Chapter 648: A traitor among us
Seeing how Lu Yiming hated evil, Lou Jianjun and Lei Lansi were immediately moved to tears.
Just because they don't dare to cause trouble for Beauty Airlines doesn't mean they can swallow this humiliation.
Although I have encountered countless unfair treatments here over the years, who would get used to being bullied?
Lei Lan Si said in surprise: "Really? Are you really willing to help us? Are you kidding us?"
Lu Yiming said righteously, "How could I possibly joke with you about something like this? Not to mention that we are relatives, even if we are just ordinary friends, if you are treated unfairly, I have the obligation to stand up for you. Uncle, just rest here and recover. I will contact lawyers and the media to give you justice."
Lou Jianjun and Lei Lansi both knew very well that the relationship between them and Lu Yiming was, at least through the version of the family tree, that they could contact Lu Yiming's family. It was a great honor for them to have this kinship recognized, and they thought that they would be able to live a better life in the United States in the future.
But what they never expected was that Lu Yiming's family not only acknowledged the relationship, but also asked Lu Yiming to come and see them in person, and now they even wanted to seek justice for them!
You know, hiring a lawyer in the United States is not cheap, they charge by the hour!
"Xiao Ming, thank you, thank you so much, I... cough cough cough..."
Lou Jianjun was so excited that he couldn't help but cough violently. Lu Yiming quickly said, "Okay, stop talking. Have a good rest. I'll contact you when I'm ready."
"good."
After leaving the hospital, Lu Yiming couldn't help but whistle, obviously in a very good mood.
Li Yiwen looked at Lu Yiming with an extremely strange look in his eyes: "Good fellow, you really deserve a beating. I'm just confused. What kind of bullshit relationship do you have? They are obviously here to scam people, and you actually offered to help them?"
Lu Yiming smiled and said, "You don't know this, right? I've been thinking about how to get into the US stock market while on the plane. I never expected that this cousin would give me a great opportunity!"
Li Yiwen was confused: "Hey, hey, hey, what are you talking about?"
Lu Yiming did not intend to reveal his plan to Li Yiwen, and said mysteriously: "It's nothing, just watch my performance. I promise it will open your eyes and make you exclaim that it is wonderful!"
Li Yiwen didn't know what Lu Yiming was going to do, but since Lu Yiming said so, he didn't dare to ask.
After returning to his residence, Lu Yiming called Epstein and told him about the unfair treatment Lou Jianjun had suffered.
Epstein looked calm, because this kind of thing had become commonplace and was not a big deal at all. Even the news was too lazy to report it.
"Dear Lu, I have to remind you that this may be a very shocking thing in your country, but here, it is not even qualified to be on the news."
Lu Yiming smiled slightly and said, "Of course I know, but this has something to do with our big plan to make money ."
When he heard that it was related to the money-making plan, Epstein's face suddenly changed, and he said excitedly: "Dear Lu, tell me quickly, how is this matter related to our money-making plan? What can I do?"
Epstein took the initiative to take responsibility for this matter, of course, wanting to use this incident as an opportunity to occupy a larger share in future money-sharing activities.
Lu Yiming said, "I need to get this reported in the newspapers. The bigger the fuss, the better. I will also take Beauty Airlines to court and demand a million dollars in damages!"
After hearing what Lu Yiming said, Epstein was a little shocked. He even muttered in his heart, could this plan to make a fortune that Lu Yiming mentioned be just this one million?
But soon this thought was thrown out of his mind. Although one million US dollars may not be earned by ordinary people in three lifetimes, it is a trivial amount of money for people like him and Lu Yiming. Lu Yiming does not need to fly to the United States for this.
With the temptation of making money here, Epstein was very positive about this matter and immediately agreed: "Don't worry, I will invite reporters to come for you, and I will definitely help you make a big fuss!"
Lu Yiming said: "Okay, I will write a press release and you can send it to the media when the time comes."
Driven by money, Epstein's efficiency is still worthy of recognition. The day after Lu Yiming finished writing the manuscript, more than a dozen major media published the article.
Lu Yiming, on his part, hired a lawyer and sued the airline, demanding one million U.S. dollars in compensation.
However, Lu Yiming 's lawsuit request was rejected by the airline without exception.
After the incident was exposed and caused an uproar in public opinion and on the Internet, the management of Beauty Airlines not only referred to this brutal and forced dragging behavior as "resettlement" in an external announcement, but also attributed the responsibility for the incident to the "rude attitude" and "refusal to cooperate" of the passenger who was forcibly taken off the plane in a letter to internal employees.
Without a doubt, this is a typical case of forcibly shifting the blame, as if to say: "If you hadn't resisted, I wouldn't have hit you, but because you resisted, I hit you. This is your responsibility!"
Beauty Airlines also responded step by step. In fact, they only changed the name of the previous victim in the announcement, and did not change even the punctuation marks!
This kind of thing has happened to not only foreigners but also Chinese people many times, so after this incident was exposed, many people felt the same way. Seeing someone making trouble, many people who have had such experiences also took advantage of the situation and took this opportunity to attack Meili Airlines.
Among them, a group of people were carefully selected by Lu Yiming and organized to file a class action lawsuit.
The compensation of one million US dollars was so tempting that the lucky ones chosen by Lu Yiming were all very excited and responded in droves.
The helpful image of this "international friend" from the far East began to gain popularity. Lu Yiming even became a celebrity in America, and many people gave him a thumbs up.
Saltwater Fund.
Lu Yiming sat in the boss chair, and Ian Ball sat opposite him.
No one could understand Lu Yiming's jumping around these days, and Ian Ball was no exception.
In his opinion, such a small matter had caused such a big fuss. Lu Yiming was really making a big fuss out of nothing.
However, if Lu Yiming wanted to do this, he didn't dare to ask.
"Ball, long time no see, how have you been lately?"
Ian Ball looked at Lu Yiming's smile and felt that something was strange, so he quickly replied, "Not bad."
Lu Yiming smiled slightly and said, "Go find a reliable consulting company and help me collect some negative information about the airline."
"The airline's dirty laundry?" Ian Ball was a little confused and asked, "Are you referring to Beauty Airlines?"
Lu Yiming said, "Not just Beauty Airlines, I want the dirty laundry of all airlines!"
"you……"
Ian Ball seemed to have noticed something, and a look of shock appeared on his face. Then he looked serious and said to Lu Yiming: "Mr. Lu, are you planning to attack the aviation industry? I hope you won't be impulsive. I don't think this is a wise choice."
Lu Yiming was a little surprised. He looked at Ian Ball and said incredulously, "How dare you not follow my orders? You are my subordinate, just follow my orders faithfully. When will it be your turn to think? I don't care what you think, I care what I think."
Ian Ball was very unhappy. Ever since Lu Yiming ended his short-term speculation on short selling of US stocks, the Saltwater Fund had not been doing much business recently. Lu Yiming just kept taking profits away and investing back home. This matter had long made Ian Ball deeply dissatisfied.
In Ian Ball's view, he has made an indelible contribution to the development of Saltwater Fund to its current size.
It is really unbelievable that Lu Yiming would go against all the airlines in the United States just because of a trivial matter.
It's simply stupid!
You know, in America, taking a plane is as convenient as taking a bus!
What does this mean?
This means that the United States’ airlines are extremely powerful!
Ian Ball said: "I'm sorry, I have to be responsible to investors. It's too crazy to short airline stocks. I don't see any chance of success."
Lu Yiming said calmly: "So, you are planning to disobey my orders?"
Seeing that Ian Ball had already had a rebellious heart, Lu Yiming was too lazy to talk nonsense with him, and stood up and said calmly: "In that case, I won't say anything."
Walking out of the office, Li Yiwen felt very incredible: "This guy actually didn't follow orders. Is he too arrogant?"
Lu Yiming said expressionlessly: "I have seldom come to America these days, and I haven't taken care of the Saltwater Fund. It seems that some people think they can get rid of me and work on their own."
There is never a shortage of ambitious people in this world, but not everyone is self-aware.
Li Yiwen said unhappily, "If you hadn't saved the Saltwater Fund, it would have been gone long ago. Where did they get the confidence to think they could get rid of us and go it alone? So what should we do now?"
Lu Yiming sneered and said, "I have always been a person who helps others achieve their goals. Since they don't want to get married anymore, of course I have to help them achieve their goals."
Marcus Baker, who was enjoying his love with his wife at home, suddenly received a call from Lu Yiming.
"Mr. Lu!"
Marcus Beck sat up straight.
" Wait for me at the Starbucks at the end of Hans Street. I'll be there in half an hour. I have something to tell you."
Seeing Lu Yiming's serious tone, Marcus Baker realized that the situation might be serious. He didn't care about his wife lying on the bed, he put on his clothes and hurried out the door.
The two met at Starbucks, and Lu Yiming got straight to the point: "I heard that you are friends with Ian Ball? Then did you know that he was planning to kick me out of Saltwater Fund recently?"
Marcus Baker broke out in a cold sweat on the spot. Although he was friends with Ian Ball, he didn't think he could defeat Lu Yiming.
In defense of his friend, Marcus Beck said: "How is that possible? Is there some misunderstanding here?"
Lu Yiming smiled indifferently and said, "It doesn't matter. I think the big ship of Saltwater Fund may need a new captain. What do you think?"
Marcus Baker originally wanted to say a few good words for his good friend Ian Ball, but after understanding Lu Yiming's hint, he couldn't help swallowing.
Of course he knew why Lu Yiming did this, and he also knew that he shouldn't betray friendship.
But he really couldn't resist the desire to become a billionaire!
Ian Ball was once on the verge of bankruptcy. Who pulled him out of hell and put him on the altar?
It’s this young and mysterious oriental tycoon in front of you who is so young that it makes people jealous!
In the end, Marcus Beck chose career over friendship. He lowered his head and asked, "Mr. Lu, what do you want me to do?"
Lu Yiming laughed and said, "You should know about the incident in which one of my relatives was bullied by Beautiful Airlines recently, right?"
I'm afraid everyone in the United States knows about this. Marcus Baker quickly said, "Of course."
Lu Yiming continued, "I am a sentimental person and I cannot bear to see my relatives being bullied. So I would like to ask you for a favor and help me collect the dirty laundry of all airlines in the United States. Once this is done, the Saltwater Fund..."
As the saying goes, there is always a brave man when there is a big reward. Lu Yiming directly used the saltwater fund as bait. How could Marcus Beck resist?
Although he was extremely surprised by Lu Yiming's request, Marcus Beck couldn't resist the temptation. This was a chance for him to soar to the sky!
It depends on whether he dares to give it a try!
After just two days, two large suitcases filled with everything Lu Yiming needed appeared in his office.
The amount of lousy things this lousy company has done could not be described in three days and three nights. There is no need for a special investigation, just ask anyone and you will know everything clearly.
For example, passengers who are used to taking international flights know the rules for free checked baggage: two pieces for free, with a maximum weight of 23 kilograms each.
However, almost all airline agents will remind you tirelessly that American Airlines is an exception. This scumbag has long allowed only one piece of checked luggage for free, and will only choose the smallest and lightest one, and charge $70 for each piece after the second one.
Many United Airlines passengers flying across the Pacific complained that the in-flight meals were both unpalatable and stingy. While other airlines offer two meals, they only have one, and the other meal is "worse than chicken feed."
But Beautiful Airlines went even further. Not only did they make the food even more unpalatable, but they also didn’t make it free! In the in-flight magazine, there were “small and exquisite snacks” for $8 per box. Except for the word “small”, the other words were seriously inconsistent with the meaning of the word, and taxes were added.
There is no doubt that Air China is a fighter among garbage, which fully illustrates the saying that there is no worst, only worse.
After investigation by the research company, Lu Yiming obtained a lot of valuable information, such as Air America is the airline with the lowest punctuality rate, the highest baggage loss rate, and the second highest complaint rate in North America.
Moreover, unlike other airlines whose complaints are mainly focused on flight issues, the complaints against Beauty Airlines are varied, ranging from the death of pets during checked transportation to racial discrimination by flight attendants.
Even the bad behavior of Air America, which forcibly removed passengers due to overbooking and cut up their boarding passes and beat up passengers, is not worth mentioning.
Although as someone who wanted to speculate in stocks, Lu Yiming had speculated about this company as maliciously as possible, but in the end, after seeing these materials, Lu Yiming felt that he still overestimated this company.
"The fact that such a company can still exist is simply challenging the bottom line of civilization. This country deserves to be the most beautiful in the world. You can't see such scenery anywhere else."
A few days later, Lu Yiming brought some fruits to St. Elizabeth's Hospital to visit his distant cousin who was still lying in bed.
There were several newspapers on Lou Jianjun's hospital bed, all of which were articles about Lu Yiming's request for compensation from Meili Airlines.
Seeing Lu Yiming coming in, he was excited again. In his opinion, Lu Yiming had been running around for his affairs these days, which was simply a touching act of filial piety.
"Nephew, come and sit down quickly. Look, you bought so many fruits again. It's such a waste. Don't buy fruits next time you come, okay?"
Lu Yiming smiled and said, "It seems that you have recovered well. I think you will be discharged from the hospital in a few days."
Lou Jianjun said: "Yesterday, a lawyer came to the bed next to me for an IV drip. I talked to him about the Meili Airlines incident. He said it was difficult to win the lawsuit. Meili Airlines has a special litigation team to help them handle such cases. In addition, the amount of compensation we asked for was too high, which would easily be considered by the jury as an exorbitant amount, and we would lose the case."
Lu Yiming said, "Even if we lose the case, we still have to show our attitude! Don't be a coward, otherwise you will be bullied by foreigners for the rest of your life! I support you."
When Lou Jianjun heard what Lu Yiming said, he immediately muttered in his heart: "I'm going to back you up!"
After reading the newspapers these days, Lou Jianjun feels really tired. This cousin of his who knows how many generations is apart from him is too good at making trouble. I don't know if he has a problem with his brain. He is too kind-hearted. Does he think suing is fun?
Before, Lu Yiming's enthusiasm and righteousness had made Lou Jianjun go to his head, not to mention the one million US dollars in compensation, which made him feel that he was about to become rich.
However, over the past few days, the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. Lu Yiming's enthusiasm, let alone this distant relative, probably wouldn't be so warm-hearted even if he was his nephew.
In addition, after chatting with the lawyer, Lu Yiming's attitude of "knowing it is impossible but doing it anyway" made him feel that things were not that simple.
After all, he was able to gain a foothold in the United States because of his flexible mind, and he was no fool after so many years of hard work. After thinking about it for a few days, he felt that he seemed to be used by Lu Yiming.
