Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Wanwan’s Family Donated a Lot of Money, Right?

Naturally, Chi Wan had no objections. She had a good idea of what Li Xingye was hoping for.

Li Xingye used his vines to dig a pit, then curled them around the orchid and planted it.

Under their eager gazes...

Nothing happened.

The orchid remained listless, looking as if it could wither away at any moment.

Though Li Xingye said nothing, Chi Wan could sense his faint disappointment. She comforted him, saying, "Maybe the space isn’t a high enough level yet? Perhaps when it gets a little bigger, or when the entire space is covered in soil, things will be different?"

Li Xingye let out a soft breath, a hint of a smile in his voice. "I was getting ahead of myself. Honestly, a month ago, I wouldn’t have dared to dream of the life we have now. Wanwan, thank you."

A tingle went through Chi Wan’s ears. ’Help me!’ she screamed internally. ’I have absolutely no resistance to this kind of gentle, charming voice!’

But she kept her composure and said, "Well, this orchid is all up to you~"

Li Xingye’s superpower enveloped the orchid.

As the orchid gradually revived, its slender, lustrous leaves extended, growing long and dense, draping down naturally like a ponytail. The golden threads on its veins became clear and vivid, setting off the flower in the center, which stood tall and elegant like jade.

The sight of eight or nine buds on the pristine white stem, all vying to bloom at once, was so beautiful it made Chi Wan hold her breath.

"I’ve never seen such a beautiful Golden Silk Horse Tail... Brother Xingye, I ought to give you a ’Miracle Worker’ banner!" Chi Wan’s eyes grew brighter. "Nope, I have to get a picture of this~"

While Chi Wan was busy taking pictures of the orchid from every angle, Li Xingye stared at his own palm, stunned.

The orchid before him was indeed beautiful, but that wasn’t what surprised him.

He had spurred the growth of plants so many times, but only this time did Li Xingye feel with utter clarity that the power flowing from his fingers into the orchid was a pale green, carrying a life force so potent it almost brought tears to his eyes!

’The hint of green from when the space upgraded wasn’t my imagination!’

Li Xingye clutched at his rapidly beating heart, wishing he could go hunt the Crystal Cores of a hundred Seventh-Rank zombies right now to upgrade the space!

’Easy now,’ he told himself silently.

’I’ve waited this many years. A few more days won’t hurt.’

’But the trip to Frenzy Base should be moved up the schedule.’

After saying a word to Chi Wan, Li Xingye left the space.

Having been busy for a good while, Chi Wan was also getting tired, so she too left the space and lay down on her bed.

She posted a picture of the stunningly beautiful orchid to her social media feed. In no time, likes started pouring in, especially from her classmates, who were all amazed at how she’d managed to cultivate an orchid of such fine quality.

DING DONG—

Suddenly, she got a message. Chi Wan glanced at it and saw it was from Zhou Huaijin.

"Junior Sister Wanwan, did you grow this orchid?"

’I asked Li Xingye to help me grow it, so doesn’t that count as me growing it?’

So she replied with righteous confidence, "Yep! What’s up, Senior?"

"!!!"

Zhou Huaijin seemed to type the three exclamation marks in utter shock, then quickly sent a voice message. "Junior Sister! Help me!! You know how to grow orchids, so can you take a look at mine and see if there’s any hope for it?"

He followed up with a photo, and then another voice message. "Junior Sister, it’s fine if it can’t be saved, no pressure. But if you can save it, you’ll be my lifesaver! My great benefactor, Junior Sister Wanwan!"

It was clear that Zhou Huaijin was genuinely agitated. And when Chi Wan saw the photo, she became agitated too, so much so that she couldn’t stop herself from sending a roaring voice message back to him.

"A Pure Crown Orchid!!!! Senior, how could you let a Pure Crown Orchid get into this state! Aaaargh! I’m gonna fight you rich people!!"

Zhou Huaijin: "..."

"Junior Sister, it’s a long story. I’m coming to Qingshui Village to find you tomorrow. Don’t go anywhere!"

"Wait, wait, wait! Senior, your timing is perfect! I actually have something I need your help with..." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

*

「The next day brought good weather, and Qingshui Village was bustling with activity.」

Apparently, Qingshui Village’s rural development over the years had been so outstanding that it was a shining example among the surrounding villages. The village chief’s organizational skills had been singled out for praise, which was why the city’s television station wanted to come for an interview.

This also happened to coincide with the latest "Outstanding Village" competition, so it was a major opportunity.

The village chief had announced the news over the village broadcast system first thing in the morning, and the entire village was instantly filled with a festive atmosphere.

It wasn’t just the village chief who was beaming; even the hardworking villagers had pulled out the new clothes they usually saved for the New Year, ready to say a few words if an interview opportunity arose.

Upon receiving word from the TV station staff that they were approaching the village entrance, the chief, who had already gathered a welcoming party, hurried over.

A bus bearing the city station’s logo slowly pulled to a stop at the entrance to Qingshui Village. The village chief straightened his clothes, smoothed down his greasy, slicked-back hair, and strode forward with a broad smile.

"Welcome, everyone, welcome to our Qingshui Village! You could have just driven right in, you know. In recent years, our village has been developing rapidly. We realized that if you want to get rich, you have to build roads first! So now, the main roads in the village are all paved with concrete, making it convenient for everyone to transport goods and get home."

"Why, even Huazhong University has chosen our village as the site for its new research base. We plan to pave all the roads next, to make it easier for the researchers to do their work."

The look on the village chief’s face showed just how pleased he was with himself—he had managed to say and show off everything he wanted to in that one speech. Once the news reported it, everyone would see Qingshui Village’s potential.

But a young man’s voice, tinged with confusion, cut in. "Village Chief, when did we decide to build the research base in your village? My professor and I still have several other sites to survey. This is a state-sponsored project; you can’t make irresponsible claims."

The village chief’s smile froze on his face. He saw Zhou Huaijin getting off the bus with the reporters, followed by two stern-faced, middle-aged men.

This...

The village chief immediately slapped his forehead. "Oh, look at me, getting all excited and running my mouth. Here’s the situation: while Professor Zhang is indeed very satisfied with our village’s environment and land conditions, the final site for the base hasn’t been decided yet. I spoke out of turn. So, Xiao Zhou, my friend, what brings you here today?"

Zhou Huaijin smiled. "I came to find my junior sister and just happened to hitch a ride. I heard what you said and subconsciously corrected you. Please, Village Chief, you all carry on. I’ll be on my way."

A glint appeared in the village chief’s eyes, and he nodded meaningfully. "But of course. Seniors and juniors should definitely stay in close contact. That’s the only way for feelings to grow deeper, isn’t it?"

Zhou Huaijin was disgusted by the chief’s look, and the smile on his own face faded.

He mentioned casually, "Speaking of my junior sister, I heard her say her father donated a fair bit of money to the village back in the day. The water, electricity, lights, and even the road construction... her father probably sponsored all of that, right? She happens to be in the village now, too. You could interview her as well."

The village chief’s expression changed in an instant.