From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!-Chapter 147 - 138: Who Are You Throwing Shade At?

Meanwhile, after Zhou Jinyu ended the call, he stood in place for a moment before turning to walk toward Mr. Chen’s office.

But just as he turned, he ran into a hurried-looking Ye Nan.

"Ah, Ye, what are you up to...?" Zhou Jinyu stopped and asked with a placid smile.

Ye Nan met his gentle, steady eyes and instinctively looked away. "I need to see Mr. Chen about something."

Ye Nan tried to be vague.

But Zhou Jinyu pressed with a concerned look, "What is it? Perhaps I can help."

"It’s nothing major. I just heard the institute has been seconding quite a few superhumans from the various Superpower Unions to help out, and I wanted to ask Mr. Chen if there were other arrangements..."

This was the first time Ye Nan had ever done something like this, and she was in a panic.

Her mother, Ye Xin, had said she would be fine.

But Ye Nan wasn’t confident she could deceive the man standing before her.

She secretly took a deep breath, trying to maintain an air of calm after her initial flurry of panic.

"I happen to know a little about that," Zhou Jinyu explained in a gentle voice. "According to a reliable source, a certain research institute under the Military Department has made a breakthrough in the reverse evolution of sweet potatoes."

"Mr. Chen has probably gotten a bit anxious, so he recently seconded some Wood Element superhumans..."

Finally, Zhou Jinyu added pointedly, "He’s probably hoping to find a suitable Wood Element superhuman to push our own experiments forward."

Of course, that was just the official reason.

’The Wood Element superhuman Mr. Chen truly cares about is probably still just that one.’

’Too bad... I was the one who intercepted them.’

A dark, inscrutable glint flashed in Zhou Jinyu’s deep-set eyes, hidden behind his lenses.

"I see..." Ye Nan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. ’I wonder if my rushed act just now actually fooled him?’

"By the way, your mother once said..." Zhou Jinyu started, then suddenly stopped, a worried look on his face. "Is your mom okay? Those pastries... after all these years, her cooking skills seem to be..."

Speaking of Ye Xin’s cooking, Zhou Jinyu seemed at a loss for words, but his eyes held a smile tinged with nostalgia.

Ye Nan panicked a little.

Many people at the institute knew that Zhou Jinyu and her mother, Ye Xin, had a past.

But Ye Xin had explicitly told her that Zhou Jinyu was not her biological father.

As for who her biological father was?

Ye Nan had asked, but Ye Xin refused to tell her.

"Mr. Zhou?" Ye Nan could only remind him subtly. "I think Mr. Chen has a meeting soon. If you need to see him..."

"Then I’d better hurry up. I shouldn’t take up too much of Mr. Chen’s time." Zhou Jinyu gave a gentle smile and didn’t press the matter further.

Ye Nan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

But just as they were passing each other, Zhou Jinyu suddenly reached out and patted her shoulder. "Ye, your mother hasn’t had it easy all these years. It’s rare for you to be on leave at the base, so take some time to check in on her..."

Ye Nan smiled and agreed, watching Zhou Jinyu’s back as he went upstairs before lowering her gaze.

’Is he trying to play the sympathy card?’

At that moment, Ye Nan suddenly felt... she couldn’t quite understand the world of adults anymore.

It seemed her mother had anticipated that Mr. Zhou would come looking for Mr. Chen, so she had Ye Nan wait here in advance, lying in wait to stage this whole hurried act. What was she trying to mislead him about?

And Mr. Zhou’s feigned words of concern just now—wasn’t that all an act, too?

After returning, Ye Nan thought for a long time before finally gritting her teeth and making a call to someone.

"Miss Ye? What do you want with me?" Qi Xiang appeared on the Light Screen, holding a bowl of fried fruit and looking completely at ease.

Ye Nan froze. For a moment, she didn’t know whether to condemn Qi Xiang for her hedonistic lack of ambition or to envy her for a life that was always so relaxed and carefree—unlike her own, where she’d been carrying a heavy burden since childhood.

"Is Gu Xi there?" Ye Nan asked directly. "I need to see her about something."

Qi Xiang raised an eyebrow slightly. "What do you want with her?"

"That’s none of your business." Ye Nan struggled to remain calm. In truth, she didn’t want to be calling Gu Xi either.

’Ye Nan had a sharp sense that ever since Gu Xi appeared, the people around her had started acting strangely.’

Qi Xiang just laughed. "If it’s none of my business, then why are you calling my number?"

With that, she moved to hang up.

"Wait." Ye Nan took a deep breath. "...Please, is Gu Xi there? I have something very important to discuss with her."

"Nope." Qi Xiang’s reply was crisp and clean. She casually tossed a piece of fruit into her mouth, which crunched loudly.

Ye Nan fell silent for a moment. ’So this is why I’ve always hated Qi Xiang, and it really has nothing to do with Jun Han.’

Ye Nan’s jaw tightened. "Then please tell her that the weather has been bad lately, so she should try to stay indoors as much as possible."

She paused, a hint of reserve in her voice.

’If Qi Xiang asks, I suppose I could tell her a little more,’ she thought.

But to her surprise...

"Alright, I got it. I’ll tell Gu Xi when she gets back. Anything else, Miss Ye? If not, I’m hanging up." Qi Xiang waved the bowl of fried fruit and muttered under her breath, "They’re not as good when they get cold..." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Before she even finished speaking, the call was disconnected.

Ye Nan was speechless.

Meanwhile, the moment the call ended, Qi Xiang’s expression changed.

Anyone with a brain knew that Gu Xi’s involvement with the seeds was a threat to Ye Xin’s interests. Yet now, Ye Xin’s daughter was running to them with a warning.

Something was wrong.

After a moment of thought, she got up and walked toward the kitchen.

"What is it?" Shen Yue, wearing a cartoon-print apron, glanced back at her lazily. "Has Miss Qi finally decided she can’t resist blowing up the kitchen?"

Ever since Qi Xiang had entered the kitchen on a whim before the New Year, Wei Heng had strictly forbidden her from setting foot in it again.

—Their humble little household had only recently escaped poverty; they really couldn’t afford to have the young miss wreaking such havoc.

Qi Xiang glanced at the apron he was wearing. Normally, if that Shen character teased her like this, she would have shot back with a retort or two, but now...

She sighed and said tactfully, "A person needs to have some self-awareness. Just because you put on an apron doesn’t mean you’ll unlock a new skill."

Shen Yue: "...Speak plainly."

Qi Xiang rolled her eyes and said coolly, "Someone doesn’t actually think that wearing an apron to look like a virtuous homemaker gives them a chance, do they?" ’Gu Xi isn’t even here, so who are you trying to impress?’

Tsk.

Shen Yue glanced at her and made a move to rip off his apron. "Fine. Since Wei Heng isn’t here today anyway, then I’ll just..."

"Don’t!" Qi Xiang yelped. Realizing that Wei Heng had gone out early in the morning to catch up with an old comrade and that lunch now depended on Shen Yue, she immediately changed her tune. "My mistake, Mr. Shen! I actually came to you with something important!"

She decisively changed the subject. "Miss Ye just called me. She told me to remind Gu Xi to stay indoors for the next few days. What do you think she meant by that?"

Shen Yue frowned slightly. "Did Ye Nan say anything else?"

"Not really," Qi Xiang said after a moment of serious thought. "Miss Ye might have an unpleasant personality, but she’s pretty direct, unlike some people who talk in circles, as if they’re afraid others won’t know how many schemes they have rattling around in their head..."

Shen Yue lazily raised an eyebrow. "Who are you taking a jab at?"

"Who do you think?" Qi Xiang met his gaze, full of righteous indignation.

Shen Yue was speechless.

’No wonder they say that women and petty men are the most difficult to handle. He was certainly feeling that sentiment deeply right now.’

Shen Yue decided not to bicker with Qi Xiang and moved past the topic. "It seems the situation is even more complicated than we initially expected..."