Hearing Ye Tiancheng say this, Liu Lanying smiled faintly, "As long as I go with you, Brother Ye, I don't mind where it is. I'll be happy wherever I go."
This girl was also pretty. Although her background wasn't great, she now had the Liu family's old mansion to inherit, so her circumstances weren't that bad. She could easily attract rich second-generation individuals. Otherwise, that Young Master Xue wouldn't have shamelessly come to propose.
"I'll clean up the kitchen. If you have time, look more into the travel plans. I feel like I'll be done soon, and then I'll take you traveling."
"Okay, I'll listen to you. But I'll clean up today. It's not convenient for a big man like you to be in the kitchen all the time."
He had spoiled himself too much. Over time, Ye Tiancheng increasingly realized that Liu Lanying was a good girl. If he could marry a wife like Liu Lanying, it would be much better than marrying a rich second-generation woman.
Ye Tiancheng had always known this. Even if he married a daughter from a wealthy family, he would still be living under someone else's roof and would have to watch his words and actions. But if he were with someone like Liu Lanying, this woman's life would revolve around him, and everything she did would benefit him. In fact, this was quite good, and Ye Tiancheng wouldn't have to be so tired.
After they finished cleaning and locked the door, they set off. Ye Tiancheng found it inconvenient to always rely on public transport. His bank account was quite substantial, so he bought a small car. Although it was a used car, its performance was good, and it only cost over forty thousand yuan.
"This brand of car is quite good, and it's domestic, but it's very common. The main thing is that it's fuel-efficient, costing only four or five mao per kilometer. It doesn't consume much fuel, so you can drive it anywhere."
After getting the new car, Ye Tiancheng was in a great mood. He drove it at over seventy miles per hour with the wind in his face, feeling like his life was about to begin anew.
"I agree. It seems that most problems in this world can be solved with money. Now that we have a car, it will be much more convenient."
"Do you have a driver's license? If you do, I can buy you one to drive. It won't be anything fancy, just a few tens of thousands of yuan for you to use as a commuter car. Otherwise, as a village head, you have to drive to meetings in other villages and sometimes go to the township. It's definitely inconvenient without a car."
As soon as Liu Lanying heard that Ye Tiancheng wanted to buy her a car, she naturally felt embarrassed, her face turning red all the way to her ears.
"It's not necessary, Brother Ye. I don't have that many demands. I'll buy one myself when I've saved enough from my salary later."
Ye Tiancheng sometimes forgot that Liu Lanying was just a recent graduate who hadn't accumulated much. She hadn't been working for long, and the village head's salary wasn't high. It would indeed be difficult to save up for a car. He always felt he couldn't consider Liu Lanying enough. Thinking about it now, he felt a little regretful. He should consider this woman more in the future. If he didn't treat such a virtuous woman well, he would know what regret was when he lost her. Therefore, while Liu Lanying was still by his side, he should do his best.
"This is my promise to you, and you must accept it. If you don't accept it, I'll definitely be angry."
Liu Lanying initially thought Ye Tiancheng was just saying it, but she didn't expect him to actually sell the car. Although it wasn't a new car, it still cost eighty thousand yuan, and Liu Lanying felt too embarrassed to accept it.
"I know you have a driver's license, and you just need to practice more. People say that women driving are quite cool. You're a village head yourself, so you'll inevitably have to attend meetings and drive around. I think besides being cool, it's very practical. Since we're in your hometown and there's no one around, you should take this opportunity to practice driving. I think it's great."
With tears in her eyes, Liu Lanying thanked Ye Tiancheng and finally accepted the car. Inwardly, many thoughts were churning, but she quickly suppressed them.
"Brother Ye, to thank you for buying me a car, I've decided to make you a delicious meal. You like mushroom soup, don't you? I bought some dried mushrooms. These mushrooms were picked by the mountain folk themselves, and they're very fresh. I'll make you mushroom soup and steam some crab for you. I also have some red wine, all prepared for you. You need to replenish your body. So many things have happened recently, and I feel like you've lost a lot of weight."
Liu Lanying felt uneasy if she didn't reciprocate this kindness, and Ye Tiancheng understood her feelings, so he didn't refuse.
"Then I'll trouble you. Several places in your old house are broken. You go ahead and cook while I go fix them."
When Ye Tiancheng returned after finishing his work, the whole house was filled with fragrance. Liu Lanying was very efficient at cooking. All the dishes were ready, and she had also poured the red wine.
"Brother, try this crab. I paid a high price for it. It's very fresh, and the roe is very abundant."
To be treated so well by someone was a great gift to Ye Tiancheng. Even a stone would have warmed up, and he was deeply moved. After taking a bite of the crab, he felt like tears were about to fall.
"Brother Ye, is it delicious?"
Liu Lanying tilted her head and asked, looking at Ye Tiancheng's hand, appearing somewhat cute, like a child. Perhaps it was because she had been in school for so long, she was quite pure and had just entered society, not yet tainted by all the dirty things in the world.
"Delicious."
Ye Tiancheng couldn't say more. Besides the food being delicious, it was also because the food contained the taste of love. Seeing Liu Lanying wholeheartedly caring for him, Ye Tiancheng was truly touched.
"Brother Ye, I want to give you everything I like and everything I think is good, but I feel somewhat incapable. I'm just an ordinary person, and what I can do for you is limited. I hope you don't dislike me. Actually, my cooking skills aren't as good as Xiao Pang's, and I knew it a long time ago, but I just didn't want to admit it."
"You are very good, and I am not worthy of you. I have made many wrong turns and cannot get back on track."
Ye Tiancheng seemed to have lost the courage to deeply love someone. All his feelings and stability seemed to have been given to that woman named Hou Qing'er, but from then on, all his strength was exhausted. Everything that followed was just going through the motions.
"I know you can't be with me, and I accept that. I just hope you will live well in the future. You will definitely find a woman who loves you deeply, and most importantly, you must love that woman."
In fact, Liu Lanying's heart was in great pain. She knew this was a one-sided love, a moth flying into a flame, a story that would never have an ending. But as long as she was by Ye Tiancheng's side, it was enough.
"I might not be able to love others anymore, but the good thing is that I can still feel the love of others. As long as the heart is still beating, one is still alive. I believe there will be a day when I can return my life to normal."
Having experienced much, and even tasted great wealth, other things seemed less important. All that remained was the desire for stability, but ironically, stability was the most difficult thing to obtain. Sometimes, overthinking could plunge one into a mire, making it impossible to extricate oneself.
"I know you are different from others, Brother Ye. I also understand that you are facing some difficulties right now, but I am willing to help you. It won't take long. I believe everything can get back on track."
Ye Tiancheng felt a bit regretful. Perhaps living in the village and farming all day would have been good. Maybe he would have already married Hou Qing'er and had children, who would probably be several years old by now. He wouldn't have been targeted by Hou Mingzhu, nor would he have accidentally harmed his beloved.
"Liu Lanying, would you be interested in hearing my story?"
"I've always wanted to ask you. I heard that after you graduated, because you were Hou family's son-in-law, you were sent to a desolate place to farm. Later, somehow, you were able to cultivate pears with magical powers and created a series of legends. At that time, you were a business tycoon, but later, for some reason, you declined. I'm very curious about all of this."
It was rare for Ye Tiancheng to talk about his past today. Otherwise, Liu Lanying wouldn't have dared to bring it up. After all, Ye Tiancheng was a man full of secrets in front of Liu Lanying. The prerequisite for respecting someone was to respect their past.
"Alright, then I'll tell you about my adventures, which are like a novel. I feel like I can't finish talking about it in a day. Those strange things just kept happening one after another."
Ye Tiancheng roughly recounted what had happened to him. If it were any other woman, she would probably think Ye Tiancheng was bragging or talking nonsense. But Liu Lanying listened very attentively. Instead, she asked quite a few questions, inquiring about details incessantly. This made it impossible for Ye Tiancheng to lie even if he wanted to, so he could only tell the truth.
After this long conversation that night, the two of them chatted until past three in the morning before going to sleep. Their relationship also developed by leaps and bounds.
There was one thing that was tacitly understood by both of them: sleeping together. Even if they slept separately, they felt a sense of closeness. It was as if they had quickly transitioned from being lovers to being family.
The next day, Ye Tiancheng woke up and prepared to go treasure hunting. As soon as he reached the mountain, he found a large swarm of snakes rushing towards him. Now, Ye Tiancheng had no magical assistance and could only rely on his true qi. However, he dared not use his true qi carelessly, as once it was depleted, he would have to accept his fate.
Ye Tiancheng unleashed a wave of true qi, repelling the snakes. Then, he saw a black forest before him. The outside of the black forest was covered in thick fog, which looked very abnormal. Inside, there was a large amount of black qi and demonic energy.
"I'm just here to test the waters. If I've offended you, please forgive me. Please don't kill me. I'm a good person. I'm just passing by to take a look. I truly didn't mean to offend you."
Ye Tiancheng spoke humbly, but his eyes were fierce. He suddenly charged into the black forest, plunging in headfirst. As a result, he was suddenly repelled. Ye Tiancheng was not willing to give up. Although he sat on the ground, his buttocks felt like they were about to split in half, and the pain was unbearable, he still endured it.
"You really think you can play tough with me. It seems you still don't know how formidable I am. When I was out and about, you guys probably didn't even exist!"
As Ye Tiancheng was about to charge into the black forest, he suddenly saw white smoke rising in mid-air. Then, a person appeared in the smoke. The person was suspended in the air, looking like a hanged ghost.
Under normal circumstances, others would be terrified to death. But in Ye Tiancheng's eyes, he thought someone had come here to commit suicide and was about to go and save them. Then he realized it was just a spiritual entity, with no consciousness, merely delivering a message.