Ignoring the deep sea
Li Guorong's eyes were wide open. "Attorney Zhou, you have to save me. I really didn't do that kind of thing. I didn't get any of the money. It was all done by my second brother."
Attorney Zhou pointed to the signature on the document and asked, "Did you write this signature, Ms. Li, or did your brother forge it?"
Li Guorong took the document and looked at it carefully. "I signed it, but I didn't do the work."
Attorney Zhou carefully examined the loopholes in the contract. The trading company specifically emphasized that the taste of the goods could not be changed. "Is this company a long-term partner of your factory?"
Li Guorong shook her head. This was a new trading company that exported to Southeast Asia. She had never heard of it before.
"This might be a shell company. There's no rush in this case. If we can verify that the actual controller of the company is related to your second brother and sister-in-law, then there's hope. But according to the contract, you do need to pay compensation."
"The raw material company has been cooperating with you. We can only see if they are willing to settle before the court to reduce the amount of liquidated damages."
Li Guorong's eyes were filled with anger. "There's no way to get compensation from Li Guojian and Cui Fanghua. They've taken all the money."
"You need to find a professional to handle this accounting issue; I'm just a lawyer."
Li Guorong had no choice but to suppress her anger. If the person opposite her wasn't Lin Shaocheng, would he be tolerant of her? Did she really have to sell her house? That was 200,000 yuan, all the money she had. And how would she negotiate the penalty for breach of contract? She would probably have to pay tens of thousands of yuan in compensation. Was she going to sell her jewelry?
Besides this contract, if the trading company can't find out about her relationship with her second brother and sister-in-law, she'll have to pay 600,000 yuan in compensation. The depreciation of the factory's machinery is estimated to be less than 100,000 yuan. There are also houses in Beijing and Shenzhen. The courtyard house in Beijing has skyrocketed in price, and she's reluctant to sell it. If she sells it, all her hard work over the years will be for naught. But the small house she bought in Shenzhen hasn't been developed yet, and the price hasn't gone up. What should she do?
Li Guorong's eyes lit up. "I've got it," he said. "Help me sort out this raw material case first. If you can reduce the amount of compensation, I'll give you 2% of the reduction."
Attorney Zhou's eyes lit up. "Don't worry, I've handled many cases like this."
Li Guorong entered the dance hall, and the music inside gave her a headache for the first time. When she reached the door of Qian Mancang's private room, she heard women laughing inside. Li Guorong's expression changed, and she opened the door.
A heavily made-up woman, looking like a ghost and with a revealing figure, sat beside Qian Mancang on the sofa. "Qian Mancang, what do you mean?"
"Then, boss, I'll head down now." The woman's thick Hong Kong and Taiwanese accent gave Li Guorong goosebumps all over.
Qian Mancang pointed to the seats in front of him, "Rongrong is here, sit down. She's just a singer at the dance hall, no need to get excited."
Remembering the purpose of his visit, Li Guorong suppressed his anger and said, "I came today to ask you to help me find my second brother."
Qian Mancang's wristwatch gleamed strangely under the light. "This is a family matter. It's not appropriate for an outsider like me to get involved. Besides, Li Guojian and I are brothers."
Li Guorong's expression was somewhat distorted. "Brother Mancang, I just can't swallow this. I have several courtyards in Beijing; I could easily sell one to cover the losses. But being schemed against like this is a terrible feeling." Li Guorong lowered her eyes, revealing a kind of coquettish charm that was quite different from her previous image as a strong woman. "I originally planned to leave these houses to my future children, but I never expected that I would have to sell them now to compensate my own brother's shell company."
Qian Mancang paused in lighting his cigarette, stood up, and sat down next to Li Guorong. "Leave this to me, Xiao Li. Call Accountant Wu over; he's going on a business trip."
Qian Mancang grasped Li Guorong's wrist. "You've lost a lot of weight in the few days I haven't seen you. I've been looking for your brother's whereabouts these past few days. Don't worry, I'm here for you."
Li Guorong pouted, "Then why were you so cold just now?"
Qian Mancang quickly hugged Li Guorong, "It's all because you haven't given me the letter yet. I'm so anxious."
Li Guorong glared at her, making her appear coquettish and adorable, "It's not like I'm not feeling well right now because I just got divorced."
Qian Mancang knelt down on one knee, "Rongrong, give me a chance to protect you."
Li Guorong was filled with mixed feelings. She needed to find a suitable opportunity to sell the courtyard house in Beijing, and there were only two weeks left in the 600,000 yuan case. She needed someone to help her find her second brother. Moreover, Qian Mancang was surrounded by beautiful women, and if she didn't settle down, where would she put her face if Qian Mancang asked someone else?
Li Guorong reached out her hand, and a diamond ring no less large than the one before was placed on her finger. She was exhausted and needed someone she could trust, so this was for the best.
The raw material supplier initially mediated a settlement, paying 200,000 yuan in goods payment and 20,000 yuan in compensation. The batch of goods was urgently recalled because the local chili peppers from Chongchuan were replaced with cheaper ones, resulting in inconsistent taste. The actual controller of the trading company has not yet been identified. The case still has a week left. The older sister feels very guilty and says she wants to buy a house to compensate for the loss, and if anyone has to go to jail, she will do it herself.
The eldest sister, Li Guolan, touched the recording device inside her clothes, then pretended to casually notice her second and youngest brothers, "Guojian? Guoliang?"
Li Guojian showed a hint of surprise, while Li Guoliang shouted, "Big sister, what brings you here?"
Li Guolan's face immediately showed distress. "Guorong, that heartless woman, said that I switched the chili peppers at will and demanded that I sell my house to compensate her. For so many years, I have worked hard for her factory, while she has been living a carefree life every day, and now she treats me like this."
Li Guoliang was about to say something when his second brother, Li Guojian, stopped him, asking, "Big sister, what brings you here?"
Li Guolan sighed, "I haven't had a break in so many years. Wang Gang said there was no evidence that I did it, so he brought me here on a trip. I didn't expect to run into you guys. Please don't go back to the factory. There are a lot of trivial matters going on. But Li Guorong still has several courtyard houses in Beijing. I guess he can go back in a while."
Li Lijian and Li Guoliang's eyes lit up. They hadn't expected Li Guorong to be so well-off. They should have realized that Lin Shaocheng had left with nothing, and that Li Guorong still had valuable assets.
"So, you were fired, sister?"
"No, Li Guorong is just throwing a tantrum. I'll probably have to respectfully ask me to go back."
Li Guoliang said, "We're all sisters, but all the good stuff goes to the second sister. I really feel sorry for you, eldest sister."
Li Guolan's face also showed indignation.
Li Guojian also stirred things up, saying, "Then the eldest sister should get a share of the profits. If she has two more kids, the house won't be big enough for everyone."
Li Guolan sighed and said, "What can we do? I'm going to rest now."
That evening, there was a knock on Li Guolan's door. Li Guolan turned on her recording device, "Guoliang, Guojian?"
Li Guoliang and Li Guojian split the 200,000 yuan they had swindled. After winning the remaining lawsuit, each of them would receive 250,000 yuan after deducting the brokerage fee. It sounds like a lot. Li Guorong demonstrated how he still had money in his pocket and how he had boasted about Lin Shaocheng's stock market operations. The two had long developed the habit of being ambitious but lacking practical skills. They bought themselves nice watches and made several entries and exits in the stock market, quickly squandering all their money. They also had luxury cars and other things they wanted that they hadn't bought.
The two wanted to start a business with the remaining 250,000, but realized it wasn't enough, so they had to target Li Guorong again.
"Big sister, it's really unfair that you don't share so much money with us. We're all family." The two women drooled at the thought of the price of a courtyard house in Beijing.
Li Guolan's face was full of jealousy. "Then what should we do?"
"Why not again?"
Li Guolan retorted, "I'm the bad guy, you can all enjoy the good fortune together. I'm not doing it, and besides, it might not even work out."
Seeing that his older sister wasn't falling for his tricks, Li Guojian could only say, "That Yuanhang Trading Company was run by my younger brother and me. We can get 500,000 yuan when the trial starts."
Li Guolan's expression changed. "You two eat the meat yourselves, but don't even share the soup with your older sister." The two gave awkward smiles. "Isn't it because you and your second sister have such a close relationship?"
Li Guolan's eyes lit up. "Tell me how you did it. I'll go back and see if there's another chance."
Li Guolan successfully obtained information about the shell company, Qian Mancang sent people to find the signed contract, and the accountant Wu also found loopholes in the accounts.
Li Guojian and Cui Fanghua are about to be imprisoned, while Li Guoliang, who is under 18, will be sent to a juvenile detention center.
Wu Cuihua hugged Li Guorong's leg, "Mom begs you, please forgive your second brother and younger brother this time. It was all instigated by that bad woman Cui Fanghua. They had no intention of harming you."
Li Guolan sat to one side and said, "Guorong, he's still our brother. We should be forgiving. Returning the money to you is not a good idea; going to jail won't do you any good."
Wu Cuihua's eyes were brimming with tears. "Your little brother is so young. I'll sell this house and go sweep the streets to pay off his debts. If he goes to that kind of place, he'll never find a good wife in his life."
Wu Cuihua suddenly knelt down and kowtowed to Li Guorong, "Mom, please, you don't lack money, please let your brothers go."
Li Guorong's eyes were dry, but her heart was full of tears. This house was a gift from her to her mother. Her mother hadn't considered what would happen if she couldn't come up with the money and went to jail. "Mom, don't you have a place for me in your heart?"
“Aunt Wu, you’re being too biased. Guo Rong is rich and capable, but we can’t let those two bastards make Guo Rong suffer.” Qian Mancang opened the back door of the small restaurant and pulled Wu Cuihua up.
Li Guorong unconsciously leaned against Qian Mancang.
Anger flashed in Wu Cuihua's eyes. "Who doesn't know you're a blackhead in Shenzhen? You still have the nerve to say that? I really don't know why you were kicked out of the army halfway through."
A fierce look appeared on Qian Mancang's face. He half-embraced Li Guorong and said, "We are family. Guorong, let's go."
Li Guorong felt a strong sense of security in Qian Mancang's arms. "Thank goodness I have you."
Qian Mancang laughed heartily. On the newly opened shopping mall's electronic screen, the words "Qian Airong for a lifetime" appeared in large characters, and colorful balloons floated up, "Let's get our marriage certificate today."
A look of surprise flashed in Li Guorong's eyes. She forgot about the less-than-pleasant proposal at the dance hall and was about to start a new chapter in her life.
On a romantic island, Li Guorong wore a wedding dress that was said to be from Paris, becoming an enviable bride. Even the newspapers reported on her remarriage. She began to hire professionals to carefully check the contracts and accounts every day.
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