" Erm… How should I address you?" Xia Lian was not sure as what he was called. She could not possibly call him as owner or landlord. It would be rude. Weighing all the options in her mind, she decided that it would be best to be straight forward.
" Lidan…" the man finally spoke and she had to admit that his voice was comforting and soothing to one's ears. She didn't know why but she felt a vague sense of familiarity after hearing his voice.
" Do we know each other?" Lidan stiffened on hearing her words.
" No, you must be mistaken." Lidan spoke slowly and a hint of sadness can be traced in them. But, Xia Lian was distracted and she failed to notice the small detail. Xia Lian nodded her head and dismissed the uneasy feeling in her heart.
' I did not meet him before. I must have been mistaken.' she thought to herself.
" Doctor Wu, you must have been wondering about why I helped you." Lidan did not wait for her to nod or snap out from her thoughts as he continued " It's because our Black Dragon Auction House want to collaborate with you in the future."
" I understand but I will not be auctioning anything in the future." Xia Lian politely put forward her real intentions " I will be selling medicines in the shops directly. I want them to be accessible to everyone. Only due to the lack of money, I auctioned poisons and potions for the first time in my life."
" I will not be doing this again." Xia Lian's voice was resolute.
'Stubborn and decisive… She was the same as always.' Lidan smiled faintly at her " If you are going to start shops, then don't you need capital? I am interested to invest in these shops of yours."
Xia Lian did not answer right away. If this rich man was willing to invest, then it would be easier for her to start her shops. She could invest her money in opening other businesses. The pros are outweighing the cons. But, what exactly is he expecting in return?
" What are your conditions for your investment?"
" I want 30% of your profits and if you want start any new business in future I will be willing to invest in them. If you are doubting why I am not asking for more than 30%, I am not a greedy person in the first place."
" Also, I am feeling a bit bored these days. So, I want to help those who are worthy and have some mettle."
What sort of nonsensical reasoning is this? Xia Lian did not know how to respond to this man.
" Lidan, I need to think about this." Xia Lian was not in a position to think about this anymore. She wanted to give it a thorough thought later on.
" You can take your time, but try to give me an answer soon." Lidan was in no rush and simply shrugged his shoulders.
" I will be leaving now." Xia Lian exited the room hurriedly.
' Little sister, this time big brother will protect you with his life…' Lidan swore in his heart as he stared at her disappearing back.
Xia Lian was still in a daze and if not for Lu Wen she would have stumbled many times and her nose would have turned crooked beyond recognition. She was beyond tired with all the events that happened today and she fell into a deep slumber as soon as her back hit the bed.
Next day morning…
Xia Lian was leaning against the armrest of her chair as she was thinking about Lidan's proposal. If he provides her with the capital, she was sure that she would be able to start new businesses in no time. It was a good proposal. Lidan seemed to be trustworthy and she knew that such gut based impressions might be detrimental in the business world.
But there are no gains without risks and risks are what one should be ready to take at any time. So, she decided to agree to his proposal.
" Brother Lu Wen, inform the Black Dragon Auction House that I agreed to their proposal." Lu Wen disappeared out of the room immediately after making a sound of agreement.
" Big brother, hurry and come outside…" Xia Lian walked towards the window and saw her little bunny waving his hand at her excitedly. His other hand was pointing towards the cage which the auction house sent them now.
The kid is so excited about the wolf cubs… Xia Lian had a wide smile on her face as she hurried downstairs.
Xia Lian patted on the little one's head as she crouched down before the cage. She saw a pair of angry black eyes staring back at her. Xia Lian's face fell immediately on seeing the protective older snow white wolf glaring at her.
This was bad! She screamed in her heart. Then she stared at the little wolf which was lying unconscious. Now she understood why this big sister wolf was so angry. Those hunters must have done something to the little one making it unable to move. She can cure the little wolf, but to do so she had to open the cage.
Once she opened the cage, she was sure that this big wolf will pounce upon her and tear her down into pieces. She contemplated over whether she should use a tranquiliser or not and decided against the idea. The big wolf was already hostile towards her, what if the wolf becomes mad and hunts her down after it wakes up…
This was becoming too troublesome… The little wolf is important at the moment, even if it means to fight with the big wolf she must open this cage.
" Fan Ling, sit on the tree with little Ming. No matter what happens, don't come down." she then turned to her brother " Believe in me and don't freak out and jump off from the tree at any cost."