Lulu lives in company-subsidized housing. Her three-bedroom apartment in Beijing 's upscale San Yuan Qiao neighborhood is worth 700,000 yuan. Recently she found out that the magazine she works for wants to sell the flat to a staffer – and she is being considered.
"I would like to buy it, but I can't afford it," Lulu tells Sukang, her boss.
"Yes you can. We are selling it for just seventy thousand yuan!" he replies.
"Really? Just one-tenth of its market price?"
"Yes," says Sukang winking. "As a perk for an employee."
Buying apartments and selling them cheaply to employees is common practice in China. Both employers and employees get a tax break. But normally it's 10 percent or 20 percent off the market value. Offering a place for one-tenth of the market value is rare indeed. Last year, ugly arguments usually erupted when there was a similar announcement. Four older, married senior editors almost went to war over one apartment offered way below market price. Now it could be her turn.
Sukang tells Lulu there are two other senior editors under consideration. "Who is chosen depends on your performance," Sukang says with a subtle smile. "This is the last time an offer like this will be made. I am your superior and you had better make me happy."
Lulu understands what Sukang means, but she has never been good at sucking up to her boss. She also knows that whoever gets the apartment will receive the equivalent of 640,000 yuan. It's a terrific deal. Later, she hears her competitors have already visited Sukang's home bearing expensive gifts.
"What should I do?" she asks Beibei and me.
"Take gifts to your boss at once," Beibei suggests.
"Isn't that bribery?" Lulu asks. "I've never given him anything. Now, all of a sudden, I go to his house bearing gifts? That is too obvious."
Beibei replies: "Bribery is an art. If you give your boss money, he must refuse, but if you put the money in a red envelope as a gift to his kid, he won't say no. Always avoid a direct and obvious bribe. Rule No. 1: Be subtle. Rule No. 2: Timing is everything. Chinese New Year is the perfect time to give gifts. The bribe is concealed within a legitimate gift. You've come to pay seasonal respects, and never mention the apartment in conversation."
"What gift should I give?" Lulu asks.
"What are his vices? If he is a drinker, give him imported liquor," I suggest.
"Brandy or scotch whiskey or cognac?" Lulu asks.
"How old is he?" Beibei asks.
"Fifty-five."
"Choose something in a nice bottle with fancy wrapping," Beibei says. "What about a bottle of VSOP? Men his age can't tell the difference in price between a VSOP and an XO. For them it's good as long as it has English letters."
Following our advice, Lulu rushes out and buys the VSOP. At the bank, she withdraws ten new one-hundred-yuan notes. She puts the money in a red envelope with a small card saying, "To Dede from Auntie Lulu." Dede is her supervisor's son. But later, she throws away the card, deciding instead to slip the envelope into the VSOP package. Everything had better be subtle.
On New Year's Eve, she visits Sukang's home. He appears gracious and friendly. He receives gifts all the time, so to him it is quite normal. For the first time, he asks her about her hobbies and her family. She feels at ease, sensing definite rapport.
A few days later Lulu gets together with Beibei and me.
Before she can start to describe the whole affair concerning the apartment, Beibei says, "I'm exhausted. Too many employees visited me. They gave me so much stuff, I don't have enough space for it so I'm giving you each a bottle of VSOP."
We say thanks and unwrap the bottle. Amazingly, Lulu sees a familiar red envelope that falls out from her bottle of VSOP. Inside the envelope are ten crisp one-hundred-yuan notes.
Beibei says, "I'll take the money back and leave you the VSOP if that's okay."
"But it's my money!" Lulu screams.
"Why yours? I just gave this to you. You're so ungrateful!" Beibei says as she snatches the money out of Lulu's hands.
"Who is it from?" asks Lulu.
"One of my employees. His wife teaches but wants to become a singer. She wants to sign with us."
"Where does she teach?"
"The Anan English Elementary School," says Beibei.
"That's an expensive gift for a teacher to give, isn't it?" I say.
"Come on, nowadays all the kids in school are from one-child families. Most parents try to curry favor with nice gifts," Beibei says. "I bet teachers get lots of liquor as gifts. That's why she didn't bother to open this package."
"Sukang's chi ld Dede goes to that school. I gave Sukang the VSOP and the money!" Lulu says, shocked.
"What goes around, comes around," Beibei says as she reaches for the bottle. "Let's have a drink and use up this one thousand yuan."