Chapter 5

Owen remained composed. "It is quite new. Do you want to know what these poems mean?"

Xin Chun blinked. "Are you going to read them to me?"

"If you'd like to listen."

Xin Chun swiftly slipped under the covers and pulled up the blanket. His face, still flushed from the steam of his bath, looked especially well-behaved at that moment. "I'm ready. Read to me, Owen."

A smile involuntarily touched Owen's lips at Xin Chun's movements, and then his deep, pleasant voice began to speak.

The poetry was beautiful and melodious, utterly enchanting.

Xin Chun gradually drifted into sleep, his breathing slowly evening out.

Seeing the person beside him fall soundly asleep, Owen stopped and gently closed the book.

He leaned down close and murmured an almost inaudible goodnight beside Xin Chun's ear. Then he turned off the lights and lay down to rest as well.

Early the next morning, the rain stopped. Ivy and Li Ze brought Owen a brand-new set of clothes.

Xin Chun told Ivy about Miko, and Ivy left Miko her phone number.

After Li Ze drove Owen and Xin Chun away, Ivy went to deal with the car trouble.

However, when she arrived at the repair shop, the mechanic said, "There's nothing wrong with your car at all. It's in great condition."

Ivy said, "It wouldn't start last night. I couldn't get it running."

The mechanic got into the car, turned the key, and demonstrated it for her himself. "No problem. It starts."

The engine immediately came to life.

Ivy said, "...Maybe it fixed itself after sitting overnight. Please wait a moment, sir. I'll call our boss first."

The mechanic gave her an OK sign.

Ivy walked to the side, made the call, and explained what had happened.

On the other end, Owen's voice sounded perfectly normal. "Mm. Since there's no problem, drive it back."

"Alright." Ivy hung up, looking thoughtful.

Miko had studied her field well. After Ivy questioned her for a while, she quickly got an internship opportunity.

To thank Xin Chun, Miko said she wanted to treat him to dinner.

Xin Chun said, "There's no need to treat me to dinner. I didn't really do anything. Besides, it just rained recently, and I want to go into the forest to pick mushrooms."

Miko's eyes lit up. "Senior, let's go together. I'll help you pick them, and that can count as repaying you for your help."

Picking mushrooms sounded fun, and Jingu Town's mushrooms were especially delicious.

Xin Chun had no objection.

They did not avoid the others while talking. Li Ze expressed both envy and curiosity; he had never seen mushrooms growing from the soil, much less picked them himself.

So Xin Chun asked, "Do you want to come too? The forest is beautiful after the rain."

"Sure, sure." Li Ze nodded happily.

Ivy said, "Would you mind adding me?"

Owen looked over.

In the end, the outing turned into company team building.

Chapter 5

The forest after the rain was beautiful, with lush green branches and leaves and fresh air. But the ground was wet and slippery, and it was easy to fall if one was not careful.

Miko nearly slipped once. Owen happened to be beside her at the time and held out his arm for her to lean on, allowing her to regain her balance.

Afterward, Miko thanked him, and Owen said there was no need to be so polite. Every word and gesture of his carried the manners of a Y Country gentleman.

Miko learned from Ivy that they had only come to Jingu Town to cultivate special medicinal herbs and establish a company branch. As the

CEO

, Owen would not remain here forever, nor would Ivy and Li Ze.

Once the herbs had been successfully cultivated, another person in charge would be appointed.

If Miko performed well during that time, she could choose to seek opportunities elsewhere.

Just as she was thinking about it, Miko slipped again. This time, Xin Chun caught her and said, "You can hold onto my arm. Step where there's grass, and be careful."

"Thank you, Senior," Miko said gratefully.

Xin Chun led the way, and the two walked side by side at the front.

Li Ze glanced at them a couple of times from behind, then quietly muttered to Ivy, "Sis, I think Mr. Xin and Miko get along pretty well. Do you think they could work out?"

Hearing this, Ivy discreetly glanced at Owen, then quickly looked away. "Unlikely."

Li Ze could not help feeling puzzled. "Why unlikely?"

"Woman's intuition."

Xin Chun called from ahead, "We're here."

Owen, Ivy, and the others stopped walking.

Xin Chun turned around and pointed at the area. "All the mushrooms here can be picked. If you don't recognize one, come ask me."

Ivy and the others spread out. Xin Chun also found a spot and crouched down, loosening the soil around him before starting to dig up mushrooms. Still, he remembered to raise his head and look around. Owen was not far from him.

In his previous life, he had gone to Y Country with Owen and knew that Owen came from an influential family. He was an aristocrat, with a horse ranch and golf course at home, and he could even hunt legally. Behind his estate was a forest.

Given Y Country's climate, mushrooms were certainly not scarce there.

And Owen was highly knowledgeable. One of his favorite foods was mushroom soup.

Yet looking at him now, Owen's basket was filled entirely with inedible mushrooms...

Tsk. This man was trying to get his attention.

Xin Chun pressed his lips together and secretly laughed. He stood and went to Owen's side. "What kinds of mushrooms did you pick?"

Owen handed him the basket to inspect.

Xin Chun pointed them out. "This one, and this one, can't be eaten. You picked the wrong ones."

Owen began asking questions, and the two naturally started chatting. The atmosphere was quite harmonious.

At least, that was how it seemed to Miko, who casually remarked, "The boss and Senior have such a good relationship."

It was the kind of atmosphere that made it seem as though no one else could intrude. They occasionally exchanged smiles, and even their actions were in sync.

Ivy's suspicions became a little more certain. She asked Miko, "What do you think of Mr. Xin? Since you went on that blind date, do you want to keep seeing him?"

Miko's face reddened, embarrassed by the question.

She answered, "Senior is a very good person, but when we first met, he told me he currently had no plans to date. Actually, neither do I. I mainly want to focus on work first."