Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

The warehouse was filled with dust and looked frighteningly empty. Once upon a time, it was filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, and workers were busy shuttling around, creating a thriving scene. But now, only a few old employees were left quietly cleaning up the mess, their faces filled with confusion and anxiety.

I leaned weakly against the cold shelves, my heart heavy as if filled with lead. Bai Hanchuan stood beside me, his tall body seemed to be hunched over a little, with blue stubble on his chin, and he looked haggard.

"Li'er..." He called me softly, his voice as hoarse as sandpaper rubbing against iron.

I raised my head and forced a smile, but it looked uglier than crying. "It's okay, it will be fine."

I know that I can't even convince myself with this statement. These days, we are like riding a roller coaster, falling from the peak to the bottom in an instant. Those malicious and slanderous reports spread like a plague, destroying everything we have worked hard to build. The customers who once came in an endless stream are now avoiding us as much as possible.

I closed my eyes, and the memories before my rebirth emerged. I was framed by my stepmother and stepsister, and lost everything in despair. After my rebirth, I relied on the space system to move forward step by step, slapping the scumbags in the face. I thought I could create a beautiful future with Bai Hanchuan, but I didn't expect...

Is my luck running out? Is God just playing a joke on me?

I shook my head vigorously, trying to get rid of these negative emotions. No, I can't give up! I still have space, and I still have Bai Hanchuan, I can't be defeated like this!

"Bai Hanchuan," I took a deep breath and tried to keep myself calm, "How much liquidity do we have?"

He was silent for a while, then he slowly said, "Not much, barely enough to pay the workers' wages this month."

My heart sank. This was worse than I had imagined.

Suddenly, the ringing of Bai Hanchuan's cell phone broke the silence in the warehouse. He picked up the phone and his face turned pale instantly.

"What?!" He stood up suddenly, and the phone in his hand fell to the ground with a muffled sound.

My heart tightened and an ominous premonition came over me.

"They...they actually..." His voice was trembling, his eyes were full of disbelief and despair, and he held my hand tightly, "The bank...the bank rejected our loan application..."

He sat down on the ground dejectedly, covering his face with his hands, and he seemed to have aged ten years in an instant.

I was stunned, my mind went blank. Loans... this is our last hope...

"There must be another way..." I muttered to myself, but I didn't know what to do.

Bai Hanchuan raised his head, a look of determination flashed in his eyes, "I'll go find Mr. Chen..."

He stood up suddenly and walked out with big strides. I looked at his staggering back, and my heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible hand, and I could hardly breathe... "Wait..."

"Wait..." I called him, my voice as weak as a mosquito's hum. Bai Hanchuan stopped and turned around, his eyes full of pain and helplessness. I knew he was going to find Mr. Chen, a retired expert from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences and a technical consultant for our planting base. He was highly respected. However, in this situation, even Mr. Chen might be powerless to save the situation.

"Bai Hanchuan," I walked up to him and held his cold hand, "Don't go, it's useless."

He looked at me, his eyes full of reluctance, "But... we have to try..."

I shook my head. "I know, but the bank has already rejected us. Even if Mr. Chen is willing to help, how much can he help? The money we owe now is not a small amount..."

My voice became smaller and smaller, and finally almost inaudible. I couldn't imagine what we would do if the planting base went bankrupt.

Bai Hanchuan hugged me tightly, his body was trembling, and I could feel the despair and pain in his heart.

"Li'er," he said while choking, "I won't give up. I will definitely find a way..."

His words gave me a glimmer of hope, but it was only a glimmer. I knew that the difficulties we were facing now could not be solved by hard work alone.

Just then, a jeep stopped at the door of the warehouse. I looked up and saw Mr. Chen getting out of the jeep, followed by several people holding tool boxes.

"Mr. Chen..." I exclaimed in surprise, not understanding why he suddenly came here.

Elder Chen walked up to us and looked at us kindly, "Don't worry, kids. I'm here to help you."

I was stunned and didn't understand what he meant.

"I heard about your situation," Elder Chen sighed, "I know you are in a difficult situation right now, so I brought some people here to help you replan your planting plan and increase your yield."

I was shocked, and a warm feeling came over me. Not only did Mr. Chen come, he also brought help!

"Mr. Chen, you..." I was choking with sobs and unable to speak.

"Silly child," Mr. Chen patted my shoulder, "Don't cry, everything will be fine."

He turned around and said to the people behind him: "Come on, let's start working!"

The men immediately sprang into action, beginning to check the soil and prune the branches, and were very busy.

Watching them busy, my heart was filled with gratitude. The arrival of Mr. Chen was like a bright light, illuminating the road ahead of us.

I know that Mr. Chen’s help is just a drop in the bucket, but his arrival has given us great encouragement and support.

Just when I thought things were getting better, Mr. Chen pulled me aside, took out a passbook from his pocket and handed it to me.

"Li'er," he whispered, "There's some money in here. Although it's not much, it's a small token of my appreciation."

I looked at the passbook in my hand and couldn't stop my tears from flowing down. I knew that Mr. Chen's money was hard-earned, but he didn't hesitate to give it to help us.

"Mr. Chen..." I was choking with sobs and unable to speak.

"Okay, stop crying," said Chen Lao with a smile, "I believe you can get through this."

He patted my shoulder and turned around to continue directing others to work.

I held the passbook and looked at the busy crowd, my heart was full of hope. I knew that we still had hope and we would definitely be able to overcome the difficulties!

Suddenly, my cell phone rang, a strange number. I hesitated for a moment, but still answered the call.

"Hello, is this Ms. Mu Jinli?" A clear female voice came from the phone.

"I am, who are you?"

"I'm Li Xin, a reporter from Metropolis Daily," the other party said, "I want to talk to you about something about Boss Zhou..."

Reporter Li's words were like thunder, exploding in my ears. Boss Zhou? Why was she investigating him? Could it be... Could it be that he was related to the difficulties encountered by our planting base? My heart was shocked, and an inexplicable premonition came to my mind.

"Reporter Li, what...what did you find out?" I tried to keep my voice calm, but my trembling voice still revealed my nervousness.

"Ms. Mu, it's hard to explain over the phone. Would it be convenient for us to meet and discuss in detail?" Reporter Li's voice was very professional, with a hint of unquestionable certainty.

I looked at Bai Hanchuan, he frowned, his eyes full of vigilance. I knew he was worried that this was a trap set by Boss Zhou. After all, we are now at the end of our strength and cannot withstand any attack.

"Li'er, be careful," he whispered, unconsciously tightening his grip on my hand.

I know his concerns and I am afraid too, but if Reporter Li really has some evidence against Boss Zhou, it might be the key to our turnaround.

"See, let's meet." I took a deep breath and made a decision.

We arranged to meet at a remote teahouse. Reporter Li brought a thick stack of documents, which densely recorded Boss Zhou's various business activities, some of which seemed normal, but some of which were obviously problematic.

"Boss Zhou's source of funds has always been a mystery. My investigation found that he was very likely involved in some illegal transactions." Reporter Li pointed to one of the documents and said, "Moreover, he has close relations with several officials, and there may be power-for-money transactions involved."

My heart sank suddenly. If this was true, then the difficulties our planting base encountered were most likely planned by Boss Zhou!

"Why is he targeting us?" Bai Hanchuan's voice was low, filled with suppressed anger.

"According to my investigation, Boss Zhou has always wanted to take over your planting base." Reporter Li said confidently, "He proposed to buy it several times before, but you rejected him, so he may have resorted to this despicable means."

Everything seemed to be connected, Boss Zhou's malicious competition, the bank's refusal to lend, all of this pointed to a mastermind behind the scenes - Boss Zhou!

At this moment, Old Chen called, his voice full of fatigue and helplessness: "Li'er, Boss Zhou...he has started to suppress my business, and several of my old friends have advised me not to help you anymore..."

I clenched my fists. I was extremely angry at Boss Zhou's despicable behavior. Not only did he want to destroy our planting base, he also wanted to implicate the innocent Mr. Chen!

"Mr. Chen, don't worry, we will find a way!" I tried to stay calm, but I could feel the anger burning in my heart.

After hanging up the phone, I looked at Bai Hanchuan, and his eyes were also full of anger and helplessness. We were caught in a dilemma. If we accepted reporter Li's cooperation, it would mean a head-on confrontation with Boss Zhou, which was undoubtedly a huge risk. But if we didn't cooperate, we could only sit and wait for death, watching the planting base being swallowed up by Boss Zhou.

"We..." I just started to speak when Bai Hanchuan interrupted me.

"Li'er, I believe you." He looked into my eyes and said firmly, "No matter what decision you make, I will support you."

His words gave me great courage. I took a deep breath and looked at reporter Li: "Reporter Li, let's work together..."

Before I finished speaking, the door of the teahouse was suddenly pushed open, and a familiar figure walked in... Boss Zhou. He walked towards us step by step with a cold smile on his face...