Chapter 538: Another Strange Request, I'll Satisfy You!

Fang Dazhuang was in excellent form; he loved this kind of occasion. He hadn't attended in the past simply because he felt that not a single person in that crowd was worth fighting.

As it turned out, the guy Zhou Yi had recommended to him last time actually had quite a lot of guts!

Yes, in Fang Dazhuang's eyes, the post Liu Minrui made was essentially throwing down the gauntlet, challenging him to an offline debate!

Fang Dazhuang certainly couldn't let such a brave person off the hook...

Plus, lately, there had always been people on the internet spouting nonsense, and Zhou Yi had mentioned it to him several times.

So, Fang Dazhuang thought it over carefully and decided to just go and attend, to have a proper "exchange" with those experts.

As for the invitations and credentials... someone like him had long since transcended such things.

For those young people, attending once represented a boost to their credentials, but Fang Dazhuang coming was giving the organizers face...

Debating across the internet was like wearing... well, it meant the same thing; it didn't feel as satisfying as direct contact.

And now, looking at the young person in front of him, he was disappointed.

They didn't have much ability, just a stiff mouth.

It would have been one thing if they had just kept being stubborn, but after he talked for a long time, their mouth wasn't even stiff anymore; they even looked like they wanted to become a monk...

Forget it, it's boring. Once I finish up today, I'm heading back to Jingzhou. I don't even know why Zhou Yi called me.

Seeing that Fang Dazhuang had finally stopped, Liu Minrui let out a sigh of relief. He felt that he was already a bit allergic to this so-called academic exchange and never wanted to continue it again.

Why did the experts on the internet stop commenting that the judgment was too heavy? Because Fang Dazhuang sought them out offline and left them speechless...

Zhou Yi naturally didn't know about any of this. He was relatively free right now; the Second Instance hearing was still a few days away, and he had been going to the law firm lately just to find Zhou Xinran.

Don't ask; if you ask, it's for consultation. What, you can't let him go consult on a case?

But the good news was that Fang Dazhuang was coming back tonight, so they had to hold a welcome dinner and have a few drinks.

Time quickly reached the evening. At Jingzhou Airport, Zhou Yi and Zhou Xinran picked up Fang Dazhuang, and without much talk, they picked him up and headed straight to a restaurant.

They arrived at the restaurant, had three drinks, and only then started talking about the previous matter.

"So you called me just to ask about the win rate of this case, right? With evidence like this, even if you let Zhou Cai... *cough cough*, even if you let a dog lead the case, it would win."

Well, as expected of master and apprentice, they said the exact same thing.

"Anyway, it's already won. Fang Dazhuang, why did you go to that conference? Didn't you say it was completely meaningless?" Zhou Yi asked.

"I thought it would be interesting, didn't I? But it turned out they were still the same. See, I came back before the conference was even over."

Fang Dazhuang didn't say anything more, and Zhou Yi didn't ask. Afterward, the three of them drank and chatted about the Motor Vehicle Inspection Association.

Because they hadn't drunk in a while, Fang Dazhuang drank quite quickly. As they chatted, he got drunk and started to get excited again.

"Zhou Yi, let me tell you, don't underestimate this bullshit association. I was bored and looked into it, and only then did I realize that this association makes a lot of money."

"Do you know that the inspection centers here in Jingzhou always charge the same fees, and when they raise prices, they raise them together!"

Zhou Yi was also drunk and asked suspiciously, "Isn't this price set by the government?"

Fang Dazhuang shook his head, his eyes blurry with drunkenness, and said, "I can tell you don't pay attention. A few years ago, our Handong Province already issued a special notice. The safety technical inspection fees for motor vehicles are no longer government-guided prices, but have been opened up to market regulation."

"Therefore, this association has a lot of power. I even suspect they might be engaging in a monopoly..."

The two guys chatted and drank until they were swaying.

The law requires reason, but people cannot remain rational forever, so appropriate relaxation is very necessary.

A man will always have a hobby; for example, a fisherman who always comes back empty-handed is already doing quite well by comparison.

Inside Mingsheng Company, the Manager was flipping through the Judgment, his expression not looking very good.

"Lao Peng, didn't you tell me before that the operations on your end were fine? How come now they've sued and been awarded exactly what they asked for?"

Fighting a lawsuit was partly to drag things out and partly to hope for a smaller judgment, but they hadn't expected to lose so miserably!

"Lao Liu, under these circumstances, do you think our chances of winning the Second Instance are high?" the Manager asked after thinking for a moment.

The legal counsel next to him said, "Manager, it's hard for us to say. Given the current situation, even the Second Instance is very unfavorable to us."

"Alright, Lao Peng, tell the other party we'll go to Mediation. There's no need for a Second Instance. Isn't it just this money they want? Just give it to them."

"People like this are just like that. They don't have much money, driving an old car and acting all high and mighty. When the car breaks, it's like their life is on the line. Just pay it."

"However, Lao Peng, you know the rules. Little Huang is your relative, so I won't make him pay too much; the Company will cover it."

Manager Peng nodded, a bitter smile appearing on his face: "He likes nice cars. Whenever he encounters a nice car, he can't help but step on the gas a few times to listen to the engine. Who could have imagined this would turn out like this?"

The boss had one attitude here, but the Employees had another.

Manager Peng went to the place where the Employees rested, opened the door, and saw a bunch of staff members playing cards.

"Huang Lan, Huang Lan, come here for a second!"

Little Huang, who was playing cards, quickly stood up, came outside, and looked at Manager Peng: "Uncle Peng, are you looking for me?"

"Regarding that matter from before, didn't I tell you? They sued, they won the First Instance, and the boss is preparing for Mediation. You need to come up with thirty thousand, you know that?"

As soon as Huang Lan heard this, he immediately shouted, "Uncle Peng, Uncle Peng, you know how much I earn. How could I have that much money!"

Upon hearing this, Manager Peng immediately glared and said, "Then why do you keep revving the engine like that every time you do an inspection?"

Huang Lan hesitated and said, "Didn't we always do it like that before..."

It was mainly because when things happened before, no one had ever come to cause trouble.

Although the inspection center had been contracted out to private parties, in the current climate, there were still very few cases of people suing the inspection center.

Because many people didn't like trouble, and deep down, they still felt that the inspection center had a lot of power and didn't want to offend them.

Reporting it to insurance could solve it.

This was also a common problem in similar industries. It used to be managed by the state, and although it later turned into private operation, because they held irreplaceable power, these staff members sometimes tended to get carried away.

When relatives heard that someone worked at the inspection center, they would all think about befriending them so they could ask for help when it was time for their annual vehicle inspection.

In reality, it really was like that, even if they were just an ordinary worker.

"Alright, stop talking nonsense. Tomorrow, come with me to see the other party and apologize properly. Just say you're very poor right now and have no money, and can only pay thirty thousand. If that doesn't work, we'll add more, you understand?"

"Don't say anything else. How much money do you have right now?"

Huang Lan hesitated for a moment, but still said, "Uncle Peng, I only have a little over ten thousand right now."

"Then put out ten thousand, and your uncle will lend you the rest first; let's just get the matter resolved first."

After finishing, Manager Peng walked away humming a tune; General Manager Li had already handed all matters over to him to handle, which meant that the sixty thousand could be used at will.

As long as the problem was solved, who would care how much money was actually paid out.

But thinking about it, it still didn't feel safe; how about having Huang Lan call his parents over?

…………

Early the next morning, Zhou Yi crawled out of bed; he had drunk too much with Lawyer Fang yesterday and didn't even know how he got home.

In a daze, he seemed to feel that Zhou Xinran had brought him back, and it seemed he had even done some other things at the time?

Blackout, he remembered absolutely nothing.

Wang Daoren had just called to say the other party was willing to enter Mediation, so let them mediate; as long as he could pay the money, withdrawing the Lawsuit for the Second Instance was no big deal.

At this point, this matter was nothing more than saying that the car had been broken, and paying money was the way to solve the problem.

After washing up and tidying up, he went downstairs, drove out, and Zhou Yi soon arrived at the testing center.

"General Manager Zhou, over here!" Wang Daoren said at the entrance.

Zhou Yi got out of the car and asked casually, "Here so early, are they inside?"

"Yes, they are inside; that manager surnamed Peng is there."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi didn't speak, just walked inside like that.

Entering the office, that Manager Peng was sitting inside; seeing Zhou Yi, he immediately stood up and said with a face full of enthusiasm, "Mr. Zhou is here, please sit, please sit."

Zhou Yi looked around the office; besides this Manager Peng, there was also the Employee who had performed the test on him that day.

However, he certainly couldn't say anything now, as the other party was also acting very enthusiastic.

Seeing Zhou Yi sit down, Manager Peng hurriedly poured tea, and only then said, "Well, Mr. Zhou, there was indeed a problem on our end before, and it added trouble for you; I am very sorry, and I am here today specifically to apologize to you."

Zhou Yi nodded and said, "It's nothing, everyone makes mistakes sometimes."

One does not strike a person who is smiling; this was Zhou Yi's consistent approach.

Manager Peng looked at Huang Lan beside him and continued, "Well, Mr. Zhou, there is a problem now; previously, Xiao Huang was indeed careless, but he really cannot afford the eighty thousand in compensation..."

Xiao Huang? Who is Xiao Huang.

Before Zhou Yi could say anything, that Employee hurriedly said, "Mr. Zhou, I, I really cannot come up with that much money right now; my dad has to take medicine every day, and my mom is a street cleaner, I really don't have much money."

"Right now I can only come up with thirty thousand..."

Before Huang Lan could finish speaking, Zhou Yi interrupted the other party's words.

"Why should you compensate me? What relationship do I have with you?"

A single sentence left Huang Lan not knowing what to say.

This tactic was truly old, but it had to be said, old as it was, it was also truly effective.

Playing the victim, moral kidnapping; you would say that in the face of such a miserable young man, a normal person with some money would just let it go.

Not to mention looking at it this way, the other party had also done their best to come up with the money for compensation...

Weren't there often such news stories in the past? If you, the rich person, didn't agree at this time, then just wait to be roasted to death by the entire internet.

However, they never expected that Zhou Yi would blurt out such a sentence!

Huang Lan couldn't speak, so Manager Peng replied, "Mr. Zhou, this was indeed his violation of regulations, not in accordance with our procedures, which is why your car was broken..."

"Don't talk nonsense; he is an Employee of your Company, so it should be your Company that broke my car; if there is compensation, it should be your Company paying it. As for what problems you have between you, that is your business!"

He, Zhou Yi, had seen too many of these things; the 4S shop before was like this, the bank was like this, and Nudong Company was also like this.

They would always separate the Employee from the Company, letting the Employee beg people while incidentally morally kidnapping you.

If you were really that kind-hearted, why doesn't your Company do some charity!

"Mr. Zhou, you can't put it that way; it was indeed Xiao Huang who broke it. You insist on making the Company pay, that doesn't make sense, right? We are also thinking about solving the problem..."

Zhou Yi didn't speak but just stood up, and Wang Daoren stepped forward and said, "Let's just leave it at that. If you want to solve the problem, just resolve it according to the demands in our Indictment."

"Otherwise, let's continue with the Second Instance; we are not in a hurry anyway."

After finishing, Zhou Yi and Wang Daoren turned to leave, and Manager Peng was suddenly anxious.

General Manager Li told him he must solve the problem, but nothing had happened yet, why were these two in such a hurry!

Shouldn't Mediation be both sides talking slowly?

"Mr. Zhou, Mr. Zhou, wait, how about forty thousand, or maybe sixty thousand!"

"Mr. Zhou, please be understanding; if the Company doesn't pay this money, even if Xiao Huang were forced to death, he couldn't come up with it."

However, the two of them didn't listen at all and just walked outside; at this moment, there were many cars lining up for testing.

Seeing the argument here, everyone immediately crowded around to watch the excitement.

General Manager Li was on the phone, and hearing the words from the side, his face suddenly turned a bit dark.

He walked over in a few steps and said, "Lao Peng, what are you doing, shouting what!"

Manager Peng turned his head and saw it was General Manager Li; his heart jumped wildly, but he had been a manager under General Manager Li for a long time and knew this General Manager Li's temper very well.

It was fine to take the opportunity to get some money, but he couldn't lie to him!

Therefore, he hurriedly explained the previous situation, and finally said, "General Manager Li, he wants eighty thousand, it doesn't matter who gives it, he won't even agree to sixty thousand."

General Manager Li pointed at Manager Peng and said, "I'll settle the account with you later!"

He immediately came to Zhou Yi and stopped the two, saying directly, "You want eighty thousand, right? I like to be straightforward, so eighty thousand it is. I'll give you the money now, you go withdraw the Lawsuit now, how about that?"

"If you want money, just say so; there's no need to make it so ugly over this ten or twenty thousand. Now that you've taken the money, hurry up and leave, I still have things to do!"

Originally, after hearing the first sentence, Zhou Yi felt it was nothing, but the result of the second sentence immediately made him uncomfortable.

"May I ask who you are? Do you mean that I went through all the trouble of filing a Lawsuit and everything else just to get your compensation?" Zhou Yi asked back.

"Alright, can you stop talking? I've already agreed to give you the money, what else do you want? Let's just say this matter is our fault, okay? Troublesome. Hey, you, Lao Peng, hurry up and give him the money so he can leave."

Although Zhou Yi actually didn't intend to be too serious this time, after all, to put it plainly, it was nothing more than a civil dispute.

But still, the other party's attitude—that "let's count it as our fault"—shouldn't that just be their fault?

Not to mention that demeanor, offering money to make him leave, as if they were shooing away a beggar.

"In that case, I'm not leaving. What's wrong, isn't this your fault? Isn't it because your staff didn't follow the procedure and broke my car? Am I wrong to ask you for compensation?"

"Everything has to be based on some reason. 'Count it as your fault'—this isn't 'counting' it, it is your fault, and if you're wrong, you have to admit it!"

Manager Li was already impatient, and hearing these "great principles" from Zhou Yi made him even more annoyed.

"Are you sick in the head? Damn it, I'm already offering you money, what else do you want? Do I have to kneel down and kowtow to you? F***, do you think you can climb all over me just because I said a few nice words to you?"

"Still want me to admit fault? I'm not admitting fault, what can you do to me? Go sue me again. Oh right, you can only make me pay eighty thousand. Let me tell you, forget eighty thousand, I can afford to pay eight hundred thousand, go ahead and sue me again!"

"Never mind your piece-of-junk car, believe it or not, I can buy your life for eight hundred thousand. I'm threatening you, go ahead and keep suing, f***!"

After cursing fiercely, Manager Li finally felt a bit better.

He was able to sit in his current position certainly not because of his dark complexion; a place like this, which was guaranteed to have business as soon as it opened, wasn't something just anyone could run.

He had seen too many people like this; talk about reason, talk about a load of crap!

This was just like that boss lady from the Jingzhou Banquet back then, who said her dog's life was worth more than a human's.

It seemed like it was blurted out in a moment of anger, but after seeing so many people curse like that, you know that cursing at the drop of a hat only shows that their money has brought them too much convenience.

However, Zhou Yi's reaction on the other side was a bit strange; in the past, those who were cursed at like this would either be angry and want to fight, or they would dare to be angry but not speak.

Zhou Yi's expression was very calm; he looked at Manager Li opposite him and suddenly smiled: "You're telling me to keep suing, right? To be honest, I haven't encountered such a request in a long time."

After saying this, Zhou Yi greeted Wang Daoren and turned to leave.

Only Manager Li was left looking bewildered; this guy couldn't have been cursed into stupidity, could he?

After leaving the inspection center, Wang Daoren hesitated for a long time before speaking: "Manager Zhou, do you want to keep suing? But we don't really have a way to sue; even if we won the previous case, it would only be eighty thousand."

And given the other party's net worth, eighty thousand really wasn't much.

Zhou Yi heard this and smiled: "You're thinking too small, Dao Ren, there are plenty of ways!"

Because he had just tried hard to recall the drunken words of Lawyer Fang from yesterday; he had blacked out, but he still had a bit of memory.

So they have a lot of money, no problem; if they are really suspected of monopoly... just look at how much other monopoly enterprises have been fined.

Discussing with our book friends in the previous chapter, it did indeed feel like a running account, so I could have posted this chapter before twelve o'clock, having already written four thousand words, but then I deleted it and rewrote five thousand words, with more perfected details. Goodnight everyone. Thanks to another newbie brother, Sony-dage, Feimaowuyu-dage, Wenchidage, Xiao Gong-dage, and Book Friend 2022-dage; thank you brothers for the tips, thank you.

(End of chapter)