Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

"If you can't refuse, why don't you just say no?"

Lin Chen slammed his hand on the table again:

"Is this resort your private property? You serve whatever the guests order? I think you're just being generous with other people's money, using the chairman's hard-earned cash to build up your own connections!"

"You just wait and see, I also own shares in this resort! I need to see dividends!"

Just as Lin Chen was launching into his tirade, the office door was gently pushed open.

A young female secretary with wavy hair walked in carrying a bowl of porridge. Her voice wasn't particularly sweet; it was rather boisterous.

"Mr. Liu, I've brought you the freshly stewed sea cucumber porridge... Oh, this must be Mr. Lin. You should try some too. The seafood we make in our kitchen is just as good as what you'd find in a big restaurant!"

She put the porridge on the table and stood to the side watching Lin Chen, waiting for praise.

Lin Chen stared at her for two seconds, then turned to look at Liu Da Nao, whose face was deathly pale, and asked in a cold voice:

"Who is this?"

Liu Da Nao panicked and quickly said:

"Ah... this is sea cucumber porridge, freshly made, very nourishing!"

"I didn't even know this was a sea cucumber?!"

Lin Chen instantly flew into a rage, pointing his finger at the woman:

"I'm asking you who this person is!"

Liu Da Nao was so startled by the shout that he stammered:

"Ah? Ah! This is my new secretary, Xiao Li. She usually helps me organize documents, run errands, and handle other miscellaneous tasks..."

"secretary?"

Lin Chen leaned back in his chair, looked him up and down, and said sarcastically:

"Liu Da Nao, you're really something else, aren't you? You've really gotten cocky, don't you know your own limitations?"

After saying that, Lin Chen stood up, stepped forward, pointed at Liu Da Nao's nose, and launched into a tirade of abuse:

"You think you're qualified to hire a secretary? My uncle sent you to manage the resort to work and earn money, not to sit here like a local tyrant and enjoy yourself!"

"With your meager skills, you spend all your time slacking off at work, never doing any real work, and you still have the nerve to hire a secretary to serve you?"

"You dress up in a suit every day, looking all high and mighty, fixing your spiky hair in front of the mirror. Do you really think you're the boss? If it weren't for the chairman's sentimental attachment, would you even be managing the resort? If you ask me, you should just go back to being your assistant! Pretending to be a high-class person in this backwater, with a secretary on your side, I think you're just bored out of your mind!"

Lin Chen pressed forward step by step, his aura so overwhelming that Liu Da Tou had to retreat repeatedly, not daring to lift his head.

"Tell me about the mess you've made! The accounts are a complete disaster, you've fabricated entertainment expenses, and you've been spending public money on lavish meals and drinks every day. What despicable things haven't you done? Don't think you've hidden it well; nobody's stupid!"

"The chairman trusts you so much, entrusting the entire resort to you, and you, you're two-faced, treating the resort like your own personal haven, aren't you?"

"Don't treat everyone like fools! You have no real skills, but you're a master of putting on airs! Xie Yongqiang is honest and hardworking, and you not only dislike him, but you also constantly bully him, make things difficult for him, and badmouth him behind his back. That's all you're good for—bullying your own people!"

"If you're so capable, then improve the performance! Where's the money?! I want to see profits! You slack off at work, don't do a single thing of real work, yet you get the highest salary. How can you be so shameless? You're just occupying a position without doing any work, wasting such a nice resort. Even a dog could do a better job in your position!"

Liu Da Nao's face was as white as paper, cold sweat poured down his back, soaking his shirt completely. He lowered his head, enduring the scolding, not daring to breathe, only repeating himself over and over:

"President Lin, please calm down... I was wrong... I'll definitely change in the future..."

Lin Chen didn't buy it at all and continued to curse:

"You can't change your nature! You've been living too comfortably and have completely forgotten who you are! You keep talking about being the manager of the resort, but what responsibilities have you taken? All you care about is eating, drinking, and putting on airs! Sea cucumber porridge, nourishing food—any more of that and your brain will explode!"

"If I were the chairman, I would have fired you long ago! You even have a secretary? I might as well just give you a wet nurse to take care of your every need! It's only because I don't want to get involved in this mess, otherwise you wouldn't even be able to get through the gates of the resort!"

"You think you're all that just because you have a little power? Let me tell you, Liu Da Nao, in Ivory Mountain, if I tell you what to do, you do it; if I tell you what to do, you're fired tomorrow! Don't try to play those tricks on me; your little schemes mean nothing to me!"

Xiao Li, who was standing next to him, had never seen anything like this before. Although Lin Chen didn't scold her, she trembled all over just listening to him. Her face turned red and white, and finally she couldn't hold back anymore. She covered her face and burst into tears. She turned around and ran away, forgetting to close the door.

Lin Chen completely ignored her and continued staring at Liu Da Nao:

"You spend all day styling your hair, making it look shiny and smooth. Does that feed you or help with sales? Instead of wasting time on vanity, you should manage the kitchen, manage the staff, and improve the service! You just saunter around with your pigeon-toed gait, pretending to be all high and mighty, but you're all an idiot!"

"Useless at everything, always hungry, and a master at taking credit and shirking responsibility! You don't care whether the resort makes money or not, but you know very well whether you can profit from it. My uncle treats you like a confidant, but you treat him like a sucker!"

"You squander his money every day, how can you live with yourself? If I were you, I would have crawled into a hole in the ground long ago, how could I still have the face to stand here! Your skin is thicker than a city wall!"

This tirade lasted for more than half an hour, with a variety of swear words and insults used.

He was scolded for everything from his work ability to his character and morality, from the messy accounts to his laziness and arrogance. Liu Da Nao was so scolded that his legs spun around, and all his arrogance disappeared.

Lin Chen finally stopped cursing until his throat was dry, then glared at him and roared:

"What are you standing there for? Go get me a glass of water! Don't you have any common sense?"

"Yes, yes! Coming right away! Coming right away!"

Liu Da Nao Tou, as if grasping at a straw, scurried off to get some water, still feeling a sense of relief that he could finally catch his breath and avoid being scolded.

He carefully handed over the water glass, which Lin Chen took and gulped down. He slammed the glass down on the table, wiped his mouth, and his temper flared up again.

"What, you think pouring a glass of water is enough? You think this is the end of it? Let me tell you, Liu Da Nao, this isn't over today!"

"Don't think I'll let this slide after a few words. I'll have the finance department meticulously check every single account. If they find even one discrepancy or falsified record, we'll see how you handle it! And your secretary, send her to another department tomorrow. This resort doesn't keep idle people!"

Liu Da Nao was inwardly groaning; he'd get scolded for pouring a glass of water, but he dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction on his face, constantly nodding and bowing.

"I heard you! I'll let her go tomorrow! I'll definitely work hard and conscientiously from now on!"

"Work hard? What were you doing all this time?!"

Lin Chen continued to berate Liu Da Nao for over twenty minutes, from the initial intention of opening the resort to the current mess, listing all of Liu Da Nao's dereliction of duty and scolding him until his face turned pale and then completely wilted.

After he finished cursing, Lin Chen sat back in his chair and stared at Liu Da Nao, issuing his final ultimatum.

"Don't give me any empty promises. I don't believe a word you say, not even your oaths. So, I'm staying at the villa for the time being."

"I'll keep a close eye on things myself. I want to see how you run this resort, where all the money goes, and what you're actually doing at work every day. No rush, we'll settle all the accounts and all the issues one by one."

Upon hearing this, Liu Da Nao's mind went blank, and his legs went weak, almost causing him to collapse to the ground.

Lin Chen is watching this place every day? How is he supposed to slack off, reap the benefits, and enjoy himself in the future? This is going to be the death of him!

The thought of Lin Chen staying at the mountain villa made him subconsciously look up, a little dazed, and blurt out:

"What's going on... Mr. Lin, are you going to stay here?"

Lin Chen glanced up at him, chuckled, and said in a strange tone:

"Nonsense, where else would I live if I didn't live here? Am I going to hang from the roof beam like a bat? Stop spouting such tasteless nonsense."

Liu Da Nao, scolded, shrank back and quickly put on a smiling face to explain:

"No, no, that's not what I meant. I thought you'd come over to check the accounts, give some guidance on the work, and then go back to the village... I didn't expect you to stay here."