68: Chapter 68 Tong Liya's feigned illness is exposed on the spot

"..."

Lin Chen's hand was still rubbing that patch of fair, warm skin, but his brow gradually furrowed.

Tong Liya's wishful thinking was clearly about to be dashed.

Trying to pull this stunt in front of Lin Chen, who possessed Grandmaster-level medical skills, was like trying to teach the Three Character Classic to Confucius.

Real pain and the body's instinctive reactions are absolutely impossible to hide.

Tensed muscles, pale complexion, cold sweat on the palms—these are all natural feedback from nerve endings, completely beyond the control of the brain's will.

But looking at Tong Liya before him, her complexion was so rosy it seemed like it could drip water, her breathing was steady, and the skin on her lower abdomen was as relaxed as a freshly inflated balloon.

"Whack!"

Lin Chen didn't stand on ceremony and gave a crisp slap directly onto the fair, tender belly he was manipulating.

"Still hurting?"

"No... it doesn't hurt anymore."

Tong Liya gave a start, hastily pulled her clothes down to cover herself, and sat there with her back straight.

She clutched her hem with both hands and lowered her head, looking exactly like a child caught red-handed stealing snacks.

She didn't dare to talk back, let alone continue making things up.

One look at Lin Chen's amused expression, and she knew her little schemes had been completely seen through.

Although she couldn't for the life of her figure out how this guy knew it was fake just by touching it once.

"Pull over up ahead, I'll drive."

Lin Chen reached out and patted Liu Shishi's shoulder, giving the instruction.

He didn't bother to ask Tong Liya why she was faking illness; he simply couldn't be bothered to waste the mental energy.

Liu Shishi gripped the steering wheel and replied, "It's fine, Brother Lin, I'm not tired yet. You should rest a bit more."

Lin Chen replied, "I haven't driven a single meter, rest my ass. Pull over."

"Oh."

Liu Shishi stepped on the brake, brought the car to a steady stop on the side of the road, and the two opened the doors to switch seats.

"Yaya, are you feeling any better?" Liu Shishi fastened her seatbelt and turned back to ask with concern.

Tong Liya was feeling aggrieved, her little mouth pouting high, and she only responded with a listless sound.

However, very soon, her eyes darted around. She fished out a bottle of water from the back, twisted off the cap, and in a feigned, gentle voice, handed it to the front, "Hubby, are you tired? Have some water."

"Not thirsty." Lin Chen coldly refused.

Hearing the second half, Liu Shishi's face instantly became quite expressive.

She shot a strange glance at the rearview mirror. Just now... what did Yaya call him? Hubby?

Unlike the two women in the back, each with their own thoughts, ever since Lin Chen sat back in the driver's seat, Guli Nazha in the passenger seat saw her mood instantly brighten.

Her feet, wrapped in sheer stockings, swayed happily in front of the windshield, and her rounded toes wiggled mischievously inside the hosiery.

She no longer stared at the desolate scenery outside the window, but instead hummed the song "the wild goose" that Lin Chen had sung yesterday, her voice sickeningly sweet.

As they drove along, the weather suddenly changed.

Early in the morning, the sky was clear for ten thousand miles, but just past ten o'clock, vast, dark, oppressive clouds rolled over the horizon, hanging terrifyingly low.

"Teacher Lin, Teacher Lin, please respond if you receive this." Lei Jiayin's urgent voice came over the walkie-talkie.

Lin Chen picked up the walkie-talkie: "Speak."

"This damn weather looks like it's going to be a thunderstorm. The Production Team thinks we should find a place to take shelter and wait for the rain to let up before continuing. What do you think?"

Lin Chen shifted his seat and tilted his head to scan outside through the car window.

The black clouds in the sky were rolling and thickening like ink, and the wild wind blew the roadside weeds about wildly. This setup was definitely a rare, massive rainstorm.

"Fine, let's listen to the Production Team. But where are we going to wait? We can't just stop on the hard shoulder of the highway."

Lin Chen didn't try to be a hero; driving long distances in severe weather is indeed dangerous, and it's not worth risking one's life for.

"There happens to be a toll station exit up ahead. Follow me closely, and we'll get off there."

"Understood."

Lin Chen turned on his hazard lights and stepped on the gas to follow.

Getting off the highway and through the exit ramp, Lei Jiayin pulled his car over to the side of the road.

The Production Team's main convoy followed one after another, a mighty procession of dozens of vehicles lining up along the roadside like a long dragon.

Less than two minutes after the engines were turned off, bean-sized raindrops came smashing down as if they were free.

The pitter-patter thudding against the roof of the car was deafening.

Such freakish rainstorms are rare on the northern grasslands; the dry soil on the ground instantly turned into mud.

In just a moment, a pool of yellow muddy water had gathered in the narrow ditch by the roadside, flowing rapidly and violently.

"This is too scary, right? We won't be trapped here and unable to go back, will we?"

Guli Nazha couldn't sit still anymore.

Her fair, long, beautiful leg crossed over the center console, and her entire curvaceous body leaned directly onto Lin Chen's shoulder.

The two soft mounds on her chest pressed tightly against Lin Chen's elbow as she moved.

A rich scent of perfume, mixed with the woman's body heat, drilled straight into Lin Chen's nostrils.

Lin Chen remained as steady as a mountain: "What are you panicking about? This kind of sudden rain comes fast and goes fast; it'll clear up in a while."

"How do you know it will go fast?"

Guli Nazha couldn't bear to pull her body back; her full chin remained resting on Lin Chen's shoulder, her bright eyes staring at the muddy water outside the car window.

"Rain that lasts for three days is called a drizzle. This is a rainstorm; even the heavens don't have enough stock to keep this up for long."

"Hey, Lin Chen, look quickly, is there a frog swimming in that water?"

"That's a toad."

"The one that wants to eat swan meat? Ugh, it's really ugly."

Guli Nazha wasn't scared at all; instead, she was in a playful mood, chattering endlessly in Lin Chen's ear, occasionally letting out bursts of silvery, coquettish laughter.

Because she was so close, the warm air from her speech sprayed all over Lin Chen's neck, making him feel itchy and creeped out.

The back seat, however, was deathly quiet.

Liu Shishi looked at the muddy water outside the window and yawned, feeling bored.

What's so interesting about a puddle of muddy water? Making such a fuss.

Compared to Liu Shishi's boredom, Tong Liya's mood had plummeted to rock bottom.

She clenched her hands tightly together, casting glances from time to time at Guli Nazha, who was on Lin Chen in the front, her lips bitten tight.

The rain did indeed come fast and leave fast.

In less than twenty minutes, the dark clouds covering the sky had cleared away completely, and the scorching sun emerged once again.

If not for the mud puddles on the ground that hadn't dried yet, one might really think it had all been a hallucination.

The convoy started up again, and facing the earthy, pungent smell of the soil after the rain, they drove once more towards their destination.