A light drizzle fell outside as Lin Yufeng stood alone at the window of his office on the 9th floor, staring at the misty sky, lost in thought. The office was silent, save for the faint ticking of the wall clock. The clock's hands moved past 8:30 and approached 8:35.
Today was the scheduled date for both parties in the lawsuit to exchange evidence. Three days earlier, the court had notified Lesheng's Beijing audio store of the meeting, set for 8:30 AM on July 13, 1998, in the fourth courtroom. Zhao Qing and Lawyer Jiang had arrived in Beijing the night before. Although Lin Yufeng was confident about the lawsuit, confidence was not the same as certainty, and an inexplicable unease gnawed at him.
Greystone had not submitted a defense within the court's deadline, forfeiting their right to respond. Since Ye Xiaoming had come to Shenzhen seeking a settlement, neither he nor Feng Shijie had appeared at Greystone's audio store. What did this mean? Was the other side never planning to fight this case, or was there trouble within Greystone? Lin Yufeng wondered what evidence the other side could produce. If they waived their right to present evidence as they did with their defense, Lesheng would win by default. But how likely was that?
Since 8:30, he had been waiting for a call from Zhao Qing. If Greystone waived their right to present evidence, Lesheng's side would be quick, and Zhao's call would come soon. If Zhao didn't call within half an hour, it likely meant Greystone was presenting evidence, and the exchange was ongoing.
Lin Yufeng alternated between standing by the window, sitting on the sofa, and pacing the room. Time ticked by slowly. When the clock passed 9:00, his thoughts zeroed in on what evidence Greystone might produce. By this time, he was convinced Greystone had presented evidence. He was troubled by conflicting feelings; he couldn't imagine what strong evidence Greystone could have, yet his confidence was inexplicably shaken.
At 9:27, the quiet room was pierced by the sharp ring of the telephone. Lin Yufeng hurried to the desk and saw Zhao Qing's number on the caller ID. His heart tightened, but he waited until the third ring to calmly answer, "Zhao Qing, this is Yufeng."
The background noise of the bustling street came through the phone, indicating Zhao Qing was no longer in the courtroom. Zhao chose his words carefully, "Yufeng, the situation… isn't good. Their evidence is solid. Greystone is practically a poverty alleviation company, operating like a household production unit in a poor village, doing work that's inhumane. It's like the old capitalist exploitation in movies, with no concept of industrial production costs. The mastermind behind it is Ding Yuanying. Zhihui is driving us to the airport now, and we can catch the 11:35 flight. It's hard to explain over the phone, so we'll discuss it in detail this afternoon. The evidence includes video footage. Have Secretary Fang prepare the VCD equipment. Lawyer Jiang has informed Director Yan of the situation. Defeat… is almost certain. We need to prepare for the aftermath. You… should brace yourself."
Lin Yufeng's heart sank as he gently hung up the phone. The sudden shift in circumstances was entirely unexpected, leaving his mind blank and his heart heavy. Defeat… household production… Ding Yuanying… poverty alleviation… these words kept flashing through his mind.
He sat on the sofa for half an hour, chain-smoking three cigarettes. Before this, he had only considered the possibility of defeat in a theoretical sense, never truly contemplating it as a real outcome. He had always felt that such a possibility was distant, something that happened to others, not him. But now, the concept of "defeat" had become a reality he had to face.
After half an hour, he rose from the sofa, took his car keys, and left the office. He told Secretary Fang, "I'm stepping out for a bit, leaving my phone here. Handle any calls that come in. Zhao will arrive on the 11:35 flight. Prepare the VCD equipment in the conference room. Pick Zhao up at the airport by 2:30 PM. I'll meet them in my office at 3:00 PM."
Secretary Fang nodded, "Got it."
Lin Yufeng took the elevator down, walking through the drizzle to the Lesheng Company parking area. There were five company cars and two medium-sized trucks parked there, his being a black Nissan. He started the car, activated the windshield wipers to clear the rain, and drove east along the road.