Two Blockheads

"Here's the thing, you remember Deputy Director Liu Caifu, right? He knew you brought your friends to Tongshi Town and wanted to invite you and your friends to a 'farmhouse' in Chongyun Village. His nephew has prepared a lot of wild game, saying it could easily accommodate a dozen or twenty people. He told me about it last night, but I knew you planned to take them to the scenic area today, so I didn't mention it. Now that we can't go to the scenic area, how about we go to Chongyun Village? Of course, you know Director Liu's real purpose without me having to tell you. Whether you go or not is up to you..." You Meng explained over the phone.

Xiang Kun didn't think much of it and said directly, "Alright, then we'll go to Chongyun Village. You and Director Liu... uh, never mind, I'll contact him directly. I have his phone number too."

Xiang Kun was naturally familiar with Chongyun Village and Liu Caifu. The last time he came to Tongshi Town, he went to Chongyun Village with You Meng to see the breeding farm that was being transferred.

It was during that time that I met Liu Caifu, the deputy director of Chongyun Village, and we spent an afternoon chatting over tea.

What started as a casual boast unexpectedly triggered "Emotional Assimilation," unknowingly influencing You Meng and Liu Caifu.

You Meng relatively well; the impact was limited, and after a while, he stopped mentioning the matter. However, Liu Caifu seemed to be constantly hypnotizing himself, greatly admiring and deeply believing in Xiang Kun's boastful "grand blueprint." He even helped fill in many "loopholes" that Xiang Kun hadn't considered when he was "bragging," and came up with many practical plans for implementation.

Xiang Kun initially thought that his "Emotional Assimilation" effect had a limited duration, and that over time, Director Liu would naturally "calm down" and "become more rational."

But later, after learning from You Meng that Liu Caifu had even taken over the breeding farm with problematic permits, he understood that this Director Liu was truly trapped in the "pit" Xiang Kun had dug, completely unable to climb out—and was even personally digging deeper and deeper...

Therefore, Xiang Kun also knew that the one who tied the knot must untie it; the pit he dug was one he had to fill.

He considered several solutions, such as using reverse "Emotional Assimilation" to influence Liu Caifu through other opinions, making him abandon his confidence in Xiang Kun's "grand blueprint" and "future development plan." However, this approach had many details to consider, and its effectiveness was uncertain; it might even create new problems. After all, Liu Caifu's current thoughts and plans were largely his own, the result of his own careful consideration, and could not be completely erased by a mere reverse emotional response.

So during this period, especially after the birth of "Alice," Xiang Kun was considering another plan—to simply "make the show real" and actually make his boasts come true.

Of course, this wasn't his initial "bragging 1.0," but rather a feasible plan based on his specific circumstances and current situation.

After all, he does need a "base" far away from big cities to cope with the ever-increasing demand for blood in the future, as well as to house some related equipment for his own mutation research.

Moreover, Xiang Kun also had a very good impression of Liu Caifu, the deputy director of Chongyun Village.

Liu Caifu was preoccupied with the boast he had made, not simply for his own benefit, but more so for the future development of their entire village.

Even though he had been thinking about this matter and had even taken over the farm, making many preparations and plans in private, Liu Caifu did not contact Xiang Kun again after learning from a phone call that Xiang Kun still had some concerns.

Even knowing that he had brought a group of friends to Tongshi Town, they didn't directly approach him or call him. They even went through You Meng to probe before inviting him, showing great tact in their actions.

Xiang Kun is the kind of person who always treats others with the utmost respect, even more respect in return.

Even if he ultimately cannot help Director Liu realize the development plan for Chongyun Village, he will try to find another development path for Chongyun Village.

After calling Liu Caifu directly to say he would be coming over to bother him, Xiang Kun then called Zicheng, who was driving Corolla behind him, to tell them that he wouldn't be going to the restaurant they had agreed on, but was going to visit a friend in a nearby village, and asked him to follow his car closely.

Xiang Kun glanced in the rearview mirror; the two brothers who had been watching them from the hotel entrance were still following closely on their motorcycle.

If the road conditions were good, they could speed up and try to shake them off, but the road from Tongshi Town to Chongyun Village was in poor condition, and they couldn't pick up speed at all. When they encountered potholes, they even had to slowly inch their way over them to avoid bottoming out, since both of their vehicles were basically fully loaded.

Xiang Kun noticed Lao Xia in the passenger seat, who kept glancing at the rearview mirror. She even turned her head casually once, and from her angle, she must have noticed the motorcycle following behind.

If a person notices a vehicle that seems to be following them, they will usually say something like, "That motorcycle behind us looks like it's following us."

But aside from occasionally glancing at Xiang Kun, she made no mention of her discovery.

Xiang Kun quickly realized that Lao Xia knew he had also noticed the motorcycle following behind, so he didn't say anything.

From the moment Lao Xia picked her up at the station, he had been keeping his attention on her and observing her closely.

Lao Xia once said, "I observe everyone," but now it seems that this statement is completely unfounded.

Today, there were several people she was meeting for the first time, including Zhang Qian in the back seat of their car. But Lao Xia's attention was still mainly focused on observing him.

In his own understanding, Lao Xia would come to Tongshi Town primarily to observe him.

This further confirms Xiang Kun's earlier judgment— Lao Xia did indeed notice something unusual about him.

Of course, he paid more attention to Lao Xia than others, and he was now basically certain that Lao Xia seemed to have little emotional fluctuation.

He used to think that Lao Xia might have a stronger ability to control himself, but after further observation, he wondered if it was because Lao Xia had different physiological functions than ordinary people?

But what does this have to do with Lao Xia's attention and interest in him?

As for the two clueless guys on the motorcycle behind him, Xiang Kun wasn't worried. He had plenty of ways to deal with them; he was just thinking about how to solve the problem in a more efficient and convenient way.

Shortly after entering Chongyun Village, as Xiang Kun slowed down their two cars to navigate the rough road, the motorcycle finally accelerated and overtook them from the side road.

The motorcycle began to slow down in front of Xiang Kun's Volkswagen Sagitar. Since he knew they were trying to stage an accident, Xiang Kun naturally kept a safe distance.

They were slow, so he slowed down even more, and sometimes he would even stop and wait for them to get further away and create some distance.

Clearly, the two guys couldn't hold back any longer. They stopped, got off, and threw the motorcycle on the ground to block the way.

Xiang Kun turned the steering wheel to try and go around the car, but the short, stocky older brother spread his arms to block the way, pointed at the motorcycle lying on the ground, and at the tall young man who had just fallen to the ground right in front of them, and shouted, "You hit someone and you're trying to run away?!"

Upon seeing this scene, Yang Zhen'er was so excited she almost jumped out of the back seat, bumping her head on the car roof with a thud. Rubbing her head, she exclaimed, "Is this a staged accident? Is this a staged accident?! Chef Xiang, have we encountered a staged accident??"

Tang Baona quickly pulled her away. "Why are you so agitated about this fake accident..."

"Chef Xiang is going to become a martial arts monk! I'm so excited!" Yang Zhen'er said, already picking up her phone to record a video. "One against two, no problem, Lao Xiang?"

Zhang Qian, standing nearby, was also watching Xiang Kun with interest, wanting to see how he would resolve the matter. To be honest, she would rather Xiang Kun couldn't handle it and then ask her for help, so that she could make a phone call to find someone to assist him, thus owing her a favor.

Xiang Kun turned to the three people in the back seat and said, "Stay in the car, don't get out."

"We'll get out of the car and help you!" Yang Zhen'er said, dissatisfied.

"Help me my foot! Whoever gets off the bus won't get lunch!" Xiang Kun glared at her, then turned back and pulled Xia Libing, who was about to get out of the passenger seat. "You too, stay in the bus."

Xia Libing stared at him with wide eyes.

"Looking at me won't help. If you don't listen to me, I won't give you any food!" Xiang Kun threatened her.

Seeing Xiang Kun get out of the car and then signal to the people in the Corolla behind him not to get out, Sagitar Yang Zhen'er, still eager to get out, nudged Tang Baona sitting next to her. "Nana, let's get out. Xiang Kun was just joking. How could he really not give us food?"

Tang Baona leaned back, pulled her legs together to one side, and gestured for Yang Zhen'er was sitting in the middle of the back seat, to pass in front of her.

Yang Zhen'er then turned to Zhang Qian, who was sitting to her left, and said, "Ms. Zhang, shall we go downstairs for some fresh air?"

Zhang Qian smiled and shook her head, then leaned back, making the same gesture as Tang Baona, indicating that she should get out of the car herself.

Undeterred, Yang Zhen'er looked at Xia Libing in the front passenger seat and said, "Lao Xia, let's get out of the car together. If Xiang Kun gets beaten up later, we can help him out, right?"

Xia Libing refused decisively. "No."

Tang Baona laughed and said, "If you want to play, just play by yourself. Why do you have to drag others along?"

Yang Zhen'er leaned back in the back seat angrily and grumbled, "If you guys come down with me, he won't dare let us all go hungry. But if I go down by myself, this guy will definitely let me go hungry for a meal!"

Ignoring the teasing the others in the car made of Yang Zhen'er, Xiang Kun and the others not to get out of the car, walked up to the short, stocky young man and said with a smile, "Brother, did your car run out of gas?"

When the short, stocky young man first saw Xiang Kun from afar at the hotel entrance, he only thought that the bald man looked quite big. But now that Xiang Kun was walking up to him, even with a smile on his face, he felt a strong sense of oppression, as if a big truck was driving by. He subconsciously took a step back.

After he had retreated, he realized what had happened and felt somewhat embarrassed, so he took two steps back and shouted at Xiang Kun:

"What do you mean the car ran out of gas? You're the one who crashed it! Look what happened to my brother!"

Xiang Kun still had a smile on his face, "Brother, that's not right. Our two cars were so far apart, and there was no contact at all. How can you say I hit it? Why don't I call the traffic police and let them make a judgment?"

The short, stocky young man pulled out his phone, glared at him, and made a menacing face. "Traffic police? You try calling them, let's see if you can get the traffic police faster, or if I can get the guys from the village faster! Do you know where this is? This is Chongyun Village! I'm a native of Chongyun Village, you hit someone on my turf, and you're trying to renege on your promise without paying compensation?"

Xiang Kun didn't take out his phone to call the police; his smile remained unchanged. "Brother, are you from Chongyun Village? Do you know Liu Caifu, the Deputy Director Liu of the village?"

The short, stocky young man was visibly taken aback, frowning as he said, "Don't think you can intimidate me just because you know Director Liu... I'm telling you, if you don't give my brother and me an explanation today..."

Xiang Kun continued, "We came to Chongyun Village at the invitation of Deputy Director Liu."

"Brother, I think I'm alright now, how about... we go?" Hearing Xiang Kun's words, the tall young man sitting on the ground secretly stood up, wanting to help the motorcycle.

"Lie back down!" the short, stocky young man yelled.

The tall young man glanced at his brother with a wronged expression, then had no choice but to sit back down on the ground, hugging his knees.

"Even if Director Liu himself were here, I would still say the same thing: you hit someone... you have to give an explanation!" The short, stocky young man continued to say to Xiang Kun, but his voice was noticeably softer.

"Alright, Deputy Director Liu is here, you can talk to him."

Xiang Kun finished speaking, the short, stocky young man heard a series of thumping sounds. He turned around and saw Liu Caifu, wearing a Chinese-style blue cotton-padded jacket, riding an electric bike towards them. Because the chassis was too low and the speed was fast, the chassis made a loud thumping sound when going over some potholes, but Deputy Director Liu didn't seem to care at all.

The short, stocky young man stared dumbfounded at Liu Caifu, who had arrived on his electric scooter, and stammered, "Sixth Uncle..."

Although Liu Caifu was only in his thirties, he was of high seniority and had considerable prestige in the village. Not only the short, stocky young man, but even the tall young man disregarded his brother's instructions and immediately stood up, respectfully greeting him. "Sixth Uncle."

Liu Caifu got off his electric scooter, greeted Xiang Kun warmly, and then looked at them both strangely. "What are you two doing here?" He then frowned at the motorcycle lying in the middle of the road. "What happened?"

The tall young man glanced at his older brother, secretly giving him a meaningful look, and then reached for the motorcycle. His brother stopped him, saying to Liu Caifu, "Sixth Uncle... I didn't know they were your guests, but they knocked over our motorcycle, and my brother's leg is injured..."

Xiang Kun smiled and said, "Deputy Director Liu..."

Liu Caifu raised his hand to stop him from explaining. He glanced at the bumper of Xiang Kun's Sagitar and the spot where the motorcycle was parked. Recalling where the taller brother had gotten up and the expressions on their faces, he knew roughly what had happened.

Xiang Kun knew that Liu Caifu meant to deal with the matter directly, rather than act as a mediator.

Just now, when the two guys were still riding their motorcycles behind, Xiang Kun had overheard their conversation. Actually, they had originally planned to stage an accident after Xiang Kun's two vehicles left the town, but firstly, their speed was still around 50 km/h, and they were afraid of crashing themselves if they didn't hit them properly; secondly, they noticed that Xiang Kun and his motorcycle seemed to be heading towards Chongyun Village, and they were from Chongyun Village, so they could do it on their own turf.

After entering the mountain road leading to Chongyun Village, Xiang Kun called Liu Caifu and said that You Meng hadn't come and he had forgotten how to get there. He asked Liu Caifu on WeChat and send him his location.

As it turned out, Liu Caifu said that the signal was weak in the mountains and that navigation might be affected, so he personally came to pick them up on his electric scooter.

Liu Caifu's suggestion was exactly what Xiang Kun had predicted based on his cognitive model. He hoped to use Deputy Director Liu's influence to intimidate these two simpletons and get rid of them. This would be the simplest way to resolve the issue and wouldn't disrupt their travel plans.

Based on what he knew about Deputy Director Liu Caifu's position in Chongyun Village, he should have no problem keeping these two simpletons in check.

Of course, with him by his side, even if Deputy Director Liu couldn't control the situation, he could directly assist with Mental Intimidation.

The reason for not using direct Mental Intimidation was to avoid arousing suspicion from his companions in the car, who might then recall Qi Haoguo, who had been frightened away the previous day.

"Instead of studying hard and working hard to earn money, you come to the village to stage accidents? Aren't you ashamed? I'm ashamed for you! I don't have time to deal with you now, so get the hell out of here and I'll settle the score with you later!" Liu Caifu walked up to the two men with his hands behind his back and scolded them in a low voice.

The taller younger brother lowered his head, not daring to speak. The shorter, stockier older brother's dark face shifted in expression. He glanced at Xiang Kun behind Liu Caifu, and then whispered, "Sixth Uncle... you don't know, this is Bao-ge's business... they offended Bao-ge."

"Brother Bao? Which Brother Bao?" Liu Caifu asked, frowning.

"You know, Brother Bao from Tongshi Town."

"Pighead Bao?"

"Uh... it's Brother Bao," the short, stocky young man said in a low voice.

"Did he send you here to stage an accident?" Liu Caifu asked.

"This... it's not something we can say, Sixth Uncle..."

Xiang Kun leaned closer and said, "The 'Brother Bao' you're talking about, isn't he the boss who drives an Audi A8, wears gold-rimmed glasses, and looks a bit wealthy?"

Liu Caifu turned around and asked curiously, "Mr. Xiang, do you know that guy?"

"Oh, yesterday, You Meng the way back to Tongshi Town with You Meng, an Audi A8 rear-ended our car. We were going to call the traffic police, but they seemed to be in a hurry to leave, so they settled it privately." Xiang Kun said, looking innocently at the short, stocky young man. "What, is this a case of settling privately and then retaliating against us? That boss doesn't seem like the kind of unreasonable person. Come on, give him a call, I'll have a good talk with him."

Liu Caifu then looked at the short, stocky young man and his brother, frowning as he asked, "Is it because of this that Pighead Bao sent you to stage an accident for Mr. Liu?" He roughly knew what kind of person Liu Feibao was. Although he didn't think much of him, he felt that even if Liu Feibao was unhappy, he wouldn't send someone to do something so low. Besides, he had never heard of these two idiots following Liu Feibao.

"It's hard for us to say..." The short, stocky young man avoided his gaze.

Liu Caifu immediately saw what was going on. It was clear these two idiots had taken it upon themselves to try and curry favor with Xiang Kun Xiang Kun, hoping to avenge Liu Feibao. He looked at them with utter disappointment and pity, his eyes filled with helplessness. "You two morons... I'll..." He waved his hand weakly. "Get out of here, get out of here right now! Don't embarrass yourself..."

This time, the taller younger brother didn't speak to his older brother. He quickly ran over, picked up the motorcycle, started it, and rode it to the side of the road.

Watching the two brothers, covered in dust and grime, ride their motorcycle out of the village, Liu Caifu said helplessly, "We've made a fool of ourselves in Mr. Xiang."