Today was one of the rare occasions where Shi Yunnan showed up in his office. An employee knocked on the door and came in to inform him, “Designer Shi, the boss invites you to the reception room. Mr. Zheng is already here.”
When Shi Yunnan heard this, he picked up the printed document and got up, “Thank you, I’ll go over now.”
In the conference room
Yuan Rui was talking with a middle-aged man in his early forties. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of his friend, “Come on, Yunnan, this is the brother Zheng I told you about before.”
Brother Zheng’s full name was Zheng Yan. He only made his fortune in aquatic products in the past two years.
Shi Yunnan approached them and took the initiative to extend his hand in greeting, “Hello, President Zheng.”
“This…”
Zheng Yan felt a little embarrassed when he heard this address.
Yuan Rui smiled, “Brother Zheng, this is the co-investor of our studio and the designer responsible for this change order, Shi Yunnan.”
Zheng Yan nodded, his expression relaxed, “Designer Shi, you can also call me Brother Zheng. How can a businessman like me who accumulates wealth by doing aquatic business be called President Zheng?”
“Brother Zheng’s attitude is better than that of some company directors.” Shi Yunnan sincerely praised him and then asked, “I wonder if you are satisfied with the design changes I gave you the day before yesterday?”
“If there’s anything that needs to be modified, you can contact me anytime.” Shi Yunnan invited him to sit down.
Zheng Yan said with a smile, “No need to change. I’m a crude person and don’t understand these things, but my wife is very satisfied.”
It was obviously the exact same jade configuration, but with Shi Yunnan’s splicing and transformation, it was a touch less mundane and a touch more luxurious.
Zheng Yan’s wife liked the design drawing very much when she saw it, and now she was waiting for the handover of the finished product. She also said that if she had more savings in the future, she would go directly to the studio for private orders and would never go to such auctions again.
Yuan Rui was very proud of his friend and said, “That’s right, Brother Zheng, Yunnan’s designs are among the best in our circle.”
Shi Yunnan said helplessly, “Be a little modest. Which designer dares to say such a thing?”
“Designer Shi is too modest.” Zheng Yan followed with a smile and took the initiative to ask about the business, “I heard from boss Yuan that you guys contacted me because of Lingyu fake jade.”
Shi Yunnan nodded and brought the document prepared early in the morning in front of Zheng Yan, “We’ve sent someone to investigate this matter in depth. There is more than one auction item like this that is sold with real and fake jade. It’s not just Brother Zheng who has been scammed.”
Zheng Yan frowned. He still felt angry when this matter was mentioned.
They rely on their own efforts and hard work to make money. It can’t be compared to the wealth of those gentry who were born with silver spoons, but these few millions are hard-earned savings for them!
Although it’s not 100% counterfeit, spending millions on adulterated jewelry will always make people feel uncomfortable.
“If it weren’t for the fact that the amount of adulterated jade is small, I really want to sue them!”
The auction took place almost two months ago. When Zheng Yan and his wife first made a complaint, the other side attacked them by saying that they had switched the jade for scam money.
Zheng Yan had learned that this level of adulteration could only be regarded as a small amount of money involved. Even if they file a lawsuit, they might not win the case.
It’s a waste of time and energy.
Yuan Rui and Shi Yunnan looked at each other and put forward the proposal, “Brother Zheng, we invited you here today because we want you to be the leader of this prosecution.”
Zheng Yan asked back, “The leader?”
“Yes, in addition to you, I have found twelve other buyers with the intention of suing. You can collectively sue Lingyu Jade for adulterated transactions.”
The prosecution of one person may be insignificant, but the effect and deterrent of collective prosecution must be greater.
“I have already asked the lawyer. If you sue them together, the chance of winning is very high.” Shi Yunnan said what he had in mind.
“Brother Zheng, if you win the lawsuit, the compensation fee will be decided by you, the buyer. If the case is lost, all expenses incurred during the process will be paid by our studio.”
Zheng Yan’s eyes fell on Yuan Rui and Shi Yunnan, still hesitating.
He was at most a client of their design studio, so wasn’t this kind of dedication a bit beyond the normal range?
He was afraid of stepping into another trap.
“Brother Zheng, you are also a businessman, so we won’t hide this matter from you.” Shi Yunnan saw through Zheng Yan’s hesitation and further persuaded him with honesty.
“Us and Lingyu can be regarded as competitors in this industry. As long as your joint lawsuit is successful, the subsequent compensation costs can be a crucial step for us to bring them down.”
Shi Yunnan met Zheng Yan’s gaze and said bluntly, “To put it nicely, we are helping the “victims.” To put it more realistically, we’re using this incident to bring down our competitor.”
Zheng Yan was stunned for a while, then laughed, “Designer Shi is very honest.”
He was born into a merchant family background, so he understood that timing and interests are the keys to making judgment, not to mention in the business world where competition is everywhere.
Zheng Yan took a deep breath and made a decision, “Okay, I am willing to participate in this matter.”
…
The three chatted for nearly half an hour before confirming everything.
After Zheng Yan left, Yuan Rui immediately hugged Shi Yunnan and said, with great emotion, “Yunnan, the thing I’m most proud of over the past 20 years is getting to know a ‘baby son’ like you.”
Shi Yunnan knocked his head decisively, “Son, are you saying the opposite?”
“…”
Yuan Rui let go of him and rubbed his forehead in pain, yet his face didn’t show any displeasure, “You’re amazing, you’re amazing, you’re my dad, alright?”
Shi Yunnan leaned back on the sofa and asked, “By the way, how is the thing I told you to do?”
“Find a media reporter to expose the Lingyu incident?” Yuan Rui sat beside him and nodded his head firmly, “Don’t worry, I’ve already struck a deal with reliable media reporters.”
“In order to add some visibility to Lingyu, I also spent money to get some real material and actual evidence.”
“Lingyu also did acid pickling and glue injection1According to Baidu, these two methods are used to optimize low-grade jade into high-grade by bleaching the surface of jade with acid and then injecting resin to increase its transparency. The acid remaining on the jade can be harmful to the body. to their jade, a B+C2In a classification system that is used in China, B+C is the grade of jade altered with the two methods above. Grade A is the purest, unadulterated jade. counterfeit, specially designed to deceive little girls who don’t understand goods.”
“There was a girl who was cheated out of 50,000 yuan37148.47 USD in their offline store before. After complaining, she was secretly threatened by them and almost had an accident on the way to escape. She then had to hold back her anger and stop pursuing this matter.”
As Yuan Rui kept talking about several examples, his face became more and more ugly.
“The reputation of our jade industry has been ruined in this way. We can’t let Gu Jue scam other people again!”
If you make money by ignoring your conscience, there will be retribution!
Seeing his friend’s indignation, Shi Yunnan smiled to reassure him, “Boss Yuan, calm down. Be careful not to be laughed at by the employees outside.”
When Yuan Rui heard this, he immediately put on a serious look, and within two seconds he cursed in a low voice, “Tsk! I just can’t help but be angry.”
Shi Yunnan also felt disgusted when he thought of Gu Jue’s “snobbish” attitude.
The bottom of his eyes flashed with a dark light, “Hasn’t Gu Jue always claimed that Lingyu is number one in the jade design industry? Let’s take advantage of this chance to let him experience the loss of his reputation and interests.”
“Hmm! That’s a must!”
…
Lingyu Design Headquarters
With a roar, a mobile phone was thrown out of the high-level office and smashed against the door, shattering the screen.
The new secretary, Su Su, who was just about to enter the door, was startled, “President Gu?”
Gu Jue roared without turning his head, “Get out!”
The secretary is a smart person. She silently put away the mobile phone on the ground, and temporarily retreated.
The office door was closed again.
Gu Jue unfastened his tie, his whole person half-lying on the sofa, gasping for breath. The resentment and anger in his eyes had not yet dissipated.
Because he showed off his appearance with Xie Keyue too much some time ago, as a result, after the video of the other party was circulated, he has become the laughingstock of many people in the Imperial Capital circle along with Xie Keyue.
This matter was brought up in front of his father, so for half a month, Gu Jue lived under his own father’s watchful eye.
Although Father Gu has retired, his ability to spot financial loopholes was still top-notch. He noticed that Gu Jue had made false accounts last year because of a lack of funds, so he gave him a call and scolded him over the phone.
Not only that, Father Gu also vetoed his plan to replace and suppress the Yuan family.
Don’t burn the bridge and leave others some leeway?
No! What he wanted was for Shi Yunnan and Yuan Rui’s design studio to be completely replaced so that they couldn’t jump in front of him again!
Gu Jue gritted his teeth and cursed twice.
Suddenly, a cup of iced coffee was placed on the coffee table in front of him, “Mr. Gu, why don’t you drink something cold to dispel the anger?”
Secretary Su Su came in again at some point, and deliberately bent over to show her sexy figure.
Gu Jue’s displeased question stuck in his throat, and he raised his eyebrows slightly, “How long have you been in the company?”
“It’s only been half a month.”
She originally came to apply for the front desk, but she was temporarily assigned to this secretary position by the head of the HR Department.
—Our president Gu doesn’t care about the secretary’s ability as long as you are smart enough and know how to please him.
Su Su understood the hint, and when she got the chance, she began to present herself.
After all, in her eyes, Gu Jue was indeed considered handsome and rich. If she could get involved with him and gain some financial benefits, it wasn’t a loss for an unskilled worker like her.
Su Su saw Gu Jue’s tie was a little messy, so she took the initiative to step forward and ask, “Mr. Gu, can I help you tidy up your tie?”
Gu Jue raised his jaw and acquiesced to her approach.
Her fingers flipped the tie, and occasionally rubbed against his Adam’s apple, creating a tingling sensation with ulterior motives.
The action of tying a tie was actually more like “peeling off” the clothes.
Gu Jue instantly grabbed Su Su’s wrist and took her into his arms, “You’re quite skilled at this, aren’t you?”
Su Su pretended to look like a frightened deer, “President Gu, you…”
Before these words could be finished, the unlocked office door was violently pushed open, “President Gu!”
The sudden interruption made Gu Jue particularly unhappy, and the anger that was finally suppressed surged up again.
He didn’t release the hand that confined Su Su’s but just snapped at the head of the operations department, who suddenly barged in, “You don’t even know how to knock on the door anymore?”
“…s, sorry.”
The head of the operations department bowed his head and apologized. There was a trace of disdain in his originally anxious eyes.
Oh, come on.
What’s his hurry as an employee who gets paid to do his job? In the hands of such a boss, Lingyu may even close down sooner or later.
Seeing that the head of the operations department was standing dumbly without speaking, the hostility in Gu Jue’s eyes grew more and more, “You barged in just to say nothing? Does the company raise you to be a mute?”
The head of the operation department held back his anger and said, “Mr. Gu, the internet is suddenly flooded with negative news about Lingyu, and it’s spreading very fast. Should we…”
At the same time, another knock sounded on the door, interrupting the unfinished report.
The staff of the legal department walked in with a court summons they had just received, with a more serious expression, “Mr. Gu, the designs we sent to Zeguang Auction House have been jointly sued!”
The author has something to say:
Little Fox: It’s your turn
Hua: Sorry for the lack of update. My work’s been very hectic recently X﹏X