"Sob, sob… Er Gou, you're the only one who can help me now!" Hu Jing cried. "If even you won't help me, I really don't know what to do! I've gone deep into debt for this batch of genetically modified corn, especially what I owe you. If I keep my normal job, I'm afraid I'd have to sell myself to pay it all back!"

Hearing her words, a thought suddenly struck Liu Ergou, and he cracked a joke. "It's fine, it's fine! Since it's come to this, why don't you just marry me? If you do, our debts to each other will be wiped clean. What do you think?"

His words left Hu Jing standing there, completely stunned and bewildered.

Seeing her expression, Liu Ergou slapped his own forehead. "I'm just kidding! But let me be clear, I'm a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, not an agriculturalist. I'm not sure if I can actually fix your corn seedlings! If I can't help, you can't blame me!"

Hu Jing immediately nodded. She then quickly got up from Liu Ergou's embrace and pulled him toward the cornfield.

Soon, they were standing in the middle of it.

Confronted by the devastating sight of the withered, yellow field, Liu Ergou couldn't stop himself. He grabbed Hu Jing and gave her a firm smack on her backside.

A crisp sound rang out.

SMACK!

The slap came so suddenly that Hu Jing didn't have time to react. It was only when Liu Ergou raised his hand again that she snapped out of her daze. Once she realized what had happened, her face flushed scarlet. She hurriedly covered her rear and backed away several steps.

"Hey, Er Gou, what are you doing?! Why did you suddenly hit me? Didn't you say you were going to help me with the cornfield?!"

Hearing her, Liu Ergou replied irritably, "So what if I hit you? Let me tell you, if we weren't out in the open, I'd want nothing more than to pull down your pants and spank you until your butt was swollen!"

Hu Jing felt incredibly wronged. "Why would you turn on me like that? What did I do to make you hit me?"

Liu Ergou rolled his eyes. "Look at this perfectly good cornfield you've turned into such a mess! If I don't spank you, who should I spank? Besides, I'm your man. Is there something wrong with me hitting you?"

Hu Jing was stunned for a moment. Then, like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on, she leaped to her feet.

"Liu Ergou, don't talk nonsense! Since when am I your woman? You're not even my boyfriend!"

Without turning his head, Liu Ergou replied, "Tsk, it seems someone's forgotten. In that case, let me remind a certain someone of something. Once, when a certain someone was drunk, she kept saying over and over that she wanted to marry me, and then…"

Before Liu Ergou could finish, Hu Jing lunged forward and clamped a hand over his mouth. "Stop, don't say it!" she said, her face flushed with shyness. "I was drunk then! You can't take drunk talk seriously…"

Liu Ergou cut her off before she could finish. "A word once spoken is like water splashed away. Your excuses are useless!"

Seeing that Hu Jing still wanted to argue, he didn't give her the chance. "Alright, that's enough! Let me see what the problem is here. I'm telling you, if you say one more word, I really will pull your pants down and spank your bottom!"

As he said this, a dreamy expression crossed his face.

Seeing it, Hu Jing immediately clamped her mouth shut, not daring to utter another word.

With the newfound quiet, Liu Ergou squatted down and began to examine a living corn seedling. Its condition was dire. The leaves, which should have been a vibrant green, were withered and yellow. Its once-sturdy stalk was drooping, giving it the look of something that wouldn't live much longer.

Liu Ergou frowned, then bent down and pinched a bit of soil to inspect it. After a moment of observation, he actually stuck out his tongue and lightly tasted the soil before letting out a cold sneer.

"Heh, how interesting. Your senior brothers and your professor… they don't seem very competent, do they? Honestly, I'm starting to seriously suspect those people of academic fraud!"

Hearing this, Hu Jing immediately became upset. "Liu Ergou!" she shouted irritably. "Are you sick? If you're going to diagnose the problem, then do it! Why do you have to talk about my seniors and my professor? What did they ever do to you?"

Liu Ergou pointed to the ground. "Tell me, Hu Jing, did it really not occur to any of them that the problem isn't with the seedlings, but with the soil?"

His words made Hu Jing freeze on the spot. "Huh? The soil? What's wrong with the soil? Didn't we have it tested? There was nothing wrong with it!"

Seeing her confused look, Liu Ergou covered his face in exasperation. "Hu Jing, how can you be so dense? Think carefully. What exactly did you do to this batch of corn seedlings?"

Hu Jing thought hard. "I didn't do anything! I just brought the seedlings back, planted them in the ground, watered them, and fertilized them like normal! A few days later, they ended up like this!" Frustrated, she stomped her foot. "Oh, Er Gou, just tell me what's wrong! Stop beating around the bush! You're driving me crazy!"

However, Liu Ergou still didn't reveal the problem. Instead, a mysterious smile spread across his face.

The moment Hu Jing saw that smile, she knew exactly what it meant. "Liu Ergou! You! How could you be like this? You're actually trying to squeeze a reward out of me? This is highway robbery!"

Liu Ergou immediately put on an innocent expression. "When did I say I wanted a reward? I just smiled! That's all in your head. It has nothing to do with me!"

Looking at his feigned innocence, Hu Jing gritted her teeth in frustration. But right now, he was the only one who could help her. After a moment's thought, she finally chose to surrender.

"Fine, I get it! Er Gou, please just help me. Afterward, it'll be whatever you say, I promise! I won't have any objections. If I go back on my word, you can call me a dog!"

Hearing this, Liu Ergou finally nodded in satisfaction. He then grabbed a handful of soil and held it out to Hu Jing.

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