Inheriting a Farm Made Me an Internet Sensation - Chapter 20

Is she in a relationship with Lin Muhan?

Tan Xiao quickly sketched a scene in her mind: she was wearing a maid outfit while the proud Princess Lin Muhan sat on the bed with her legs crossed, ordering her around. If she were just two steps too slow, the princess would look at her with utter disdain and say: “Aside from farming, you are truly useless.”

The image was so vivid that she couldn’t help but move toward the foot of the bed while denying it. “She’s basically my boss,” she said, giving the nurse a look that implied, “you know how it is.”

Her cautious and troubled expression deeply moved the nurse. Shifting her gaze slightly, the nurse caught a glimpse of Lin Muhan lying on the bed and lowered her eyes, unable to hide her disappointment.

The nurse couldn’t help but glance at Tan Xiao again. Seeing that Tan Xiao had already started walking out, she couldn’t help but shake her head.

Once Tan Xiao and the nurse left, Lin Muhan was the only one left in the ward. She slowly raised her head to look toward the door. She had thought Tan Xiao’s urgency throughout the journey was because she cared; in the end, was it all just her own wishful thinking?

Thinking of this, she gave a bitter laugh and absentmindedly tugged at the quilt, attempting to hide herself inside.

Tan Xiao, who had gone to the pantry to fetch a cup of warm water, returned to find Lin Muhan buried under the covers. She placed the paper cup on the bedside table, leaned over, and gently lifted the quilt, only to see Lin Muhan curled into a ball with her back turned.

Is she asleep?

Holding the warm water, Tan Xiao walked around the foot of the bed to the other side. As she leaned down, she saw a crystal tear hanging from Lin Muhan’s eyelashes.

Her heart tightened instinctively. She thought to herself: If only she had come for medical treatment earlier, it wouldn’t have been this serious.

Ultimately, she couldn’t bring herself to say words of blame. She set the water down, carefully lifted Lin Muhan’s head, and used her other hand to bring the cup to Lin Muhan’s parched lips. “Here, drinks some warm water. It’s good for detoxifying.”

At this moment, Lin Muhan felt terribly exhausted, unable even to open her eyes, and her throat felt dry and itchy. Upon coming into contact with the water, she immediately began to swallow.

Her dry lips regained some luster under the moisture of the water.

Only after the paper cup was empty did Tan Xiao place Lin Muhan back on the bed and pull the quilt up to her shoulders. She then took off her outer coat, hung it behind the door, went to the bathroom to wash her face, shook out her sweat-dampened clothes, and tied her hair back. Using the medical insurance card found in Lin Muhan’s wallet, she handled the hospitalization procedures.

Looking at the credit card payment notification on her phone, she felt the terrifying weight of poverty once again.

No, I need to make money.

She told herself to endure a little longer. Once the farm was in her hands, she would have income.

But until then, what about the workers’ wages? Where would she get the money to cover the costs?

She rubbed her forehead in frustration. Once she had calmed down, she returned to the ward.

Feeling sticky and needing to keep an eye on the IV drip, she pulled up a chair and sat by Lin Muhan’s bed. She pulled out her phone, found a part-time job website, and took on a ghostwriting assignment for a thesis to earn some extra cash.

It was her familiar field, after all, and the difficulty level wasn’t high. By the time Lin Muhan’s IV was finished, the thesis was also complete.

Seeing that Lin Muhan was still fast asleep and the nurse had said there were no more drips for the day, she left a note on the bedside table and drove back to the small courtyard. After washing up, she went into Lin Muhan’s room to grab a change of clothes before returning to the hospital.

She put the clothes in the cabinet and placed a thermos filled with porridge on the bedside table. She turned around, intending to check Lin Muhan’s temperature with the back of her hand, but was suddenly startled when Lin Muhan sat up and hugged her around the waist.

The action stunned her, leaving her arm raised awkwardly in mid-air.

Summer dress fabrics are thin; with Lin Muhan pressed against her like this, the contact was incredibly distinct. She could clearly feel that Lin Muhan’s body temperature had returned to normal.

Instead, it was her own face and ears that were heating up.

“You were gone for so long,” Lin Muhan said aggrievedly, reflexively tightening her arms around Tan Xiao’s waist.

When she had opened her eyes and scanned the ward, she couldn’t find Tan Xiao anywhere. A surge of disappointment had enveloped her, leaving her heart feeling empty.

Seeing the note Tan Xiao had left caused that disappointment to dissipate slightly. Every time she heard footsteps approaching, she couldn’t help but sit up and watch the door.

She didn’t know how many times she had looked at the door, but the disappointment began to build again.

She started to doubt—doubting that Tan Xiao would return, just like when she was a child, waiting with high expectations for her father to come home for dinner, only to receive a message saying, “Something came up, you and your mother eat first.”

She told herself this was the last time. If Tan Xiao didn’t come back, she wouldn’t wait anymore; she would leave this uncomfortable hospital.

Seeing Tan Xiao now, she was very happy. But alongside that happiness was a heart full of trepidation. She didn’t want Tan Xiao to know she had been waiting the whole time, so she pretended to still be asleep, waiting for Tan Xiao to wake her.

Who knew Tan Xiao would be so slow, hesitating so long to call her?

Being this sluggish over such a small matter… if I have to wait for Tan Xiao to understand my feelings, it’ll take years.

She didn’t want that, so she decided to change her strategy.

The moment she was hugged by Lin Muhan, Tan Xiao went completely stiff. The temperature of her ears and face continued to rise, burning so hot she couldn’t ignore it.

But what truly made her heart tremble were Lin Muhan’s words, filled with grievance. Had she been waiting for her this whole time?

Realizing this, her heart skipped a beat. She stammered, “I got delayed on the road… I brought you some porridge. Want to… want to eat some?”

Lin Muhan raised her head and looked up at her, full of expectation. “Feed me.”

That burning gaze made Tan Xiao swallow the “refusal” that was at the tip of her tongue, and she nodded.

What she didn’t notice was that the moment she turned around, a flash of craftiness flickered in the eyes of Lin Muhan, who was now sitting upright on the bed.

No one can refuse a proactive woman; there really is truth to that saying.

Tan Xiao didn’t want to look up at Lin Muhan, so she chose to sit on the side of the hospital bed. She scooped up a spoonful of preserved egg and lean meat porridge and brought it to Lin Muhan’s lips.

Lin Muhan accepted it all, but her gaze couldn’t help but drift toward Tan Xiao.

Sensing Lin Muhan’s gaze, Tan Xiao’s hand inevitably grew stiff, and she didn’t dare to meet her eyes.

She had seen Lin Muhan’s affectionate gaze once before; recalling it now still sent ripples through her heart.

Under these circumstances, it was very difficult to control her brain and stop herself from overthinking.

Besides, Lin Muhan had denied it last time.

The only reason she’s looking at you like this now is because she’s sick and using you as emotional comfort.

Yes, that must be it.

She convinced herself of this in her heart, but her trembling hand holding the spoon betrayed her current mood.

“Are you nervous?” Lin Muhan asked softly, her foxlike eyes full of curiosity.

Tan Xiao quickly withdrew her hand, turned her body away from Lin Muhan, and replied, “I just thought of some things.”

Lin Muhan leaned in closer to Tan Xiao and asked in confusion, “What kind of things would make the usually unflappable you feel flustered?”

That faint scent of roses and the intense stare made Tan Xiao, who was facing away, feel entirely uncomfortable.

Lin Muhan glanced at Tan Xiao’s fingers, which were turning white from gripping, and retracted her gaze. “If you don’t want to say, then forget it.” She shifted her body and turned her head away. “I’m full.”

Was she being too impatient?

Too slow didn’t work, and too fast didn’t work either; a sense of powerlessness grew in her heart.

Without that gaze on her, Tan Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. She stood up and put the small amount of remaining porridge back into the thermos. “I’ll go wash this.”

Lin Muhan gave a soft hum of agreement. Once Tan Xiao went out, she quietly pulled out her phone and searched online for ways to pursue someone.

When she saw the words “Don’t be too direct, play hard to get,” an idea immediately formed in her mind.

Little one, let’s see how I win you over.

Tan Xiao, who had gone to the outside restroom specifically to wash up, hesitated at the door of the ward for a while before summoning the courage to return.

Not receiving Lin Muhan’s burning gaze, her tension faded, but at the same time, a sense of loss seeped into her heart.

See? You guessed right earlier. She doesn’t have feelings for you; it’s just temporary emotional comfort.

The two of you are from different worlds. She might have a whim of good feelings for you, but once the novelty wears off, she’ll find it bothersome.

She tried her best to ignore the loss in her heart, pretending to be nonchalant as she set down the thermos. She pulled up a chair, opened her laptop, and began to compile the data she hadn’t finished today.

For some reason, she couldn’t concentrate today. A task that usually took twenty minutes ended up taking over forty.

Whenever Lin Muhan made a move, she couldn’t help but look up.

“Tan Xiao, have you ever liked someone?” Lin Muhan asked, unable to hold it in any longer, pretending to be casual.

Tan Xiao, who was about to pack up her computer, froze at the question. She answered vaguely, “Not for now.”

“Before, I thought I wouldn’t fall for anyone. I even ridiculed those who were deeply lost in the sea of love—why hang yourself on one tree when there’s a whole forest out there?” Lin Muhan turned to look at Tan Xiao, her lips curling into a slight upward arc. “Now I know that if you truly meet that person, your eyes can no longer see anyone else.”

That tender, lingering gaze easily threw Tan Xiao’s entire heart into chaos. Was this a confession?

Before she could look closer, Lin Muhan had already rolled over.

“I’m tired. Let’s sleep.”

Uh… so was she just being conceited?

Realizing this, a sense of shame washed over Tan Xiao again. Since when had she become so narcissistic?

The other person hadn’t mentioned any names.

However, thinking that Lin Muhan had someone like that in her heart made her feel suffocated.

It was because she had seen the sincerity in Lin Muhan’s eyes just now.

She suppressed the messy thoughts in her mind, stood up to close the ward door, grabbed the small blanket she had brought, and headed toward the sofa in the corner.

There were two beds in this ward. Although the other bed didn’t have a patient, as a healthy person, it wasn’t right for her to take up the resource. Sticking it out on the sofa for a night was the safest bet.

“Thank you for staying with me tonight.” Lin Muhan had made up her mind not to let Tan Xiao sleep peacefully.

She wanted to drag Tan Xiao into this state of uncertainty and anxiety until Tan Xiao finally faced her own heart.

As she expected, the moment Tan Xiao lay down and heard those words, her body went stiff.

That’s right. She clearly could have just delivered the clothes and returned to the small courtyard. Why did she choose to stay overnight at the hospital?

The scene of Lin Muhan getting the needle flashed before her eyes. Because she was afraid of needles and resisted hospitals, Lin Muhan definitely wouldn’t stay in the hospital obediently.

So she needs to be watched, otherwise, the money spent on my card would be in vain.

Just as this thought surfaced, another voice rang out in her mind.

If she really wanted to leave, could you stop her? Admit it, you just like her.