Zhou Mei made a call to that friend.
That friend spoke quite casually, saying penalty amounts are generally negotiable. Just explain the actual situation to the leaders, mentioning that being a young entrepreneur is tough. They would lower the penalty amount to something manageable.
But when Zhou Mei revealed that the fine was 1.3 million and their small shop couldn't even afford 100,000, there was silence on the other end.
That's the general rule with penalties.
The amount can be reduced, but only to a certain extent. Getting it halved would be great, reducing it to one-tenth would be too ideal.
After the call, Zhou Mei lost the initial ease she had.
"Maybe, should I ask Chief Zhang to give their director a call?"
Miao Ruolan's heart, which had turned to ash, sparked with hope again.