Wandering in the vast darkness

Chapter 47 Brother Wang said

"When people talk about deadbeats, many people's first reaction is that they are utterly wicked, the kind of people who have money but refuse to pay their debts. Are there such people? Of course, there are, and there may be quite a few. But there are also many people who are forced into becoming deadbeats, who simply do not have the ability, or rather, they have not been given the opportunity to pay their debts."

"What do you mean? We're all just good at convincing people to start a business. Now, I get a headache just hearing the word 'start a business.' When someone asks me, I tell them, don't start a business no matter what. Starting a business is like getting on a pirate ship. Once you get on, you can't get off. Even if you make it to shore, there's no guarantee of a good outcome. Haha, look at how many big shots haven't been tricked and aren't living in constant fear?"

"Those who don't make it to shore will suffer even more. They lure people into starting businesses, but there's no protection for entrepreneurs; you're completely exposed. To give you a simple example, we don't have a bankruptcy protection system; that's a significant deficiency."

"In countries with bankruptcy protection systems, if my company encounters difficulties, I can file for bankruptcy with the bankruptcy court. Once the application is filed, I enter the bankruptcy protection period. At this time, all my debts are frozen, whether they are owed to banks, suppliers, or individuals. I am not even allowed to make a debt collection call; doing so would be illegal."

"Then the court will organize the debtors to form a committee to see if the business can continue. If so, the business will continue to operate normally and use the money earned to repay the creditors in installments until all debts are paid off. Then you will be released from bankruptcy protection and become a normal business again."

"We are not like other businesses. At the slightest sign of trouble, everyone rushes to scramble for us—banks, individuals, suppliers, everyone's vying for us. The business owner is too busy dealing with them every day to think about running the business. And when faced with loan sharks chasing him for debts, he has to run for his life."

"Anyway, it's all about grabbing things. Everyone's rushing to grab them, afraid that if they're late they won't get anything. Everyone who comes is trying to ruin you for their own benefit. Nobody cares whether your business has a future if it continues to operate. As long as you're given time, the creditors' rights are guaranteed."

"My company is like this. My products are very good, and the market has been opened up. All I need is a breather. If I had such a time to catch my breath, I would definitely be able to survive and guarantee everyone's creditors' rights. But no, we don't have such a bankruptcy protection system."

"When you encounter a situation like this, you really can't cry out to heaven and earth. What can I say to those people? I tell them that these machines are assets in my hands, they are money-printing machines that can be turned into money. But in your hands, they are just scrap metal. They don't care. Even if they are scrap metal, they will still grab them first."

"Many business owners and companies I know are in the same situation as me. They were doing well, but when they encountered a little temporary difficulty, no one helped them, and they collapsed. In such an environment, how can you still fool people into starting a business? You still want to start a business? You're really naive and foolish."

"The result was like a pebble falling into water, creating a ripple and then disappearing. Money was still insufficient; you borrowed from all the relatives and friends you could, but it still wasn't enough, and you were still in dire need of funds. At this point, of course, you were still unwilling to give up, and even more afraid to let the business fail, knowing that if the business failed, everything would be over. You could only take another gamble and continue searching for money."

Brother Wang kept talking, becoming more and more excited. Finally, he sighed deeply, turned around, and greeted Yu.

Yu Wenhao remembered something similar; he recalled that Jiang Yihe had said it when she talked about her parents' factory.

"After thinking it over, I guess delivering food is the only option left. With tens of millions in debt, you expect me to pay it off by delivering food? Isn't that a joke? On one hand, you won't let me earn money, you won't allow me to start a business, but on the other hand, you want me to pay off the debt as soon as possible, saying that I can only start a business after the debt is cleared. Tell me, what is this if not a joke?"

"When a company faces difficulties, it's like a sick child. If a child is sick, would you abandon them? Of course not. As parents, we wouldn't give up; we would try everything to save them, right?"

"Furthermore, I'm not allowed to fly or take the high-speed rail. Not only can I not start a business, but I won't even be able to apply for a job. If I go to a recruiter and say, 'Sorry, I can't take the high-speed rail or fly, so I can't travel for work,' will anyone still hire me?"

"That's how it is, Xiao Yu, let me tell you," Brother Wang said. "I'm not talking about other people, just myself. I'll tell you how I gradually got caught up in this mess. I worked hard for over ten years to build the factory to that scale. That company was like my child..."

"I am a deadbeat, that's for sure. Even loan sharks are suing me. How could I not be a deadbeat? But tell me, do you think I have the money but don't want to pay it back? I wish I could pay it all back right now, but how would I pay it back? I'll draw up a check for you, do you want it?"

"Xiaoyu, do you also think that deadbeats are the kind of people who borrow money and then live a life of debauchery, refusing to pay it back even when they have the money?"

"Someone offers to lend you money, but the interest rate is a bit high. Should you take it or not? It seems like there are two answers, but there's really only one: take it. Because at this point, you have no other options. If you don't take it, your business will collapse immediately, and the hundreds of millions you've invested in the early stages, your more than ten years of hard work, will all be gone. Do you dare not take it?"

Brother Wang continued, "It's riddled with holes, riddled with holes. I need money here, I need money there, and I can't get a bank loan. What should I do? The first thing I do is borrow money from relatives and friends. At that time, I still have face. I can make a phone call and borrow tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan. Once I ask, they will lend it to me. Once I get the money, I will throw it in immediately."

"That so-called 'high-spending restriction order' is even more ridiculous. You've deprived me of all possibilities of repaying the loan, leaving me no chance at all. And you still expect me to repay the money? Isn't that just asking me to write a check? I can't get a business license now, which means you've already blocked my path to starting a business again. I can't get a bank loan, so you've blocked my second path as well."

"Do you know that some people are forced into becoming deadbeats? Society simply doesn't give them a chance to pay off their debts?" Brother Wang asked.

"My biggest regret now is that I didn't quit earlier. I had to build a new factory, expand production, and create my own brand, 'Grain Milk, the third kind of milk for humans.' Haha, now when I think about this, I can't help but laugh and cry."

Yu nodded in greeting.

"If I had quit earlier, I wouldn't have had to do anything, wouldn't have had to start any crappy businesses. I could have just wandered around in society and still lived a very comfortable life. Unlike now, I've become a deadbeat, neither human nor ghost."

Yu Wenhao shook his head and said, "I haven't been in contact with it, nor have I thought about it."

Yu Wenhao thought for a moment and said, "After listening to what you said, I think what you said makes sense."

"Furthermore, when you apply for a job at a company, the boss and HR aren't stupid. They can easily find out online that you're a deadbeat! No matter how capable you are, they won't dare hire you."