Chapter
121.1: Gentle Yet Powerful
Chu Qianmiao knew that the key to a more thorough going
defeat for Qiao Zhixin lay with Wang Jun. Wang Jun must have ample evidence of
Qiao Zhixin's misconduct in the case.
After working through the two projects, Chu Qianmiao felt
that now was the time to break through Wang Jun. She planned to find a suitable
opportunity after work to break through.
Two days later, that opportunity arrived, as expected.
Two days later, Chu Qianmiao visited Litong first in the
morning, then headed to the company's project site.
Before Chu Qianmiao arrived, something unexpected happened.
The company suddenly requested a change of lawyers, and this request came from
the chairman himself.
The chairman's attitude was resolute and unyielding. When
Chu Qianmiao arrived at the lawyer's due diligence office, Wang Jun was
furious, throwing his notebook.
Seeing Chu Qianmiao, he could no longer suppress his anger.
One hand rested on his waist, the other pointed across the wall toward the
company chairman's office, his voice muffled by silence and anger. "What
kind of people are these in this company? They believe everything they hear. I,
Wang Jun, came here to work on this project. I know I have a clear conscience.
Why should they point fingers at me?"
Chu Qianmiao quickly tried to calm Wang Jun down, asking him
to remain calm. She needed to accept the objective facts of the matter.
After calming down, Wang Jun told Chu Qianmiao the whole
story.
It turned out that the chairman, who was as soft-hearted as
dough, had heard some "rumors" from the office director.
I heard from a friend that Wang Jun is in trouble now.
Previous projects he worked on have issues and violations, and the relevant
authorities are investigating him. We can't continue to use him to avoid future
trouble.
I also heard from a friend that Wang Jun is a person of poor
character and a traitor. Using someone like him to help our company go public
could lead to huge losses in the future.
The chairman of the company is not only soft-hearted but
also overly responsible. After listening to the office director's advice, he
struggled for a moment before deciding to replace Wang Jun. Wang Jun went to
him to ask why, but he didn't want to take the blame and just repeated the
office director's words.
"I'm really confused. How did this company manage to
stay in business with such a leadership team?" Wang Jun lamented angrily
after recounting the entire story.
Chu Qianmiao also noticed that there seemed to be two types
of people who were getting rich these days: those who were particularly
generous and righteous, like Zhou Hanhai and Du Xiaofeng; and those who were
particularly stingy and calculating, like Qian Siji and the current chairman of
the company.
She asked Wang Jun, "But how could the office
director's friend know you?"
Wang Jun sneered, "What do you mean by 'his friend'?
He's talking about Qiao Zhixin."
Chu Qianmiao was slightly stunned.
Wang Jun said, "The office director is also someone who
loves to attend dinners everywhere to show off his connections in the capital
market. He's hoping to get the chairman to promote him to vice president. He
met Qiao Zhixin at a dinner party, and they immediately hooked up. The next
day, the office director even came to show off to me, saying he knew my
immediate superior."
Chu Qianmiao wondered if those who boasted would actually
hang out with those who did. Qiao Zhixin and Wang Jun were clearly on the same
level, so he wasn't Wang Jun's immediate superior.
She heard Wang Jun take a breath and continue, "A
project Qiao Zhixin just started was recently reported, and the regulatory
authorities are now investigating. Oh, right? It's the project you warned me
not to sign for him. Speaking of which, it's thanks to you for reminding me,
otherwise I would have been investigated too." He paused, then continued,
"Qiao Zhixin is getting really nervous about the investigation, and he
privately approached me to ask me to take some of the blame, saying it was a
way for me to repay his support. I refused. Why should I admit to something I
didn't do? But I didn't expect him to resort to such tactics against me."
Wang Jun was furious and helpless.
Chu Qianmiao thought for a moment and asked, "Lawyer
Wang, may I ask, were you involved in his past illegal operations?"
Wang Jun answered firmly, "No." He took a breath
and said solemnly, "Remember, when I wanted to recruit you, the first
thing I said to you was, 'I am me, and Qiao Zhixin is Qiao Zhixin.'"
Chu Qianmiao felt relieved. If Wang Jun wouldn't be
implicated, then breaking through him would be much easier.
She told Wang Jun to be patient while she went to talk to
the company's chairman.
Wang Jun stopped her, "Forget it, Qianmiao. Corporate
people are always difficult to deal with. You've already helped us lawyers
avoid a lot of trouble. Sometimes when the office director gets angry and
complains about us, you've always shouldered the burden. It's been enough for
you." After a pause, he raised his voice and said, "Besides, with a
company like this, a person like this, and a project like this, I'd rather not
do it."
Chu Qianmiao tried to calm Wang Jun down, then told him,
"Lawyer Wang, if you're quitting the project, it's your own initiative,
not the company's refusal, right? And the two things the chairman said about
you today, if you don't address them face to face, it'll become an unfounded
stain on your legal record. Something that didn't happen, it seems to have been
confirmed by these slanderous accusations. How can this be tolerated?"
Wang Jun, hearing this, put his hands on his hips and
slapped his forehead. "I'm so angry! You're absolutely right. Even if I
leave this project, it's because I don't want to do it anymore. I can't let
them fire me without any explanation."
After reaching a consensus, Chu Qianmiao and Wang Jun went
to see the company's chairman. Initially, the office director tried to stop
them, saying the chairman was busy. Chu Qianmiao, unwilling to argue, called
the chairman directly on his cell phone, explaining that there were project
issues that needed to be discussed, and that delays would impact the company's
IPO progress.
The chairman, terrified of hearing the words "impacting
the IPO progress," immediately asked the office director to let them in.
Chu Qianmiao brought Wang Jun into the office. The office
director wanted to follow, but Chu Qianmiao bluntly said, "The director
would be best to step aside."
She was so charming and gentle, it was impossible for anyone
to refuse her request.
The chairman then told the office director, "Then
please stay outside. I'll call you if there's anything else."
The office director slammed the door and left.
Chu Qianmiao's smile brightened, her tone gentle. She
addressed the company's chairman, "Chairman, let me first explain the
current status of our project. We're currently awaiting the report from Lawyer
Wang. After that, combined with the reports from the accountant and our
securities firm, we can prepare the guidance, acceptance, and application
materials. However, if you request a change of lawyers now, everything will
have to be started over again. This will cost time, and the added costs during
this time will be even more significant. It's fair to say that the person
giving you this advice hasn't considered the issue from the company's
perspective and is simply relying on hearsay."
The chairman, known for his soft-heartedness, frowned.
Chu Qianmiao added, "To put it another way, if your
request is based on the lawyer's lack of diligence and responsibility, then
that's fine. However, if it's based on hearsay, Lawyer Wang and the others
could actually sue you for breach of contract. If our company were to face
litigation while preparing for its IPO, it would be extremely troublesome. You
heard about this during the training; you should understand it."
The chairman's expression changed again.
"Chairman," Chu Qianmiao said with a smile, "If I'm not
mistaken, you can ask the office director later if the friend who passed the
message to him is called Qiao Zhixin."
The chairman raised an eyebrow. It seemed the office
director had already mentioned that name to him.
That was great.
Chu Qianmiao put away her smile and said sternly,
"Chairman, Qiao Zhixin's words cannot be trusted. He is the one with
questionable professional ethics. It was actually he who was recently
investigated for irregularities." She named the company in question and
said to the chairman, "You can look up the signing attorney for this
project based on the announcement regarding the suspension of the review by
that company. It's definitely Qiao Zhixin."
She mentioned another company's name. As she did so, Wang
Jun turned and glanced at her. This was the company Qiao Zhixin had extorted
five million yuan from over a forensic opinion. The accountant at that company
was both a buddy of Tang Jie and a high school classmate of Wang Jun. It was
Wang Jun who privately suggested something to his fellow accountant, which
helped to avert the extortion attempt. The accountant then privately told Tang
Jie, who then told Chu Qianmiao.
"Chairman, do you know the owner of this company?"
The chairman replied, "I actually met him at the summit
and had dinner with him."
Chu Qianmiao said, "That's a coincidence! It saves us
the trouble of introducing you. So, ask the owner of this company what kind of
person Qiao Zhixin is, and whether his claims of treason can be trusted. You'd
better ask now."
The chairman immediately pulled out his phone and called the
owner of the company. When he asked about Qiao Zhixin, the owner erupted in
indignation, slamming the table through the phone. "I've never met such a
shameless person. Trying to extort money from me right before the meeting. If
we weren't in such a hurry to go public, I'd really give him a hard time."
Chu Qianmiao gestured for the chairman to ask Wang Jun
again.
After the chairman finished his question, a voice of praise
came over the line. "Wang Jun is a good lawyer, conscientious and
responsible, with a clear conscience. My accountant at the time was a high
school classmate of Wang Jun's. He initially suggested hiring Wang Jun, but I
ignored him, thinking someone with more experience would have more experience.
This is something I still regret. Qiao Zhixin was sloppy and shady. Many legal
issues were ultimately resolved only after my accountant consulted Wang Jun.
Wang Jun did a lot of work for me for free."
As the call continued, the chairman's expression grew
increasingly irritated.
After hanging up, he apologized to Wang Jun, "I'm
sorry, Lawyer Wang. I'm easily influenced. I know it's a flaw, but I just can't
help it. I think it's always good to listen to everything they say. Listening
to both sides is always a good thing. Otherwise, I wouldn't have built such a
large company. I'm so sorry to have caused you this injustice."
Wang Jun's face sank, and he left the office without saying
anything.
As they left, the office director entered.
Chu Qianmiao and Wang Jun stood at the doorway, overhearing
the chairman's rant against the office director. "What a mess you
know!" he asked. "Did you know your friend's reputation is the exact
opposite of Wang Jun's? You've embarrassed me in front of the brokerage and the
lawyers!"
Chu Qianmiao shook her head. She figured the company's
success might be due to the luck of the person inside. If she were to believe
it was due to his talent, she'd be too drunk to believe it.
Chu Qianmiao gestured for Wang Jun to go outside the office
building for some fresh air.
The two of them walked into the company's courtyard. The
spring breeze was gentle, the best weather of the year.
Wang Jun stopped and thanked Chu Qianmiao heartily,
"Qianmiao, thank you."
Chu Qianmiao smiled and said, "Don't blame me for
letting someone know about the five million yuan extortion for the forensic
report."
Wang Jun's classmate had told Tang Jie about that, and Tang
Jie had told her.
Wang Jun smiled. "Tang Jie told you. My classmate is
Tang Jie's buddy. Actually, when Tang Jie and I were drinking privately, he'd
already told me about this. He said he'd told you about it and that you were
absolutely trustworthy."
Chu Qianmiao smiled. It was nice to think everyone was still
aboveboard.
She paused, then changed her tone and said to Wang Jun,
"Lawyer Wang, will Qiao Zhixin's investigation affect you? He must be
trying to drag anyone down with him."
Wang Jun gave a wry smile. "You know what I regret most
now? Qiao Zhixin and I are clearly not on the same page, so why did I accept
his offer? I was blinded by the title of partner. Now, because I didn't want to
go along with him, he's holding me in vengeance and accusing me of
everything."
Chu Qianmiao continued, "Lawyer Wang, I know you've
been putting up with Qiao Zhixin because he pushed you into the partnership
position. But Lawyer Wang, you need to think about why he pushed you there in
the first place. He wanted you to be his puppet. Do you think he cultivated you
out of noble sentiment? Is it because he values your talent? Definitely not.
He wants you to be his spearhead, his shield. And yet, you're not obeying his
spear and shield. Do you think he'll let you go? He'll have to find fault with
you, no matter what."
After a pause, she said something stern. "Lawyer Wang,
if you keep putting up with this, you might actually get yourself into
trouble."
Wang Jun's expression was serious. He asked, "So what
should I do now?"
Chu Qianmiao's words were forceful. "Draw a clear line
with him. You should know a lot about the irregularities in Qiao Zhixin's
previous projects. Compile these materials and submit them."
Wang Jun was stunned. "Is you asking me to report
him?"
Chu Qianmiao said, "No, give me the materials, and I'll
report him."
Wang Jun was stunned again and asked, "Why are you
reporting him?"
Chu Qianmiao met his gaze, unflinching. "Lawyer Wang,
we've been together for so long. What kind of person do you think I am?"
Wang Jun said, "Gentle, righteous, and responsible.
You've helped me so much, and I'll remember it all."
Chu Qianmiao said, "So you can trust me. Give me the
materials, and I won't implicate you or anyone else. I won't hide it from you.
Qiao Zhixin sexually harassed me many times, both verbally and physically. He
had very bad intentions toward me, as I'm sure you can see. But it was
difficult to prove, so I kept silent. Now I have an opportunity to bring him
the punishment he deserves, and I don't want to miss it."
Wang Jun stared at her for a long moment, then said,
"I'm a little emotionally disturbed today. Let me think about it."
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