Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

"Please come in." I said quickly, but my heart rose to my throat with these words.

Director Liu walked in with an apologetic look on his face, rubbing his hands, but his expression was not as cheerful as usual. "Manager Mu, President Bai, I'm so sorry to bother you so late."

"Director Liu, you are too polite. Come, sit down and talk." Hanchuan invited Director Liu to sit down and poured him a glass of water.

"It's like this, Mr. Bai, as you know, the price of raw materials has been rising recently, and our factory is under great pressure..." Director Liu took a sip of water and paused, as if to organize his words, "So, after research, we have decided to increase the supply price to the base by 15% in the future."

"15%!" I exclaimed. This is not a small amount. If the goods are supplied at this price, the cost of the base will increase greatly and there will be almost no profit.

Han Chuan's face darkened, and he asked in a deep voice, "Director Liu, we have been cooperating for a while, and it has always been very pleasant. As you know, our base is now in the development stage, and the profit is thin. You raised the price by 15%, which is really difficult for us to deal with."

Director Liu looked embarrassed. "Boss Bai, I understand your difficulties, but you have to be considerate of our factory. The price of raw materials has risen so much, and we have no choice. Let's put it this way. 15% is already the lowest price, and it can't be any lower."

"Director Liu, how about this? We can both make concessions and increase the price by 5%. What do you think?" I tried to persuade Director Liu.

"Manager Mu, it's not that I don't want to help, it's just that..." Director Liu waved his hands repeatedly, looking embarrassed.

"How about this, Director Liu? Let us think about it and give you a reply tomorrow. What do you think?" Hanchuan said.

Director Liu looked at us and finally nodded, "Okay, I'll wait for your news."

After seeing Director Liu off, Hanchuan and I were silent. The room was terribly quiet, with only the ticking sound of the wall clock, as if reminding us that time was running out.

"Hanchuan, what do you think we should do now?" I broke the silence, with a hint of anxiety and confusion in my tone.

Hanchuan didn't say anything, he just walked to the window and lit a cigarette. In the smoke, his profile looked particularly cold.

After a long while, he slowly spoke in a low and hoarse voice: "It seems that we are being targeted..."

My heart skipped a beat and a chill ran from the soles of my feet to my heart. Could it be... that there was another reason behind this?

Hanchuan's words made me even more uneasy. Could it be that this was just a price increase? I tried to calm myself down and began to analyze the recent situation at the base.

"Could it be them?" I suddenly remembered the customers I rejected a few days ago. They wanted us to lower the price and plant some varieties that violated the regulations according to their requirements. After I rejected them, they have been holding a grudge against me. Could it be that they are behind this?

Han Chuan blew out a puff of smoke and said slowly, "Maybe, maybe not, we can't be sure yet." He analyzed, "If there are only a few customers, they don't have such great power to influence the suppliers."

Hanchuan’s words cast a shadow over my heart. If it wasn’t them, then who was manipulating all this behind the scenes?

The next day, Mr. Wang, an old customer, suddenly called and said he wanted to reduce the order volume. "Manager Mu, it's not that I don't support you, but the acceptance of this new variety of fruits and vegetables in the market is not high. I'm worried that the sales will not be good, so..."

I understand Mr. Wang's concerns, but his reduction in orders is undoubtedly worse for us. I immediately drove to Mr. Wang's store, hoping to convince him.

"Boss Wang, don't worry. Our new varieties have all been rigorously tested. Their taste and nutritional value are better than traditional ones. We will also provide corresponding publicity and promotion, so you don't have to worry about sales." I explained earnestly, hoping to allay his concerns.

After listening to what I said, Boss Wang pondered for a moment, and finally shook his head, "Manager Mu, I know you are a capable person, but I still need to think about this matter again. After all, the market conditions are not good now, and I can't take risks."

I left Boss Wang's store with mixed feelings. Boss Wang has been my old customer for many years and we have always had a pleasant cooperation. This time he suddenly reduced the order, it seems that he really has no confidence in our new products.

After returning to the base, I told Hanchuan about Boss Wang's situation. After listening to me, he frowned and remained silent.

"It seems that the trouble we are facing this time is not small..." I murmured to myself, my heart full of uneasiness.

"Jingle Bell……"

The phone on the desk suddenly rang. I picked up the phone, but before I could say anything, I heard a strange man's voice on the other end of the phone:

"Is this Manager Mu? I heard something happened at your base recently..."

The man on the other end of the phone said with a hint of sarcasm, "I heard that your base has been in trouble recently. Manager Mu, let me advise you to be down-to-earth when doing business, and not to do anything fancy."

As soon as I heard it, I knew that the other party was not here with good intentions. I suppressed my anger and asked in a cold voice, "Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that I know a lot about your base." The man said frivolously, "I heard that your new species was cultivated using some special methods, and a lot of chemicals were added. Eating it is harmful to the human body!"

I immediately realized that someone was deliberately spreading rumors! Moreover, the "special means" and "chemical agents" were obviously designed to target the customers we had rejected before.

"You're talking nonsense! Our new varieties have all been formally tested and are absolutely safe and reliable!" I shouted angrily, "If you dare to make up rumors again, I'll sue you for defamation!"

"Sue me?" The man seemed to have heard a funny joke. "Manager Mu, I advise you to think about how to solve the current problem first. Don't let the base be closed down by then. Do you still have the mind to sue me?"

After saying that, the man hung up the phone. I was so angry that I was shaking all over, but I could do nothing about it.

I immediately told Hanchuan about this. After listening to me, his face turned pale. “It seems that they are determined to kill us!”

"What should we do now?" I asked anxiously. "If we let these rumors spread, the reputation of our base will be ruined!"

"We can't just sit there and wait for death!" A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Hanchuan's eyes, "I'm going to sue them for malicious rumors!"

Although I am worried that the lawsuit will take up a lot of energy and time, I have no choice but to trust Hanchuan now.

In the next few days, Hanchuan began to collect evidence and prepare to sue the rumormonger. However, the other party was clearly well prepared. While spreading rumors, they also made full preparations, making it difficult for us to find direct evidence.

There was still no news from the supplier, and the order from old customer Mr. Wang had not been restored. The crops in the planting base were ripening day by day, but there was no market for them. Looking at the harvest scene in front of us, Hanchuan and I felt as if our hearts had fallen into an ice cellar, and it was icy cold...

In the base, rows of emerald green vegetables stretch to the end of the sight, and the branches are bent with heavy fruits. What should have been the joy of a good harvest has now become a heavy burden on Hanchuan and me.

"These rumors are like an invisible net that traps us here." I looked at the busy workers and the smiles on their faces were less, and I felt bad.

"There will always be a way." Hanchuan held my hand, and the warmth of his palm gave me strength. "We have found a lawyer, and the prosecution process has also been initiated. It just takes some time."

I know he is comforting me. We all know about the lawsuit. It is extremely difficult to win. The other party planned it. The evidence we have is not enough to prove them.

"But time waits for no one..." I said worriedly, "The base's daily expenses are a considerable amount. If we can't open up sales channels as soon as possible, once the capital chain is broken, the consequences will be disastrous."

"As for funding, I will find a way." Hanchuan frowned, "But, Jinli, have you ever thought that the problem may lie in..."

He hesitated to speak, but I knew what he meant. The planting technology of our base comes from my space system. Although it is claimed to be the latest technology, it is too advanced after all, which inevitably arouses suspicion.

"You mean, someone doubts the existence of space?" I lowered my voice, feeling uneasy.

Hanchuan didn't say anything, just nodded.

My heart sank. The space system has always been my biggest secret and my reliance for rebirth. If it is discovered, the consequences will be disastrous.

"Hanchuan, what do you think we should do?" I looked at him helplessly, hoping he could give me an answer.

Hanchuan pondered for a moment, with a flash of determination in his eyes: "Perhaps, we can go find..."

He suddenly stopped and looked into the distance. I followed his gaze and saw a jeep slowly approaching and stopping at the gate of the base.

My heart skipped a beat. That wasn't...