Inheriting a Farm Made Me an Internet Sensation - Chapter 28

Thinking of Tan Xiao, her heart felt stifled again.

If she didn’t reply to the message, would Tan Xiao simply stop sending them or calling?

Could it be that the saying was true: in a relationship, whoever takes the initiative first loses?

But this… shouldn’t count as taking the initiative, right?

Well, since I haven’t confessed, it doesn’t count as being proactive.

She walked to her dressing table, took out her phone, and opened her WeChat chat with Tan Xiao. Her thoughts were immediately swept away.

What was Tan Xiao doing right now? She should have returned to the farm by this time, shouldn’t she?

Anxin Farm, Small Courtyard.

Tan Xiao lay on the bed, touching the unhealed wound on her lip with her hand and letting out a bitter laugh.

Over the past few days, she had been teased countless times because of this cut.

Aside from the students, even Chen Cuihua looked at her with an odd expression, actually suspecting that she had forced herself on Lin Muhan—which was why Lin Muhan hadn’t returned to the courtyard for several days.

Those looks and remarks left her caught between laughter and tears.

Ding…

Hearing the WeChat notification, Tan Xiao immediately grabbed the phone lying beside her to check the reply.

It was a contact pushed to her by Liu Ling—Tu Yan, the person who had mentioned “transmigrating into a book.”

Why are you interested in book transmigration?

Just as she was about to reply, the other party sent another message.

Tomorrow at 3:00 PM, Wenxuan Library. I’ll wait for you.

Seeing this, she immediately replied:

Okay.

Because she had agreed to the meeting with Tu Yan, Tan Xiao moved all her scheduled tasks earlier the next morning.

After lunch, she rode her electric scooter, following the GPS until she reached Wenxuan Library.

With over ten minutes left before the appointed time, she figured she might as well kill the boredom and picked up a copy of Agricultural Planting to read.

The library was exceptionally quiet at this hour, with very few people around. She found a seat by the window and began to carefully flip through the book’s contents.

She hadn’t read this particular book before, but its content was rich. Beyond basic theories, it also delved into several core principles.

“Tan Xiao?”

Tan Xiao looked up to see a boy with a baby face, wearing a double-strap backpack over one shoulder, standing in front of the table.

She stood up quickly and gave a slight nod. “Hello, Senior Tu.”

Tu Yan gave a light grunt of acknowledgement, pulled out a chair, and sat down across from her.

He glanced at his wristwatch and spoke bluntly, “Let’s keep this short. Ask your question directly.”

So direct?

Since it involved her own secret, Tan Xiao hesitated slightly. “I… I want to know, in a case of actual book transmigration, is it possible to return to the original world?”

Tu Yan curled the right corner of his mouth, crossed his arms, and stared at her. “You’re lucky you met me.” His tone shifted. “But the answer might disappoint you. Since this is a book, once you’re in, don’t dream of getting out.”

The sheer volume of information in those words left Tan Xiao stunned for a moment.

Tu Yan was just like her; he was also a transmigrator. Even if he wasn’t, he had discovered through some encounter that this world was a book.

“Any other questions? If not, I’m leaving.”

This time, Tan Xiao didn’t hesitate. She asked softly, “Then what about the person who was originally here? Where did they go?”

Tu Yan pushed back his chair and stood up, shrugging. “Dead? Or gone to another world. In any case, they won’t appear again.” With that, he turned and walked away.

Remembering something, he paused. “Accept things as they are. This place isn’t so bad.”

Tan Xiao watched Tu Yan leave before withdrawing her gaze.

She had been here for half a year. Compared to her previous world, everything was much the same; it really wasn’t so bad.

The only downside was that she could never see her parents again.

Thinking of them filled her with guilt. Making parents bury their own child—she was far too unfilial.

She let out a sigh and stared blankly out the window. After working for so long, even the sun felt tired; it seemed to be taking a break today.

Without the sun, the sky outside turned somewhat gloomy.

To prevent getting caught in a sudden rain, she quickly composed her emotions, returned the book, left Wenxuan Library, and headed to a nearby shopping mall.

After buying some daily necessities and instant food, she was about to head home when she looked up and saw Lin Muhan’s car drive past her.

Though it was only a fleeting glimpse, she saw it: there was a girl sitting in Lin Muhan’s passenger seat.

So, the reason Lin Muhan hadn’t returned to the courtyard these past few days was to accompany this girl?

She shook her head, refusing to think about it further, and rode her scooter back to the courtyard.

Since she had received a definitive answer that she couldn’t return to her original world, she needed to properly plan out the farm and get some money into her pockets first.

Of course, she wouldn’t give up on her goals. Once this batch of vegetable experiments succeeded and adapted to open-field planting, she would invite nearby farmers to come and learn.

As for Lin Muhan… if Lin Muhan still had her in her heart, she wouldn’t let Lin Muhan down this time.

What frustrated her was that since Lin Muhan wasn’t returning to the courtyard, she didn’t even know where to find her.

She took out her phone and sent Lin Muhan a WeChat message.

Are you coming back tonight?

She had expected this message to sink into the ocean like the others, but to her surprise, Lin Muhan replied a moment later.

I’ll be back on the weekend. I’m busy these few days.

Getting a clear answer, Tan Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, and even her footsteps felt lighter.

It was unclear who had let the word out, but once the people who came to the farm to pick tomatoes found out there were also fruits available, the farm became unprecedentedly lively.

Tan Xiao and Chen Cuihua thought that since they would soon be tilling the soil, sowing seeds, and digging up honey potatoes—and since there wasn’t much fruit left anyway—they would just let the people have at it.

She never expected that this decision would attract several influencers with millions of followers to check out the spot.

One influencer even posted a video clip of her teaching onto a short-video platform.

Then, she trended on the hot search list again.

She was already used to her own tendency to go viral.

But this time was different. Some idiot actually compared her to the book’s female lead, Sun Xin, and even -ed Sun Xin to ask for her opinion on Tan Xiao.

This was simply seeking death.

Sun Xin already had the “female lead halo,” and her protective girlfriend, Jiang Yue, was not someone to be trifled with. Would they let her off easily?

Sure enough, within three hours, Jiang Yue stepped into the fray, replying:

“Everyone needs to find their own position. Xin Xin’s domain is the entertainment industry, and she is focusing on her own works. Therefore, I ask certain people to stop while they’re ahead, otherwise, it might have the opposite effect.”

As soon as these words came out, without exception, the heat intensified.

“Jiang Yue has a point. An actress and an agricultural developer are indeed not on the same frequency. After all, people can skip movies, but they can’t skip eating vegetables.”

“LMAO, is this a subtle dig at Tan Xiao for riding Sun Xin’s coattails?”

“Ah… why does this sound a bit brainless? If Tan Xiao really inherits the farm and uses her technology, she’ll be a legit capitalist success. It’s possible that in the future, Tan Xiao might even fund the movies someone stars in.”

“Always supporting my Xin Xin! Tan Xiao is so thick-skinned; you’ve all been fooled by her.”

“Everyone defending Tan Xiao needs to wake up. Her real goal is to return to the entertainment industry.”

“Is the person above dreaming? Tan Xiao is about to join the capitalist ranks, why would she go back to being an actress? You think everyone is like you, willing to be a wage slave for life?”

“Regardless of anything else, the vegetables and fruits from Tan Xiao’s farm are genuinely delicious. After eating them a few times, everything else tastes bland.”

Looking at these comments, Tan Xiao wiped sweat from her brow.

Are they trying to make sure I die even faster?

Driven by a survival instinct, she opened Baidu and searched for “Jiang Yue.”

It turned out Jiang Yue was the heir-apparent to the titan company, Huatai. Huatai had already ranked among the top 200 listed companies in the country, showing just how deep its capital and strength ran.

Fortunately, her “cheap” older cousin’s company, Huangtian International, wasn’t bad either, trailing closely behind Huatai.

She was about to exit the introduction for Jiang Yue when her eyes caught the name “Lin Muhan,” and she immediately changed her mind.

Lin Muhan was actually going to court against Huatai, and today was the day of the hearing.

Seeing this, she immediately stood up and rushed downstairs.

She had to find Lin Muhan.

If she won, she would celebrate with her. If she lost, she would stay by her side to give her support and encouragement.

She had forgotten to charge her electric scooter, so she found Zhang Da, borrowed his car, and drove to the courthouse where Lin Muhan’s case was being heard.

After parking the car, she stepped out to see a swarm of reporters staked out in the plaza in front of the court.

Considering she had just been on the hot search, she deliberately avoided the reporters and headed toward the steps. But after climbing only five or six steps, someone emerged from the court lobby. The sharp-eyed reporters immediately swarmed forward like a tide.

No matter how fast she tried to dodge, she was pushed aside by the rushing reporters.

Fortunately, the reporters didn’t notice her; instead, they aimed their microphones and lenses at the person who was the first to exit the court.

“Little President Jiang, what are your thoughts on the female employee suing Huatai?” “According to an insider, Huatai frequently dismisses female employees once they become pregnant. Do you have any explanation for this?” “What is Huatai’s stance on this court hearing?”

Tan Xiao, who had retreated to the side, originally had no interest in who was coming out. But hearing the reporters’ address, she looked over immediately.

It was indeed Jiang Yue. The other female lead of this book.

Under the relentless pursuit of the reporters, Jiang Yue, protected by security, finally came to a halt and looked calmly at the cameras. “Huatai became a top 200 domestic company based on strength and reputation. There is no such thing as discrimination against female employees. Furthermore, I am a woman myself; if such a situation truly occurred, I would be the first to disagree.”

“So, is Little President Jiang suggesting that the victim is falsely accusing Huatai?” “The victim has evidence and arguments. According to insiders, this situation does frequently occur within Huatai. Is Little President Jiang trying to forcibly whitewash Huatai?”

Jiang Yue raised one hand and spoke forcefully: “Whether Huatai discriminates against female employees is for the court to judge fairly.” With that, Jiang Yue resumed her pace and continued down the steps under security protection.

The reporters naturally wouldn’t give up so easily, continuing to fire questions while scrambling for the best positions.

Suddenly, someone else walked out of the court lobby. The reporters who couldn’t squeeze into a good spot decided to give up, quickly stepped up the stairs, and pointed their microphones and lenses at Lin Muhan and another woman who were walking out slowly.

“Lawyer Lin, we heard your father is a famous big-shot in the legal world. Did you take this case under his instructions?” “Can you reveal the results of the hearing?” “Miss Bai, according to an insider, you are only insisting on appealing because you are dissatisfied with Huatai’s compensation amount. Is that true?” “If Huatai is willing to provide the compensation you requested, would you drop the lawsuit, Miss Bai?” “Miss Bai, are you doing this to protect your own rights, or do you want to speak for all the victims at Huatai?”

Lin Muhan and the woman named Bai had no security to clear the way and were blocked until they couldn’t move. The two were forced to stop and face the lenses and questions of the reporters.

Miss Bai was not in a good state and did not want to face the cameras, constantly raising her hand to shield her face.

Lin Muhan was likely also dealing with this for the first time, her brows slightly furrowed.

Perhaps sensing a gaze, Lin Muhan looked over.

Tan Xiao clearly saw the corners of Lin Muhan’s mouth curl into an upward arc, and her furrowed brow smoothed out.

A nearby reporter noticed this, turned to look in her direction, and cried out in surprise, “You… you’re Tan Xiao?”

This exclamation was no small matter. The cameras that had been pointed at Lin Muhan and Miss Bai all turned toward her. Even Jiang Yue, who had already finished descending the steps under security escort, stopped and turned to look her way.

Receiving Jiang Yue’s gaze, Tan Xiao squeezed out a smile that looked worse than crying.

Tan Xiao: You guys have no professional ethics! I just came to pick up my wife, why are you surrounding me?

Reporters: …

Lin Muhan: Who is your wife? Did I agree to that?

Tan Xiao (anxious): How are you not? We’ve kissed and hugged—you are my wife!