When Meng Hui saw me asking about import and export trade fees, he smiled and said, "It seems that this is Mr. Duan's first time cooperating with Mr. Liang and he is not familiar with his overseas money laundering methods. To put it simply, your company and the business you are engaged in are actually real, but the way you report the expenses is fake."

I was even more confused: "You mean, we also need to be involved in management?"

Meng Hui smiled and said, "No need for that. I just want to explain this to you, and it will take some time."

I replied seriously, "This is a serious matter. Wasting some time is nothing, but I need to understand what risks there are in having a monkey as the company's legal representative."

"Okay, then I'll tell you about it."

Meng Hui lit a cigarette and slowly said, "First of all, the profits of your company come from Mr. Su's business, and almost all of his money comes from overseas! Before I came here, Mr. Su said that you are also one of the shareholders and told me not to hide it from you, so I will try to explain it to you as concisely as possible."

In fact, Mr. Su's partners are not only domestic distributors, but also some overseas auction houses, especially many in Southeast Asia. They have close ties with Mr. Su, purchasing high-precision replicas and then auctioning them off as genuine articles under a third-party name.

I recalled how Su Jialiang had taken an extremely firm stance when negotiating with Uncle Gen in the south, demanding the return of the Southeast Asian market. I nodded to Meng Hui to continue.

"Most of the auctions in those Southeast Asian countries are held by third-rate auction houses, and the items are a mix of genuine and fake. Of course, that's none of our business! But your art company often has to auction items in the name of the consignor."

Meng Hui fiddled with the teacups on the table, listing the roles played by each party: "But this kind of auction, whether it's the buyer or the seller, is actually fictitious. It's like Mr. Liang's money went around overseas, then used an overseas company to buy collectibles, allowing them to legally flow into the country and back into your hands! All the costs incurred in this process need to be borne by your company. Of course, it's not just your income that needs to pay this fee, but also the investment company under Mr. Su's name."

Mr. Su did this to minimize the risk of money laundering. As long as he, as the source, doesn't cause any problems, our business will be absolutely flawless. After all, the antique trade is different from fraud, and we are the source, so the money is clean. Even if someone is scammed by fake antiques, we can't be held responsible. Therefore, the company's risk is equivalent to zero.

When I heard that even Su Jialiang couldn't avoid these extra expenses, I immediately lost my temper: "After the company is established, how long will it take for us to see profits?"

"That depends on the frequency of auctions held overseas. Generally speaking, overseas auctions are held once a quarter, and our money is also deposited into the account once a quarter. As for things like reconciling the accounts, you will need to communicate with Mr. Su personally."

After answering my questions in detail, Meng Hui smiled professionally and asked, "Mr. Duan, do you have any other questions that I would like to answer?"

"there is none left."

I learned that we didn't need to handle these matters ourselves, and that Monkey wouldn't take any risks, so I had no more doubts: "You can just liaise with Monkey about setting up the company; he can represent me completely."

Meng Hui nodded: "No problem, but I don't know what name we'd like to call our new company?"

"Let's call it Hongyu, Hong as in red and Yu as in jade."

After thinking about it, I chose a name that sounds like my grandfather's name. Although this company is just an empty shell, it is still my first business after I started my career. Choosing this name is also a way of commemorating my grandfather.

After handing over the company's affairs to Monkey, I became completely idle.

Mr. Leng has already spread the word about the Imperial Seal, and Su Jialiang has also agreed to help me find Duan Jinyan's whereabouts. After losing my all-powerful ally, Song Laosan, I can no longer take the initiative and can only wait patiently.

After several busy months, I was finally able to relax a bit and return to Wangyunzhai alone.

In the blink of an eye, I've been away from here for almost half a year. It took me a whole day to tidy up the room.

I lay on the rocking chair my grandfather left me by the door, watching the bustling traffic outside. I felt like everything I had experienced was a dream. When I woke up, I was still the small business owner busy making a living.

But reality quickly made me realize that I could never go back to the past.

Before the Wei family found me, I lived in poverty and hardship. I worked hard every day just to fulfill my grandfather's last wish and keep Wangyunzhai afloat.

I now have millions in savings, and the soon-to-be-established Hongyu Art Investment Company will bring me tens of millions in profits every year. Given my lifestyle, I would have already achieved financial freedom by now.

Ever since leaving the tomb of the King of Ze, I've felt like I have a huge weight on my heart. I thought that living alone in the pawnshop would calm me down, but instead, I can't stop thinking about these things every day.

There was little business at the shop that day, and I was feeling particularly down, so I closed early and wandered around the streets alone. By some strange twist of fate, I flagged down a taxi and went to Sanhao Street.

Last year, when I was working as a designated driver, I would wait for a car in front of a bar on Sanhao Street every day. It was said to be one of the most expensive bars in Shenyang. At the time, I couldn't understand what kind of person could go there every night to party. I even secretly vowed that if I ever won the lottery, I would also go there to splurge.

When I arrived at the bar, before I could even go inside, a few young men approached me. One of them looked me up and down and tentatively asked, "Duan Shenxing, is that you?"

I heard someone call out my name, and I instinctively looked over. I saw several of my old classmates, and they laughed too: "Jiang Bo, Liu Jun, Big Head!"

"Oh, it really is you!"

The guy with the big head who called my name came up and gave me a hug, then punched me in the chest: "You're really shameless! We were such good friends back in school, but you've cut off all contact with us since graduation!"

Seeing my childhood friends from school made me genuinely happy. Faced with their complaints, I could only smile wryly and say, "I'm different from you guys. You all went to university, and I had to work hard to make a living. Once, my phone was stolen on the bus, and I lost your contact information! Since we've met here, let's make the most of this opportunity. I'll treat you to drinks today!"

"Come on, this bar is too expensive. Let's go somewhere else to drink!"

Big Head and I were very close friends back then. When he saw me, he grabbed my wrist and led me across the street into a seafood restaurant on the other side.

When I saw the place he chose, I was speechless: "You said going to a bar is expensive, but this place probably isn't cheap either, is it? You've always liked to act all high and mighty since you were little. But let's make it clear beforehand, this meal is on me!"

"This meal isn't really for you, because today is our high school reunion!"

As Big Head spoke, he pushed open the door in front of him: "Brothers and sisters, come and see who I've brought!"

The men and women who were originally making a lot of noise in the room were all drawn to the big head's roar and looked towards the door.

When my eyes met those of a girl in the room, I froze.