I bought a prison in the United States.

"What to do... what to do?"

The young man's voice came out muffledly from between his arms.

"I just received a message that my warehouse is on fire!"

Lin Ge rested his chin on his left hand, seemingly stunned and at a loss for what to do after receiving the sudden news.

This is indeed a heavy blow for a young entrepreneur.

Where is your warehouse?

"East Tulsa, the old industrial park, where my father and I ran a hardware wholesale business."

The young man's voice was broken and intermittent, as if he was trying to squeeze the words out of his throat one by one.

He didn't know why he was talking about these things with a stranger, but if he didn't say it, his emotions would immediately collapse.

"They said the electrical circuit caught fire and the entire warehouse was burning. It contained a batch of goods that had just arrived three months ago."

"We bought all of these with loans; we borrowed 200,000 yuan!"

"The insurance...the insurance expired last month."

"My father told me to renew the insurance on time, but I wanted to wait until this batch of goods was sold before renewing it because my cash flow is tight..."

His voice grew softer and softer until it disappeared from his throat.

Lingo stood there, looking at the young man who was squatting on the floor of the service aisle, holding his head in his hands.

He recalled the inventory he had accumulated in his previous life while running a cross-border e-commerce business, which was piled up in a cheap warehouse.

If the platform's policies change and the supply chain breaks down, all that inventory can only be sold as scrap.

He was standing at the warehouse entrance then, looking at the mountain of cardboard boxes inside, feeling exactly the same thing this young man is feeling now.

Besides feeling heartbroken about the loss, there's also a sense of self-blame for "it could have been avoided," mixed with fear of the future.

The cruelty of capitalism doesn't end at the moment of bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy is just a point in time.

What's truly cruel is the long process before and after bankruptcy.

Before bankruptcy, I calculated every day how long I could hold on; after bankruptcy, I regretted every day why I didn't make the decision sooner.

Lin Ge squatted down to be at eye level with the young man and said in a gentle tone:

"Sir, listen to me, what you need to do now is not to cry your eyes out, but to call your insurance broker."

"Even if the policy has expired, some insurance companies offer a grace period."

"Since this money is a loan, call your lending bank and tell them what happened."

"Banks don't like surprises. If you let them know in advance, they're more likely to work with you to find a solution."

"Then call your supplier again to see if you can postpone the payment."

Finally, call your customers and tell them that some orders may be delayed.

"These four phone calls may not be able to undo your losses, but they can at least stabilize the situation temporarily."

Lin Ge's suggestions were all very practical, and each one was something he had personally verified in his previous life.

"Most importantly, you need to stand up now and not let your competitors see you crouching on the ground."

"In Tulsa, news travels faster than fire."

"If you don't go back to that banquet hall now and stay there with the calmest expression you can muster until the end, tomorrow the whole city will know that 'that hardware wholesaler kid broke down at the trade fair.'"

"Then your suppliers will tighten payment terms, your customers will look for alternative suppliers, and banks will reassess your credit rating."

"You will lose more than what burned in the warehouse."

The young man slowly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, but the emotional label above his head was changing from "collapse" to "awakening".

Lin Ge's words pointed him in the right direction, showing him that there were still so many things he could do.

"Who are you?"

Ringo smiled generously:

"Ringo Chen, a man who went bankrupt three times."

The young man looked at Lingo's face as if he wanted to remember him.

Then he wiped his face with his suit sleeve, leaned against the wall and slowly stood up, even though his legs were still trembling.

"My name is Paul Winston, Winston Hardware Stores."

He took a deep breath and exhaled:

"I'll make those calls right now."

He walked toward a door at the end of the service corridor, leading to the hotel lobby.

He took a few steps, then stopped and turned around.

"Mr. Chen, thank you!"

[Gained: 15% Respect]

Paul pushed open the door and disappeared behind it.

Lin Ge stood there, watching the door slowly close.

He was the only one left in the service corridor, and the sounds of pots and pans clattering and the chef's muffled voices came from the kitchen in the distance.

He stood there for a moment, then turned and walked back into the banquet hall.

Everything in the banquet hall remained unchanged from when he left.

People were still drinking, talking, and laughing.

No one noticed what had just happened in the service corridor; a young man named Paul Winston had just experienced the worst half hour of his life.

Fortunately, a kind prison warden who happened to appear gave him some advice.

Otherwise, in a few months, there might be another bankrupt homeless person on the street.

The Chamber of Commerce is not a place for people to celebrate in good times; it is a place for people to pretend that everything is normal in bad times.

Everyone is pretending.

Pretend business is good, pretend cash flow is plentiful, and pretend next year will be better than this year.

Those who acted most convincingly became the chairpersons of the chamber of commerce.

Those who can't keep up the act will leave early, and no one will pay attention to them anymore.

Lin Ge walked back to Frank's side. Mr. Cao glanced at him but didn't ask anything.

He simply took a new gin and tonic from a passing tray and handed it to Ringo.

Lin Ge took it. "Mr. Cao, what are your thoughts on the Chamber of Commerce?"

"I?"

Frank's gaze fell on the flowing crowd in the banquet hall, and the emotional labels above his head became something unrecognizable.

He answered seriously:

"From someone who's been there, the Chamber of Commerce is a place where you have to be present, but not too present."

"What does this mean?"

Lin Ge showed an interested expression.

"You have to be there; if you're not, people will forget about you."

"You can't be too present, because if you are, people will start asking you questions you don't want to answer."

Mr. Cao took a sip of champagne and continued:

"I first came to the Chamber of Commerce in 1980, which was the third year that Zhongxi Valves had moved to Tulsa."

"Back then, I was also standing alone in a corner, watching those oil tycoons and bankers chatting and laughing."

"At first, no one spoke to me. Then an elderly man with gray hair came over and handed me a business card."

"That person is Harvey Danforth."

Ringo turned to look at Frank.

The Chinese businessman's expression was very calm, but there was a gentle quality in his voice:

"Mr. Danforth is a respectable man; he was the one who gave me my first order here."