Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

Before Lin Xiao finished speaking, my heart sank, and a chill instantly spread throughout my body. An unprecedented sense of despair wrapped around my heart like a vine, making it almost impossible for me to breathe.

"Tell me slowly, what happened?" Bai Hanchuan asked solemnly, with a barely perceptible tremor in his tone.

Lin Xiao took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and said intermittently: "We...several flower shops we had contacted before suddenly...suddenly changed their minds and refused to cooperate with us anymore. And...and..."

"And what?" I asked anxiously, the ominous premonition in my heart becoming stronger and stronger.

"Moreover," Lin Xiao gritted his teeth and spoke with great determination, "They... they also joined forces with several large flower markets to boycott our products. Now... now the flowers from our planting base are almost impossible to find in the entire market..."

Lin Xiao's words were like a bolt from the blue, completely shattering my last glimmer of hope. My eyes went dark, my body swayed, and I almost fainted. Fortunately, Bai Hanchuan was quick to catch me.

"How could this happen? How could this happen..." I muttered to myself, my mind going blank.

"Someone must be behind this!" Bai Hanchuan slammed his fist on the desk and said through gritted teeth, "I will never let them go!"

The next few days were extremely dark for us. Competitors were suppressing us step by step, and the situation of our planting base was getting worse and worse. The market share was almost zero, the capital chain was on the verge of breaking, and many employees were forced to leave...

"Mr. Mu, this is the financial statement for this month. Please...please take a look at it." Lin Xiao put a document in front of me and said in a heavy tone.

I opened the report with trembling hands. The numbers on it were shocking, like sharp blades, mercilessly piercing my eyes and my heart.

“How could this happen… How could this happen…” I weakly put down the report, tears blurring my vision.

"Mr. Mu, don't be too sad. We...we will think of a solution..." Lin Xiao comforted me, but her voice became smaller and smaller, and weaker and weaker.

I looked up and saw Lin Xiao's tired face and the tears in her eyes. My heart ached like a knife. I knew that she had been running around and thinking hard about the planting base for a while, but the final result was so cruel...

"Lin Xiao, go away, leave here and find your own future." I said to Lin Xiao, suppressing the grief in my heart.

"Mr. Mu, what are you talking about? I...how can I leave at this time?" Lin Xiao became anxious when he heard that, and tears flowed down his face uncontrollably.

"Be obedient, Lin Xiao," I grabbed her hand and said firmly, "There is no point for you to stay here. Instead of sinking here with me, why not go out and try your luck? Maybe you can find new hope..."

Lin Xiao wanted to say something else, but I interrupted him, "Okay, Lin Xiao, stop talking. Go away, go away..."

Lin Xiao looked at me, tears falling like beads from a broken string. Finally, she looked at me deeply, turned around and ran out.

Watching Lin Xiao leave, I couldn't hold back my tears. I knew that our planting base had really reached the end of the road...

"Knock knock knock--" There was a sudden knock on the door. I raised my head suddenly and a glimmer of hope ignited in my heart. Could it be... could it be that Lin Xiao came back?

"Come in!" I took a deep breath, tried to control my emotions, and said in a deep voice.

The office door was slowly pushed open, and an old figure appeared at the door. My heart sank instantly...

"Mr. Zhang..." I called out weakly. The person who came was Mr. Zhang, the retired gardening master who had been silently supporting us. Behind him was a middle-aged man whom I had never seen before.

Mr. Zhang staggered to me, his face full of fatigue and helplessness, "Girl, I tried my best and contacted a few old friends. They are willing to help, but..."

I smiled bitterly, for I knew that the "old friends" that Mr. Zhang mentioned were just small-scale flower shop owners. Under the strong suppression from competitors, their support was undoubtedly a drop in the bucket.

"This is..." My eyes turned to the man behind Mr. Zhang. He looked gentle and elegant, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and carrying a briefcase in his hand.

"This is Professor Li, a botany expert. After I heard about the difficulties your base was facing, I specially asked him to help." Mr. Zhang introduced.

Professor Li pushed his glasses and said gently, "Ms. Mu, I have carefully studied the flower varieties you have cultivated. They do have great market potential. It's just that..."

"Just what?" I asked anxiously, a glimmer of hope igniting in my heart.

Professor Li sighed and said, "It's just that the market is currently monopolized by several large companies. They have strong financial resources and extensive channels. It is very difficult to break out..."

Professor Li's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over my head, extinguishing the last glimmer of hope in my heart.

At this moment, the office door was roughly pushed open again, and a fat man with a fleshy face walked in, followed by several bodyguards in black. It was our competitor, Zhao Dafa, the owner of Rongfa Flowers.

Zhao Dafa looked at me smugly, with a cunning smile on his face, "Mu Jinli, I've said it before, you're not qualified to fight me! Now, I'm going to take over your planting base!"

He threw a document onto my desk and said arrogantly, "This is the acquisition agreement. For five million, I will buy your planting base, including all flower varieties and planting techniques. How about it, am I kind enough?"

I picked up the document and took a look at it. I was so angry that I was shaking all over. Five million yuan is enough to buy the planting base that we have worked so hard to run. It is simply wishful thinking!

"Zhao Dafa, don't go too far!" Bai Hanchuan stood up suddenly and glared at Zhao Dafa.

Zhao Dafa snorted coldly and said nonchalantly: "Why, you think it's too little? To tell you the truth, five million is already a charity given to you for the sake of your dead father. If you know what's good for you, sign it quickly, otherwise..."

He paused, a hint of viciousness flashed in his eyes, "Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude!"

I took a deep breath, threw the document in my hand fiercely at Zhao Dafa's face, and said word by word: "Zhao Dafa, you..."

"Zhao Dafa, forget it!" I interrupted him, my anger almost swallowing me up, "You want to buy my hard work for five million? I tell you, you're dreaming!"

I grabbed the documents on the table and tore them into pieces. The scraps of paper flew in the air, just like my broken heart. Bai Hanchuan hugged me and said to Zhao Dafa in a firm tone: "Zhao Dafa, even if we lose everything, we will never let you succeed!"

Seeing how determined we were, the smile on Zhao Dafa's face gradually disappeared, replaced by a sinister look. "If you don't accept my offer, you will be punished! Do you think you can save the planting base like this? I tell you, within three days, your planting base will be completely destroyed! When that happens, don't cry and beg me!"

After saying that, Zhao Dafa left with his bodyguards, leaving the room in a mess and filled with an atmosphere of despair.

In the following days, as Zhao Dafa said, we fell into an unprecedented predicament. Partners terminated cooperation one after another, banks urged loans, workers were also panicked, and the entire planting base seemed to be shrouded in dark clouds, with no hope in sight.

"Are you really going to give up?" I leaned weakly on Bai Hanchuan's shoulder, with a hint of sobs in my voice. Bai Hanchuan gently stroked my hair and said firmly, "Don't be afraid. Even if the sky falls, I will be with you!"

Just when we were almost in despair, an anonymous letter was mailed to me. There was no signature on the envelope, only a few simple words "Mu Jinli". I opened the envelope with trembling hands, took out the letter inside, and lines of beautiful handwriting came into my eyes:

"I know who is behind this. I can help you, but please trust me..."

At the end of the letter, there is an address and time.

Bai Hanchuan and I held the anonymous letter tightly, and a spark of hope rekindled in our eyes. We knew that this might be our last chance, and we had to seize it no matter what.

"Let's go, let's go and take a look..." I took Bai Hanchuan's hand and walked out the door firmly.

In the rental house, the dim light shone on our faces, reflecting our tightly clasped hands and the anonymous letter. The letter paper had been rubbed repeatedly by us, and the edges had become frayed, but we didn't care at all, because this letter was the only ray of sunshine that could shine into our dark lives in the past few days.

"Who do you think it could be?" I murmured to myself, familiar faces flashing through my mind. Lin Xiao, it's impossible, she has been running around for the base's affairs during this period and is extremely worried; those old employees of the planting base, it's impossible too, they have watched the base develop bit by bit and have deep feelings for the base.

Bai Hanchuan shook his head, he couldn't figure it out. "No matter who it is, we have to go and take a look." He said firmly, as if he had made a major decision. I looked at his resolute profile, and a warm current surged in my heart. Yes, no matter who it is, as long as there is a glimmer of hope, we must hold on to it tightly!

The address on the letter was a bit remote, located in a teahouse at the junction of the city and the suburbs. The next day, we arrived at the teahouse at the agreed time. The tea aroma was thick, and there were not many people in the quaint teahouse. We ordered a pot of Biluochun as the letter said, and sat by the window and waited quietly.

Time passed by minute by minute, and my heart became more and more nervous with the beating of the second hand. Just when I was about to lose my patience, an old voice came from behind me: "You are Mu Jinli and Bai Hanchuan, right?"

I turned around suddenly and saw an old man in plain clothes standing behind us, his gray hair combed meticulously, a kind smile on his face, and a birdcage in his hand with a thrush jumping happily in it.

"You are..." I asked hesitantly, with a vague guess in my mind.

The old man smiled slightly, sat down slowly, picked up the teacup and took a sip, then slowly said: "Children, don't be impatient, listen to me slowly..."