Liu Bing, leveraging the superior performance of his BMW and his skilled driving, sped towards the ancient city.
During the 300-plus kilometer journey, Ye Xiaoming was mostly silent, lost in deep thought. He was disappointed—not just in the company's prospects but also in Ding Yuanying. What had this so-called expert achieved? It was all just showy but impractical tactics, aimed at being different for the sake of vanity. Ye Xiaoming believed Ding Yuanying was leading an untrained guerrilla team, trying to imitate the operations of a regular army. Though the form looked good, it was clearly unworkable. This past year felt like a waste. Given the current situation, returning to square one would be the best possible outcome; any wrong step could lead to a catastrophic negative result. Thoughts of the Beijing office, international evaluations, and the dust and noise of Wangmiao Village seemed like a dream, or rather, a joke.
Ye Xiaoming and Liu Bing arrived at Wangmiao Village around 2 PM. As the car pulled up to the temporary office by the carpentry shop, Feng Shijie came out, puzzled: why had both of them returned without notice? Their eyes hinted at something serious.
Feng Shijie cheerfully asked, "What brings you both back?"
Liu Bing, with a serious expression, said, "Something's happened. Let's talk inside."
The temporary office was as simple as ever, the room stuffy and filled with the peculiar smell of rural houses in hot and humid weather. A ceiling fan turned weakly, making a creaky sound. There was no cool air conditioning or elegant environment; it was a world apart from the Beijing office of Ge Lü Shi.
Inside, Ye Xiaoming handed the three court documents to Feng Shijie, saying, "Take a look first."
Feng Shijie sat at the desk, reading the shorter notice of response and the notice of evidence production before moving on to the copy of the plaintiff's complaint. After reading, he slapped the complaint and said, "6 million, that's brutal! Forget about winning or losing, just the litigation fees could bleed us dry. We can't afford this lawsuit."
Liu Bing said, "They're out to kill us."
Ye Xiaoming added, "Lose, and we're broke; win, and we're still broke. Lin Yufeng is a major figure in China's Hi-Fi industry. If he dared to poke this hornet's nest, he's got some assurance."
Feng Shijie asked, "Do we have any chance of winning?"
Ye Xiaoming replied, "Lesheng didn't provoke us. Anyone could see that the exhibition was a direct stab at them. Honestly, were we not engaging in unfair competition?"
Feng Shijie admitted, "Honestly, yes."
Ye Xiaoming continued, "Some issues only become serious when you're sued. Environmental, child labor, and labor rights protections are obvious areas; you can't cover them up. Covering up one issue exposes another. How can our costs be lower than theirs otherwise? You can argue that the village farmers are independent, but deep down, we know the truth. You think a judge won't see through these little tricks?"
Feng Shijie lit a cigarette, smoked a few puffs silently, and then said, "If we lose, it'll be disastrous. The company goes bankrupt, and we'll owe Ouyang Xue a lot of money."
Ye Xiaoming said, "That's why Liu Bing suggested involving Ding Yuanying's money. There's a difference between owing Ouyang Xue and owing Ding Yuanying. If we lose, I'll lose my 70,000 yuan investment and owe Ouyang Xue another 180,000. How would I ever repay that?"
Liu Bing said, "If we lose, I owe Ouyang Xue 130,000. Might as well jump off a building! Shijie's a bit better off, only owing 30,000, which he might manage."
Feng Shijie said, "I don't understand why Brother Ding did this, playing with such risky tactics."
Liu Bing, discontent and slightly contemptuous, said, "Everything was fine, but he had to show off. It's like he needs to prove he's a genius."
Ye Xiaoming said, "Losing won't hurt Ding Yuanying at all. He's got nothing to lose."
Feng Shijie said, "What should we do now?"
Ye Xiaoming calmly said, "My suggestion is to seek reconciliation."
Feng Shijie immediately said, "Reconciliation? Brother Ding won't agree. He wouldn't have done this if he planned to reconcile."
Ye Xiaoming replied, "Do we need his agreement to reconcile? He said he'll speak if we ask, otherwise, he'll keep quiet. We're a small business; we can't afford to play high stakes like Ding. We can't handle it."
Feng Shijie said, "Reconciliation needs a gesture. We can't just ask."
Ye Xiaoming said, "I think offering 100,000 yuan as an apology might be a start, giving Lesheng an out. I've dealt with Lesheng before; we have some rapport. It's worth a try."
Feng Shijie paused and said, "It's worth a try, but I doubt it'll work. Lesheng wants to destroy us. Reconciliation means breaking with Ding Yuanying, and Ouyang Xue is the major shareholder. How will we manage that relationship? And if reconciliation fails, what then?"
Ye Xiaoming said, "We manage if we can. If not, we don't. If reconciliation fails, we withdraw our shares."
Feng Shijie said, "That's complicated. Company law doesn't allow withdrawal of funds, only transfer of shares. What if Ouyang Xue doesn't agree? Who'll buy our shares?"
Ye Xiaoming said, "We'll reason it out. Who's responsible for this mess? We opposed this plan, but Ouyang insisted. Is it fair for us to bear the consequences?"
Feng Shijie hesitated, "That would leave Ouyang Xue in a lurch."
Ye Xiaoming corrected, "Ding Yuanying put her in this position. She should seek answers from him, not us."
Feng Shijie smoked another cigarette, staring at the lawsuit on the table. After a long hesitation, he finally said, "Alright, I agree."
Liu Bing followed, "I agree too."
Feeling reassured, Ye Xiaoming decisively said, "Let's find Ouyang Xue and hold a shareholders' meeting. We'll argue our case. If Ouyang doesn't agree to reconcile, we withdraw our shares. If she does, Shijie will book a flight for tomorrow, and I'll go to Shenzhen with her to apologize. Liu Bing, you stay in Beijing to hold down the fort. If reconciliation fails, return to the ancient city with company documents. We need to be ready to act."
Feng Shijie said, "Agreed, let's do it."
With that, Ye Xiaoming, Liu Bing, and Feng Shijie each drove their cars towards the ancient city.