Chapter 69: 69. Rose garden

Humans are indeed created with reason. They will try to find various ways to survive the trials that befall them.

One of them is taking refuge under someone they once hated and despised.

And that is what Anton is doing now.

It is sad indeed.

Really sad.

Because the wheel of life is indeed terrifying. It can turn quickly, without warning.

Just a few months ago, Anton, who hated Riki for no reason, tried to get rid of Evan so that Riki would be left alone. In fact, the jealous Anton also approached Hannah so that Riki would be even more devastated.

He was very happy to see Riki fall at his feet.

Why? Even Anton couldn’t find a reason. He hated Riki and bullied him as if it were the most natural thing in the world. It just flowed naturally, as if it were his duty.

But Anton still remembered. When he was little, for some reason he was always jealous of Riki. His parents had instilled this hatred in him since he was a child, towards Riki and Riki’s family. Until it became a habit for Anton.

Now, after everything had changed, Anton realized how stupid he had been.

What was so cool about bullying someone who was already beneath him? It only dragged Anton down, just like now. In fact, Riki was the one who suddenly rose to the top.

It was very sad, wasn’t it?

Now, Anton was watching Riki get ready to go to Little Heaven. At Liz’s request, they went to the backyard of Little Heaven to see the roses that had bloomed.

Anton himself will not be joining them. He will go with Kaivan to find a suitable job for him. Anton knows that there are actually no jobs for him. But somehow, Riki persuaded Kaivan to give him a job.

And somehow, Kaivan obediently found him a job at his company. It was a game company that made various types of games and already had several employees.

"You’re ready, Anton, let’s go," said Kaivan.

Anton nodded, then stood up from his seat. He saw Evan leaning against the wall near the door, waiting for Riki and Liz to finish getting ready.

Evan glanced at Anton, smiling slightly, as if mocking him. But Anton didn’t care, because he had no other choice to survive.

Even if it meant becoming a remora fish, he felt he could do it.

"Why are you staring at them like that?" asked Riki, when Anton and Kaivan had left, to Evan who was still leaning against the wall.

Evan shrugged, "Well, I’m just surprised by him. I still remember when he threatened me to stay away from you. I also remember how he always bullied you in high school."

Riki shook his head, "No, he always bullied me, even in elementary school. You can imagine how much I hate him, right? And it turns out he’s my brother."

Evan furrowed his brow, "Huh?"

"Anton’s mother had a relationship with my father before my father married my mother. You know that Anton is a year older than me, right?"

Evan slapped his forehead, "I forgot that Anton started school late because he was sickly, so I always thought he was the same age as you. But, so—he’s your brother?"

Riki sighed heavily, "Unfortunately, yes, he’s my brother."

Evan chuckled when he heard that, laughing so hard he held his stomach.

"We’re ready! Let’s go see the roses!" exclaimed Selene, who was even more enthusiastic than Liz, the rose lover.

"Do I really need to be there? If not, I’d rather just rest here," complained Sean, who had just returned from a day of filming a variety show with Deva and Travis.

"Oh my gosh, don’t be so weak, you’re a man! Being a little tired is normal. You said you would buy me lots of clothes and shoes, right? After seeing the roses, we’ll go shopping," said Selene, hugging Sean’s arm so he wouldn’t run back to his bed.

"Just go with Riki! Not me! Let me rest, don’t you know I’m really tired? I’ve been playing a lot of weird games, I even had to slide down from a height! I’m not as athletic as Riki or Deva!" complained Sean, who instead of getting sympathy, got laughter from the others.

It wasn’t that they didn’t feel sorry for him, it was just that Sean was very funny when he sulked like that.

"If I didn’t remember that you’re older than me, I would definitely make you my adopted little brother!" said Liz.

Riki glared at her, "Do you like cute guys like him?"

Liz nodded confidently, "Yes, I like cute guys like Sean! Isn’t he adorable?"

Selene and Evan laughed mockingly at Riki. And for the first time, Sean was happy and proud to be called cute. If it weren’t for Liz, Sean would have probably thrown a tantrum.

"Then what about me?" asked Riki.

Liz looked at Riki in confusion, "You’re not cute, Riki," said Liz.

Riki, who was annoyed, immediately walked away.

Liz herself was confused as to why Riki was suddenly acting like that.

"What’s wrong with him?"

"Nothing, Liz, don’t worry about it," replied Selene.

***

"Look at this, all the rose seeds you gave me have grown this big. It’s amazing, because I’ve never grown roses from seeds before," said Evan. He showed all the roses he had planted from the seeds Riki had given him earlier. Even the seeds Riki had given Liz were also planted by Evan, because Liz had entrusted them to him.

"That means the seeds have a 100% success rate for growing, right?" asked Riki, who was very enthusiastic because the seeds he bought from the system had proven to be of very high quality.

"I think 100% is too much, because only Evan planted them. And I think Evan is a professional in this field. If people like us planted them, they might not grow this fast," replied Liz.

Riki nodded, "In that case, I’ll lower it to 99%. I’m confident in what I’m selling. So, since it’s been proven, I think I can sell it now. I’ll contact Jake."

"Don’t forget to sell the fertilizer from before too, Riki!" Liz replied.

Riki nodded, "The fertilizer can be bought at this store starting tomorrow. And not only fertilizer, I will also sell natural pesticides and others."

"Why don’t you just sell chemical pesticides?" asked Selene.

Riki shook his head, "There are only organic ones and I only sell organic ones."

A few minutes later, Selene and Liz had already walked around the place.

Only the three handsome young men remained, sitting in the gazebo in the corner of the place. They enjoyed iced coffee lattes to refresh their throats.

The sun was very hot that day. The gardener hired by Evan had come to water the plants and check if anything needed fixing.

Evan always hired this gardener, especially when he was very busy or didn’t feel like working.

The gardener, on the other hand, was very happy to be called every day by Evan. After all, making money was very difficult when the global economy was not doing well.

"By the way, Riki, the garden at your mansion is almost finished. Do you want to request any specific plants?" asked Evan.

"Oh, really? I don’t know anything about plants," replied Riki.

"How about hibiscus? Or bougainvillea, it’s very pretty and comes in many colors," said Sean.

Riki nodded, "That’s right, bougainvillea is very pretty. Just plant that flower in various beautiful colors."

Riki leaned back, staring up at the bright blue sky at nine in the morning.

At that moment, Riki realized that he hadn’t received any missions that day. Lately, the system had been giving him very few missions.

[When will you use your gacha ticket, master?]

Riki almost spit out the latte he was drinking when he saw the system screen suddenly appear along with that distinctive robotic voice.

Riki coughed because he choked, making Evan and Sean laugh at him.

"Damn it, why are you guys laughing when I almost died?" protested Riki.

"You’re not going to die just from choking, Riki, especially if you still have a long life ahead of you," said Sean.

Riki clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"That’s true, because if your time is up, you’ll die even if you don’t do anything strange. My neighbor once died after tripping over a rock," replied Evan.

"You’re not joking, right?" asked Sean.

"I don’t think he’s joking, because my own father died suddenly."

Evan and Sean couldn’t smile after hearing Riki’s words.

"Oh my god, you’re making me unable to smile anymore," said Evan.

"Did your father have a history of heart disease?" asked Sean.

Riki shook his head, "Not that I know of. My father was healthy and fit. But the doctor said he died of heart disease."

"Can heart disease be faked? I mean, maybe there’s a special poison for that. Or maybe the doctor’s statement is false, or maybe the doctor is also fake... sorry, I’m just saying strange things."

Riki shook his head, "No, it makes sense to me, because my father’s opponents are power-hungry lunatics. Should I hire the best detective in the country?"

[Your mission today is to find someone who can help investigate your father’s death]

[You only have one day, and your reward will be randomly selected]

Riki furrowed his brow.

Apparently, the mission could come after being triggered by Riki himself.

"As far as I know, Arvin knows a pretty good detective. Do you want to try contacting him?" asked Sean.

Riki nodded, "Try contacting Arvin and ask him."