On the morning of June 16, 1998, the thing Ye Xiaoming dreaded finally happened. A court van stopped in front of the Ge Lü Shi audio store, and two men in judge uniforms got out. They looked at the store sign and walked inside. With Liu Bing and Xiao Yang out delivering goods, Ye Xiaoming was alone in the store. There were no customers at that moment, and Ye Xiaoming was dusting the audio equipment. Seeing the two judges enter, he already had an inkling of what was to come but still greeted them as he would any customer.
One of the judges asked, "Is this Ge Lü Shi Company?"
Ye Xiaoming replied, "Yes, it is."
The judge then asked, "Is the person in charge here?"
Ye Xiaoming said, "Yes, I am. I'm Ye Xiaoming, the manager. What can I do for you?"
The judge opened his briefcase, took out several documents, and handed them to Ye Xiaoming, saying, "We are from the court. Our court has accepted the case filed by Shenzhen Lesheng Audio Co., Ltd. against your company for unfair competition. We are here to deliver the plaintiff's copy of the complaint, the notice of response, and the notice of evidence production. Please sign for these."
Ye Xiaoming signed his name and the date on the receipt, and the judges left with it.
After they left, Ye Xiaoming carefully read through the copy of Lesheng's complaint. He was stunned to see that Lesheng was demanding 6 million yuan in damages. This was an insurmountable lawsuit for the small Ge Lü Shi Company. How could they possibly afford to fight such an expensive case? His mind went blank; this wasn't just a lawsuit, it was a death sentence for Ge Lü Shi. He realized, "It's over."
Soon after, Liu Bing and Xiao Yang returned from their delivery. Liu Bing immediately noticed Ye Xiaoming's distressed expression and the documents in his hand. He asked, "What's wrong?"
Ye Xiaoming said, "Come here."
They went into the back office, and Ye Xiaoming closed the door before handing the court documents to Liu Bing.
After reading the copy of the complaint, Liu Bing said anxiously, "Damn, 6 million! They're out to kill us. Lesheng isn't someone you mess with. This day was bound to come, and we can't escape it."
Ye Xiaoming took off his glasses and slowly, meticulously wiped them with his shirt, a nearly unconscious act to relieve his tension. He said, "Lin Yufeng is a prominent figure in China's Hi-Fi audio industry. You can't just cross him without consequences. Ge Lü Shi won't survive this, and Lin Yufeng's reputation won't be restored unless our company is crushed. Brother Ding picked the wrong fight this time."
Liu Bing said, "This is a big deal. We should call Brother Ding right away and get his advice."
Ye Xiaoming said, "Do we even need to ask what Brother Ding would say? He'd tell us to fight, even if it means going broke. But can we afford it? A 6 million yuan case with 15% litigation costs means 900,000 yuan. Can we cover that? Not to mention we're in the wrong here. Even if we win, what's the point? Ding Yuanying doesn't feel the pain of spending other people's money."
Liu Bing said, "You're the manager. What do you think we should do?"
Ye Xiaoming thought for a long time before saying, "Don't call them yet. Let's go back to the ancient city first. We need to discuss this with Shijie and make a unified decision before letting Ding Yuanying lead us any further. Go prepare the car, and I'll brief Xiao Yang."
Liu Bing agreed and immediately went to prepare the car.