Chapter 77: The Beautiful Village Chief's Connections

Chen Erbao closed the door and sat down brazenly in a chair. His eyes roamed audaciously over Zhao Ruoying, and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Zhao Ruoying really was gorgeous.

With her arched eyebrows, high-bridged nose, and a pair of enchanting eyes that seemed to hold a smile, she looked as beautiful as a fairy descended to the mortal realm, especially with her lips pursed just so.

Such a face should have been as pleasant as a spring breeze, but due to Zhao Ruoying's aura, she projected an unapproachable air that kept others at a distance and discouraged anyone from getting too familiar.

Her stunning figure strained against her shirt, full and firm, with a truly startling curve. Farther down was a perfect waist-to-hip ratio, though it was a shame she was wearing pants, making it hard to see clearly...

Chen Erbao lamented inwardly.

Sensing Chen Erbao's eyes roving all over her, Zhao Ruoying's fine eyebrows knitted together. A hint of revulsion appeared on her face, and she lifted her head, ready to scold him.

But when her gaze met Chen Erbao's deep, profound eyes, the words died on her lips and she swallowed them back down.

His dark eyes were like the night sky, so vast one could almost get lost in them.

Remembering what happened yesterday, Zhao Ruoying couldn't help but blush, and she hastily lowered her head in a fluster.

'What is wrong with me? I'm usually so calm and collected around other men. How come I always end up on the back foot whenever I'm dealing with this punk?'

Zhao Ruoying fumed inwardly, annoyed with herself for being so easily flustered.

"Beauty Zhao, what can I do for you?"

Chen Erbao said with a mischievous chuckle.

He sensed the shift in Zhao Ruoying's emotions and knew it had to be because of his Joyful Technique.

Zhao Ruoying composed herself, then looked up and said with a cold, serious expression,

"I am the village chief! Don't just call me whatever you want!"

Calling her "Beauty Zhao" with every other breath sounded like flirting, and it made her very uncomfortable.

Chen Erbao burst out laughing.

"But you are a beauty, so I'm not wrong... Besides, you're a cadre sent here to work at the grassroots level. You're supposed to get close to the common folk. Calling you Village Chief just creates distance, doesn't it? That's not good for carrying out your work!"

Hearing Chen Erbao's twisted logic, Zhao Ruoying was completely exasperated and flustered.

"Whatever... Let me ask you, were you really the one behind what happened to Chen Qing?"

Chen Erbao certainly wasn't going to admit it.

"I swore an oath to the Mountain God yesterday. You still don't believe me?"

Zhao Ruoying hesitated.

"On the surface, you do seem to be cleared of suspicion..."

"Then there you have it! If they want to report it to the police, let them. If they can find any evidence, they can arrest me. Whatever!"

Chen Erbao said nonchalantly, not the least bit intimidated.

Zhao Ruoying looked at Chen Erbao, lost in thought.

Having just taken office, she couldn't let this incident blow up. While it wouldn't really affect her, it still wouldn't sound good if word got out.

This was the first time in her life she had a chance to realize her ambitions, and she absolutely couldn't allow such a blemish on her record.

She had heard Chen Qing's statement several times. The gist was that he and a few friends were strolling by the roadside that night when they were suddenly attacked.

But remembering how shifty Chen Qing had been, Zhao Ruoying knew they must have been up to no good.

Furthermore, the fact that Chen Qing had immediately and adamantly pinned the blame on Chen Erbao made Zhao Ruoying even more suspicious. Chen Erbao had to be connected to this.

But with neither party being truthful, she had no way of investigating.

The more self-righteous Chen Erbao acted, the more suspicious she became.

"Hmph! Chen Erbao, do you think you acted so flawlessly that no one would find out?"

Zhao Ruoying leaned back in her chair and sneered, her voice calm.

"?"

Chen Erbao was startled for a moment but quickly calmed down.

'I handled it cleanly,' he thought. 'There's no way they have any evidence that could be traced back to me.'

"Heh, Village Chief, I don't know what you're talking about. In any case, I wasn't the one who did it."

He would deny it to the death.

"..."

Zhao Ruoying's head throbbed. Meeting Chen Erbao had to be the worst luck of her life. Just yesterday, that bastard had taken complete advantage of her...

At that thought, Zhao Ruoying subconsciously squeezed her legs together.

"By the way, Beauty Zhao, I've leased Bailong Mountain. I'm preparing to plant medicinal herbs on it. I already signed a contract with Medicine King Hall in the city a couple of days ago."

Zhao Ruoying was stunned. She stared at Chen Erbao in disbelief and said,

"You? You're collaborating with Medicine King Hall?"

She knew how influential Medicine King Hall was; they were a corporate behemoth with a nationwide presence.

"What? You looking down on me?"

Chen Erbao was speechless.

Ignoring his little fit of pique, a sharp glint flashed in Zhao Ruoying's eyes as she mused aloud,

"If we can collaborate with Medicine King Hall, perhaps the economy of the entire Bailong Village could see a boost..."

If that happened during her tenure, what an achievement it would be!

While having such an achievement wouldn't affect her future promotions, it would certainly sound impressive!

Seeing Zhao Ruoying thinking, Chen Erbao knew she had realized this would benefit her as well, so he revealed his true objective.

"However... as you know, wild beasts roam Bailong Village, and the mountain paths are treacherous. Turning it into a full-fledged cultivation base won't happen overnight. I'm afraid I don't have quite enough money, so I was wondering if you could..."

He certainly wasn't bringing this up to show off—he needed money!

'This is a huge project that could drive the economy of the entire Bailong Village. As the village chief, it would be improper for her not to chip in!'

"You want to take out a loan?"

Zhao Ruoying was no fool and got straight to the point.

"That's right. I want you, as the village chief, to act as my guarantor for a loan from the town. For the pretext... we'll just say it's for a young college graduate returning to the village to start a business. The government has been supporting initiatives like that recently, so it shouldn't be too difficult to get."

Chen Erbao had already thought it all out for her.

If Chen Daniu were still the village chief, he probably would have needed Medicine King Hall to step in. Now that it was Zhao Ruoying, although the two of them had their conflicts, it didn't have to affect something as important as the herb cultivation project.

Zhao Ruoying pondered for a moment.

"It seems you've done your homework. A young college graduate returning to the village to start a business... That could indeed get a loan. But... why should I be your guarantor?"

"This benefits you, too! If it's a success, won't all the credit be yours?"

Chen Erbao retorted.

Zhao Ruoying sneered.

"Do I look that easy to fool? An herb cultivation base won't amount to much without ten or twenty years of development. Am I going to be in Bailong Village for ten or twenty years? And you still want me to be your guarantor? In your dreams!"

She wasn't some naive little girl who could be fooled with just a few sweet words.

'This woman actually has a brain,' Chen Erbao thought. He hadn't expected that. Still, he wasn't actually planning to scam her; he just wanted to get some money to speed up the process.

"You can rest assured about that. My method for cultivating herbs is different from the average person's. You'll see results in one or two years at most. That's also why Medicine King Hall is collaborating with me. If you don't believe me, you can make some inquiries. Your family should have connections, right? You can go ask them at Medicine King Hall!"

Seeing Chen Erbao's confident and resolute expression, Zhao Ruoying hesitated.