"Brother Afei, I know the responsibility isn't mine at all. But..." He Lingxiu lifted her head and gazed affectionately at Ling Zhenfei. In the depths of her eyes, however, a certain indescribable emotion flickered.

He Lingxiu was a girl of tenacious character, intelligent and strong-willed, with an intense desire to improve herself.

Her purpose in following Ling Zhenfei in his medical practice, and in opening this small clinic in the countryside, was indeed to help the villagers with their difficulties in getting medical treatment.

But most importantly, she knew that Ling Zhenfei was a very outstanding young man. She liked him and knew he liked her too, but she kept telling herself that she had to keep pace with him to be worthy of him!

And for this goal, she had been striving relentlessly.

It must be said, the progress He Lingxiu had made in traditional Chinese medicine over these past few months was evident to everyone. Today's disturbance, after all, truly couldn't be blamed on her.

Yet in He Lingxiu's heart, it seemed as if an insurmountable barrier had suddenly arisen...

"Axiu, there's no need to say anything, I already know!"

At this moment, He Qigen had already left the room, and looking at He Lingxiu's hesitant and pitiful demeanor, Ling Zhenfei couldn't help but feel a surge of compassion.

"Brother Fei..."

Facing Ling Zhenfei's warmth, He Lingxiu felt even more intoxicated. He Lingxiu cried, and although Ling Zhenfei couldn't see it, his heart clearly felt it.

Right then, he knew that no matter how many words they exchanged, they seemed inadequate to fully convey the depth of their feelings for each other.

For both of them, just holding each other tightly, enabling each other to clearly hear the other's heartbeat, was already enough...

"Cough! Cough!"

Suddenly, a series of disharmonious coughing sounds came from the yard.

The two were startled by the abrupt noise and instinctively stepped apart.

Ling Zhenfei looked up and saw a young man with a short stature, dark skin, and a pointed chin that made him resemble the comedian "Ka Fei". He was walking into the room with a malevolent smile on his face.

"Humph, what a surprise! Sister Ling Xiu, what are you doing? Sneaking around with another man behind my back, do you really think I don't exist?"

The short man's beady eyes swept back and forth between Ling Zhenfei and He Lingxiu, a hint of spiteful anger appearing in his expression.

"What are you talking about? I didn't..."

He Lingxiu had just mustered the courage to express her feelings to Ling Zhenfei, only to be interrupted by this unwelcome visitor. Hearing his words, she immediately furrowed her brow with frustration, and her pretty face darkened.

"Didn't? Humph, then how do you explain what I just saw? The two of you were embracing each other, weren't you?"

The man's eyes gleamed with mocking laughter, his expression as if he had caught them in the act.

"I... I..."

He Lingxiu, already quite emotional, felt utterly ashamed when faced with his cold words and suddenly found herself unable to speak.

"Axiu!"

Seeing He Lingxiu's face flush with embarrassment and her uneasy state, Ling Zhenfei quickly comforted her with a glance.

He then turned his cold gaze toward the short young man and said sternly, "Who are you? What Axiu and I do, what's it to you? Is it necessary for you to meddle in other people's business?"

"Heh heh, I was wondering who it could be—it's that little guy from the Ling Family, isn't it? What's the matter, kid, think you're something special just because you set up a lousy farm?"

The short youth glanced at Ling Zhenfei with a disdainful and provocative look, "Let me tell you, in the eyes of me, Qian Yongtong, you'll always be a country bumpkin, a local yokel!"

"Qian Yongtong?"

Ling Zhenfei had felt some deja vu when he saw this dark-skinned and short-statured figure appear. Now, hearing him announce his own name, he immediately remembered. Wasn't this guy the cherished son of the famous mine owner Qian Datong in this area?

"What, Ling Zhenfei, you don't recognize me?"

Seeing that Ling Zhenfei seemed somewhat stunned looking at him, Qian Yongtong strode up to him, patted his chest proudly, and said, "Let me tell you, my dad is the most capable mine owner within dozens of miles around here, owning several coal and iron mines in the mountains."

He originally wanted to show off in front of Ling Zhenfei, deliberately puffing out his chest, trying to display a domineering attitude.

Yet, he didn't anticipate that standing in front of the tall Ling Zhenfei, Qian Yongtong's height was a natural disadvantage. Even though he tiptoed strenuously, he was still a head shorter than Ling Zhenfei.

"Ha ha, I have indeed heard a thing or two about Qian Datong's reputation."

Ling Zhenfei looked down at Qian Yongtong from his higher vantage point, his expression full of barely disguised contempt, and laughed coldly as he gave him a few scans: "However, as for what Qian Yongtong is, I really don't know!"

It was known to Ling Zhenfei that Qian Datong was indeed a renowned mine owner in the area.

However, he also knew that Qian Datong was a ruthless and greedy businessman who obtained the mining rights in the surrounding mountains through unknown connections and channels.

It wasn't that important that he was mining; what mattered was that most of Qian Datong's mine sites were unqualified, illegal operations.

Rumors in Jianghu had it that Qian Datong also kept a lot of thugs under him to oversee his mines.

Among these thugs, many were desperados who completely disregarded the miners' lives, forcing them to work day and night in the mines, earning Qian Datong this blood-and-sweat-tainted filthy money.

Over the years, by exploiting and oppressing miners, Qian Datong had amassed a great deal of ill-gotten wealth. Yet, he himself didn't think so. He believed it was his name that brought him good fortune.

Therefore, Qian Datong gave his son the name "Qian Yongtong," the meaning of which was quite clear—it hinted that his family's wealth would continue to thrive!

"Qian Datong, Qian Yongtong, haha, you father and son sure have names that sound like siblings!"

Observing Qian Yongtong's overbearing demeanor and recounting the odd names of the father and son, Ling Zhenfei could not help but find it even more amusing.

"You... you country bumpkin, Ling Zhenfei, you dare to mock me?"

Qian Yongtong knew that quite a few people laughed at their names behind their backs, but no one had ever dared to ridicule them to their face. Hearing Ling Zhenfei laugh so unrestrainedly now, Qian Yongtong immediately became so angry that his face turned white, and his finger trembled as he pointed at Ling Zhenfei.

"Mock you? So what if I did? Just now, you dared to be disrespectful to Axiu. It would be mild for me to just laugh at you—I'm even considering beating you up in a bit!"

Ling Zhenfei sneered coldly, a fierce sharpness flashing in his eyes as he stared at Qian Yongtong as if ready to pounce.

"You…"

Relying on his father's power, Qian Yongtong had been domineering in this area, and no one had ever dared to provoke him. However, he never expected that such a local yokel like Ling Zhenfei would dare to be so defiant in front of him. He felt a surge of rage that nearly set him ablaze.

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