National Tide 1980.

“Mr. Ning, I have done everything you asked. Finally, I have a few more requests, and I hope you will grant them…”

"What is it? Tell me first..."

"The company is facing such a crisis, and the blame lies entirely with me. But these employees are all innocent. Some of them have been with me since the company's inception, for over thirty years. We all have a deep affection for the company, like a family. Frankly, before this crisis, I was planning to give everyone at least a 10% raise after the spring sales season, starting next month. But unfortunately, this has happened, and I can no longer do that. Today, although this company no longer belongs to me, I still hope that you will treat the employees here well in the future. Given the current turbulent economic situation, please protect everyone and ensure everyone has food to eat. Please, please don't lay off these employees; it would be best if you could give them another raise. Is that alright?"

Hidehiro Hasegawa leaned slumped against Sakae Fukuda, speaking in a half-dead state.

He spoke with great emotion and made a very convincing gesture.

He seemed like a good president who was very passionate about the company and extremely responsible to his employees.

It seems that his huge losses from speculation and the sale of the company were entirely beyond his control, and even after leaving, he still cares about the future welfare and lives of his employees.

These words were indeed very effective, and many people present were moved.

Not only was Fukuda Sakae, who was still supporting him, heartbroken, he called out "President" with a sob in his voice.

Even the expressions of the two service providers in the office and the employees outside who had initially been observing indifferently changed. The vast majority of them were moved and showed admiration.

Even Director Taniguchi, who was caught in a dilemma, was deeply affected.

Thinking about the decades he had spent following the president in starting the business, he couldn't control the sadness welling up inside him. He lowered his head, took off his glasses, and wiped his eyes.

At this moment, the way people looked at Hidehiro Hasegawa was no longer that of a loser, but that of a respectable old man.

At the same time, these people all looked at Ning Weimin with expectant expressions, collectively remaining silent and waiting for his reply.

It has to be said, this scene was quite emotional.

From the perspective of contemporary universal values, it is likely that anyone who considers themselves good would be unable to say "no" in Ning Weimin's situation.

It can be said that Ning Weimin was under immense, invisible pressure at this moment.

But the question is, who is Ning Weimin?
Although he appears young, he is not yet thirty years old.

But he was a man who had lived two lives, and his mind was already approaching that of a middle-aged man in his fifties.

Moreover, in this life, he encountered a renowned teacher whose greatest skill was understanding human nature and manipulating people's hearts.

Hidehiro Hasegawa's trick won't fool him; it's called moral blackmail.

Well, he deliberately made this request in public.

If he agrees, the people who will thank him won't be him, but Hidehiro Hasegawa.

In hindsight, everyone's generous benefits were all secured by the former president.

As for him, in other people's eyes he was just a sucker who wasted money.

If he refuses, he will seem stingy and heartless.

This will most likely cause dissatisfaction among employees, and they may even get scolded behind their backs.

This will also highlight how much Hidehiro Hasegawa cares about his employees, and perhaps some people will still remember the former president fondly in the future.

Don't tell me, has this old guy studied "The Art of War"?

That's really something else.

So, under the weight of countless gazes and pressure, Ning Weimin didn't hesitate at all. With a cold smile, he directly extinguished Hasegawa Hidehiro's inappropriate delusions.

"No! Absolutely impossible!"

Ning Weimin's indifferent response shocked everyone, and even made Hasegawa Hidehiro, who was originally full of confidence, speechless with anger.

"What? You...you won't agree?"

He asked incredulously, his eyes wide open.

In his opinion, this was a completely impossible scenario.

Are all young kids so easy to fool?

Especially during company transitions, shouldn't he make compromises to maintain morale and avoid company turmoil? How could he allow employees to harbor resentment?

However, that wasn't all. What made Hidehiro Hasegawa feel even more passive was that Ning Weimin actually questioned him in a condescending manner.

"Why should I agree? The company's current mess is all your fault. I don't know how much money I'll have to pour in to fix these problems! Are you afraid that things will be too easy for me after you take over the company? Is that why you're adding extra financial burdens for me? Or are you just going to take the money and leave without ever wanting me to get the company back on track, so you're deliberately making such unreasonable demands? What are you really up to? Why are you trying to screw me over like this?"

"I...I...that's not how it is..."

Ning Weimin's probing question left Hasegawa Hidehiro speechless.

He didn't expect that the other party would see through his thoughts and expose them in public.

He felt utterly ashamed, yet, filled with both shame and anger, he couldn't find a suitable reason to excuse himself.
In desperation, he could only use violent coughing as a cover to avoid the embarrassment of being questioned.

Surprisingly, there were actually some blind or simply brain-dead people who genuinely thought Hasegawa was a good person and tried to defend him.

One of the employees standing outside couldn't help but interject, "That's going too far! The president isn't that kind of person! He's just trying to get a little benefit for us employees. Please don't be so harsh!"

Moreover, once one person takes the lead, others become bolder.

"Exactly. Even if the company has changed hands, shouldn't the interests of employees be fully protected? Isn't that the mission of the business owners? Without us employees, where would the company be today? How have we become an extra burden?"

"That's right. The president's requests are all perfectly legitimate and reasonable! He's doing it for our own good! Does changing bosses mean we don't need to consider the needs of our employees anymore?"

"Please, this is Japan. We may be just ordinary employees, but we have a deep affection for the company. We've dedicated ourselves to it wholeheartedly over the years. Please have some understanding of us..." It has to be said that one's perspective is always influenced by their position.

Even if they didn't speak up for Hasegawa, some employees at the scene started to get restless because of their own interests, and they all supported their "good president".

Needless to say, this caused some panic among the people Ning Weimin brought.

They were only a handful of people, and not everyone could withstand the pressure of being attacked by a group.

On the contrary, Hidehiro Hasegawa seemed much more energetic. He slightly opened his eyes, as if he had become the spokesperson for these employees.

The dejected feeling of almost dying just moments ago vanished thanks to the support of the employees.

“Mr. Ning, please… don’t misunderstand. I’ve run this company for so long; it’s like my child. Even if I’m leaving, I hope a good person can take over my child. After all, you’re a foreigner, and the cultural differences between our two countries might become an obstacle to your future business operations. So I want to remind you that Japanese companies value relationships very much. You have to treat everyone well first for them to work hard for you. I’m doing this for your own good, and for everyone’s good…”

These words allowed him to regain his moral high ground.

It was as if he was just being kind, which was why he was patiently guiding Ning Weimin, this "unruly student," like a teacher.

Needless to say, his speech further garnered him the support of his employees, and many more voices echoed his sentiments.

The phrase "foreigner" was particularly offensive.

It's important to understand that Japan is a nation with a relatively homogenous population and has historically harbored xenophobic tendencies.

By using such wording, he naturally mixed racial antagonism into class antagonism, which inadvertently increased the pressure and difficulty for Ning Weimin.

It has to be said that if it were an ordinary person, they would feel like they were being roasted on a fire right now.

It's difficult not to make certain compromises in order to stabilize the situation.

And that is where Hidehiro Hasegawa's most insidious and despicable side lies.

But the question is, who is Ning Weimin?

Is he an ordinary person?
They can't be so easily manipulated.

That's right. Although he always pursued harmony and making money, he always tried his best to resolve conflicts of interest when encountering them in the business world.

But this doesn't mean he's a coward who avoids trouble, has no principles or bottom line, or can tolerate being bullied.

He never causes trouble, but he is not afraid of trouble either. He is gentle but not forceful, and is actually tough inside.

To put it bluntly, he even dealt with those two tough guys, Suo Ikuo and Takahashi Harunori, and prevented them from bullying the weak back then.

Now that he has taken control of Pierre Cardin Japan, how could he possibly let a penniless former president bully him on his own turf?

Especially since this grandson is an old Japanese soldier who participated in the invasion of China, it's already good enough that he doesn't have someone shoot this old guy in the back. How can we let him take pride in his Japanese bloodline and ride on our heads as a teacher?

There's nothing else to say; he might have to resort to some harsh measures and say some unpleasant things.

Otherwise, others would really mistake him for a dough figurine that can be kneaded at will.

"Shut up! Your words are disgusting! You've made a mess of the company, and now you're trying to leave without any honesty. You even want to use my money to do me a favor? How can you be so shameless? You expect me to thank you? Do you think I'm a fool? Don't say I misunderstood you, or that you're thinking of everyone. If you're really so kind and want to get better treatment for these people, then fine, you prove it. To show your sincerity, don't just make me pay; you should also contribute something. I think it's reasonable for you to use your 150 million yen to raise everyone's salaries. How about that? As long as you're willing to give up that money, I'll raise the company's employees' salaries. But are you willing to do that?"

Ning Weimin showed Hasegawa Hidehiro no mercy, bluntly exposing his hypocrisy and pointing his finger at him as if directly hitting his Achilles' heel.

Hasegawa would never give up his own interests for the sake of these employees; they were his last asset.

So his lips froze on the spot, and he was so embarrassed that he couldn't say a word.

That wasn't all. Ning Weimin didn't even spare those who had been egging him on earlier. After cursing Hasegawa, he turned to those who were watching the spectacle and weren't afraid of making things worse.

"And you guys, why should I treat you kindly? Why are you demanding no layoffs and raises from me? What do I owe you? You've worked for Hidehiro Hasegawa for many years and sacrificed a lot for him. If anyone owes you anything, it's him. What does it have to do with me? So if you want anything, go find him, go find this former president. I don't owe you anything! Do you all understand?"

This startled the onlookers, who stared blankly at Ning Weimin.

In an instant, intimidated by his sweeping gaze, the employees all lowered their heads quietly and fell silent.

However, on the other hand, there are bound to be troublemakers among so many people.

A rough-around-the-edges guy dressed in a factory uniform, looking like a foreman, dared to go against Ning Weimin.

He stood up to object, saying that Ning Weimin's words were incorrect.

He said that everyone used to work for President Hasegawa, but then Mr. Pierre Carton came to Japan and turned the company into a joint venture. From then on, they also worked for Pierre Carton.

Although President Hasegawa is no longer here, most of the company's shares still belong to the master. This is still Pierre Carton. How can you say that they haven't contributed to the company?
Since you've already made the investment, why can't you make some demands regarding your salary?

To be honest, this guy isn't the kind of mindless brute who's completely illogical; what he said isn't entirely without logic, and it makes a lot of sense.

But the problem is that he's facing Ning Weimin, so what does it matter?
Will this make Ning Weimin approve?
impossible.

As the saying goes, everyone has their own area of ​​expertise.

Some people make a living by physical strength, while others make a living by their brains and their mouths.

A mere foreman dares to presume to challenge Ning Weimin's ability to make a living.

That's like competing with someone else's profession using your hobby. How can you expect to get a good result?

That would only bring shame upon themselves.

"So you mean Mr. Pierre Carton owes you something? Then let me ask you, what makes you think that? Just because you've worked for Mr. Carton all these years? Don't think that you employees have no responsibility for the company's current situation. Have you really been working hard? If that's what you think, then I can only say that you are not only ignorant, but also shameless."

"Putting everything else aside, Mr. Carton has been investing in Japan for over twenty years, but at its peak, how much were the company's assets? Only 14.7 billion yen. Mr. Carton's share was a mere 10 billion yen. That's the value you people have created for him. The company's profit last year was less than 1.5 billion yen, and its business footprint across Japan is very limited. Besides Tokyo, you only have business dealings in Osaka and Yokohama." (End of Chapter)