Inheriting a Farm Made Me an Internet Sensation - Chapter 27.2

Alright, you make the arrangements,” Chen Cuihua turned and looked at the workers who had already put away their tools. she raised one hand and gave a wave forward. “Everyone, head on home and get to work.”

At her word, everyone scattered, riding their electric scooters back home.

After seeing them off, Tan Xiao went upstairs. She looked at Lin Muhan’s door, but just as she raised her hand to knock, the door opened.

Lin Muhan leaned against the doorframe and asked, “What did that girl surnamed Huang say to you?”

Tan Xiao took two steps back and leaned against the wall, not hiding anything. “She was the person we were looking for. She came to apologize.”

Lin Muhan looked surprised for a fleeting second before returning to her usual expression. She stared at Tan Xiao. “She apologized, and you just forgave her?”

“I didn’t realize you thought I was so generous.”

Lin Muhan rolled her eyes, but her heart relaxed slightly. “Don’t flatter yourself. I haven’t forgotten how a certain someone occasionally brings up old scores.”

Tan Xiao tilted her head, thinking for a good while, but she couldn’t recall ever bringing up old scores with Lin Muhan.

Driven by a sense of survival, she didn’t argue. Following Lin Muhan’s lead, she said, “Compared to Lawyer Lin’s magnanimity, I am indeed lacking. So, once she finished apologizing, I let her go.”

“Stab someone and then apologize when you regret it later,” Lin Muhan huffed. “Tell me, do you think her guilt felt a little lighter afterward?”

Tan Xiao agreed with her. “Naturally.”

She did sense guilt from Huang Mengyao, but it wasn’t strong. Just as Lin Muhan guessed, the apology seemed more like a way for Huang Mengyao to get past her own conscience.

It might be wrong of her to think that of Huang Mengyao, but it was her honest feeling.

“Hmm, a truly rational person indeed.” With that, Lin Muhan stepped away from the doorframe. A second before entering her room, she looked back at Tan Xiao with a tilted head and a curved smile. “Remember to call me for dinner.” She even threw Tan Xiao a flirtatious wink.

When Lin Muhan wore her professional attire and didn’t smile, she looked so stern that people were afraid to approach. But once she smiled, the natural charm she possessed was amplified, making it hard to resist.

At least for now, Tan Xiao found her hard to resist. Even after the door had been closed for a while, she still hadn’t snapped out of her daze.

In her mind, the image of Lin Muhan pinning her down with a leg over her abdomen resurfaced. At that moment, Lin Muhan’s loose curls had fallen onto her face and neck, and the look of tenderness in those eyes had made her heart race.

If this continued, even the strongest willpower would break.

Besides, her willpower wasn’t particularly strong to begin with.

With that thought, she withdrew her gaze, clenched her fists at her sides, and returned to her room.

Just as she finished entering data into her computer, Professor Wu sent her a WeChat message.

An old friend is coming to your “class” tomorrow. He’s tired of being in the lab and wants to go to the field to clear his head.

After reading the message, Tan Xiao smiled helplessly.

City life was stressful; taking a walk in the countryside and experiencing nature could indeed calm a restless heart. This was why more and more young people enjoyed watching farming videos.

If it was just a hobby, farming could be a spice of life. But if one tried to make a living from it, it was easy to grow weary.

“Plucking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, leisurely gazing upon the southern mountains.”

If you had no money in your pocket, could you still be leisurely?

She replied with a simple “Okay” and went downstairs to the dining room. She opened the upright refrigerator and saw a Tomahawk steak inside. She immediately took out her phone to search for recipes.

After being busy for nearly an hour, she had just put the steak into the oven when Lin Muhan appeared at the door.

“Not ready yet?”

Tan Xiao pointed toward the oven. “It needs another forty minutes.” She walked out under the eaves and looked up at the sky. Every twinkling star was like a brilliant gem, scattered across the infinite night sky, beckoning those on land to stop and explore.

Lin Muhan came to her side. Looking at the starry sky, a curve unconsciously formed at the corner of her mouth. “Let’s eat in the yard tonight.” Thinking of something, she turned to Tan Xiao. “I have a bottle of red wine in my room. Care for a glass?”

“Sure.”

“Then you set things up, and I’ll go get the wine.” With that, Lin Muhan headed upstairs without giving Tan Xiao a chance to refuse.

Tan Xiao shook her head with a half-helpless smile. She moved the folding square table from the corner into the yard and took a red tablecloth—the kind only used for holidays—from the storage cabinet to cover the table.

Since they had decided to have some “ritual,” the plating of the steak couldn’t be neglected. So, she went to the second-floor balcony to pick some edible mint.

At the entrance, she ran right into Lin Muhan, who was carrying wine in one hand and candles in the other.

Noticing her gaze, Lin Muhan hid the hand with the candles behind her back, saying unnaturally, “Sister Chen mentioned before that power outages happen occasionally. I… I prepared these just in case.”

In truth, these candles were exactly what she had prepared for a candlelit dinner, but she hadn’t had the chance to use them.

Now that the opportunity was here, she naturally wouldn’t miss it.

Tan Xiao nodded and gave an “Oh.” She stopped in her tracks and tilted her head at Lin Muhan. “No candlesticks?”

Lin Muhan blurted out, “Of course I have them.”

Seeing the playfulness in Tan Xiao’s eyes, Lin Muhan felt her face heat up. She flusteredly shoved the candles into Tan Xiao’s hands. “I’ll go get them.”

She just didn’t want Tan Xiao to think she had planned this so deliberately, which was why she only brought the candles and not the holders.

Who knew Tan Xiao would guess anyway?

She clearly knew everything, yet she just played dumb and refused to respond.

Lin Muhan stamped her foot and resentfully took the candlesticks from the cabinet, muttering, “I’m making a note of this. I’ll settle this score with you later.”

Half an hour later, Tan Xiao brought the plated steak to the table.

Lin Muhan, who had been waiting at the table, was full of smiles. Under the starry sky, sharing good food and wine with the person she liked—how could that not be one of life’s greatest pleasures?

Even if this person hadn’t accepted her yet, she felt satisfied.

Tan Xiao saw those eyes shimmering with laughter and tenderness. Her heart, which was gradually losing its immunity to Lin Muhan, trembled again.

She knew Lin Muhan had been waiting for her answer.

But she couldn’t give one right now. She had been using her free time lately to search for answers. She had joined a forum called “Time,” where most posts were about strange occurrences. She had searched the entire forum but hadn’t found anyone with an experience like hers, which left her feeling incredibly lost and helpless.

She had also asked herself: If I could go back, would I stay for Lin Muhan?

The answer was no.

She did like Lin Muhan, but her original world had the parents who had raised her for years. Though they could be unreliable at times, she loved them. If she truly had a choice, she would never leave them.

It was for this reason that she couldn’t respond to Lin Muhan without getting an answer first.

Occasionally, she would mock herself; this so-called search for an answer was nothing more than trying to make herself give up hope.

Ultimately, she was just cowardly.

She was worried that if the day came when she had to choose, she would hurt the person she loved.

With that thought, she forced herself to look away and said insincerely, “It’s my first time making it. I don’t know if it was a success.”

Lin Muhan lowered her gaze, successfully hiding the disappointment in her eyes, and said stiffly, “It’s fine.”

She told herself not to be in a rush.

Yes, she had confidence. Confidence that she could break through Tan Xiao’s defenses, confidence that she could make Tan Xiao speak first.

But she was only human. It had been so long, and Tan Xiao still showed no sign of responding. Occasionally, she would panic and doubt herself.

Give up? No, she didn’t want to.

Both out of stubbornness and reluctance.

In nearly twenty-seven years of life, this was the first time she had ever liked someone. She wanted to give this feeling a perfect conclusion.

She took a deep breath, adjusted her mood, and used her knife and fork to cut a small piece of steak. “It’s tender and not dry, and there’s no gamey smell. It’s delicious.”

Hearing this, Tan Xiao’s heart settled. She stood up, poured the aerated wine into the glasses, and pushed one toward Lin Muhan before pouring her own.

Lin Muhan picked up the wine glass and habitually swirled the wine. The red liquid flowed slowly down the walls of the glass, merging back into the dark red pool. The air was filled with the rich aroma of grapes and plums.

She lifted it slightly. Without clinking glasses with Tan Xiao, she tilted her head back and took a shallow sip.

Under the light of the candles and the stars, her fair neck was shrouded in a thin mist, making her look increasingly ethereal.

After a silent swallow, she finished the rest of the wine in her glass in one go. Using the alcohol as courage, she glared at Tan Xiao. “Sometimes I wonder if your heart is made of stone.”

Otherwise, how could it be so hard?

These words created ripples in Tan Xiao’s heart.

She picked up her glass and downed the wine. “If you’re tired, just stop,” she whispered. She still couldn’t bring herself to say the words “give up.”

She knew she was selfish. While she couldn’t respond to Lin Muhan, she also didn’t want her to give up.

She knew that given Lin Muhan’s pride, if she truly decided to give up, she wouldn’t look back.