Chapter 25 Sorghum Field

When we returned to the village, it was already evening, and the sky was about to darken.

Secretary Sun parked the car and turned around: "I'll go and invite Miss Ling over." He was thoughtful; if the leader went to find her personally, it would inevitably attract attention.

After Secretary Sun left, Qu Mingyuan also got out of the car and strolled to the edge of the field. There were neat fields nearby. The blueberry season was almost over, and tall corn was planted next to them, lush and green, like a natural screen in the twilight.

The evening breeze rustled through the corn leaves.

He gazed at the tranquil field, slowly exhaled, and tried to sort out his impulse to turn back.

Just then, a faint rustling sound and voices came from the cornfield next door.

Qu Mingyuan frowned subconsciously, intending to avoid it, but after taking two steps, a familiar voice drifted into his ears on the wind, causing him to stop in his tracks.

He looked at the cornfield in disbelief, and then his voice became clearer; it was Ling Wei: "No, no, stop delaying, show me yours first!"

Then came a male voice, which sounded like the guy who sat next to her at the dinner table earlier that day: "How can you do that? I was the one who suggested it first. We should look at each other. You're not trying to get something for nothing, are you?"

At this time? In this place? "Take off"? "Look"?

Qu Mingyuan's steps suddenly stopped, and his heart sank slowly.

In the cornfield, Ling Wei looked helplessly at Shan Huai, who was deliberately wrapping his coat tightly around himself: "Stop dawdling, they'll get suspicious if we don't go back soon. Hurry up, or I'll just take it from you."

Dan Huai clutched his collar, covering the information card inside, and cried out in a affected manner, "Hey, pervert!"

In the afternoon, this person came over mysteriously and said that each team's theme clues were fragmented. He suggested that they exchange information with each other to piece together the complete information so that they could prepare for the competition stage in advance.

After weighing the options, she decided it was indeed a win-win situation and agreed to meet at this relatively secluded location.

I never expected Shan Huai to have so many tricks up his sleeve.

Ling Wei was amused by his affected manner and said, "Then I'm leaving."

Dan Huai immediately perked up: "Don't go, don't go, my sister, let's watch it together! I promise you, it's absolutely worth it! This is... a completely honest and mutually beneficial arrangement!"

Then Shan Huai urged, his hand still symbolically on his shirt button: "Hurry up, hurry up, I'm all ready, it's your turn! Let me see your team's strength!"

Ling Wei was amused by his dramatic antics and was about to take out her information card when suddenly an arm reached out from behind her, stopping her movement, and then a force pulled her backward.

Caught off guard, Ling Wei's back bumped into a solid chest.

She looked up in surprise, but her eyes were quickly covered by a warm, large hand.

Before her vision went dark, she only had time to hear Shan Huai let out a shaky exclamation: "Ah! Leader?! What are you doing here?!"

A moment later, the hand covering her eyes was removed.

Ling Wei blinked, a little confused: Why did you suddenly cover her eyes?

But Qu Mingyuan turned his head slightly, avoiding her gaze, looking uneasy. "I just happened to be passing by. What are you doing?"

Dan Huai suddenly realized that their private exchange of competition information might be considered cheating by the leaders.

He immediately stammered, "We...we were talking about some personal things."

For some reason, as soon as he finished speaking, Ling Wei felt the hand gripping her arm tighten its hold, and she shifted uncomfortably.

Seeing this, Shan Huai immediately chuckled awkwardly, "Hahaha, well, you guys chat, I'll be going now!"

Without waiting for Ling Wei, he turned and ran, moving so fast it was as if a ghost was chasing him.

Ling Wei watched his retreating figure: ...Traitor!

However, she thought for a moment and realized that the rules didn't explicitly prohibit sharing information. So she turned around and met Qu Mingyuan's gaze with a straight face: "What? We're just exchanging information. The rules don't say we can't do this."

Qu Mingyuan stared at the information card specially made by the program team in her hand. After a moment of silence, he understood the situation. A look of relief flashed in his eyes, and then the corners of his lips curved almost imperceptibly as he replied, "Yes, the rules don't really say it's not allowed."

Just then, voices came from not far away, including the village secretary's booming voice: "Oh dear, Secretary Sun said he left something here. I'll take you to look for it. Perfect timing, I'll also let Leader Qu know..."

Someone's coming!!

This time, this place.

If someone sees her with Shan Huai, it's easy to explain, but if someone sees her alone with the person in charge of the cultural project by the cornfield, it could cause a lot of speculation and trouble!

Ling Wei tried to hide in the cornfield next to her, but as soon as her hand touched a corn stalk, it made a rustling sound.

The village party secretary, however, located the source of the sound and called out loudly, "Hey? Is that the leader in the field?"

We're doomed!

Seeing that the beam of the flashlight had already swept over, Ling Wei was so anxious that she didn't care about anything else. She pulled off Qu Mingyuan's hooded sweatshirt, bent down and crawled inside, pressing herself tightly against him and using his clothes and body to completely cover herself.

The space suddenly felt cramped.

Qu Mingyuan's scent wafted over her, a crisp fragrance mixed with the clean, warm scent of a mature man, forcefully dominating her sense of smell.

Her cheeks were forced against the fabric of his shirt against his chest, and she could clearly feel the instantaneous tension in his muscles and the sudden, powerful beat of his heart.

Ling Wei rushed in so quickly that Qu Mingyuan swayed, and the hem of his hoodie was suddenly stretched open, revealing a gap. She instinctively pressed herself against him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

This action completely froze Qu Mingyuan.

Ling Wei's arms wrapped around his waist allowed her to clearly feel the lines of his back muscles and the barely perceptible tremor.

His hand, which had been resting on her shoulder, now seemed somewhat helpless, hovering there, caught in a dilemma.

"Leader Qu? Is that you there?" The village secretary's voice was very close.

Ling Wei felt Qu Mingyuan's Adam's apple bob, and the sound of him swallowing was exceptionally clear in the small space.

Then he spoke, his voice resonating through his chest, carrying a deep and magnetic quality filtered through the fabric, even a bit hoarse than usual:

"Secretary Li, it's me."

"Oh dear, leader, what are you doing in the field?" the village secretary asked with concern. "It's almost completely dark now, and the grass is so tall. There might be snakes out at night, so you'd better be careful!"

The flashlight beam swayed nearby, and Ling Wei felt his hand on her shoulder. He instinctively tightened his grip, pulling her closer to him—a completely subconscious protective gesture. This action made the fresh scent of his hoodie even more intense as it enveloped her.