Ning Yuan didn't notice his absent-mindedness. She saw that the person next to her was not speaking and was only focused on grilling meat.
She reached out and tugged at his sleeve: "What do you think of my idea?"
Rong Zhaonan lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes casting shadows on his fair and aloof face: "It's nothing. Although things have loosened up in the last two years, we still need to be cautious."
If someone sent her to infiltrate his inner circle, why does she look like she's desperately short of money?
Didn't she receive enough activity funds when she went online?
Ning Yuan nodded with a smile: "Don't worry, I'll be careful not to drag you down. By the way, is there any more gossip? I want some!"
She was hoping this big shot would hunt more game in the mountains to sell in the future.
She will be an excellent middleman!
Rong Zhaonan glanced at her: "Okay, I'll go get it."
I felt like her smile was a bit too eager, like a shrewd businessman.
...
The two of them worked until midnight to properly smoke the meat twice. Ning Yuan was exhausted and sleepy, and she kept dozing off while turning the meat over.
Rong Zhaonan was sitting by the fire when he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. He turned to look and saw Ning Yuan lying on her side, her head resting on his shoulder, fast asleep.
Her long braid and round face leaned softly against his shoulder, her lips soft and moist, like a harmless rabbit.
His eyes were deep and dark, and for some reason he didn't say anything, letting her lean against him and fall asleep.
He even closed his eyes without realizing it.
When Ning Yuan woke up, it was already slightly bright outside.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself nestled in a strong embrace, and looking up, she was met with the face of a sleeping man so close to her.
Ning Yuan almost slapped him while she was still half asleep, but thankfully she came to her senses and held back.
She then realized that she was sleeping in Rong Zhaonan's arms, her head resting on his arm.
His breath fell on her forehead, so close that she could see his long, straight eyelashes like thick fans, his straight nose and thin lips.
She gasped for breath, that face…
I was indeed born in an inopportune era.
She couldn't help but sigh again, thinking that if he had been born a few decades later, he would definitely be a top star in the entertainment industry, with young girls spending money like crazy just to make him smile.
But born in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when the tough-guy style of Ken Takakura was popular... he was a pretty boy that most girls would look down on.
"What are you looking at?" someone asked abruptly.
"Looking at pretty boys," she replied absentmindedly.
"Heh..." the man sneered.
“(⊙o⊙)…” Ning Yuan was startled, her round eyes meeting a pair of clear and deep phoenix eyes.
She said dryly, "Hahaha... Dr. Rong, you're awake! I'm awake too. Time to go to work at dawn... Time to go to work."
She gets so nervous that she can't remember his name.
Rong Zhaonan looked at the girl in his arms without any expression: "Disgusted?"
Ning Yuan looked bewildered: "Huh?"
What are you complaining about? Are you complaining about having to go to work?
Rong Zhaonan sat up: "When you used me as a pillow and blanket last night, you didn't seem to mind that I was a pretty boy."
Ning Yuan's face instantly turned red, and she quickly sat up as well: "No... I didn't... I didn't mean it that way!"
What's going on? This big shot's words are quite suggestive and misleading! It's as if something happened between them.
"Then what do you mean?" Rong Zhaonan sneered, narrowing his eyes dangerously.
He was often ridiculed for his androgynous face since he was a child.
Some even said he resembled those vicious con artists in old Shanghai who used their shamelessness to swindle money from women.
While in the army, some people mocked him for being a sissy, but in the end, he taught those who looked down on him a lesson.
Ning Yuan felt nervous under his piercing gaze: "Who says pretty boys aren't good-looking? Even if they weren't, I wouldn't be staring at you like that!"
She vaguely knew that Rong Zhaonan disliked people staring at his face, and she didn't want to offend the big boss!
Rong Zhaonan raised an eyebrow: "Is that so?"
Ning Yuan nodded vigorously: "Of course, I've never seen a man more handsome than you!"
Rong Zhaonan's expression turned cold. In these days, for a grown man to be told he was handsome was tantamount to publicly calling him a gigolo.
He said sarcastically, "Don't tell me you like this kind of face?"
Ning Yuan nodded vigorously, "Of course I like it! Your face is so beautiful!"
That's the truth. Everyone loves beauty, and his face is just handsome! He doesn't even get tanned, which makes people jealous!
Ning Yuan's frankness startled Rong Zhaonan, who fell silent for a moment.
The girl in front of him spoke so sincerely; he could tell she wasn't lying.
She really liked his face...
This realization caused a strange emotion to flash in his usually cold and gloomy eyes.
After Ning Yuan finished speaking, she realized that her words were a bit ambiguous, so she coughed lightly: "What I mean is that it may not be popular nowadays... well, it's not a face like yours, but it's a fact that your face is beautiful."
How did I steer the conversation towards whether he likes me or not? I hope he doesn't misunderstand.
The atmosphere was a bit eerie; the morning air seemed a little hot, perhaps because the stove was too hot.
Rong Zhaonan looked away and stood up quickly: "Alright, get up. We can take a shower now before going to work."
Looking at Rong Zhaonan's handsome and tall figure, Ning Yuan felt that his temper came on quickly and went away just as fast, and he also had a bit of a boyish awkwardness.
It made it impossible for her to associate him with the powerful, cold, and profound man from the TV series in her past life.
But that's not surprising, since the big shots now haven't grown into what they will be in the future.
Ning Yuan had a strange feeling, as if she were witnessing the growth of a powerful figure and participating in another kind of life.
It even feels a bit like... raising a mobile game character.
...
As the days passed, and with the addition of salt and spices, the wild boar meat was cured to its best color.
It's not too dry, yet it's rich in oil, exuding the aroma of firewood and spices—it's incredibly fragrant!
One pound of raw meat can yield about seven ounces of smoked meat, and they have about 170 pounds of smoked meat in their hands.
Ning Yuan decided to go to the county town to sell meat on Sunday!
She didn't carry much; she took a basket and carried 30 jin (15 kg) on her back. Early in the morning, she got on the handcart that had been arranged to pick her up and went to the city with a group of wives and aunties from the village.
No sooner had Ning Yuan entered the city than someone approached Rong Zhaonan.
He was called into the village production team's office.
As soon as Rong Zhaonan entered the office, he saw several people wearing red armbands sitting inside.
The one in the lead was Li Yan, the deputy secretary of the commune whom he had met before, and he had an ambiguous relationship with Ning Yuan.
He even suppressed the fact that he had kicked and injured Aunt Bai last time in order to protect Ning Yuan.
“We’re here to check on the results of your recent ideological reform.” Li Yan stood up expressionlessly.
The men he brought also stood up and surrounded Rong Zhaonan.
Rong Zhaonan paused, then looked down and pressed his glasses frame: "Okay."
He chuckled inwardly. Was this a deliberate attempt to bring people here to pick a fight with him?
Ning Yuan, that little spy, was indeed lying.
This young officer clearly had a close relationship with her, which is why she was so hostile towards him.
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