Mingzhu Hotel, situated in the bustling commercial district of the ancient city, was a three-star establishment hosting Gelüshi's conference reception, Lusheng's signing representatives, special guests from the audio industry, and some journalists.
Liu Bing alighted from a taxi at Mingzhu Hotel, paid the fare, and went straight to the 11th floor. Yu Zhiwei, the manager of Lusheng's Beijing audio store, was an ordinary cadre and stayed in a standard room on the 11th floor, while Lusheng's two senior executives were in deluxe suites on the 6th floor.
Liu Bing pressed the doorbell of Yu Zhiwei's room, and the door opened.
Seeing Liu Bing, Yu Zhiwei greeted him warmly, "Director Liu, please come in."
Liu Bing entered, noticing several open documents on the desk. "Busy?"
"Not really," Yu Zhiwei replied. "President Zhao asked everyone to review the agreement one last time to ensure there are no oversights. Why are you here instead of entertaining the guests?"
Liu Bing sat down and sighed, "I was supposed to assist Ouyang Xue with the reception, but she didn't assign me any specific tasks. Times have changed; I'm not welcomed anymore."
Yu Zhiwei chuckled, "Be careful with such words; you don't want people thinking I'm gossiping."
"I came to see you because I have something important to discuss. You're the only one I know well in Lusheng. I want to meet with President Zhao, but I need to talk to you first to get your opinion," Liu Bing said.
"What is it?" Yu Zhiwei asked.
"The law states that if new evidence can overturn the original verdict, a retrial can be requested within two years of the verdict's effective date. I want to ask if overturning the verdict now would still matter to Lusheng," Liu Bing stated.
Yu Zhiwei was startled and immediately cautious, "What do you mean by this?"
"If I reveal Gelüshi's internal documents just before President Zhao and President Xiao sign the agreement, you'll have new evidence and can request a retrial. Lusheng could win. If winning is still meaningful to Lusheng, what can you offer?" Liu Bing explained.
Yu Zhiwei pondered: Is this real or a trap? There were only two hours left until the signing banquet, and Lusheng had to cooperate... But he quickly dismissed the trap idea. Despite Lusheng needing the cooperation, Gelüshi needed it more, which was the ultimate goal of initiating the commercial battle. Judging by their characters, Ding Yuanying, Ouyang Xue, and Xiao Yawen wouldn't do such a thing.
Yu Zhiwei smiled, "Brother, you must be out of your mind. You know Ding Yuanying better than we do. If there were such crucial internal documents, would he let them fall into your hands?"
Liu Bing countered, "You don't know this. I do have a connection with Ding Yuanying. He's returning to Germany and noticed that President Xiao might target me, so he gave me a lifeline. That envelope with internal documents was handed to me by him, sealed with strips and wax."
"How do you know the envelope contains internal documents?" Yu Zhiwei asked.
"I know Ding Yuanying. He never lies. He intended for me to use it to scare President Xiao if necessary, to keep my job. But I don't want to just keep working like this," Liu Bing explained.
"Is this appropriate when our companies are cooperating?" Yu Zhiwei asked.
"If you can let Chairman Lin rest in peace without doing it, is it appropriate for you? Overturning the verdict would ruin Gelüshi, and everything would belong to Lusheng. President Zhao is a respectable person. I won't make things difficult. I'll expose the truth out of conscience and justice, unrelated to Lusheng. You'll reward me later out of gratitude. What do you think President Zhao can offer?" Liu Bing asked.
Yu Zhiwei thought: If he missed the chance to overturn the verdict, he couldn't bear the responsibility. If it was a farce ending the cooperation, he couldn't bear that either. Handing this to President Zhao would drag him into the mess without a buffer. Liu Bing betraying Ding Yuanying, who helped him, meant nothing was off the table.
Seeing Yu Zhiwei's silence, Liu Bing patted his clothes, "You're worried I'm recording? I'm not that petty. It's just us here; whatever we say, there's no proof. You know Lusheng's situation well. What do you think you can offer?"
Yu Zhiwei said, "Brother, just talking about this risks my job."
"I understand. I wouldn't betray you," Liu Bing reassured.
"I know your situation at Gelüshi and your thoughts. Let's make a pact. If you're righteous, I'll be righteous. If you're not, don't blame me for being unrighteous," Yu Zhiwei proposed.
"You can trust me. I'm loyal," Liu Bing agreed.
"If your new evidence can turn this around, Gelüshi's store will belong to Lusheng. If you make significant contributions, I conservatively estimate a one-time reward of 100,000 yuan, and you could be the deputy manager of Gelüshi's store, earning a 10% profit share," Yu Zhiwei offered.
"That's it?" Liu Bing asked.
"As I said, that's the conservative estimate. If you're purely after money, we can calculate a third of the lawyer's fee. If you want to be a manager with a car, that depends on your performance," Yu Zhiwei explained.
Liu Bing stood up, "Alright, I'll think about it."
Yu Zhiwei escorted him to the door, "I repeat, if you're righteous, I'll be righteous."
Liu Bing nodded, "If I'm not, you can deny everything."