Chapter 44: A very bad result (Part 1)

June 30th was a very ordinary day, but it was not ordinary for Ming Zhou and his classmates in the finance class. On this morning, when Ming Zhou and his classmates in the finance class arrived at the Economics Department building to prepare for class, they suddenly received a phone call from the company.

Generally speaking, the company knows that Zhou Ming and his classmates are still attending Harvard University, so the company has never called during class. This sudden phone call, especially at a time when something has happened to the Tang Dynasty Bank, made Zhou Ming instinctively feel the seriousness of the matter.

So Zhou Ming personally answered the phone and then heard a panicked report from the other end: 'Chairman, something bad has happened. The people from the Judicial Bureau are here, and they have brought judicial documents with them, saying that they want to freeze the company's accounts and all assets.'

Zhou Ming frowned at the news, but remained calm and said, 'I know about this matter. I'll rush back to the company immediately. You first calm the people from the Judicial Bureau and tell them that you have no authority to handle company affairs.'

'Teacher, is there some trouble at the company again?' Ye Ning asked as soon as Zhou Ming hung up the phone.

Zhou Ming smiled and said to her, 'It's nothing, it's not a big deal. It's just that Old Brook is causing us trouble again. This is normal. I'll go take a look and be right back. You guys just focus on your lessons.'

After he finished speaking, Zhou Ming and Zhang Lin left the teaching building together. Ye Ning also wanted to go with them, but then she thought to herself that with her current abilities, even if she went with them, it wouldn't be of much use. It would be better to continue studying and working hard to enrich herself, so that she could help Zhou Ming more.

In addition, Ye Ning also agreed with Zhou Ming's words. It was indeed normal for them to be given trouble from time to time by Old Brook. After all, there was no way to resolve the grudge between them and Old Brook. Old Brook was either giving them trouble or trying to find ways to create trouble for them. Between the two, it was better to choose the former, because at least they already knew what kind of trouble the other party was looking for, just like now.

More than half an hour later, Zhou Ming arrived at the Sky Ladder Building and took the elevator up. As soon as the elevator doors opened, he saw a blonde beauty waiting at the door. This is the administrative supervisor who is usually in charge of company affairs when he and his finance classmate are not around. Her name is Julie, a graduate of the University of Brighton. Zhou Ming spent $200,000 a year to poach her from the Massachusetts Insurance Company.

Of course, in the past six months, her work performance has been worthy of the salary Ming Zhou pays her. Without mentioning the leaps and bounds the company has made, she has at least ensured that the company has not stagnated and has maintained steady growth while she and her classmates from the finance class are away.

This may sound easy, but you have to understand that Wharton Insurance Company is basically made up of Ming Zhou and his classmates from the finance class. Once they are gone, it is like taking away most of the company's resources.

Imagine a company that includes the chairman and several vice presidents as well as most of the people in the marketing department being absent for a long time. If it is replaced by an incompetent administrative supervisor, the company will basically fall into a semi-paralysed state. Only Julie can still keep the company in order, even though she has not spared Zhou Ming's complaints in her usual time.

It can be said that Zhou Ming was also lucky to find Julie. When Zhou Ming first approached the headhunting company looking for a suitable administrative supervisor, the headhunting company actually recommended someone else after listening to Zhou Ming's requirements. Julie was only a backup candidate. After all, she had just graduated and had not yet achieved any results, so she was not highly rated by the headhunting company.

However, Zhou Ming decided on her because he happened to know that there was such a person and that she did have the ability to run a company. He hit it off with the headhunter and then lured her over with a high salary.

However, this very capable administrative director is now full of anxiety: 'Mr Zhou Ming, I'm sorry, but they are from the Judicial Bureau and they have brought official judicial documents. I have already told them that I have no authority to deal with all the legal issues of the company, but that did not stop them. They said that our previous sales were a violation of the law...'

Zhou Ming interrupted Julie's explanation: 'None of this matters. I believe you are a responsible administrative manager. Now, where are those law enforcement officers from the Judicial Bureau?'

'They are currently in the finance office checking our financial information,' Julie replied. Seeing Zhou Ming frown, she immediately explained, 'Mr. Zhou Ming, I understand that finance is the private information of a company and has the right to refuse disclosure without the explicit support of the court. However, they are in a large group and are carrying official judicial documents. I...'

Before Julie could finish, Zhou Ming smiled and said to her, 'It's okay, I understand your difficulties, and I don't mean to blame you. Let's go in and see what's going on.'

Zhou Ming said, and took the lead in entering the company. Julie just froze for a moment, and then followed closely behind Zhou Ming and also entered the company.

At this moment, Wharton Insurance Company was in a mess. The folders on the desks were falling over, and there were many documents scattered on the floor. Several black men in the uniform of the Judicial Bureau were going through the drawers one by one. In the front financial room, the sound of the metal cabinet could be heard. Several administrative staff members in OL uniforms looked at all this in a flustered and helpless manner. When they saw Zhou Ming, they immediately came running to him like they had a backbone.

Zhou Ming raised his hand to indicate that they should remain calm, then looked up and shouted into the finance office in front of him, 'I would like to ask, can I call the police in this situation?'

Hearing Zhou Ming's question, the law enforcement officers from the judicial bureau stopped what they were doing, and there was no sound in the finance room. A short and stout man walked out and looked up and down at Zhou Ming a few times and said, 'Chinese, are you the legal representative of this company? Then I'll let you know now, your insurance company's previous selling behaviour is suspected of high-frequency trading and insider trading, and the judicial bureau is going to freeze all the assets of your company. Here is your judicial document.'

While saying this, the other party took out a document and threw it at Zhou Ming. After doing this, he and Zhou Ming looked at each other for a while and then said, 'If there are no problems, you can leave.'

Zhou Ming smiled and asked, "I don't know what you call it?'

'I am the legal officer of the Financial Supervision Department of the Judicial Bureau. My name is Lincoln," said the fat man.

'Okay, Lincoln Legal Officer, I don't know if there is something wrong with my English expression or if your listening skills are not good enough.'

Lincoln looked at Zhou Ming doubtfully, obviously not understanding what Zhou Ming meant. So Zhou Ming had to point around the office and then continue, 'Lincoln, did you not hear my question just now? In this situation, can I call the police?'

'Why call the police? We are the Judicial Bureau,' Lincoln asked blankly, obviously still not understanding.

'Of course I know you're from the Justice Bureau,' Zhou Ming said, 'but you've now broken into my company and are trying to freeze my assets. You're a legal officer, so I think you must know better than I whether what you're doing is illegal, right?'

Lincoln suddenly understood what Zhou Ming meant: 'So you're saying I'm breaking the law. But are you sure you're not joking, Chinese? I'm a judicial officer responsible for law enforcement in the Judicial Bureau, and are you blind? I still brought judicial documents with me today, and I'm acting according to the law. I have the right to freeze all the company's assets!'

'But I don't see the Justice Bureau enforcing the law. All I see is a bunch of burglars who have made a mess of my company!' Zhou Ming's words resounded.

Lincoln was startled, and then he came back to his senses and pointed his finger at Zhou Ming and said, 'Who gave you the authority to speak to me so loudly? I'll tell you, I can say at any time that you are threatening law enforcement, and you are facing at least three years in prison. Do you know that?'

Hearing about three years in prison, Julie and the others immediately pulled Ming back so that he would stop arguing with Lincoln. However, Lincoln still wouldn't relent, seeing Ming like that: 'Chinese, this company still belongs to you, but you must get out of here now, because it has been frozen. You can't touch either the money in your bank account or this room!'

At this time, Zhou Ming had already been dragged out of the office by Julie and the others. Zhou Ming was not afraid of Lincoln, but he did not go back into the office because Julie was crying at the door.

'Mr. Zhou Ming, I am really very sorry. You trusted me so much that you handed over the company to me, but I did not protect him. Now they have frozen it like this. This is a really bad result,' Julie said, crying.

'Julie, you don't need to apologise, because it's not your fault,' Ming comforted her. "As you can see, they're not here to enforce the law, but rather a bunch of thugs sent here to cause trouble on someone's orders. And to talk about protection, it's also true that I, as the chairman, have not fulfilled my due responsibilities. You have done a very good job.'

Julie shook her head and said, "But that's not enough!'

Julie looked at Ming and said, 'Mr. Ming, do you know? I love Wharton Insurance Company very much. I really love it here. When I first joined the company, there was nothing here. But you, Mr. Zhou Ming, told me that there would be everything here in the future. You also gave me a very high salary. You paid off my father's gambling debts. From that time on, I vowed that I would make this company grow!

'I watched the company grow little by little, and the amazing investments you and your classmates made time and time again. This allowed me to witness the rise of a miracle with my own eyes!

Zhu Li suddenly became very disheartened as she said this: 'But just at this time, the judicial bureau came, and they brought judicial documents and froze all the company's assets. This was to forcibly interrupt our dream! I am so unwilling, because if I could have done a little better, Mr. Zhou Ming might not have had to take such desperate measures as selling off the company. It's all because I didn't do my best!'

Facing Julie's words, Ming felt very ashamed, because putting oneself in another's shoes, this really wasn't her responsibility. Because no matter how well she did her job, she would definitely have to do the selling, and as long as Brooke kept an eye on her, the Justice Department would still come knocking.

Ming thought to himself, 'Julie, I don't think you should feel this way. After all, there are some things...'

But this time, Zhou Ming's words were interrupted before he could finish. He saw the elevator open over there, and a figure that Zhou Ming was very familiar with walked over, it was Old Brook.

'Huh? What's going on at Wharton Insurance today? Why are there law enforcement officers from the Department of Justice here? Did you do something illegal? That's why I've always said, no matter what you do, you still have to follow the framework of the law.' Old Brook said hypocritically.

Zhou Ming gave a cold smile and said, 'I don't want to trouble Councillor Brook, but I just want to ask, if you are not in the parliament building for a meeting, why are you here? Are you here to bring me some legal documents?'

'Of course not, I'm not a legal officer, so how would I bring any legal documents?' Councillor Brook then changed the subject and continued, 'But what I have brought to you, Mr Zhou Ming, is not good news either!'