Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

The applause gradually died down and I walked off the stage. Bai Hanchuan came up to me, his deep eyes full of admiration: "You spoke very well, better than I expected." I smiled and took his arm. This recognition was more precious than anything else.

Outside the banquet hall, a waiter led a guest towards us.

"Mr. Mu, Mr. Bai, long time no see." The man who came was the competitor who maliciously spread rumors and attempted to swallow us up a few months ago. He had a look of embarrassment and guilt on his face. His former high spirits disappeared, replaced by deep fatigue.

I nodded slightly, said nothing, and watched what happened.

"You two, I'm here today to sincerely apologize to you." He took a deep breath and said sincerely, "I was short-sighted and greedy before. I did a lot of wrong things and caused you huge losses. I am deeply sorry."

Bai Hanchuan said calmly: "The law has already given you the punishment you deserve. I hope you can learn from it."

He smiled bitterly, "I understand. I have been reflecting on myself during this period and I have deeply realized my mistakes. In addition to apologizing, I also want to..." He paused, as if he was organizing his words, "I want to ask, are you willing to give me a chance?"

I was a little surprised, and Bai Hanchuan also frowned slightly.

"I know I have done a lot of things that have let you down, but I still have deep feelings for this industry," he said sincerely. "I hope to make up for my mistakes and contribute to the development of the industry."

I pondered for a moment and slowly said, "We have established an industry association to regulate market order and promote common development. You..."

"Really?" There was a hint of surprise in his eyes, "Can I join?"

I exchanged glances with Bai Hanchuan and nodded, "Of course, we welcome everyone who sincerely wants to contribute to the development of the industry."

He shook my hand excitedly and thanked me repeatedly: "Thank you, thank you for giving me this opportunity..."

I looked at his sincere eyes, feeling mixed emotions. Business is like a battlefield, competition is everywhere, but what is more important is how to stick to the bottom line and achieve a win-win situation in the process.

"It's a pleasure working with you." Bai Hanchuan stretched out his hand and shook hands with him.

He shook my hand excitedly and thanked me incoherently, but I saw a glimmer of hope on his weather-beaten face. I looked at Bai Hanchuan and we both understood each other's thoughts from each other's eyes.

In the following days, we began to cooperate with his company. We were once rivals, but now we have come together for a common goal. His company has rich market experience, while our planting base and Bai Hanchuan's company are superior in technology and product quality. Sharing resources and complementing each other's strengths, our tripartite cooperation project soon made a breakthrough.

Life has also given me extra gifts during this period of time.

"Mom, Dad, come quickly! It's about to start!" My son's clear voice rang in my ears, pulling me back to reality from the pile of documents.

Today is my son's kindergarten graduation ceremony, and our family of three came to school early. On the stage, the children were performing, and their tender singing was full of innocence and happiness.

"Next, please invite outstanding parent representatives, Ms. Mu Jinli and Mr. Bai Hanchuan to come on stage and speak!"

Hearing the host's voice, Bai Hanchuan and I smiled at each other, held my son's hand, and walked onto the stage together. Under the spotlight, I looked at the lovely smiling faces in the audience, and my heart was filled with warmth and emotion.

"I am honored to be here and share my joy with you..." I started my speech, talking about my son's growth and my understanding of education. My eyes swept across the audience, those once familiar faces, some partners, some competitors, but at this moment, we are all parents gathered together for the future of our children.

After the speech, there was thunderous applause from the audience. My son received the graduation certificate from the teacher with a happy smile on his face. He held the certificate high up, and at that moment, I seemed to see the infinite possibilities of his future.

Happiness, it turns out can be so simple.

"Dad, are you ready? It's almost time." I looked at the time and said to my father. "Dad, are you ready? It's almost time." I looked at the time and said to my father. He will give a speech at an important agricultural exchange today, the theme of which is sustainable agricultural development. Since I combined modern agricultural technology with his rich experience and applied it to his research, his research results have caused quite a stir in the industry.

My father smiled and nodded, patting my hands: "Get ready, Lili, thanks to you and Hanchuan, Dad is where he is today."

I looked at my father's energetic appearance, and I was filled with emotion. He was once depressed because of my affairs, but now he has finally found his own value and shines in the field he loves.

The exchange meeting was packed with agricultural experts and scholars from all over the country. When my father was speaking, the audience was silent, and everyone was deeply attracted by his passionate and wise speech. After the speech, there was thunderous applause for a long time, and many people surrounded my father to ask questions, and he patiently answered them.

After I came out of the venue, I received a call from Lin Xiao. She said excitedly, "Jinli, my flower shop is almost packed today! Many people came here after reading the online recommendations. They said my flower shop is a 'paradise in the city'. Come and take a look!"

Since Lin Xiao's flower shop opened, business has been booming. She combines the rare flower species I cultivate in the space with her own creative flower arrangements to create a unique style that attracts many customers.

In the evening, Bai Hanchuan and I took our son to attend Lin Xiao's flower shop celebration party. Seeing Lin Xiao's high spirits, I was sincerely happy for her.

"Jinli, thank you. If you hadn't encouraged me to open a flower shop, I wouldn't know what I would be doing now!" Lin Xiao said sincerely.

I smiled and shook my head: "It is your own hard work that has brought you to where you are today."

Late at night, Bai Hanchuan and I drove back to the planting base. Standing on the top of the mountain, looking at the brightly lit village below, my mind was filled with thoughts.

"Hanchuan, do you think the future will be better?" I asked softly.

Bai Hanchuan held me in his arms and said firmly: "Yes, because we are all working hard, for ourselves and for the next generation."

We stood hugging each other, letting the night wind caress our faces. In the distance, the sky seemed to be turning pale...

The sky was turning white, and the fish belly-colored morning light was like a slowly unfolding painting, heralding the coming of a new day. The mountain wind was a little cool, blowing on my face and dispelling the last trace of haze in my heart.

"Do you remember why we chose to come back here?" I turned to look at Bai Hanchuan. His profile looked particularly handsome in the morning light.

"Of course I remember," he held my hand, his eyes deep and firm, "for the dream, and for the responsibility."

We stood side by side, overlooking this vibrant land. This was once the scientific research base where my father had devoted countless efforts, and it was also the place where our dream began. After going through ups and downs, we finally protected it and made it grow stronger.

"By the way, the guy who asked us to meet this afternoon..." I hesitated for a moment, but still said it.

Bai Hanchuan understood what I meant and nodded gently: "Well, let's go meet him. It's better to resolve a feud than to create one. Besides..." He paused, "Besides, what we are pursuing now is no longer the original victory or defeat."

I understand what he means. We once fought hard with our competitor to prove that we were the leader in the industry. However, as time went by and we got to know the industry better, we gradually realized that win-win cooperation was the long-term solution.

In the afternoon, we met the former rival in a teahouse. Time had left traces on his face, but the sharpness in his eyes was as sharp as ever. After the greetings, he spoke first, with a hint of emotion in his tone: "Boss Bai, Boss Mu, over the years, I have been reflecting on why we fought so hard in the past?"

Bai Hanchuan smiled faintly and placed a cup of tea in front of him: "Let the past be the past. Now we all have our own careers and a common goal, which is to promote the development of the entire industry."

I continued his words: "That's right, only by working together can we create greater value and benefit more people."

He was silent for a moment, picked up the teacup, and drank it all in one gulp: "Okay, well said! I'll toast to you. Let everything in the past turn into this cup of tea and disappear into thin air!"

Outside the window, the sun is shining brightly, and the warm spring breeze blows by, bringing a breath of hope. I seem to see that in the near future, our business will flourish more vigorously under the sunshine.