National Tide 1980.

Without comparison, there is no harm.

Objectively speaking, Yoko Mochizuki's situation is actually quite good.

Ordinary people will face even harsher predicaments and more desolate circumstances.

Because mediocrity is a sin in times of economic downturn, since not everyone is as talented and beautiful as Yoko Mochizuki, with the ability to immediately monetize their talents.

Those who are truly living in constant fear and have become utterly destitute are the elderly, mediocre people who lack any technical or skill advantages.

They are the truly vulnerable group in society, and the victims of this bubble era.

…………

On the morning of November 26, 1990, Pierre Cardin Japan Co., Ltd.

Managing Director Taniguchi, no longer the former Director Taniguchi, now arrives at work in the company-provided car, just like every day.

In fact, after nearly half a year of adjustment, he has gotten used to his current work content and pace.

But on this day, as soon as he walked into the company's gate, he still found something strange.

Because there were almost people near the company's reception area, some standing and some sitting, at least a dozen people were waiting quietly at the door, including some faces that Mr. Taniguchi felt somewhat familiar with, all of them looking worried.

When the receptionist saw Gu Guan enter the company, she bowed and greeted him, "Good morning, Executive Director."

These people, like fish in a pond attracted by a feeder, immediately jostled and crowded around him, fully revealing their eagerness to strike up a conversation.

"What happened?"

Managing Director Taniguchi was startled and quickly asked the receptionist, "What's going on with all these people? Why are they here?"

"They are all former employees of the company."

"Former employees?"

"Yes, those were the people who resigned along with President Hasegawa when he left..."

"Wasn't that matter resolved? Wasn't the compensation sufficient?"

"No, these people are all here to look for new jobs. They all hope to return to the company. President Fukuda is already aware of this, but he prefers that you handle the matter."

Upon hearing this, Gukou immediately realized what was going on.

Undoubtedly, it was probably because Ning Weimin had approved their departure in the first place, and Fukuda Sakae was afraid that he might not handle the matter properly and displease Ning Weimin, so he entrusted this troublesome matter to him.

After all, his role in the company was to supervise the company's operations on behalf of Ning Weimin, and it seemed that he was the most suitable person to do this job.

So, there was nothing he could do; Taniguchi knew he probably wouldn't be able to enjoy some leisure time today.

After sighing and lamenting, he could only try his best to cheer up and instruct the front desk to prepare a meeting room so that he could personally receive these people.

In the time that followed, by understanding the specific demands of each of these people, Taniguchi was certain that they had all indeed suffered a catastrophic blow.

Everyone is an unlucky person who has been driven to the brink of despair by life.

Their attitude was also incredibly humble.

Among them, there was one man named Hirose Ryoji who evoked the most sympathy from Chief Taniguchi.

This guy was originally the office manager of a clothing factory. His annual salary of 7.2 million yen was not much, but it was enough to support his wife and three sons.

Their family also bought a housing complex in Setagaya Ward.

Although I didn't buy as early as Taniguchi, I still paid off my mortgage completely in 1992, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

They could have lived a simple, stable life, though not wealthy.

But what he shouldn't have done was to boast that he was a close confidant of Hidehiro Hasegawa and start a strike because of the departure of the former president.

What's even worse is that after receiving a severance package of ten million yen from the company, he not only failed to keep enough money to support himself, but also, as if possessed, believed the societal lie of "investing in retirement" and made the biggest gamble of his life—using most of his retirement money, plus a loan of fifteen million yen from the bank, to buy a piece of land in the outskirts of Tokyo.

Completely devoid of any sense of risk, he was solely focused on the prospect of wealth flowing in, firmly believing that the Tokyo metropolitan area would expand there within a few years.

Instead of getting any meat, he got a beating.

It's important to understand that when the Japanese housing market began to collapse, those who suffered the most were the types of land he bought on the fringes of the market.

In reality, housing prices in downtown Tokyo have fallen by an average of over ten percent, with Ginza only seeing a six percent drop, while the land he purchased has plummeted by more than thirty percent, like an avalanche.

To put it bluntly, for him, it's not just that he hasn't paid off his old debts and has incurred new ones; more importantly, from the perspective of net asset value, the principal he invested in this real estate has almost been wiped out.

That's not all. The key issue is that even if he wanted to sell, there's simply no one willing to take over.

He would be incredibly grateful if he could actually get the deal for half the price.

Think about it, if he had bought stocks, they would probably be close to the margin call level by now.

How can he possibly live like this?

When Hirose Ryoji realized that not only was there a problem with the mortgage, but he also couldn't afford to pay for his three sons' tuition, and he couldn't even afford to give his wife any money for household expenses, he even considered hanging himself.

What does it mean to make a mistake that leads to eternal regret?
This is.

Overwhelmed with regret, Hirose Ryoji felt as if his life had turned from a beautiful dream into a nightmare overnight.

He simply couldn't understand why things had suddenly changed.
In any case, in order to pay the bills to keep his family running, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and go back to the company, begging in a low voice to get a job again.

In his heart, he actually believed there was still a good chance of being forgiven by the company, despite making a foolish choice at a crucial time when the company was changing presidents.

But he wasn't a slacker; he was always a hard-working, diligent, and honest person!

Having worked at the company for so many years, I may not have made any great contributions, but I have certainly put in a lot of hard work.

Moreover, the overall values ​​of Japanese society tend to favor the protection of workers' rights.

For the sake of social stability, the government has always been more inclined to favor employees and hopes that enterprises can shoulder more responsibility.

He therefore held out some hope, believing that if he abandoned his pride and begged, and lowered his salary demands, the company might be willing to take him back out of consideration for his reputation. Otherwise, he would have to bear the stigma of being "unjust" and damage his reputation.

It must be said that his idea is not entirely unrealistic; given the characteristics of Japanese society, it is indeed the case.

Many companies don't have a good way to deal with this kind of moral blackmail.

Moreover, his sob story was very effective on Taniguchi, as it garnered him a lot of sympathy.

If I had to pinpoint a reason, it might be because they are close in age and have similar family backgrounds.

In short, even when Gu Gu was contacting Ning Weimin, he was trying his best to speak well of the old employees who wanted to come back, hoping that Ning Weimin would be magnanimous and give them another chance to work.

To be honest, if the person with the power to decide this matter were a Japanese boss, or even Pierre Cardin himself, they would likely have the idea of ​​"better to avoid trouble" and let these people have their way.

Unfortunately, the company is now in Ning Weimin's hands.

On such matters of principle, he was a man whose mind was "unmoved by any distractions and whose will was unyielding."

Putting everything else aside, why did he spend such a large sum of money to compensate these people in the first place? Wasn't it to prevent future troubles?
So why would he be such a sucker? Why would he let these people benefit for nothing?
So he didn't soften his heart at all.

After receiving a call from Taniguchi and learning the basic situation, he immediately and firmly refused.

Furthermore, those who wanted to return were defined as traitors to the company and were deemed utterly unworthy of sympathy.

However, Gu Gu didn't give up so easily. Perhaps out of a sense of shared fate, or perhaps out of a sense of compassion, or perhaps out of a sense of responsibility to the company and a genuine concern for its reputation, he still tried to persuade Ning Weimin to change his mind and agree to accept these people.

"But...but President, aren't you worried about the negative impact this might have? After all, they are all former employees of the company. If we completely ignore them, it might give the impression, both inside and outside the company, that we are somewhat heartless. And to be honest, these people who came today are really pitiful. I think they may have already learned their lesson. If you don't hold grudges and are willing to take them back, things will be different. They will definitely be grateful to you. Besides, these people don't have high salary demands now, so it's actually a good deal..."

Ning Weimin was naturally a little unhappy about this, feeling that Gu Kou was being a bit too kind.

Not only are they somewhat unable to distinguish between what is important and what is not, but they are also somewhat unable to distinguish between the two kings.

Therefore, his immediate reaction was to express his disappointment and dissatisfaction with Taniguchi's attitude.

“No, Managing Director Taniguchi, in my opinion, there is no room for negotiation on this matter. Back when the company was in its most difficult time, these people actually chose to strike and accepted compensation to leave, which already proves that they are resistant to the company I manage and have no sense of belonging.”

"Besides, even if such people come back, it's only because of circumstances, and they'll never be loyal. Why should I care about their feelings? On the contrary, if I take them in, it will send the wrong signal to the company's current employees. It will make many people mistakenly believe that betraying the company goes unpunished, because the company will forgive them anyway. Isn't that unfair to those employees who chose to stay in the first place? I think you understand what's truly beneficial for internal unity within the company, right?"

"As for what others think, I don't care at all. You know, the reason I spent so much money back then was to legally and legitimately get rid of these burdens. I paid the money and finally got them gone. What, now that they want to come back, I have to take them in? There's no such thing as a free lunch. I'm not a garbage collector. These people must bear the consequences of their own choices!"

"And about the salary issue you mentioned, I think even one yen is too expensive for them. Japan's unemployment rate will only continue to rise in the future, and I'm not worried about finding better employees. It's not worth keeping these old, weak, and disabled people. Besides, for the current company, we already have enough full-time employees. We can just add a few more temporary workers in the future. And even for temporary workers, I prefer to hire Chinese students rather than Japanese. You understand that, right?"

Undoubtedly, Ning Weimin's tone was serious, and it already carried a hint of a warning.

Especially since before this, he always addressed Taniguchi on the phone as "Taniguchi-san" in a more intimate tone, without using his official title, but now he has changed to "Managing Director Taniguchi," which naturally shows his distance and severity.

This immediately sent a chill down Taniguchi's spine, making him realize his own position once again.

"I'm so sorry, President. It was my oversight, my mistake. Please don't be angry. I understand what you mean now. I promise to get rid of all these people, not a single one. And your concern for your compatriots is truly admirable. Whenever the company needs temporary workers, we will definitely only consider Chinese people in the future."

It must be said that while Taniguchi may be dull-witted, he's not so stupid as to be unable to read between the lines.

Moreover, Ning Weimin had a good understanding of Gu Gu, and ultimately valued his kindness and character, not his abilities.

Seeing that he was quite sincere and efficient in admitting his mistakes and correcting them, I stopped arguing with him.

Instead of showing him any consideration, she gave him a few treats.

"Alright, I understand how you feel about this. From your perspective, they are all former colleagues, and so many people are asking you for favors. You can't just refuse them out of politeness. And since this matter has been assigned to you, I'm afraid quite a few more people will come to make similar requests in the next few days. If you end up not keeping a single one, it will cause some people to criticize you, which will be detrimental to your position in the company. How about this, for your sake, I can authorize you to have two work slots."

This was something Gu Kou hadn't expected. He was immediately moved to tears by Ning Weimin's magnanimity and kindness, and his loyalty skyrocketed.

"President, I really don't know what to say. You've taken such good care of me. I'm always causing you trouble, and I feel so ashamed."

"Don't rush. I have specific requirements for these two positions. First, I need two experts who understand factory assembly lines and are skilled in garment manufacturing. They must be no older than fifty and in good health. Second, they must work at the factory in China and can only be transferred back to Japan after three years."

At this moment, Gu Kou no longer hesitated.

"I understand, I will do as you say. I will select someone for you who is truly repentant and capable enough to do this job."

"That's good, I believe you."

That wasn't all. Ning Weimin continued, "Oh, right, if I remember correctly, Mr. Taniguchi's daughter will be graduating from university next year, right? If she's having trouble finding a job, why not have her come to Pierre Cardin, or perhaps go sightseeing in Yamato? It depends on your preferences; you can discuss it in advance..."

These words naturally made Director Gukou feel that Ning Weimin was indeed treating him differently.

Who can't see it now? Next year's job market will be fiercely competitive, with widespread lamentations.

Taniguchi was well aware that his daughter had graduated from a third-rate university and was therefore not competitive at all.

He had been worried about his daughter, but now that Ning Weimin had made a promise, he felt relieved.

"Thank you so much. I thank you on behalf of Sachiko."

At this moment, Taniguchi felt only joy and relief; he no longer had the heart to speak up for those poor wretches. (End of Chapter)