Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

From that night onward, Chen Yannan completely reverted to being the dutiful guest, at least on the surface.

During meals, she deliberately sat as far away from Lin Chen as possible, chatting and laughing with Xie Dajiao and Xie Xiaomei the whole time, not daring to spare a single glance for Lin Chen. She spent her days in the orchard and only returned in the afternoon, deliberately avoiding any opportunity to be alone with Lin Chen.

But when the night is deep and quiet, and the entire villa is completely silent, the suppressed emotions will surge wildly.

She would always tiptoe out of the room, either quietly leaving the door open for Lin Chen, or being pulled into his arms by Lin Chen who was waiting at the corner of the corridor.

The embrace in the darkness was tight and heavy, the kisses urgent and frequent, carrying stolen thrills and extreme craving.

She dared not utter a sound, and could only hold each other tightly, using kisses to soothe the reluctance in her heart and make up for the regret of deliberately distancing herself during the day.

Their daily interactions are full of subtle entanglements; when handing something over, their fingers touch quickly and subtly intertwine.

They lightly brushed their toes under the table, tentatively testing each other's tenderness. When no one was around, they quickly touched the corner of their lips, then hurriedly separated.

This kind of furtive, clandestine ambiguity is far more alluring and agonizing than open and honest affection; it's addictive and irresistible.

Xie Xiaomei caught the two of them exchanging affectionate glances several times, and each time she would quietly lower her head and chuckle, silently seeing through their antics without ever pointing it out.

In the backyard dormitory of the Wang Xiaomeng Bean Products Factory, the overhead lights were very bright, and the light spilled down, making the faces of the young girls in the room glow red. The room was very lively.

When Wang Xiaomeng and Wang Laoqi returned from their inspection trip, they specially prepared a dinner for them. However, they ate a little late, starting at 8 p.m. sharp, and had called Lin Chen over to eat early.

Having nothing to do, Lin Chen strolled over early in the morning.

In the kitchen, Wang Laoqi and his wife were busy cooking, while inside, Wang Xiaomeng, wearing an apron, was busy setting out bowls and chopsticks, wiping the table, and arranging chairs.

After dark, in the backyard women's dormitory, a group of young girls had just finished showering and washing up. They were all wearing loose floral pajamas, their half-dry hair draped over their shoulders, looking fresh and energetic.

Four or five girls in their early twenties were sitting cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), making a racket and chattering around playing cards. Their laughter almost lifted the roof off. A few others were chatting online on the computer on the floor, and two others were probably too tired to doze off on the kang.

As soon as Lin Chen pushed the door open and walked in, the big-eyed girl leading the group instantly brightened up, waving her hand and shouting enthusiastically, without the slightest bit of shyness or bashfulness:

"Brother Chen, you're finally here! Why haven't you come for so long? Come on, come on up to the kang (heated brick bed), let's play some cards!"

A short-haired girl next to them immediately joined in the commotion, showing great courage and openness:

"Brother Chen, don't be shy! We're all from the same factory, no need to be polite. Come on over and play a couple of rounds with us. No cheating if you lose!"

Lin Chen wasn't shy or pretentious at all. He smiled, took off his shoes, and climbed onto the kang (heated brick bed), sitting directly in the middle of a group of girls, causing them to squeal and scream.

"Alright, I'll play with you guys for a bit. But let's make it clear first, if you lose, you're not allowed to tell on Xiaomeng. Don't blame me if I smear paper all over your faces!"

"No way, we're a true bettor!" A group of girls laughed and agreed, instantly crowding around them even tighter.

The room was filled with vibrant young girls, all huddled together, their loose pajamas revealing their slender necks and arms, and the faint scent of shampoo mingling with the steam.

Lin Chen sat in the middle, surrounded by a group of girls, creating a lively and eye-catching scene.

If it were any other young man in the village, he would have been embarrassed long ago, especially since there are so many women around, and they dare to say anything.

But Lin Chen was just an ordinary soldier. He had no ulterior motives; he was simply killing time with these girls and joining in the fun.

In no time, his forehead and chin were covered with white paper strips, which looked both comical and funny.

"Haha, Chen-ge, what are you doing? Look at how covered in sticky stuff!"

"That's right, we've finally caught an easy target today!"

The girls on the kang (heated brick bed) were laughing so hard they were doubled over. Those who were playing on the computer stopped and crowded around, their bodies pressed together, making a lively and unrestrained scene.

The most outspoken girl among them reached right up to his face, gently plucked the note off his face with her fingertips, and deliberately brushed it against his cheek, teasing him with a smile:

"Brother Chen, you're so handsome, how come you're so bad at cards? Are you deliberately letting us win to make us happy? You're spoiling us too much!"

Lin Chen chuckled, tossed the cards aside, and spread his hands with a smile:

"You guys figured it out. If I go all out and beat you all to tears, you'll all come running to Xiaomeng to complain about me. I can't handle that."

Upon hearing this, the entire room burst into laughter.

"Brother Chen is such a smooth talker, his words are so sweet!"

"No wonder everyone in the village adores you!"

"No, we have to keep Chen Ge here for a few more rounds tonight; we can't let him leave so easily!"

The girls pushed and shoved each other, brazenly crowding around him, making the kang mat creak and groan, and filling the room with their cheerful laughter.

When Lin Chen occasionally visited Wang Xiaomeng before, he became familiar with them. The girls in the village were generous, cheerful, and unpretentious. In addition, Lin Chen had a good temper, was approachable, and knew how to behave appropriately, so everyone was willing to be close to him without feeling awkward or offended.

Just as things were getting lively, the dormitory door was pushed open.

Wang Xiaomeng, wearing an apron, stood at the doorway, watching the group of girls on the kang (heated brick bed) fooling around Lin Chen, and shook her head with a mix of helplessness and amusement:

"You girls are making such a racket! I can hear your laughter even when I'm cooking in the kitchen. You're practically blowing the roof off!"

She looked at Lin Chen, whose face was covered in notes, and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Wow, Chen-ge, you've got some skills. You've almost turned my female workers' dormitory upside down. Stop messing around, dinner's ready, my dad's waiting at the table, come and eat."

"Received, coming right away."

Lin Chen smiled, reached up and wiped the note off his face, tossed it onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and nimbly put on his shoes and jumped off the kang.

The girls behind him immediately became unhappy, reaching out to stop him and chattering incessantly:

"No, Chen-ge, come back quickly after you finish eating and keep playing! We're waiting for you!"

"Exactly, playing cards is no fun without you. You can't run away!"

Lin Chen turned around, waved his hand, and joked with a smile:

"You can't play anymore. If you keep playing, your factory manager will kick me out. By the way, I have an older brother named Wang Musheng. When he comes over, you can play with him for me, just to give me face."

"No problem, Brother Chen!"

Lin Chen waved to them and followed Wang Xiaomeng to Wang Laoqi's room.

The praise and whispers behind me came in a continuous stream:

"Chen-ge is so great, it's just that he already has a girlfriend, sigh..."

"What, you think you can get a partner if you don't have one?"

"Whoever tells you, they might just end up sneaking into someone else's bed!"

"Forget about her, even I, her fiancé, am tempted to throw myself into her arms..."

The sound was quite loud. Wang Xiaomeng glanced at Lin Chen sideways and teased, "..."

"Wow, you're really charming. All the girls in my factory are practically bewitched by you. You'd better stay away from here a little longer; I need to keep an eye on you for Xiaomei!"

Lin Chen shrugged, smiled faintly, and didn't dare to reply.

……

Wang Dana's business trip to Dalian, which lasted for so long, is finally over. After finishing, he rushed back without stopping, and was so tired that his whole body ached.

Wang Musheng went home to sleep. He returned to the company by himself. When he pushed open the office door, he heard a slight snoring sound inside. He looked up and saw Liu Da Nao lying sprawled on the sofa, fast asleep.

His big head was tilted back in the seat, his mouth was wide open and could fit an egg, and drool was hanging from the corner of his mouth, about to drip into his collar.

Wang Dana's face immediately darkened. He coughed twice, trying to wake Liu Dana up, but Liu Dana was sleeping like a pig and didn't react at all.

Wang Dana lost his patience, stepped forward and kicked him, shouting angrily:

"Wake up! Get up right now! Did you come to work or are you sleeping here? Is this any way to behave?!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Da's head jerked violently, and he instantly sat up as if he had been electrocuted.

Still half asleep, his eyelids drooping, he rubbed his eyes for a long time in a daze. But when he saw Wang Dana standing in front of him with a dark face, he immediately woke up.

He hurriedly wiped away the drool, haphazardly straightened his wrinkled clothes, and stood there helplessly, his face full of a fearful smile.

"Chairman, you're back! When did you arrive? I... I was just sitting here taking a break, thinking I'd doze off for a couple of minutes, but I accidentally fell asleep. I really didn't mean to be lazy!"

Wang Dana completely ignored him, strode to his boss's chair, leaned back, tapped his fingers on the table, and stared intently at him.

"Stop with the nonsense. I'm asking you, how's the investigation of Ivory Mountain going? Tell me the truth, don't try to fool me."

Liu Da Nao immediately straightened his back, limped over, and said:

"Great! Chairman, everything's fine over there!"

"Good?"

Wang Dana raised an eyelid, his tone instantly turning cold:

"I sent you to investigate, and all you said was 'fine'? I sent you to investigate the project, what exactly did you do? Explain in detail!"