Seventh Year Of Separation chapter 8
Just Colleagues
Business negotiations are not simple matters, nor can they be easily influenced by either the lawyers or the legal department.
Although Li Zhao and Gu Jiahe had identified the core issue, the specific negotiation tactics still needed to be approved by the company’s executives.
Gu Jiahe explained the situation to Wu Mou, who asked him to prepare a proposal. They would discuss and finalize the solution with the general manager the next day.
Li Zhao brought the two interns to help Gu Jiahe prepare the materials for the negotiation.
Li Zhao’s WeChat had become the communication tool for their work with Gu Jiahe.
Occasionally, they would send each other work documents. Apart from that, they didn’t chat much.
That night, Gu Jiahe didn’t know when Li Zhao’s car left.
He just stood by the window for a long time.
He knew he shouldn’t still have a lingering attachment to a relationship that had ended many years ago.
He had spent so many years building up his psychological defenses; this unexpected reunion shouldn’t have caused them to collapse.
…….
The legal department’s office wasn’t large, located at the far west end of the entire office area. The advantage was that it could enjoy sunlight for almost the entire afternoon, but the downside was that there was nowhere to hide from the summer afternoon sun.
Gu Jiahe’s cold had just subsided, and the hot afternoon sun made him feel restless.
He stood a large folder upright on his seat, trying to block some of the sunlight.
The folder was wedged between his and Li Zhao’s desks, standing straight.
Seeing his movement, Li Zhao frowned, then turned his head slightly and said softly, “You don’t need to avoid suspicion like this.”
Gu Jiahe was stunned, glanced at the situation on the desk, and then realized, “I just find it too sunny.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah.”
Li Zhao stood up, walked to the glass window, and pulled down the venetian blinds hanging above the glass.
In an instant, the two-square-meter space became much cooler.
Gu Jiahe finally realized that there were curtains on the window.
Then Li Zhao walked back from the window, reached out, and removed the cumbersome folder, placing it on top of the files on Gu Jiahe’s desk.
The movements were smooth and fluid, and not a word was spoken throughout.
That night, Li Zhao and Gu Jiahe worked late to prepare for the meeting with the general manager the next day.
Outside the glass window, the bright moon hung high.
The blinds were still not pulled up, but instead, they sliced the bright moonlight into grid lines.
Gu Jiahe finally lifted his head from the computer screen, stretched his neck backward, and relaxed his spine.
He glanced sideways and saw that Li Zhao was still organizing materials at his desk.
The two interns had already left after work, leaving no trace of their presence.
Gu Jiahe’s mood was unusually relaxed, and he joked, “As the lead lawyer, you’re quite easy going.”
Li Zhao raised his head, rubbed his eyes with his knuckles, and relaxed his shoulders and neck, “Hmm?”
“The first time I’ve seen someone working overtime and letting the interns leave first.”
“They have their own lives. I can’t always drag them into overtime,” Li Zhao said calmly.
Gu Jiahe was about to tease him, saying, “Don’t you also have a partner? Don’t you need to be with her?” But as soon as he opened his mouth, he felt it was too presumptuous. In a sense, their behavior on that rainy night had already crossed a line. Saying more would only make their situation more awkward.
He stopped himself, closed his computer screen, and stood up.
“Are you leaving?” Li Zhao also stood up.
“Yeah.”
“Wanna grab dinner?”
“No, I’m not hungry today.”
Li Zhao chuckled lightly, “You said the same thing the other day.”
“I really am not hungry today,” Gu Jiahe chuckled too, picked up his bag, and headed out.
Li Zhao didn’t follow, which relieved him a bit.
But when he reached the ground floor of the office building, he noticed Li Zhao’s car parked at the entrance, its headlights on.
The car window rolled down slowly.
Li Zhao didn’t glance at him, casually asking, “Need a ride?”
“No, it’s okay, don’t want to trouble you.” Gu Jiahe didn’t open the car door.
“It’s too hot. Walking back would make you sweat.” Li Zhao stated a fact, leaving Gu Jiahe no room for rebuttal.
It was only late May, but the weather in the northern city was already scorching.
He racked his brain trying to figure out how to refuse this invitation.
“Do you always have to avoid me like this? Just giving a colleague a ride,” Li Zhao held the steering wheel, leaving a remark.
Gu Jiahe felt that if he refused again, it would seem deliberate.
Besides, Li Zhao didn’t mean anything else, just giving a colleague a ride.
Gu Jiahe reluctantly opened the car door and got in, “Thank you.”
The distance from the office to Gu Jiahe’s home was a bit awkward.
Walking was a bit far, crossing two traffic lights, roughly about two to three kilometers. Gu Jiahe would take at least 20 minutes to walk home every day.
But driving was too quick.
The engine hadn’t even warmed up before they arrived at the entrance to the residential area.
This time, Li Zhao’s car didn’t enter the compound; he stopped by the roadside and engaged the parking brake.
Gu Jiahe nodded at him, “Thank you.”
Then he opened the car door and walked into the residential area, restraining the urge to look back. But at the corner, he couldn’t resist turning his head for a glance.
Li Zhao’s car hadn’t left; only the window was closed, and he could only see the faint warm yellow light inside, unable to Li Zhao in it clearly.
He might be answering a call; otherwise, why hadn’t the car left yet?
Gu Jiahe sighed and continued walking towards the apartment building.
He walked through the dim corridor, climbed the final flight of stairs, this time remembering to lift his legs a bit higher.
The showers in this old building were never reliable, and the water heater was always on and off.
Gu Jiahe’s showers were always a matter of luck; when lucky, he could enjoy warm water throughout. When unlucky, he would freeze one moment and scald the next. Today, unfortunately, was one of those unlucky days.
Before he could rinse off the shampoo, the water suddenly became scalding, pouring onto the back of his hand.
His entire hand felt the burn. He quickly turned off the water, rinsed off the foam with cold water at the sink, and then rinsed his hand vigorously with the coldest water available.
Unfortunately, a large area of his hand turned red.
It proved that when someone was unlucky, they couldn’t escape it. The hand that Li Zhao hadn’t burned on the day he came to the company was now thoroughly burned.
Gu Jiahe hurriedly put on a T-shirt, walked back to the bedroom, opened the bedside drawer, and searched for the burn ointment he had bought before.
After finding it, he opened the bottle and applied a thick layer to his hand. Just as he was about to close the drawer, he saw a small Iron Man lying inside.
The keychain that Li Zhao dropped, forgotten in the drawer after Gu Jiahe tossed it in there last time.
Gu Jiahe thought for a moment, took it out and placed it on the desk. He would return it at the opportune moment.
…..
Early the next morning, Wu Mou had already scheduled a meeting with the general manager.
They went to the conference room, with Li Zhao following behind.
The general manager, a middle-aged man in his fifties, seemed a bit hesitant about Li Zhao’s proposal.
“I understand that as lawyers, you don’t want to go the litigation route. I also know that lawsuits take a long time. But if we meet the other party’s demands, or even take the initiative to propose a cooperation agreement, it’s a bit embarrassing for the company.”
Gu Jiahe’s heart sank upon hearing this. The general manager’s meaning was clear: if they had to go to court, then so be it. Simply conceding to make the other party withdraw their lawsuit didn’t align with their corporate style.
Li Zhao nodded in agreement, “Yes, you’re right to be concerned. That’s why I proposed a backup plan.”
“A backup plan?” The general manager became interested and wanted to hear more.
“Yes. This is a last resort Plan B. We can negotiate with them normally first, and see if litigation would be detrimental to them. Engage in psychological warfare first. Companies like theirs don’t have abundant cash flow, and going to court with us would obviously waste time and energy.”
“Then, I suggest we discuss with them whether we can compensate for some of the damages according to last year’s procurement contract and pay them a portion of the liquidated damages. I’ve looked into the contract signed by our procurement department with them last year, and according to the contract process, it was indeed our breach of contract first. This also gives them a way out.”
“If they still insist on litigation, we’ll resort to this backup plan. Ensuring nothing goes wrong.”
After listening, the general manager fell into thought. After about two or three minutes, he looked up and spoke, “You make sense too. They were originally one of our closer suppliers. Losing a lot over a small matter isn’t necessary.”
“Yes, the company is currently in the IPO preparation stage. For such a trivial matter to affect the listing review, it’s indeed sacrificing too much for too little,” Li Zhao followed up on his words.
“Then let’s do it this way. I won’t go to the negotiation. Let Wu Mou represent me and take you guys there,” the general manager opened the teacup in front of him and took a sip of water.
“Okay,” Wu Mou nodded quickly in agreement.
After the meeting ended, Gu Jiahe finally relaxed his shoulders, breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like he had passed a hurdle.
Wu Mou quickly returned to the office, while Li Zhao and Gu Jiahe walked side by side behind him.
But there was one thing Gu Jiahe didn’t understand. After thinking for a while, he turned his head and asked, “Why isn’t the general manager going to the negotiation tomorrow? Honestly, I’m a bit unsure when it’s just us from the legal department going. I feel a bit uncertain.”
“Keeping our cards close to the chest,” Li Zhao said just these words.
“What do you mean?” Gu Jiahe was a bit puzzled.
“If he goes, it shows that we attach great importance to this matter. It would put the company at a disadvantage and allow the other party to target our weaknesses. By not going and only sending legal and lawyer representatives, we have more freedom to maneuver.”
Gu Jiahe finally understood. The old fox was indeed an old fox; and he was still too naive.
Gu Jiahe slowed his pace, and Li Zhao stepped ahead of him. Watching Li Zhao’s back from behind, he felt this person was familiar yet unfamiliar. Li Zhao had grown up; perhaps it was absurd to say so. But he still felt that Li Zhao had become an “adult” who was beyond his reach.
It seemed like he had completely emerged from those inexperienced years and become a mature professional capable of handling things on his own.
But Li Zhao suddenly stopped, turning back to look at him.
Gu Jiahe was still lost in thought and almost bumped into Li Zhao.
“What’s wrong?”
Li Zhao asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong with your hand?”
Gu Jiahe didn’t react at first, glancing at his own hand. The burn on the back of his hand from last night hadn’t subsided yet, turning from red to brown.
“Oh, just burned it accidentally.”
Li Zhao lowered his eyes, glanced at the back of Gu Jiahe’s hand again, then sighed and turned to walk ahead.