Chapter Four: The Credit of Twenty-Seven People

At dawn, Lin gathered all twenty-seven employees in the dark restaurant. Still wearing a server's white shirt, he stood where he once presented the wine list. “Someone offered $2.9 million for seventy percent and the right to sell the lease,” he said. “I refused.” The room erupted. “You refused for us?” “The bank pulls exclusivity this afternoon!” “Boss Lin” returned as an insult sharper than laughter. Lin projected the lease-review clause, then a financing plan. Employee claims would serve as a going-concern commitment, not cash collateral. Suppliers would extend receivables. Twelve local investors would buy preferred interests, earning a fixed return while employees retained veto power over any lease sale.