over. Wang Changgui and Wang Yun went to town with Qi Santai. Accountant Xu warmly welcomed Liu Da Nao and asked him to sit at the village office for a while. Changgui should be back soon.

When Xie Guangkun and Liu Neng heard that Liu Da Nao had arrived, they had the same idea and came to the village office one after the other.

"What bad luck! Why do I keep running into you everywhere? What are you doing here?"

"This...this...what are you saying? You can come but I can't?"

Their eyes met, and they first glared at each other fiercely, their eyes full of disdain and annoyance. The next second, they both turned their heads and headed towards Liu Da Nao in the room.

Liu Neng spoke first, his words stammering and filled with grievance:

"Big-Headed Brother, this...this isn't right. I've been completely honest with you, so why was Lin Chen chosen in the end? Didn't you say you could handle it for me?"

Xie Guangkun followed closely behind, his face full of resentment, and said:

"That's for sure, Assistant Liu! I came here entirely because of you, and I've followed your instructions in everything. You've gone back on your word! I've been running around these past few days for nothing. What are we going to do about this?!"

Liu Da Nao sat in his chair, took a sip of mineral water at a leisurely pace, and felt confident, having already heard about the selection of the deputy director from Accountant Xu.

"How can you blame me for this? I've put in a lot of good words for you two behind your backs, I've practically worn my lips out. Besides, I didn't make any promises to you back then."

"If you want to blame someone for this, blame your town mayor. He specifically asked for Lin Chen on the spot. Even the top leaders in the town have spoken. What can I, an assistant on assignment, do? I'm powerless to do anything about it."

With a few casual words, he shifted all the blame onto Qi Santai, washing all the blame off himself.

They accepted the gifts with a clear conscience, not feeling offended at all, and didn't take the two people's frustration seriously.

Xie Guangkun's eyes darted around quickly, and an idea immediately popped into his head. He quickly took two steps forward and lowered his voice, saying:

"Assistant Liu, I have a good idea. You are the special representative of the Wang Group, and your words carry weight in the town. Even Mayor Qi has to give you face."

"Go back and have a chat with Mayor Qi. Tell him that the village's investment projects are too big, and one deputy director simply can't handle them all. There aren't enough people, so we need to add two more deputy directors specifically to assist you with the work."

"When the time comes, Liu Neng and I will step in and replace that kid Lin Chen. He's just a greenhorn, what does he know about the ways of officialdom? We're both native to Ivory Mountain, we understand everything about the village!"

"Just tell Mayor Qi that if he doesn't agree to create more positions or replace the people, this investment project can't proceed smoothly. Your group will just withdraw its investment. I guarantee that Mayor Qi will be completely helpless!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Neng immediately perked up, nodded in agreement, and smiled obsequiously.

"Yes, yes, this trick will definitely work! Assistant Liu, you can rest assured. If we both become deputy directors, you'll definitely get your share of the benefits; we certainly won't let you suffer any losses!"

The two of them kept praising Assistant Liu, saying things like "Assistant Liu is brilliant" and "Your words carry the most weight," completely flattering Liu Da Nao to the point of dizziness.

Upon hearing that there were immediate benefits to be gained, Liu Da Nao Nao became completely arrogant.

He thought about it and realized that made sense. What could young people possibly understand? He waved his hand confidently on the spot.

"Sure! I'll take care of it. It's just adding a couple more deputy directors, no big deal!"

"I'll go and meet Lin Chen in person first, find some faults with him, and gather some grounds before I go and talk to Qi Santai."

"You two just wait patiently for news. In this territory of Ivory Mountain, there's nothing the Wang Group can't accomplish, absolutely nothing!"

The two were overjoyed and thanked Liu Da Nao profusely, grinning from ear to ear, feeling that they had secured the position of deputy director.

……

The next morning, sunlight streamed into the entire courtyard, the villa was surrounded by lush greenery, and a faint fragrance of flowers filled the air, making it clean and elegant.

Liu Da Nao deliberately didn't sleep until he naturally woke up. He got up around nine o'clock, tidied himself up, combed his spiky hair into a shiny slicked-back style, tucked a briefcase under his arm, and walked slowly toward Lin Chen's house with his signature limping gait.

After walking for a while, I realized something was wrong, so I quickly took the iron out and put it under my heel. Only then could I walk normally.

Before he even reached the gate, he could see a two-meter-high wall in the distance, and a large, imposing automatic gate. There were cars parked inside. He was immediately taken aback.

This grandeur, this decor, this furnishings—it's even more elaborate than Wang Dana's house in Benxi; it doesn't look like what an ordinary rural family should have at all.

He wondered to himself, what was Lin Chen's background? He didn't look like an ordinary villager who farmed the land at all.

But then he thought, no matter how rich he is, he's just a rural tycoon. The Wang Group is a large and powerful family. Can't they control a young man from a village? With that thought, his confidence returned. He raised his head and walked in with his belly sticking out.

Lin Chen rang the doorbell as he walked to the door, and soon came to open it.

Seeing that the person who came was a stranger, Lin Chen was not surprised at all. He recognized Liu Da Nao at a glance.

This big head of his is quite distinctive, and Wang Musheng often made fun of him.

Lin Chen remained calm, stepping aside to let the person into the house, speaking in a casual tone as if greeting an ordinary neighbor.

"Assistant Liu, right? Please come in and have a seat."

He was neither as obsequious as Chang Gui, nor as surprised as the ordinary villagers. His humble yet assertive attitude left Liu Da Nao speechless.

"Pat-pat, pat..."

Hearing the footsteps behind him, Lin Chen frowned, but didn't say anything.

After entering the house, Lin Chen casually poured him a cup of tea, placed it on the coffee table, sat down on the sofa, crossed his legs, and spoke in a casual tone.

"You need something? What's wrong?"

This nonchalant attitude instantly made Liu Da Nao uncomfortable.

Ever since he came to Ivory Mountain, everyone in the village has been extremely polite to him, always with a smile on their face.

Lin Chen, however, was indifferent and showed no respect for him, the group's special assistant. In ancient times, this would have been equivalent to an imperial envoy!

Liu Da Nao, seething with anger, cleared his throat, leaned forward slightly, and spoke with a hint of pressure:

"Deputy Director Lin, first of all, congratulations on your successful election, but I must warn you in advance that this deputy director position, though it looks glamorous, is not easy to hold."

"The core task is to cooperate with the investment projects of our Wang Group. Subsequent project planning, infrastructure construction, and investment promotion must all be in line with our group's pace. You can't just do whatever you want."

"To put it bluntly, if our Wang Group wants to invest here, we can do so anytime. If we don't want to invest, we can withdraw our investment and leave. If things are delayed because of coordination issues and we withdraw our investment, your position as deputy director will be just an empty shell, and people will talk behind your back. You should think about it carefully."

After hearing this, Lin Chen paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, leaned back on the sofa, and gently tapped Liu Da's head with his finger.

"No, Assistant Liu, are you bragging to me?"

That simple question completely baffled Liu Da Nao.

He never expected that a mere deputy director would dare to speak to him like that. His face instantly darkened, and he slapped the sofa armrest, raising his voice slightly.

"What kind of attitude is that? I'm an inspection representative personally appointed by the chairman of the Wang Group! Watch your words!"

Lin Chen completely ignored his anger, and his face also darkened.

"If you can't speak, then get out of here. Don't make a scene in my house. You have kids here, and you've spoiled them rotten!"

Lin Chen casually picked up his phone from the coffee table, found the number, dialed it, put it on speakerphone, and gently placed it back on the table.

The phone was answered after only two rings, and Wang Dana's loud and enthusiastic voice immediately came through the receiver.

"Hey Xiao Chen! Why did you suddenly think of calling me? Did you hear I'm in Dalian overseeing a project and wanted me to get you some seafood to take back?"

Lin Chen spoke in a relaxed tone, as naturally as if he were chatting with someone.

"Sir, it's nothing serious. I just heard you were busy with a project by the sea, so I called to see how it's going."

"Smooth sailing, smooth sailing! You're so thoughtful, kid. Let me tell you, this project made a lot of money, hahaha!"

Wang Dana laughed heartily, and then Wang Musheng's voice came over.

"Dad, is that my younger brother? Can I say a few words?"