National Tide 1980.

Chapter 1615 Breaking in
The Japanese stock market has been declining for several months, and before we knew it, it had been halved in value.

This undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese economy and created instability in Japanese society.

There are ready-made examples right in front of us.

If even listed companies like Lianban and Xingye, which made a fortune during the bubble economy, are struggling to survive, then the situation is even worse for smaller companies that lack background, strength, financing channels, and the financial resources to survive this speculative feast.

In fact, Japan has seen a number of suicides and bankruptcies among those who lost money in the stock market, and even the unemployment rate and consumer price index have begun to decline.

The reason why these negative phenomena have not yet attracted enough social attention and have not been frequently reported by Japanese news media is that...

One reason is that the Japanese people have been living comfortably for too long. Seeing that real estate prices remain strong, they are deceiving themselves and harboring unrealistic fantasies.

They are unwilling to admit that the speculative behavior caused by Japan's excessive credit expansion was wrong, and they themselves are unwilling to wake up from the dream of the Japanese economic myth that they have been immersed in for many years.

Secondly, it's also because Japan is a nation that likes to lie and a country that likes to cover up mistakes.

Whether it's Japanese politicians, Japanese banks, or Japanese companies, they are all masters at deceiving the public and whitewashing the truth.

Driven by their own needs and interests, these three parties colluded in a tacit manner, trying every means to falsify the financial situation of society and enterprises.

As a result, the Japanese public, kept in the dark, had no idea that a terrible change had taken place in Japanese society.

They had no idea that the Japanese economy had already entered a period of recession, and from then on, it went downhill day by day.

Even mainstream Japanese media fell for it, quoting so-called economic experts every day to further brainwash the public, shouting that "stocks and land are two different things!"

However, everything has its limits.

No matter how well you hide it, the truth will eventually come out.

Some pitfalls cannot be overcome simply by being stubborn.

An undeniable fact is that the general trend is difficult to defy, local collapses are becoming more and more common, and the situation in Japan is deteriorating every day.

Take Ning Weimin's side as an example. Even he didn't expect that just after he helped Beimao stabilize the situation of Banhe Xingye, an even bigger bombshell would explode next to him.

Pierre Cardin's Japanese branch suffered huge losses due to stock speculation, becoming one of the first casualties of the bursting bubble.

And almost overnight, it reached the point of near insolvency and impending bankruptcy.

That's not all. The real culprit behind all this, Supervisor Ishikawa, who illegally misappropriated company funds and withheld payments for personal stock speculation, has suddenly absconded.

This guy abandoned his wife and children and took the last 33 million yen in cash from the company's finance department safe deposit box. Nobody knows where he went.

He was left with only one other accomplice, Takada Tadao, whom he had abandoned, and a completely unmanageable mess.

As a result, Pierre Cardin's Japanese branch is now unable to pay its employees' salaries and cannot cash commercial bills that urgently need to be redeemed, bringing the company's operations to a complete standstill.

Moreover, banks, service providers, and suppliers who were demanding payment also sent people to the door to collect debts.

Therefore, Mr. Pierre Carton, who was at the headquarters in France, urgently made an international long-distance call to Ning Weimin and sent him a faxed legal document authorizing him to handle the matter as a specialist.

His main task was to inventory the remaining assets of the Japanese branch, handle related debt issues, and reassure the employees in order to prevent the corporate reputation and brand image that Pierre Cardin had built up over the years in Japan from being destroyed.

To Ning Weimin's surprise, he had to change his original itinerary. In order to solve the various problems of the Japanese branch, he had to put aside his other matters for the time being.

After all, people should be grateful and repay kindness.

He had even taken care of Bei Mao's affairs, so compared to that, he had even less reason to refuse the master's request. He couldn't let the master suffer too much financial loss.

Besides, he had long disliked the Japanese branch, and he could take advantage of their misfortune to turn the tables and profit from their suffering.

To be honest, he does bear some responsibility for what happened.

From the day he arrived in Tokyo, Japan five years ago, when he was received by the Japanese branch, he harbored the intention to swindle them out of money, which is why he repeatedly tempted Ishikawa to speculate in stocks.

Without his hints and instigation, Ishikawa might not have done something so outrageous.

From a causal perspective, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was the mastermind behind it all, the culprit behind it all.

However, you really can't blame him for being too insidious and ruthless, for doing such a despicable thing.

After all, there is no love or hate without a reason in this world. If he wants to harm someone, there must be a reason.

Firstly, it's because these people in the Japanese branch are mercenary and hypocritical.

From the company president, Hidehiro Hasegawa, down to the middle-level managers, everyone's smiles and politeness towards him were all an act.

In essence, these Japanese people harbored deep-seated prejudices against China, and were filled with arrogance and conceit.

Even towards Pierre Cardin, a company from the same lineage in China, these bastards didn't have any good intentions.

Even though the Japanese branch has fully recognized the benefits of setting up factories and investing in China, and despite their undisguised covetousness of the mainland market, they still need China's cheap labor to reduce operating costs.

However, they were thinking of taking advantage of every opportunity and racked their brains to sign unequal cooperation terms with China.

For example, the Japanese branch requires that Pierre Cardin suits manufactured in Japan be sold in China at the highest possible price.

However, they have never been willing to share their sales channels in Japan with Huaxia Company.

For example, when the two parties jointly set up a factory, they always kept a tight rein on the management and maintenance of the garment manufacturing production line, and did not allow Huaxia employees to learn and master it.

Moreover, even for Ning Weimin, who was in Japan, the Japanese branch did not provide much practical assistance, but rather gave him the runaround.

So much so that Ning Weimin had to find his own channels and figure out how to sell Pierre Cardin brand rolling suitcases in Japan.

That's not all. What's even more outrageous is that the Japanese branch intends to dilute the equity of the Chinese company by increasing its investment share in the joint venture factory project, attempting to leverage the resources and connections of the Chinese side while turning it into their complete vassal.

This can only be described as harboring malicious intentions.

Since you're allowed to be the first day of the month, you must also allow me to be the fifteenth.

Ning Weimin planted landmines for them behind their backs, and there was no psychological barrier to it from either a moral or legal standpoint.

Secondly, in addition to incompatible values ​​and unpleasant cooperation, there were also factors of national and personal grievances involved.

You should know that last New Year's Day, Ning Weimin went to Director Guguchi's house to pay his respects. During the dinner, while drinking, he unexpectedly learned from him about a dark history of Chairman Hasegawa.

It turns out that Hasegawa was actually a Japanese quartermaster who served in Northeast China.

His rise to power was actually achieved by taking advantage of Japan's defeat and surrender, colluding with high-ranking officials in the military supply department to steal military materials, and then selling them at black market prices.

That's not all. After becoming a businessman after the war, Hidehiro Hasegawa never forgot his identity as a Japanese soldier and maintained contact with his former colleagues in the army in private.

A few years ago, it seems that some kind of right-wing organization was established.

He paid for meals and frequently gathered fellow Japanese veterans who had also served in Northeast China for regular get-togethers, where they would eat, drink, and reminisce about their past glories. You could say this guy was an old Japanese soldier who considered the war of aggression against China his life's glory.

He never felt any remorse for the war crimes he committed in China.

Therefore, Ning Weimin would naturally not feel any pity for such a person, whether for public or private reasons.

As the saying goes, "Strike while the iron is hot," he won't hold back and will definitely devour the other party without leaving a trace.

From the moment he took on this job, he faced his desire to devour the other party without any guilt, and pondered how to take advantage of the situation and squeeze every last drop of profit out of Hasegawa Hidehiro and his branch company.

This is called karma, cause and effect, and the other party deserves to have a bad ending.

Does he feel guilty?

I have a clear conscience; in fact, I'm even a little excited and looking forward to it.

…………

On the afternoon of March 14, 1990, Ning Weimin, having prepared everything, arrived at the office of Pierre Cardin Co., Ltd. in Japan, along with his finances and lawyer.

Upon entering the company, he was greeted by a chaotic scene.

Pierre Cardin Ltd. of Japan currently has 277 employees.

One-third of them are cashiers who collect money by account, salespeople who solicit customers and place orders, fashion designers and window display designers who are responsible for liaising with shopping malls, one-third are staff members of various departments responsible for daily office work, and the remaining one-third are technicians and workers in clothing factories.

Originally, they all worked in their respective positions, and most of them did not work in the company's office building.

But now that the company has run into such a problem, unable to even cash out the bills that are due, the inside story can no longer be kept secret, causing everyone to be unsettled and unable to concentrate on their work.

In fact, both the police who received the alarm call and the bank representative who came to redeem the bills have already arrived.

The company's service providers and suppliers also came after hearing the news.

Even the workers from the company's garment factories, as well as the debt collectors and sales staff who were out on the go, all rushed back to the company, surrounded the company's leaders, and demanded an explanation.

So when Ning Weimin arrived here, Pierre Cardin Ltd. in Japan was already in complete chaos.

The receptionist who Ning Weimin used to see every time he came was not at her post this time, and he didn't know where she had gone.

The originally spacious office area was now occupied by more than a hundred people.

These people were making a ruckus in the public space, shouting and asking the section chief-level cadres about the company's situation.

The floor was littered with documents and stationery, as if a typhoon had swept through, leaving a complete mess.

Director Taniguchi, a kind-hearted man, looked utterly disheveled.

When Ning Weimin saw him, he was busy helping the section chief appease the roughnecks from the garment factory, forcibly pulling and obstructing them, and was sweating profusely.

His bald forehead was shiny and oily, like a reflective light bulb.

Whether he was attacked or accidentally injured, he had a bruise on his face, his glasses were broken, and his tie was torn, so much so that he didn't recognize Ning Weimin in time.

However, it was fortunate that Ning Weimin's eyesight was good, as he immediately recognized Director Gukou, an old acquaintance.

Otherwise, Ning Weimin and his men would have a lot of trouble finding Hasegawa Hidehiro and the company's key executives.

Because at this moment, none of these people were in their respective offices, but had gathered in Ishikawa's finance office, dealing with two service providers who had come to collect debts.

Needless to say, probably because being chased for debts was an unpleasant experience, the people inside were very unhappy to hear the knocking. No one opened the door, and instead, several shouts of rebuke and accusation came from inside.

"Damn it! Who's at the door?!"

"Get out of here! Don't you know we're discussing something?"

"No matter who you are, if you dare to bother us again, you'll be sorry!"

These harsh words startled Director Gu, who was standing at the door and had come to knock on the door to report on behalf of Ning Weimin, so he shrank back.

He turned back to look at Ning Weimin with a mixture of fear and embarrassment, bowing his head repeatedly in apology, completely at a loss for what to do.

This is the tragedy of ordinary people.

Fortunately, he and Ning Weimin were acquaintances and friends.

Ning Weimin would definitely not hold it against him; on the contrary, he would be very considerate of his difficulties.

He reached out and patted Director Taniguchi on the shoulder, then had him stand behind him.

Of course, Ning Weimin didn't tolerate the domineering people in the house either.

He has never stood here as openly and confidently as he does today, exercising his legitimate rights.

So he called Bian Gang over from behind and had him step on his feet.

With a loud crash, it broke through the enemy's defenses.

Bian Gang, a skilled martial artist, kicked open the finance office door with a single, crisp kick.

This left everyone, both inside and outside the house, completely dumbfounded.

No one expected someone to be so ruthless, breaking down the door without a word.

That's domineering, that's bold, that's intimidating!

Even the Yakuza, who love to come knocking on your door to collect debts, can't compare.

So for a moment, not to mention the fat, big-eared guys in the room, they were dumbfounded, like wooden figures or clay sculptures.

Director Gu Kou, who was standing next to Ning Weimin, was so shocked that his glasses almost fell off his nose.

Even the company employees, workers, and lower-level company cadres such as section chiefs and deputy section chiefs who were entangled with each other behind Ning Weimin all stopped moving.

They all turned their heads and stared intently at Ning Weimin and his group.

For a moment, this space seemed to freeze in time.

The Pierre Cardin Japan office was eerily quiet; the previous cacophony and chaos had miraculously vanished.

Ning Weimin smiled and gave Bian Gang a thumbs-up, then turned his head and looked intently at the people in the room, a look of anticipation for the feast on his lips.

"Oh, I've found you all! So you're all here! That's great!"