Ji Lin suddenly chuckled. “Why don’t you say that you’ll accompany me to keep winning? Why don’t you say that you believe I won’t lose?”
“A lawyer is not a god. Each case is different, the extent of evidence preservation varies. Just like the best doctor can’t save every patient, in life, as long as you work in a profession, where there’s winning, there’s also losing. But give it your all, do your best, even if you lose, lose gracefully and with a clear conscience,” Bai DuanDuan looked at Ji Lin. “There’s nothing we can’t afford to lose.”
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She blinked her eyes and whispered, “Even if this case is similar to your father’s situation, but… you know, we’re not all-powerful. If you lose, there’s no need to blame yourself or feel pressured. It’s not your fault.”
Although it was just a few words, Ji Lin completely understood what Bai DuanDuan was thinking. She was worried about himself, afraid of being dragged back into the repressed and painful past, afraid that he wouldn’t be able to move forward.
The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.
Tla osaaklp olal dsv wdqswdele. Kk Nkd eked’v vlzz Jyk PwydPwyd clnywpl bl eked’v oydv bla vs pll bkx zspl, yde bl yzps eked’v oydv bkp dltyvkhl lxsvksdp vs yqqlnv bla. Rd alyzkvu, Kk Nkd oypd’v yp nyzx yp bl yrrlyale altyaekdt vbkp nypl, obknb oyp yzxspv keldvknyz vs bkp qyvbla’p nypl. Tl nyaakle ydmklvu yde ralppwal okvbkd bkx.
“Fsxlvkxlp, y rlapsd’p vbkdjkdt nyd cl zkxkvle. Ebu esd’v R ynnsxrydu usw vsdktbv vs satydkgl vbl lhkeldnl yde elvykzp? El xktbv ekpnshla y calyjvbaswtb.”
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Bai DuanDuan was extremely efficient. As soon as she finished speaking, she actually picked up the materials from Ji Lin’s desk and began carefully checking them. She started organizing her thoughts without wasting a single minute. It made Ji Lin doubt if the person who had just dangerously tempted him with their request was the same person at all.
However, with Bai DuanDuan being so focused and professional, Ji Lin naturally didn’t get distracted either. The two of them earnestly began cross-referencing and thoroughly reviewing the current materials, attempting to find flaws in each other’s evidence.
Unfortunately, the executives had clearly come prepared, and Ji Lin’s client usually didn’t pay much attention to contract procedures and management. As a result, besides the written backup of the employment contract, it was nearly impossible to find email threads or other communication records as evidence.
…..
No matter how hard Ji Lin and Bai DuanDuan tried, they couldn’t find a way out.
They couldn’t find any breakthrough at all.
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“Although your client informed you that their employment contracts were made in duplicate, with one copy archived by the company and the other held by the employee, once the employee wants to extort double wages, they can simply hide their copy or even destroy it. In that case, the company has no way to prove that a contract was ever signed. After all, this company has too many loopholes in compliance management. Besides the written backup, they don’t even make electronic scans as backups, let alone leave any evidence of communication with the employee before signing the employment contract.”
Ji Lin was quite frustrated with this situation. “Initially, I suggested that the employment contracts be made in quadruplicate, with the company holding three copies and the employee holding one. This would not only facilitate archive management but also provide backups in case of loss or damage. However, the company’s management felt that four copies were unnecessary. At the time, the company was in its early stages and rented a small office space. They thought that having three copies of each contract for archiving would take up too much space and waste resources. So, in the end, they insisted on stipulating that there should be only two copies, with the company holding one original.”
“Furthermore, because there was no legal department during the early stages of the startup, and there was a high turnover rate in the HR department, the handover of work was poorly done, and the entire administrative work was a mess. Even if these executives didn’t intentionally destroy the employment contracts, I suspect that many contracts were lost during office moves and handovers.”
But the fact was already established, and there was no way to remedy the past. Hindsight is always 20/20. Compliance issues during the early stages are one of the most common pitfalls for growing startups. Now, they were being exploited and amplified by these few malicious executives. Even Ji Lin truly couldn’t do anything to change the situation.
“The only thing we can do now is tomorrow’s negotiation.” Ji Lin rubbed his temples. “Tomorrow morning at 6 o’clock, I will have a meeting with the company’s management to finalize the plan. At 8 o’clock, I will start the first round of negotiations with the representatives of the employees. But the situation doesn’t look optimistic. These employee representatives are likely to make excessive demands. After all, it’s easy to find jobs in the nanotechnology industry now, and it’s a fact that the company is facing financial difficulties and unable to pay salaries. People’s desire for profit will take advantage of this opportunity to squeeze the company dry. Moreover, in such a collective event, once someone incites and inflames emotions, they can easily spread…”
Just like in his father’s case…
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As Ji Lin reached this point, his voice gradually lowered. “If we can’t win, all I can do is negotiate and try to minimize the company’s losses and expenses.”
Although he assured Bai DuanDuan that he was fine emotionally and that this case wouldn’t affect his mood, Ji Lin was not a saint. He felt somewhat defeated deep down, but he hid it well.
……
The night had grown late, and Ji Lin had intended to get another room for Bai DuanDuan, but Bai DuanDuan made it clear that she intended to stay.
“I don’t want to. I specifically flew to City C, and in the end, I have to book a second room and get kicked out to stay next door to my boyfriend. I have no face, do I?” Bai DuanDuan sat on the bed, her bright eyes fixed on Ji Lin. “I’m not leaving. I want to stay with you.”
Ji Lin pursed his lips, feeling somewhat helpless. He was a bit at a loss, so he lowered his voice. “I won’t be able to sleep if you’re with me.”
“Who said anything about sleeping together?” Bai DuanDuan blinked. “I’ll sleep on the bed, and you can sleep on the floor.”
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“…”
Bai DuanDuan glanced at Ji Lin. “I just checked. This hotel is quite clean. The floor is spotless. I’ll ask for two more blankets—one to lay on the carpet and one to cover you. It’ll be perfect.”
“…”
“Alright, let’s settle it this way. Hurry up and take a shower. I’m tired, and I want to sleep.”
Ji Lin sometimes felt quite helpless. Whenever he encountered Bai DuanDuan, it seemed like he had no choice but to go along with whatever she decided. She would confidently sit on his big bed, clearly intending to make herself at home, and Ji Lin had no way to resist. She was wearing a white sweater, and when she looked at you with her beautiful black eyes without saying a word, it was unbelievably adorable. Even though Ji Lin knew that Bai Duanduan’s adorableness was just a facade, he still couldn’t bring himself to say anything harsh to her.
He never expected that as a partner, he would one day have to sleep on the floor…
Ji Lin took a shower, feeling both annoyed and amused as he watched Bai DuanDuan busily prepare his “bed.” There was a mixture of frustration, anxiety, and guilt in his heart just moments ago, but Bai DuanDuan had squeezed those negative emotions into some unknown corner. Now, all that filled his heart was a sweet contentment.
Just being with Bai DuanDuan was enough, without any desires, yet utterly satisfying.
After the lights were turned off, Ji Lin lay on the soft “bedding” and listened to the faint sound of Bai DuanDuan shifting on the big bed. Suddenly, he felt incredibly happy.
Losing is just losing, and Bai DuanDuan was right. It’s not shameful to lose. He wasn’t a god.
……
Ji Lin closed his eyes, attempting to convince himself to fall asleep, but the room was filled with the rustling sound of Bai DuanDuan.
She lowered her voice. “Ji Lin, are you asleep?”
Before Ji Lin could answer, she plaintively continued, “The mattress on this bed is uncomfortable and makes my back ache. I can’t sleep… Is the floor comfortable?”
The bedding on the carpet was indeed soft and comfortable, so Ji Lin immediately replied, “The floor is alright. Do you want to switch down here?”
In the dark night, Bai Duanduan’s voice was soft and gentle, with a hint of a spoiled tone. “Okay.”
Before Ji Lin could react, her warm and delicate body flung itself into his arms. Ji Lin instinctively held onto Bai DuanDuan. The hotel was exceptionally quiet at night, and in that moment, Ji Lin even felt like he could hear the sound of his heart pounding in his chest.
Unfortunately, the one in his arms had no sense of self-awareness. Bai DuanDuan patted the bedding and said, “Sleeping on the floor really is more comfortable.”
Ji Lin gently pushed Bai DuanDuan away and said dryly, “Then you sleep on the floor.” He felt like he was being chased and wanted to run away. “I’ll go to bed.”
But Bai DuanDuan grabbed onto his clothes and, though her voice was still soft, she wasn’t being very reasonable. “The bed isn’t comfortable either. You’re not allowed to sleep on the bed.”
“…”
“You should sleep on the floor with me,” she pushed her luck. “Normally, I sleep with a teddy bear at night. Since there’s no bear tonight, you can be my bear.”
Ji Lin was about to refuse when he heard Bai Duanduan’s plaintive voice. “Otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep.”
“…”
In the end, Ji Lin ended up sleeping on the floor with Bai DuanDuan. However, he found that he wasn’t unable to sleep. Bai DuanDuan snuggled in his embrace, her breath surrounding him, and it made Ji Lin feel an unprecedented sense of peace. He quickly drifted off to sleep.
And when he woke up later, he realized that it wasn’t Bai DuanDuan hugging him like a teddy bear, but rather he was the one hugging Bai DuanDuan like a teddy bear.
Ji Lin knew that Bai DuanDuan had lied. It was never her who needed a teddy bear to fall asleep. She didn’t need one at all. However, on this special night, on the eve of this case, Ji Lin needed Bai DuanDuan in order to fall asleep.
She is really born for him… 😊
🥺🥺🥺