04

In the mountains, there was no disturbing light or noise. When Lin You woke up early and looked at herself in the mirror, she noticed that although the original owner’s skin was fair, it had the look of a mannequin in a display window, exuding an indefinable sense of fragility. However, after just a day or two back in the village, she could already tell that her complexion had noticeably improved.

Satisfied after washing up, Lin You grabbed the empty thermos from home and went out.

Lianhua Town had a small population, and a few families raised cows and sheep. The mountain terrain was convenient for grazing, and also, beef and mutton sold for a higher price, making them more profitable than pork. Walking towards the village, in the center stood the former village-run elementary school. Although the school had relocated, the buildings remained, a few large empty rooms still standing in place.

“Aunt Chunling, are you home?” Lin You called out to a family living next door to the school.

An older woman with a cloth wrapped around her head cheerfully responded, “I’m here!”

Lin You: “I heard from Xiao Jiu that your family delivers milk to the town’s kindergarten every day. I was wondering if you had any extra. I’d like to buy some.”

Aunt Chunling’s daughter worked in the town’s kindergarten kitchen, so Aunt Chunling’s family had started raising seven or eight cows in the old school buildings, mostly female cows, to supply milk to the kindergarten and earn money. When she heard Lin You, Aunt Chunling quickly said, “Yes, yes, I’ll milk some for you.”

Aunt Chunling swiftly found a bucket, put on rubber gloves, and headed to the cow shed. Her cows were well-fed, but there was a problem: there were too many female cows. The kindergarten in the town had a small number of children, so the amount of milk they could consume was limited. Sometimes, the excess milk from the cows had to be thrown away, which always made Aunt Chunling feel heartbroken.

She came out with the freshly milked milk bucket, a bit embarrassed, rubbing her hands. “Don’t worry about the money, it’s not anything special.”

Lin You: “Please don’t say that, it’s definitely a special thing! You can’t find fresh milk like this easily outside.”

Aunt Chunling’s cows were local water buffaloes, and the milk just freshly squeezed was warm, with a fragrant aroma that could be smelled as she got close.

Lin You didn’t wait and quickly handed Aunt Chunling the money. The villagers were so straightforward that Aunt Chunling had given her almost half a bucket of milk. Fearing that Aunt Chunling would insist on refusing, Lin You quickly changed the subject. “Aunt, since you raise so many female cows, what do you do with the calves?”

Aunt Chunling sighed and pointed to the shed. “I’m still raising them. My daughter, Xiaomei, said if we can’t keep them, we should sell them, but I just can’t bring myself to do it…”

Cows were quite intelligent, especially the older ones. Just looking into their eyes could soften anyone’s heart.

Aunt Chunling had originally thought of keeping the young female calves, since they were needed for the milk supply. The male calves, on the other hand, could only be raised a bit longer before being sold. But her daughter had told her not to keep too many cows, as the kindergarten in the town had fewer children each year. Now, the kindergarten had only a little over 100 students. With too many water buffaloes, there was no place to sell them.

After listening to Aunt Chunling, Lin You, feeling soft-hearted, impulsively said, “Well, how about I buy a calf?”

Aunt Chunling was taken aback, then excitedly responded, “Really? I… I’ll take you to see them. These calves are all strong…”

Lin You immediately regretted the words after they left her mouth. The original owner’s savings were limited, and buying even a single calf would cost several thousand. But after thinking it over, raising a cow didn’t seem too bad. It could help with farm work, and later on, it would provide milk.

When they entered the shed, Lin You’s heart softened even more. The calves’ eyes were moist and bright. It was as if they understood the conversation, and several calves squeezed together and waddled toward her.

So, when Lin You left, not only did she carry half a bucket of milk, but she was also leading a young cow that reached her waist.

When she got home, Lin You looked around and decided to tie the calf in the newly cleaned pigsty. The calf was reluctant, snorting a few times.

Lin You patted its head. “Just bear with it for now. I’ll make you a proper bed in a few days.”

The calf rubbed its head against her hand, reluctantly entering the pen.

Lin You was delighted and took a few pictures with her phone before posting them on her almost forgotten Weibo account.

【Lin Youv: New member, let’s name you Mengmeng.】

After posting, Lin You ignored the explosive @ mentions and private messages in the backend. She leisurely put her phone away and headed to the kitchen with the milk.

With so much milk, it wouldn’t last long, so she decided to steam a pot of steamed buns.

The freshly steamed milk-flavored buns came out of the pot, and Lin You had no idea that she had already trended on social media.

#LinYouCow 

#LinYouMengMeng 

#LinYouWhereDidSheGo 

#LinYouQuitTheIndustry

These trending topics quickly drew the attention of people online.

【I Am the Most Beautiful】: Lin You really went all in on this, what kind of new PR stunt is this? Which expert did they hire for this marketing strategy? So unconventional.

【A Little Bee Flying Around】: I know, right? The marketing for the lake pen is so aggressive, look at how it’s dominating the charts. No idea which company she signed with after the breakup. I bet it’s XX company, they love this kind of chart-dominating marketing.

【Weight Loss and Not Changing Name】: Wait, can someone tell me who this person is? Also, what’s with the name MengMeng? Be careful, the cows might come after you at night!

【My Cat, Please Drink Some Water】: Laughing so hard, they bought all these trending topics and people still don’t know who she is.

【My Qingqing is the Best】: Haha, my Qingqing is dominating, and now watching her become more and more famous must be making others mad. Too bad, we know she’s the best!

—

As the online buzz grew, on the other side, Zhang Kai stared at his phone with a furrowed brow.

Xiao Zhuo cautiously reported, “Brother Kai, the company wants you to help find out which company Lin You is working with now…”

Zhang Kai knew that Lin You probably wasn’t in contact with any company. The trending topics seemed more like they had surged on their own due to the hype.

Zhang Kai massaged his fingers, feeling a bit troubled.

Lin You had once been a sure bet for him. He knew all too well about Lin You’s personality and the little things she had for him. Just like standing on a podium and looking down, he saw through Lin You the same way.

Therefore, he could use Lin You without any burden, leveraging her reputation to give on Mu Qingqing. Even if Lin You broke her contract, in his view, it was a result of unrequited love and anger.

He had planned to drag things out for a year. People forget about celebrities quickly, and even if Lin You won the lawsuit, he could stall for as long as possible. After all, Lin You couldn’t hurt him in the public eye, and as for money, he’d drag it out until he couldn’t anymore.

If Lin You was pretending to quit the industry, even better—if she wanted to return, he would always be able to pull her back in.

But now, Lin You claimed to have quit the industry, yet she hadn’t faded from the public eye. With her active presence online, how could he carry on with his plans?

What worried him more was if Lin You, filled with resentment, revealed the things he had done for Mu Qingqing…

Zhang Kai’s expression turned sharp. Mu Qingqing was an artist from a rival company, and once his feelings for her were exposed, his company would definitely drop him.

What would he have left when that day came? How could he still stand by Mu Qingqing’s side?

“Contact the marketing company,” Zhang Kai’s voice was cold, “Suppress these trending topics.”

—

At this very moment, Lin You, who had no idea that her one Weibo post had cost her manager a six-figure amount, was happily enjoying her milk-flavored buns.

The fresh milk and flour, the fluffy steamed buns had a sweet and fragrant aroma. Paired with a simple bowl of cabbage, vermicelli, and egg soup, the soup also had two beef meatballs she had packed earlier. The meatballs were crispy and bouncy, the cabbage had a fresh, sweet fragrance, and the chopped scallions on top were just right.

The freshly steamed buns were soft and fluffy, with a rich milk scent. Lin You ate two with the soup before putting down her chopsticks, leaving the rest in the fridge.

Busy until evening, when Lin You finally went online, the online disputes had already settled down. She casually glanced at the number of likes, shares, and comments, feeling quite satisfied.

Whether the comments were criticisms or compliments, as long as there was attention, that was enough. She had to prepare for her live stream.

That night, Lin You posted another Weibo update.

【Lin Youv: I’ve acquired two acres of land and plan to plant something. Any suggestions?】

After posting, Lin You went to sleep, looking content.

Meanwhile, Zhang Kai was still staring at his screen.

The trending topics that night were picking up even faster than those during the day, and as Zhang Kai watched several new entries rising on the trending list, he felt a surge of frustration.

#LinYouFarming
#LinYouReallyQuitTheIndustry
#LinYouWhatToPlant

Xiao Zhuo’s voice came from the phone: “Brother Kai, these topics are rising even faster this time…”

Zhang Kai gritted his teeth and, forcing the words out between them, said, “Contact someone, make sure they remove them before eight o’clock in the morning.”

He couldn’t afford to leave these topics trending until morning. If they were allowed to spread overnight and gain traction by the time more netizens logged on in the morning, it would be easy for the real opinions to catch on.

Hanging up the phone, Zhang Kai rubbed his temples. If he didn’t know Lin You better, he might have thought she was doing this on purpose.

However…

Zhang Kai looked at the picture of the calf Lin You had posted and sneered.

If this person was unwilling to disappear from the internet, he suspected it would only be a matter of time before she returned.

He could always control her.

—

Meanwhile, Bo Chuan, under the moonlight, returned home and immediately sensed something was different before even entering the door.

Not only had the energy from next door shifted from one presence to two, but he could even hear the faint rustling noises.

Bo Chuan quietly approached the neighboring yard, moving as gracefully as a swallow. Within moments, he climbed onto the wall and looked down from the top.

Two bright eyes met his gaze from the other side of the wall.

“…Moo—”

Bo Chuan: …