Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

As soon as he finished speaking, the room erupted in chaos. Everyone whispered among themselves, their eyes practically gleaming with envy.

"My goodness, earning 3,000 a year for 10,000? I thought my boyfriend was exaggerating. That's way better than growing corn!"

"Really? It can't be a scam, can it?"

"What are you kidding me for? Everyone's at the resort having a big meeting. Who is Wang Dana? Would he let a scammer in? Besides, they give you Ant Formula as soon as you walk in, and they even give you a rice cooker when you sign a contract. How could that be fake?"

Xie Guangkun, Liu Neng, Zhao Si, Wang Laoqi, and Accountant Xu were sitting in the front row. There weren't enough chairs, so they squeezed onto two long benches.

Zhao Si picked up his hat, scratched his head, and frowned, looking even more miserable.

He stared at the sample in his hand and muttered to himself before speaking first:

"Guangkun, Liu Neng, you guys... do you think this is reliable? Ten thousand yuan left at home for a year, doing absolutely nothing, and you get three thousand more? There's no such thing as a free lunch!"

Before Xie Guangkun could reply, Liu Neng waved his hand and took over, saying with a confident expression:

"I'm telling you, Fourth Brother, you're just too timid. You're destined to be poor. I'm starting to regret giving my daughter to your Zhao family."

"How is this unreliable? A big company commissioned us to raise ants, and they're giving us...giving us some hard-earned money and interest on our deposit. Isn't that normal? Didn't you see they're holding...holding a big meeting at the resort? You can't get to a place like this without some skills. Look at this place, how grand it is."

Xie Guangkun followed up with a finishing blow, shaking his head as if he were a celestial being descended from heaven, his face clearly saying, "You don't understand anything."

"Exactly, Fourth Brother, you've never seen anything like it! This is called 'company plus farmer,' and that's all the rage now. Besides, if you put the ant colonies in your house, how could they run away? Let me tell you, this is catching the wave; if you're even a step behind, you won't get a spot!"

Accountant Xu was somewhat tempted, but Wang Laoqi didn't say anything. He had been dragged along by others and wasn't interested in this stuff. The bean product factory was too busy to keep up with the demand, so he didn't have time to raise ants.

Liu Neng calculated, fiddling with the seam of his trousers:

"I've got my eye on it. I'll sign a 10,000 contract first, and I might even get a rice cooker in the process."

"Look at you, so pathetic!"

Xie Guangkun curled his lip:

"Invest more if you're going to invest. The bold will thrive, the timid will starve. When you're flush with cash at the end of the year, let's see if those who didn't invest are envious!"

Zhao Si opened his mouth as if to say something more, but seeing the two of them so greedy for money, he swallowed back the words he was about to say. He just felt uneasy and uncertain.

On stage, Manager Zhao was still fanning the flames, pointing at the pile of rice cookers and shouting:

"Today, those who sign up on-site will receive a free brand-name rice cooker in addition to their regular earnings! The first twenty to sign up will also receive an extra six months' worth of black ant powder! There are only twenty spots available, so hurry up and come to the front if you want to sign up!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the people below couldn't sit still any longer and rushed to the front of the stage. Xie Guangkun and Liu Neng were the ones who squeezed to the very front.

"Don't rush, don't rush, I have something else to tell you. The more money you invest, the more benefits you'll receive!"

In a secluded corner where no one could see her, Secretary Li took advantage of the chaos in the meeting room to sneak out through a side door. She crouched at the corner of the corridor and immediately called Lin Chen, her voice urgent.

"Brother Chen, the signing is about to start, why haven't you made a move yet? Didn't you say this was a scam? If we wait any longer, these people will actually hand over their money! They're all acting like madmen!"

Lin Chen's voice on the other end of the phone was steady, without the slightest hint of panic:

"What's the rush? Stay calm. Just do what you're supposed to do, don't say anything or interfere, just cooperate normally, and stay calm."

"So... we're just going to let them fool us like this?" Xiao Li muttered to himself.

"Don't worry, someone's in charge. Just be a good secretary and don't give anything away." Lin Chen said this and hung up the phone.

Xiao Li carefully put his phone away, then slipped back into the meeting room with a blank expression. He stood to the side, completely out of place among the excited villagers around him.

Lin Chen hung up on Xiao Li and immediately dialed Wang Dana's number. As soon as the call connected, he asked:

"Grandpa, where are you? Why haven't you come yet!"

Wang Dana's voice was whistling loudly; he was clearly in the car, his voice booming with anger.

"Twenty more minutes! I think that Liu Da Nao is really tough on me. Just wait until I get there, and I'll teach him a lesson!"

Lin Chen responded casually:

"Okay, I'll keep an eye on it. Drive slowly and don't rush."

He hung up the phone after saying that and continued to watch the workers do the renovations.

Less than twenty minutes later, the conference room door was pushed open with a bang.

The sound was quite loud, and the noisy venue instantly fell silent as everyone turned to look.

Wang Dana stood at the door with a gloomy face and his hands behind his back. His eyes swept around and finally stared fiercely at Liu Da Nao by the table.

Liu Da Nao's smile froze instantly, and he almost dropped the microphone. He quickly ran over and stammered:

"Chairman, what brings you here... You didn't even give me a heads-up so I could have come down to meet you..."

Wang Dana ignored him, strode to the front of the stage, first bowed to the villagers below, and then, in a loud voice, picked up the microphone and spoke clearly, word by word:

"Ladies and gentlemen, let me make this clear today: this Black Ant Biological Company and this ant-raising business have absolutely nothing to do with our Wang Group, nor with Ivory Mountain Hot Spring Resort!"

"This was all arranged by Liu Da Nao himself, secretly borrowing the resort's space to set it up. I hadn't even heard a word about it before!"

These words caused an uproar. The villagers were instantly thrown into a frenzy, chattering and creating chaos.

"What? It's not a project at the resort? Liu Da Nao was just talking about cooperation!"

"So he rented the venue without permission? Does that mean this company is any reliable?"

"I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch..."

Wang Dana turned and glared at Liu Danao, launching into a tirade:

"Liu Da Nao! Don't you know the rules? This estate, this reputation, you think you can just use it as you please? Such a big thing, and you didn't even give me a heads-up, didn't even report it! Do you even respect me as the chairman? Do you even respect the company's rules?!"

"What have I always told you? You need to know what money you should earn and what money you shouldn't! Does the resort need your little bit of venue fee? If anything goes wrong or disputes arise in the future, the first thing the villagers will do is come to the resort, and that will be a blow to my principles, Wang Dana! Can you take that responsibility?"

Liu Da Nao was so scolded that he couldn't lift his head. His head drooped, his face full of grievance, and he stammered in defense:

"Chairman, I... I really didn't have any ulterior motives. Black Ant Bio is a legitimate registered company with all the necessary permits and qualifications. They just wanted to use our venue to hold a presentation and hopefully attract some visitors to the resort."

"I was just trying to generate some extra income for the resort, to earn some extra cash... I really didn't expect anything to happen, and I didn't dare to make any promises under the group's name..."

"You still dare to say you didn't fly a flag?"

"If it weren't for the resort's reputation, would so many ordinary people have come? They're here for the resort's prestige, not for you, Liu Da Nao!"

At this moment, Xie Guangkun squeezed forward two steps, straightened his neck, and spoke:

"Mr. Wang, calm down. What's wrong with you? Even if you didn't organize this project, it's still a good one! The company has all the necessary permits, and they even have trial packs and rice cookers. It's 10,000 yuan a year and 3,000 yuan a year. We're willing to invest ourselves, is that alright?"

Liu Neng chimed in from the side, the two of them unusually standing on the same side:

"Yes, Mr. Wang, people from several surrounding villages have already invested, and they've pocketed their initial profits. This is a legitimate breeding cooperative, not some crooked scheme. You... even if you're angry that Big Head Liu didn't give you prior notice, you can't just kill the project outright. That would prevent everyone from making money!"

Many villagers echoed this sentiment, their hearts lured by the promise of high returns and gifts, and they didn't back down at all because of Wang Dana's words.

Seeing that these people were so stubborn, Wang Dana didn't bother to waste any more words.

He shouted loudly to the audience, making his point very clear:

"Alright, since you all think it's reliable and want to invest, I, Wang Dana, won't stop you."

But let me repeat myself, this matter has absolutely nothing to do with the Wang Group or Ivory Mountain Villa. If anything goes wrong or disputes arise later, it's entirely your own choice, and has nothing to do with us. Don't come crying to us with your tears and wailing!"