Chapter 10
I’ve come to the realization that I could use some improvement in my communication skills. What steps can I take to better balance arguments while also standing up for myself?
The legal case is like a business war that requires a lot of money for lawyers, regardless of who wins. Meanwhile, everyone has their personal life to take care of. Once I have that sorted out, then I can move forward. Luckily, Monsieur An’s HK projects paid me on time to cover my living expenses.I complained to Mathild one day about why we cannot be professional like Monsieur An？I showed a professional form without datas from Monsieur An about a restaurant operation. Mathild agreed.No one desires a war. I opted to communicate with Mathild more. Mathild also tried everything to help out.Appreciated.
Soon, Mathild called me for another meeting with Chef Mimi again. We were sitting in front of Alimentry on Xinhua road. Chef Mimi starts to explain his idea for the project. He won’t be investing money because his current shop needs cash flow. I lost patience very soon during the conversation, I need to show my respect until he finishes and leaves. Only Mathild and I continue discussing. Mathild said it’s a great opportunity for Chef Mimi. Yes, good luck to you guys. Another friend has already mentioned to me that Chef Mimi likes to party in the middle of the night, which is okay for me but not aligned with my investment logic.
After our coffee, Mathild suggested that we consider giving away more shares along with David’s current wife. After evaluating his performance, I agreed and reached out to David’s wife, who also gave her approval. Mathild then had to travel back to France for a wine purchase. We planned to meet after his trip. Things sound better.
Our part-time finance manager, Mr. Jimi, called me to update me about the situation with a partner chef’s visa. It turns out that the visa agent forgot to renew the visa for our chef. I asked Mathild to check on the situation and find out whose fault it was during my research of solutions. We were both surprised, and Mathild believes it is the chef’s own fault because he always sets a reminder in his phone calendar for visa renewal. This is a priority for a foreigner working in another country.
I asked Mathild to kindly pass on my messages to our chef and partners. Let’s put the discussion about shares on hold for now and focus on supporting our chef. Mathild agreed, and that night he brought me back into the shareholders group. I greeted everyone, including our operation partner SB and the hk tailor, before turning to our chef to ask for more details about the overstay situation. The chef explained that he had been too busy for last 3months and forgot about it. Drawing from my experience with penthouse overstay situations lasting 30 days or more, I shared my insights with everyone present.
Our chef was surprised about the panhouse, including all of us. The hk tailor stepped in and assured us that there was no need to panic because he had already checked with his friend. I was taken aback, I allowed him to provide more details about the situation. However, he soon admitted that he didn’t have any additional information. I reminded him of the importance of following up on his initial promise, as it brought hope to everyone involved. If he doesn’t follow through and make it happen, it will be seen as my fault since we’ve encountered so many challenges during construction. I suffered enough for their behavior during construction. Therefore, it’s best to consider my solution as a backup plan. Our logic doesn`t allow you to be proud of good things but quiet for bad things"推过揽功".
Other partners suggested that it would be best to follow my advice, so the HK tailor remained silent. I started coaching our chef on what to say during the upcoming immigration meeting, especially since he is unable to explain to immigration that he was a fake partner from the beginning, deceiving the government for a partner visa without paying high taxes. All partners agreed and we decided to accompany the chef to immigration. Partner SB and the HK tailor also agreed to attend the meeting.
The next day, when I arrived at immigration xuhui, I saw Mathild, the chef, and the chef’s girlfriend. When I asked about partner SB and the HK tailor, Mathild suggested that it’s best not to involve more foreigners. I agreed and then inquired about the whereabouts of the HK tailor. To my surprise, Mathild informed me that he was meeting with his bank manager. It left me speechless - this kind of friendship or partnership is truly beyond words. As we say in Chinese, “草台班子”.Partner SB broke investment contract and their new shop just got opened for 3months.So.They were too busy to renew visa for chef.Maybe I`m wrong.
The immigration meeting was straightforward. Officer Henhen inquired about the reason for our chef’s overstay, and we explained that it was due to a mistake by the visa agency. When asked if our chef had worked elsewhere, we initially said no, but later admitted that he had. Officer Henhen then explained the penalties for overstaying, which range from 5 to 15 days isolation in the panhouse depending on honesty. Our chef became emotional and blamed himself for trusting the wrong visa agency while crying. I didn’t know what to say, so I simply reached out and touched his shoulder in support.
The positive aspect of dealing with the immigration officer is that our chef can select a time that suits him for this period of isolation.
We left the meeting and then Mathild began to update our operation partners SB and the tailor in Hong Kong. They were pleased with my performance and effective follow-up.
I was hoping we could have the chance to be friends again.And I started to compare this case with other of my investments before.I lost good partners like Mr.Oliva then I got this time as punishment.