Chapter Fifty-One: Taming the Old Capitalist

  October 7th, 1998, just 23 days before Halloween in the United States.

  Just as Yi Feiyang was frantically revising the script for "Ghost Shadow Record", he unexpectedly received a call from Tang Ren Jie.

  Camel said on the phone that he has found a place to set up the film company.

  Chinatown itself is not a big place, Yi Feiyang always thought that it would be good to find a office building with an area of two or three hundred square meters here. But he never expected that Lao San would be so generous.

  Chinatown No. 13

  This Western unlucky number brought good luck to Yi Feiyang today.

  Standing in front of the three-story building, looking around, the vast company is like an ancient castle, shocking people.

  "How's this place, Ayang? Not bad, huh?" Camels Grandpa said with a smile.

  "It's not just good, it's absolutely fantastic!" Yì Fēi Yáng exclaimed sincerely.

  "I didn't think you'd find such a large place, it's at least 3,000 square meters!"

  "It's not just that, if you count the three floors together, it's over 10,000 square meters," said Lao San. "Originally, this was a factory, but unfortunately, the efficiency was poor and the things produced couldn't be sold at all. The boss made up his mind and directly announced bankruptcy. Now the machines and equipment inside have been sold out, leaving only an empty shell. I think the place is quite big and suitable for your film company, so I came to find you."

  "What was this place originally used for?"

  "It's a sock factory, the boss is an American named Henry Miller, one of the old capitalists in Los Angeles. I've heard he's cunning and only cares about making money, many people don't like him... But it's hard to understand why he would open a factory in Chinatown, selling socks isn't profitable unless it's Christmas... This old guy really fell into his own trap this time." Lao Ye rarely made such a Western-style humorous comment.

  "But he capsized, which made it cheaper for us. I called him and visited him. The old man was still very stubborn at first, biting 800,000 US dollars to rent for 3 years without letting go; finally, I cut the price to 600,000, what do you think?"

  "$600,000 rental for 3 years?" Yi Feiyang wasn't very familiar with American real estate, but he knew this was an absolutely great deal. However, being cautious by nature, he never believed in free lunches, especially after hearing that the person was cunning and would not easily suffer losses.

  "Camel, if possible, I'd very much like to meet this Mr. Henry."

  "Of course, after all you're the boss!" Camel said with a smile.

  "Alright then, how about two hours later?"

  "So urgent?"

  "No way, I'm racing against time now." Yi Feiyang smiled bitterly.

  "Don't worry, I'll try to arrange it!"

  Camel doesn't understand, in fact, Yifeiyang's request to meet within two hours has a deeper meaning.

  If the other party is not in a hurry to rent, then they will refuse such a hasty appointment, because according to Western tradition, appointments are supposed to be scheduled in advance. They have a planned and regular arrangement of time, unlike Chinese people doing business, socializing on impulse, and directly going to the dinner table.

  On the other hand, if the other party readily agreed to such an impolite and sudden appointment, it means that they are eager to rent out the factory, then there must be a problem.

  An old capitalist, how could he not put on airs and be so eager to rent a factory quickly? Even an idiot knows there's something fishy going on!

  Camel's speed was very fast, dialed the phone, and in less than three minutes, he said to Yifeng Yang, "Alright, Ayang, Mr. Henry Miller, I promise you will meet within two hours."

  Yi Feiyang smiled, it seemed that this Henry boss was even more anxious than himself.

  Since it was already agreed upon, Yi Feiyang naturally had to do some preparatory work before meeting with Henry. He picked up the phone, hesitated for a moment, and finally dialed Gusta's number at Liongate Films.

  As estimated, Gusta is from a banking background, and he knows the ins and outs of those old capitalists in Los Angeles.

  As for the relationship between Gus and himself, Yi Feiyang didn't think too much about it. After all, their relationship had always been one of mutual benefit. Friends? In a place like Hollywood, the word "friend" seemed rather cheap!

  ……

  At 11 o'clock that morning.

  Yi Feiyang is a very punctual person, but that Henry boss is not so punctual.

  In a delicate coffee shop in Los Angeles, from 8:30 to 11:00, Yi Feiyang had been waiting for two and a half hours.

  When he looked at his watch again, the camel in front of him suddenly said, "Mr. Henry is here!"

  Yi Feiyang turned his head and saw a man wearing a striped suit walking over.

  The man was around fifty years old, with a pair of bulging goldfish eyes and slicked-back hair.

  When he arrived at his seat, he warmly greeted Old Camel and Yī Fēi Yáng, then apologized for being late due to work.

  Can't help but say that this old capitalist-looking guy is quite sociable, at least he's all smiles and gives off a harmless vibe.

  "I don't have much time, so let's get down to business," said Henry Goldfish.

  "You've probably seen that warehouse of mine, 600,000 dollars, rented for 3 years. I think this is a very cost-effective price. You won't find a cheaper place than mine even if you run all over Los Angeles!"

  "Yes, I've seen your factory building, but it seems a bit run down." Yì Fēi Yáng said.

  "Run down? Oh, is it? So you've noticed too, haha. But to be honest, if the place wasn't so run down, I wouldn't have been able to rent it for such a cheap price, right?" Henry raised an eyebrow, his golden fish eyes narrowing into a slit.

  "But what I want to know is," Yì Fēi Yáng said with certainty, "can we use this factory with peace of mind for the next three years, or will it be taken over by a bank and we'll lose everything?"

  "Good heavens, how can you say that? I'm a straightforward businessman, how could I do such a thing? Besides, go ask around, how many households want to rent this factory? If it weren't for old camel's sake, I wouldn't have rented it to you so cheaply!" Henry's eyes were bulging with anger, and his words became somewhat uncouth.

  Camel's father was called "Old Camel", feeling very depressed.

  My back is hunched, but it's straight ahead, and it's as straight as a javelin! So it's not "old camel", just a hunchback! Your mother's head...

  Yi Feiyang smiled and looked at Henry, who seemed to be furious, saying: "Don't get excited, dear Mr. Henry. I'm a person who doesn't like to talk nonsense, nor do I like to suspect others without reason, but..."

  Yi Feiyang paused for a moment, then picked up his coffee cup and took a sip. "But this deal really can't help but make me suspicious..."

  "What's there to suspect? Oh my god, what's there to be suspicious about? 600,000 is a great deal, if it were me, I would have been laughing all the way to the bank... Fine, since you guys are so insincere, I don't want to bother with you anymore, I'm leaving, yes, I'm really leaving! Damn it, this appointment has delayed my business for who knows how long!"

  Looking at the furious Henry boss, Camel tried his best to persuade him, "He is a young man and doesn't know how to speak well, Mr. Henry, please stay!"

  Jinyu eye Henry didn't give Old Camel any face, making a gesture of leaving immediately, proudly staring at Yifeyang, waiting for him to surrender.

  Yi Feiyang smiled and picked up his coffee, then said to Henri: "Boss Henri, why are you in such a hurry? Why not sit down and have something to drink before we talk?"

  "Sorry, Mr. Yi, I don't quite like the coffee here, it's too bitter!" Henry said, wrinkling his nose.

  "That's because you haven't had real good coffee, like the cappuccino here... absolutely fragrant and delicious."

  "Hmm, never mind, I still have something to do, I'm leaving now! Goodbye, Mr. Yi!" Henry turned around and was about to leave.

  "I don't know how Lehman Bank will deal with your bankruptcy application, and Mr. Henry, whether you can successfully immigrate to Canada?" Yì Fēi Yáng said slowly.

  Henry Miller, who was about to turn around and leave, froze.

  "What are you talking about? Dear Yi, I don't quite understand?" Henry Miller turned back, his face slightly turning unpleasant, staring at Yi Feiyang with those bulging goldfish eyes.

  "What was I saying? You should know better than me, shouldn't you, dear Mr. Henry?" Yi Feiyang took a sip of his coffee and continued, "As far as I know, your immigration procedures to Canada have been completed, and the bankruptcy proceedings will be settled before you leave, right? At that time, many of your properties will be seized by the bank, such as this sock factory that shouldn't be here in Chinatown...I reckon it'll be taken over by the bank directly, and we poor renters can only beg for mercy. Oh God, this is the favorite trick of old capitalists, but it's ruined many people!"

  "That's enough, did you hear me?! I've had enough!!" Mr. Henry shouted in rage, "I came to see you today because I looked up to you, yes, I looked up to you, do you know that?! If it weren't for your precious camel standing in the middle, I wouldn't even bother seeing you! Good heavens, how dare you insult me so groundlessly, you've tarnished a gentleman's reputation and hurt a businessman's feelings! I demand a strong apology from you!"

  "Apologize?" Yi Feiyang smiled slightly, then downed the coffee in his cup and stood up...

  "What do you want?" Henry stepped back cautiously.

  Are you going to fight? Damn Chinese!

  Yi Feiyang didn't make a move, but instead pulled out a faxed document from his briefcase. "Here, take a look, my dear Henry boss! You said you wanted evidence? This is it!"

  "What?" Henry Miller picked up the document with suspicion, took a look and was stunned. On it were his own loan documents with the bank, as well as bankruptcy application.

  "What the devil are you doing with these things? This is a crime, don't you know?" Henry exclaimed in indignation.

  In the United States, businesses are very strict about keeping information confidential. Obtaining private loan information through improper means is a serious illegal act and also constitutes unfair competition behavior, which will be severely cracked down by the government.

  "And what about you, Mr. Henry? Isn't your intention to cheat a crime?" Yi Feiyang showed no weakness, "If I hand over these materials to the police, I wonder if Mr. Henry can still immigrate smoothly?"

  "Oh, damn it, what do you want to do?" Henry was like a snake with its seven inches pinched. He never thought that his own impeccable plan would be seen through by the other party, and even took out these evidences to blackmail him, damn Chinese!

  "It's simple, I don't care what you're going to do, this factory building is mine, 300,000, rented for three years!"

  "Impossible! 300,000 rental for three years? 600,000 is already the lowest! Can't be lower than that! Yes, impossible!"

  "Nothing is impossible! You've eaten so much, now just let you spit out a little bit, otherwise, you'll stay in the US, wipe your butt and get ready to go to the police station for coffee, I think the coffee there must be more bitter than here, Mr. Henry, don't know if you're used to it?!"

  "Are you threatening me?"

  "Don't say such unpleasant things around me, we're discussing this matter, aren't we... You can refuse, can't you?" Yi Feiyang smiled and sat down again.

  Next to him, Henry was already bewildered by this dazzling exchange, his mind in a muddle. What on earth was going on?! Was Henry a swindler? But Ayin seemed to have the upper hand.

  Yes, Mr. Henry is very cunning. He originally opened the factory in Chinatown and did sock business. His plan was to wait for bankruptcy. The reason is that many of his companies owed a large sum of money to the bank and were already insolvent.

  Mr. Henry's plan was simple, to drill a hole in the law, on the one hand secretly handling immigration, preparing to take his wife and children to live in Canada. On the other hand, he would sell off all the factories and companies that would be seized by the bank after bankruptcy, putting the money into his own pocket first, and once he had flown away with his family, he wouldn't care who was left behind to suffer.

  But now, Yì Fēi Yáng this Chinese guy has dug out his secret and is threatening him to rent the factory cheaply, of course, on the condition that the building cannot be seized by the bank... What to do?!

  Taking a deep breath, Henry, as an old capitalist who had gone through countless storms, tried to calm himself down and forced a smile on his face before sitting back in front of Yifei Yang.

  "Oh dear Yi, how about we become friends? Originally, I had a good relationship with Old Master Tuo, and we often drank tea and wine together... Hehe. How about this, 500,000 is fine? You just need to give me 500,000, and I'll rent you this damn factory for three years, and guarantee that the bank won't seize it, nor will they come knocking on your door! I swear on the name of God!"

  "Sorry, dear Mr. Henry, first, I never believe in God, so no need for you to make any promises to Him; second, I only have 3 million on hand, not a single cent more; third, I also want to be friends with you, but after you rent the factory to me first!"

  Yi Feiyang's words made Henry Boss's eyes even more bulging, "Damn it! Is there really no room for negotiation?"

  "Yes, no room for negotiation!" Yi Feiyang smiled and nodded. "However, I dislike forcing people, you can choose to sign or leave!" Then he pushed a document that had been prepared long ago over to him.

  Yi Feiyang's newly acquainted young lawyer, Lewis-Karl, was indeed excellent and produced a "very favorable to the lessee" rental contract within just one hour. Of course, Yi Feiyang was the lessee on the contract.

  "You're dead, you've been prepared!" Henry's face muscles twitched. For someone who loves money like his life, renting 300,000 for three years would not only make him lose 300,000, but he also had to withdraw the proposal to apply for bankruptcy of the factory, which would directly affect his loan of millions of dollars from the bank, and this was a huge loss!

  But now, as Yi Feiyang said, he has no choice.

  For the first time, our beloved boss Henry realized that Chinese people are smarter than those damn Jews!

  "Take a deep breath," "Easy, I need to have my private lawyer take a close look at this contract, hope you understand..."

  "Of course, I'll also send my lawyer friend to go with you. To be honest, I'm really in a hurry to rent this factory... So, it's now October 7th, 1998, 11:25 AM, let's just say noon, I hope you, Mr. Henry Miller, can get this done by 3 PM today, that gives you three whole hours, okay?"

  "This afternoon at 3 o'clock? In 3 hours?! Oh God, that's a bit too urgent, I need time!"

  "I know it's a bit of trouble, but I really don't have time!" Yi Feiyang smiled and then took out something to hand over to Boss Henry: "Before leaving, I'll give you a gift, hope you like it."

  "What? Oh damn!" Henry looked up and it was a newly published "American Business Law" from California, USA.

  "I hope you can take a look at the content inside, especially regarding the rental contract... But American law is really interesting, each state has different laws. In Illinois, Joliet has a regulation that if a clothing store lets a woman try on more than 6 clothes, the store will be considered illegal and the woman will be arrested. Alabama's law prohibits women from entering casinos, if discovered, the casino can detain the woman and confiscate all her cash and jewelry. Pennsylvania's law stipulates that when a woman buys a sewing machine, she must..."

  Mr. Henry couldn't take it anymore, this Chinese guy was not only cunning but also very sinister! Yes, very sinister!

  Friends who have raised questions and suggestions, I will humbly accept them and make modifications based on good suggestions. To those friends who pointed out the shortcomings of my writing, I would like to express my gratitude. After all, an outsider's perspective is clearer than mine, and I need your reminders as a writer. Thank you! Today, two chapters are combined into one, with 5,000 words in this big update!