Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

The morning sun shone on my face, but it couldn't dispel the chill in my heart. The once thriving flower fields now looked like a dead wasteland, and the air was filled with a sickening smell of decay. My heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible hand, and I could hardly breathe.

"How could this happen… How could this happen…" I knelt weakly on the edge of the field, my eyes blurred by tears.

"Ari, don't worry, let's figure out the situation first." Bai Hanchuan held my hand tightly, his tone heavy, "I have contacted the best botanists, they will be here soon."

However, the situation went beyond our expectations. Experts carefully examined the soil, water source and diseased plants, but could not determine the cause. To make matters worse, the news spread quickly and all kinds of rumors began to spread on the Internet.

"Shock! Large areas of plants died at a well-known planting base!"

"It is suspected that illegal pesticides were used, and the product safety is worrying!"

"The person in charge refused to respond. Is there a bigger secret behind this?"

……

All of a sudden, we became the target of public criticism. The original praise and support turned into overwhelming doubts and abuse. Customers who once praised our products all asked for refunds and returns, and some even threatened to sue us.

The planting base fell into an unprecedented crisis.

"Bang!" The office door was thrown open, and Lin Xiao rushed in with a pale face, "Ali, it's bad! The bank refused to lend us money!"

My heart sank to the bottom. The broken capital chain meant that we could not buy the urgently needed medicines and equipment, let alone bear the huge losses.

"Am I... really at the end of my rope?" I murmured to myself, with darkness before my eyes.

Just then, the phone rang. I picked up the phone with trembling hands, and a familiar voice came: "Ari, don't worry, I'm already at the door..."

"Ari, don't worry, I'm already at the door..."

Hearing this voice, I felt like I had grabbed a life-saving straw. I stood up suddenly and rushed to the window. Downstairs, the retired gardening master, my former anonymous netizen, was leaning on a cane and, with the support of Lin Xiao, slowly walked into the gate of the planting base.

"He's here, he must have a way!" I grabbed Bai Hanchuan's arm excitedly, with a glimmer of hope in my eyes.

This old man is highly respected in the gardening industry, has rich experience, and has solved countless plant problems. I asked him for help anonymously online, but I didn't expect that he would actually come.

Despite the fatigue of the journey, the old man immediately threw himself into the intense work. He carefully observed the diseased plants, analyzed the soil and water sources, frowned, and said nothing.

A few days passed, and the old man still hadn't found a solution to his problem. His health deteriorated, his cough became more frequent, and his face became paler.

"Old man, please take a rest first. Your body..." I looked at him worriedly, but he interrupted me with a wave of his hand.

"Time is running out, I must find the cause of the disease as soon as possible..." he said weakly, his tone full of anxiety and helplessness.

My heart sank again. Was it possible that even he was helpless?

During this period, Bai Hanchuan stayed by my side, but the fatigue and anxiety on his face grew day by day. Broken capital chain, unsalable products, public opinion pressure, all of these were like mountains, weighing us down and making us breathless.

"Ari, we really can't hold on any longer..." He whispered, his tone full of powerlessness.

"No, we can definitely get through this!" I forced myself to cheer him up, but I wasn't sure myself.

"But... we've reached the end of our rope..." His voice became lower and lower, and his eyes became dim.

The atmosphere between us became increasingly depressing, and the tacit understanding and sweetness we once had were replaced by anxiety and despair.

One night, I dragged my tired body back home, only to find that the house was empty. On the dining table was a bowl of cold noodles, and next to it was a note:

"Ari, I'm going to go out and calm down. Dinner is on the table, remember to eat."

My heart sank suddenly, and a bad feeling came over me. I rushed out of the house and looked for him everywhere, but I couldn't find him.

The phone suddenly rang and I picked up the phone with trembling hands.

"Hello, is this Ms. Mu Jinli? Your friend Lin Xiao has fainted in the hospital, please come as soon as possible..."

My head buzzed, and everything went dark. My phone slipped from my hand. The dim light of the phone screen reflected my pale face. The words "Lin Xiao" were displayed on it, but no one answered. I ran to the hospital like crazy, and when I saw Lin Xiao lying on the bed with a pale face, I couldn't hold back my tears.

"Ali, what's wrong with you? What happened?" Lin Xiao struggled to sit up, but I held him down.

"You should rest well and don't move! The doctor said you need to stay in the hospital for a few days for observation." I tried hard to control my emotions so as not to make her worry.

"Base... How's the base? Did something happen?" Lin Xiao asked anxiously. Although she was weak, her eyes were firm.

I avoided her gaze and didn't dare tell her that Bai Hanchuan was missing and the planting base was in an unprecedented predicament.

"Don't worry, everything is fine at the base. The old man has found a solution and production will be resumed soon." I lied, hoping that this insignificant lie would allow her to rest and recuperate.

"Really?" Lin Xiao looked at me doubtfully. She knew me too well and saw through my disguise at a glance.

"When have I ever lied to you? Just focus on your recovery and leave the rest to Hanchuan and me." I forced a smile and touched her head like I was coaxing a child.

Lin Xiao wanted to ask something else, but I interrupted him: "Okay, it's getting late, you should get some rest, I'll come see you tomorrow."

I fled from the hospital and walked aimlessly on the street, letting the night wind mess up my hair and tears blur my eyes.

The next morning, I received a call from Lin Xiao. She ignored the doctor's advice, secretly completed the discharge procedures, and returned to the planting base.

"Why are you so stupid? Your body isn't well yet, why are you running around instead of taking a good rest?" I scolded her with heartache.

"The base is in this state now, how can I rest and recuperate? I want to face it together with you!" Lin Xiao said firmly, her eyes full of strength, as if it could dispel all the haze in my heart.

I hugged her with emotion. At that moment, I truly felt the preciousness of friendship.

However, fate did not seem to give us a chance to breathe. In the evening, a sudden rainstorm hit the planting base. The raindrops as big as beans fell madly, and the sky and the earth were covered with white. The wind was howling, and there were lightning and thunder, as if the end of the world was coming.

We watched helplessly as many flowers were ruthlessly destroyed by the strong winds and heavy rains, their delicate petals were blown off, their branches and leaves were broken, and the once vibrant planting base was instantly turned into a mess.

"No! No!" I screamed in despair, but it was no use.

"Ali..." Lin Xiao wanted to comfort me, but didn't know what to say.

Just then, my cell phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number.

"Excuse me, are you Ms. Mu Jinli? I am a botanist..."