At the end of each month, all 520 shops in Green Plant Plaza competed to see who had the highest sales.
The rankings varied every month.
But this month’s results were obvious.
Shop 505 was undoubtedly the winner.
Thanks to Xia Ze’s wedding, their flowers and plants had sold exceptionally well.
However, due to the conflict between Shop 505 and Xia Ze, most of the group chat was still dripping with sarcasm.
A few were teasing the first-floor shop owners about their promise to wash their hair while standing on their heads—they had once claimed they’d do it if sunflowers could ever be cultivated to A-grade quality.
[Ah, if only I could make it into the top ten in sales this month.]
[Same here.]
[Top seven would be fine, I’m not picky.]
[You’re on the 50th floor, aim higher! Go for first place!]
[First place is definitely Shop 505.]
[I wonder if Shop 505’s sales figures feel too hot to handle.]
Shop 505: [We earned those sales fair and square. What’s there to feel guilty about?]
Just as the message was sent, sharp-eyed members noticed new additions to the group.
First, someone named Xia Ze was added, followed by all the staff from Shop 506, joining the main chat one after another.
The group instantly fell silent.
Xia Ze!
The legendary Xia Ze!
Many might not have met him in person, but they had heard countless stories about him!
A stunning Omega from a garbage planet, married to the empire’s youngest general.
The man who had cultivated sunflowers with double petals, achieving A-grade quality!
The once-rowdy group chat suddenly became reserved.
Who would dare act recklessly in front of such a beautiful Omega? Everyone has their pride to maintain.
After sending a cute bunny emoji greeting to the group, Xia Ze didn’t check his messages further. Today, he had to tend to his daffodils they had been sitting around for a while, but he’d been too busy.
Not only did he have to care for the daffodils, but he also had dozens of other flower varieties to cultivate.
He had initially thought the previous batch of sunflowers would keep his shop stocked for a while, ensuring they wouldn’t run out of plants to sell. Yet, to his surprise, they sold out in less than a day.
This time, with over three to four thousand plants of various types, he was certain he could fill the shelves!
Seeing this, Jian Wen excused herself and returned to her own shop.
Many plant cultivators had their own secret techniques and disliked others watching.
Xia Ze didn’t particularly mind, but he appreciated Jian Wen’s discretion.
Everyone in Shop 506 was busy, completely unaware that someone had already posted about his conflict with Shop 505 online.
The original intention had been to criticize Xia Ze for causing trouble with his neighbor so soon after arriving at the Green Plant Mall. However, the discussion that followed took an unexpected turn.
[Damn, he just gifted an entire plant shop.]
[I don’t even dare step foot inside the Green Plant Mall, I can’t afford anything on the first floor.]
[And it’s a shop on the 50th floor? Terrifying.]
[General Qi really loves him.]
[He really does.]
[I heard Xia Ze’s plant cultivation skills are decent, though.]
[Well, with General Qi backing him, someone’s bound to buy from him, right?]
[Honestly, shops like these are usually managed by professionals, just something for wealthy spouses to pass the time.]
[Whispering… General Qi didn’t just gift a plant shop, you know.]
[What else? Jewelry? That’s boring, give us something new.]
[Jewelry? Wrong. It’s a shared marital account meaning the Qi family’s generational wealth is now jointly owned with Xia Ze.]
[?????]
[!!!!]
[??? Are you kidding me!!!!]
[He really loves him….]
[Why does this give off slight simp vibes…]
[God, sharing the Qi family fortune… That man is terrifying.]
[Are you all missing the point? Isn’t Xia Ze being super arrogant, picking a fight with Shop 505 right after arriving?]
[Dude, come on they’re competitors. What’s the big deal about a conflict?]
[If I remember correctly, Shop 505 only got popular because of Xia Ze’s wedding, right? They profited off his name and still started trouble that’s shady.]
[That shop belongs to the Dier family. They only managed to supply flowers and plants because of Duchess Dier’s connections. Xia Ze didn’t even make a fuss about it at the time, he was already being generous.]
[Honestly, Xia Ze probably didn’t even know. The wedding was too chaotic.]
[True, it was an emergency, they couldn’t change suppliers last minute.]
[Whatever. All I know is, General Qi really loves him.]
[Yeah, a shop that big is probably just for Xia Ze to play around with. Profitability doesn’t matter when they have a shared account.]
[A shared account. Why even bother running a business?]
[Exactly. They’re set for generations. A plant shop? Who cares.]
[I heard the Green Plant Mall will release sales rankings at the end of the month. We’ll see then.]
The opinions on the Star Network were largely the same everyone marveled at General Qi’s generosity and how deeply in love the couple seemed.
They still thought the plant shop was just a hobby, Xia Ze clearly didn’t need the money.
The original poster was speechless.
Can you people only see their lovey-dovey moments???
Why can’t you focus on the actual business?
The instigators gave up after failing to stir trouble, not daring to make a scene again, General Qi’s ruthless crackdown from before was still fresh in their minds.
Rumors said even the hideout of the troublemaking space pirates had been blown up. No one dared to cross that line now.
Meanwhile, Xia Ze remained absorbed in cultivating plants in Greenhouse 506.
Mu Ming, his assistant, was improving at an astonishing rate.
Mostly thanks to his natural talent and Xia Ze’s willingness to teach, while the other staff handled miscellaneous tasks.
By tomorrow, they could restock several new batches.
They could also list the cultivated flowers and plants on the Green Plant Emporium’s unified website, allowing customers to browse and order via digital screens.
After days of inactivity, Greenhouse 506 gradually began restocking flowers.
The first to return were sunflowers, the seeds they’d saved were clearly high-quality, with an exceptionally high rate of double-petal blooms.
A few common varieties of small chrysanthemums and multicolored bellflowers, all delicate and charming.
Unfortunately, roses and other such flowers still needed a few more days, so these would have to do for now.
What Xia Ze considered “making do,” others saw as breathtakingly beautiful.
Everything was progressing smoothly.
The only downside was that Xia Ze felt understaffed.
The only ones skilled in cultivation were himself and the junior botanist Mu Ming.
The other employees could only handle odd jobs.
It seemed they needed to hire more people.
The manager of 506 suggested, “We could check the Botanical Testing Center, skilled botanists often gather there. I can also post job listings online.”
Though the latter option was far less efficient.
Competent botanists were in high demand everywhere.
The manager added, “Actually, a while back, a top-tier expert appeared at the testing center. He submitted five plants, three of which hadn’t even withered yet. All five were rated S-tier. It was insane.”
“Lately, a lot of business owners have been camping out there, trying to recruit him.”
Wow, someone that skilled?
Xia Ze perked up. “Really? I should go check it out. Maybe we can hire him.”
The chauffeur sipping tea nearby nearly spat out his drink.
Uh…
Is there a chance…
That legendary expert is you?
Come to think of it, their young master still had three plants at the testing center.
Why hadn’t there been any updates? It had been over ten days.
What was taking so long with those test results?
As if on cue, an email arrived in Xia Ze’s inbox that afternoon.
The tone was so earnest it made him pause.
The gist was: The test results for your remaining three plants are ready!
Given the unusual circumstances, could you please come in person?!
If you can’t, then we’ll wait for you! At your convenience!
Since when had the prestigious Botanical Testing Center ever been this humble?
But they had no choice!
When submitting the plants and flowers, the expert had sent his chauffeur.
When collecting the S-tier flower test results, again just the chauffeur.
Now, for the ultra S-tier succulent test results, could he please not send the chauffeur this time?!
PLEASE, this is seriously important to us!
At the Green Plant Testing Center, all the top executives were gathered, many with red-rimmed eyes as they stared unblinkingly at the testing equipment.
A succulent that would normally only last four or five days had now survived for twelve days and still showed signs of life.
Still alive!
An S-grade rating could no longer do justice to its remarkable resilience.
Only an S+ grade could truly represent the skill of the legendary Gabriel.
The Green Plant Testing Center even invited senior researchers from the Natural Science Research Institute to determine whether it was a 2S or 3S grade, the final verdict would come from the Academy.
This was an unprecedented situation for the Green Plant Testing Center.
A newly registered green plant cultivator presenting an S-grade plant completely shattered their understanding.
During this period, they couldn’t eat or sleep properly, dreaming only of the plants cultivated by this master.
Even the higher-ups at the testing center began considering ways to befriend him.
After all, who didn’t have someone in their family struggling with mental energy issues? Who wouldn’t want to purchase plants of this quality?
Such a rare opportunity, they absolutely had to buy them!
Thus, this earnest email was sent.
Xia Ze, however, wasn’t particularly fazed.
His earlier absence from the testing center had simply been due to bad timing.
Since he needed to visit the center anyway to recruit some technicians, he figured he might as well pick up the report while he was there.
When the higher-ups at the testing center received Xia Ze’s reply, they erupted in cheers.
Finally!
They would get to meet the master!
Finally, they would learn who this mysterious expert was!
Only Colin and the others, who had been specially invited, took a deep breath.
They knew who the owner of these succulents was and suspected that this batch might even surpass 3S level.
Meanwhile, in the Green Plant Mall’s group chat, someone shared the news.
[AHHHHH THE MASTER IS GOING TO THE GREEN PLANT TESTING CENTER TOMORROW!!!!]
[Are you stupid?? Why post it in the group??]
[Doesn’t matter if it’s posted or not, everyone in the industry will find out anyway.]
[My boss already packed a tent and left. He’s camping outside the testing center tonight to secure a good spot for meeting the master.]
[Damn, that’s dedication (grabs sleeping bag to join the queue).]
[Well, insider info says this master will probably be recruited by the Natural Science Academy. Don’t get your hopes up.]
[????? Why are they snatching people too????]
[No worries, I’ll offer a sky-high part-time contract.]
[Ugh, rich people think they can do anything.]
Xia Ze’s eyes lit up.
What a coincidence, he was going to meet the master tomorrow!
Maybe they could even exchange cultivation tips!
The driver beside him hesitated, wanting to say something.
Something about this whole situation just felt, off.
XD