Chapter 51: The Small Dilemma of the Small Company (1/2)

Zhao Qingfeng finally understood why Liu Li looked so troubled.

Being betrayed by a trusted business partner was a tough blow for anyone.

The entire financial chain of Li Ming Clothing was completely broken.

The company not only had to pay the employees’ salaries in fifteen days but also needed to make the final payment to the supplier within a month.

With a total shortfall of nearly 600,000 yuan, if this gap couldn’t be filled, Li Ming Clothing would have to declare bankruptcy in a month.

However, there were solutions.

There were two possible ways to resolve the situation: either sell the company and factory properties or dispose of the backlogged inventory in the warehouse.

“He trapped you step by step, right?” Zhao Qingfeng asked.

“First, he ordered a small quantity of goods and promptly paid for them. Then, he gradually increased the orders. Finally, for this last one, he demanded payment upon delivery. Trusting him, you didn’t ask for an advance payment, leading to this outcome.”

Zhao Qingfeng saw through the tactics used to trap Liu Li. This kind of malicious business competition was still relatively new in 2001.

Liu Li sighed, “That’s right. The orders kept getting bigger, and my concerns got smaller until this last time. Blinded by the huge profits, I thought he would keep his word as before. But now, he’s vanished without a trace…”

The loss was more than just that.

In the two months of production for this order, Li Ming Clothing had also turned down many other partnerships.

Selling the company and factory was a solution, but it would take time – maybe three months, maybe half a year. Liu Li was reluctant to sell at a low price and didn’t want to see her newly established business collapse.

The best idea was to sell the backlogged goods.

But the problem was that the ordered goods were autumn and winter sweaters, and summer was approaching. No retailer was willing to take them on, which was precisely the cruelty of her competitor’s plot, leaving everyone at Li Ming Clothing scratching their heads.

“So, no one can solve it…”

“There are more than twenty thousand pieces, with a cost of 27 yuan each.”

“If I can’t gather 500,000 yuan within a month, I might face lawsuits from both the supplier and the bank.”

“I might even end up being labeled as a defaulter…”

Liu Li sighed deeply.

Picking up the phone, she furiously dialed a number, but the call still wouldn’t go through.

The urgent beeping sounded like a death knell, causing her headache to worsen, and she quickly hung up.

She glanced at Zhao Qingfeng, who was deep in thought, then quickly shook her head.

It seemed impossible…

She had held several meetings in the past two days, and although many solutions were proposed, none were effective. Could this middle school student really solve it so easily?

But she noticed.

Zhao Qingfeng’s expression and demeanor had been calm and composed since he arrived, as if this crisis was a trivial matter to him.

Their eyes met, and Zhao Qingfeng smiled, spreading his hands in a somewhat helpless gesture, “Let’s talk about the compensation first.”

He hadn’t intended to dive into the deceitful world of business so soon, but unexpectedly, he still encountered it.

Liu Li was taken aback, “Compensation? What are you talking about…”

It seemed premature to talk about compensation when the goods hadn’t even been sold yet.

Zhao Qingfeng stated frankly, “Sister Liu, I like to be clear upfront. Since I’m offering intellectual effort and not physical labor, I’ll ask for less this time. For each piece of clothing sold, you give me a commission of two yuan and fifty cents. Can you accept this?”

Liu Li was still in a daze.

To her, Zhao Qingfeng seemed confident that selling the backlogged sweaters would be easy.

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