The Strongest Master Venturing Urban
Chapter 314 Stealing the Spotlight

Chapter 314: Chapter 314 Stealing the Spotlight

Averting Liao Ruoji’s gaze, Chen Bin answered somewhat unnaturally.

"What’s the point of liking? You already have a boyfriend."

Liao Ruoji paused momentarily, then asked, "Did Liao Ruoli tell you that?"

"Who told me doesn’t matter; the important thing is you have a boyfriend."

"He’s someone my family introduced to me; I don’t like him at all!"

"If you don’t like him, then why did you make the effort to come to Tianhai for him?"

At those words, Liao Ruoji was furious.

She snapped harshly, "Why I came to Tianhai—don’t you already know in your heart?"

Hesitating briefly, Chen Bin tentatively asked.

"Could it be... that you came for me?"

"No shit! My last job was infinitely better than being a university lecturer. If not for you, do you think I would travel all this way to Tianhai?!"

As she said this, tears were already welling up in Liao Ruoji’s eyes.

"Let me ask you just this once—do you like me or not? If not, I’ll leave tomorrow and..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Chen Bin pulled her tightly into his arms.

"I like you! Of course, I like you!"

Chen Bin naturally liked beautiful women, but he was somewhat intimidated by the influence behind her.

However, with Liao Ruoji being this direct, if he didn’t step up, he wouldn’t deserve to be called a man!

At those words, Liao Ruoji finally crumbled into tears in Chen Bin’s embrace.

Being born into a prominent family, her fate was never her own.

Originally resigned to being a sacrificial pawn for the family’s arranged marriages, Chen Bin’s appearance made her choose rebellion.

Chen Bin wasn’t just well-known; when Liao Ruoli faced danger, he had also fearlessly leapt into the river to save her.

A man of such responsibility was irresistibly attractive to her.

After the hug, their eyes locked, and they finally kissed passionately.

Just as Chen Bin’s hand was about to rest on Liao Ruoji’s chest, a knock on the door abruptly interrupted them.

"Sis, open the door! I came to hang out with you!"

Hearing Liao Ruoli’s voice, the two immediately sprang apart in panic.

After ensuring nothing seemed amiss, Liao Ruoji turned and opened the door.

Once inside, Liao Ruoli quickly spotted Chen Bin and appeared highly surprised.

"What are you doing here?"

Chen Bin answered solemnly, "I’m waiting for you."

"Waiting for me?"

Blinking in curiosity, Liao Ruoli looked intrigued.

"How did you know I’d be stopping by my sister’s place this afternoon?"

"Well..."

As Chen Bin searched for an excuse, Liao Ruoji swiftly jumped in.

"Little sister, didn’t you say you’d come over for dinner today? We don’t have many friends here in Tianhai, so I invited Chen Bin to join us for a meal."

Rolling her eyes, Liao Ruoli seemed disgruntled.

"Since when were we friends? We’re not even close!"

Liao Ruoji didn’t respond and simply headed toward the kitchen.

"You two rest on the couch for a bit; I’ll go make dinner."

After they were alone in the living room, Chen Bin whispered to Liao Ruoli.

"With such a special connection between us, how can we not be friends?"

Snorting and clearly annoyed, Liao Ruoli replied.

"What sort of special connection could I have with a lecher like you?"

"You’ve forgotten? Last time, when you fell into the river, I gave you CPR..."

"Shut up!"

At this, Liao Ruoli snapped, her face flushing with embarrassment and anger.

Whenever she thought about that incident, the fury bubbled up within her.

Her spotless reputation for so many years—her first kiss—stolen by Chen Bin!

"Alright, alright, if you don’t want to hear it, I won’t bring it up."

With that, Chen Bin casually sat down on the sofa.

After a moment of contemplation, Liao Ruoli still sat down next to him.

"Tell me honestly, do you have feelings for my sister?"

Shaking his head, Chen Bin replied calmly.

"No, we’re just regular friends."

Even with this response, Liao Ruoli didn’t feel reassured.

Unable to hold back, she sternly said, "If you treat my sister as a friend, let me tell you this—her boyfriend is far superior to you in every aspect. You’d better give up on any improper thoughts about her."

Chen Bin didn’t buy it at all.

If that man really were as excellent as Liao Ruoli claimed, Liao Ruoji wouldn’t have acted the way she just did.

With Liao Ruoli present, Chen Bin left for Dragon Mountain County right after dinner.

In the days that followed, Dragon Mountain County’s off-season vegetables gradually gained a positive reputation.

Once launched in the market, they were met with widespread acclaim.

This success quickly drew attention when reported in the city newspaper.

After a provincial paper picked up the story, it even caught the attention of higher-level leaders.

On the eve of the Spring Festival, Cao Sanjin accompanied Governor Zeng Pengchao to Dragon Mountain for a work inspection.

Upon seeing Chen Bin, Zeng Pengchao smiled and nodded.

"County Magistrate Chen, you’re truly young and capable, doing so much to benefit the people."

Chen Bin immediately responded, "Governor Zeng, you flatter me; these are merely my responsibilities."

"We’re old acquaintances, after all. Back when you were Wang Jun’s secretary, we met."

The two chatted for a few more minutes.

This left Ye Hong feeling quite disgruntled, as if his spotlight had been taken from him.

However, the other officials of Dragon Mountain County, upon learning that Chen Bin knew Zeng Pengchao, were visibly envious.

Seeing all this made Ye Hong even more irritated.

After their conversation, Zeng Pengchao went to visit the off-season vegetable greenhouses.

He gave them high praise.

"Dragon Mountain is a nationally designated impoverished county, yet you’ve managed to transform its image so successfully. Well done—it’s worthy of emulation by other counties!"

Ye Hong quickly chimed in, nodding.

"You’re too kind, Governor Zeng; this is merely our duty."

Zeng Pengchao paid him no attention and instead turned to Chen Bin.

"Your initiative in growing off-season vegetables is excellent, but I hope you also explore developing pesticide-free vegetables."

Chen Bin knew nothing about this field, but since it was an order from the governor, he took it to heart.

Thanks to Zeng Pengchao’s visit, the off-season vegetable greenhouses in Dragon Mountain became a hot topic in provincial newspapers.

This attention even extended to national media coverage.

Although the article was brief, it explicitly mentioned Chen Bin’s name.

After the Spring Festival break, Chen Bin went to the Provincial Vegetable Research Institute to consult with experts in pesticide-free vegetable cultivation.

After all, the governor had instructed Dragon Mountain County to develop pesticide-free vegetables.

The experts didn’t dare act arrogantly and immediately agreed to bring a team for onsite investigation in Dragon Mountain the following week.

Seeing Chen Bin busy every day left Ye Hong increasingly unsettled.

As the leading figure in Dragon Mountain, his lack of prominence during the governor’s visit was undeniably humiliating.

Now that Chen Bin had gained both reputation and recognition, Ye Hong felt an escalating sense of crisis.

So, after work that evening, he called Cai Weiguo to join him for dinner at the Dragon Mountain Hotel.

He planned to discuss how to deal with Chen Bin...