Chapter 180: Stumped by a Farm!

Chapter 180: Stumped by a Farm!

Zhang Lin was well aware of what Jin Zhengkang meant.

If he didn't have the system, or if Ma Jun wasn't recruited through the game, he would have thought twice about crossing the president of Huannong University. After all, Huannong University had significant influence in the agricultural sector, and a single phone call could cause major headaches for any agricultural enterprise.

But with the system, the situation was different.

Yucheng was supporting him, the provincial agricultural department and research institute owed him a favor, the People's Daily was backing him, and he had the whitening sweet potato. He also had over 16.8 million fans. Why would he be afraid of threats?

Moreover, Huannong University was in the north, while his connections were in the south. How much influence could Huannong University really have?

So, he paid no attention to Jin Zhengkang's threats and calmly replied, "President Jin, I know what to do. I'll do what needs to be done and avoid what doesn't."

"That's good to hear," Jin Zhengkang thought Zhang Lin was agreeing with him. "Huannong University owes Liyuan Farm a favor, so we'll recommend some top agricultural graduates to your farm."

"Uh!" Zhang Lin was taken aback.

Was the other side misunderstanding something?

Besides, did he really need their recommendations? From Ma Jun's case, it was clear that their recommendations would likely be favoritism.

Before he could say anything, the call was already disconnected.

This...

Right then, Liu Xian's number came through. He immediately answered, and the other side asked, "Mr. Zhang, how did your farm get involved with Ma Jun? Huannong University has a lot of connections in agriculture!"

It was clear that Liu Xian was worried and had called to check on the situation.

Thanks to the Liyuan Farm bamboo maze, Yucheng had gained significant attention again. The influx of people for the 10 million bee larvae had greatly boosted the local economy.

Everything was going well until he discovered that Liyuan Farm was involved in the Ma Jun incident.

Because he had been following the news about Liyuan Farm, he had seen the news about Ma Jun.

After reading the news, he understood the situation.

But then he saw the announcement that Liyuan Farm was hiring Ma Jun for 100,000 a month. This sudden development was unexpected.

He was afraid that Mr. Zhang would be at a disadvantage with Huannong University, so he called immediately.

Zhang Lin quickly said, "Mr. Liu, I have to hire Ma Jun. His research is crucial to our farm, even more important than the whitening sweet potato!"

Liu Xian was clearly surprised and asked, "Really?"

"Really," Zhang Lin confirmed. Since the system had given the special Golden Sun Rose seeds a backstory, he had no reason not to use it.

"In that case, forget about Huannong University. Mr. Zhang, you must get Ma Jun. Such talent should come to Yucheng, not be wasted!" Liu Xian said without hesitation.

He didn't know much about Ma Jun, but he knew two things: one, the whitening sweet potato was amazing and crucial to Yucheng. Two, Mr. Zhang never acted without reason. If Ma Jun could develop something even better than the whitening sweet potato, then Ma Jun should definitely contribute to Yucheng.

"Don't worry, Mr. Liu. Ma Jun won't get away," Zhang Lin smiled, feeling supported.

"That's great!" Liu Xian hung up and immediately called someone else.

Since Ma Jun was so important, and Mr. Zhang was hiring him, it would be disadvantageous for Huannong University, causing significant turmoil. They wouldn't let it go, so he needed to call the provincial authorities for support.

Honestly, Huannong University had little influence in Min Province.

At Liyuan Farm, after hanging up with Liu Xian, Zhang Lin turned to Lin Muxue and instructed, "Send out an announcement welcoming Ma Jun to our farm. We believe he can prove himself here!"

"Yes, boss!" Lin Muxue nodded.

She had seen the news online and wasn't sure about the truth at first. But now that the boss decided to hire Ma Jun, it confirmed the news was true.

The president of Huannong University was despicable.

Thinking about his attitude, he was a typical antagonist.

Zhang Lin's decision was inspiring, helping a young man who faced injustice stand up against the antagonist.

Soon, Lin Muxue posted the announcement welcoming Ma Jun to Liyuan Farm.

With the news about Ma Jun already widespread, this announcement caused a major stir!

Many people realized there might be more to the story, especially given Liyuan Farm's credibility.

In Nan City, Jin Zhengkang returned to his office after meeting a friend, still in a good mood from handling the Liyuan Farm issue.

Since Liyuan Farm had been reasonable, he didn't need to use his connections against them.

But Ma Jun was still a problem, and he couldn't let Ma Jun turn things around.

Just then, his son rushed in, looking anxious, which made him frown. "What's wrong? I thought it was all settled."

"Dad, look at Liyuan Farm's new video. They publicly announced Ma Jun's hiring!"

"What? They agreed to stop."

Jin Zhengkang immediately opened Liyuan Farm's account and saw the announcement video.

Worse, the tide of public opinion had shifted, as evident from the comments.

"Liyuan Farm must have an inside story!"

"I trust Liyuan Farm since they're supporting Ma Jun."

"If it's true, Huannong University is despicable."

"..."

Jin Zhengkang's face darkened. He felt humiliated, thinking he had been played.

"Damn it, this can't be left alone!" Jin Zhengkang took out his phone and made several calls.

"Right, I need your help. Is there anyone who can put pressure on Liyuan Farm to remove the video?"

"Yes, I hope you can help. Use your connections to pressure Liyuan Farm to delete the video."

"I need your help. Liyuan Farm's announcement is damaging our school. We need to teach them a lesson."

Jin Zhengkang had been on the phone nonstop and was now sitting in his office, waiting for news. He had made so many calls, and he was confident that at least one of his connections would be able to deal with Liyuan Farm. All he had to do now was wait.

Liyuan Farm had made a mistake by thinking that their reputation would protect them from him. This world was far more complex than they imagined.

After what felt like an eternity, Jin Zhengkang's phone rang. Seeing the number, he immediately answered, "How did it go?"

"It's a bit difficult. The connection I found didn't even bother to respond to me," came the voice on the other end.

"..." Jin Zhengkang frowned and hung up, muttering a curse. However, he had made so many calls, and if one didn't work, there were always others.

No need to rush.

Not long after, the phone rang again. He answered it right away, "Did you find a connection?"

The voice on the other end sounded embarrassed, "I found someone, but they have a lot of influence in Min Province. They said they don't want to get involved with Liyuan Farm."

"..." Jin Zhengkang was about to curse. Two failed attempts in a row gave him a bad feeling.

The third call came in immediately. As soon as he answered, the voice on the other end said, "There's nothing we can do. It seems they've already been warned, and they're not giving us any face."

"..." Jin Zhengkang's face turned pale at the news. His bad feeling had become a reality.

Just then, another call came in. Seeing the number, he felt a wave of panic and answered quickly, "Hello, sir. What do you need?"

The voice on the other end was direct, "Stop looking for connections to target Liyuan Farm. They've already reached out to me. Don't make this situation worse. Give them what they want, and understand my meaning. Don't escalate this further!"

The last part was a clear warning. After hanging up, Jin Zhengkang slumped into his chair, feeling utterly powerless.

His superior was clearly unhappy.

Before, even if Ma Jun had been wronged, the public opinion was on their side. Justice seemed to be theirs, and it didn't matter how they acted.

Now, the tide had turned. More people believed in Liyuan Farm, and the public opinion had shifted. His superior was not pleased.

The message was clear: don't make this worse.

With a heavy heart, he looked at his son, "Son, you might not be able to join that lab. It will have to go to the third-place candidate. Also, your girlfriend will be fired. You need to go and talk to her, take the blame, and make sure it doesn't affect your sister."

This was the only way to quickly resolve the situation.

But he couldn't help feeling frustrated. As the president of Huannong University, he couldn't believe he was powerless against a single farm.

...

Time passed.

On the train to Liyuan Farm, Ma Jun listened to the tourists discussing and praising the farm, feeling increasingly proud.

He had never been to Liyuan Farm, but his sense of belonging to it grew stronger with each passing moment.

Especially after seeing the video from Liyuan Farm welcoming him on board, he knew his life was now tied to the farm.

The train arrived, and he found the station crowded with people, the lines stretching like a long dragon. It took him over 40 minutes to exit the station, and he then hailed a taxi to Liyuan Farm.

As the car pulled up to the farm, he felt a sense of familiarity and warmth.

It felt like home.

With a small backpack, he headed straight for the farm's office center. However, he was stopped by a security guard at the entrance.

Inside the office center, Zhang Lin and Liu De were walking out. Zhang Lin was planning to take Liu De to the site where they would plant the next 500-acre field of rapeseed flowers. The farm was already receiving more visitors than it could handle, and he hoped this new field would help divert the crowd by 5,000 visitors a day.

Additionally, the sales of the moisturizing cream were still low, so he wanted to plant another batch of rapeseed flowers to produce more cream and boost sales. This would also help reduce the number of inquiries they received on Xiaoyin.

The rapeseed flowers grew quickly, so they needed to use curtains to prevent too much attention from being drawn to the area.

They needed to conduct a site inspection.

As they stepped out of the office center, Zhang Lin saw the young man being stopped by the security guard and paused, "Ma Jun, you're here."

Ma Jun was about to call Mr. Zhang when he heard his name. His face lit up, "Mr. Zhang, I'm here to report for duty."

He recognized Mr. Zhang from their video call and felt an immediate sense of warmth. To him, Mr. Zhang was his benefactor.

"Good, we're heading to the rapeseed flower planting site. Would you like to come along?" Zhang Lin invited him.

"Sure, I'll follow Mr. Zhang's lead," Ma Jun nodded and respectfully followed behind Zhang Lin.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end