Chapter 40: Negotiation
“Excessive? Why do you say that?”
Hase Jinagawa raised an eyebrow and looked at Mr. Wolf in confusion.
Mr. Wolf sneered, “I won’t even discuss what you said about Swire. How much of the Concession Court unfairly treating you is true?
I’ll just talk about the invitation.
Gu, as a lawyer, can help you with lawsuits, no problem.
But he can also help Consul Richard with lawsuits, help the United States government with lawsuits, even help the Chongqing Government with lawsuits. That’s because everyone can trust that his stance is fair, standing on the client’s side.
In other words, whatever stance the client has, he takes that stance. That’s the most basic rule a lawyer must follow.
But once he takes a position in your government department, he will inevitably be labeled with your tag, and no more clients will believe in his impartiality.
For example, if Consul Richard has a conflict with your SH city government, would Consul Richard still invite Gu to help him with the lawsuit?
That’s absolutely impossible.
So this isn’t just about making Gu earn a little less money; it’s about cutting off most of his income.”
“I trust Mr. Gu’s character.”
Richard shrugged, raised his wine glass, and smiled at Gu Yansheng in a friendly manner.
Mr. Wolf rolled his eyes, took a puff of his cigar, and wasn’t polite to Hase Jinagawa either. “Mr. Hase, you’d better not mention such suggestions. If you have money, spend money; if you don’t, don’t hire a lawyer. Or here’s a suggestion for you: there are plenty of Chinese lawyers in the concession who can’t find work for a few hundred bucks. Just hire them; they’ll definitely be willing to go with you.”
Hase Jinagawa sighed, nodded slightly. “I know this is indeed difficult, so I also feel a bit hesitant to ask. But I still hope Mr. Gu can consider it, for the peace of Shanghai, for the stable lives of the citizens.
As for material aspects, if Mr. Gu is willing, I will urge the SH city government to allocate a special talent allowance to compensate for Mr. Gu’s losses.
I will also apply to the higher-ups for some other preferential treatments for Mr. Gu, such as housing, use of a car, even anything imaginable in every aspect. Any requests can be negotiated.”
Mr. Wolf pursed his lips. What kind of preferential treatment could make up for a lawyer’s generous income?
Hase Jinagawa didn’t want to look at Mr. Wolf’s face. This has nothing to do with you; why butt in?
“Mr. Gu, what do you think? We are extending a very sincere invitation.”
Gu Yansheng didn’t answer immediately. He pondered seriously for a good while before saying, “Can you let me think about this matter?”
“Gu, you’re really considering it?” Mr. Wolf was greatly surprised.
Hase Jinagawa was greatly delighted and immediately nodded with a smile. “Of course, Mr. Gu can take his time to consider. I look forward to Mr. Gu’s reply.”
As long as it’s not an outright refusal, there’s room for progress.
“Why, Gu?”
Mr. Wolf couldn’t understand. He frowned and asked, “This will cause you a lot of revenue loss, and there will be a lot of troubles. For example, look at those government officials who were assassinated recently. The Chinese government is full of internal conflicts. If you go and they target you, what then?”
“I will definitely protect Mr. Gu’s safety,” Hase Jinagawa immediately added.
“If you could protect so many people’s safety, your SH city government wouldn’t have so many people assassinated,” Mr. Wolf immediately countered.
“We are already making efforts. At the beginning, we didn’t have enough staff to cover everything, which allowed the Chongqing Agent to succeed. But for Mr. Gu’s safety, I will definitely strengthen protection.”
Hase Jinagawa was extremely sincere, making promises one after another.
“Whatever. Anyway, it’s not me. Gu, what exactly are you thinking?” Mr. Wolf couldn’t understand.
Gu Yansheng paused, took a sip of wine, and smiled. “When I was studying law in school, I thought I would definitely become a lawyer, and I did become one. To be immodest, I’ve done quite well.
But I’ve never really thought about whether I would take a position in the government to serve as an official.
Just now, Mr. Hase asked me to join the government, which impacted my established thinking. I’m wondering if there are other possibilities in my life path.
Because I can always practice as a lawyer anytime, but entering the government to work—if I pass on this opportunity, will there be regrets in life?
If I’m going to do it, why not do it sooner? Maybe once this village passes, there really won’t be this shop. Right, Mr. Hase?”
“Mr. Gu makes a very good point. Life should involve trying more things.”
“If I try it and find I’m not suited and can’t continue, then at worst, I can just go back to being a lawyer. I won’t starve to death.”
With Gu Yansheng saying this, Mr. Wolf had nothing more to say.
Chinese people do have an unusual obsession with becoming officials. Of course, combined with their historical process, he could understand that in an official-centric country, the benefits of being an official are indeed great.
It’s just a pity to lose such a good lawyer talent.
Hase nodded in strong agreement. “If Mr. Gu feels it’s not suitable at that time, he can naturally resign. Now, letting life have multiple choices is the only way to know where one’s greatest value lies.
With such a long Chinese history and so many geniuses choosing to become officials, it’s naturally because being an official has its unique appeal.
Mr. Gu, Shanghai needs you.”
Gu Yansheng hummed, thought for a moment, and said, “Mr. Hase, I can enter the government, but I need clear terms of treatment.
Although I like challenges, I have no tendency to suffer hardship. I hear the city government’s income is very average. I hope for certain treatment guarantees.
Additionally, regarding the safety issue Mr. Wolf mentioned, I do have some concerns.
The assassinations from Chongqing are ongoing. I don’t want to die under their guns. And aside from that factor, the character issues of some of your employees are also quite worrying.
For example, a few days ago, I borrowed a car from Mr. Wolf to handle some business, and the car was actually stolen by one of your people.”
Gu Yansheng directly mentioned the matter of Wu Sibao extorting 5000 US Dollars from him.
The 5000 dollars meant for Wu Sibao hadn’t been delivered and was taken back. Originally, once Wu Sibao returned from his business trip, Gu Yansheng would deliver it to him.
But since Hase Jinagawa had come knocking now, for Wu Sibao, Gu Yansheng could only say sorry.
Bad luck; this money is not destined for you.
“Such a thing happened?” Hase Jinagawa was greatly shocked, his face angry.
“Yeah, and crucially, we were handling matters for you two, yet my beloved car was stolen by your people. If this gets out, it’ll be a laughingstock,” Mr. Wolf added with a sneer.
“The public order in the French Concession seems too lax. I will definitely make them straighten up properly.”
Richard expressed his displeasure first. After all, it was a car lost on his turf, and it was Lawyer Gu’s car that was stolen.
Hase Jinagawa directly apologized to the two. “Sorry, this is our responsibility. For the personnel involved in stealing the car, I will definitely propose severe punishment to the Gendarmerie Headquarters.
Mr. Gu, regarding the safety and treatment issues you mentioned, since the employing unit is specifically the SH city government, I will quickly require them to produce a plan for you.
Then, if you have any specific requests, you can think about them and put them forward. We’ll meet tomorrow to discuss the details then. How about that?
Don’t worry about the safety issue at all; we will do a good job with protection.”
“That’s fine.” Gu Yansheng smiled and nodded.
“Good, all happy.”
Hase Jinagawa smiled and let out a long breath, picked up his wine glass to toast. On this trip, he had also solved a problem and gained something unexpectedly.
“Mr. Gu, then here’s to wishing you smooth work at the city government. Cheers.”
“Also hoping Mr. Hase’s treatment doesn’t leave me hungry. Cheers.”
“It definitely won’t.”
Seeing the two had talked it over, it was time for Richard to get to work.
“Anyway, I definitely won’t let you go hungry here. Since we’re done talking, let’s go eat. The other guests should be arriving soon too.”
