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Chapter 149: Dignity
When Lynch spoke, it was always gentle and soft. He never gave the impression of being harsh or intimidating. Instead, he felt like a kid in the neighborhood—sunny, friendly, and with a touch of familiarity.
But at this moment, Lunetto felt something different. Lynch felt like a mountain... no, like a sea cliff in the midst of a storm.
He stood there in the endless ocean, with mad storms whipping the waves against him, crashing down fiercely.
Yet these waves ultimately remained just waves, dissipating into nothing after a splash, unable to harm him in the slightest.
Lunetto was like these waves. He was angry, resentful, sad, and sorrowful, but all his emotions turned into helpless splashes of water in the face of Lynch’s bright, smiling expression.
"No problem, Mr. Lynch..." he lowered his head but also felt relieved. Tens of thousands, or even more, in pure profit would allow his factory to operate for a while longer—two or three months. This was a good thing for him.
As for potentially breaking the law... he felt that he might need to change his approach. He then looked up sincerely at Lynch, "Mr. Lynch, I agree with your idea. When can we sign the commission agreement?"
Lunetto seemed humble and respectful, but this was just his appearance and the result of having no other options. In reality, in this era, any businessman who could start from scratch and succeed was never simple.
A commission agreement seemed like he just wanted assurance. Signing it would allow him to relax, not fearing Lynch reneging.
But Lynch was not as young and naive as he appeared. In terms of social experience and insight, he far surpassed Lunetto.
He smiled slightly, "Mr. Lunetto, I always believe that true friends don't need contracts or agreements to define each other's obligations. Those are for strangers, and they desecrate the feelings between friends. Don't you think so?"
Lunetto scratched his hair, speaking with a tone of supplication, "Mr. Lynch, I'm in a difficult situation now. If I could have such an agreement or contract, my workers would feel more secure, and the bank wouldn't pressure me to repay the loan quickly."
"It might be trivial to you, but it's very important to me," he added.
He looked pitiful, but he was not pitiful on the inside.
If Lynch signed a production commission agreement with Lunetto, commissioning him and his factory to produce a batch of clothing and accessories, once the designers pursued accountability, Lunetto could use the commission agreement or production contract to tell the designers that they only engaged in non-liable production practices. In fact, the infringer was Lynch.
But without this commission agreement or production contract, if someone pursued legal action in the future, Lynch would bear the lightest responsibility for sales. He could even claim he was deceived and not only avoid any legal liability but also sue Lunetto for fraud or hiding the truth.
What seemed like a simple piece of paper directly defined the liability for infringement legally. Lunetto thought Lynch was very young and couldn't know everything, but Lynch did know everything.
They stared at each other, their gazes intersecting in the air. Lynch’s smile remained, "It seems Mr. Lunetto is not very interested in this cooperation..." He exhaled lightly, placing his hand on the armrest of the sofa as he stood up. "It's a pity. If there's a chance..."
"I agree!" Lunetto interrupted Lynch, also standing up. "I agree, Mr. Lynch." His face showed desolation, like the falling leaves of autumn.
If this were a few years ago, he could have unhesitatingly slammed the table and told Lynch to get out of his office. But now, he had to bear the legal risks far exceeding his profits for this deal.
He had no good way to solve the funding issue. If the city hall and the workers' union believed he couldn't continue running the machines, the city hall would take back the factory land, and he would have nothing left.
All of this was to survive. Only by surviving was there hope.
"Successful businessman" Mr. Lunetto understood his troubles well, so he rationally bowed his head to extend the factory's life instead of emotionally ending the deal.
Lynch nodded in satisfaction, walking out, "Very well, Mr. Lunetto. You can send me your bank account number. I will give you a thirty percent advance payment soon. When I see the first batch of products, I will gradually pay the remaining balance. Any problem?"
He stood at the door, looking back at Lunetto who followed behind him. Lunetto shook his head, "No problem, Mr. Lynch."
Only then did Lynch turn around, extending his hand, watching Lunetto walk three or four steps to him and humbly shake his hand. He smiled, "It’s a pleasure to be able to work with you, Mr. Lunetto."
Whether Lunetto was happy or not, only he knew. He forced a smile and nodded, "Thank you, the pleasure is ours. We look forward to a successful collaboration, Mr. Lynch."
Standing outside, watching Lynch's car depart, Lunetto sighed heavily, then punched the wall all of sudden, letting out a miserable cry.
The secretary was terrified and hurried to call an ambulance, but Lunetto stopped her, shaking his head pale-faced, "No need, I'm fine. Get the foreman to gather the workers..."
The secretary, unsure of his intentions, hastily carried out his orders. Meanwhile, in the office, Lunetto poured water over his head and also smeared a small bag of breadcrumbs left over from a few days ago on his lips. When the secretary entered, she was startled by the sight.
At that moment, Lunetto looked like he was on the brink of death, seemingly about to die at any moment. She didn’t understand how a punch on the wall could be so serious and began worrying about her job.
Lunetto wiped the breadcrumbs off his lips, quickly walking out to the open space, addressing the curious workers with a sorrowful tone, depicting himself as a pitiable man who had begged on his knees to get them orders.
He told everyone that this job was hard-won, and if possible, he hoped everyone could voluntarily work overtime. He couldn’t afford overtime pay anymore, but they needed to complete the orders as soon as possible...
Actually, Lunetto didn't need to worry too much. In this depressed economy, these big companies wouldn't casually file lawsuits against a small, nearly bankrupt factory, because lawsuits cost money.
From the moment lawyers started gathering evidence, money would flow out like water. Generally, big companies' lawsuits had two purposes: first, to annex other companies, needing legal assistance.
The second was for industry dominance, driving others out of their territory.
Facing a small businessman like Lunetto and his infringement, big companies were reluctant to act. They would spend a lot of money on the lawsuit and get no valuable results.
They wouldn't get any compensation because Lunetto’s factory could go bankrupt at any moment. Their lawyers would find this out.
They wouldn't gain any public support or influence, as people never believed big companies were just. In many films and stories, big companies were symbols of evil, and people would resent their lawsuits.
They would gain nothing, spend a lot of money, and damage their image. With the current economic downturn, they would avoid taking action if they could.
This batch of goods was mainly for the middle class. Lynch planned to include the middle class in his auction. Previously, when discussing the Interstellar Trading Company with other investors, he mentioned the plan to refine and segment the customer base.
That was to turn the "second-hand goods auction" into two relatively independent businesses: "second-hand goods trading" and "second-hand goods auction," thus diversifying the audience.
Ultimately, ordinary people would flow into various regional second-hand goods malls or trading markets. The "official" channel, managed by the Interstellar Trading Company, would handle the sale of ordinary second-hand goods from various regions. Some ordinary people would also be able to pay management fees to engage in personal trading within it.
After all, ordinary people, given the current economic trends, wouldn’t have long-term consumption impulses. After satisfying their desires once or twice, they wouldn’t be impulsive again and might not have extra money. So, they were more suitable for cheaper ordinary goods trading areas.
Conversely, the changing situation would make the middle class start following these ordinary families. They would also consider cutting expenses or had already started, but their situation was more complex.
In residential compounds densely populated by the middle class, there was often a very particular phenomenon: the prevalence of comparison and attention-seeking.
Who did what business, or worked where, what car they got this year, what watch they bought, where they traveled... all of this would be noted and spread throughout the residential compounds.
Everyone spent their time competing and comparing. They needed to maintain their dignity, but unfortunately, the methods they used to maintain it could be difficult to handle—namely, consumption.
Lynch aimed to satisfy these people. They could get fashionable clothing at extremely low prices. As long as they didn’t reveal it themselves, others wouldn’t suspect, because they had the ability to consume these trendy products.
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