Chapter 3

No, this town was still too small. Not many outstanding talents were willing to stay. If not for the medicinal herbs having to be cultivated here...

Ivy lowered her head and marked an X on the interview file, thinking that she would have to expand the scope of the interviews when she returned.

Just then, she heard the young man sitting beside her answer, "Medicinal herbs whose roots and stems are used as medicine are suited for deep plowing, with sufficient base fertilizer applied. During the middle and later stages, apply more..."

Owen paused, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose, and turned his head. "You know how to cultivate medicinal herbs?"

Xin Chun said, "That was what I studied in college. I had a double major, skipped grades, and graduated early. My family also runs a related business—we brew medicinal wine."

"What a coincidence." Li Ze immediately said with a surprised expression.

The fifth interviewee left regretfully.

Owen asked, "Do you understand all these questions?"

Xin Chun said, "I do. Ask whatever you want. I know it all."

What a joke. In his previous life, he had been the one in charge of this area. What did he not know? He had even participated in the company's later decisions. He could recite Owen's proposal if asked.

If he sold this plan, he could also get revenge, make Owen lose some money, and cause him a little trouble.

But while Xin Chun might have enthusiastically carried it out in his previous life, he could not be bothered this time around.

Xin Chun looked utterly confident.

In the end, Xin Chun's "interview" results truly surpassed those of the other five.

Ivy asked, "Mr. Xin, are you interested in earning another income?"

Naturally, Xin Chun became Owen's medicinal herb cultivator once again. After signing a contract, he immediately got to work, moving with great speed and efficiency.

With the experience of his previous life, Xin Chun found himself doing the same work again with ease, everything going smoothly.

Assistant Li Ze exclaimed that they had struck gold. His boss had only gone out for tea and somehow found such a talent.

"Boss, Mr. Xin is really incredible. It has only been a few days, yet he has already identified quite a few critical problems and proposed effective solutions. The progress is even faster than when we were in S City."

"If we'd known, we wouldn't have wasted time there. We should have come straight to Jingu Town..."

Xin Chun was squatting in the cultivation room, loosening the soil around the medicinal herbs that had just been planted. His white gloves were covered in dirt.

He raised his arm to wipe away his sweat, but when he caught sight of his glove, he paused and narrowed his eyes.

Then Xin Chun stood, turned around, and walked out of the cultivation room. "Assistant Li, sorry for the trouble, but could you fetch the information on this batch of medicinal herbs for me? I think I left it on the conference table earlier and forgot to take it."

"Sure, no problem." Li Ze nodded and left the room.

Xin Chun raised a hand and wiped away the beads of sweat. As expected, he left a streak of dirt at his temple, conspicuous against his fair face.

"Your forehead is dirty," Owen said.

"Hm?" Looking puzzled, Xin Chun raised his arm again to touch it.

Owen caught his wrist and handed him a handkerchief—neatly folded into a square, dark green and unpatterned. It had been in Owen's breast pocket, with one corner peeking out.

Xin Chun looked down at it and smiled. "I'd better not, Mr. Williams. I still need to keep working, and I don't want to take off my gloves. I'd hate to dirty your handkerchief, so I won't..."

"I'll wipe it for you," Owen said.

The handkerchief first wiped away the dirt, then Owen turned it over and used the other side to wipe the sweat from Xin Chun's face.

"Thank you." Xin Chun stood where he was and waited until Owen withdrew his hand before smiling again and thanking him.

"You're welcome."

"Can you give me the handkerchief?"

Owen's hand, about to put the handkerchief away, paused.

Xin Chun said, "I'll take it home, wash it clean, and return it to you, Mr. Williams."

"You can, but isn't calling me that a little too formal?" Owen smiled softly. "We should be more familiar by now. Could you call me by my name?"

"Owen." Xin Chun's eyes curved as he smiled. Turning slightly to the side, he said, "Then could I trouble you to put this handkerchief into my pocket?"

"At your service."

Owen folded the handkerchief and slipped it into Xin Chun's shirt pocket.

He had lowered his head, but the person before him suddenly leaned close without warning, lifting his chin slightly. The tip of Xin Chun's nose brushed lightly against Owen's neck as he sniffed, barely grazing his skin...

Though he pulled away after only a moment, Owen still felt a faint, ticklish numbness lingering at his neck.

"You seem to have changed your perfume today. The scent is different."

Owen withdrew his hand without changing expression and said, "What do you think? Does it smell nice?"

Xin Chun said, "It smells nice. Like a forest. It feels natural, yet rich and classical. I like it. I think it suits you very well."

"By the way, the scent of this perfume also matches your eyes. They're both..."

Before he could finish, Li Ze returned with the documents.

Xin Chun smiled at Owen, took the documents, and went back into the cultivation room to continue working.

Li Ze had wanted to praise Mr. Xin's dedication to his boss, but when he turned and met his boss's deep dark-green eyes, he inexplicably shuddered.

He gave an awkward laugh. "B-Boss, I'll get back to work too."

What was going on? His boss seemed unhappy...

Had Mr. Xin angered his boss?

Chapter 3

Xin Chun had to personally mix the fertilizer needed to plant the medicinal herbs, so he brought Owen to someone he knew.

"Grandpa Zhao, are you home?" Xin Chun called from outside.

Before long, a vigorous voice answered, "I'm here. Coming right away."

While they waited, Xin Chun turned to Owen and said, "My grandfather used to come here often to buy fertilizer, and I always came along. I know Grandpa Zhao well. Just leave everything to me later."

Grandpa Zhao came out and opened the door, greeting Xin Chun with great enthusiasm and taking his hand as they talked.

After chatting for a few moments, Xin Chun said, "Grandpa Zhao, I'll go pick out some fertilizer first."

"Go on, go on. Pick what you need, then we'll settle the bill together." Grandpa Zhao smiled warmly.