At a real estate kabushiki kaisha in Tokyo.
Madam Yukinoshita, dressed in a traditional Japanese kimono, arrived at the company's parking lot in a Maybach.
"Wait for me here."
"Yes, Madam."
The female driver in a black suit replied respectfully.
Madam Yukinoshita got out of the car. She walked to the entrance of the company building, took a deep breath, put on a perfect and proper smile, and stepped inside.
"Hello, do you have an appointment?"
The receptionist at the entrance wore a professional smile.
Madam Yukinoshita could see more apprehension and unease on her face.
"I have an appointment with President Kawamura."
"President Kawamura is currently speaking with other guests. Perhaps you could wait a moment."
"All right, thank you for the trouble."
"You're welcome. It's what I should do."
Madam Yukinoshita was led by the receptionist to the waiting area.
Soon after, the receptionist brought her hot tea. Madam Yukinoshita thanked her and quietly drank the tea as she sat waiting in the chair.
Only the slight furrow of her brows from time to time revealed the unrest in her heart.
After waiting a full hour, Madam Yukinoshita saw several people with troubled expressions coming down from upstairs and hurrying out. Seeing this made her feel even more uneasy.
"President Kawamura is available now. Please go up."
Madam Yukinoshita hesitated for a moment. She already knew the answer, but she still asked, "Those people just now... were they all here to see President Kawamura?"
The receptionist cautiously looked around and whispered, "Madam, you should know as well that they are all suppliers for our company."
Madam Yukinoshita nodded slightly, but her heart sank completely.
Holding on to a final sliver of hope, she stepped into the elevator and went up to the president's office.
Madam Yukinoshita gently knocked on the door.
"Please come in."
She pushed open the door and entered. President Kawamura was just as she had always known him in the past, refined and amiable, confident and capable.
However, thinking of the suppliers who had just left, she guessed that the president was most likely only putting on a brave face.
"Ah, Yukinoshita, come, come, please have a seat."
The two were old acquaintances and had signed many business contracts together. At President Kawamura's invitation, Madam Yukinoshita said, "Excuse me," and sat down on the sofa.
Madam Yukinoshita looked at President Kawamura sitting opposite her, thought for a moment, and said, "President Kawamura, I will be direct about some things, and I hope you can forgive me."
"Go ahead, Yukinoshita."
"Regarding that payment, when can your company release it? We have already signed contracts with other companies and are just waiting for these funds to arrive."
Madam Yukinoshita urged, "...We are a small family business, and this money is what keeps us alive. We truly cannot afford any delay."
This time, she had come to ask for money.
The Yukinoshita family was not a major family. At most, they could be considered wealthy in the eyes of ordinary people.
In a place like Tokyo, a family like the Yukinoshitas was not even qualified to participate in higher-level affairs.
Only in a smaller place like Chiba Prefecture could the Yukinoshita family be considered somewhat well-known.
The Yukinoshita family had always been in the real estate business, not as a company that built buildings, but as a supplier of construction materials to those real estate companies.
Since Madam Yukinoshita's father started the business, the Yukinoshitas had been in this line of work. Over the years, the family had maintained good relationships with major construction companies in the Tokyo area.
From the Yukinoshita family's perspective, these major construction companies were backed by large zaibatsu and had abundant funds, so cooperating with them carried no risk of unpaid debts.
Small businesses like theirs feared nothing more than money not arriving, causing a break in the cash flow and forcing them to go around begging everyone for money.
For many years, the Yukinoshita family business had worked closely with those major construction companies, and nothing had ever gone wrong.
Unexpectedly, something major happened this time.
President Kawamura chuckled and said, "Yukinoshita, please wait a little longer. There are some problems with the company's cash flow right now. You can wait a bit."
"This matter cannot wait. We have signed contracts with other companies and must provide enough construction materials according to the contract terms, otherwise we will have to pay a large sum in compensation."
"Then your company can first take out a bank loan. Presumably, with your company's qualifications and stable profits over the years, it should be possible to borrow a sum of money."
Madam Yukinoshita became angry.
Was this a question of getting a loan?
What she feared was not being unable to get a loan, but being unable to recover this payment at all!
A loan itself was indeed not a problem. The bank would definitely lend to them, but the interest would also definitely be considerable.
Major construction companies could use bank money for rapid turnover, but small businesses like theirs had a very slow turnover speed.
With such a long return cycle for the funds, who knew how much interest would pile up?
If the debt could still be recovered, then it was manageable. At worst, they would just earn a little less.
But if this money could never be recovered in the end, then the Yukinoshita family's cash flow would completely break, and they would not be far from bankruptcy!
"President Kawamura, our two companies have worked together for so many years. Can't you make an exception and settle our outstanding payment first?"
Madam Yukinoshita was furious inside. She tried hard to suppress her anger, knowing that getting angry now was useless and might even make things worse.
She lowered her head and spoke in a tone that was almost pleading.
President Kawamura said regretfully, "This isn't a matter of making an exception. It really is very difficult for me."
Seeing this, Madam Yukinoshita knew that pleading was useless, so she threatened, "In that case, I will have no choice but to go to court."
The debtor is the master. Madam Yukinoshita had long known this saying, but this was the first time she had truly felt its weight.
President Kawamura hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Yukinoshita, we've known each other for quite a while. There are some things I wouldn't tell other people, but I will tell you the truth."
"Even if you go to court, it won't help. This company has no liquid funds at all. It doesn't just owe you money. It also owes money to banks and other companies."
"Even if you win the lawsuit, at most the company will enter bankruptcy and restructuring. The money from liquidation after bankruptcy will not be paid to you first, but to the banks."
"As you know, behind the banks are the major zaibatsu, and they have more influence than you."
"And don't look at me like that. Although I am the president, I am just a senior employee. I only have management rights over the company, not ownership."
Madam Yukinoshita's body trembled. She gritted her teeth and said, "Thank you, President Kawamura, for telling me the truth. So there is really nothing I can do?"
The other party had told her the truth because of their past relationship.
In other words, this construction company was going bankrupt, there was no money left on the books at all, and it was already completely insolvent.
President Kawamura shook his head.
He was being so blunt to mentally prepare Madam Yukinoshita for the fact that she would probably never recover this debt.
Madam Yukinoshita said unwillingly, "This kabushiki kaisha has a history of sixty years and is a long-established group in Japan. How could it go bankrupt so easily?"
Kawamura said helplessly, "It's all because of that aquarium. We built the aquarium, and it had already been completed and was ready for handover."
"But who could have expected a terrorist attack? The entire aquarium was severely damaged. Insurance companies won't cover something like that. The contract we signed back then was for the delivery of a complete aquarium."
"Now that it's damaged, our company has to invest a large amount of money to continue construction. Because of this, we are also constantly in disputes and lawsuits with the other party."
"But even so, this company is backed by the Shinomiya zaibatsu. The Shinomiya Group wouldn't abandon a high-quality company with a sixty-year history just because of this small amount of money, would they?" Madam Yukinoshita said in disbelief.
It was precisely because this construction company had the backing of the Shinomiya Group and sixty years of credibility that the Yukinoshita family had chosen to trust them and advance a large amount of construction materials before receiving payment.
Of course, this was also a common problem with major companies. These large companies used their size to pressure suppliers. Lowering prices was secondary. Usually, they also delayed payments.
"Yukinoshita, calm down. You're right. Under normal circumstances, the Shinomiya Group would not abandon a company with such a long history just because of such a small loss."
"I don't know whether you've been following the stock market recently, but whether in Japan or America, the companies under the Shinomiya Group have suffered major losses."
"For the Shinomiya Group, the banking sector is the foundation. What they need to protect is their base. To cope with this fierce crisis, they can only cut off a limb to survive, sacrificing a pawn to save the king."
"Unfortunately, this company is one of those severed limbs."
"Even if other companies are willing to acquire it, they probably won't want those debts. Instead, they will buy it at a lower price after bankruptcy and restructuring. You know the methods of those people. Small figures like us cannot afford to provoke them."
President Kawamura pointed upward with his hand.
Those who could become zaibatsu were ruthless and far-reaching in their methods. They had people in politics, law, economics, and other fields. It was very difficult to fight them.
"I advise you to prepare in advance and find a way to get through this crisis."
"The Yukinoshita family business also has a history of over thirty years and is deeply rooted in Chiba Prefecture. If you really can't manage it, then go negotiate with the local government departments and see if you can borrow funds to get through this crisis."
President Kawamura was sympathizing with someone in the same situation and kindly gave her this advice.
"Thank you for your suggestion."
Madam Yukinoshita forced a smile. She did not stay long, said her goodbyes, and left in a hurry.
The look on her face and the way she walked out were exactly the same as the suppliers she had seen in the waiting area earlier.
After being seen off by the receptionist, Madam Yukinoshita left the company building and got into the waiting car.
She closed her eyes and said tiredly, "Drive back to Chiba."
"Yes, Madam."
The driver responded, and the car moved steadily down the street.
It seemed she would have to find another way.
Madam Yukinoshita knew that it was almost impossible to recover the money from this company.
If she remained fixated on this, then the Yukinoshita family's business would definitely fall into serious trouble.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
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