Old Deng awakens: He starts by eliminating the yoga pants in the county town!

Inside the booth.

Xia Xinglan's hand, holding the bone china water glass, froze in mid-air.

An undisguised shock finally surfaced on her beautiful, aloof, and arrogant face.

She knew Lei Ge's abilities all too well; he was one of the top bodyguards in the entire provincial capital.

But now, he was actually knocked back by a driver brought by Zhao Pengfei with a single punch?!

Xia Xinglan's gaze was fixed on Lin Dawei.

The man was wearing an inexpensive black suit, with the collar slightly open, revealing his strong, tanned neck.

He stood there, breathing steadily, showing no signs of having just finished a violent struggle.

It exudes an extremely dangerous yet wild tension.

Lei gritted his teeth, shook his numb arms, a glint of madness flashing in his eyes, and made as if he were about to pounce on him again to fight to the death.

That's enough.

Xia Xinglan suddenly spoke.

Her voice was soft and sweet, yet carried an unquestionable tone.

"Brother Lei, step down."

Lei stopped abruptly, glared fiercely at Lin Dawei, and reluctantly retreated to the back of the booth.

Seeing this, Zhao Pengfei was extremely pleased with himself.

He straightened his back, swaggered past Lei Ge, and plopped down on the sofa opposite Xia Xinglan.

"Xinglan, what do you think of the person I chose?"

Zhao Pengfei looked smug, as if he had just thrown that punch himself.

"If you ever think Brother Lei is no longer useful, I'll lend you Old Lin for a while!"

Xia Xinglan sneered, not even glancing at Zhao Pengfei.

She put down the water glass in her hand, crossed her long legs, and the edges of her lace stockings gleamed alluringly in the sunlight.

"Zhao Pengfei, you came to see me today just to show off your eye for talent? Then you can get lost."

Zhao Pengfei wasn't angry when he was scolded; he was already used to Xia Xinglan's sharp tongue.

"Xinglan, what you're saying..."

He quickly leaned forward and put on a fawning expression.

"I'm here today because I have a serious matter I need your help with."

"My sister's birthday is just a few days away."

Zhao Pengfei rubbed his hands together, looking troubled.

"You know my sister, she's incredibly aloof. If I were to give her bags or jewelry worth tens of thousands, she wouldn't appreciate it at all, she'd probably kick me."

"I just thought you had good taste and broad knowledge."

"Tell me, what should I give my sister to make her happy?"

Upon hearing that it was about Zhao Qinglan, Xia Xinglan's mockery subsided slightly.

Although she was spoiled, there were very few women in the entire county who she could even remotely admire.

Zhao Qinglan is one of them.

Xia Xinglan extended her slender, white fingers and gently tapped the table.

"Giving you bags and jewelry? Young Master Zhao, is your mind only capable of such tacky things?"

Xia Xinglan's tone was sarcastic.

"Qinglan, who works within the system, is most averse to these kinds of ostentatious items."

"Sending those things to her is just causing her trouble."

Zhao Pengfei was speechless after being rebuked and could only nod repeatedly.

"Yes, yes, you're right! So what do you suggest as a gift?"

Xia Xinglan raised her eyes, her gaze seemingly casually sweeping over Lin Dawei not far away.

"The most important thing when giving gifts is sincerity."

She drew out the last syllable, her voice carrying a hint of nonchalance.

"I was just about to prepare a gift for Sister Qinglan."

"I heard that the Qingyin Temple in Yunhe County next door has a master who consecrated extremely effective peace amulets. They can not only protect you from harm, but also ward off bad luck."

Xia Xinglan toyed with the sunglasses in her hand with her slender fingers.

"Compared to those tacky jewels, personally seeking a peace charm shows a much better intention."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Pengfei's eyes lit up instantly.

This is a golden opportunity!

Not only can it solve my older sister's birthday gift problem, but it can also legitimately allow me to travel with Xia Xinglan!

"Great idea!"

Zhao Pengfei slapped his thigh suddenly, so excited he almost jumped up.

"Xinglan, as expected of you! That move was absolutely brilliant!"

He quickly climbed up the pole.

"Yunhe County isn't close at all; you have to cross two winding mountain roads in between. It's not safe for a girl like you to go alone!"

"How about this, I'll go with you!"

Zhao Pengfei turned around and pointed to Lin Dawei, who was standing there like a door god.

"Perfect timing, I'll bring Old Lin along!"

"With him around, not only can he be our free driver, but he can also knock out any robbers with one punch!"

"What do you think?"

Xia Xinglan did not refuse immediately.

Her alluring fox-like eyes looked at Lin Dawei again, her gaze sweeping from his broad shoulders down to his crisp suit trousers.

There was a few seconds of silence.

Her red lips curled up slightly.

"Okay."

Upon hearing those two light words, Zhao Pengfei felt as if he had eaten a magpie's fart, and he almost jumped off the sofa.

"Very good!"

Zhao Pengfei slapped his thigh, turned to Lin Dawei and winked, his face full of triumphant joy.

"Xinglan, don't worry, today I..."

"Who said it had to be today?"

Xia Xinglan interrupted him.

She shifted the position of her crossed legs, the edges of her lace stockings seeming to shimmer in the sunlight.

"Today's trip was too rushed."

She stretched out her slender white fingers, picked up the sunglasses on the table, and casually fiddled with them.

"I have a SPA appointment this afternoon, and I also need to have a video call with my dad later, so I don't have time to go to the remote mountain village with you."

Xia Xinglan raised her eyes and glanced at Zhao Pengfei.

"If you want to go, that's fine. Have your driver pick me up at Peninsula Manor at nine o'clock tomorrow morning."

Zhao Pengfei wasn't angry when he was criticized; instead, he was overjoyed.

This was the first time in history that Xia Xinglan had been able to go out alone with him.

He nodded vigorously.

"No problem, no problem!"

"I promise I'll park my car at the main gate at nine o'clock tomorrow morning, and I won't make you wait even a minute longer!"

Xia Xinglan was too lazy to look at his sycophantic face anymore, so she put on sunglasses, covering most of her cold and beautiful face.

"Alright, things are settled. You can all get lost. Don't ruin my coffee time."

Lei stood behind the booth, staring fiercely at Lin Dawei, his eyes looking like he wanted to devour him.

Lin Dawei didn't even glance at him.

He simply turned around calmly, followed Zhao Pengfei, and strode out of the club.

……

Back to that black Mercedes-Benz G-Class.

The car door had just been closed tightly.

"Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!"

Zhao Pengfei was so excited that he slapped his thigh three times, making the leather seat thud loudly.

He turned his head and looked at Lin Dawei sitting in the driver's seat, his eyes filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"Old Lin! You're practically my lucky star!"

"I've tried so many times to curry favor with her before, and even her lackey Lei couldn't win her over. But today, with you here to keep things in order, she actually agreed to come to Yunhe County with me!"

Lin Dawei gripped the steering wheel with one hand and skillfully started the car.

"It was a good excuse that Young Master Zhao came up with himself. He used Director Zhao's name as a pretext and went with the flow."

He spoke casually, offering Zhao Pengfei a compliment without hesitation.

Zhao Pengfei was pleased with what he heard and leaned back in the passenger seat, humming a little tune with satisfaction.

"We're heading to Yunhe County tomorrow. The mountains are high and the roads are long. If something unexpected happens along the way, I'll play the hero and rescue the damsel in distress..."

His mind was already filled with images that were inappropriate for children.