Chapter 1

The moment I heard the alarm blaring, I immediately shut down my computer and walked out of the yard. What greeted me was a bustling crowd surrounding my cultivation base. The fence, which had been standing perfectly fine, was now violently broken in half. A once lush grove now lay in chaos, with fruits from the trees scattered all over the ground. Several cameras were being carried by bulky men, capturing every angle of a delicate young woman in a full 360° shot. She looked at the immature tomato seedling in her hand with an innocent expression, sighed, and said: "These fruits are so tiny and look sour. Don’t you have anything bigger?" She smiled wryly at the camera, the dimples at the corners of her mouth faintly appearing. I recognized her as Xiao Xiao, the recently skyrocketing actress who gained fame through sweet romance dramas. I originally knew nothing about the entertainment industry. But during my lectures, I often caught students secretly watching her shows. They said Xiao Xiao was a once-in-five-thousand-years beauty of the entertainment world—kind-hearted, polite, and stunningly gorgeous. Looking at the experimental seedling in her hand, which was crucial for delaying the progression of cancer, I couldn’t help but think of the years I had spent to confirm this soil’s suitability for cherry tomatoes. Dragging my suitcase, I had spent countless days and nights conducting experiments, creating specimens, and recording data in this dusty little village. This was a rare, painstakingly cultivated single seedling. Taking a deep breath for two seconds to prevent myself from passing out, I said sharply: "Didn’t you see the sign I put up? No picking allowed!" My tone was firm. Xiao Xiao visibly froze for a couple of seconds. Always pampered and held in high regard, her eyes immediately reddened. Pouting, she huffed indignantly, "It’s just one tomato! "And you’re just a yard caretaker—how dare you scold me like this!" She glanced at my dusty old clothes and shot back loudly. Her staff immediately noticed the commotion and rushed over to drive me away. The director, holding a loudspeaker, announced, "This is a filming site. Unauthorized people, please leave." I was almost too stunned to laugh. Rummaging through someone else’s property, leaving it in complete disarray, and then trying to kick the owner out? Where’s the logic in that?