The Male Lead's Sister Reborn (GL) - Chapter 32

Shen Xiruo, who was walking down the stairs, paused and looked at Jiang Qian.

Jiang Qian happened to be looking back at her. Seeing her freeze for a moment and then break into a smile full of amusement, Jiang Qian felt like she wanted to die on the spot.

She extended her hand toward Shen Xiruo in a desperate “Er-kang” gesture: “Xiruo, it’s not like that! I’m really not some ‘Jiang the Strong.’ You know I have very little strength—I even need your help to twist open bottle caps!”

Shen Xiruo let out a heavy, intentional sigh: “Sigh, it seems I was miserably deceived by you in the past.”

Jiang Qian was speechless. The surrounding guests, cameramen, and various staff members all burst into collective laughter.

The observation group almost died of laughter in the studio, shouting: “Shen Xiruo, ask her for mental distress compensation!”

“Hahahaha, think of all the energy Shen Xiruo wasted twisting caps. Poor Xiruo!”

“Does no one think this is ‘sugar’? So Jiang Qian used to make Shen Xiruo twist her bottle caps for her. That’s too sweet, I’m cured again!”

Jokes aside, everyone genuinely liked Jiang Qian’s character; she was lively and very lovable.

During breakfast, Wan Yue even specially fried an extra egg for Jiang Qian: “Come, come, eat one more. It’s a free-range egg, very good for energy. We’re all counting on you for the tasks later!”

Jiang Qian held the egg, unsure whether to eat it or not. She looked weakly at Shen Xiruo: “Xiruo, you…”

Shen Xiruo moved a bun to her plate: “Eat more. We’re counting on you.”

Jiang Qian: “…Pfft!”

When the usually cold and quiet Shen Xiruo suddenly started teasing people, that mischievous yet cute expression was incredibly fun. Even though she was the butt of the joke, it was still hilarious. Jiang Qian couldn’t help but be the first to laugh.

Seeing Shen Xiruo’s expression, the guests also burst into laughter, and the breakfast table became a scene of merriment. The camera crew and staff snapped photos frantically, their hands shaking with laughter, feeling that this show was truly interesting.

After a pleasant breakfast, everyone gathered in the living room to face the “Devil’s Task Card” brought by the director.

Today’s task was to harvest various vegetables in the greenhouse and sell them all. The proceeds would be used to buy ingredients for dinner—the more they earned, the more they could buy.

Wan Yue asked: “Director, can we eat the vegetables we harvest ourselves?”

The director: “No. Those are the crystallization of the farmers’ hard work throughout the year. They cannot be eaten casually.”

Guests: “…” So they can be sold casually? Yeah, right!

The guests received instructions from the greenhouse farmer and entered the greenhouse to harvest vegetables, laughing and chatting.

This kind of greenhouse had developed into something very high-tech. Inside were several rows of hollow pipes—3D vertical soilless cultivation with automatic sprinkling. Every vegetable grown was succulent, uniform in size, and very beautiful. Some were climbing vines, winding around specially set-up pipes, with bright, beautiful fruits hanging between the leaves.

The group was divided into pairs again, with rotating partners. This time, it was Jiang Qian’s turn to be paired with Fang Yingxu.

The two were responsible for harvesting the leaf lettuce in the middle row.

Fang Yingxu said to Jiang Qian with a grin: “Little Qianqian, let’s work hard and cheer each other on!”

Jiang Qian didn’t quite dare to talk to him, but she didn’t dare not to either, so she smiled at him: “Okay, Senior is right. Let’s work hard together.”

Fang Yingxu suddenly paused and narrowed his eyes: “Why suddenly call me ‘Senior’? It makes me sound old! Boys shouldn’t be called ‘Senior’ by others; it makes us get wrinkles easily!”

Jiang Qian: “…Okay, handsome Fang.”

Only then did Fang Yingxu raise his “orchid finger” (dainty gesture) in satisfaction.

Holding his dainty finger, he spent half the time worrying about dirtying his clothes or treading on mud. It took him ages just to pinch off a few stalks of lettuce. He held the stalks up, examining them from left to right, looking very satisfied: “Ah, as handsome as I am, even the vegetables I pick are as good-looking as me.”

He carried the lettuce toward the blue crate designated by the production team, intending to arrange them into a beautiful display.

However, when he looked, the blue crate was already almost full of lettuce, all stacked neatly in rows.

Fang Yingxu spoke to the greenhouse owner, whom the crew had invited to provide guidance: “Did you help us arrange these? They look so good!”

The owner shook his head: “It wasn’t me. It was that little girl in your group who put them there. She’s very nimble! She works fast and arranges them well. I really want to hire her to help me out!”

Fang Yingxu: “…Darn! I didn’t expect Little Qianqian’s vegetables to look better. But a handsome guy doesn’t bicker with a beauty; I’ll let her win this time.”

Jiang Qian came over carrying several stalks of lettuce. Seeing him standing in front of the crate talking to himself, she nudged him with her elbow: “Make way, Handsome Fang.”

Fang Yingxu stepped aside. She carried the vegetables and nimbly stacked them one by one in order. Then she stood up and clapped her hands: “Director, our group’s task is finished.”

Fang Yingxu looked back. Sure enough, the entire row of lush green lettuce had been completely plucked bare.

Fang Yingxu wailed: “Ah! I haven’t even experienced the joy of the harvest yet!”

The director looked at Jiang Qian: “Finished early. Your group can choose to rest or help other groups to earn more points.”

Fang Yingxu sat right down on the ground to rest, saying righteously to the camera: “The joy of harvest is important, but proper rest is more important!”

Jiang Qian, however, glanced around and ran over to help Shen Xiruo’s group.

This time, Shen Xiruo was partnered with Jiang Zixi. Both were young but had very steady personalities. After meticulously dividing their areas of responsibility, they began harvesting.

They were picking tomatoes. It looked simple but was actually quite difficult. The tomatoes hung at mid-height, and these weren’t the thick-skinned, orange-yellow American variety; they were thin-skinned local specialty tomatoes with a sandy texture. One moment of carelessness could bruise them or make them burst.

Jiang Zixi, who was naturally strong-handed, had already broken several despite being very careful. When he saw Jiang Qian coming over, his heart tightened.

He had personally witnessed Jiang Qian’s immense strength yesterday; the image of her back as she ran nimbly while clutching a huge pile of elephant grass was still lingering in his mind. It went without saying—Jiang Qian might look small, but her grip strength was definitely greater than his! Otherwise, how could she have knocked a tree over just by leaning on it?

“Jiang Qian! No need to help, we can do it. See, we’re almost done…” Jiang Zixi wanted to rush over and stop her, but he was too late. Jiang Qian had already flown to Shen Xiruo’s side, giving her a sweet smile: “I’m here to help you.”

Shen Xiruo smiled back and made room for her at one of her tomato vines.

The observation group noticed this, and someone asked worriedly: “Jiang Qian is going to pick tomatoes? I just saw Shen Xiruo break one. Jiang Qian is so strong; won’t she just pop every single tomato?!”

“Hahahaha, I want to see her hold a tomato in each hand and pop them both! Pop them!”

“Yeah, that image is actually quite therapeutic. Too bad it might drag down Shen Xiruo’s group. If the fruit loss rate is too high, they’ll lose points.”

“Hahahaha, look at Jiang Zixi’s face! He’s almost in tears. He’s terrified that Jiang ‘Hercules’ Qian will go up and squeeze the tomatoes to death!”

Jiang Zixi wanted to grab Shen Xiruo by the shoulders and shake her, yelling: “Wake up! That’s Jiang the Strong!”

Then he saw Jiang Qian’s hand reach for a round, bright red, obviously ripe tomato… He almost couldn’t bear to watch, expecting a “bloody” scene of tomato juice everywhere.

However, the “carnage” he imagined did not happen.

Jiang Qian’s slender fingers gently cradled the tomato, her other hand protecting it from the side. With a gentle twist, she plucked it from the vine. Then, she placed it in the red crate. Her movements were gentle throughout, and the ripe tomato remained perfectly intact.

Observation group: “Whoa! It didn’t break! Those of you who bet it would break just lost! Hahaha!”

Jiang Zixi: No, he didn’t believe it. It was just a coincidence!

He stopped working on his own section and walked closer to watch Jiang Qian pick more. He saw her pick nearly ten tomatoes in a row—all ripe, red ones—without damaging a single one. Not to mention popping them, there wasn’t even an accidental bump when putting them in the crate. Every tomato that passed through her hands was as perfect as one in a TV commercial: round and beautiful.

Jiang Zixi muttered to himself in a daze: “How… how did she do that?”

Jiang Qian turned and smiled at him: “I told you, I’m not ‘Jiang the Strong’.”

She was picking tomatoes so gently specifically to clear her name in front of Jiang Zixi! Seeing his expression of shock gave her a strangely satisfying feeling.

However, Jiang Zixi frowned and pondered for a long time, his expression becoming even more surprised: “I didn’t expect it, Jiang Qian… you are actually such a talent. You not only have great strength but also excellent control. Perhaps you are very suited for a career in sports!”

Jiang Qian: [Confused Nick Young Meme].jpg

Brother, your train of thought is so circuitous, does your mom know?

Shen Xiruo burst out laughing beside her, her shoulders shaking.

Jiang Qian looked at her in despair: “Is it… really that funny?”

Shen Xiruo nodded, looked at her, and her smile widened. To her, Jiang Qian was like a little bundle of joy; just one look made her want to laugh. She was in an incredibly good mood.

Jiang Qian threatened: “Keep laughing and I’m leaving to help someone else.”

Shen Xiruo suppressed her laughter in a second, clearing her throat very seriously: “Mhm? Who laughed? It wasn’t me. I didn’t laugh.”

Jiang Qian: “…” Oh my, classmate Shen Xiruo has two faces too?

She resigned herself and reached out to continue picking tomatoes. Shen Xiruo stood next to her. Seeing that Jiang Qian’s expression was a bit strange—perhaps she was angry—Shen Xiruo looked around and suddenly picked up a slightly damaged tomato from beside the crate.

She wiped the tomato clean with her sleeve and held it up to Jiang Qian’s lips.

The cool skin suddenly touched the corner of her mouth, leaving Jiang Qian a bit stunned.

Shen Xiruo: “I picked this one. It’s a bit broken, you eat it.”

Jiang Qian looked at her, saw that her smile was still gentle, and hesitantly took a bite.

This specialty tomato was sweet and sandy, with a wonderful texture. The rich, fresh tomato flavor filled her mouth, making her feel refreshed from head to toe.

She was just about to thank Shen Xiruo when she saw Shen Xiruo’s eyes crinkle as she said with a laugh: “Eat something nutritious. Contribute to our country’s sports industry.”

Jiang Qian: “…”

Hey, President Shen, your persona is crumbling, do you know that?