Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

After Lawyer Liu left, the base seemed to be shrouded in a dark cloud. Although the employees tried hard to maintain their daily work, the anxiety between their brows lingered. I forced myself to be energetic and inspected the seedlings in the field again and again, trying to keep myself busy and not think about those troubles. But Boss Wang's weird sneer always appeared in my mind, like a thorn, making me uneasy.

"Lizi, don't worry too much. Good will prevail over evil." Bai Hanchuan walked over to me and gently hugged my shoulders. He had a faint pine scent on him, which always made me feel at ease.

I forced a smile: "I know, but... I always feel uneasy."

The verdict has not been announced yet, and this torture is more unbearable than a direct verdict. Every day someone asks me cautiously: "Manager Mu, is there any news from the court?" I can only pretend to be relaxed and answer: "It's coming soon, don't worry, just work hard."

Just when the taut string was about to break, the bank manager arrived.

He stood at the door of my office with a serious look on his face and a document in his hand, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself. My heart skipped a beat and a bad feeling came over me.

"Ms. Mu..." He spoke slowly, with a tone of seriousness that I had never heard before, "Our bank needs to discuss a loan with you."

I asked him to sit down, poured him a glass of water, and tried to remain calm: "I don't know what you mean..."

He pushed up his glasses and placed the document in his hand on my desk. "It's like this. In view of your base's recent...public opinion crisis, our bank needs to reassess the loan risk." He paused, looked me in the eyes, and said word by word, "So, we need your base to repay part of the loan in advance."

"How much?" I felt my voice tremble.

"Half a million."

Five hundred thousand! This is almost all the liquidity on the base's books! We are waiting for this money to buy the next batch of seeds and fertilizers. If we repay the loan now, the base's subsequent operations will be paralyzed.

My breathing became rapid and my vision went dark. Bai Hanchuan supported me and his face became extremely ugly.

"This... this is too sudden." I tried to keep myself calm. "We have always had a good repayment record, and this public opinion incident was not caused by us..."

“Ms. Mu, I understand your difficulties.” The bank manager’s tone was still cold. “But this is the rule of our bank, and I am just following orders. I hope you can raise funds as soon as possible, otherwise…” He did not continue, but the threat was self-evident.

Bai Hanchuan took over the conversation: "Can you give us some time? Once the court's verdict comes out, we can get compensation, and then..."

The bank manager interrupted him: "Mr. Bai, I understand your situation, but the bank also has to consider its own interests. Now that your base's reputation has been damaged, we must take measures to avoid risks." He stood up and pushed the documents forward again, "Please arrange it as soon as possible."

He turned around and prepared to leave, but Bai Hanchuan grabbed his arm...

Bai Hanchuan grabbed his arm and said with a hint of pleading in his tone: "Manager, 500,000 is not a small amount. Please give us a few more days and we will find a way to raise it."

I took a deep breath, tried to suppress the anxiety in my heart, and added: "Yes, Manager, the product quality of our base has always been very good, and the market reputation is also good. This matter is only temporary. After the court's judgment, everything will be better. Can you give us a month's grace? After one month, we guarantee to repay the loan."

The bank manager calmly pulled his arm out, still with that formal smile on his face: "Ms. Mu, Mr. Bai, I know it's not easy for you, but banks also have their own rules. I advise you to raise the money as soon as possible. Five hundred thousand, you can't delay it for even a day."

His words were like a bucket of ice water pouring over my head, chilling me from head to toe. Where can I get so much money, half a million? My head was buzzing, and I felt like it was about to explode.

Bai Hanchuan's face was also terribly gloomy. He gritted his teeth and said word by word: "Manager, our base has always repaid the loan on time and has never defaulted on a single cent. Now we are in trouble, and you are forcing us like this. Isn't it a bit inhumane?"

The bank manager's face also darkened: "Mr. Bai, please be careful with your words. I am just following the rules. If you have any objections to my handling of the matter, you can complain to our bank."

Seeing that the two sides were on the verge of a fight, I quickly tried to smooth things over: "Manager, don't be angry. Bai Hanchuan is also anxious. How about this? We will pay back 300,000 first, and give us a month to pay back the remaining 200,000. We will definitely pay it back in one month."

The bank manager sneered: "Ms. Mu, are you bargaining with me? Five hundred thousand, not a penny less. I have other things to do, so I won't keep you company." After that, he left the office without looking back.

There was deathly silence in the office. Bai Hanchuan and I looked at each other, and we saw deep despair in each other's eyes.

At this moment, Technician Zhang rushed in with a hint of excitement on his face: "Manager Mu, Manager Bai, I...I have thought of a new seedling cultivation plan. If successful, our yield can be increased by at least 30%!"

He held a thick stack of information in his hand and excitedly explained his new plan to us. My originally numb brain seemed to have been injected with a shot of cardiotonic and began to function again.

Thirty percent! What does that mean? It means higher production, higher profits, and it means we may be able to get through this difficult time!

I grabbed Technician Zhang's hand and asked anxiously, "Technician Zhang, how confident are you in your plan?"

Technician Zhang pushed up his glasses and said firmly, "I have done preliminary experiments and the results are very good. I am confident!"

A ray of hope shone into my dark world. I looked at Bai Hanchuan, and a spark of hope also ignited in his eyes.

"Okay!" Bai Hanchuan slammed the table. "Technician Zhang, just tell us what you need. We will fully support you!"

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. Five hundred thousand... Even if I have to sell everything I have, I have to get this money together first! I turned to look at Bai Hanchuan, "Hanchuan, we..."

"Hanchuan, let's transfer funds from other projects first." My voice trembled a little. This decision made me heartbroken. It meant that the development of other projects would be restricted or even stagnant.

Bai Hanchuan was silent for a moment. He understood what this meant. They had worked hard to build up every project in the base, but now they had to sacrifice part of it for this sudden crisis. This feeling was as painful as cutting one's own flesh. But he knew that now was not the time to hesitate. Keeping the base was the most important thing.

"Okay, I agree." He said in a deep voice, "But we must prepare for the worst. If the court's decision is not in our favor, we may..." He paused and did not continue, but we all understood what his unfinished words meant.

In the next few days, Bai Hanchuan and I were like two spinning tops, spinning non-stop. We re-examined all the projects of the base, carefully calculated the use of each fund, and strived to meet the bank's requirements while ensuring that the core projects of the base could continue. It was like walking on a tightrope, every step was full of danger, and the slightest mistake would lead to falling into the abyss.

We cut all unnecessary expenses and even temporarily reduced employee benefits. I looked at the worried expressions on the faces of my employees and felt guilty. They were all partners who started the business with us, but now we had to let them take risks with us.

In the dead of night, I often sit alone in the office, looking at the dark night sky outside the window, feeling an unprecedented pressure. 500,000 is simply an astronomical figure for us now. Even if we draw funds from other projects, we still need some. I started calling around and borrowing money from relatives and friends, but the result made me even more desperate.

Just when I was about to despair, Bai Hanchuan gave me a hug. His embrace was warm and strong, which gave me great comfort. "Don't worry, we can definitely get through this difficult time." His voice was low and firm, as if a powerful force was injected into my body.

I hugged him tightly, buried my head in his chest, and tears fell silently. I know that he was under more pressure than me, but he always stood by me firmly, supporting and encouraging me.

We continued to bury ourselves in the complicated accounts, checking every income and every expenditure repeatedly. At this moment, Accountant Sun suddenly exclaimed: "Wait, there seems to be something wrong with this account..."

Bai Hanchuan and I looked up at Accountant Sun at the same time. There was a hint of confusion on his face. "What's wrong?" I asked, feeling a little uneasy.

Accountant Sun pointed to a small expenditure in the account book and said, "The record of the use of this money seems to be wrong..." He frowned and carefully checked the relevant documents. The office was silent, with only the rustling sound of turning papers and our increasingly rapid breathing... "It seems, there is more than one..." Accountant Sun's voice was low and solemn, and my heart sank.