MWC – Chapter 36 Business

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Suite 302 at the Husky Hotel

Lu Ming was flipping through a thick stack of court documents on the coffee table.

Chen Qinghua sat at the desk, copying some key points as instructed by Lu Ming.

Wang Da’an was reviewing the list of prosecution witnesses, summarizing the main witnesses’ personality traits as Lu Ming had suggested.

Everyone seemed very busy.

In reality, Lu Ming was just giving them tasks to make them feel involved, which, in a way, was also a form of training to broaden their courtroom thinking.

The inner room’s door was closed, with Li Mingxuan and Xiaocui inside. No one knew what they were discussing, but it was Li Mingxuan who wanted to talk with her.

“Ha ha, Lawyer Lu, I heard you did very well today!” Liu Laocai’s loud laughter preceded his arrival.

Sitting by the door, Datou frowned slightly.

“How about this, I’ll treat you tonight to celebrate?” Liu Laocai patted his shiny bald head.

Lu Ming smiled, “Let’s not. It’s just the beginning; celebrating now is too early, and overall, we are still at a big disadvantage in this case.”

Liu Laocai, seeing Wang Da’an and Chen Qinghua busy, then noticing the thick stack of files in front of Lu Ming, changed his tone. “Alright, alright, you all continue your work. By the way, Lu, I’ll introduce you to a friend at seven at the Wind Bao Club.”

Lu Ming smiled, “I’ll see if I can make it.”

He stood up to see Liu Laocai to the hallway. After all, he was a major sponsor, and it would be disrespectful not to move from his seat.

Returning to the room, the phone rang. Lu Ming walked over to answer it. It was Pamela speaking in her distinctive Western dialect, “Is Mr. Lu there?”

“This is he,” Lu Ming smiled.

“Boss, I have good news. The patent for the nylon hoop-and-loop fastener has been approved for the expedited process. It should be granted soon.” Pamela was a bit excited,, after all, this was her first major accomplishment, and it marked the beginning of her professional career.

Lu Ming chuckled, “That’s indeed good news. Thank you for your hard work.”

The empire was currently in a period of rapid technological development, with numerous small inventions emerging. The patent application process was lenient, and those approved for expedited review were almost guaranteed to pass.

“You won in court again today, didn’t you?” Pamela asked with a soft laugh.

“It’s not a matter of winning or losing yet. Oh, please keep Hanzhu company with Bess tonight. I won’t be coming home.”

From being kissed by Pamela, to Bizhu’s sudden appearance, to having a spring dream, that day was both wonderful and troubling. But now, he was busy, practically living at the Husky Hotel.

Those complicated emotions could only be set aside for now.

“Alright, boss, don’t worry!” Pamela hesitated for a moment, “Shall I come to see you and bring you some tasty snacks?”

“No need. I have an appointment tonight.”

Lu Ming checked the time; it was almost seven. Hearing the good news about the nylon fastener, he had an idea to discuss with Liu Laocai.

…

On the third floor of the Wind Bao Club, there were three deluxe membership suites: 8, 88, and 888.

In this world, the number 8 also had a lucky pronunciation, which might be another coincidence.

All three suites were extremely spacious and opulent. Lu Ming went to suite 888.

He was the last to arrive. The suite was crowded, but excluding attendants and companions, Liu Laocai seemed to have invited three friends, likely his closest associates or business partners, making five main attendees including Lu Ming.

Liu Laocai introduced them one by one. The first was a plump man in his fifties, a Beiguan councilor named Meng Dezhu. He was also the principal of the Beiguan Women’s Normal School and the leader of a small party called the Educators’ Union.

When he shook Lu Ming’s hand, he seemed a bit arrogant, apparently not entirely approving of Liu Laocai pulling Lu Ming into this small circle.

Despite Liu Laocai’s rough appearance, his sharp eye for people was well-known—except perhaps for his sons. 

Thus, they listened to Liu Laocai and agreed to meet his personal lawyer first.

The second person introduced was a spirited elderly man, although he looked worried, as if he had some concerns. He was an industrialist named Zhao Xingwang, who ran a company manufacturing automobile parts called Xingwang Industries. This was clearly a first-generation enterprise.

He was clearly distracted and shook Lu Ming’s hand perfunctorily.

“And this is Wind Bao Club’s owner and the Executive Chairman of the local Construction Workers’ Union, Wen Liangyu!” Liu Laocai raised his voice introducing the third person.

Lu Ming’s gaze sharpened as he looked at this refined middle-aged man in a black suit.

No one would associate him with the largest gang in Beiguan just by his appearance.

In the Empire, not only in Donghai, many gang leaders profited by manipulating union organizations, similar to the Western society of the same era.

In Beiguan, the Wen family’s power was well-known to Lu Ming shortly after his arrival.

Wen Liangyu’s father was the godfather of Beiguan, although he had passed away.

His five sons, formerly his right-hand men, the “Five Tigers of Wen Family,” divided the power after his death. Though they had fragmented, they would unite against external threats.

Wen Liangyu, the fourth son, controlled the family’s most important union organization. He was also the largest shareholder of the Wind Bao Club and the nominal leader of the Five Tigers.

This indicated he was the most capable and resourceful among the brothers.

The Wen family gang differed from the Longye’s Shuanglonghui in Lu Ming’s hometown. The Wen family’s armed members had once ambushed and killed rivals with submachine guns, resulting in several civilian casualties. This led to Wen Liangyu’s father’s imprisonment and eventual death in prison.

Consequently, the Wen family’s influence had waned, but they remained a significant force in Beiguan. Some councilors avoided provoking them, while others used them for dirty work.

For instance, construction contractors often needed union cooperation and had to win over key political figures in Beiguan to start their projects.

Shaking hands with Wen Liangyu, Lu Ming felt a slight pressure, as if the man was both gentle and formidable.

Wen Liangyu smiled, “Lawyer Lu, I may need your help in the future.”

This was a polite gesture. Lu Ming knew Liu Laocai might recommend him, but the Wen family likely had their own legal experts. 

Liu Laocai laughed, “Liangyu, you promised that if Qianxing wins this case, he’ll be one of your union’s legal advisors. A lawyer who can defeat Liu Hanming in Beiguan deserves respect!”

It seemed they had made a bet. Wen Liangyu smiled silently.

Lu Ming responded, “One case doesn’t mean much. Everyone makes mistakes. Liu Hanming is my role model.”

Wen Liangyu smiled at him, “Brother Qianxing, it seems you are determined to win this case!”

Everyone there was sharp enough to catch the underlying meaning in the seemingly casual words.

Liu Laocai raised his eyebrows at Wen Liangyu and laughed, “I told you, Brother Qianxing is full of wisdom. Isn’t there a saying about having great knowledge inside?”

The plump legislator Meng Dezhu helplessly looked at him, “Old Liu, I think you’re full of knowledge too! You’re really good at showing off!”

Everyone laughed heartily.

“Come on, let’s sit!” Liu Laocai gestured for everyone to sit down, smiling at Wen Liangyu, “Liangyu, since I’m the one who called everyone together today, I’ll take the lead!”

Wen Liangyu smiled, “You’re the host, so you should take charge.”

Everyone sat down, and a cheongsam-clad waitress brought in large cigars, helping to trim and light them, and then they all started chatting about various topics.

Lu Ming sat in the most secluded part of the sofa circle, just listening to their conversation, and took a few puffs of the cigar, finding it quite stimulating.

From their conversation, he quickly distinguished the key players: Liu Laocai, Zhao Xingwang, and Wen Liangyu were actually the financial backers of Meng Dezhu’s political party.

Now, Meng Dezhu subtly mentioned that there would be re-elections for the Beiguan Town Council next mid-year. He hoped to continue receiving financial support from the three, and more importantly, he aimed to advance further next year and join the Beiguan Municipal Management Committee, which required a significant amount of funding.

There were over fifty legislators in Beiguan, and seven members were elected to form the Municipal Management Committee. These seven members decided the heads of all administrative agencies in Beiguan and formulated local laws and regulations, essentially becoming the true decision-makers of Beiguan.

It seemed unlikely for Meng Dezhu to achieve this, given his qualifications and reputation among the legislators.

But Liu Laocai and Wen Liangyu both assured him of their full support, making verbal promises that were easy to agree to in the moment.

Zhao Xingwang, however, looked worried, “I’ll have to see how things go. My factory’s survival is still uncertain.”

Liu Laocai sighed, “Old Zhao, I really want to help, but you know my financial situation has always been tight. Twenty thousand yuan is hard to come by.”

Wen Liangyu quietly smoked his cigar, not saying anything.

It seemed that Zhao Xingwang’s factory was in bad shape, and Liu Laocai and Wen Liangyu, regardless of their capabilities, probably didn’t want to get involved.

Moreover, twenty thousand yuan was not a small amount. Lu Ming realized that, in modern terms, it was comparable to the funding for developing the first electronic computer in his past life, which was about thirty thousand yuan.

In this world, the investment for a small film company was only tens of thousands of yuan.

And Zhao Xingwang needed twenty thousand yuan in cash, not assets.

Zhao Xingwang looked at Liu Laocai and then at Wen Liangyu, sighing, “It’s my fault for offending Mr. Zhu’s second son. Now I have a large batch of unsold goods, and the bank is also giving me trouble. But I still believe my direction is right. The three-point seatbelt I’m developing is safer. Mr. Zhu’s second son mocks me, and my peers laugh at me, but I still think the three-point seatbelt, though a bit cumbersome, is worth pursuing…”

He seemed to lose confidence as he spoke, as if he was trying to justify his failed business decisions.

When Lu Ming heard “three-point seatbelt,” he suddenly looked at Zhao Xingwang.

When registering his technology company, he had thought about whether he could come up with some patents in this world since patent technology wasn’t basic industry; a small innovation could lead to influential patented technology.

After much consideration, he had only come up with the “three-point seatbelt.” He had thought that, when he had more time, he would find someone in this field and develop this seatbelt from his past life.

Currently, car seatbelts were either two-point or multi-point, and no one had thought to develop the ingenious three-point seatbelt.

Additionally, in terms of safety, there wasn’t much evidence to prove that three-point seatbelts were safer.

So, just like in his past life, the initial appearance of the three-point seatbelt was likely seen as cumbersome and met with ridicule.

“Mr. Zhao, is your company mainly producing car seatbelts?” Lu Ming asked.

Zhao Xingwang glanced at him and nodded indifferently.

“Then, which car brands do you mainly supply? Who is this Mr. Zhu’s second son?”

Annoyed by the questions from a seemingly clueless young lawyer, Zhao Xingwang ignored him and picked up his cigar.

Liu Laocai, nearby, smiled and smoothed things over, “Old Zhao mainly supplies Lingwei cars. Mr. Zhu’s second son, Zhu Guodong, is in charge of the purchasing department of the Lingwei Group.”

Lu Ming nodded.

Lingwei cars were mid-range, with quite good sales, making the Lingwei Group one of the top ten car manufacturers in the empire, headquartered in Donghai.

They sold hundreds of thousands of cars a year.

Compared to these real magnates, Zhao Xingwang’s company was indeed a small factory, making downstream products to earn a little money.

Lu Ming originally wanted to ask Zhao Xingwang how he had offended Mr. Zhu’s second son, but seeing that he wasn’t interested in answering, he swallowed his words.

Smiling, Lu Ming said, “Mr. Zhao, can you show me your company’s financial reports, sales reports, and other related materials from the past few years? Actually, I can come up with twenty thousand yuan. For now, I don’t have any other investment plans.”

Everyone was stunned and looked at Lu Ming with various expressions.

Who would have thought this young man could come up with twenty thousand yuan in cash?

Even Liu Laocai was extremely surprised.

Zhao Xingwang’s mouth dropped open in shock as he looked at Liu Laocai. But no matter what, this young man was a lawyer introduced into this circle by Liu Laocai, so it was unlikely he was just making things up.

Wanting to say something, he suddenly felt a bit ashamed.

Lu Ming smiled, “Mr. Zhao, let’s be upfront. You should also write a plan outlining the future direction and ideas for your company so I can evaluate it. If I think my investment can save your factory, we can discuss the terms of our cooperation. If I feel there’s no hope, I’m not afraid to say this even if it might upset you—I only invest in ventures with a clear return.”

“Of course, of course!” Zhao Xingwang, seeing hope, straightened up and said with some embarrassment, “Lawyer Lu, if I was rude to you earlier, please forgive me.”

Lu Ming smiled, “I’m just a young novice, so Mr. Zhao, you were too kind.”

Throughout the conversation, he hadn’t mentioned his main interest in the three-point seatbelt. When negotiating, it’s important to keep your true intentions hidden.

“Lawyer Lu, what time does your court case start tomorrow? I’d like to attend and listen.” Wen Liangyu said with a smile.

Suddenly, he was interested in seeing Lu Ming and the Liu family’s senior lawyer in action.

His Wind Bao Club was the biggest competitor of the Liu family’s Mingjia Entertainment Hotel.

Lu Ming laughed, “Mr. Wen, I suggest you don’t go. I don’t want Lawyer Liu to see this case as a conflict between your family and his, which would add unnecessary complications.”

“Hmm, you’re right!” Wen Liangyu looked at Lu Ming with more admiration. His willingness to attend the trial was a significant gesture that would enhance Lu Ming’s reputation, but this young man didn’t care about that and was clear-headed enough to see that it could complicate the case.

“Haha, I also wanted to see your skills in court, but I’ll wait for another time then!” Legislator Meng Dezhu laughed.

Lu Ming smiled, “Sure.” This plump legislator had the most noticeable change in attitude. In politics, changing sides with the wind is a basic skill.

They started talking about other topics, but Zhao Xingwang was too anxious to stay. He hurriedly excused himself to prepare the materials Lu Ming had asked for.

“Oh, Brother Liu, do you know any clothing or shoe factories, preferably shoe factories that cater to young people?” Lu Ming asked Liu Laocai. Among the people here, he only called Liu Laocai “Brother Liu,” indicating their close relationship.

“Oh? I know a few. Should I arrange some meetings?” Liu Laocai was delighted. He had always felt this young man had great potential, and now it seemed he was also a hidden wealthy individual with an impressive background.

Lu Ming smiled, “Please, Brother Liu.” He came here mainly to discuss the nylon hook-and-loop fasteners.

Liu Laocai, who ran a department store, should be well connected with manufacturers of clothing, shoes, and hats.

“Brother Lu, you should be cautious about investing in Old Zhao’s business. If it had any hope of revival, wouldn’t I have helped him already?”

Taking advantage of a private moment, Liu Laocai whispered in Lu Ming’s ear.

Lu Ming nodded, “I understand.”

Liu Laocai then laughed, “Of course, you probably have it all figured out. I’m just worrying for nothing, haha!”

Lu Ming smiled without saying anything.