Chapter 31: I Yield to You Sneaky Bastards

Shen Xingman wanted to collect herself and return to her room, but as she gazed around, she noticed an empty patch of land beside the grapevine—the weeds had all been cleared, leaving only bare soil.

She raised her hand and slowly pointed at the small empty patch. "There—can I plant flowers there?"

Mu Zhihan closed his laptop. "Of course. What do you want to plant?"

"Uh," Shen Xingman rested her chin on her hand, "are there any flowers that bloom in summer?"

Summer nights in Jiaoyue Wan were cool and pleasant, with not only stars but also fireflies. If, at a time like this, there were also gentle moonlight and lingering floral fragrance, wouldn't that be even more enjoyable than a vacation?

Mu Zhihan nodded. "Yes—Baby's Breath."

Shen Xingman asked eagerly, "Is it easy to grow?"

Mu Zhihan: "Not bad."

Shen Xingman suddenly stood up. "Then let's go with Baby's Breath."

It wasn't that she particularly loved this kind of flower; she just wanted to plant some flowers and greenery to give this grand estate a touch of lived-in warmth.

Mu Zhihan chuckled softly. "The empty space is this big—don't you want to consider planting something else too?"

These weren't like the landscaping plants in the city center—there was no need for uniformity; whatever she liked would do.

Shen Xingman thought he had a point. After a moment's thought, an idea quickly came to her: "How about grapes?"

Mu Zhihan: "There are some in the orchard."

Shen Xingman: "Peaches, pomegranates, mandarins, persimmons, apples, blueberries, figs—what about those?"

The examples she gave were all common fruits, so Mu Zhihan smiled regretfully. "As luck would have it, we have all of those too."

Maybe her luck just wasn't great—she couldn't guess the right one.

Mu Zhihan moved a little closer and caught the fragrance of her hair again. He felt very pleased. "We don't have cherries. Would you like to plant those?"

"..."

Cherries... Shen Xingman thought that seemed doable.

A full-sized cherry tree definitely wouldn't work, but there was a short-stalked cherry variety with a dwarf tree—surely suitable for her to plant.

You couldn't call it a coincidence—it was almost too much of one. There were cherry saplings in the orchard.

Before heading over, Mu Zhihan placed an off-white bucket hat on Shen Xingman's head.

"Hm?" She looked up, puzzled.

"For sun protection," Mu Zhihan explained. "My wife is a celebrity."

"..."

The sky was nearing dusk, but the residual heat hadn't yet faded, so wearing a hat would do no harm. Moreover, the bucket hat's color matched her dress perfectly, making the beautiful young woman look all the more fresh and charming.

Shen Xingman was in a wonderful mood, smiling so wide her teeth showed but her eyes crinkled shut. She raised a hand to adjust the hat to the right angle. "Let's go."

This was the first time she had smiled at him so openly.

Normally she was quiet and reserved, but now she was like a lively butterfly fluttering to and fro across the estate.

He could feel the distance between them growing closer and closer. Though he still couldn't fully read Shen Xingman's thoughts, he knew clearly that the way he looked at her was anything but innocent—there was not only tenderness but also desire, the most primal of human desires.

Mu Zhihan had been sitting on the bench under the magnolia tree, wearing a tender expression—it was unclear whether he was enjoying the magnolia's fragrance or appreciating something else.

"Will Baby's Breath bloom by June?" Shen Xingman began watering the little plants.

"Not necessarily. They can bloom at any time."

Baby's Breath had a relatively long flowering period; generally, the buds would be ready to open at the start of summer, and midsummer was its golden bloom season.

Shen Xingman looked at the newly planted dwarf cherry and gently touched its leaves. "This one will have to wait until next spring."

"..."

"Yes, it'll have to wait until next spring," he murmured silently, his expression unchanged.

Just quietly watching her like that.

By the time he looked away again, he had no idea how much time had passed. Mu Zhihan casually glanced at his phone and noticed a message notification.

He skimmed it briefly—it was about the entertainment industry.

The gist was that a female celebrity had officially announced her endorsement of Blue Moisture Perfume, and fans were flooding in with congratulations.

He hadn't paid attention to these things after leaving the industry, but looking at that spokesperson, his brow furrowed slightly—a vague sense that something wasn't right.

He'd previously heard from Mo Jiu that the spokesperson for this perfume was very likely his wife.

And this Jiang Xiaoyan was no stranger to him.

She was the same woman who had been playing the victim on Weibo a while back—usually doing nothing but feigning pity or stirring up drama, always seeking attention.

Not very famous, but very fond of riding coattails.

Mu Zhihan looked up at Shen Xingman, who was washing her hands, and couldn't help pressing his lips together, wanting to ask her about the perfume endorsement.

But the next second, he felt there was no need.

Blue Moisture Perfume appeared to be a business under the Jiang Family, and this Jiang Xiaoyan's surname seemed to expose the root of the matter.

If he guessed correctly, Shen Xingman's endorsement had been snatched away.

Blue Moisture's official Weibo background featured brand spokesperson Jiang Xiaoyan.

@larren: "The pitch-black night envelops you, yet you are like a ray of light, suddenly bursting into my view. @Jiang Family's Xiaoyan has officially become the larren brand spokesperson—let us embark together on this journey of all-new delight."

Jiang Xiaoyan had also posted on Weibo, with Blue Moisture's official account responding, so it seemed the two sides had already reached a partnership.

"What are you looking at?"

Shen Xingman, done with her work, came over, using a tissue to wipe her wet hands. She happened to see the content on the screen and froze mid-motion.

"The official announcement came out that fast, huh."

She sat down beside the man and casually wiped the sweat from her face.

Can you imagine it??? Mu Zhihan was actually looking at another woman???

"You, do you think she looks good?" Shen Xingman just asked that casually, with no particular purpose.

Mu Zhihan suddenly looked at her, but didn't answer in time.

Possibly because Shen Xingman was too close, he could take her all in at a glance—even the bright, wild little strawberries on her neck were no exception.

In an instant, a lascivious image of her being tormented surfaced in his mind.

Not bad—one likes planting flowers, the other likes planting strawberries.

"Of course it's you." He blurted it out instinctively, without any subjective thought.

"I think so too."

"……"

The image in Mu Zhihan's mind vanished in a puff of smoke, replaced by a cat saying "I'm noble, I'm gorgeous."

This cat was holding its little paws, looking all proud and aloof.

"Originally I thought, the products I endorse should be affordable for my fans," Shen Xingman muttered, letting out her frustrations, "when the sponsors send over endorsement offers, I always vet them thoroughly, especially considering cost‑performance."

"You know, luxury endorsements aren't something ordinary people can afford, so I didn't really consider that."

Qiao Yun also thus scolded her countless times for being foolishly pitiful.

Actually, thinking about it now, it really is quite foolish.

As a top‑tier star, not having a decent endorsement—how could you possibly convince anyone?

It's simply impossible.

Thus, haters often use this to snipe her fans, hitting the mark every time.

It's not that Shen Xingman can't get endorsements; it's indeed because they keep getting snatched away.

Today Jiang Xiaoyan pops up, tomorrow Lin Wan appears, the day after that a whole bunch of Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding show up—this gang of old‑sixes jumps out like a team to stalk her.

Actually, they also know deep down that they can't beat Shen Xingman in film and TV, so they resort to attacking her fashion resources instead.