Do you think I am still

The atmosphere in the room was on the verge of igniting at any moment. Just as Chen Ling’s hand ventured to the deepest point, he distinctly felt Liu Xinyue’s arms tighten around his, but she did not stop him.

Yet, in that instant, with his passions running high, Chen Ling abruptly regained a shred of reason, bringing his actions to a halt. After holding a twisted posture for over ten seconds, he let go of Liu Xinyue and collapsed beside her, defeated.

Liu Xinyue stared at the ceiling in a daze, her eyes filled with surprise. Slowly, she turned to look at Chen Ling, only to find him gazing back at her with an intensity that seemed almost tangible, the fire blazing deep in his eyes clearly visible.

“What’s wrong?” Liu Xinyue asked with concern.

Chen Ling gave a bitter smile. “I’m really not much of a man, am I?”

“I didn’t stop you, did I?” Liu Xinyue replied, a hint of grievance in her voice.

“That’s not what I mean.” Chen Ling feigned a sigh. “It’s precisely because you didn’t stop me… If I can restrain myself even now, do you think I’m still a man?”

A smile blossomed at the corners of Liu Xinyue’s lips, infusing her gaze with charm.

“I warn you!” Chen Ling threatened playfully, “Don’t smile at me like that, you’ll only fan the flames! Careful, or I’ll eat you up and leave without a trace…”

Unexpectedly, Liu Xinyue’s smile faded, a mist gathering in her eyes. “Is it because I’m not sexy enough? If you can resist even this, I must be a failure.”

Then, as if a sudden thought struck her, she became a bit agitated. “Is it because you mind… that this would be my first time?”

“That’s not the reason,” Chen Ling replied, still with a wry smile, then fell silent.

He was certainly no paragon of virtue immune to temptation. Rather, the failure of his previous marriage had left a deep mark on his very bones. Having once had a family, he understood all too well what it meant for a man to bear responsibility. If not for wanting to provide a better life for his family, he might never have chosen to start a business, and thus not have failed, lost everything, and found himself at a dead end.

Seeking momentary pleasure is the folly of youth; the responsibility that follows pleasure is the weariness of middle age. In the past, he had no choice. Now that he did, he hoped his affections—and perhaps his next marriage—could be a little purer, a little more perfect.

At the very least, he did not want it to be a momentary passion he could not control, but a natural union born of true harmony.

After all, this might be the last trace of sentimentality left in his life.

Seeing Chen Ling’s silence, Liu Xinyue sighed in disappointment, got up to tidy her clothes and hair, and said, “Go take a shower and change. Time’s almost up. After all, you’re about to meet my father, and it wouldn’t do to be late.”

“All right.” Chen Ling realized he might have hurt her, so he quickly grabbed his clothes and slipped into the bathroom.

A dozen minutes later, he emerged changed, only to see Liu Xinyue had tied up her hair. Her adorable, doll-like face, framed by her new hairstyle, now bore an air of maturity and steadiness—a stark contrast to her usual self.

“Xinyue…” Chen Ling called softly, unsure what to say.

Liu Xinyue smiled gently. “It’s all right, really. I’m actually quite glad. I wouldn’t want my first time to be in such a random setting. Darling, thank you.”

Chen Ling nodded, offered his arm, and Liu Xinyue took it. Together, they went downstairs.

Li Mingjiang was already waiting in the private room, accompanied by two others. When Chen Ling and Liu Xinyue entered, all three rose to greet them.

“Chen, let me introduce you.” Li Mingjiang gestured toward a man in his thirties. “This is Mr. Ge Luo, Deputy General Manager of Zhongrui Company and the main person in charge of the Lianjia Village project.”

He indicated the younger man next. “This is Zhao Yuanqiang, a fellow villager of mine who works at the Land Acquisition Office in Jiapu Town.”

He then smiled at the two men. “Don’t be fooled by his youth—Chen here is remarkable. He made over a million yuan before even finishing university, a true business prodigy! And beside him is none other than Director Liu’s daughter.”

Li Mingjiang had, of course, shared these details in advance, but the two men feigned surprise and offered their compliments. Amidst the polite chatter, they all took seats in the lounge area of the suite.

Chen Ling surveyed the three men, quickly piecing together the situation.

“Ge Luo is with the developer. His presence means Li Mingjiang has already aligned himself with the developer. As for Zhao Yuanqiang, though he doesn’t share the Lian surname, he’s likely another son-in-law, just like Li Mingjiang. It seems the sons-in-law have formed an alliance. And since Lianjia Village falls under Jiapu Town’s jurisdiction, Zhao’s role in the Land Office is significant.”

“With Liu Xuefeng’s support, Li Mingjiang securing the position of Office Director for Lianjia Village should be almost certain. But given how formal he’s being, he must have a formidable rival.”

With that, Chen Ling smiled. “Mr. Li, since we’re all friends here, why don’t you tell me the details?”

Li Mingjiang was pleased. Although he had revealed some things to Chen Ling in past meetings, he had always kept the core issues to himself until the decisive moment.

Now, however, it was time to lay all the cards on the table.

“Chen, you really are impressive,” Li Mingjiang replied. “As you’ve probably guessed, I’m good friends with Mr. Ge, and Yuanqiang is my close brother as well.”

“They both support my bid for the director’s position. However, there’s another contender—Lian Haiping, the son of Village Chief Lian Xuzong.”

So that’s how it is, Chen Ling thought to himself. In these villages on the outskirts of big cities, anyone who can become village chief is nobody to be trifled with. Since the chief’s son was getting involved, it meant the chief himself wanted a share of the pie—no wonder Li Mingjiang was working so hard to maneuver.

Challenging the village chief as a son-in-law took both courage and strength.

At this moment, Ge Luo spoke up. “I’ve had quite a lot of dealings with Lian Xuzong,” he said. “To put it bluntly, he’s rather arrogant and difficult. From the very start of the project and the land requisition, he’s been making things hard for us—not an easy man to work with. So, from our perspective, we’d much prefer a more approachable director.”

Hearing this, Chen Ling smiled inwardly. Perhaps Lian Xuzong truly was difficult, but if Li Mingjiang hadn’t promised substantial benefits, why would Ge Luo be so eager to be friends with him? Empty words, all of it.

Outwardly, he nodded. “So right now, the only one who can really decide this matter is Director Liu, isn’t that so? What’s his stance?”

His words were blunt, but they cut right to the heart of the matter.

The three men were momentarily taken aback, then smiled. On one hand, they chalked up Chen Ling’s directness to his youth, but on the other, they were secretly impressed by his sharp insight.

Li Mingjiang forced a laugh. “As for Director Liu… Well…” He glanced at Liu Xinyue and smiled. “Director Liu agreed to attend the banquet today, but he can’t intervene directly—strictly speaking, it’s not within his jurisdiction. However, since you’ve come with his daughter…”

He left the sentence unfinished out of deference to Liu Xinyue, but Chen Ling understood perfectly.

Li Mingjiang’s meaning was clear: he wanted Chen Ling to use his connection with Liu Xinyue to persuade Liu Xuefeng to leverage his authority and forcefully influence the appointment. In that case, Li Mingjiang would have nothing to worry about.

Thus, Chen Ling became even more forthright. He smiled and asked, “In that case, Mr. Li, if I help you accomplish this, what’s in it for me?”

“That depends on what you want,” Li Mingjiang replied, his smile broadening. It was always a pleasure to deal with clever people.

With that, Chen Ling began to ponder just what benefits he might gain from all of this…