Chapter 633: Chapter 633

The car pulled up to the Ke Li family's doorstep, Xiao Ru parked the car and was just about to go inside when the door to Ke Li's house opened, and two men in military uniforms walked out.

"Te Ke, what are you doing here?" The man who came out was from the headquarter's political department, and Xiao Ru happened to know him.

The young man glanced at Xiao Ru, "Oh, Xiao Ru, we're here to evaluate Ke Li."

"Evaluate?" Xiao Ru was taken aback.

Te Ke nodded and said, "Ke Li's points for the year are already insufficient for him to remain in the special unit. If he doesn't have a breakthrough in strength this year, I'm afraid he'll be expelled from the special team."

"What?" Hearing Te Ke's words, Lin Chen and Xiao Ru were both stunned.

Te Ke smiled, "The special unit is a gathering place for the elite. If your strength isn't sufficient to be considered elite, then you simply don't qualify to enjoy the benefits provided by the state."

Lin Chen could only sigh at this, the survival of the fittest was a rule in every industry, and there was nothing Lin Chen could do about it.

When the two arrived at Ke Li's house, Ke Li looked dejected, and it was obvious that he was not in a good state.

Seeing the two, Ke Li managed a smile, "You've come, I'm short on time and need to go do some experiments, so I can't keep you company. Next door is my library; there are books on biology, you can browse them yourselves."

Lin Chen and Xiao Ru nodded. With only three days left until the final evaluation, if it failed, Ke Li would have his house taken away and his monthly salary would be suspended.

With a sigh, Lin Chen and Xiao Ru went to the study.

The whole study was filled with biologic texts, and with Lin Chen's ability to speed-read, he quickly went through a whole bookshelf, but unfortunately, there was no useful discovery.

Just then, a small head suddenly peeked out from outside.

"Big brother, big sister, can you play with me for a while?" Ke Li asked timidly.

Lin Chen put down the book and, seeing the girl's pitiful expression, smiled and said, "Okay, let's play together."

"Then let's play house," Ke Li said excitedly.

"Play house?" Lin Chen and Xiao Ru looked at each other.

"Yes, you be the daddy, she'll be the mommy, and I'll be the baby," Ke Li said, smiling.

"This!" Lin Chen scratched his head; the game always felt a bit off to him.

"What? Can't we?" Ke Li's expression clearly showed a tinge of disappointment.

At that moment, Xiao Ru pinched Lin Chen's arm urgently, quickly saying, "Of course, we can."

Lin Chen gave a wry smile and began playing the rather silly game of house with Xiao Ru and Ke Li.

By the time the two of them left Ke Li's house, it was dusk. Although there were many materials, Lin Chen hadn't found anything useful.

When they arrived at the car, Lin Chen's gaze slightly hardened, and he said to Xiao Ru, "You get in the car first, I'll be up later."

"Oh," Xiao Ru looked at Lin Chen with confusion and sat in the driver's seat.

Five minutes later, Lin Chen finally got in the car.

"Why did you take so long?" Xiao Ru asked.

Lin Chen smiled, "I've been reading in the study for a while, my neck's a bit uncomfortable, just exercising."

Xiao Ru gave Lin Chen a doubting look, started the car, and the mood during the ride was somewhat low, with no conversation the whole way.

"What's wrong?" Lin Chen asked curiously.

Xiao Ru glanced at Lin Chen, "Do you know why Ke Li wanted to play house with us?"

"Little girls, they definitely like to play such games, right?" Lin Chen said with a smile.

Xiao Ru shook her head, "I've looked into Ke Li's family. Three years ago, Ke Li's mom left them, and there has been no word from her since. Do you know the look she had in her eyes when she first saw me?"

"The look in her eyes?" Lin Chen shook his head, he really hadn't paid much attention.

"Ke Li's eyes were just like mine when I was little—those were the eyes of loneliness, longing for companionship, craving motherly love," Xiao Ru said somberly.

"Oh, were you like that when you were small?" Lin Chen asked cautiously.

Xiao Ru nodded, "When I was very little, my mother left me. At that time, my father was busy with work, always leaving me alone at home. You can't understand that feeling of loneliness."

Lin Chen sighed, "I don't know how Ke Li's evaluation will turn out, but I hope we can make a breakthrough within three days!"

It was drizzling outside the window, and it was the peak of rush hour, with traffic crawling along.

After driving a bit, Lin Chen glanced at the rearview mirror and suddenly said to Xiao Ru, "Let me drive instead."

"You drive? Better not, you didn't sleep well last night, and driving tired isn't good," Xiao Ru said, taken aback.

"Don't worry, it's fine." Saying this, Lin Chen switched places with Xiao Ru in the car without further discussion.

Lin Chen had already noticed that a large truck had been following their Jeep for quite some time. The road ahead was very complex, and if someone wanted to make a move on them, ahead was undoubtedly the best spot for it.

Although Lin Chen wasn't certain, to ensure that nothing would go wrong, he decided to take the wheel himself.

After all, if the other party were to act, perhaps just a minute or two could decide life or death. Although Xiao Ru's reactions were not bad, Lin Chen felt that only by gripping the steering wheel himself could he be at ease.

Even though he sensed the danger, Lin Chen appeared very relaxed on the surface.

Xiao Ru stole glances at Lin Chen, her perspective of him had softened today after seeing him play house with Ke Li.

Though this guy usually seemed both bad and lecherous, through today's play, she had the feeling that Lin Chen was a very responsible man.

The traffic light turned green, and Lin Chen started the car, turning to Xiao Ru with a smile, "What, are you secretly crushing on me or something?"

Hearing Lin Chen's words, Xiao Ru's cheeks flushed red, "Hmph, you're so full of yourself. Who would have a crush on a big pervert like you?"

Lin Chen smiled lightly, "Really? But I have a feeling that after today, you will be crushing on me even more."

"Hmph, you wish," Xiao Ru snorted and turned her head away, deliberately avoiding his gaze.

"Put your safety... on, right?" Lin Chen suddenly said.

"What?" Xiao Ru's cheeks turned scarlet at Lin Chen's words.

This guy was simply too shameless, actually asking her to put on a condom.

And even if they were to do that, it should be him wearing it, right?

"Pervert!" Xiao Ru shot Lin Chen another disdainful look.

Lin Chen laughed awkwardly, "Uh, my bad, I misspoke, I meant the seat belt."

"You!" Xiao Ru was fuming, her face bright red. How could he confuse a seat belt with a condom? What on earth was going on in this guy's head?

"There's something off about the car behind us, and there's a canyon up ahead. I'm afraid that truck behind us is looking to knock us off the road," Lin Chen said calmly.

At Lin Chen's words, Xiao Ru's heart tightened, and she quickly buckled her seat belt, "How did you figure that out?"

Lin Chen smiled faintly, "Just a hunch!"

Through the rearview mirror, Xiao Ru caught a glimpse of the heavy truck following their Jeep.

The car had already slowly entered the valley, which made Xiao Ru somewhat nervous, "Lin Chen, this is too dangerous, we should try to find another way around."

Lin Chen smirked coldly, "It's okay, since they want to play, I'll play along with them."