CHAPTER 18: 18. NEW BUSINESS

Riki grabbed Evan and Liz’s hands and approached the store.

"Excuse me, we want to buy this store, so can we meet with your boss?" asked Riki.

Both Evan and Liz were very surprised by Riki, who seemed so confident in his decision. There was no doubt in his mind.

"Wait a minute, Riki, why so suddenly—"

"It’s not sudden," Riki interrupted Evan. "I’ve thought it through carefully," he continued.

"Coincidentally, our boss is here, but he’s still having breakfast. Would you like to wait while looking around?" the employee asked.

They waited while looking around the large store.

The store was the largest there; if it weren’t a flower shop, it could fit three more stores. The prices were probably quite expensive.

"Look at that, there are so many big roses!" Liz quickly walked, almost running, toward the section where the roses were.

"All the flowers here are well-cared for," Evan said. Riki could see his friend was delighted, staring at all the flowers.

"So, you can take care of flowers, right? Then, we can sell them. Liz can help you because she loves flowers. She even wants to create a rose garden at her house," said Riki.

Evan turned to Liz, who was busy taking photos of the roses.

"I can also make gardens. We can hire a few more people and offer garden design services," said Evan.

"Do you really like flowers, buddy?" asked Riki.

Evan laughed, then gently pushed Riki’s shoulder, "Why does that sound like a joke? I like flowers, I like taking care of them too, but my parents don’t like flowers. They say flowers don’t produce anything, they’re just decorations."

"But the fact is, this store is so big because of selling those flowers. They sell them from seedlings, to young plants, to mature ones. It’s just a difference in perspective with your parents. They’re gone now, so you should dare to do whatever you like, buddy."

Evan smiled upon hearing Riki’s words. He knew Riki was right.

If Evan kept procrastinating about starting any business, all opportunities would be lost.

Now, there’s an opportunity right in front of him; he must seize it immediately.

"Alright, let’s buy this place and make it even bigger." said Evan.

"That’s the Evan I know! But you don’t need to buy the whole thing; I’ll help with the rest. You can use some of your money to buy your own apartment. I also have land suitable for a store; we can open a branch later. The point is, let’s just go for it; there’s no time to hesitate." Riki’s words made Evan proud of him.

Riki had grown up well, even though he used to be like a cute little duckling following him everywhere he went. Now he had transformed into a handsome and charismatic young man.

"I’ll help too! I have a lot of money, so I can be a shareholder here too," Liz chimed in.

Evan laughed; he was happy to have both of them there with him. Even though Evan had only just met Liz, he knew she was a very kind and trustworthy girl.

Soon after, the owner of the place approached them. He warmly welcomed their intention to buy the store, especially if they planned to continue running it.

The purchase of the store was quickly handled by Evan. So Riki and Liz went back to exercising.

"The store will soon be ours, right?" Liz asked, jogging along the riverbank with Riki.

"Of course. Evan said, he can also provide landscaping services."

"What if we start by making a garden at my house, record the process, and then use my garden for promotion. I can help with promotions on social media," Liz said.

Riki chuckled at how enthusiastic the girl was.

"I know you’re this enthusiastic because you can take care of the flowers with Evan, right?" Riki asked.

"Hahaha, I love roses, I also love chrysanthemums, Peony, bougainvillea... I love all flowers! Though lately I’ve been loving roses."

"What kind of roses do you like, Liz?"

Hearing that, Liz became even more excited, and her answer left Riki dizzy.

"There are so many! I like Piere de Ronsant, Queen of Sweden, Spirit of Freedom, Minerva, Alnwick, Cool Water, Eden, Ocean Song, Princess Alexandra of Kent..." They continued jogging while Liz listed all the types of roses she liked.

Riki only then realized there were so many types of roses. And Riki couldn’t even remember them all one by one.

Liz finally stopped talking about roses after they were close to where Angeline and Kaivan were.

Angeline and Kaivan were still in the same positions as the last time they saw them.

Angeline was busy with a fashion magazine, and Kaivan was busy playing a game.

[Your first mission has been completed; you’ve obtained the system store!]

[Two points have been added]

[Now you can purchase anything in the system store, either using money or system points]

System points? So, the points are collected not only to increase his level, but also as a form of payment?

Riki was curious about what the system sold in the system store. He wanted to see it right away, but he would look strange later. He had to be patient for now.

"You guys are here, so I can eat now, right?" Kaivan asked.

Angeline gave him a annoyed look, then opened the lid of the large food container Riki had brought.

"Eat up, you sound like someone who hasn’t been fed in a week," Angeline commented, though bluntly, Kaivan and Liz were used to it.

"Why not just eat it right away?" Riki asked.

"This silly witch forbade me, saying I’d eat it all by myself," protested Kaivan.

Liz burst into laughter, "Isn’t that true? You always do that at home."

"Look who’s talking, you eat a lot too!" retorted Kaivan.

Riki just smiled slightly at the argument between the not-so-similar twins.

Wait a minute, something feels off. What is it?

Slowly, Riki turned to the couple picnicking not far from them.

"Oh my gosh!"

Riki was shocked to see Anton and Hannah there.

He had forgotten that he was supposed to meet them all day.

[They’ve been there the whole time; you were just too focused on Liz, Evan, or Angeline.]

Oh.

"What are you looking at?" Angeline asked. "Do you know them?" she added.

Finally, Liz turned to look in the direction Riki and Angeline were staring at. The girl was shocked to see who was there.

"Don’t you know them, Angel?" Liz then whispered something to Angeline.

After learning who they were from Liz, Angeline sat closer to Riki.

"Your ex is ugly, Riki, so there’s no need to think about it," Angeline said.

Riki shook his head, "No, I don’t have any feelings for her anymore, but still..."

Hannah finally looked around and was also surprised to see Riki there. Especially with Angeline, Kaivan, and Liz.

"What are you looking at, babe? Look, I bought your favorite food, it’s very expensive, so—"

"Look who’s there," Hannah interrupted Anton.

Anton turned to look in the direction Hannah was pointing. He saw Riki, along with Kaivan, Kaivan’s twin sister, and their cousin, Angeline.

"They’re probably just enjoying the river view like us, honey," Anton said.

Hannah shook her head, "No, let’s go over there and embarrass Riki."

Anton looked at Hannah in disbelief, "You still like him?"

Hannah laughed, "Hahaha, of course not. But I don’t like that jerk living happily. If he still has all that money from his father’s inheritance, why is he pretending to be poor when he’s with me? I can’t accept that, Anton! That pink diamond ring he gave Angeline should have been mine, not hers!"

Anton felt like a loser just hearing Hannah’s words.

"So, what I gave you wasn’t enough?" Anton asked.

Hannah smiled, then took Anton’s hand and held it.

"Darling... I just can’t accept that he’s living happily, that’s all."

Anton sighed heavily, "Alright, let’s go meet them."

Hannah and Anton stood up and approached them.

Riki’s mood grew worse at that moment. He knew Hannah would say more annoying things.

"Good morning," Hannah greeted them, pretending to be very sweet at that moment.

Just seeing her made Riki sick.

"Hey, bro!" Anton greeted.

"Hmm," Kaivan replied, still busy with his sandwich and game.

"What are you guys doing here? If you’re just here to cause trouble, then—"

"Come on, Riki, I just wanted to say hi to your new girlfriend... your name is Liz, right? You’re perfect for Riki. I know you’ve liked Riki for a long time. Are you okay? Because Riki doesn’t acknowledge you as his girlfriend, but he tells everyone that his girlfriend is Angeline. But anyone can see that you’re more suited for Riki. A loser and a fat girl are a perfect match." Hannah said. She didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty after saying such hurtful things.

Liz remained silent, holding back her turbulent emotions. She was angry, she was sad, she wanted to hit someone, but she was weak.

"It seems you’ve misunderstood here. Riki’s girlfriend is me, Angeline Harland. Liz never liked Riki, and you’re just making things up. Aren’t you ashamed of doing all this, Hannah?" asked Angeline, her voice soft but piercing. It made Hannah extremely annoyed.

"What did I do? I’m just stating the facts! While Riki was dating me, Liz already liked Riki! Should I show you the video, Liz?"

"NO!! Please... Riki is happy with Angeline," Liz shouted.

However, Hannah refused to listen.

She took out her smartphone and showed an old video.

The video showed Hannah getting angry because Liz had written a diary about her feelings for Riki. Then in the video, Hannah read Liz’s diary aloud.