Chapter 35
“Brother, in my current situation, I really can’t come up with the money. To be honest, I’m calling today to ask if I could borrow some from you, just to get through this crisis. I really can’t pay back that fifty million right now, but give me some time to get back on my feet, and I’ll repay you. I have a batch of goods that will be shipped out soon, and the money will come in next week. I’ll definitely pay you back then. Could you give me some time?”
“We’ve known each other for so many years, and I do trust you, so I’ll wait for a week. However, even good brothers need to keep accounts clear. Let me be frank: if by this time next week I don’t see my eighty million, the cooperation between our companies will have to end. Don’t blame me for not warning you.”
“I understand, I’ll definitely pay you back by then.”
This time, after hanging up, Lu Yong’an didn’t throw things, and even Mrs. Lu didn’t shout anything. The two of them sat facing each other, silent like statues. The words ’pay back’ were like the mythical Five-Finger Mountain of the Buddha, unexpectedly pressing down on his back, causing his once straight spine to bend slightly.
After a long silence, Mrs. Lu asked Mr. Lu, “Are you going to call?”
Mrs. Lu’s voice finally brought Mr. Lu back to reality. He gritted his teeth and said, “Call. Why not? As long as there’s the slightest chance, we can’t let it slip away.” Although Mr. Lu said this, he already had an answer in his heart. He feared that no one would be willing to lend money to the Lu family, but he was unwilling to give up, even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance.
Mr. Lu picked up the phone and was about to dial a number when Mrs. Lu took the phone from his hand, “Let me do it this time.”
The call went through, and Mr. Lu’s premonition came true, even worse than he had anticipated. The companies that once cooperated with them found various excuses to terminate contracts, and those that had previously lent money to the Lu family began to demand repayments. In just one hour, besides the bank’s eleven hundred million debt, there were debts to several companies totaling over three hundred million, with due dates crammed together leaving no room to breathe.
“Stop calling, it won’t make a difference.” Mr. Lu placed his hand on Mrs. Lu’s, stopping her from continuing to call. In this one hour, he had come to a clearer understanding of his situation — Lu Yong’an was truly about to become a dog without a home.
“We have to try, what if it works out? Honey, I know you worry about me, but our batch of goods won’t raise a huge sum of three hundred million. If we don’t make these calls, we might lose the last bit of hope. I don’t want to give up.” Mrs. Lu put her hand over Mr. Lu’s, and in her eyes, Mr. Lu saw determination. Finally, he let go of her hand.
Just as Mrs. Lu was about to continue calling, the door was pushed open once more.
“The shareholders have started selling stocks. Our company’s shares just hit the limit, and here’s the list of employees resigning today — the entire sales department has submitted their resignations.” The male secretary’s voice grew lower, and he became somewhat dazed. Bringing these resignations felt like a dream; the company was doing fine before, so how did it come to this in just a month?
“Mr. Lu, what should we do now?” the male secretary asked softly.
He had worked at the Lu company since graduation and developed feelings for it. Therefore, in this crisis, he chose to stay. He couldn’t believe that such a huge company could collapse like this. Yet, in a mere month, he had seen too much. This once-great mansion was slowly crumbling, no matter how hard they tried, as if an invisible hand was undoing their every step towards hope, pushing them into deeper despair. They were like trapped beasts, wounded all over and unable to struggle.
“You go down first, I’ll think, there might still be a way.” Mr. Lu sat in his office chair with a bent back and spoke to his loyal secretary.
“And what about these resignations?”
“Tell the remaining employees that if they’re willing to stay, their salary will increase by thirty percent next month. If they want to leave, settle their wages with finance.” Mr. Lu waved his hand. It’s hard to train good employees, so it’d be best to keep them. If they really want to leave, letting go might preserve a good impression.
“I understand, Mr. Lu. I’ll stay with the company until the end. There are many old employees who remain as well. Don’t give up, we’ll get through this hardship together.” The secretary spoke with tears in his eyes.
“Yes, I know. Thank you for your continued support.” Mr. Lu forced a smile.
As the office door closed again, the room felt heavier, and both Mr. and Mrs. Lu even found it hard to breathe. The scale and achievements of the Lu family enterprise were built bit by bit by the couple; it was their life’s work, like a second child. But now, this “child” was suffering repeated hits, and despite all their efforts, they couldn’t save it but had to watch it inching towards death. The pain from the strong couple was suffocating.
“Why is it like this? Weren’t we fine before? Is someone targeting us?” Mrs. Lu said, tears in her voice. Initially, Mrs. Lu couldn’t accept the outcome and thought it might be a conspiracy, but her words made Mr. Lu straighten up.
The Lu Family was not an elite family in Luocheng but was among the best of the second-rate families, with many partners across the city. It seemed illogical to find themselves in such a dire state, unless someone was targeting them, with significant power to treat their company as a mere toy. Thinking along those lines, Mr. Lu asked with a seriousness never before seen, “You’re right, someone is targeting us.” He then explained his analysis to Mrs. Lu.
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Lu widened her eyes with an expression of disbelief, “Targeting us? According to your analysis, whoever is doing this must be powerful, even more so than our Lu family in Luocheng. But we haven’t provoked such a force. How could we be in their sights if we haven’t offended them?”