National Tide 1980.

Chapter 1692 Old Friend

The same era, the same environment.

For some, it may be a blessing that ignites hope and propels them toward the future.

However, for some, it may be a warning sign that their lives are coming to an end.

Many people might think that the fundamental difference is caused by luck or ability.

But in reality, it often comes down to whether the choices people make at crucial moments are correct or not.

In a person's life, there are often only a few crucial crossroads.

Once a decision is made, whether it is right or wrong, one must accept all the consequences.

…………

In early February 1991, in the managing office of Pierre Cardin Ltd., Japan.

Having adapted to his new role, Managing Director Taniguchi is reviewing a letter of opinion regarding the merger of Pierre Cardin companies in China and Japan, as well as a schedule for the development of Pierre Cardin franchise stores.

The oolong tea on the table was still steaming; it had just been brought over by the secretary—Taniguchi was now a senior private secretary and was being well taken care of.

Unexpectedly, while he was concentrating on his work in the office, the phone on his desk suddenly rang.

Taniguchi subconsciously pressed the speakerphone button, and all he heard was his secretary reporting on the situation.

"Executive Director, a man named Zuo Haiyoujiro wants to speak with you. He claims to be the branch manager of Taisho Insurance and says he is an old friend of yours. How should I respond?"

“Ah, so that’s how it is…”

Taniguchi was stunned for a long time; he really didn't expect to receive a call from this person.

Frankly, he was quite dismissive of Zuo Hai's claim that he was an old friend.

They used to have a good relationship, but for some reason they gradually drifted apart.

Moreover, it was definitely not the Taniguchi family that deliberately distanced themselves from Zuo Hai; on the contrary, it was Zuo Hai who disliked the Taniguchi family.

They didn't even meet during the recent New Year, so where can they find such an old friend?
However, even if we don't respect the monk, we should respect the Buddha.

After all, Zuo Hai's wife, Mei Daizi, is a very good person.

Whenever and wherever Miyoko sees the Taniguchi family, she greets them warmly and often chats with them for a long time.

Moreover, Miyoko's younger sister, Kagawa Rinko, has always been Ning Weimin's most trusted subordinate.

Now, Ning Weimin has transferred him from Huiwentang Bookstore to Pierre Cardin Co., Ltd., where he serves as the head of the planning department, specifically responsible for the establishment of the company's franchise stores.

From this perspective, Rinko Kagawa and Taniguchi are still colleagues in the same company.

Therefore, the Taniguchi family and the Kagawa sisters never stopped their interactions; they always maintained a close and friendly relationship.

Even though Zuo Hai wasn't there for the New Year this year, Kagawa Rinko and Miyoko still came to the Taniguchi family to wish them a Happy New Year.

So, out of consideration for the two sisters, Taniguchi couldn't be too ruthless and had his secretary take over Zuo Hai's call.

"Taniguchi-san, this is Sakai..."

"Ah, it's me..."

"I'm so sorry for being so rude during the New Year. I've been so busy and had to work overtime that only Miyoko and Rinko brought their children to visit you this year. I'm really sorry."

The familiar voice of Zuo Hai that had entered the valley already sounded somewhat insincere, and the following beautiful words seemed even more hypocritical.

Taniguchi isn't a newbie in the workforce; it would be strange if he believed it.

However, he also knew that getting angry with Zuo Hai was pointless and would only hurt the two sisters' pride.

So, to avoid making things too awkward, he casually made some polite remarks and complimented the other person a few times.

"No, no, it's just that after we found out you were promoted to branch manager, we couldn't help it anymore. Miyoko told us all about it, saying you've been very busy with work and haven't been able to catch your breath during the New Year. It's really tough on you."

Unexpectedly, Zuo Hai actually took it seriously, completely unaware that it was just a polite remark, a way out given to him by Gu Gu.

On the contrary, they were quite pleased with themselves, and even played a disguised Versailles game with Taniguchi.

"Ah, as expected, I knew that as a fellow high-ranking executive, Mr. Taniguchi would understand my predicament. Indeed, being an executive may seem good in the eyes of others, but only those who hold this position know how great the responsibility and pressure are. Ordinary people cannot understand our feelings."

This self-righteous response almost made Gu Kou, who had just taken a sip of tea, spit it out.

He really didn't know where Zuo Hai's pride came from.

He's just a branch secretary, which is only at the section-level.

For large companies, it's just the threshold for entering middle management, but he really takes it seriously.

As someone with self-awareness, Taniguchi certainly didn't want to join in the other person's boasting, so he quickly offered a few words of modesty.

"Ahem, not at all, not at all. What kind of high-level executive am I? I just do odd jobs and coast along in the company. I got to where I am today all thanks to the chairman."

However, he did not expect that Zuo Hai would become more and more arrogant, even daring to make up stories about Ning Weimin.

"That's not how it works. Mr. Taniguchi is a veteran of your company with extensive industry experience. As a foreigner, who else besides you can you really trust, Mr. Ning? Without your assistance, he could never have taken control of the entire Pierre Cardin Corporation so easily. He may not even be fully aware of all your contributions."

Having completely lost his patience, Taniguchi finally managed a few perfunctory words: "Hey, no matter what, the company I work for is just a medium-sized foreign enterprise. How can it compare to a large company like Taisho Insurance? Zuo Haisang's future is definitely brighter than mine."

He really didn't want to get entangled with the other party any longer, so he quickly got straight to the point.

"Oh, by the way, what brings you here today? I'm short on time, so I'm afraid I won't be able to talk to you much on the phone."

"Ah, it's like this. It's been a long time since I've seen Taniguchi-san. I'd like to see you after get off work today, so we can sit down and have a drink together. Is that alright?"

Zuo Hai's words sounded nice, but Gu Kou was an older man and knew his nature of not acting without self-interest. He absolutely couldn't believe that Zuo Hai's purpose was really so simple—just to meet him for a drink.

"No problem, but is it just for a drink?"

Sure enough, this suspicion was not without reason.

Under his persistent questioning, Zuo Hai finally had no choice but to reveal the truth.

"Ah... well, it's actually about money. I don't want to hide this from you, so I've decided to be honest... Could you lend me three million yen for short-term use? I need it in the next couple of days. I'm really at my wit's end..."

Taniguchi was taken aback and raised his voice.

"You need three million yen for working capital!"

"Yes, it's really hard to say. I only intended to tell you this. I'm in a bit of trouble right now. I urgently need some money to tide me over. Could you lend it to me in two or three days?"

"I'm sorry, Zuo Hai, I'm not exactly well-off either. I really can't help with such a large sum of money. You should try asking the bank."

Taniguchi refused without hesitation.

After all, in the Japanese way of interacting, individuals typically do not lend money to each other.

This creates trouble for both parties and brings additional emotional burdens; it is almost a universally accepted rule in social interactions.

Taniguchi refused without any hesitation.

Especially considering it's such a large sum of money, one can only say that Zuo Hai is being a bit unreasonable and is really asking too much of others.

Even so, Zuo Haiyoujiro still did not give up. Next, he pleaded in a tone that was almost shameless.

"If three million yen is too much, two million will do. Mr. Taniguchi, I really have no other choice. Please, for the sake of our friendship, help me no matter what. Don't laugh at me, but the bank's loan disbursement is too slow, it won't be fast enough. And if I can't raise this money quickly, I might lose my job. You know my situation, I've only been the branch manager for less than a year, and now I have a daughter, and I have to pay both the mortgage and the car loan. The economy is so bad right now, if I really can't be the branch manager anymore, what will happen to my wife and daughter?"

Hearing how pitiful he sounded, Taniguchi felt a little soft-hearted.

He had originally intended to hang up, but after hesitating for a moment, he couldn't help but ask a question.

"What exactly happened? Is it as serious as you say? Don't lie to me..."

As a result, his questioning gave Zuo Haiyoujiro hope.

"What I'm saying is true. Please believe me. To be honest, the biggest problem in our industry right now is that insurance penetration has peaked in recent years, leading to increasingly fierce competition among insurance companies. At the same time, insurance companies are diversifying their business models. For example, the one million yen return upon maturity can be directly invested instead of being returned as cash. This makes the competition between companies even more intense."

"Under these circumstances, coupled with the current economic problems in Japan, many customers who have already taken out insurance are currently out of money. Some of them are even just one or two installments away from receiving the maturity bonus."

However, due to the current stock and housing market conditions, they are unable to pay. Therefore, for the sake of our customers and my own performance, the best solution is to first find a way to advance this money for these customers who will soon receive their maturity rebates. Only after the customers receive their rebates from the insurance company will we recover the advanced money.

"To be honest, I was promoted to branch manager after working incredibly hard. I've done this kind of thing before, and it's never been a problem or risky. If I were leading a team, I would only have to deal with one or two people per team member, and a few dozen clients. That wouldn't be too many problems. But now I have over a hundred subordinates, not ten or twenty. That makes things much more complicated with the clients who need to pay upfront."

“I only have a dozen or so clients to settle, and I'm short three million yen in funds. If you're willing to help me, I would be extremely grateful. I'm not afraid to admit it, but my relationship with Rinko isn't very good. Asking her would not only be embarrassing, but I'd definitely face ridicule, and it would also put Miyoko in a difficult position. You understand that, right? To be honest, I originally wanted to ask Chairman Ning, but unfortunately, he's already returned to Japan. I've really tried everything I can…”

Knowing that things had taken a turn for the better, Zuo Haiyoujiro patiently explained to Taniguchi, as if afraid he hadn't explained things in enough detail.

Although Taniguchi was skeptical of Zuo Hai's words, they seemed to find no flaws in them.

Of course, the most crucial point is that Yujiro Sōkai used his own family as an example.

Moreover, his words were a subtle reminder to Taniguchi that he and Kagawa Rinko were, after all, relatives.

This special interpersonal relationship also made Taniguchi have to make some extra considerations. Even if he didn't care about Zuo Hai, he hoped that the Kagawa sisters' lives would not be destabilized because of Zuo Hai.

Kind people are always easily manipulated. So, out of empathy, the kind-hearted Taniguchi was moved by him, being a good father, a good husband, and the pillar of the family.

After thinking about it, I finally couldn't bring myself to refuse again.

"Alright, let's talk about it again tonight. I'll think about it..."

"Okay, then I'll leave it to you..."

………………

As expected, after getting off work that day, Taniguchi arrived at the restaurant designated by Yujiro Sakami on time.

Zuo Haiyou Erlang had already arrived.

He sat in a dimly lit corner of the restaurant, his suit was smart and shiny, and from a distance he looked like a typical social elite.

Judging from his appearance alone, you would never guess that he is someone who is worried and troubled about money.

However, as Taniguchi silently approached him, his actions revealed his true nature.

Zuo Hai saw Gu Kou and immediately stood up, being extremely polite and eager to offer him his seat.

Frankly, this kind of humility was something Taniguchi had never seen in him before.

This also shows how much Zuo Hai needs money.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, I'm a little late." Taniguchi nodded slightly.

"Not at all. I arrived early. I was the one who invited you, so it's only right that I arrived early to wait for you."

"No, don't say that. There's no need for us to be so polite."

"Alright then, I won't stand on ceremony with you and will speak frankly."

Zuo Hai, ever the opportunist, suddenly cut to the chase, "Taniguchi-san, as I mentioned on the phone, I'm really struggling right now. If I could borrow money from a bank, I wouldn't be asking you. I've considered underground money lenders, but it feels a bit shady to do that. If the company finds out about raising funds this way, not only will my subordinates laugh at me, but it could also become a source of criticism and cause me to lose my boss's trust. I really have no choice but to ask you, so please understand."

"I understand. After your detailed explanation, I didn't know that the insurance industry had such problems. I didn't realize you had such a tough time."

"So? You mean you're willing to lend it to me?" Having seemingly judged from Gu Gu's attitude that things were looking promising, Zuo Hai was already getting impatient. "If that's the case, I can assure you that there's absolutely no risk in lending me the money. I guarantee I'll repay it on time; I'll only need it for two months at most. As for the interest, I can pay it monthly, up to three percent."