Chapter 174: An Official Settlement
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Zhang Zian had Xinghai, Fina and Old Time Tea stay in the pet bars in the game. Zhang Zian walked back quickly.
By the time he arrived at his store, the sweat had all dried off.
There was a man in front of his pet shop. He was about 40 years old, wearing a nice suit and holding a luxurious case. He kept looking at his watch, looking like those successful men in TV shows.
Aunt Li and her husband were busy with customers. They looked over and nodded at Zhang Zian, meaning that the man was the person they told him about.
"Hello, may I help you?" Zhang Zian asked.
The man saw Zhang Zian, put on a smile and said, "Hello! Are you the owner of the Amazing Fate Pet Shop, Mr. Zhang?"
"Yes," Zhang Zian replied as he took his keys out and unlocked the door. "Can I help you?"
"That’s great. I saw the door was locked so I was worried that I couldn’t meet with you today. Fortunately, the street vendor told me you were out for a bit and had me wait here. I am the lawyer from the legal department of Stars Pet Chain Supermarket. My name is Rong Bai. Here is my card," the man said as he gave him a business card.
Zhang Zian took the business card. Just like Captain Sheng said, the legal department of the Stars Pet Chain Supermarket was taking quick action. Just a few days ago, they were still adding pressure to the provincial public security department, and today, they arrived in Binhai to solve the problem. How efficient it was!
"My name is Zhang Zian. I am the owner of this store, I am sure you already know. Oh, I don’t have a business card."
He pulled up the curtain door, "Do you want to talk here or in the store?"
Rong Bai laughed, "It is quite windy out here. Let’s chat inside. I am excited to see the famous Amazing Fate Pet Shop myself."
"Okay. Please come in," Zhang Zian was very polite.
As soon as Rong Bai walked in, he started making a scene, "Oh no! look at what they did. That’s unnecessary. You guys should get along with each other."
Zhang Zian agreed, "That’s right. I don’t want to go through these troubles myself. I am cooking some noodles. Do you want some?"
What?! Rong Bai was confused, yet he replied politely, "I’m fine. I ate before I came."
The store was cleaned out and looked a lot nicer than it had a few days ago. The broken glass and warped canned food had been cleaned out. The front of the store was ruined and it took more than a simple cleanup to reopen.
Zhang Zian pointed at the chair next to the cashier desk, "If you don’t mind, please have a seat."
Looking at the simple outdoor chair, Rong Bai frowned and said, "Well, that’s fine. There is only one chair. I can’t sit down if you are standing and talking to me. I won’t take long…"
Zhang Zian laid down on the recliner before Rong Bai finished talking.
What the…?! Who would talk to a guest on a recliner?
Zhang Zian read his mind. He said, "A long time ago our country leaders had a swimming pool diplomacy. How about we have a ‘recliner diplomacy’?"
Rong Bai felt that the person in front of him was quite difficult. Zhang Zian didn’t seem to follow his normal tricks. However, Rong Bai was a capable man and he had handled way more difficult situations than this.
Rong Bai showed a smile and sat down, "Mr. Zhang, you are a special man. You are so unpredictable. Now I kind of understand why Chen Taitong did all that to you."
Zhang Zian didn’t respond and waited for Rong Bai to continue.
Knowing that Zhang Zian wasn’t responding, Rong Bai had to continue the conversation, "Mr. Zhang, I am here today to seek a settlement."
"Settlement. I am looking forward to one depending on how you want to handle it," Zhang Zian said vaguely.
Rong Bai waved his hand, "Mr. Zhang, don’t take me wrong. I am here today to represent Stars Pets, not Chen Taitong. Chen Taitong has his own lawyer and I don’t really care what he does."
Zhang Zian was surprised. What was going on? Chen Taitong was the owner of a franchised store. Rong Bai represented their headquarters. Why didn’t he care about Chen Taitong?
Rong Bai smiled. He unzipped his case and took out a deck of paper.
"This is a copy of the franchise agreement between the headquarters and Chen Taitong. Of course, I can only show you part of it and the confidential information is already covered. Please take a look at these lines I am pointing out."
Zhang Zian took the file and looked it over.
The summary of the paragraph was: The two parties reached an agreement in the spirit of equal and friendly cooperation. Party B (Chen Taitong) has the power to set his own pricing, and Party A (Stars Pet) has no right to interfere. Party B shall not violate any international or domestic laws, regulations or moral standards, nor shall he damage the image of Party A in any public or private circumstances, otherwise the contract will be terminated automatically. Party A reserves the right to claim compensation for the loss caused by Party B. The following are specific compensation standards…
Honestly, contracts give people headaches. This one was so long and difficult. However, Zhang Zian understood this paragraph.
He returned the copy to Rong Bai, "Okay. I read it. What’s next?"
Rong Bai took back the copy and put it in his case.
"Like I said, I am here to represent Stars Pet, not Chen Tai Tong."
He shrugged his shoulder. "In fact, I know Chen Taitong personally. However, business is business. We have to follow what is on the agreement, otherwise a contract means nothing."
Looking at his watch, he said, "It is getting late. I don’t want to hold you up. I am going to start my purpose of this visit."
"Mr. Zhang, I officially represent the Stars Pet Chain Supermarket, to inform you of the following two points: First, we will not interfere with the private affairs between you and Chen Taitong. Second, if Mr. Zhang decided to take legal action towards the damages Chen Taitong caused you, Stars Pet Chain Supermarket shall not undertake joint and several liabilities." Rong Bai pulled a serious face and got right into the topic.
Zhang Zian was confused. He hadn’t dealt with legal issues like that nor did he understand the law.
Rong Bai didn’t give him the time to comprehend his words. He said immediately: "If you agree to these two points, I will personally provide some financial assistance to you. If you object to the second point and decide to prosecute the Stars Pet Chain Supermarket, then we will meet you at court. I want to remind you that you have seen the contract I showed you. Even if you sue us, you have no chance of winning."
He took out a craft paper bag from his suit pocket and laid it flat on the cashier table. "There is 20,000 yuan in cash and a waiver of prosecution in this bag. If you agree to sign the waiver, the money is yours."
He shut up upon completion of his words and waited quietly for Zhang Zian’s response.
Zhang Zian was never involved in any legal issues. He had seen it on TV shows. If he were to sue a giant enterprise like Stars Pet Chain Supermarket, it would cost a fortune and he might not be able to run his store anymore.
"May I look at the waiver?" he asked.
"Of course," Rong Bai took a piece of paper out from the craft bag, and gave it to him.
Zhang Zian read it through. It was a short and simple statement.
The title was "Waiver of Prosecution".
The content was simple: I voluntarily waive the rights to sue and recover from Stars Pet Chain Supermarket through litigation. Reference case number xxxxxxxxxxx.
The signature space and date were blank.
Looking at the waiver, Zhang Zian regretted not learning more about the law.
He said, "Wait here. I need to make a phone call."
Without waiting for Rong Bai’s response, he ran upstairs. Seeing that Rong Bai was still sitting in the chair, he walked in his bedroom, closed the door and called Xiao Yan.
She picked up soon after he dialed.
"What’s up?" she asked, simply and directly.
Zhang Zian told her about the waiver.
"Okay. Let me call my lawyer friend and I will get back to you." She hung up.
Zhang Zian silenced his phone. He walked out of his bedroom quietly and saw that Rong Bai was still sitting there.
One minute later, his cellphone vibrated.
He walked back in the bedroom and closed the door.
"Hello?"
"You can sign it," Xiao Yan said briefly, "Those waivers mean nothing. If you decided to sue them in the future, you still could. Some might say you don’t keep your promises, but that should not do anything to the case."
No wonder they only offered 20,000 Yuan!
He was planning to settle the case anyways. Now Stars Pet had sent him some free money, which was great!
"Thank you," he hung up.
Zhang Zian walked downstairs happily, "I will sign the waiver. Give me a pen!"