In the evening, Gu Xi returned from the orchard, holding a dark, round fruit. The mont she pushed open the gate to her small courtyard, she saw Wei Heng looking at her with a grave expression.
Gu Xi: "?"
’What’s wrong?’
"Gu Xiaoxi!" Wei Heng’s expression was more serious than she had ever seen it. "You’re going to ddle in the affairs of the South City Base’s upper managent? Why didn’t you discuss this with us beforehand..."
"You already know?" Gu Xi raised an eyebrow. "It seems the farm is full of sieves. News travels fast."
The reason she hadn’t told Wei Heng about it beforehand was that she knew he would definitely object.
And just as she’d expected.
"It’s too risky." Wei Heng frowned slightly. "I don’t know what that friend of yours told you, but Gu Xi, you have to understand, South City Base has been pushed into the eye of the storm. Too many people have their eyes on it, especially with the recent change in leadership..."
"I know." Gu Xi looked at him calmly. "But there are so things I must do."
Seeing her like this, Wei Heng suddenly didn’t know what else to say.
After a long mont.
"Forget it." He waved his hand, a hint of resignation in his voice. "Since you’ve already made your decision, let’s just discuss our next move. About South City Base..."
Gu Xi smiled, not the least bit surprised.
’No matter what, I’m lucky... Both in the past and now, I’ve always been surrounded by a group of trustworthy friends.’
"Notify Huang Er and have him find so ti to co over in the next few days..." Gu Xi briefly explained her plan.
...
「Three days later」 Huang Er arrived with great fanfare, making no effort to be discreet.
Soon, rumors that Gu Xi was an opportunist who had already cozied up to the new base commander spread throughout the farm.
Quite a few people were making snide remarks behind her back.
anwhile, in the farm’s group chat, many people were also discussing the matter.
Qin Yi was fuming as they read the group ssages.
"If you ask , those people have nothing better to do. What Gu Xi does is none of their damn business!" Qi Xiang rolled her eyes from the side. She had already argued with quite a few anonymous users in the chat.
Gu Xi, who was sitting to one side, watched for a mont before suddenly opening her personal terminal and posting a ssage under her real na.
Gu Xi: [I plan to apply to the base for the distribution rights for seeds. If anyone needs them in the future, you can contact directly.]
The chat instantly fell silent.
Everyone knew that all seeds were currently under official control; private individuals had absolutely no way to access such channels. At least, not openly.
Moreover, while Gu Xi’s ssage ostensibly ntioned distribution rights for seeds, everyone knew that the crops she grew had a lower mutation rate than those from the original seeds.
Once Gu Xi obtained these distribution rights, who could tell if the seeds she sold were the ones allocated from above or ones she produced herself?
—And even if they were the official ones, couldn’t she slip in so of her own during the transactions?
There was just too much room for manipulation.
And wasn’t this the very reason they had been keeping an eye on her and her farm?
Now that Gu Xi had proactively sent such a signal, who wouldn’t be tempted?
So, the mont Gu Xi posted her ssage, the entire official farm group chat fell into a strange state. Everyone who saw the news was dumbfounded.
The main chat suddenly went quiet, as if soone had hit the pause button.
Then, countless smaller group chats were created, where Gu Xi’s ssage was frantically discussed in private.
Anyone who wasn’t a fool knew what Gu Xi’s ssage implied.
That night, the undercurrents surged. All sorts of information flew back and forth. Beneath the seemingly calm surface, who knows how many people stayed up all night?
But Gu Xi, the instigator of it all, actually had a rare, good night’s sleep.
However, the next morning, Gu Xi was summoned by Mr. Zhao.
"Gu, what you’re doing..." Mr. Zhao looked at the young woman before him with a complicated expression. Finally, he gave her a veiled warning: "I know your intentions are good. But you have to understand, the seeds on the market right now all co from the Central Base’s Abnormal Ability Research Institute..."
Since the apocalypse, seeds have been exorbitantly expensive. The profits involved... have made countless people green with envy over the years!
But what happened in the end?
The seed business is still held firmly in the hands of the Abnormal Ability Research Institute!
The waters here run too deep!
It’s really not a place for a young woman like Gu Xi, with no background, to get involved in.
Besides, this isn’t sothing even the commander of South City Base can handle!
And what’s more, that person might not even be willing to take on this burden for Gu Xi...
Thinking about all this, Mr. Zhao couldn’t help but feel worried.
Gu Xi knew Mr. Zhao ant well, but to catch a fish, you need to use heavy bait.
"Mr. Zhao, thank you for your warning." Gu Xi said slowly and firmly, "But I’ve looked into it. There’s no current law that forbids the private sale of seeds..."
’That’s because ordinary people don’t have the ability to, nor would they dare challenge the Abnormal Ability Research Institute.’
Mr. Zhao’s brows knitted together, and he fell silent for a long ti. The situation was complicated and deeply entangled; he couldn’t explain all the stakes and connections in just a few words.
But there was one thing he had to tell this young woman.
"Gu, there’s an old saying... ’All the world’s hustle and bustle is for personal gain.’ ...In any case, you should really reconsider this matter with the seeds," Mr. Zhao urged her earnestly.
Gu Xi nodded. She understood what he ant.
Li Ming had once analyzed the situation for her. No matter how volatile the base’s political landscape beca, wasn’t it always driven by the lure of power or the pursuit of profit?
And it was for this very reason that Gu Xi had made her decision.
"Professor, I’ve already thought this through." She looked up at Mr. Zhao and said calmly, "But have you ever considered that for agriculture to develop, the seeds can’t be monopolized by a single entity..."
’It’s the sa in any industry, really. Without competition, it’s bound to fail sooner or later.’
’Seeds are the foundation of agriculture.’
’This is especially important for a country currently facing a food crisis.’
But for years, in the na of so-called "sustainability and stability," the control of crop seeds has remained in the hands of the Abnormal Ability Research Institute.
Gu Xi suspected that the higher-ups at the Central Base might not be entirely satisfied with the current situation themselves.
That was why Li Ming had proposed using this as a breakthrough point. He wanted to take advantage of the perfect alignnt of timing, location, and popular support to shatter certain deeply entrenched alliances in one fell swoop.
Driven by power and profit, they might not even have to get involved personally. If they just fanned the flas from behind the scenes, others would naturally jump out to throw everything into chaos.
As the saying goes, "you can’t build the new without destroying the old." This was the ti for a drastic move. Only when their enemies fell into internal chaos could she and her allies find an opportunity to completely change the current situation...
In Li Ming’s own words, in extraordinary tis, you have to go big or go ho. Otherwise, it would be difficult to break the current stalemate and force that person out of the shadows.
After all, that person had been hiding for too many years. When soone wears a mask for too long, everyone starts to believe it’s their real face and subconsciously ignores certain problems...
But this course of action had a hidden danger.
Li Ming had stated frankly that not many people knew Gu Xi had returned. For certain specific reasons, even the few who did know were currently playing dumb.
Once Gu Xi involved herself in the seed business, she would inevitably step into the public eye. At that point, even if those people wanted to continue playing dumb and turning a blind eye, they wouldn’t be able to.
Would she settle down in a quiet corner, living a peaceful life of leisure and farming, or would she take the initiative to face the conspiracies and sches head-on?
The choice was still in Gu Xi’s hands; Li Ming had not made the decision for her.
But Gu Xi thought about it and decided it was ti to et so of her old acquaintances again, so she nodded in agreent.
Besides, she also had so new ideas about the seed business...
Mr. Zhao was silent for a long ti after hearing her out. Finally, he sighed and said in a low voice, "Gu, perhaps you’re right. In that case, about Mr. Zhang... In short, you should give Qi Xiang a heads-up. Mr. Zhang and her adoptive father were once classmates... Don’t let things get too ugly."
Gu Xi was a little surprised.
But then she understood.
’Right. Mr. Zhao wouldn’t have beco the head of the lab if he were a simple man.’
’How could any disturbance in the lab possibly escape the eyes of this wise old man?’
Gu Xi thanked him sincerely.
’As for Mr. Zhang... I’ll see how it goes.’
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