Rejected Farmer Becomes Tycoon

Gwen, has pig manure addled your brain? Tanyas shrill voice rang out as she jabbed a trembling finger at the piglet in my arms, her face twisted in disgust. You treat that trash like treasure? Marcus is a filthy pig farmer! Only a desperate loser settles for a peasant!

I stayed silent. The tiny piglet trembled against me, its fragile heartbeat proof I was alive, back before I was pushed into the septic tank.

Marcus stood rigid in our dirt yard, his face burning under neighbors stares. Two dazed piglets twitched on the gravel. His fists clenched until his knuckles whitened. "Tanya, these piglets are special"

"Shut up!" She yanked off a heel and hurled it at his chest. "Dont call me Tanya! Its vile! Ive endured enough. Your barnyard stench, your cheap gifts of produce and animals. Im going to be a star, Marcus. Being seen with a dirt-covered peasant ruins my reputation!"

The heel left a dusty smear on his worn shirt. He didnt flinch, but the light in his eyes dimmed. My chest tightened.

In my past life, Marcus endured this humiliation. When his genius made him a billionaire, Tanya altered her face, wept that our parents forced her to leave, and Marcus forgave her. Then she drowned me in the septic tank and poisoned him for his fortune.

This time, history would not repeat.

I stepped forward, cradling the piglet close, and gently brushed the dust from Marcus's chest.

"Since Tanya doesn't want them, these piglets belong to me now."

Tanya let out a harsh, mocking laugh, crossing her arms as she sneered at me.

"Gwen, are you really that desperate for a man? You're actually collecting my discarded garbage?"

"Fine! I'll happily bless this match made in heaven!"

"Mom! Dad! Come out here! Gwen is about to elope with the pig farmer!"

At Tanya's scream, the screen door of our farmhouse was thrown open, and my parents marched out, their faces dark with fury.

My mother didn't even hesitate, stepping forward to shove me hard against the wooden railing.

"You shameless, disgraceful girl!" she shrieked, her finger nearly poking my eye out. "Your sister is trying to end things with this loser, and you're out here making a fool of yourself?"

"Are you trying to give your father a heart attack?"

My father's face was as dark as a thundercloud, his calloused hand gripping his walking stick as he pointed it at Marcus.

"Get out! Take your filthy animals and get off my property!"

"If I ever catch you lurking around Tanya again, I'll break your legs!"

Marcus flinched, bending down to retrieve the remaining piglet from the gravel. I reached out, firmly grabbing his wrist. His hand was rough, covered in thick callouses from years of hard labor, but it was incredibly warm.

Looking directly into my parents' furious eyes, I spoke clearly, letting every neighbor hear.

"I'm keeping Marcus."

"And we are keeping these piglets."

"Since Tanya thinks he's not good enough, I'll take his hand instead."

Tanya doubled over with laughter, her voice dripping with malice.

"Oh my god! Mom, Dad, did you hear that?"

"My sister is so starved for affection she's actually willing to settle for a guy who smells like pig manure!"

"Fine, Gwen. This is your choice. When you're eating slop and sleeping in a barn, don't you dare come back crying to us!"

My mother searched the yard wildly, grabbing a broom.

"Unbelievable! Absolutely disgraceful!"

"How did I raise such a shameless leech?"

"If you walk out of this yard with that peasant, don't you ever think about calling us family again!"

I stared at these people, my biological family, with absolute detachment.

In my past life, when I was drowning in that septic tank, gasping for air and screaming for help, they had stood on the edge, watching me die. Tanya had convinced them that only my silence would guarantee the massive payout Marcus would offer to avoid a scandal. They had taken my blood money, used it to fund Tanya's career, and moved into a massive mansion.

I had absolutely no attachment left to this house.

Taking a deep breath, I tightened my grip on Marcus's hand.

"Fine."

"Remember those words."

"From this day on, I have no family."

Without looking back, I pulled the stunned Marcus toward the gate, leaving the screaming behind us.

Tanya's bitter curses followed us down the dirt road.

"Gwen! You'll regret this!"

"You're meant to spend your entire life crawling in the dirt!"

Regret?

A cold smile played on my lips.

Tanya, very soon, you'll see exactly who is destined to crawl in the dirt.

Once we reached the main road, Marcus stopped, gently pulling his hand from mine. He kept his head low, unable to look me in the eye.

"Gwen... please, don't do this. Don't ruin your life for me."

"I'm just a nobody. I'm not worthy of you."

"Go back and apologize to your parents. Don't throw away your family over a guy like me."

I turned to face him, staring at the honest, hardworking man. Who would believe that this shy, bruised farmer would one day control the global agricultural supply chain?

I lifted the piglet in my arms, holding it up between us.

"Marcus, do you trust me?"

He blinked, nodding instinctively. "Yes."

"Then take me to your farm."

I met his gaze, my voice steady. "I want to invest."

Marcus's farm sat at the base of the foothills. Calling it a farm was generous; it was mostly just a few run-down wooden barns surrounded by a wire fence. The air was a thick mix of fermented feed and manure.

In my past life, I would have wrinkled my nose.

But today, it smelled like absolute fortune.

Marcus scrambled to clear a dusty plastic chair, wiping it down frantically with his sleeve.

"Please, sit. It's dirty out here. I'm sorry."

I didn't sit, walking straight toward the pens.

The two piglets Tanya had thrown were already resting in a separate pen. They looked exhausted, but their eyes were bright and active.

Most piglets were a generic pink or black. But these piglets had a distinct, almost imperceptible tuft of golden hair behind their ears.

These were the legendary Kirin Swine.

In my past life, Marcus had utilized this rare, gene-edited breed to extract a highly specialized active enzyme. Not only did they produce the most premium meat on the market, but their biological profile was crucial for organ transplantation research.

A single mature breeding hog was worth a fortune.

"Marcus, these aren't ordinary farm pigs, are they?"

I turned to look at him. The water pitcher in his hand shook, spilling water onto the concrete floor.

He stared at me, his mouth slightly open. "How... how did you know?"

"A genetics professor at the university gave me these experimental specimens. He said if I could keep them alive, they could be worth millions."

"But they're incredibly fragile. The slightest temperature change or feed imbalance makes them sick. I've already poured all my savings into them."

"That's why Tanya left. She said I was throwing money down a drain..."

His expression darkened at the mention of her name. I walked over, taking the pitcher from his hands.

"She has no vision. It's her loss."

"Marcus, I have fifty thousand dollars in savings. I'm investing all of it in your farm."

"We're going to raise these Kirins together."

Marcus waved his hands frantically. "No! I can't take your money!"

"We don't even know if they'll survive the winter! I can't let you risk everything on me!"

I pulled out my phone, immediately executing the wire transfer right in front of him.

A quiet chime echoed from his pocket.

Marcus pulled out his phone, staring at the notification, his eyes suddenly filling with tears.

"Gwen..."

"Don't call me Gwen. Call me your partner."

I offered a small smile, rolling up my sleeves.

"From today on, I'm staying here."

"You buy the premium feed, and I'll handle the daily care."

Over the next few weeks, I moved into the small storage room next to the main barn.

I woke up before dawn every morning to mix the feed, wash the pens, and monitor the piglets' vital signs. Marcus was hesitant to let me work at first, but when he saw that my handling was even more efficient than his, he slowly let his guard down.

The two of us worked like clockwork, our entire world revolving around those piglets.

Meanwhile, the local gossip spread like wildfire.

When I went to the local general store to buy salt, a group of neighborhood women gossiping by the register immediately went quiet, whispering loudly enough for me to hear.

"Isn't that the older daughter from the Mercer family?"

"I heard she's already living with that pig farmer."

"Disgraceful. Throwing away a decent life just to shovel manure."

"Her sister Tanya is the one with real prospects. Apparently, she's dating some wealthy city boy, ready to move to a penthouse."

"That's just destiny, I suppose. The older sister was always meant to be a peasant."

I paid for my salt, keeping my face entirely blank as I walked out.

As I approached the farm gate, I spotted a sleek red BMW parked on the grass.

Tanya, dressed in a designer skirt, was clinging to the arm of a man in dark sunglasses, pointing at our wooden barns with a look of theatrical disgust. The man had bleached yellow hair, a heavy gold chain around his neck, and a smug, arrogant expression.

"Oh, look, my sister is back," Tanya drawled, dramatically clutching her nose as she leaned into the man's chest.

"Babe, look at her clothes. They look absolutely filthy."

"Keep your distance, sweetie. We don't want her ruining your Armani."

The yellow-haired man took off his sunglasses, scanning me with a dismissive smirk.

"So this is your idiot sister, Tanya?"

"She's not bad-looking, but she's clearly lacking in the brain department, settling for a beggar."

Hearing the noise, Marcus rushed out of the barn, holding a heavy manure bucket. Seeing Tanya, he instinctively tried to hide the bucket behind his back.

"What... what are you doing here?"

Tanya let out a dry, venomous chuckle.

"Just checking to see if you two are still breathing."

"Still playing with these pathetic pigs?"

"Marcus, let me introduce my boyfriend, Chad. His family owns a massive chain of supermarkets."

"If you drop to your knees and beg, maybe Chad can find you a job throwing boxes in his warehouse."

Chad wrapped his arm around Tanya's waist, looking incredibly pleased with himself.

"Exactly. You look like you have decent muscle. We pay three grand a month for heavy lifting. That should buy you plenty of pig feed, right? Haha!"

Marcus's face flushed deep red, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the handle of the bucket.

"We don't need your charity. Please leave."

Tanya's smile vanished, her eyes turning cold.

"Ungrateful loser!"

"Chad, let's go. This place smells like a dump."

As she turned to leave, her gaze settled on the piglets in the pen.

"Oh, by the way, sister."

"I hear these genetic pigs are your entire life?"

"Make sure you watch them closely. It would be a shame if they suddenly dropped dead."

With a cruel smirk, she pulled a dark chocolate bar from her designer bag and tossed it directly into the pen.

"Here, you filthy animals! Enjoy!"

The smallest Golden Kirin piglet immediately trotted toward the chocolate, sniffing it curiously. Chocolate is highly toxic to pigs.

My heart leapt into my throat. Dropping the salt, I lunged over the wooden railing.

"Don't touch it!"

I snatched the chocolate away just as the piglet's teeth clamped down, its sharp tusk grazing the back of my hand, leaving a long, bleeding scratch.

Tanya watched my frantic struggle, laughing hysterically.

"Oh my god, Gwen! Are you actually fighting a pig for food?"

"You must be absolutely starving!"

Chad joined in her laughter as he started the BMW.

The car kicked up a massive cloud of dust as they roared down the dirt road.

I clutched the crushed chocolate bar in my hand, watching the dust settle with a cold, unwavering focus.

Marcus dropped his bucket, rushing to my side to grab my bleeding hand.

"Gwen! Are you okay? Does it hurt?"

He was sweating profusely, tears of anxiety welling in his eyes.

"This is my fault... I'm so useless..."

I pulled my hand back, casually wiping the blood on my jeans.

"Don't cry, Marcus."

"Tears don't solve anything."

I squeezed my hand, crushing the chocolate to dust.

"Remember the humiliation they brought us today."

"Very soon, I will make sure they pay it back a hundredfold."

A month later, the piglets were thriving.

The golden tufts behind their ears were becoming more pronounced, and their growth rate far exceeded that of ordinary breeds. Marcus spent his evenings recording data, practically vibrating with excitement.

"Gwen! At this rate, they'll be ready for evaluation in two months!"

"The professor said if this first generation survives, we can extract the active enzyme for lab testing."

"If the data meets the standard, pharmaceutical companies will buy them at a premium; easily a hundred times the price of ordinary livestock!"

A hundred times.

That was hundreds of thousands of dollars.

But I knew this was only the beginning. The real value of these Kirins lay in their genetic patent. That was a multi-billion-dollar asset.

However, trouble always travels faster than fortune.

One afternoon, while I was mixing the grain feed, our farm gate was violently kicked open.

My parents marched into the yard, followed by several burly men. Leading them was a middle-aged man with a severe limp, a pockmarked face, and a greasy, unsettling smile.

It was Greer, a wealthy but notoriously abusive bachelor from the neighboring town. He had a reputation for violence, and three of his previous wives had fled the state to escape him.

Seeing Greer, my stomach turned.

"Mom, Dad, what is the meaning of this?" I demanded, stepping in front of the pen, my hand gripping a shovel.

My mother lunged forward, trying to grab my arm.

"What does it look like? We're taking you home to secure your future!"

"Have you lost your mind, living in this dump?"

"Your sister Tanya is entering a major modeling competition and needs funding to secure her connections."

"Mr. Greer has offered a twenty-thousand-dollar dowry for your hand!"

"Pack your things and marry him today!"

Twenty thousand dollars?

To fund Tanya's vanity, they were willing to sell me to a known abuser?

I let out a cold, bitter laugh.

"If Tanya needs money so badly, why don't you sell her?"

"Why is it always my life on the line?"

"How dare you!" my father roared, stepping forward to strike my shoulder with his walking stick. The impact sent a sharp jolt of pain through my back, nearly forcing me to my knees.

"Disgraceful girl! How dare you speak of your sister that way?"

"Tanya is destined for greatness! You're nothing but dirt!"

"Being able to support your sister is the only useful thing you'll ever do!"

Greer let out a greasy chuckle, revealing a row of yellow teeth as he limped toward me.

"So this is Gwen? You certainly have spirit."

"Come with me. As long as you know your place, I won't have to discipline you too harshly."

He reached out a beefy hand to grab my wrist.

"Get away from me!"

I swung the shovel, striking his hand with the flat of the metal. Greer let out a sharp howl, clutching his bruised fingers.

"You little bitch! Grab her! Tie her up and throw her in the truck!"

The hired thugs immediately closed in.

"Marcus!" I screamed.

Marcus, who had been cutting clover in the hills, came running at the sound of my voice. Seeing the scene, his eyes turned bloodshot with fury.

"Get your hands off her!"

He brandished his scythe, charging the thugs like a wild animal. But he was outnumbered. Within seconds, several men tackled him to the ground, punches raining down on his face until blood dripped from his lip.

Two men pinned my arms behind my back, rendering me completely helpless.

My mother gestured frantically to the truck.

"Hurry! Throw her in!"

"Mr. Greer, when will the funds clear?"

Greer spat on the ground, glaring at me with venomous promise.

"The second she's locked in my basement, the money is yours."

"She has a wild mouth. I'll make sure to break her in once we get home!"