“That’s great!” When he heard that Xia Ruofei was willing to sell it, he was very happy. He quickly said, “You will definitely not lose out on the sale! Furthermore, since you are able to cultivate such a supreme-grade Ice Lantern, you must be an expert. No one would dare to deceive you!”
With that said, ‘Cold Stirred Succulent’ eagerly said.
“Master Bloodwolf, please give me an address! I’ll be right there!”
“How about I go over to your place? I’ll come over in the afternoon.” Xia Ruofei thought for a while and said, “Didn’t you say you have a lot of succulent plants? I want to visit your greenhouse too.”
Xia Ruofei saw the hope of earning money from this Ice Lantern, so he naturally wanted to understand more about succulent plants. It was definitely not as good to look up information online as in real life. This ‘Cold Stirred Succulent’ was obviously an easygoing person, so Xia Ruofei wanted to learn more about succulent plants from him.
Therefore, he decided to go personally.
The moment he heard that, ‘Cold Stirred Succulent’ was even happier and he hurriedly said.
“Welcome, welcome, Master Bloodwolf! I’ll send you the address immediately!”
Not long after hanging up, Xia Ruofei received a text message on his phone. It was the address from “Cold Stirred Succulent’.
Xia Ruofei took out the spiritual map that was hidden on his body and entered the spiritual map space with a thought.
He walked over, picked up the supreme-grade Ice Lantern Jade Dew, and left the spiritual space in a flash.
Xia Ruofei found a large plastic bag and packed the jade dew. Then, he made some simple lunch at home. After he finished eating, he carried the plastic bag containing the jade dew and prepared to leave.
Just as he reached the door, Xia Ruofei felt his hand go soft. The plastic bag almost slipped out of his hand. He quickly reached out his other hand to grab the plastic bag. He stopped and steadied his steps. After a while, the weakness in his hand gradually disappeared.
Xia Ruofei could not help but smile bitterly. That damn Lou Gehrig’s disease seemed to be getting worse…
After so many years of battle experience, Xia Ruofei was used to seeing life and death. Furthermore, he had been diagnosed with this illness for some time, so he was not too afraid of death.
However, he still felt a sense of urgency in his heart—it seemed like he had to speed up the pace of earning money! He had to earn enough money for Hu Zi’s mother to get a kidney transplant before he couldn’t move. Otherwise, he would be too ashamed to face Hu Zi!
After calming himself down, Xia Ruofei walked out of the rental apartment with firm steps.
In order to save time, he hailed a taxi and drove straight to the ‘Immortal Succulent Store’ in Anhua District.
…
In the suburbs of Anhua District.
At the entrance of a 10-acre plantation with the sign “Immortal Succulent Store” hanging, two security guards stood guard in high spirits. This was because their boss, who rarely appeared, had brought a few friends to the cultivation base that day.
There was a three-story building in the cultivation base. It was the daily office for the store.
The walls on the entire third floor had been removed. It was the exclusive floor for the storeowner’s use.
It was a large office that was more than 200 square meters. There was a lounge, a reception area, a gym area, and even a professional Snooker table and an indoor golf course.
At this moment, there were four or five youngsters sitting around the coffee table in the reception area.
One of them was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, wearing a fitted suit. His eyebrows were very thick, and his eyes were bright.
This young man was skillfully making tea for everyone.
The rest of the people were also dressed exquisitely, and they seemed about the same age as the tea-brewing youth.
There was also a girl in her early twenties sitting with them.
This girl was very beautiful. Her exquisite face was almost flawless, and her skin was so delicate that it seem like it could break with a blow. Especially her long legs, any man who saw her would involuntarily imagine the scene of placing her long legs on his shoulders.
Such a beautiful girl naturally became the center of attention.
However, this beautiful girl was a little cold. She remained indifferent towards the people around her.
These people were the children of some entrepreneurs in Three Mountain City. They could be considered the typical rich second-generation heirs.
The young man who brewed the tea was called Liang Qichao. His father was the owner of Jianda Corporation, a well-known property enterprise in the city. Liang Qichao was the owner of the Immortal Succulent Store. He was the ‘Cold Stirred Succulent’ that Xia Ruofei contacted.
Of course, Liang Qichao was just playing around, mainly because he liked succulent plants.
The long-legged beauty’s name was Ling Qingxue. Her father was Ling Xiaotian, the boss of the food industry in Three Mountain City. Her family’s Ling Ji Restaurant chain was very influential in the entire Southeast Province and had at least several hundred million assets.
Of the remaining three youngsters, the slightly plump one was called Lu Wen. His family also worked in the food and beverage industry. His family’s famous restaurant chain had the same influence as Ling Ji’s restaurant chain.
The other young man with smooth hair and a middle hair parting was called Liu Minghao. His family was involved in the real estate business. Being in the same industry meant that they were nemesis, so he and Liang Qichao had never been on good terms.
The last person who wore gold-framed glasses was Lu Ping. He was also a rich second-generation heir. His family was in the logistics industry.
Of course, these youths all had a common identity—Ling Qingxue’s admirers. Thus, there was a faint sense of competition between these men.
In reality, Ling Qingxue was the one who really liked the succulent plants. Liang Qichao was influenced by Ling Qingxue and slowly fell in love with the adorable succulent plants. Later on, he even opened this Immortal Succulent Store.
Liu Minghao, Lu Wen, and Lu Ping also tried to win her over with her interests. They found some precious succulent plants and gave them to Ling Qingxue, but Ling Qingxue probably didn’t like them.
This time, Ling Qingxue heard from Liang Qichao that he had found a pot of supreme-grade Ice Lanterns online, and Liang Qichao had even praised it to the skies. That was why Ling Qingxue was a little tempted and came to the store.
Liu Minghao and the others also followed them, but only they knew what they were planning.
Liang Qichao brought the first cup of tea to the girl and smiled while saying.
“Qingxue, I didn’t expect you to come here to join in the fun. My humble place is honored by your presence!”
The girl named Qingxue said indifferently.
“I’m just a little curious about the supreme-grade Ice Lantern you mentioned. I hope it won’t disappoint me later.”
Liu Minghao grinned and said.
“Qingxue, I think Liang Qichao must have been deceived. You saw the picture just now. How could there be such a beautiful ice lantern? Needless to say, it must have been photoshopped.”
Liu Minghao and Liang Qichao were both wooing Ling Qingxue, and their families were in real estate development, so they naturally wouldn’t let go of the opportunity to attack Liang Qichao.
The slightly plump Luwen added.
“I think what Minghao said makes sense. There are many scammers online now. Liang Qichao, you can’t trust others too easily!”
Although his words sounded kind, he was actually mocking Liang Qichao for not having any real-world experience and for being deceived.
Liang Qichao snorted and said.
“It’s not the first time I’ve played with succulents. How could I not tell if it’s real or fake? Besides, we’re doing a face-to-face transaction. If it’s photoshopped, how would he dare to come? Wouldn’t he be exposed once they see the goods?”
Liu Minghao chuckled.
“Even if it wasn’t photoshopped, it could have been dyed with coloring! It looks beautiful, but it’ll be revealed in a few days…”
The silent Lu Ping adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and said.
“No matter what, we can just appraise it together later. How can we not be able to tell if it’s real or fake?”
“Then let’s see what happens next!” Lu Wen laughed.
The few men were engaged in a verbal sparring while the main character, Ling Qingxue, remained calm throughout. She sat on the sofa and occasionally took a sip of her tea, looking elegant and beautiful.
At this moment, the phone on the desk rang. Liang Qichao got up and walked over to press the speaker button. He heard the security officer’s voice on the phone.
“Director Liang, there’s a young man at the door. He said that he has an appointment with you to make a deal on the succulent plant.”
Liang Qichao immediately said.
“Tell him to wait a moment, I’ll be right out!”
Liu Minghao chuckled.
“Liang Qichao, you are actually going to fetch a swindler personally? You’re really getting worse as you live!”
Liang Qichao snorted and said.
“I can’t be bothered to tell you!”
He hurried toward the door.
Lu Wen called out.
“Come, come! Everyone, have some tea!”
He acted like he was the master.
…
Xia Ruofei waited at the security booth for two minutes before he saw Liang Qichao walk out hurriedly.
When Liang Qichao saw Xia Ruofei, he was stunned as well. He did not expect “Master Bloodwolf” to be so young. He was in a daze for a moment before asking in an uncertain tone.
“You are… Bloodwolf?”
Xia Ruofei smiled and nodded.
“You must be ‘Cold Stirred Meat’, right?”
“Master Bloodwolf! It’s really you!” Liang Qichao immediately extended both his hands enthusiastically and said, “Nice to meet you! I didn’t expect you to be so young!”
Xia Ruofei smiled faintly and said.
“My name is Xia Ruofei. May I know your name? We should call each other by our names when we are meeting face-to-face. It feels weird to call you by your ID.”
Liang Qichao laughed and said.
“My surname is Liang and my name is Liang Qichao!”
“Liang Qichao?” Xia Ruofei repeated subconsciously.
Liang Qichao laughed and said.
“I knew you would misunderstand! My ‘Qi’ means tidy not start up. I have another close friend called Kang You too! Our fathers are good friends and they both worship the two reform pioneers, so they gave their children such names! We have to explain it every time we introduce ourselves…”
Xia Ruofei smiled and said.
“The name is pretty good. At least it’s easier to remember!”
He could tell that Liang Qichao was an extroverted person with a straightforward personality. Xia Ruofei had a good first impression of him.
Then, Xia Ruofei smiled and said.
“Director Liang, I brought that ice lantern…”
“Hurry, hurry, hurry! Please come in!” Liang Qichao said impatiently. “Let’s talk in my office!”
The two of them walked into the “Immortal Succulent Store”. Along the way, Xia Ruofei saw the neat rows of greenhouses on both sides. From time to time, workers would come in and out. They would greet Liang Qichao respectfully when they saw him.
It was obvious that the farm was not small, and it was well-managed.
Liang Qichao led Xia Ruofei through the greenhouse and arrived at the three-story building. He quickly led the way and soon arrived at the office on the third floor.
“Mr Xia, I have a few friends who are also succulent lovers. They also want to see your supreme-grade Ice Lantern.” Liang Qichao asked carefully,” You… don’t mind, do you?”
Xia Ruofei smiled and said.
“Of course not!”
“That’s good, that’s good…” Liang Qichao was overjoyed.
When they arrived at the entrance of the large office on the third floor, Liang Qichao made an inviting gesture and said.
“Mr Xia, please come in!”
As soon as Xia Ruofei walked into the office, a few gazes landed on him. However, he was someone who had experienced all sorts of big scenes, so he was not reserved at all. He continued walking alongside Liang Qichao with his usual expression.
Ling Qingxue’s eyes widened when she saw Xia Ruofei. She rubbed her eyes and exclaimed in surprise.
“Xia Ruofei!”
This was the first time Liang Qichao and the other rich second-generation heirs had seen Ling Qingxue so infatuated. They were all dumbstruck.
Was this still the legendary Goddess of Ice?
Was this still the little princess of Ling Ji whose smile could not be bought with money?
Why did she look like a little fan meeting a big star now?
‘Am I dreaming…’