Chapter 118 The Love-Struck Xie Boss

Chapter 118: The Love-Struck CEO Xie

"Qingcheng Survivalist: There’s such a thing? But the big shot must have his reasons. Gotta learn from him—I’ll go back and have my mom clear the balcony to grow veggies too. Now that the mosquitoes are fewer, it’s easier to move around."

"Shengjing ScamBuster: Heh, I’ve already started planting on my balcony. What Chinese household doesn't have the farming gene? Though the soil in this fantasy world is described as ordinary, it’s way more effective than the soil back on Earth. It shortens the growth cycle. On the first day of the apocalypse, my mom couldn’t sit still and planted veggies on the balcony with this soil. Now we’re on our second harvest of spring onions. Heh, at least we get fresh greens to eat."

"Shengjing Jingcheng Four Young Masters: I’m different. I planted several pots of game-produced licorice—it can be used for medicine. The Special Ops Bureau is paying top dollar for medicinal herbs now. Once it matures, I can sell it and use the money to buy food from the official game store. That's me - always thinking ahead."

"Qingcheng Green Thumb: How can farming be without me, an agricultural major? Haha! I’ve planted all kinds of herbs and a batch of fruits and veggies. The first crop of greens is ready for harvest."

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The pictures showed a large balcony smartly divided with bamboo and wood planks to maximize space. Green plants grew densely yet orderly, each thriving without hindering the others.

Exactly what you'd expect from an ag major, the mini vegetable garden was designed with efficiency and aesthetics, making full use of the space. Many chimed in below, eager to learn from it.

Hua Diao, currently curled up on the couch with Xie Tingsheng while scrolling through the group chat, also saw the "mini urban farm." She instinctively glanced at their own balcony.

The other side of their balcony had also been covered with soil by Xie Tingsheng, planted with common household greens like bok choy, tomatoes, and eggplants.

As for the side where they’d previously planted spring onions and other greens, they had grown significantly. While the onions were still young, a few handfuls could already be harvested for seasoning.

Xie Tingsheng’s long fingers gently combed through her hair. Noticing her gaze, he arched a brow and spoke in a low, magnetic voice, "Want to copy that garden setup? I can do it, but there’s a service fee."

Hua Diao reflexively turned to look at him. His noble, handsome face wore a lazy smirk as he tapped his lips with a jade-like finger, his almond-shaped eyes glinting with amusement. "Kiss me. Ten minutes."

Hua Diao: "..."

She slapped a hand over his alluring face. Kiss, kiss, kiss—all he ever thought about was kissing! Her lips were nearly chapped from all his kissing. The man had no restraint.

Then she coldly rejected him. "No need. We have enough veggies at home. Even if we run out, I can just buy more with gold coins. No need to pinch pennies over balcony space like them."

Xie Tingsheng chuckled, catching her hand and pressing a kiss to it before smoothly changing the subject. "So, any plans for today? Another dungeon run? Or come with me to visit the squad? We’ve recruited a lot of new members lately. Some women have been eyeing your husband—don’t you want to stake your claim?"

Hua Diao pulled her hand back, adjusting her position to lie across his lap as she continued scrolling. "Nah. Didn’t you throw all those women into 16-hour monster-hunting shifts? Their schedules are packed—only eight hours left for sleep and meals. The whole team’s saying you’ve got no mercy, treating female members even harsher than the males. Plus, you’re a total love-struck fool, clocking out on time just to be with your wife. No wonder so many of them have given up on you."

Her tone carried a hint of schadenfreude (malicious delight).

This version of Xie Tingsheng bore some resemblance to the rumored, aloof patriarch of the Xie family from their past life.

Xie Tingsheng smirked, unsurprised she knew so much.

After seeing her crazy high Luck stat, Zhu Bin had done a complete 180, fawning over her more than he ever had over Xie Tingsheng. He’d even volunteered as a spy, reporting Xie Tingsheng’s every move to her.

When caught, Zhu Bin showed no guilt—instead, he preened about "helping boost your image with the missus."

Thanks a lot.

And Xie Tingsheng meant it. He didn’t mind the espionage; in fact, he encouraged it.

Even if his wife couldn’t see it, as a good husband, his efforts to maintain boundaries outside needed to reach her ears. It strengthened their marriage—case in point, her warmer attitude lately. She’d even indulged his affections in bed… until yesterday, when her lips got chapped and she banned further kissing.

Another failed attempt to lure his wife to the team for some showing off. Xie Tingsheng felt a twinge of regret, but it was fleeting. He continued combing through her hair as they scrolled together.

Though the heatwave had claimed many lives, after over half a month in the apocalypse, people had grown numb to death. Initial panic had given way to numbness, and now, the prevailing mindset was to live joyfully each day while they still could.

Humanity had learned to self-regulate, refusing to wallow in grief or fear—it solved nothing. The group chat buzzed with cheerful balcony garden showcases, competitions over whose mini-farm was best, the mood almost festive, as if the darkness had never come.

Once the "best balcony garden" contest wrapped up, the topic shifted to today’s temperature drop.

"Shengjing Jingcheng Sixth Young Master: Breaking news—I risked going outside today and confirmed a 3-degree drop. How about other cities? Any changes?"

"Chuancheng call me Survival King: Reporting—4 degrees down here."

"Tibet’s shepherd boy: Ours dropped even more—10 degrees."

"Qingcheng live in the moment: First fewer mosquitoes, now cooling temps… Good omen or bad? My eyelid’s twitching like crazy—feels like something terrible’s coming."

Hua Diao knew exactly what was coming: the ice age. A greater calamity, the frost period, loomed ahead.

Frowning, she asked Xie Tingsheng, "Did you stock up on winter supplies? Even the climate-controlled Elf Flower Robe won’t hold up against the ice element of the frost period."

Playing with her hair, he replied lazily, "Mm, mostly ready. Just waiting for Firebirds to appear—their Fire Stones make the best heaters."

Hua Diao nodded. "Think we should spread the word?"

Xie Tingsheng had no objections. "I’ll handle it. No one will trace it back to us."

Reassured, Hua Diao relaxed. These matters were best left to him.