Chapter 49: This is your last chance (Part 1)

For Will Adams, the tape was definitely an insult to him. He remembered vividly the embarrassing incident two days ago in the Fenway District Court, when Ming Chow produced a blank tape, making him hurry to make a ruling, and in the end, to avoid a retrial, he had to go against the rules and take the tape away.

Every time Will Adams thought about it over the past two days, he felt like he had been slapped hard in the face. Now Zhou Ming had actually produced the tape again, which he could not tolerate.

Will Adams pointed his finger at Zhou Ming in anger and said, 'What are you doing? Do you still want to threaten me with a blank tape?'

Zhou Ming laughed: 'What blank tape? Is it the evidence that you, Mr. Will, took away in court? Regarding this matter, I think I should report it to a higher court, because my lawyer told me that this is a very serious crime. Mr. Will, how many years do you think you should go to prison for?'

Will Adams said disdainfully: 'You have no evidence, and I am Judge Adams. I am not afraid of you even if this lawsuit goes to the federal court!'

'The Adams family is indeed formidable, so I did not report it.' Zhou Ming said, and this sudden turn of events almost made Will Adams choke to death from lack of air. Zhou Ming then shook the miniature recorder in his hand and said, 'But what you said today, Mr. Will, was very useful. If I expose him, I'm sure even the Adams family will lose face, right?'

'I'll be damned, I knew you were bluffing, you cunning liar...'

Will Adams' words came to an abrupt end, because Zhou Ming had pressed the recorder's on/off button, and their previous conversation was immediately repeated through the recorder's speaker.

Will Adams's eyes darkened: 'I knew you were despicable before, but I didn't think you were more despicable than I thought.'

'I don't know whether to be happy or sad to be called despicable by a judge who took away the key evidence of the litigant in the courtroom,' said Zhou Ming. 'But it doesn't matter, I only have one question now, Mr. Will, can we talk about this? After all, supporting me against you is not a bad thing, and my evidence supports me doing so...'

'I'm sorry Chinese, I still refuse!' Will Adams said, 'You say that, I'm afraid you still don't understand what kind of family Adams is. Your little tricks will not cause any damage to me.'

Will Adams looked at his watch and continued, 'Besides, it's too late to go back to court now, because all the court schedules have already been completed, and no matter how much money you pay, the court will not be opened. So, Chinese, your insurance company is doomed to be saved, so now there is only one question left, that is, when will Senator Brooke take legal proceedings to take over your insurance company?'

Saying this, Will Adams thought of something to add: 'Oh yes, I can give you a friendly reminder that the liquidation and restructuring procedures of your insurance company will also be handled by me. I will definitely liquidate Wharton for insolvency!'

Will Adams leaned back in his seat contentedly after saying this: 'I don't know what you want to talk about today, but this is my attitude. Of course, if you can convince the governor to use financial means to help you pay this insurance premium, otherwise you can choose to give up. But you are just a Chinese person, is it possible for you to know the governor and convince him to help you?'

'So there is still a way, thank you, Judge Will,' Zhou Ming said.

Will Adams was stunned: 'You're not seriously going to do this, are you joking?'

Zhou Ming shook his head and said, "Of course I'm not joking, and I'm definitely not joking with my insurance company...'

Before Zhou Ming finished speaking, Will Adams grinned and said, "Then you must be out of your mind. I once heard someone say that while God closes a door for you, he also slams your head against it. I think that must be you.'

In the face of Will Adams' ridicule, Zhou Ming did not refute, in fact, Zhou Ming could not refute, after all, today is the last day of the three-day deadline, and it is now noon, which means that Zhou Ming only has one afternoon to find the governor and convince him to use the state's financial power to help him pay the insurance claim of up to 7 million US dollars.

A state in the United States is equivalent to a province in China, so this method is equivalent to a small company owner who has never met the provincial party secretary suddenly visiting to ask the provincial party secretary for 7 million US dollars to save his company. It sounds like a fantasy no matter how you hear it. Unless it is an acquaintance, or the company is a very important economic pillar, even if it is, it will be difficult to convince the governor, let alone the fact that Zhou Ming doesn't even know the so-called governor, and his company is just a small insurance company that has only been established for less than half a year, and it has nothing to do with either.

Soon, Zhou Ming ended his lunch with Will Adams and returned to his Harvard dormitory a quarter of an hour later. Chen Yesen, Li Yang, and lawyer Alan were all waiting for Zhou Ming's news.

'I had a falling out with Will Adams. He simply ignored my threats. But there is one good thing, at least he pointed me in a direction,' Zhou Ming continued, 'He said that I could go to the governor. If I can convince the governor within the time limit to use the state government's financial means to pay for this claim for me, then it can also be solved.'

Zhou Ming said this to the lawyer Alan. Alan understood that Zhou Ming wanted to confirm, but he did not answer at first and instead asked tentatively, 'Mr. Zhou Ming, you're not really thinking of going to the governor, are you?'

'Is this approach not feasible?' Zhou Ming asked Alan in return.

Alan shook his head and said, 'Not exactly. The constitution supports the governor's use of financial measures to rescue the market when a company in the state is in trouble. However, Mr. Zhou Ming, please forgive me for being blunt, but the target of this situation is generally a large bank or group that can shake the economic foundation of a state. Wharton Insurance Company has only been in existence for less than half a year, so how could the governor support it?'

Chen Shuyu and Li Yang both admired Zhou Ming very much. In the past, no matter what decision Zhou Ming made, they would support it unconditionally. But now they both had worried expressions on their faces, obviously not optimistic about Zhou Ming's idea.

'Why doesn't anyone believe in me?' Zhou Ming asked as he looked around the room. 'In fact, I don't believe in it either, but I don't think that's important. The important thing is that we have no other choice but this method, right? You've forgotten what I said: people always need to have a little hope. If you lose hope, then what's the difference between you and a salted fish? Do you want to become a salted fish?'

Everyone subconsciously shook their heads at Zhou Ming's words. Zhou Ming continued, 'So, no matter how unlikely this is, at least it is possible, and we must do it.'

'No matter what, whether you can do it is a matter of ability, and whether you do it or not is a matter of attitude,' Zhou Ming said. 'Facing a difficult problem, the one who is brave enough to take on the challenge is a hero, and the one who backs down is a coward. I don't know what attitude you have, but I am definitely not someone who gives up so easily.'

'Teacher, we won't give up easily either!' Li Yang immediately stood up and said.

After Li Yang, Chen Shuhe and Ye Ning also expressed their support, saying, 'Teacher, we support your decision. Whether it's convincing the governor or the President of the United States, we will do our best!'

This scene left Allen dumbfounded, and it also made him feel a lot of emotions. Many people lament the injustice of fate towards them and complain that they haven't had any luck in their lives, but in fact, who would be willing to work hard for the slim possibility of success? If you don't try, and just back down at the first sign of difficulty, how can you possibly succeed?

Only Zhou Ming, as long as he thinks the road ahead is possible, then no matter what the odds are, whether it's one in a hundred or one in a thousand, no matter how many difficulties and obstacles there are along the way, he will do his best.

This is a true hero!

Alan made this comment in his heart about Zhou Ming:

'Since you have already made up your mind, Mr Zhou Ming, there is nothing more I can say. There is no legal risk in this matter, as long as you do not meet the governor through illegal means,' said Alan. "Mr Zhou Ming, I wish you every success.'

Alan's last sentence, "every success', was spoken in Chinese, albeit very awkwardly, but it showed that he had done his homework behind the scenes, and it also moved Zhou Ming.

Then Zhou Ming, Alan, Chen Yuren and the others discussed how to meet the governor. For this problem, Chen Yuren and Li Yang were silent, because they could not think of any other way except to wait for the governor in front of the state government. However, this was normal. They had only been in the United States for less than six months, just like Zhou Ming, and it would be strange if they could think of a way to meet the governor at any time.

Zhou Ming did not expect anything from them either, but instead set his sights on Allen, the future presidential lawyer and White House legal adviser. He must have some connections, right?

Allen did not disappoint Zhou Ming. After thinking for a moment, he said, 'Mr. Zhou Ming, I have a friend who works in the governor's office. Perhaps I can help you get into the state government building through him and get close to the governor's office. Whether you can finally meet the governor and convince him will depend on your own abilities.'

This answer made Zhou Ming breathe a sigh of relief. Zhou Ming said to Allen, 'Thank you very much. As long as I can meet the governor, that's fine. My biggest worry is that I won't be able to meet the governor at all. That would be the most helpless situation. I wouldn't even know where to start.'

Chen Yesen and Li Yang both nodded in silence as they listened to Zhou Ming's words, because they were exactly the ones Zhou Ming described as being most helpless. They simply had no idea how to meet with the governor.

Zhou Ming's time was running out by the second, and Alan understood this as well. He therefore wasted no time and immediately called his friend. The call was quickly connected, and Alan immediately explained the situation to him in the most concise manner. Although it was only a few words, it still shocked the other end.

'My God, Alan, you're not kidding me, are you? You expect to convince the governor in just one afternoon to take $7 million out of the state treasury to pay your client's settlement? That's just crazy talk. I've never heard a more ridiculous story in my life,' he said.

'Hey James, I know this is crazy, but he might be able to make it happen, right? So buddy, I need your help. You'll help us make this miracle happen, right?' Alan asked.

After Alan's question, there was a long silence on James' end before he finally said, 'Okay, I can help you, but you owe me a fruit pizza.'

Alan let out a sigh of relief at James' answer and said with a smile on the phone, 'No problem, my friend. I can buy you ten pizzas!'

'I'll take you up on that!' James teased, before saying more seriously, "But Alan, there's something I need to remind you. You must get to the state government within the hour, because the governor will be making a trip on his own accord in an hour. I don't know where he'll go, so if you miss it, you'll have to wait until tomorrow.'

'Okay, I'll remember that, thank you very much," Alan said.