Er Gou, life in the countryside is so carefree!

As night deepened, the moon, like a shy young bride, hid behind the clouds.

At the vegetable greenhouse base at the west end of Xiushui Village, a dim yellow light was still on.

The surroundings were quiet, with only the chirping of crickets in the fields and the occasional bark of a dog, making the place seem exceptionally empty.

Inside the makeshift house, Li Mei was hunched over her desk, typing away at her computer.

She was wearing her signature white lab coat over a tight-fitting light blue shirt, with one button undone at the collar, revealing a patch of snow-white skin around her collarbone.

Perhaps she had been sitting for too long, because she stopped moving, took off her black-rimmed glasses, tilted her head back, and her slender neck arched back in a graceful curve.

"Ouch……"

Li Mei frowned slightly, pounded her aching lower back with her hand, and let out a low moan of discomfort.

"What's wrong? Is Commissioner Li tired?"

A mocking voice suddenly came from the doorway.

Li Mei was startled and almost threw her glasses away.

She turned around and saw Chen Ergou leaning against the door frame, holding two bottles of chilled beer and a bag of peanuts, smiling broadly.

"Chen Ergou! Why are you walking so quietly? You scared me to death!"

Li Mei patted her chest and gave him a reproachful glare, but there was little anger in her eyes; instead, there was a hint of surprise.

"I saw you were too focused, so I didn't want to disturb you."

Chen Ergou walked in, placed the beer on the table, and brazenly swept his gaze over Li Mei:

"It's so late at night, a lone man and woman in the middle of nowhere. Aren't you afraid I might have ulterior motives towards you, Commissioner Li?"

"Tch, do you even have the guts?"

Li Mei put her glasses back on and gave a nonchalant hum:

"With Sister-in-law Qiaofen at home and another pretty widow eyeing you outside, how can you manage?"

"That's not necessarily true. Men are like water in a sponge; you can always squeeze some out."

Chen Ergou chuckled, walked around behind Li Mei, and put his big hands on her shoulders.

"Don't move. I noticed you were rubbing your lower back. Is your old problem acting up again?"

Li Mei's body stiffened abruptly. Just as she was about to struggle, she felt a warm current flowing through Chen Ergou's palm.

"Relax, I'm a doctor, this is legitimate treatment."

Chen Ergou's voice became deep and magnetic.

His thumb pressed precisely on the Dazhui acupoint on Li Mei's cervical spine, and he slowly kneaded it with force.

"Um……"

The tangy, slightly tingling sensation made Li Mei hum aloud.

so comfy.

It was as if a warm current had instantly cleared away the blockages in my meridians, and the stiffness caused by years of desk work was gradually dissipating.

"Ergou... your cooking skills... are really good..."

Li Mei's voice became soft and sweet, and she seemed to have no bones as she leaned back in her chair, letting Chen Ergou do as he pleased.

Chen Ergou's hands were not well-behaved; they slowly slid down his shoulders to his back, and then down his spine.

The touch of the fabric through the thin shirt was delicate and warm to the fingertips.

"Commissioner Li, your lumbar muscle strain is quite severe. You need a deep massage."

Chen Ergou leaned close to her ear, his warm breath brushing against her sensitive earlobe:

"It might be a bit hot, just bear with it."

"Mmm... gently... gently..."

Li Mei closed her eyes, her cheeks were as red as ripe tomatoes, and her breathing became rapid.

The air inside the makeshift house instantly became ambiguous and sticky.

Just as Chen Ergou was about to further explore the mysteries of "life sciences".

"Bang!"

With a loud bang, the thin iron door of the makeshift house was kicked open.

"Chen Ergou! Get your ass out here!"

This sudden turn of events shattered the enchanting atmosphere in the room.

Li Mei screamed and jumped up from her chair as if she had been electrocuted, frantically straightening her clothes.

Chen Ergou's face instantly darkened.

He turned around and squinted at the doorway.

There were seven or eight thugs standing at the entrance, each wielding a steel pipe and looking rather shady.

And the one leading the group was none other than Liu Suanpan, the accountant who had just been slapped during the day.

At this moment, Liu Suanpan's face was still swollen on one side, but his expression was arrogant and overbearing.

"Liu the Calculator? Is your face still hurting, or is it just itching for a beating?"

Chen Ergou said coldly, and casually shielded Li Mei behind him.

"Chen Ergou! Don't be so arrogant!"

Liu Suanpan pointed at Chen Ergou, spitting as he spoke:

"You bullied me all day because you outnumbered me, tonight I'll make you pay it all back, with interest! See these guys? They're the buddies of 'Tiger' from town!"

A thug with dyed yellow hair standing next to him, holding a steel pipe, glanced at Chen Ergou sideways:

"So you're the one who hit Accountant Liu? And then you pulled out 500,000 to show off? You're pretty rich, huh? We're a bit short on cash lately, want to lend us some?"

Chen Ergou didn't even glance at the blond-haired man, his eyes fixed on Liu Suanpan, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

"Liu Suanpan, have you forgotten whose territory this Xiushui Village is?"

"Whose territory is this? After tonight, this won't be your territory anymore!"

Liu Suanpan roared fiercely:

"Smash it! First, smash this lousy greenhouse to pieces! Then drag that woman out and let the brothers have some fun!"

Upon hearing this, the group of thugs yelled and tried to rush inside.

Li Mei was so frightened that she clung tightly to Chen Ergou's clothes, trembling with fear.

"court death."

A cold glint flashed in Chen Ergou's eyes, and he was about to make a move.

Suddenly, a rough, thunderous roar boomed from the darkness outside the greenhouse:

"I'd like to see who dares to lay a finger on Doctor Chen!!"

The voice was powerful and carried a fierce, combative aura.

Immediately afterwards, a bald, burly man, shirtless, revealing his muscular physique and tattoos, charged forward like a tank, carrying a gleaming machete.

Behind him followed five or six burly men carrying shovels and hoes.

He is none other than Wang Laowu, the former village bully and now the leader of the "Chen Family Army"!

"Wang...Wang Laowu?!"

When Liu Suanpan saw who it was, his legs went weak and he almost knelt down again.

In Xiushui Village, Wang Laowu was a man who could stop children from crying at night. Although he was recently said to have fallen ill and become well-behaved, his influence was still there!

Wang Laowu rushed forward, and without saying a word, swung his hand and slapped the blond-haired man who was about to make a move across the face.

"Snapped!"

This slap was even harder than the one Chen Ergou had given him during the day.

The blond-haired man spun around three times, and two bloody teeth flew out.

"You're all blind!"

Wang Laowu slammed the axe to the ground, causing it to tremble three times, and pointed at Liu Suanpan's nose, cursing:

"They even dared to smash up Dr. Chen's greenhouse? Don't they know Dr. Chen is my savior?!"

Ever since Chen Ergou used silver needles to suppress his cancer pain and gave him hope of survival, Wang Laowu now treats Chen Ergou like an ancestor.

He originally planned to stroll around this area tonight, hoping to run into Er Gou and ask for some advice on that kind of thing, but he never expected to stumble upon this whole mess.

"Fifth...Fifth Brother...this..."

Liu Suanpan was completely dumbfounded.

He never dreamed that Wang Laowu, who was usually domineering, would suddenly become Chen Ergou's watchdog.

"Misunderstanding...it's all a misunderstanding..."

Liu Suanpan retreated, trying to slip away.

"Misunderstanding my ass!"

Wang Laowu kicked Liu Suanpan in the stomach, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Then, turning to Chen Ergou, she immediately put on an extremely fawning smile, bending at a ninety-degree angle:

"Grandpa Er Gou, you've been frightened! I'll handle these punks. You and Commissioner Li... continue? Continue?"

Chen Ergou watched this scene and nodded calmly.

"Fifth Brother, now that you're here, this matter is in your hands. Remember, don't kill anyone, but don't let them get away with it either. Especially that Liu the Calculator, give him a good 'bone loosening' for me."

"Alright! Just you wait and see!"

Wang Laowu grinned maliciously and dragged Liu Suanpan into the darkness like a dead dog.

"Ah—! Fifth Brother, spare me! Grandpa Er Gou, spare me!"

A piercing scream tore through the night sky, sending chills down one's spine.

Inside the makeshift house.

Chen Ergou turned around, looked at the still-shaken Li Mei, and shrugged:

"See, I told you, there are still more good people than bad in this village."

Li Mei looked at the man in front of her, her heart pounding.

The moment he stood in front of her, the overwhelming sense of security he gave her, a woman who had always been strong-willed, made her feel like she wanted to rely on someone for the first time.

"Ergou..."

Li Mei bit her lip, her eyes becoming hazy, and took Chen Ergou's hand, pressing it against her heaving chest:

"I didn't finish pressing the buttons just now... Shall we... continue?"