"Sorry, it’s that time of the month!" Aunt Rong said, sitting there exuding an alluring charm. She even lifted her chin at Li Yang in a defiant manner.
Huh?
He’d been so worked up by her teasing just now. ’We’ve already come this far, and now you’re telling me it’s that time of the month?’
Li Yang’s face was a picture of misery. "Aunt Rong, you can’t do this to me."
Seeing him hunched over, unable to stand up straight, Aunt Rong giggled. ’That’s what you get for tricking me. Serves you right, doesn’t it?’
But when she stole a glance, her eyes widened and her heart began to pound.
She considered herself a woman of the world, but this... ’I’ve never seen anything like it.’
The thought actually made her feel a little tempted.
"You wouldn’t make a move on a woman who’s on her period, would you?" Aunt Rong asked with a slight smile. "That would be worse than an animal."
Li Yang collapsed onto the bed, utterly dejected.
Aunt Rong couldn’t stop laughing, her whole body shaking.
If Li Yang had seen such a sight, he would have probably lost all control.
"You’re not lying to me, are you?" Just then, Li Yang suddenly sat up and looked at Aunt Rong with suspicion.
But Aunt Rong was an old pro, completely unfazed. "Lying to you? Why would I ever lie to you!"
’I don’t believe you!’
Li Yang immediately held up his jade thumb ring and took a discreet look.
’Holy crap... I’m about to lose it!’
Li Yang almost got a nosebleed. But the evidence proved it: she wasn’t on her period.
In the end, it just meant she wasn’t willing.
However, Li Yang wasn’t a man without principles. If Aunt Rong wasn’t willing, you couldn’t force her.
So he gave a wry smile and, without exposing her lie, said, "Aunt Rong, just let me know when your ’relative’ leaves, okay?"
Aunt Rong tsked. Even the most thick-skinned person would feel their face burn at a comment like that.
"You brat, you’re getting more and more out of line! What do you take me for?!"
"A person who keeps her promises! A woman of her word... a heroine!" Li Yang said with a perfectly straight face.
Aunt Rong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She shot him a glare and said, "Alright, stop messing with me. By the way, Yun Meng’s new company is open and hiring now. You should take the samples to the office in a couple of days and have a look."
Li Yang grunted in acknowledgment. "Okay."
Only then did Aunt Rong breathe a sigh of relief.
’It wasn’t that she was completely against the idea of being with Li Yang for real,’ she thought. ’But she just couldn’t get past the mental block for now, which is why she hadn’t agreed.’
Seeing him like this now, she actually felt a little bad for him.
"I transferred another 50,000 to your card. Don’t think it’s too little," Aunt Rong said.
"Huh?" Li Yang, surprised, finally reacted. "Why are you giving me more money? Didn’t you already give me some last time?"
"Don’t refuse!" Aunt Rong said with a serious expression. "If Yun Meng hadn’t met you, her life would have been ruined. What’s 150,000 in comparison? Besides, can I ask you for a favor?"
Aunt Rong looked serious, but she hesitated, unsure if she should say what was on her mind.
"Aunt Rong, please, feel free to speak," Li Yang said, his expression calm.
But inwardly, he was frantically wondering, ’Is this about her promise?’
"Yun Meng might be trying to prove a point, or even... go head-to-head with someone. Although she has a unique talent for business, she’s no match for their power. If that day ever comes, can you help me look after her?" Aunt Rong asked with utmost seriousness.
Li Yang was stunned. Aunt Rong’s expression told him this was definitely not a simple matter. He thought for a moment before replying, "Aunt Rong, is starting a business really that risky?"
Aunt Rong gave a wry smile. "The marketplace is a battlefield. The risks are huge. Besides... she already has enemies."
Li Yang was still pondering.
He could give Xia Lian 100,000 to pay off her debt because he had been raised on the charity of the villagers.
That was him repaying a debt of gratitude!
Li Yang would even step in to right a wrong if he saw one—as long as it was within his power to do so.
But seeing Aunt Rong’s grave expression, he knew this was not going to be an easy task.
He had to think.
Doing good deeds comes at a price; it takes more than just reckless bravery.
Besides, he had his own people to protect.
"I know this is a big ask, but please, you must promise me!" For some reason, Aunt Rong just felt that Li Yang had this kind of ability. "Okay? If you agree, I... I can fulfill my promise right now."
Li Yang’s heart skipped a beat. After a moment, he smiled and said, "Aunt Rong, you don’t have to go that far. How about this: Miss Su and I will be business partners from now on, so there’s no way I could just stand by and do nothing. It’ll be my company too, after all. I promise you, I will definitely help in any way I can. But you have to be clear about one thing—I’m just a humble farmer."
"I know you’re a farmer, but you’re definitely not an ordinary one!" Aunt Rong breathed a sigh of relief and giggled.
"Not ordinary? How so?" Li Yang scratched his head.
"You have your... strengths!" Aunt Rong said seriously.
’With his skills as a Divine Doctor alone, Li Yang’s future would certainly be a good one.’
"Aunt Rong... you haven’t even tried it. How would you know I have ’strengths’?" Li Yang asked with a look of feigned surprise.
It took Aunt Rong a second to realize what he meant. She tsked and said, "You have no respect for your elders! I’m talking to you about serious matters, and you’re just spouting nonsense!"
’Sigh, what can I do? You won’t fulfill your promise, so I can only get a little satisfaction with my words.’
"Let’s go!" Aunt Rong stood up and straightened her clothes. "Time to go back."
"So we’re just going to waste the room like this?" Li Yang was heartbroken. ’What a spendthrift! A hotel room costs several hundred, you know!’
"Well, I’m leaving!" Aunt Rong was speechless. "If you want to sleep here, be my guest."
Of course, Li Yang wasn’t going to sleep there. He immediately followed Aunt Rong out.
After dropping Aunt Rong off at her home, Li Yang drove back to his own.
He had just been worrying about being short on cash and not being able to expand the mushroom shed. Now with 50,000 in his account, he could get things started.
Just as he reached the clinic, Zhou Liyun came rushing over. "Xiaoyang, this is bad! Those loan sharks are at Aunt Lian’s house again, causing a scene!"
"What?" Li Yang froze, then immediately started running. "What’s going on?" he shouted as he ran. "Didn’t Aunt Lian have the money to pay them back?"
"I don’t know! Apparently, they said it wasn’t enough!" Zhou Liyun wasn’t clear on the details either.
When he got to Xia Lian’s house, a crowd had gathered, and voices could be heard from inside.
"What’s going on?" He pushed through to see Xia Lian surrounded by a group of men again.
Xia Lian was holding Xiaomu tightly, her face pale.
"Boss, that’s him!" Brother Biao was there too. Seeing Li Yang arrive, he whispered to a man in a suit standing next to him.
The man in the suit glanced at Li Yang, a slow grin spreading across his face. "So you’re the one who beat up my guys last time?"
Li Yang couldn’t be bothered with him. He looked at Xia Lian and asked, "Aunt Lian, are you okay?"
"I’m fine!" Xia Lian shook her head. "He says 100,000 isn’t enough."
Li Yang raised an eyebrow.
"I hear you’re quite the fighter!" The man in the suit chuckled condescendingly. "Beating up my men, interfering with my business, huh? Come on, then!"
Just then, there was a loud THUD.
On the other side, a man carrying a wild boar on his shoulder threw it to the ground, making the earth tremble.
"Cripple him," the man in the suit ordered the towering man who had carried the boar.