The Rogue Villager Chen Erbao

As the saying goes, two women are enough for a drama, and Chen Erbao was now experiencing this firsthand.

It was more than just a drama!

He felt like an emperor from ancient times trapped in the middle of a harem power struggle, torn in every direction.

Zhao Ruoying watched Lin Zhiqing, who was deliberately clinging to Chen Erbao. Even though she knew the woman was doing it just to provoke her, she still felt a knot of irritation in her stomach.

"Heh, Lin Zhiqing, you're the great Little Princess of Medicine King Hall. How could you possibly fall for a country boy like Chen Erbao? Does your family approve?"

Zhao Ruoying sneered.

Lin Zhiqing huffed in response.

"Hmph, that's my business. What about you? Running off to Bailong Village to be the chief—don't you have anything better to do?"

"I enjoy it. What's it to you?"

Zhao Ruoying shot back before adding with a sly grin:

"But then again, you've never won against me, not since college. No matter what we competed for, you were never my match. I suggest you go back to Medicine King Hall and continue being their little princess. Stop wasting your time here!"

Lin Zhiqing's face paled with anger at her words, but her good upbringing kept her from causing a scene in public.

"How is being with Er Bao 'wasting my time'?"

Zhao Ruoying couldn't be bothered to answer her. Instead, she turned to Chen Erbao and said meaningfully:

"Chen Erbao, do you really think you two have a future, given her family background?"

Chen Erbao was silent.

He knew Lin Zhiqing was the Little Princess of Medicine King Hall, and he was well aware of what a behemoth the organization was. Still, he didn't believe it was impossible for him to one day reach that level himself.

"Zhao Ruoying, your family background isn't exactly shabby. Does that mean you think you have a chance with Er Bao?"

"As if I'd fall for him. Don't flatter yourself. Chen Erbao, I've already taken care of the loan. Get back to the village soon and arrange for the work to begin."

With that parting shot, Zhao Ruoying turned and strode out of the mall.

Once Zhao Ruoying was gone, Chen Erbao let out a sigh of relief. Noticing that Lin Zhiqing still seemed upset, he took her hand and said with a smile:

"You two were classmates?"

"We were in college together. We've been at each other's throats since the day we met. That woman is infuriating; she has to compete with me for everything."

Lin Zhiqing replied, her face grim. Then, she looked at Chen Erbao seriously.

"Er Bao, be honest with me. Are you interested in her?"

This was a loaded question, and Chen Erbao certainly knew how to answer it.

He shook his head like a rattle drum.

"Of course not. I only have to deal with her because of the cultivation base."

"If you're short on money, you should have told me! She can get you a loan? I don't need to bother with loans. I can just give you the money directly!"

Lin Zhiqing declared imperiously.

Chen Erbao chuckled and changed the subject.

"So impressive, my little princess… Let's not talk about her anymore. Come on, let's go look around somewhere else."

After some coaxing from Chen Erbao, Lin Zhiqing's expression finally softened, and the two of them left the mall.

The two of them spent the afternoon wandering the streets, and it wasn't until evening that they received a call from Lin Zhiyuan.

"Zhiqing, the restaurant is booked. You two can come over now."

Lin Zhiqing agreed, and she and Chen Erbao went to the restaurant, only to discover that Lin Zhiyuan had booked the entire place.

'Filthy rich!'

Chen Erbao gained a whole new appreciation for the wealth of Medicine King Hall.

When they entered the private room, Lin Zhiyuan was sitting in the seat of honor, chatting happily with a man in his thirties.

"Ah, you're here. Let me introduce you. This is my sister, Lin Zhiqing, and this is my sister's friend, Chen Erbao."

Seeing that the two had arrived, Lin Zhiyuan began making introductions.

The man's name was Chen Tong, and he was the head of the largest construction company in Hongyuan City.

Chen Tong greeted them warmly, and then the four of them took their seats.

Chen Erbao briefly explained his plan while Lin Zhiyuan and Lin Zhiqing listened.

To Lin Zhiyuan, this was a minor affair, but for someone of his status to personally seek out Chen Tong was already a great show of respect.

They had expected Chen Tong to agree immediately, but to their surprise, after Chen Erbao finished speaking, Chen Tong's brow furrowed, and he sat in his chair in silence.

The moment Lin Zhiyuan saw his reaction, he knew this wasn't going to be simple. He set down his teacup and asked:

"Boss Chen, is there some difficulty?"

Hearing Lin Zhiyuan's question, Chen Tong immediately stood up and said with a wry smile:

"Young Master Lin, normally, it would be my honor to help you… Developing a mountainous area isn't a difficult task for me, but…"

"Speak freely!"

"Sigh… To be honest with you, the place Mr. Chen is talking about has already been claimed."

"What do you mean?"

Chen Erbao froze. He already had the development permit for Bailong Mountain, so how could it have been claimed by someone else?

"Mr. Chen, Young Master Liu from the city and several other big bosses have approached me. They said they're planning to develop Bailong Mountain into a tourist destination. They only found out yesterday that the mountain had already been contracted to a villager living at its base. They're preparing to go and negotiate now!"

The moment Lin Zhiyuan heard the name 'Young Master Liu,' his expression turned serious.

He hadn't expected that a small place like Bailong Mountain would attract such major attention.

Chen Erbao didn't know who Young Master Liu was, but seeing the others' expressions, he knew the man was not to be underestimated.

"I'm the one who contracted it. I'm partnering with Medicine King Hall to cultivate valuable medicinal herbs on Bailong Mountain."

"Ah, so you're the one who contracted it, Mr. Chen. That makes sense… It's not that I don't want to help, but if I agree to your project, I won't know how to answer to Young Master Liu…"

He looked at Lin Zhiyuan, his expression showing his difficult position.

Lin Zhiyuan nodded, understanding the man's predicament.

Chen Tong could afford to offend neither him nor Young Master Liu.

"How about this: you can go for now. I'll contact you again after we've reached an agreement with Liu Xian's side," Lin Zhiyuan proposed.

"Ah, yes! As long as you reach an agreement, I certainly won't turn down the job!"

After seeing Chen Tong out of the room, the three of them lapsed into silence.

The name Liu Xian sounded familiar to Lin Zhiqing. After a moment of thought, she remembered and said pensively:

"Brother, isn't Liu Xian the grandson of *that* person in Jiangnan Province?"

Lin Zhiyuan gave a wry smile.

"The very same. I didn't expect him to get involved. This has become rather tricky."

Chen Erbao was speechless as well. No one had bothered with developing Bailong Mountain for all these years. Why was it that the moment he was ready to start, someone suddenly popped up to challenge him for it?

Lin Zhiqing said dismissively,

"Brother, so what if he's that man's grandson? Medicine King Hall doesn't rely on their family for anything. We have the development permit. It's not like they can just snatch it away, can they?"

Lin Zhiyuan's gaze shifted between Lin Zhiqing and Chen Erbao a few times. He finally chuckled and leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable.

"Sister, while it's true we don't rely on them, that man's power and influence are immense. Within Jiangnan Province, we have to show him some deference, more or less… Besides, the family has recently been planning to introduce you to a potential suitor. And that suitor is none other than Liu Xian."

"???"

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