"Is there some Lingzhi wine? Can that do?"
Su Yurou quickly untied her skirt and walked to the sofa, collapsing onto it with a thud.
Lin Fan walked to the wine cabinet.
He searched for a long time and finally found a small bottle of treasured Lingzhi wine in a corner.
"I'll massage your calves first, or they'll surely swell up tomorrow."
"Why go to so much trouble? Just massage my whole body."
Su Yurou buried her head in a pillow and mumbled.
*Slap!*
Lin Fan smacked her on the back, "Can't you be a bit more reserved?"
"I'm exhausted, I don't have the energy to be reserved!"
Under the soft lamplight, Su Yurou's fair and delicate skin gleamed with a jade-like luster.
"I really relied on your help today."
Lin Fan poured some Lingzhi wine into his palm and simultaneously activated his dantian, circulating his Purple Qi.
Soon, a wave of heat rose, making the wine in his palm emit a faint medicinal fragrance.
"Bear with it."
Lin Fan rubbed his hands together and then pressed down on her calf.
"Hiss~"
Su Yurou cried out in pain, her body recoiling violently before falling back onto the sofa.
"Bear with it, this way it'll be most effective."
Lin Fan eased his grip and began to massage her calf.
"You can't walk that far, you could have just said so. No one forced you, why push yourself?"
"You finally asked me for a favor, I had to see it through."
Su Yurou lay on the sofa, groaning.
"You're good in every way, except you're too stubborn."
Lin Fan shook his head helplessly.
"Heh."
Su Yurou chuckled self-deprecatingly, "If I wasn't stubborn, I'd probably still be a factory worker."
Lin Fan was speechless. After a moment, he advised, "You're already doing better than most people. You should be content and happy, understand?"
"I don't understand."
Su Yurou shook her head. "Perhaps when I'm like you, I'll finally be content."
"Am I... am I really that worthy of your envy?"
Lin Fan felt a bit confused.
He didn't think he was doing that well himself.
After all, he hadn't yet married the woman he wanted to marry.
Su Yurou was silent for a moment, then said earnestly, "Xiao Fan, it's beyond mere envy for me now. You are my dream, or you could say, I've fallen in love with you!"
She tilted her head and looked at Lin Fan, "You have everything I want, and what's difficult for me is easy for you. For a man like you, few women wouldn't be moved."
She turned her head again, sighing, "I always thought my expectations for you were high enough, that it would take you a few years to reach them. Now, looking back, my vision was too narrow, coming from a small town."
"You will achieve even greater things than I imagine, and countless people will look up to you in the future!"
Her voice grew emotional as she spoke the last sentence, as if she could already see that day.
"Alright, stop praising me."
Lin Fan slowly moved his hands, massaging her little by little.
"I'm not joking. Just wait and see, it will absolutely be as I say."
Su Yurou wriggled her fingers, enduring the soreness in her legs, and asked, "What's the progress between you and Secretary Tian?"
"Uh?"
Lin Fan stopped his movements, his eyes flickering for a moment, then he said truthfully, "It hasn't progressed to the stage you're thinking of."
"I advise you to win her over soon."
"???"
Lin Fan scratched his head, astonished. "You didn't say that last time. Didn't you sternly warn me not to get too close to her?"
"Times have changed. I think you're a match for her now. Your ability and luck are unmatched, not to mention you seem particularly good at dealing with women."
Su Yurou narrowed her eyes, like a Persian kitten. "Perhaps she can even help you achieve more."
Lin Fan chuckled, "I'm not as calculating as you."
"Tsk, as if I'm that bad. What? Can't have your Secretary Tian, so you've come to me? What do you want?"
"What do I want? Sister Yurou, don't you know what I want?"
...
Five in the morning.
An alarm clock blared: "The big windmill turns creakily, creakily, yo-yo..."
Lin Fan jolted awake and reached for his phone.
"It's five o'clock."
Lin Fan glanced over. The sky outside was dim, with only the first hint of dawn appearing on the horizon.
"Hmm?"
Su Yurou let out a soft murmur, blinked her long eyelashes a few times, and snuggled closer into his arms.
"Sigh~"
The bliss of a warm embrace made it hard for him to pull away.
But he had to leave.
Lin Fan carefully slid out of bed and searched for his clothes amidst the scattered garments.
A rustling sound could be heard.
Lin Fan fumbled for a while before finally getting dressed.
"Don't forget to make more samples, the more the better."
Su Yurou mumbled sleepily.
"Got it."
Lin Fan responded softly.
This woman, no matter when, never forgot about her career. Amazing!
...
Luofeng Village, Village Committee Office.
Tian Mengyao got up early to wash up.
She wore a light green cartoon pajama set, her hair messy. She fetched a basin of water from the well and then, shivering, ran back inside.
After brushing her teeth, she looked in the mirror. As expected, she had dark circles under her eyes.
"If this continues, I'll age prematurely. Then that scoundrel will surely fall for someone else."
Tian Mengyao muttered to herself, then rummaged through a pile of cosmetics for a few items.
She washed her face with hot water and meticulously applied her makeup.
After a while.
Daylight broke fully.
Tian Mengyao walked out of the dormitory and suddenly saw something outside the courtyard gate.
She walked a few steps closer before realizing it was a person squatting on the ground.
She recognized this person as Jiao Dajun, the one who stubbornly refused to be directed.
"Secretary Tian."
Jiao Dajun, with one leg not moving well, leaned against the wall to stand up.
"Uncle Jiao, why are you here so early?"
Tian Mengyao beckoned to him. "It's cold outside, come into the office and sit for a while."
"No, no need."
Jiao Dajun waved his hand. "I'm here to work. Secretary Tian, just assign me tasks."
He had stubbornly refused to come before, but now he was here early in the morning.
If other villagers were this enthusiastic, why worry about the cooperative not growing and prospering?
"It's still early."
Tian Mengyao glanced at her watch. "It's not even seven yet. Come inside and sit for a while. We'll set off when everyone arrives at seven-thirty."
"Oh, alright then."
Hearing that they wouldn't set off for another half hour, Jiao Dajun finally entered the room.
Tian Mengyao brewed a pot of hot tea and poured him a cup.
"Have some tea to warm yourself up."
"Thank you, Secretary Tian."
Jiao Dajun was overwhelmed with gratitude, his eyes shining with thanks.
Why had he been so foolish before?
Here was such a good secretary, wholeheartedly leading the villagers towards a better life.
And he, not only not contributing but also holding her back. Truly a worthless fellow!
Jiao Dajun was filled with regret and remained silent, head bowed.
"You've been waiting at the door for a while, haven't you? Why didn't you call me?"