The next day...

At around 10:00 a.m. the next morning, Xiang Yi received a call from her manager, Ah Nan.

He anxiously asked, "My dear, are you awake?"

The previous Xiang Yi had a severe case of morning moods; she wasn't a morning person. If he had accidentally disrupted her, he would receive a bloody scolding.

Xiang Yi turned on her speaker and placed her phone on the plant rack. She then picked up her garden scissors and continued to trim the wilted petals from her daisies.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Her biological clock was quite accurate. No matter where she was, she would wake up at 7:00 a.m. sharp, unless it was raining or snowing.

Ah Nan breathed a sigh of relief, trying to flatter her, "My dear, do you want to think about that reality show from last time? After all, you don't have any jobs, so you're idle anyway..."

Xiang Yi thought for a moment. "Why don't you come to my house and we'll discuss it in person. I'll send you the address."

After she hung up, Ah Nan couldn't understand. Was Xiang Yi living at her company's condo? Did she move?

An hour later...

Ah Nan gazed at the magnificent black wrought-iron gate, and his eyes widened.

In front of the European style villa was a Roman fountain. The gardenoh no, it should be called a manorwas fully planted with flowers. During the end of spring at this time, roses bloomed most vibrantly. At glance, there were at least a dozen species of flowers, shrubs, and vines.

Behind it, extending endlessly was the vegetable field.

From afar, it looked like a farm.

The door opened automatically. Not far away, Xiang Yi was wearing a white cotton skirt and a light-colored straw hat. She waved at him, holding a hand-woven rattan basket with freshly picked fruits and vegetables.

Ah Nan anxiously jogged to Xiang Yi's side and stared at her. "My dear, did you get kidnapped to come here? Like in the novel where the overbearing CEO shuts you in and won't let you leave? You have to stay and be his pet canary..."

Xiang Yi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Don't worry, our country has reliable criminal law. This is the house my mother left me. No one is restricting my freedom."

Ah Nan breathed a sigh of relief, then curiously asked, "Why do you have so many vegetable plots? The soil texture here doesn't seem fit for farming."

He knew little of Xiang Yi's family background, but was aware that she came from wealth, so he wasn't that surprised.

"Oh, it used to be a golf course, but it was renovated."

Ah Nan: ???

He was in a daze. 'Are all rich people's lives this simple, down to earth, and unpretentious'

"It's time to eat. There's some leftover rice from yesterday. How about egg fried rice?" Xiang Yi turned to ask.

Ah Nan: "Huh? Do you have a maid? I don't know how to cook..."

In his subconscious, he knew that Xiang Yi didn't know how to either.

"I do."

"...My dear, you're amazing! Truly amazing!" Ah Nan boasted without conscience. As a manager who prided himself in kissing a.s.s, it had become his professional accomplishment to applaud his own idols.

"Hey, my dear, you haven't shown your face in a long time. How about live-streaming your cooking process?"

So what if it was bound to be 'black stir-fry'*? Views were views.

Ah Nan comforted himself in an optimistic spirit. No matter how disgusting Xiang Yi's cooking was, he would brace himself for death and take a bite.

*Translator's Note: 'Black stir-fry' refers to a term from the Japanese manga 'Chuka Ichiban' and has become adapted into internet slang to describe foods from mysterious origins often bought at road stalls. It's also used to describe food produced by amateurs, or food that is unconventional and not accepted by general standards.