Chapter 65

Back home.

It was rare for there to be no elders at home tonight. Even the mop was nowhere to be found, possibly lazing around in some corner of the village. The house felt exceptionally quiet.

And particularly suited for a peaceful two-person world…

Cha Jiuzhang led Jiang Tiantian into his room, his mind filled with fantasies of sweet and tender moments between them.

But as soon as Jiang Tiantian entered, she walked straight to the large table in the center of the room, sat down, flipped through the pile of design blueprints on his desk, and asked, “Which one is the village’s hot spring planning proposal? Can you show me?”

Cha Jiuzhang: ?!

Why did this feel like turning in homework to a teacher?

But since she was asking about serious matters, Cha Jiuzhang couldn’t refuse without reason. Feeling a little disappointed and aggrieved, he searched through the stack of blueprints and pulled out the hot spring pipeline layout and the architectural design for the hot spring hall before handing them to her.

As soon as she received them, Jiang Tiantian began flipping through them with focused attention.

Cha Jiuzhang quickly noticed something different about her.

It was a kind of aura—one that only those who were used to being in positions of power or making major decisions possessed. It was cold and commanding.

Curious, he sat across from her, studying her closely under the overhead light.

Was it just his imagination?

Her outward appearance hadn’t changed at all, yet the aura she exuded was vastly different.

He suddenly recalled a conversation from earlier in the day.

At the village committee entrance, a friend had stopped him and told him that Cha Baiwan had returned to the village that afternoon and hadn’t been able to find him. He had a message to pass along—

“Er Lai (Erlaizi) is crippled!”

That morning, Er Lai’s family had found him still not getting up and thought it was strange. When they went to check, they discovered him lying limp in bed, his mouth twisted, eyes askew, foaming at the mouth, and completely incoherent.

They rushed him to the hospital.

After a thorough examination, the doctors finally found a small sting wound behind his ear.

The doctors suspected that he had been stung by a highly venomous wasp. Because he had been brought in too late, the venom had already spread to his brain.

In other words, Er Lai had been poisoned into a state of mental incapacity.

From now on, even basic self-care might be a challenge for him.

As the friend recounted this, he couldn’t help but feel pleased. “Who would’ve thought that this time, justice finally struck, crippling that bastard once and for all?”

“At least Sister Xiaofang won’t be harassed by him anymore.”

But Cha Jiuzhang couldn’t stop thinking about what Jiang Tiantian had said the day before.

Could she really have a strong sixth sense?

Or… was this incident somehow related to her?

Yet no matter how he looked at it, this seemed to be nothing more than an accident.

—

While Cha Jiuzhang was lost in thought, Jiang Tiantian was confirming details with Xiao Qi in her mind.

Tea Jiuzhang’s proposed water diversion route for the village was already quite scientific, but it still had a few deviations from the optimal route designed by the system after a 3D scan.

She took out a pen and marked the necessary adjustments on the blueprint, adding notes for improvements.

She knew that doing this was odd.

But this man was going to be the closest person to her in the future.

She didn’t want to keep hiding her true self from him.

Rather than letting suspicions build up slowly over time, she decided to raise them to the maximum all at once—breaking them apart and rebuilding trust from scratch.

This was called “breaking before establishing.”

It was also the most efficient way to communicate.

After finishing her notes, she slid the blueprints back to Cha Jiuzhang.

“Your design is already very good, but I think there are a few areas that could be improved further.”

Cha Jiuzhang raised his eyebrows in surprise and examined the blueprints carefully.

The more he looked, the more shocked he became.

If he adjusted the plan according to her suggestions, it would indeed save more manpower and resources.

He looked up at her. “Did your god-grandfather teach you all this too?”

Jiang Tiantian winked playfully. “Take a guess.”

“I don’t want to guess. I want you to tell me directly.”

Cha Jiuzhang stared at her intently, his expression unusually serious. “As long as it’s you, I’ll believe anything you say.”

Jiang Tiantian’s smile slowly faded. She studied the man in front of her, weighing the pros and cons in her heart.

A moment later—

She stood up, walked around the table, and approached him.

At that moment, the cold and dominant persona she had carefully cultivated over the years was no longer hidden—it was fully unleashed.

Yet she still sat on his lap in an alluring and graceful manner.

One arm wrapped around his neck.

The other hand gently traced his face.

Using the sweetest voice, she spoke the most domineering words:

“Cha Jiuzhang, I do know many things—far beyond what you can imagine.”

“But none of that will be an obstacle between us.”

“I, Jiang Tiantian, will never be your subordinate. I will only be your equal, your partner, and your lover.”

“We will weather hardships together, and we will share in the glory together.”

“And you—are you willing to accept me, just as I am?”

Cha Jiuzhang’s heartbeat was already out of control.

He was going crazy.

This woman was like an enchantress.

She had such a sweet and innocent appearance, yet there was a wicked, almost otherworldly charm about her.

Two conflicting auras coexisted within her.

And yet… she was damn irresistible.

Cha Jiuzhang’s eyes burned red.

He didn’t answer her with words. Instead, he grabbed her slim waist and pulled her tightly against him.

Then, he lowered his head and bit her lips.

Jiang Tiantian instantly let go of her defenses and responded to him, soft and passionate.

After a long, heated entanglement—

Cha Jiuzhang finally released her, resting his forehead against hers, his eyes still tinged with a dangerous red.

“Jiang Tiantian, I don’t care who you are. But now that you’ve stayed, you belong to me.”

“If you ever try to leave, even if I have to chase you to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back.”

Jiang Tiantian raised her hand and gently traced the bright red cinnabar mark between his brows. She smirked, both arrogant and alluring.

“Cha Jiuzhang, I’ll give you back those same words. You also belong to me.”

“If you ever betray me, I’ll hunt you to the ends of the earth.”

Cha Jiuzhang burst into laughter, his charming peach blossom eyes filled with warmth.

He hugged her tightly again and dropped a kiss onto her hair, as happy as a child receiving a long-awaited treasure.

“This mutual understanding—perfect!”

Jiang Tiantian wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest. Listening to the strong thump-thump-thump of his heartbeat, she couldn’t help but smile.

A short while later—

Jiang Tiantian’s face grew redder, and her body felt hotter. She quickly broke free from his embrace and jumped away.

“Hey! Why are you getting even more excited?!”

“Cough, cough…”

Cha Jiuzhang also looked a bit awkward. He shifted his legs to cover up, trying to act natural but failing. His tone, however, remained righteous.

“He’s already an adult. If he doesn’t listen to me, what can I do???”

?!

The scene was too much—her eyes burned.

Jiang Tiantian raised both hands to cover her face.

Then, peeking through her fingers, she blinked her foxy eyes playfully and spoke in a deliberately teasing tone—

“Cha Jiuzhang, why don’t you take him outside for an… introductory adult experience class?”

She blinked even more seductively.

Cha Jiuzhang’s face turned completely red.