Chapter 569: Chapter 190: The ’80s Drama Queen is Forced to Act as a Top Student (25)

It was a principle even the little one understood. How could they not get it?

But they were past the age of giving it their all without caring about the profits. Taking responsibility for past actions was easier said than done.

However, after a moment of contemplation, Bai Zhiyang gritted his teeth and said, "Let’s do as Little Sheng suggested. We can’t run from our problems. We have to face them head-on."

"This whole thing is like a malignant tumor. If we ignore it, it’ll eventually take us down with it."

"Worst comes to worst, we’ll just start over from scratch!"

They were in no mood to discuss the grand opening of their mall. The group went straight to the anti-piracy department and earnestly explained their situation.

Their eyes had gone red with the pursuit of profit, and they’d mindlessly taken someone else’s advice, getting entangled with the Pingyuan Clothing Factory in the process.

"It was only on our last sourcing trip that we learned from other manufacturers that clothes even had pirated and legitimate versions..."

"We couldn’t live with ourselves, so we came here to the authorities to confess and repent. We’ve already taken all the pirated and poor-quality clothing off the shelves and destroyed it."

"Please, sir, tell us what punishment we must face. We will carry it out to the letter. We want to start over, run our mall properly, and never do anything so thoughtless again!"

The official in charge was stunned. To be honest, they had never handled a case involving clothing piracy before.

Bai Zhiyang then explained the solution they had devised.

They would submit all their account books to the authorities for transparent review and allow them to issue a fine based on the circumstances.

As for the customers who had purchased clothes from their store, they had detailed records. When these customers returned to make another purchase, they would be offered a buy-one-get-one-free discount.

Seeing Bai Zhiyang’s earnestness—his eyes even welling up—and the great sincerity he was showing, the officials were quite moved.

However, they didn’t personally feel it was such a major issue. Still, as a matter of procedure, a few of them went into the next room to hold a brief meeting.

"Mr. Bai, we’ve just discussed the matter. This is the first time we’ve ever handled a situation like yours."

"Normally, we only act when someone files a report, either anonymously or by name. We’ve never, ever seen anyone voluntarily confess to their mistakes before."

"So, considering you were genuinely unaware of the issue and that you took the initiative to come forward with a sincere solution as soon as you realized your error..."

"The government isn’t a cold, unfeeling entity. We naturally treat people in your situation with leniency."

"Here’s what we’ll do. You will suspend operations for a three-month rectification period. You will also pay a fine equivalent to ten percent of your profits. You have one year to pay it in full."

"As for the customers who purchased your clothes, your proposed solution is excellent and perfectly operable."

After all, people didn’t pay much attention to copyright back then, especially not for clothing.

Bai Zhiyang was more than satisfied with this lenient penalty.

Sheng Leyun, however, requested that the official draw up a formal document to be posted at the store’s entrance.

The fine could be mentioned briefly, she said, but the three-month rectification period and the owner’s proactive, penitent attitude should be described in detail.

This was an incredibly risky move, akin to burning everything down to rebuild from the ashes. Whether they could successfully rise again was another question entirely.

But neither Bai Zhiyang nor Manager Huang said a word. Gritting their teeth and steeling themselves, they personally posted the document on a pillar next to the main entrance.

It was in black and white, on a large sheet of paper—just as Sheng Leyun had specifically requested.

As soon as the document was up, a crowd immediately gathered to see what it was.

It detailed how the Red Sun store discovered its error, how they wrestled with the decision, and how they ultimately chose to confess and ask for punishment.

The onlookers felt a mix of schadenfreude and alarm at how widespread piracy was, but they were also amused by the owner’s foolish-seeming actions.

’Shouldn’t you keep this kind of thing under wraps, secretly get rid of the pirated clothes, and pray no one ever finds out? But no, he had to go running to the authorities and honestly confess everything.’

’Tsk, tsk. Ten percent of the profits might not sound like much, but the mall had been open for several years. All told, it was no small sum.’

At first, the people in the crowd who had bought clothes at the mall were angry, feeling they’d been cheated and wanting to demand justice. But as they continued reading the notice, they discovered the offer of a buy-one-get-one-free discount as compensation.

They were instantly mollified and didn’t let their anger get the better of them. Instead, they started saying that when the mall reopened, they’d be the first in line to pick out new clothes, and this time they would be extra picky...

Taking advantage of the suspension and rectification period, Sheng Leyun had Bai Zhiyang find workers to completely renovate the store.

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