Inheriting a Farm Made Me an Internet Sensation - Chapter 18

Tan Xiao was left feeling a bit dazed by Lin Muhan’s lingering, tender gaze. Everything felt off.

This sensation was foreign to her, and she wanted to escape it.

She turned her head away, feigning composure. “Casting spells is a technical skill; I certainly don’t know how to do it.”

Lin Muhan raised her hand and forced Tan Xiao’s face back toward her. In an instant, their eyes met. “Are you sure you don’t?”

If Tan Xiao hadn’t truly cast a spell on her, why did she find herself staring at Tan Xiao and spacing out so often?

If it wasn’t a spell, why did her heart race whenever she faced Tan Xiao? Just like at this moment, she could clearly feel her heartbeat accelerating.

That “thump-thump” sound felt as if it might leap out of her chest at any second.

As their gazes collided, that feeling of total unease swept over Tan Xiao once again.

Even though she already knew that Lin Muhan’s charm was just a facade and that she was violent to the core, in this fleeting moment, she felt the look Lin Muhan gave her was incredibly gentle.

Those eyes, shimmering like pearls, were filled—filled with affection.

Could it be that Lin Muhan had fallen for her?

Arriving at this answer, Tan Xiao’s eyes widened. She didn’t think being liked by Lin Muhan was a good thing at all.

She twisted her head, determined to break free from the restraint of Lin Muhan’s hand.

Under the opposing forces, the delicate, smooth texture of Tan Xiao’s skin became especially prominent beneath Lin Muhan’s palm.

Slightly ragged breathing, cheeks gradually flushing red, and parted, soft lips once again stole Lin Muhan’s attention.

She… seemed to have fallen for this person who spent every day in the fields.

Realizing this, her heart skipped a beat, and the strength in her hand instinctively relaxed. This gave Tan Xiao the opportunity she needed.

How could she like Tan Xiao?

What was so good about Tan Xiao? Other than having no money, usually refusing to sit if she could lie down, and appearing easy-going while actually being more stubborn than anyone else… there wasn’t really anything else bad about her.

Step, step…

She turned toward the hallway just in time to see the silhouette of Tan Xiao fleeing rapidly, as if being chased by a flood or a ferocious beast.

Was she being treated like a monster?

Well, if she didn’t do something now, she would be doing a disservice to Tan Xiao’s reaction.

Meanwhile, a Weibo hashtag #The Streamer Who Once Broadcasted Her Suicide Is Now Selling Tomatoes# began to ferment online.

Although nearly half a year had passed since the “Tan Xiao” suicide broadcast, seeing the words “suicide broadcast” still made netizens immediately think of Tan Xiao.

There was no helping it; the way “Tan Xiao” used to step on others to pull herself up was simply too hateful.

Netizens who harbored a deep-seated grudge against Tan Xiao flocked to comment under the post.

I refuse these tomatoes. I’m afraid I’ll be poisoned to death by tomatoes that passed through her hands.

Tan Xiao, we are irreconcilable. Tomatoes are one of my favorite fruits.

Very good, Tan Xiao, you’ve successfully disgusted me once again.

Ha, selling tomatoes? Are you sure anyone will buy them?

Have some self-awareness, okay? Who would dare eat the tomatoes you sell?

…

Lin Muhan, who was lying in bed after washing up, saw these comments and knit her brows into a deep frown.

Reason told her these people were just being led by the nose.

Beyond reason, a surge of anger rose in her heart, and she left a comment.

Please remember what you’re saying right now. I’ll be waiting for you to eat your words.

After posting the comment, she still didn’t feel vindicated. She immediately sent a WeChat message to a friend; she wanted to find out who had started this Weibo post.

The friend replied quickly. As soon as she saw the person’s profile picture, she found it familiar. She later realized this person had visited the farm and had been chased away by Tan Xiao’s biting remarks.

Pity there was no recording of the conversation at the time. If there were, she would have thrown it directly onto the internet, giving that streamer plenty to deal with.

No recording? No matter. Wasn’t there still surveillance?

She sought out Sister Chen and asked for the footage from that day. After extracting a clip, she posted it anonymously online. Of course, she didn’t forget to make the streamer’s Weibo name public.

In less than two hours, the post climbed into the top ten of the trending searches. This allowed Lin Muhan to feel the power of Tan Xiao’s “traffic,” even if most of it consisted of trolls.

The world has truly gone mad; there are actually people sucking up to Tan Xiao nowadays.

This video doesn’t look fake. From the footage, it seems Tan Xiao and that Shang Mei didn’t have a pleasant chat. It looks like she went there uninvited and is now retaliating after being rejected by Tan Xiao.

Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Tan Xiao actually grew tomatoes?

Can someone tell me the name of this farm? I must make sure to avoid this place when I buy groceries in the future.

It’s obviously a show. Other than that face, Tan Xiao is just an eyesore. If she can actually grow tomatoes, I won’t eat meat for the rest of my life.

What can a single video prove? No matter how you sugarcoat it, Tan Xiao is still a useless waste.

…

These comments enraged Lin Muhan once more.

She wished she could crawl through the internet cables, drag these people out, and shove them into the tomato fields to make them open their eyes and see exactly who the “waste” was.

Ring, ring, ring…

Lin Muhan looked at the blaring alarm clock and then glanced at the window. It was already broad daylight.

She… had actually spent the entire night arguing with those netizens?

She washed her face, applied light makeup, and walked out of her room while yawning.

Entering the dining room, she saw Tan Xiao talking to Chen Cuihua with high spirits.

Just as she stepped toward them, Tan Xiao pointed outside.

“Sister Chen, I’ll head out first then.”

She didn’t look at Lin Muhan once. As soon as Lin Muhan stood there, Tan Xiao left. Tan Xiao was avoiding her.

Aside from anger, this also piqued her competitive nature. She didn’t believe for a second that anyone could resist falling at her feet once she set her mind to it.

Tan Xiao had no idea what she was thinking.

All Tan Xiao knew was that Professor Wu had done exactly as he said and gathered over fifty people to pick tomatoes.

Although it was quite a few short of the hundred people Professor Wu had mentioned, with their help, everyone’s workload was indeed lighter.

By the roadside, after seeing off another truck, Chen Cuihua and Zhang Da looked at each other and smiled.

Zhang Da panted heavily and said, “I remember this time last year, you were fretting and miserable over sales.” He turned and pointed at the students and helpers scattered across the farm picking tomatoes. “Are you still worried now?”

Chen Cuihua nodded, out of breath. “I am. I’m worried about whether we can successfully deliver tomorrow’s goods.”

“There’s no helping that. The way I see it, you’ll have plenty to worry about from now on.” While speaking, Zhang Da had already started walking, rejoining the harvest.

A light breeze blew, lifting Chen Cuihua’s stray hairs, which then stuck to the sweat on her face.

She raised a hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead and muttered to herself, “If it can really be like this every year, I’d be happy to worry every single day.” After saying that, she also stepped forward, dragging her exhausted body back into the fields.

The temperature in Binhai City wasn’t too hot compared to tropical cities. Especially for Tan Xiao, who had stayed for many years in a place known as a “Fire City,” the temperature in Binhai really couldn’t be called hot. By evening, a cool breeze would blow, dispersing most of the summer heat.

After finishing dinner, she went up to the second floor. Just as she stepped through the living room door, she was grabbed by someone.

“Keep hiding. Let’s see where else you can hide.”

Tan Xiao looked down at her gripped wrist and then up at Lin Muhan, denying it: “I think you’ve misunderstood. I’m not hiding from you.”

Lin Muhan had such a violent temper; if she knew Tan Xiao was avoiding her, there was no telling what methods she’d use to deal with her.

She valued her life dearly and had no wish to perish at Lin Muhan’s hands.

The corners of Lin Muhan’s lips curled slightly as she pressed closer.

Sensing danger, Tan Xiao took a step back, trying to widen the gap between herself and Lin Muhan. But Lin Muhan didn’t stop. For every step Tan Xiao retreated, Lin Muhan took one forward. Soon, Tan Xiao had no more room to move, her entire body pressed against the wall.

“Not retreating anymore?”

When Lin Muhan said this, her voice was clearly very soft, yet Tan Xiao could hear a hint of gritted teeth in it.

Tan Xiao’s body was tense. When her gaze met those foxlike eyes, she immediately looked away.

The extreme proximity, their blending breaths, and the surrounding silence made her heart panic wildly.

This panic, aside from the instinctive alarm one feels in danger, also contained a frantic desire not to have her true thoughts seen through.

Lin Muhan released Tan Xiao’s arm and used a finger to hook Tan Xiao’s chin, leaning in even closer and forcing Tan Xiao to meet her eyes.

That gaze, shimmering with tenderness, threw Tan Xiao’s heart into a tangled mess.

Do I really feel nothing for Lin Muhan? she asked herself.