Chapter 2152: Harvest Farm's Wondrous Daily Life 23

At night, Lin Mian lay on the windowsill watching Tela use magic to mend the fence torn apart by vines.

Keloni floated past with a bruised nose and swollen face, cradling a lyre, humming an off-key tune: "Ah, love makes no sense, ah, the legal codes are all bullshit~"

The wooden door clicked shut, moonlight from outside slanted in just right; Lin Mian turned to look, and the moonlight made Jin Chen's green pupils translucent like glazed glass.

Lin Mian closed the window, "Jin Chen, I… I have something to say."

Jin Chen lowered his gaze to look at him, his lashes casting small shadows under his eyes, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly, "Go ahead, I'm listening."

Lin Mian's palm exuded a thin sheen of sweat, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing Jin Chen's cuff.

"Before, I avoided you… because I was too timid; those stories frightened me, afraid that one day you would vanish like the elves in the tales."

Jin Chen sighed helplessly, "I already said I won't."

Lin Mian took a deep breath, then suddenly reached up to cup Jin Chen's face, his pads brushing over the other's cool eye corners.

"So I won't want to run away, Jin Chen—I like you, I like you so much that even if we could only be together briefly…"

Before he could finish, Jin Chen suddenly lowered his head and bit his lower lip.

It was a light bite, like punishment yet indulgence; as his teeth grazed the soft lip flesh, Lin Mian froze in place, even his ear tips burning red.

Jin Chen's breath swept over his nose tip, "Such words must not be spoken a second time—who said it would be fleeting?"

Lin Mian, pressed against his chest and the bed's spine, trembled slightly, yet he lifted his head to meet him.

At the moment their lips and teeth met, he tasted the lingering sweetness on Jin Chen's lips, mingled with the agarwood in his own breath, brewing into a kind of dizzying kiss.

Jin Chen's kiss began as a tender punishment, but deepened suddenly at Lin Mian's clumsy response.

As his tongue pried open the teeth, Lin Mian's fingers clenched his collar, a soft whimper escaping his throat, like pleading yet urging.

【Detected Villain Heartthrob Value +10, total 71!】

【Detected Villain Blackening Value -5, total 45!】

Moonlight stretched the overlapping shadows long across the wooden floor.

No need to wait until tomorrow night to sleep together; Jin Chen successfully "entered the hall and chambers".

——

Another attempt at rescue failed.

The orchard's soil was nearing catastrophic damage; the once fertile land turned dry and cracked, and the fruit trees withered one after another.

Over a dozen Jiang family members gathered to the side, faces full of anger and disappointment, unable to stop glaring at Jiang Ji.

Jiang's father pointed at his nose, his repressed anger bursting forth: "Look at what you've done! The orchard ruined like this by you—our whole family depended on this orchard for a living, and now it's all over!"

Jiang's mother also couldn't help but burst into tears, somewhat choked up: "Little Ji, what on earth have you done? The lifeblood of generations of the Jiang family, destroyed in your hands like this!"

"No one is allowed to look or enter, whatever new technology you're messing with, shrouded in mystery—turns out you want my family to go bankrupt!" Jiang's uncle's son shouted.

Jiang Ji lowered his head, face pallid, both hands clenched tightly into fists, his nails almost digging into his palms.

He wanted to explain, but realized he had nothing to say in his defense.

Even Qin Zong, who always protected him, had vanished without a trace.

Neighbor Old Li walked over, looked at the orchard's miserable state, shook his head, his tone weary: "Old Jiang, this isn't the way to go on; how about… you go ask Harvest Farm for help? Boss Xiao Lin now has plenty of experience with land and crops—maybe they can help you remedy this."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ji's body jerked, feeling both humiliated and angry.

He gritted his teeth: "Ask Lin Mian for help? I can't! The orchard ending up like this—maybe they're behind it!"

Old Li furrowed his brows, disagreeing: "Jiang Ji, that's not right; Boss Xiao Lin and Assistant Xiao Jin are enthusiastic, they help anyone in the village with problems—you can't let your prejudice delay the orchard's rescue."

Jiang Ji's tears finally spilled over: "But… but to go ask them for help, I… I how can I be so ashamed!"

Old Li: "……"

Still can't make this kid understand.

Fortunately, the Jiang family still had some level-headed members; they immediately went to Harvest Farm to ask for help, their attitude impeccable, and upon hearing there was a conflict, they even insisted on making Jiang Ji personally apologize.

Truly sincere.

The orchard is the lifeblood of generations of the Jiang family, and also one of the village's external publicity points; earlier Jin Chen and Lin Mian felt it a pity to be in Jiang Ji's hands, and now they truly could not stand by and do nothing.

Fortunately, the Jiang family's attitude was decent, so the two agreed to come inspect the next day; that same night, Tela said he sensed that nearby soil had been corrupted by evil magic and was calling out for help.

Thus, on the day they came to the orchard, there was an additional land spirit Tela dressed as a sturdy youth, outwardly claiming to be a farmhand as well.

Coincidentally, Jiang's uncle, who had been busy elsewhere with other industries, finally rushed back, bringing an expert along.

The expert examined it, found various pollutants and toxins, and bluntly said: "The orchard's soil can no longer sustain any crops."

Seeing Lin Mian and Jin Chen, Jiang Ji's father hurried forward, pleading: "Boss Xiao Lin, you must help us; the orchard is the lifeblood of our whole family, now it's like this, we truly have no recourse—no matter the cost, we're willing to pay, with all losses borne by Jiang Ji."

Jiang Ji stood to the side, face pallid.

"Dad……"

"'Shut up,' Jiang's father said, truly exasperated; if he didn't scold, this foolish son would be drowned in relatives' spit."

"Hurry up and apologize to Boss Xiao Lin's wife! If it weren't for you, the orchard wouldn't have become like this!"

Jiang Ji's tears kept falling, his shoulder aching from his father's grip; he struggled to shake off the hand, his eye sockets red as he shouted.

"As long as we get the farm's dew, the orchard can be healed—this is child's play for Lin Mian!"

He then pointed sharply at Jin Chen, fingertips trembling, "Moreover, who knows what evil sorcery he uses…"

"Jiang Ji."

Lin Mian suddenly spoke up, cutting him off, standing in front of Jin Chen, his eyes icy and piercing.

"You've repeatedly demanded the dew, even tried to steal it and failed, and now you still covet it."

"The dew isn't for filling a greedy bottomless pit; moreover, the one who should really be questioned is you and Qin Zong—being able to ruin the orchard like this is actually quite upright."

The farm owner is very protective of his own.

All the more so for his boyfriend, whose relationship has finally been confirmed.

Jin Chen had no room to play, so he simply went along and nodded.