245: Chapter 245 [Overall Score +1]

Lin Fang's face turned red, and she lowered her head. "There you go again."

"I'm just telling the truth."

Lin Fang looked up at him. "Captain, do you know what your greatest strength is?"

"What?"

"Sincerity," Lin Fang said seriously. "The things you say and do all come from the heart. You're not hypocritical or pretentious."

Qin Lin smiled. He didn't think of himself as particularly sincere, but since she said so, he didn't mind pretending to be for once.

"Thanks for the compliment."

"It's not a compliment; it's the truth." Lin Fang stood up. "Captain, thank you for chatting with me today. I'll head back now."

Qin Lin stood up as well. "Alright."

Lin Fang reached the door and suddenly turned back. "Captain, you can call me by my name from now on. You don't need to call me Sister Fang."

She left after saying that, leaving Qin Lin alone in the Plantation with a slight curl to his lips.

Call her by her name?

That was a good sign.

...

That evening, while Qin Lin was on the third floor, Lin Xiaoyue visited again.

She said excitedly, "Qin Lin, my sister-in-law has been in a great mood ever since she got back today!"

Qin Lin leaned back on the sofa. "Is that so?"

"Really! She even took the initiative to talk to me about you. She said you're a good person, very sincere, and different from what she previously thought." Lin Xiaoyue sat down beside him. "I think she's about to give in."

Qin Lin nodded. "I think so too."

Lin Xiaoyue hugged his arm. "Then shouldn't you be more proactive? Find a chance to confess to her?"

Qin Lin thought for a moment. "Let's wait a bit longer and let her figure it out for herself."

Lin Xiaoyue pouted. "Aren't you afraid she'll never figure it out?"

Qin Lin laughed. "She won't. She's a smart woman; she knows what's good for her."

Lin Xiaoyue sighed. "Fine, I'll listen to you."

The two sat quietly for a while before Lin Xiaoyue suddenly spoke.

"Qin Lin, don't you think Aunt Li Ran has been a bit strange lately?"

Qin Lin was taken aback. "How so?"

"She's been showing up wherever you are lately, and she's dressing much better than before." Lin Xiaoyue blinked. "Do you think she's interested in you?"

Qin Lin frowned. "Don't talk nonsense. She's my..."

"So what?" Lin Xiaoyue smiled. "Isn't Han Qing the same?"

Qin Lin was speechless.

Han Qing was different.

Lin Xiaoyue leaned against his shoulder. "Qin Lin, let me tell you, she's definitely starting to like you. Watch the way she looks at you. I've seen that look before; it's the look a woman gives a man she likes."

Qin Lin shook his head. "You're imagining things."

Mainly, Qin Lin couldn't imagine Li Ran having such thoughts.

After all, when she first boarded the vehicle, she had mentioned that she found the relationships on the RV a bit hard to accept.

How could she possibly fall into it herself?

"I'm not imagining it," Lin Xiaoyue said seriously. "If you don't believe me, observe her yourself next time."

Qin Lin didn't respond, but his heart was stirred.

He had indeed noticed the way Li Ran looked at him.

That gaze certainly didn't seem like the way a mother-in-law should look at her son-in-law.

...

Over the next few days, Lin Fang continued in this state.

She woke up every morning to make breakfast for the pregnant women and then chatted with Qin Lin in the living room.

One evening, Lin Xiaoyue didn't go to the third floor. She looked at Lin Fang and said, "Sister-in-law, you've been doing great lately."

Lin Fang's face flushed. "It's... it's alright."

Lin Xiaoyue smiled. "I'll tell you a secret: Qin Lin mentioned you to me yesterday."

Lin Fang was startled. "He... what did he say?"

"He said you've changed recently, that you've become more cheerful than before."

Lin Fang's heart raced. "Really?"

"Really." Lin Xiaoyue nodded. "He also said you're looking more and more beautiful in the clothes you wear."

Lin Fang lowered her head. "I... I just throw on whatever."

Lin Xiaoyue laughed. "You look this good just 'throwing on whatever'? Imagine if you actually tried!"

Lin Fang became even more embarrassed.

Lin Xiaoyue took her hand. "Sister-in-law, listen to me. You've already taken the first step. Next is the second step."

"What's the second step?"

"Proactively create an ambiguous atmosphere."

Lin Fang hesitated. "That... that wouldn't be right, would it?"

"What's wrong with it?" Lin Xiaoyue said. "That's how you speed up the relationship. You've already taken the first step; this step is bound to happen sooner or later anyway."

Lin Fang took a deep breath. "Then I'll try."

The next few days were very peaceful.

Su Yuling still hadn't come looking for Qin Lin, but the gaze she directed at him grew deeper and deeper.

It was as if she were brewing something, or perhaps waiting for something.

Qin Lin knew that the breaking point was near.

Lin Fang's attitude continued to soften. Not only did she take the initiative to chat with Qin Lin, but she would also intentionally close the distance between them during their conversations.

Qin Lin noticed that she would blush just by getting close to him. If they actually had physical contact, he wondered how shy she would become.

She stopped calling him "Captain" and switched to "Qin Lin."

Though it was just a change in address, Qin Lin knew it meant the distance in her heart was shrinking.

Li Ran's "chance encounters" became more frequent.

She appeared almost every day in places Qin Lin passed through, and she was always dressed beautifully.

Once, Qin Lin turned a corner in the hallway and nearly collided with her.

They were so close they could smell each other's scent.

Li Ran's face reddened as she took a step back. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you."

Qin Lin also stepped back. "It's fine, I was walking too fast."

They locked eyes for a moment. In Li Ran's gaze, there was panic, shyness, and something else that was hard to define.

She lowered her head and hurried away.

Qin Lin stood there, his heart beating a little fast.

In that split second, he had almost reached out to steady her by the waist.

Too dangerous.

He took a deep breath and went to the Drivers Cabin.

...

That night, Qin Lin lay in bed with his mind in a mess.

Su Yuling, Lin Fang, and Li Ran—three women, three states of mind, three different intentions.

Su Yuling was waiting for the breaking point, Lin Fang was slowly softening, and Li Ran was intentionally or unintentionally approaching him.

On the other hand, Lin Wanwan's aunt hadn't sought him out since the last time they slept together.

As expected, although she was much more open than Lin Wanwan, she was still a very laid-back person.

"Sigh! Having many women is great, but it's also not ideal. It's quite a hassle."

He didn't know how to handle it.

Especially Li Ran.

If something happened between them, what would Su Yuran think? What would Su Yuling think?

Qin Lin sighed and rolled over.

Forget it, stop thinking about it.

He would just take it one step at a time.

In the apocalypse, anything could happen anyway.

[Prompt: Detected a change in the comprehensive rating of Passenger No. 013, Lin Fang]

[comprehensive rating +1]

[Current Rating: 90]

[Meets the requirements for the "Many Children, Many Blessings" task]

Qin Lin stared at the prompt, stunned.

Lin Fang's rating had increased?

It went from 89 to 90?