I really didn't want to waste any more words with this brat, but he kept grabbing Ye Tiancheng and talking non-stop. Ye Tiancheng gritted his teeth and told him the truth.
"This pigsty was my investment. I'm the man behind the scenes, so can you please shut your mouth and stop talking nonsense here."
"Honestly, this seems to be a government project. Are you getting too big for your britches, daring to pose as an investor? Have you been unemployed for too long and can't find a job, so your mind has gone haywire and you're fantasizing about being a big boss?"
"I advise you not to say another word. I can't even recall your name. You're just a passerby in my life. I only see you as trash. If you dare to slander me again, I'll make you pay. It will be very painful. I suggest you don't challenge my authority."
Ye Tiancheng glared fiercely at the man, his eyes like knives. He didn't want to get into a verbal spat; he just wanted to get rid of this guy.
"You talk like you're so capable, but unfortunately, it's not easy to impress me. You're just a nobody with no power, no influence, and no background. Now you want to scare me? I don't take you seriously at all. I only need to say a word, and you won't even have the qualification to raise pigs."
The guy curled his lips, looking at Ye Tiancheng with utter contempt, as if Ye Tiancheng were the most disgusting piece of garbage in the world.
"So boring, I don't want to talk to you anymore."
Ye Tiancheng didn't even have the strength to say another word. This kind of trash was not worthy of his time in a verbal battle. Ye Tiancheng wanted to conserve his energy to think about how to get the pigsty running. He didn't want to interact with this kind of trash. There were many ways to retaliate, and this petty person didn't deserve Ye Tiancheng to make any special effort. Ye Tiancheng already regretted wasting those few minutes of his life and couldn't afford to make more mistakes. It was better to keep a distance from such people.
Even more laughable was that Ye Tiancheng had initially thought the guy was there to invest, so he endured it. But it turned out the guy seemed to have no money at all and was just there to visit. After mocking Ye Tiancheng, he was ignored by everyone else, not even having a friend. Ye Tiancheng saw his pathetic state, then deliberately laughed a few times in front of Ye Tiancheng, speaking sarcastically, and then suddenly left haughtily. His behavior throughout the entire process was utterly perplexing.
"Mr. Ye, many media outlets are present. I believe the press release will be out soon, and we'll have a discount price for buying piglets. We've also attracted many investors who believe this is a great business opportunity. As the person in charge, I will definitely take good care of this sector and ensure its success. Failure is absolutely not an option."
Liu Lanying was definitely a go-getter, and Ye Tiancheng didn't doubt her for a moment. The key was that he couldn't worry now; everything was going smoothly, with no sign of failure, and no need for unnecessary worry.
"Alright, then I'll have to trouble you. Rest assured, if you accomplish this, not only will you receive a sum of money, but I believe it will also be very beneficial for your career."
The village head was, after all, a minor official, and there was always a chance to move up. These achievements were also very important. If they could turn Dashan Village into a prosperous village, it would be a very good leap for Liu Lanying herself. For a girl in her early twenties to achieve such merit would secure her livelihood for life.
When Ye Tiancheng saw Su Muxian again, Su Muxian deliberately covered her nose and mouth.
"Ye Tiancheng, do you have some kind of smell on you?"
Hou Mingzhu had already seen Ye Tiancheng's photo in the news. Ye Tiancheng had taken a photo with Liu Lanying at the time. Su Muxian knew Ye Tiancheng must have been in close contact with the pigsty, so she said this deliberately to embarrass Ye Tiancheng. She didn't have any deeper intentions; her thoughts were very simple.
"That's impossible. Although I went to the pigsty, there are no pigs there now, so there can't be any smell. It's just empty pigpens."
"It really has quite a smell. I think before you met me, you should have at least shown me basic respect and washed your clothes. You smell like pig manure all over, which I find quite disgusting."
Ye Tiancheng sniffed his clothes and smelled nothing. But after sniffing again, he felt as if, due to psychological suggestion, he really did have a faint smell of pig manure.
"I'm sorry, Miss Su. I really didn't mean to disgust you. Can I find a place to take a shower, and then we can talk?"
Since business was about to be discussed, Ye Tiancheng was very obedient. If Su Muxian said he smelled bad, Ye Tiancheng would definitely try to improve it.
"Alright, it seems we really need to find a quiet place for you to shower before we can talk in detail. How about this, I'll book a business hotel with a conference room. I'll wait for you in the conference room."
Actually, Su Muxian had an idea in mind. After speaking, she smiled relaxedly. Ye Tiancheng was very flustered, feeling that he had a smell and was being impolite by offending her. So he didn't say much more and agreed with Su Muxian's suggestion to freshen up at the business hotel before they continued their discussion.
The scene of the two entering the hotel was captured by paparazzi lurking behind them, all orchestrated by Su Muxian.
After Ye Tiancheng showered and tidied himself up, he changed into clean clothes before going to the conference room to continue discussing work with Su Muxian. Upon returning home after the discussion, Xiao Pang, being very gossipy, grabbed Ye Tiancheng and bombarded him with questions.
"Brother Ye, you're too amazing! How could you go back to your old flame and be with Miss Su again?"
"What's wrong? Haven't we always been cooperating? You know that. What do you mean by 'going back to your old flame'? Can't I just have normal business cooperation with Miss Su?"
Ye Tiancheng was quite puzzled. It was one thing for others to spread rumors about him, but now even Xiao Pang was saying this. It was truly bizarre.
"Brother Ye, no, you've been photographed going to a hotel. We're not talking about the same thing."
As soon as Ye Tiancheng heard about being photographed going to a hotel, his heart sank.
"What? When did we go to a hotel?"
"Brother Ye, it's not that I'm saying this, but with the photos already out, isn't it a bit late to explain now?"
"We did go to a hotel, but it was for work. We booked a business suite, and it even had a conference room."
Ye Tiancheng felt extremely wronged. While a man's reputation might not be that important, being falsely accused like this was something Ye Tiancheng couldn't accept.
"Brother Ye, don't treat others like fools. You say two people, a man and a woman, discussing work. You could have found a place to eat and discussed it openly, and no one would have thought much of it. Now you've gone to a hotel and are talking about conference rooms. Who would believe that?"
Ye Tiancheng had nothing to explain about this matter. He knew he was innocent, and he couldn't control what others thought. Let them think whatever they wanted.
"Alright, no matter what, it has nothing to do with me. If people like to spread rumors, let them. I won't listen. I'll just cover my ears."
The afternoon after the rumors spread, Ye Tiancheng was going to Hou Mingzhu's place to transfer his true qi. He saw that Hou Mingzhu's belly had grown much larger. She wasn't full-term yet, but her belly was nearly twice the size of a normal pregnant woman at the same month.
"Ye Tiancheng, I don't need your help anymore. I'd rather die with the child in my womb than have your help."
Last time, it was still understandable. Although Hou Mingzhu still disliked Ye Tiancheng, as a mother, she was happy that Ye Tiancheng was willing to save the child. Now, her sudden resistance caught Ye Tiancheng by surprise.
"What's wrong, Mingzhu? Do you have any dissatisfaction with me? No matter what, the child is innocent. We have to find a way to give birth to the child. It's already a complete life with its own independent heartbeat."
Ye Tiancheng's words did not sway Hou Mingzhu. Hou Mingzhu suddenly glared at Ye Tiancheng and said fiercely through gritted teeth.
"You say it so easily, but do you know how much pain I'm in? Your child is different from other children. I feel like it's going to kill me. Rather than let me suffer, it's better for both mother and child to die now."
Seeing Hou Mingzhu's negative attitude, Ye Tiancheng quickly guessed the reason.
"Did you see that news about me and Su Muxian? We're definitely not rekindling our old romance. We have some business cooperation now. I had a smell of pig manure on me that day, and Su Muxian told me to open a business suite for me to wash up, and then we could continue discussing work. You can check if you don't believe me. Most of the rooms in this hotel are business suites. Even if we wanted to date, we wouldn't choose a hotel like this."
Ye Tiancheng's explanation was somewhat anxious, even a little incoherent. Regardless, he hoped Hou Mingzhu could believe him. Ye Tiancheng felt truly wronged. If he had done something, he wouldn't mind what others said, but he hadn't done anything, which made him very angry.
"It's really something. These media people really love to write nonsense. I also think it's unlikely for you. If you had really liked Su Muxian that much back then, you wouldn't have broken up with her because of this child in my womb. I know that woman Su Muxian likes to use underhanded tactics. The way you put it, it seems like she deliberately let the media photograph it to hype up the rumors between you and her."
"I'm not entirely sure..."
Ye Tiancheng was truly a bit confused. It seemed Su Muxian had suddenly gone berserk because she saw the photo of him and Liu Lanying in the media.
Ye Tiancheng was a bit bewildered that Su Muxian was jealous of his relationship with Liu Lanying. She was just a village official, a university student. Ye Tiancheng wasn't looking down on her status, but he felt there was no possibility with someone like that. It was still a bit strange to hear people talk about it.
"Let's not think about it anymore. Hurry up and help me with the treatment. My stomach has been really bloated lately, and I feel very uncomfortable. I'm afraid I won't be able to carry this child. Plus, seeing your scandalous news makes me even angrier."