Darkstone Code
Chapter 150 - 0149 Decent

Chapter 150: 0149 Decent

When Lynch spoke, his words were gentle and soothing, never giving off an aggressive impression. Instead, he came across like the boy next door—sunny, approachable, with a familiar vibe.

But at this moment, Lunit felt something entirely different. Lynch seemed like a mountain... no, like a cliff facing a storm.

He stood tall amidst the boundless ocean, waves driven by the raging storm crashing against him fiercely.

Yet these waves were merely waves, disappearing after raising a spray of water, unable to harm him in the least.

Lunit was like those waves—angry, loathsome, sorrowful, and mournful. Yet all his emotions amounted to nothing more than the spray after a wave, when faced with Lynch’s sunny, smiling demeanor.

"No problem, Mr. Lynch..." he lowered his head, but also breathed a sigh of relief. The tens of thousands in net profit could keep his factory running for another couple of months, maybe three, which was good news for him.

As for possibly breaking the law... he thought he might need a change of approach. He then raised his head, looking at Lynch with sincerity, "Mr. Lynch, I agree with your idea. So when will we sign the delegation agreement?"

Lunit seemed humble and respectful, but it was merely a facade, a result of having no way out. In reality, in this era, any self-made businessman, any successful businessman, wasn’t a simple character.

A delegation agreement might look like he wanted a form of assurance. After signing this agreement, he could rest easy, unafraid of Lynch backing out.

But Lynch wasn’t as young as he seemed on the surface. In terms of social experience and wisdom, he far surpassed Lunit.

He nodded slightly, "Mr. Lunit, I have always believed that true friends never need contracts or agreements to define their obligations to each other. Those are assurances between strangers but a desecration of friendship, don’t you think?"

Lunit touched his hair, his tone imploring, "Mr. Lynch, I am in a difficult situation now. If I had such an agreement or contract, my workers’ morale would stabilize, and the bank wouldn’t pressure me to repay quickly."

"It may be trivial to you, but it’s crucial for me."

He looked pitiful, but he wasn’t pitiful at heart.

If Lynch agreed to a production commission agreement with Lunit, commissioning Lunit and his factory to produce a batch of clothes and accessories, Lunit could hold up the production commission agreement or contract in the future and tell the designers that they were merely responsible for non-liable production actions, and the one infringing was actually Lynch.

But if there were no such delegation or production contract, then if someone pursued accountability from a legal perspective in the future, Lynch would only bear the lightest responsibility of selling. He could even argue that he was misled and not only avoid any legal responsibility but also counter-sue Lunit for deception or hiding information.

It looked like just a simple piece of paper but legally outlined the responsibilities of infringement. Lunit thought Lynch was very young and couldn’t possibly know everything, but Lynch truly knew everything.

The two stared at each other, their gazes intersecting in the air. Lynch’s smile never faded, "It seems Mr. Lunit is not quite interested in this collaboration..." He sighed gently, placed his hand on the armrest of the sofa, and stood up, "It’s a pity. If there’s a chance..."

"I agree!" Lunit abruptly interrupted Lynch’s words and stood up, "I agree, Mr. Lynch." His face bore a desolate look, like the fallen leaves of autumn.

If this were a few years ago, he could have slapped the table without hesitation and told Lynch to get out of his office. But now, he had to bear legal risks far outweighing his profits for the sake of this money.

But he didn’t have a better way to solve his financial problems. If the City Hall and Workers’ Union thought he couldn’t continue operating the machines and start production, the City Hall would reclaim the factory land, and he would truly have nothing left.

All of this was just to survive because only by surviving is there hope.

The once "successful man," Mr. Lunit, clearly understood and knew his current troubles. So, he chose to rationally lower his head and secure a chance to continue his factory, rather than emotionally walking away from it all.

Lynch nodded satisfactorily and started walking out, "Very good, Mr. Lunit. You can send me your bank account number. I will give you a thirty percent advance payment soon. Once I see the first batch of products, I will consecutively pay the remaining amount. Any problem with that?"

Standing at the door, looking back at Lunit who was following him, Lunit shook his head, "No problem, Mr. Lynch."

Only then did Lynch turn around, extend his hand, and watch Lunit walk three or four steps towards him and humbly extend his hand to shake Lynch’s. He smiled and said, "A pleasant cooperation, Mr. Lunit."

Whether Lunit was happy or not, only he knew. He forced a smile and nodded, "A pleasant cooperation, Mr. Lynch."

Standing outside the door, watching Lynch’s car leave, Lunit let out a heavy sigh and punched the wall, followed quickly by a pained outcry.

The secretary was terrified and hastily took out her phone to call for an ambulance but was stopped by Lunit. He shook his head, pale-faced, "No, I’m fine, have the foreman gather the workers..."

The secretary didn’t know what he was going to do, but quickly went to carry out his orders. Meanwhile, Lunit was in his office, pouring some water over his head and finding a small bag of leftover bread crumbs from a few days ago. He smeared the crumbs on his lips, startling the secretary when she came in!

At this moment, Lunit looked as though he was at death’s door, ready to drop dead any second. She didn’t understand why hitting the wall with his hand had such drastic effects, and she began worrying about her job.

But Lunit quickly wiped away the slightly moist bread crumbs from his lips and walked out briskly. He looked at the workers, who were full of curiosity, and used a sorrowful tone to depict himself as a pitiful worm, groveling on his knees seeking sympathy to get them orders.

He told everyone that this job wasn’t easy to come by; if possible, he hoped everyone would voluntarily process it, as he could no longer afford to pay overtime, but he and all the workers needed to complete the orders quickly...

In truth, Lunit didn’t need to worry too much. In this downturn, these big companies wouldn’t casually file lawsuits against a small, nearly bankrupt factory, as lawsuits cost money.

From the moment lawyers began collecting evidence, money would flow out like water. Generally, large companies file lawsuits for two reasons: to annex other companies and thus need some legal support.

The second is to assert industry dominance, driving others out of their territory.

When facing a small merchant like Lunit and his infringement actions, large companies are actually reluctant to make a move. They’d spend a lot of money to initiate such a lawsuit and wouldn’t gain any valuable results.

They wouldn’t receive any compensation because Lunit’s factory could collapse at any time; their lawyers would find that out.

They wouldn’t gain any support or influence from public opinion since people have never believed big companies are just. In many films and stories, big companies are symbols of evil; people might actually be repulsed by their lawsuits.

They would gain nothing from it, spend a lot of money, and might even damage their image amid the current economic downturn. They’d avoid making a move if they could.

This batch of goods was primarily targeted at the Middle Class. Lynch planned to involve the Middle Class in auction sessions. As he had previously mentioned to investors regarding the Interstellar Trade Company, the customer base needed to be segmented and separated.

This meant turning the "second-hand goods auction" into two relatively independent businesses: "second-hand goods trading" and "second-hand goods auction," to segment the audience.

Ultimately, ordinary people would flow into the various regional second-hand goods malls or trading markets, managed and partially sold by the "official" Interstellar Trade Company. Some ordinary people could pay management fees to conduct personal trade within.

After all, ordinary people in the current economic climate couldn’t have a long-term consumption impulse. After satisfying it once or twice, they wouldn’t act impulsively anymore, nor might they have spare money, so a more affordable general goods trading area suited them better.

Conversely, the changing situation may cause the Middle Class to start following in the footsteps of ordinary families. They’ll consider reducing expenses or may have already started but face more complicated situations than ordinary families.

In middle-class-dense communities, there is indeed an unusual phenomenon: comparison and attention.

Who does what business, or works where, what car did they switch to this year, what watch did they buy, where did they travel... all these will be followed and spread throughout the community.

Everyone lived through comparison, needing to maintain their dignity. However, maintaining it can be a challenge, and that’s through consumption.

Lynch aimed to satisfy these individuals. They could secure stylish clothing at extremely reasonable prices, and as long as they didn’t mention it, no one would suspect anything because they had the capability to purchase such fashionable products.