Inheriting a Farm Made Me an Internet Sensation - Chapter 31.1

Okay.

Even after Tan Xiao received this reply from Lin Muhan, she couldn’t let her lingering worries rest.

Muhan had a strong sense of self-esteem; with that personality, she often placed immense pressure on herself.

Unfortunately, Tan Xiao felt unable to offer Muhan even a shred of help.

At this thought, a pang of self-reproach rose in her heart. If the person standing by Muhan’s side at this moment were Su Han, surely, she could have provided some substantial assistance.

Su Han?

She hesitated for a long while before finally opening her contact list and dialing Su Han’s number.

As soon as the call connected, Su Han’s calm, emotionless voice came through: “Something wrong?”

Tan Xiao tightened her grip on the phone. “Regarding what happened last night—I believe you already have a good idea of who did it. I don’t believe that with her capabilities, she didn’t know about the relationship between you and me. Yet she did it anyway. What does that tell you?”

Muhan had a strong sense of pride, and Tan Xiao had no less of it herself.

Even though she was currently asking Su Han for help, she was unwilling to put herself in an undignified position.

She wanted to use these words to tell Su Han: because of what happened to her, it was impossible for Su Han to remain friends with Jiang Yue.

“If you want my help, you can say it directly; there’s no need to be so indirect.” Su Han gave a soft, light laugh. “Tan Xiao, I am first and foremost a businesswoman. You should know what a businesswoman prioritizes.”

Tan Xiao cut in decisively: “Interests.” She took a deep breath. “I know I can’t show you immediate benefits right now, but Cousin, from the moment our uncle wrote that will, the two of us were tied together.”

She had already “painted a pie” for Su Han before; to do it again would seem redundant.

Now, she only needed to tell Su Han that as long as she was still on this boat, Jiang Yue slapping her face was equivalent to slapping Su Han’s face.

“Saying that actually reminds me—I should probably kick you away.” Su Han’s voice was cold, and she wasn’t bluffing.

Tan Xiao’s brow furrowed slightly, her other hand tightening at her side. “I believe my cousin isn’t that kind of person.”

These words were insincere; her intuition told her that Su Han was exactly that kind of person.

But Su Han also valued sentiment; she felt a sense of gratitude toward that “cheap uncle” of Tan Xiao’s. Based on that alone, Su Han wouldn’t just toss her aside at will.

At least not for now.

On the other end of the line, a long silence passed before Su Han spoke again: “If this is about Muhan’s case, I can’t help. She chose her own path; she should be prepared for the consequences of losing the lawsuit.”

Tan Xiao wanted to say more, but the “beep-beep” sound already echoed from the phone.

Su Han had hung up.

Reason told Tan Xiao that Su Han had a point. Once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back; now there were only two outcomes: winning or losing.

Furthermore, Su Han didn’t want to tear her face off with Jiang Yue just yet.

As Su Han said herself, businesspeople focus on interests. While there was no major conflict of interest for the time being, staying still was the wise move.

From a sentimental standpoint, however, she felt Su Han was too cold-blooded—Muhan was Su Han’s best friend, after all.

The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became. Tan Xiao scratched her head in irritation. She had no right to blame Su Han; ultimately, it was her own lack of ability. If she were a bit stronger, she wouldn’t have to worry about Huatai pulling strings, let alone beg Su Han for help.

Stop. The court hadn’t even reconvened yet; she couldn’t jump to conclusions so quickly.

Since Muhan had reminded her, Muhan would have also thought of what she was thinking and taken precautions. At least they wouldn’t be completely passive.

At this thought, she walked to the window, staring at the distant mountain peaks, drifting into thought.

In the past, she thought doing her experiments well was enough. Now it seemed that idea was a bit too naive.

Just because she didn’t go looking for trouble didn’t mean trouble wouldn’t find her. The Jiang Yue situation was the perfect example.

So, should she grit her teeth and find a way to improve her status?

Meanwhile, at the Huatai General Manager’s Office

Seeing the online comments completely reverse their stance, Jiang Yue, sitting on the sofa, gave a cold laugh. “I underestimated you.”

Sun Xin, sitting close beside her, was naturally aware of the online comments. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t upset, but that anger was limited to the fact that Jiang Yue was standing up for her.

In her view, since Tan Xiao had already left the industry, whether that person was good or bad had nothing to do with her.

Those “keyboard warrior” netizens insisted on comparing Tan Xiao to her. When Jiang Yue saw it, she wanted to vent her anger on Sun Xin’s behalf. Who knew those netizens would get so worked up?

Jiang Yue was someone who always sought revenge for the smallest grievance, which was why she wanted to teach Tan Xiao a lesson.

If Tan Xiao had just taken it, this matter would have passed quickly, just like the time before, and Jiang Yue wouldn’t have bothered to pursue it further.

Sun Xin stood up to brew a cup of coffee for Jiang Yue and rested her head on Jiang Yue’s shoulder. “Don’t be angry anymore; it’s not worth it.”

Jiang Yue raised her hand to pull Sun Xin’s shoulder closer, giving a soft “Mm.” She looked down and asked, “What do you plan to eat later?”

“Anything is fine, I’ll follow your arrangements.”

“Then tonight, come to my place?” Jiang Yue tenderly placed a kiss on Sun Xin’s forehead, her tone carrying a hint of a complaint. “This month, I’ve only seen you twice. You give all your time to those scripts. When will you be able to save all your time for me?”

Sun Xin lifted her head from Jiang Yue’s shoulder, wrapped her arms around Jiang Yue’s neck, and initiated a kiss on Jiang Yue’s lips.

Jiang Yue had mentioned more than once that she wanted her to quit the entertainment industry.

But she didn’t want to leave yet. She truly loved acting and loved experiencing the different lives of the characters in the scripts.

She knew that if she said these words out loud, Jiang Yue might be unhappy. She could only use this kiss to divert Jiang Yue’s attention and let the matter slide.

She was very grateful to Jiang Yue and liked her too; she didn’t want her relationship with Jiang Yue to suffer because of these trivial matters.

With the person she held most dear initiating a kiss, Jiang Yue was naturally delighted, and even the unpleasantness in her heart dissipated.

As the kiss deepened, she didn’t want to stop there. She carefully laid Sun Xin down on the sofa and looked up, giving a voice command: “Xiaodu, close the curtains.”

Two Days Later

Tan Xiao estimated the time and rode her small electric scooter to the front of the courthouse.

Finding a parking spot, she held her car key in one hand, intending to wait for Lin Muhan outside the lobby. To her surprise, as soon as she took a step, she heard a crisp voice ring out.

“I thought Su Han placed so much importance on this cousin who appeared out of nowhere. Looking at it now, it’s nothing more than this.”

The speaker was Jiang Yue. That contemptuous gaze made Tan Xiao feel incredibly uncomfortable.

Nearby, the reporters who had been about to give up noticed this scene and came running over again.

Tan Xiao certainly didn’t want to be besieged by reporters again, but Jiang Yue’s mocking look truly annoyed her.

“I’m truly flattered that Little Manager Jiang has the time to care about the relationship between me and my cousin.” Her tone was neither salty nor sweet, her emotions well-concealed.

Jiang Yue gave a cold snort and turned her head away, unwilling to give Tan Xiao even a glance as she walked straight toward the parking area. “After all, there aren’t many people who go looking for death over and over again, so naturally, I have to understand them well.”

After a few steps, she stopped again. “Console Lawyer Lin well. If she really finds herself at a dead end, she can come to Huatai to work in the legal department.” With that, she walked away again, her eyes full of mockery and disdain.

Without Su Han’s backing, Tan Xiao was nothing.

Hearing this, Tan Xiao furrowed her brows. Catching a glimpse of the reporters closing in on her out of the corner of her eye, she quickly reined in her emotions, raising a hand and bowing slightly as a greeting to the reporters.

She wasn’t so stupid as to think that after two encounters, these reporters would show her any mercy.

She quickened her pace, half-walking and half-running to avoid them.

Jiang Yue’s words revealed a piece of information: Muhan had lost the lawsuit.

Before she had gone far, Lin Muhan and Ms. Bai walked out of the courthouse lobby, and the reporters instantly swarmed them.

“We heard that for this court session, the witnesses who were originally scheduled didn’t show up. Is that actually the case?”

“Ms. Bai, regarding Huatai’s claim of your professional negligence during your tenure—is that true?”

“Lawyer Lin, what are your thoughts on the verdict of this trial?”

“Ms. Bai, will you be filing an appeal?”

Question after question from the reporters smashed into Lin Muhan and Ms. Bai.

Ms. Bai used her hands to shield her face, desperately trying to avoid the cameras.

Perhaps because she couldn’t escape them, Ms. Bai’s emotions erupted. With red eyes, she broke down: “I deserve it, okay?!”

Lin Muhan quickly stepped forward a few paces, shielding Ms. Bai behind her. She stated, “I believe everyone has a sense of the truth in their hearts. Apologies, my client is currently not in a good emotional state. Please make way.”

Saying this, she moved forward, protecting Ms. Bai as they headed toward the parking lot.

Seeing the reporters relentlessly pursuing them, Tan Xiao steeled herself and met them head-on. With a dry laugh, she spread her arms, trying her best to block the reporters from following.

“Tan Xiao, this is unethical of you. You’re smashing our rice bowls.”

Tan Xiao kept a tight face, predicting the reporters’ movements and immediately blocking them. She countered, “Is it ethical for you to be hounding a victim like this?”

Reporters: “…”

Her arms were only so long; the number of reporters she could block was limited.

However, this gave Lin Muhan a moment of relief. Supporting Ms. Bai, she quickened her pace and got into the car.

Seeing this, Tan Xiao let out a long breath. She waved to the four reporters, turned around, and left.

How could a two-wheeled electric scooter keep up with the speed of a four-wheeled Audi? Seeing she couldn’t catch up, Tan Xiao gave up and found a nearby café. She ordered a cup of coffee and waited for Lin Muhan to come looking for her.