The story begins in the early summer of 2035. Feng Che, the young president of the Feng Group, is cornered by the board and reluctantly brings out a “jadeite baby bok choy” grown in his own backyard. It unexpectedly cures a key shareholder who controls the lifeblood of the group, allowing Feng Che to hold on to his position as president for the time being. At first, all Feng Che wants is to be an “urban farmer” who can steal a little leisure amid the concrete and steel. He carefully keeps his secret of “handcrafting plants” hidden from both Su Wan, his star executive assistant, and Lin Xi, the florist next door.
But great treasure brings trouble. The release of his miraculous vegetables draws the fire of Hongtu Heavy Industries, a synthetic food giant, and Feng Che is forced to fight back. A business rivalry turns into a sweeping social debate over “natural versus synthetic.” Along the way, the vegetables entangle Feng Che with the likes of Empress Shen Yunjin and Saintess Ye Linglong. He also gradually unlocks Shennong’s memories hidden in his genes and builds a vast commercial moat.
As his influence spirals out of control, the multinational giant Umbrella discovers Feng Che’s identity as “Subject Zero.” The mad scientist Mo Yuan sees Feng Che as the key to evolution and sends one cyborg and bioengineered monster after another to hunt him down. Feng Che’s peaceful life is shattered, and he must choose between looking after himself and helping the whole world. In the end, faced with a global virus released by Mo Yuan to purge “inferior genes,” Feng Che pours his life energy into the global plant network and triggers an unprecedented “global bloom.” Nature’s vitality purifies industrial toxins, carrying him on a legendary leap from “farmer” to “gardener of the planet.” In the very garden where it all began, he and the women he loves welcome a true harvest.
