Reborn As Super Heiress

As soon as Yue Shuwen and her group went to Yun Province, they were gone for nearly half a month. Especially that week or so they spent in the mountains, which really had Huo Sining on edge, afraid something might happen.

It wasn’t until Yue Shuwen and the others came back that Huo Sining finally relaxed.

This time, Yan Xuesong and Chen Qiankun actually behaved themselves quite well. After they entered the mountain, they followed Yan En’s instructions in everything and didn’t harbor any ulterior motives toward any other plants or creatures in the forest. So when they came out, the people in the village showed them great enthusiasm, even looking forward to their next visit.

However, once they returned to the Imperial Capital, Yue Shuwen pulled Huo Sining aside with a solemn face and told her that they had almost gotten into a conflict with someone in the mountain. Only after further questioning did Huo Sining learn that theirs wasn’t the only group that went in; another group led by a man surnamed Zhou had also brought a team to Xishuangbanna.

”At first, we were minding our own business, and no one was bothering anyone. But it was obvious those people had snuck into the mountain; they didn’t have any locals as guides at all, so they got lost. Then they just happened to run into us in the mountain, and those people immediately got bad ideas—they actually wanted to steal our guide.”

”Those guys had guns. We were this close to being captured by them. Luckily, I had the Wood Spirit Pearl on me. I tripped them up, used some vines as a smokescreen, and that’s how our group managed to shake them off.”

Hearing this, Huo Sining was shocked and hurriedly asked, ”Something like that happened? Did any of you get hurt?”

Yue Shuwen shook her head, but then she raised her head and looked seriously at Huo Sining. ”The reason I’m telling you this isn’t because it was dangerous, but because there were two people in that group you know!”

Huo Sining froze for a second, then widened her eyes. ”I know them?”

Yue Shuwen nodded. ”The one surnamed Zhou leading the team is your cousin Su Qingqing’s ex-fiancé, that guy named Zhou Zhen. And the other one is that Liang Jinghong. I saw him at the twelve zodiac animal heads auction in Philadelphia. Gu Xu said that guy is your cousin, right?”

At the mention of Liang Jinghong, Huo Sining’s brows knitted up unconsciously. ”We’re only related by blood, but we’re basically not family at all, and we’ve never had any contact. My family and the Liang Family broke off relations back when my grandmother was still alive, and I have a grudge with this Liang Jinghong!”

Yue Shuwen nodded, then said, ”Those two took a team into the Xishuangbanna jungle. Judging from their gear, it looks like they went into the mountain to search for something as well. I suspect they have the same goal as you guys.”

Huo Sining nodded slightly, lost in thought.

”This is an international orchid appreciation exchange event. Anyone can sign up to participate. It’s not strange for them to go to Xishuangbanna to look for orchids. But why did they bring guns into the mountain?”

Yue Shuwen let out a wry smile. ”You’ve got no idea what kind of things there are in deep mountains and jungles. There are pythons and wild elephants in there. In a jungle like that, unless you’re a local native, an outsider going in and trying to come out unscathed—how are they supposed to make it out alive without carrying guns for self-defense?”

Thinking about it, Huo Sining felt that what she’d said earlier was a bit like talking without understanding others’ hardships. If she hadn’t had Yan En with her when she first entered the jungle, she probably wouldn’t have gotten out either.

Besides, she’d once escaped for her life in the Miji Jungle near the Yun Province–Myanmar border. If it hadn’t been for her Special Ability, she probably would have become breakfast and been swallowed whole by a python long ago.

With Yue Shuwen and her group safely back, Huo Sining naturally felt relieved. As for what Zhou Zhen and Liang Jinghong went into the mountain for, Huo Sining simply didn’t care.

This time, Yue Shuwen and the others did gain something from the Xishuangbanna jungle. They dug up three orchids in total. One was already a mature plant, while the other two were still in the seedling stage.

Chen Qiankun and Yan Xuesong pinned great hopes on these three orchids, and with Yue Shuwen’s Wood Spirit Pearl as a locator, by the time these orchids were brought back before Huo Sining, the abundant plant Spiritual Energy emanating from them left her deeply surprised.

These three orchids were indeed wrapped all over in green Spiritual Energy. It was obvious they were top-grade among plants. Although Huo Sining hadn’t really raised orchids before, she could clearly feel that these orchids were no worse than the Ancient Tea Tree she’d raised in the past.

”This one was separated from an old clump. The mother plant was too old, had lost its plasticity, and its blossoms didn’t look good, so I just split off a side shoot from it.”

”This one’s even stranger. The mother plant was completely dead, but at the roots, a little seedling this big actually sprouted again. I could tell the flower’s Spiritual Energy was extraordinary and figured it must be good stock. Plus, that whole ’Kumufengchun’ thing—old dead wood blooming again in spring—really hits you in the eye, so I just dug it out together with the old roots.”

”That mature plant was the one Professor Yan and the others picked. They think it’s not bad, at least eye-catching enough. If these two seedlings don’t become standout orchids once they mature, they’re planning to use that plant for the competition. It might not win any prizes, but at least we won’t end up at the bottom.”

Huo Sining nodded, a little amused yet helpless.

She knew exactly why Yan Xuesong and Chen Qiankun were doing this. They still weren’t fully convinced of her ability and were afraid she’d mess things up, embarrassing the academy when representing S University at the competition, so they were making worst-case preparations in advance.

But with good seedlings, what was there to fear about not cultivating top-grade orchids? Huo Sining was completely confident about this. In just about a month, those two seedlings had matured in her hands. Considering the flowers’ ornamental value, Huo Sining didn’t rush them to bloom. Instead, she tossed them straight into the storage ring and waited for the international orchid festival to arrive.

Before that, Huo Sining even developed a bit of a mischievous streak. She decided to play coy for a bit and not let those two professors know how things were going on her side.

Since they didn’t trust her, she might as well leave them hanging and let them stew for a while.

Huo Sining had no idea what things were like on Yan Xuesong’s end, but over on Wang Zhongwei and Ma Liwen’s side, they were already like ants on a hot pan.

Previously, the large walnut grove they’d signed a contract to purchase had greatly boosted their confidence. They’d been contacting buyers everywhere to take pre-orders and had even secured a few big foreign orders. That kind of promising start had Wang Zhongwei and Ma Liwen over the moon.

However, just when they thought this deal was definitely going to make them a fortune, disaster struck at the height of their joy—Wang Zhongwei suddenly couldn’t reach those Henan traders who had signed the contract!