The coward had already been terrified of Xia Xiaolan.

Last time, he had boldly touched Xia Xiaolan’s waist, resulting in her calling a truck full of workers.

The coward was then pinned to the ground and thoroughly beaten.

Bai Zhenzhu hadn’t gone easy on him. Though the external injuries didn’t look severe, his entire body ached for a month after returning home. He wailed like a ghost all day at home, but since the surface wounds had healed and doctors couldn’t find any injuries during examinations, his family lost patience and accused him of faking illness.

The coward suffered in silence.

After enduring his family’s cold shoulders for a month, the pain finally subsided. He went out to celebrate with his drinking buddies.

They drank from noon until dusk. Drunk and stumbling, he took a shortcut home only to encounter Xia Xiaolan, his nemesis.

No matter how beautiful this woman was, he didn’t dare harbor any thoughts about her.

His first reaction was to run.

But Ge Jian caught him.

Listen to what Ge Jian said – they hadn’t beaten him yet, meaning they would later?

Why was his life so miserable?

When Xia Xiaolan asked if his father was the village chief, the coward nodded frantically:

“Yes, yes, he’s the village chief, he’s the village chief…”

Last time his father had announced his position and brought many villagers, but still couldn’t save him. Now she was asking about his father again. The coward didn’t know what Xia Xiaolan was planning. If he hadn’t spontaneously chosen this route, he would have suspected Xia Xiaolan and Ge Jian were ambushing him.

It was just touching her waist once!

Wasn’t making him hurt for a month last time enough?

Seeing a grown man crying and sniveling before her, Xia Xiaolan was speechless.

“Ge Jian, make him stop crying.”

“Yes, Miss Xia.”

Ge Jian wasn’t one to use kind words. He dragged the coward by his collar behind the bamboo grove. At first, Xia Xiaolan heard screams, then silence. After a while, only Ge Jian’s voice was heard:

“When Miss Xia asks you questions, answer properly. Don’t embarrass yourself by crying. Understand?”

“Y-yes, I understand!”

He dared not disobey. The coward returned grimacing, shoulders slumped.

“My father is Luo Degui, the village chief. I’m Luo Yaozong, I…”

This self-introduction was dry and awkward.

Xia Xiaolan wasn’t here for matchmaking, so she didn’t care: “Let me ask you, has your village’s land been sold to foreign investors?”

Luo Yaozong alternated between shaking and nodding his head.

Ge Jian’s face darkened, making Luo Yaozong tremble in fear.

“No, our village’s farmland was taken by Xiangmihu. This time, the foreigners bought our houses.”

“So you’re a relocation tycoon, pardon my disrespect!”

Luo Yaozong didn’t understand Xia Xiaolan’s sarcasm, but whatever the nemesis said must be right.

Xia Xiaolan walked a few steps, “This garbage pool and bamboo grove, are they your village’s land?”

“Y-yes… I think so.”

Luo Yaozong wasn’t entirely sure.

What a useless person.

But useless people couldn’t lie effectively – they lacked the brains for it.

“Is it or isn’t it? Think carefully!”

Though Xia Xiaolan looked delicate and sweet, Luo Yaozong was terrified of her.

“Yes, it’s our village’s land.”

He feared another beating if he answered incorrectly.

Xia Xiaolan was puzzled: “Two land acquisitions – first your village’s farmland, then your residential plots and private land. You’ve sold everything, so why keep this sewage pool?”

Luo Yaozong was sweating profusely.

Indeed, why keep a sewage pool? He felt like he was back in elementary school facing a teacher’s question – wrong answers meant punishment. But while teachers only hit palms, this nemesis hit everywhere.

Yet Luo Yaozong truly didn’t know why they kept the sewage pool.

He usually just fooled around with other young villagers, enjoying his status as the village chief’s son. Someone who wasted their days like this couldn’t answer even if beaten to death.

Seeing him trembling and sweating, Xia Xiaolan found it amusing:

“Fine, go ask your father tonight. Don’t mention meeting me. Ask why this land wasn’t sold and if it can be sold. Come back here tomorrow morning with clear answers! Don’t try any tricks – you know what I’m capable of.”

Luo Yaozong nodded repeatedly.

Though he had hurt for a month, doctors found no injuries – it was so mysterious.

He now feared Xia Xiaolan more than death itself. Compared to her, even his father the village chief seemed gentle.

His father only scolded him but never hit him!

“I’ll handle it…”

Luo Yaozong’s bowing and scraping looked comical. Ge Jian glanced at Xia Xiaolan, “Why are you still here? Waiting for dinner?”

Luo Yaozong fled as if granted amnesty, even falling once outside the bamboo grove.

Ge Jian hesitated, “Miss Xia, can this person handle the task?”

Xia Xiaolan wasn’t too concerned: “Whether he can or not, I’m not putting all my hopes on him. If I buy land, it won’t be through him. This is just to see if we can avoid some detours.”

So that was it!

…

When Bill reported to Harold about the project site, he mentioned seeing Xia Xiaolan.

Butler Allen glared at Bill.

Young people these days have no tact. Couldn’t they see Mr. Harold hadn’t mentioned Miss Xia for a long time? Why remind him?

Harold was indeed curious:

“Why does she keep going to Xiangmihu? Is it the only tourist spot in Pengcheng?”

Bill didn’t know, “Ji seemed to meet her by chance. They didn’t appear to have planned it.”

Harold pondered.

Xia Xiaolan was truly an interesting person.

Though Harold had only met her a few times, each encounter left a deep impression.

First as a mafia lady, then as a social debutante.

Third time dining with Mayor Tang,

Fourth time holding hands intimately with a Chinese man.

Someone with so many different faces was naturally intriguing.

Harold had been busy negotiating investments with the government. Now that the project was officially launched and entering preliminary preparations, he had leisure time again.

“Allen, what do you think she’s doing at Xiangmihu? I don’t think it’s that simple.”

Is it complicated?

Xiangmihu Holiday Resort was open to tourists, so visiting wasn’t strange.

Allen privately thought Harold was making excuses to go look. But a good butler should be considerate of his employer:

“Sir, if she has any purpose, she won’t visit just once. I’ll have Bill watch the area to see if she appears again in the next few days.”

Harold nodded slowly.

He knew Allen thought he hadn’t given up on Xia Xiaolan.

Indeed, Harold hadn’t.

He was very interested in Xia Xiaolan, but not necessarily romantically. Yes, not romantic interest – he had spent over 80 million dollars on land, with more investment to come. He simply didn’t want any problems with his business!

George had said Chinese people were foolish, but during Harold’s negotiations with the Pengcheng government, he hadn’t found them foolish at all.