From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!-Chapter 71 - 66: She Used Herself as Bait

Gu Xi’s public declaration of her grand farming enterprise was also a test to see if the shadows of people from the past were lurking behind the scenes.

She was using herself as bait.

Yet she hoped she wouldn’t catch a single fish.

It was a contradiction.

Mr. Zhao, however, frowned slightly after hearing Gu Xi’s plan.

He wasn’t some old-fashioned bookworm who only knew how to conduct research. Life in the apocalypse was hard, and overly naive people didn’t survive for long.

The fact that Mr. Zhao had reached his current position meant he was a very perceptive man. He also had a vague sense that there was something special about the nature of this official farm.

It was just... he always felt that while this girl, Gu Xi, seemed agreeable, she wasn’t actually so easy to handle.

Mr. Zhao frowned, looking at the young woman before him. He thought about the hints he’d received from his superiors and sighed inwardly.

Gu Xi stood opposite Mr. Zhao, her gaze subtly sweeping over the young people busy in the paddy fields.

They were Mr. Zhao’s research assistants, all from the Agricultural University in the Central Base. On the surface, their identities were flawless.

Clean backgrounds, academically accomplished, promising futures—all in all, they were fine young adults.

’But behind the scenes, Yang Chi is Shen Yue’s cousin, and Zhou Jing is Zhou Jinyu’s illegitimate daughter... Who’s to say the others don’t have secret identities as well?’

After a moment’s thought, Gu Xi said, "Mr. Zhao, there’s something I’d like to ask for your help with. As you know, all the land around here has been allocated to the farm. I’d like to contract some more of it..."

"That’s no problem," Mr. Zhao agreed without a second thought.

The population had plummeted since the apocalypse. Vast swathes of land lay barren outside the settlements. There was never a shortage of land, only of people to farm it.

Gu Xi was a capable and talented Wood Element user. Her wanting to contract more land to grow food was a good thing; the higher-ups wouldn’t refuse.

However...

"Gu, I’ll help you sort out the land contract. You can have as much as you want. However..."

Mr. Zhao said with a smile, "Our farm must have the first right of purchase for the food you grow. Of course, you don’t have to worry about the price..." ’The organization will absolutely make sure you don’t get the short end of the stick.’

"That’s no problem, I agree," Gu Xi accepted at once. ’Selling to the farm saves me time, effort, and transport fees. It’s a good deal.’

However, she thought about her plan with Huang Er...

As her gaze casually swept over the nearby paddy field, Gu Xi noticed several young people secretly listening in. She feigned hesitation and said, "But the harvest from my own one hundred acres..."

Mr. Zhao was vaguely aware of her cooperation with the military. ’Can’t just shear one sheep bald,’ he thought. ’You have to leave the girl some wool, right?’

He smiled. "That land was allocated to you by the state. Of course, you have the final say over it."

"Thank you so much," Gu Xi said sincerely, then added, "You can come to my plot to take samples anytime in the future. If you have any other requests, please feel free to ask. I’ll be sure to cooperate..."

Just as she’d hoped, Mr. Zhao’s attention was diverted. "Oh? So what seeds do you have on hand? What do you plan to plant first?"

Gu Xi opened her personal terminal. "Wei Heng and I have already applied for some crop seeds. Would you like to see? But they won’t arrive for a few days, so I plan to plant some fruit first." ’Besides, I already have those seeds.’

Mr. Zhao frowned slightly and reminded her tactfully, "The growth cycle for fruit trees is very long. Besides, Zhang and I have been very busy lately. I’m afraid..."

Gu Xi smiled. "Mr. Zhao, why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? I’ll try planting some on my own first. If I run into any problems, I’ll come ask for your help."

Mr. Zhao thought it over. ’With Gu Xi’s planting speed, the initial phase isn’t really a concern. As for the mutated growth of the trees after the fruit ripens...’

’We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.’

’Who knows, the data might bring a pleasant surprise. After all, Gu Xi’s planting talent is quite different from other Wood Element users...’

After some consideration, Mr. Zhao nodded. "Alright, that works."

After a pause, he asked, "By the way, Gu, when do you plan to start planting? I’ll have someone come over to take samples..."

Gu Xi replied, "No time like the present. Let’s do it today. I plan to start with some oranges and bananas..."

Mr. Zhao quickly ran through the growing conditions for oranges and bananas in his head, then nodded. "Alright. I’ll have someone..."

Looking at the students busy in the paddy field, Mr. Zhao hesitated.

’Which student would be the most suitable to follow up on this in the afternoon?’

’He knew that none of these students of his were simple...’

But Gu Xi spoke up and chose for him. "Why don’t you have Zhou come over this afternoon?"

Mr. Zhao’s gaze fell on Zhou Jing, who was a short distance away, seemingly focused on collecting samples in the paddy field. He frowned slightly.

But ultimately, he didn’t say anything and just called Zhou Jing over.

Zhou Jing was a little surprised. She hadn’t expected Gu Xi to pick her.

Gu Xi smiled, her lips pursed. "Qin Yi is coming to help this afternoon, too. I heard her say..." ’You two have that "orange-gifting" connection, after all. Now’s the time to make use of it, isn’t it?’

’Although, your real motive for giving her that orange probably wasn’t just about the orange...’

No one knew what Zhou Jing was really thinking, but she showed no sign of it, smiling as she said, "Sure. What time are you starting this afternoon? I’ll come over early to help..."

After settling the plans for the afternoon, Gu Xi squatted by the paddy field again and helped Mr. Zhao pull a few weeds.

She only took her leave politely when Wei Heng came to call her back for lunch.

On the way back, Wei Heng asked in a low voice, "Why did you pick her?"

Gu Xi tilted her head. "Is there a problem with picking her?"

’Since someone went to such great lengths to plant a spy next to me, I should at least give her an opportunity to do her job, right?’

"It’s too risky!" Wei Heng frowned in disapproval. "This Zhou Jing is not a simple character. And we still haven’t figured out how she was placed by Zhou Jinyu’s side all those years ago..."

In other words, Zhou Jing was likely more than just one of Zhou Jinyu’s people; she could very well be a spy for someone else, too.

"Isn’t that perfect?" Gu Xi raised an eyebrow. "You have to give people an opportunity, don’t you?" ’How else are you supposed to follow the vine to the melon?’

Wei Heng frowned. "But Huang Er is coming in a few days to pick up a shipment of food. Having Zhou Jing around at a time like this..."

Gu Xi turned to look at him. "But even if I don’t have Zhou Jing by my side, she’d find out about Huang Er coming for the food shipment anyway."

The incident at the South City Restaurant had caused too much of a stir. After it happened, plenty of people had seen her and Huang Er in the same private room.

It was impossible to hide.

"Since that’s the case, why not bring it out into the open? I can use it to conceal my real relationship with Huang Er... Li Ming once said that the best way to hide a secret is to expose another, related secret."

*When your enemies think they’ve figured out one secret, they’ll subconsciously overlook the possibility of another secret hidden behind it.*

"More importantly..." Gu Xi looked up toward the distant mountains. "A spy belongs right under your nose, doesn’t she?"

Wei Heng’s expression remained calm, but a thought struck him, and his mind was thrown into turmoil.

After a long moment, he sighed, met Gu Xi’s eyes, and remarked, "Gu Xiaoxi, you’ve got some serious nerve!"

’Who did she think Zhou Jinyu was? To dare to scheme against him... she really had guts!’

Gu Xi retracted her gaze, smiled, and said nothing.

...

「Experimental Farm, Staff Dormitory.」

"Has she started suspecting you?"

Hearing the raspy voice from her personal terminal, Zhou Jing instinctively frowned. "I don’t think so. I’ve never had any direct contact with her before..."

"Is that right?" the person on the other end cut her off. "Then what about Qi Xiang? Didn’t you suspect her reason for staying in South City was also because of Gu Xi?"

"You’ve been in contact with Qi Xiang. Could she have discovered something? That woman’s luck has always been unnervingly good..."

Just then, the faint sound of a commotion came from outside.

Zhou Jing quickly ended the call and shut off the Light Screen.

She tiptoed to the window and carefully pulled the curtain aside just enough to peek out. In the courtyard not far away, she saw Qi Xiang laughing and chatting flirtatiously with several young men.

Her effortless charm practically screamed the three words "queen of players."

And for some reason, all those men fell for it.

’Such superficial fools, only caring about looks!’

Zhou Jing’s face turned cold. She let the curtain fall, turned her back, and went for ’out of sight, out of mind.’

Zhou Jing despised Qi Xiang.

She was just a little orphan with no known parents or background, yet she’d been lucky enough to be adopted by the famous Dr. Qi. He’d spoiled her rotten, letting her live a life everyone envied.

’And what about me?’

’I’m his biological daughter, yet I can’t be acknowledged. I have to live like a rat in the gutter...’

Zhou Jing felt like she was Qi Xiang’s foil.

’Qi Xiang went to the Agricultural College, so that man sent me there too.’

’Qi Xiang declared she would marry Ye Junhan, so that man made me deliberately get close to the people in his circle...’

’It was the same this time. I fought so hard for this assignment. I’d finally left the Central Base, escaped Qi Xiang’s social circle, and come to South City.’

’But that woman, Qi Xiang, followed me here like a vengeful ghost... She even managed to get a head start despite arriving later, getting one step closer to my target.’

’It was as if my entire existence, the existence of Zhou Jing, was just to serve as a backdrop for Qi Xiang.’

’But why?’

Zhou Jing lowered her gaze and sneered.

After a long moment, she opened her personal terminal again and sent a message to the person she had just spoken with...