Inheriting a Farm Made Me an Internet Sensation - Chapter 42

The hurried sound of footsteps and Lin Muhan’s words made Tan Xiao stop in her tracks, standing frozen on the spot.

She knew in her heart that Mumu’s emotions had spiraled out of control and that everything she said was spoken in anger.

It was precisely because of this that her heart ached so intensely. Perhaps, during the many nights unknown to her, Mumu had behaved just like she did moments ago drowning herself in the darkness and licking her wounds alone.

She did not want Mumu to face all of this by herself. She wanted to accompany her, but no matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn’t think of a proper way to comfort her.

The only thing she could do was to stay by Mumu’s side in silence, so that the moment Mumu needed her, she would see her immediately and know she was never alone.

With this thought in mind, she started walking again and trotted after her.

Back in her room, Lin Muhan buried herself under the covers, vulnerably biting her knuckles as she struggled not to make a sound. However, the salty, hot tears continued to flow without stopping.

When she heard the footsteps coming from outside the door, her whole body tensed up. She both longed to hear Tan Xiao’s voice and feared hearing it.

“I’ll be right here by the door, staying with you.”

Hearing this, Lin Muhan was dazed for a moment. The loneliness and desolation in her heart received a flicker of solace at that instant.

She was different than before; there was someone else by her side now.

Guarding the door, Tan Xiao was as good as her word. She brought over a chair, and knowing it would be cold at night, she brought her own blanket. She curled herself into a ball and squeezed into the chair.

She searched online for ways to resolve conflicts with parents while keeping an ear out for any movement in the room, terrified that if Mumu needed her, she wouldn’t hear it and would cause her a second disappointment.

The answers online were varied and conflicting. Ultimately, she concluded that to truly resolve the conflict, she had to go to the source.

In other words, she had to find a time to meet Mumu’s father.

Uh, the person who basically handed down a “death sentence” to her… he probably isn’t easy to get along with, right?

She shook her head, glanced at the tightly closed door, and tightened her grip on her phone. Even if he was difficult, she had to face him.

After an unknown amount of time, drowsiness enveloped Tan Xiao.

She repeatedly warned herself not to sleep.

But her exhausted eyelids refused to listen, constantly sticking together.

Feeling slightly better, Lin Muhan remembered what Tan Xiao had said. She cautiously opened the door, only to be met with this sight: Tan Xiao, who was 1.7 meters tall, had wrapped herself up like a zongzi, leaving only her head exposed while curled up in the chair. Clearly exhausted to the limit, every time her eyes fully closed, she would quickly snap them open again.

Seeing her, Tan Xiao’s sleepiness dissipated slightly. She began to unwrap her blanket to stand up, but Lin Muhan’s slightly hoarse voice reached her ears.

“Come in and stay with me.”

She replied immediately, “Okay.”

Because she had maintained one position for too long, Tan Xiao endured the discomfort in her legs, exerting a great deal of effort just to get her feet on the floor. With every step she moved, it felt as though ten thousand ants were biting her—a sensation of numbness mixed with pain. It wasn’t until she reached the bedside that the painful numbness began to fade.

Wait, the bed.

She looked in shock at Lin Muhan, who was already lying on the bed with her back to her. Was she asking her to sleep together?

After waiting for a long time without sensing any movement, Lin Muhan rolled over and opened her eyes to look at the dazed Tan Xiao.

Their eyes met. Seeing Lin Muhan’s red-rimmed eyes, Tan Xiao immediately lifted the covers and slipped into the bed.

The moment she lay down, Lin Muhan rolled over, wrapped one arm around her, and rubbed her head against Tan Xiao’s chest for a while until she found a comfortable position and stopped.

The person in her arms was comfortable, but Tan Xiao was not. She didn’t know where to put her hands or feet. She kept her arm raised until it went numb, only then carefully moving it, terrified of disturbing the person in her arms.

Listening to the steady breathing in her ear, she kept her body stiff and glanced down. Seeing that the person in her arms was motionless, her racing heart finally settled a bit.

She’s asleep.

Research showed that sleep helps drive away negative emotions. Once Mumu woke up, those bad feelings would surely lessen, and she would feel a bit better.

Thinking this, the sleepiness she had just chased away returned, and she drifted into dreamland.

Because she was worried about Lin Muhan, she woke up twice during the night. Only when she saw there were no more tear stains on Lin Muhan’s face did she dare to continue sleeping.

“Strange, where is she?”

“Xiao xiao, are you in there? The students are all waiting in the fields.”

Hearing the urgent knocking on the door, Tan Xiao slowly woke up from her slumber.

“Oh dear, why isn’t there an answer? Lawyer Lin, Lawyer Lin, are you there?”

It was Sister Chen’s voice.

Tan Xiao rubbed her stinging eyes and replied, “What is it? Sister Chen.”

“Xiao xiao! You finally answered. Hurry it up, the students are waiting for you in the fields. You… you and Lawyer Lin… Sigh, just hurry up.” Outside the door, Chen Cuihua’s expression was indescribable.

This is a bit too much, isn’t it? No restraint at all.

The remaining sleepiness in Tan Xiao vanished instantly upon hearing the word “students.” She hurriedly got up, and realizing there was someone in her arms, she softened her movements, wanting to let Lin Muhan sleep a bit longer.

Unexpectedly, Lin Muhan woke up anyway, murmuring, “What time is it?”

Tan Xiao didn’t even want to think about the situation she was about to face and stuttered, “Anyway, it’s already late. Why don’t you sleep a bit more?”

If I had the chance, I’d definitely go back to sleep myself.

Lin Muhan rubbed her eyes and propped herself up. She watched as Tan Xiao hurriedly got ready, put on her little dinosaur slippers, and ran toward the opposite door.

The flustered sight was as hilarious as could be.

But she couldn’t laugh. Although she didn’t feel as miserable as last night, she still couldn’t lift her spirits.

She didn’t want to worry Tan Xiao anymore. She took several deep breaths and got out of bed as well, intending to use work to distract herself.

Ring ring ring…

She had just turned on her phone when it started ringing.

It was her mother, Zhu Manli.

The phone rang for a long while before she hesitantly tapped the green button.

“You made your father angry again yesterday. I’ve told you many times, your father does it for your own good. Your father and I will never harm you.”

She gave a bitter smile. That phrase again.

“Hanhan? Hanhan, are you listening? If it’s inconvenient, call me back when you’re free.”

It wasn’t until the “beep” sounded from the phone that the tightness in her heart loosened slightly.

She told herself not to let those words control her emotions.

But the phrase “for your own good” echoed in her ears. She wanted to escape it, but she couldn’t.

She dejectedly held her head in her hands. It felt as if a heavy stone was pressing on her heart, making it hard to breathe.

Why? Why can’t they try to see things from my perspective? Why don’t they ask for my thoughts before making a decision? Why do they just blindly force what they think is right onto me?

In the fields, Tan Xiao finished her class and fled back to the small courtyard.

She put on her “teacher’s authority” to temporarily suppress the gossiping hearts of the students. But as soon as the class ended, they all let loose. The teasing remarks and suggestive glances never stopped, leaving her feeling extremely embarrassed.

It wasn’t just the students; even the farmworkers looked at her strangely when they bumped into her.

Heaven knows, she and Mumu really just slept under the covers and talked.

She wasn’t naive enough to think that saying so would make anyone believe her.

Returning to the second floor, she couldn’t find Lin Muhan in the room. Just as she took out her phone to call her, she spotted a note on the nightstand.

She put down her phone and picked up the paper.

“There’s a partnership to discuss; I need to go on a business trip for two days. Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.”

Is she really fine?

Tan Xiao was skeptical. After much thought, she went back to her room, changed her clothes, borrowed Zhang Da’s car, and drove to Jiacheng Law Firm.

She had asked Su Han for the address.

After stating her purpose, she was led by the receptionist to the door of Lin Kun’s office.

“Please wait.” The receptionist went into Lin Kun’s office and returned just a few moments later, looking apologetic. “I’m sorry, Lawyer Lin is a bit busy. If you’re in a hurry, you can wait in the conference room next door.”

Through a gap in the unpainted glass, Tan Xiao caught a glimpse of Lin Kun in his office, reading documents while drinking tea.

She retracted her gaze and nodded slightly to the receptionist. “Thank you for the trouble.”

Once in the conference room, she waited for two hours. During those two hours, she drank four cups of coffee.

She checked the time on her phone and sighed. Fine, I get it. Lin Kun just doesn’t want to see me.

It made sense. If she were in his shoes, she wouldn’t agree to her daughter dating someone with a “dark history” either.

Whatever. She had already waited two hours; she didn’t mind waiting a bit longer.

In his office, Lin Kun finished the task at hand. He stood up with his teacup and walked slowly to the window. Thinking of something, he glanced toward the conference room.

He returned to his desk, set down the teacup, picked up his briefcase, took his coat off the rack, and walked out with large strides.

When the receptionist saw him, she wanted to call out, but seeing his slightly furrowed brow, she swallowed her words.

Another hour passed before Tan Xiao finally emerged from the conference room. She had intended to cheekily ask the receptionist to announce her again, only to be told that Lin Kun had already left.

So, he wasn’t even willing to see her.

She forced a smile, thanked the receptionist, and left the law firm.

As soon as she left, several assistants gathered around the reception desk.

“Was that Tan Xiao just now? I heard she’s dating Lawyer Lin’s daughter.”

“No wonder Lawyer Lin left her hanging for so long.”

“I’m on Lawyer Lin’s side for this one. That Tan Xiao had so much dirt on her back when she was in the entertainment industry.”

“Am I the only one curious why Tan Xiao came to see Lawyer Lin? It couldn’t be that Lawyer Lin is playing the ‘evil parent’ and Tan Xiao came to beg for mercy, right?”

“Go on with you. Lawyer Lin is usually very gentle; even if he wanted to break them up, he wouldn’t do it like that.”

Tan Xiao was unaware of their gossip. She looked left and right at the completely unfamiliar buildings and signs, then resignedly took out her phone to let the navigation guide her back.

She had just gotten into the car when she received a call from Su Han.

“Come to the Famous Hotel.”

Tan Xiao was bewildered. “Is something wrong?”

“Official business.”

Tan Xiao held her phone, curled her lip, and muttered, “I knew it. Between you and me, there’s no such thing as ‘sisterly bonding’—only business.”