Chapter 59
Yuan Er was even more puzzled, "What preparations?"
Gao Yinxi picked and chose to tell Yuan Ergeng what Li Chi'an was doing.
"Impressive," Yuan Er said with even more admiration. "I wonder if Chen Li will regret this."
His wife became an internet sensation after their divorce.
It is evident that the future prospects for making money are promising.
"I want him to regret it." Gao Yinxi had always harbored resentment towards Chen Li. "Those who use any means to gain fame and fortune will one day be devoured by them. Chen Li thought that getting on the list of the Lin family would bring him great wealth and honor in the future. Good fortune is supported by virtue. With his despicable behavior, his retribution is already on the table."
Yuan Ergeng stood to the side, trembling, not daring to utter a sound.
After a while, once Gao Yinxi had calmed down, she asked softly, "Li Chi'an and Young Master Yu are getting quite close. Haven't anything happened between them, a man and a woman alone together for so long?"
"Get out!" Out of consideration for Li Chi'an, Gao Yinxi did not want to tell too many people about her relationship with Yu Shi for the time being.
Including Yuan Ergeng.
...
The air in the tax bureau's cramped interrogation room was so thick it was suffocating.
Xu Zhuwen sat upright in the hardwood chair, looking calmly at the investigator opposite her.
This was the second time in three months that she had been asked to cooperate with the investigation, all because of that name: Qian Song.
“Ms. Xu, thank you for your cooperation. We noticed that a sum of 200,000 was transferred out of your account last May, with the recipient being pure-bule. Could you explain the purpose of this payment?” The investigator adjusted his glasses, his tone official and restrained.
Xu Zhuwen exhaled softly, "That was a loan. At the time, Qian Song said the company urgently needed working capital and promised to repay it in three months. I have transfer records and chat logs as proof, which I have already provided to you."
The door was pushed open, and another investigator led in a middle-aged woman dressed in a designer suit.
Xu Zhuwen looked up and was slightly taken aback. It was President Li, the "benefactor" Qian Song had mentioned. Later, after some investigation, she learned about her: Li Yingjie, a well-known businesswoman in the local business community, who owned several clothing companies.
Mr. Li clearly recognized Xu Zhuwen as well, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes before he resumed his businessmanly smile and sat down in the seat designated by the investigator.
The investigation lasted two hours.
The tax officials' questions were sharp and detailed, focusing primarily on the flow of funds at Qian Song Company over the past three years.
Xu Zhuwen answered each question one by one, providing the pre-prepared transfer records and loan vouchers.
She noticed that things weren't going so smoothly with Mr. Li; she frequently heard vague responses and phrases like "needs to be verified."
It was already evening when we finished.
Xu Zhuwen carried her bag out of the tax bureau building. The evening breeze brushed against her face, slightly dispelling the gloom in her heart.
She hoped this would be the last time.
"Ms. Xu," came Mr. Li's voice from behind, "would you like a cup of coffee sometime?"
Xu Zhuwen turned around, looked at the woman who was more than ten years older than her, and nodded.
The coffee shop was filled with a rich aroma, a stark contrast to the atmosphere of the tax bureau just now.
Li Yingjie ordered hand-drip Geisha tea for the two of them, his movements elegant and practiced.
“I know you.” Xu Zhuwen stirred her coffee and got straight to the point. “Qian Song once told me that you were his benefactor.”
As for the other relationships, she discovered them through her investigation.
Mr. Li raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised that Qian Song would mention him to Xu Zhuwen, yet also with a hint of smugness, "Really? He said that?"
Xu Zhuwen made no attempt at pleasantries, directly taking out the tax bureau's notification from her bag and pushing it in front of the other person.
The paper clearly lists the "abnormal fund inflows" of Qian Song Company over the past three years, with multiple remittance sources pointing to companies under Li Yingjie's name, and the funds ultimately flowing back to her overseas accounts.
Li Yingjie's smile froze on his face, and his coffee cup stopped in mid-air.
“I don’t know about these things…” she tried to explain, but Xu Zhuwen interrupted her.
“Mr. Li, I don’t care what underhanded things you and Qian Song are up to. I just hope that no one tries to burden me with debts and stigma that are not mine.” Xu Zhuwen’s voice was calm but cold and hard. “My financial transactions with Qian Song are clean and transparent. Every transaction is recorded and has an IOU. I’m not afraid of being investigated, but being investigated frequently is annoying.”
Li Yingjie's face turned ugly, his lips trembled slightly but he couldn't speak.
"I don't care where Qian Song is, nor do I care about your affairs," Xu Zhuwen continued, her gaze sharp. "Just tell him to live your lives well and not to bother me. Otherwise, I have plenty of ways to make your investment business as worthless as Qian Song's company."
Li Yingjie was so shocked by this blunt threat that he was speechless for a long time. His face turned from white to green, and his fingers unconsciously tapped the rim of his coffee cup.
After a long pause, she spoke with a complicated expression, "You are smarter than I thought."
"Are you guys stupid, or am I? Did you think I didn't know what you were doing?"
Xu Zhuwen said nothing more after leaving a comment, got up, left the money for the coffee, and walked straight out of the store.
A gentle autumn breeze brushed against her cheeks. She took a deep breath, hoping to completely escape Qian Song's shadow.
...
The following evening, Xu Zhuwen arranged to meet Gao Yinxi and Li Chian at a highly-rated restaurant.
This restaurant is hidden in an old alley, with an inconspicuous signboard, but it has the most authentic home-style dishes in the whole city.
"If you hadn't reminded me back then, I'm afraid I would be going in with Qian Song now." Xu Zhuwen poured osmanthus wine for his two friends and told them about the investigation he was currently under.
Gao Yinxi waved her hand, "Come on, you already had your doubts, we just gave it a push."
Li Chi'an nodded in agreement, "That's right, you had already discovered quite a few loopholes back then, but you just needed a bit of courage to admit that you had been deceived."
Xu Zhuwen shook his head with a sigh.
When she first met Qian Song, it was through her aunt's introduction. He was a very respectable person. Although he was older, his parents were retired from high positions and had a considerable pension. He had an older brother with a successful career, and he himself was a creative designer with his own brand company. He was witty and considerate towards her.
Who would have thought that all of this was an elaborate illusion?
“I’m now completely timid about money and power.” Xu Zhuwen took a sip of her drink. “I no longer think that how much wealth or status I have is important, or even whether I’m happy or not. Being able to spend a peaceful and serene day is good enough.”
Gao Yinxi seemed thoughtful. "But you still need to earn money for your retirement."
"Yes, so now I just want to work hard and save up for retirement," Xu Zhuwen said with a smile. "A simple life is the most precious."
Li Chi'an raised his cup and said softly, "My cousin doesn't have to worry about her retirement, and she doesn't have much financial pressure. She's thought it through completely, so she should just do whatever makes her happy. As long as she's healthy and happy, that's all that matters."
Xu Zhuwen laughed, "Now I'm quite grateful to my twenties for being so determined to take the civil service exam in my hometown and come here."
"Salute to the brave self who pursues dreams!"
The three clinked glasses.
From a certain perspective, all three of them are people with ideals and are willing to take action.
After discussing Xu Zhuwen's matter, the topic shifted to Gao Yinxi and Li Chi'an's recent entrepreneurial plans.
Gao Yinxi suddenly remembered something, "Oh right, I remember you took a sommelier course, right? And you even got a certificate."
“Yes, I took the advanced sommelier exam the year before last, but I was too busy to continue taking the higher exams,” Xu Zhuwen replied.
“Sis, if you find class too annoying, you can do something on your own in your spare time, and you can even earn some extra money on the side.” Li Chi’an’s eyes lit up.
"Me?" Xu Zhuwen asked in surprise, "What can I do?"
“You could totally do high-end wine event planning! A lot of companies need this kind of service now, it helps maintain client relationships and showcases their taste,” Gao Yinxi quickly suggested. “Anyway, you have a lot of connections with international wine merchants.”
The three of them got more and more excited as they chatted, when Gao Yinxi suddenly remembered something. "Speaking of which, the Rose Manor in the southern suburbs is currently up for rent. My friend said the rent is surprisingly reasonable, and I'm thinking about whether I should go take a look?"
Xu Zhuwen was somewhat surprised, "Weren't you always managing the Six Senses Hotel? Do you have time to do other things?"
Gao Yinxi's expression changed subtly. "Six Senses Hotel is not mine after all. The building and the hotel are owned by my father. I worked so hard to make it bigger back then to repay my father. I never thought about getting anything from Six Senses. Besides, I think the hotel will be left to Yanshu in the future."
One reason why Six Senses Hotels is so profitable in Xianghai is that the property in the Six Senses Hotel building belongs to Gaoshanhai.
A moment of silence fell over the room.
Both of them knew about the complicated relationship between Gao Yinxi and her adoptive father's family.
She devoted more than a decade to the Gao family business, turning Six Senses Hotels into a local landmark, but gradually felt like an "outsider".
Xu Zhuwen said softly, "Your brother doesn't know anything yet."
“He will grow up eventually.” Gao Yinxi still loves her younger brother very much. “Besides, I have always been guiding him step by step.”
Li Chi'an knew that Gao Yinxi wasn't attached to Liu Shan, but she was inevitably hurt by her adoptive father's differential treatment. She looked at Gao Yinxi and said, "As long as you have the ability, you can have the country. As long as you want, you can have the next Liu Shan, and countless more."
Gao Yinxi smiled and said in a relatively calm tone, "This period of rest has made me realize that it seems like nothing is indispensable to me. Everyone is more resilient than I thought and can live well. From now on, I want to do what I really want to do, live for myself, and earn money for myself."
She paused, her eyes softening, "And also, love your daughter well and take her to see the world."
Xu Zhuwen raised her glass, "Cheers to our new beginning."
The three glasses clinked together in mid-air, producing a crisp sound, like a note marking a turning point in fate.
...
A month later, Xu Zhuwen finally concluded all tax investigations and was exonerated.
Meanwhile, she heard that Li Yingjie's company was undergoing a full audit, and that Qian Song's name had quietly appeared on the suspect lists of several financial fraud cases.
Of course, this couldn't be kept from my parents.
Xu Zhuwen had kept her breakup with Qian Song a secret from her parents to avoid family disputes. Now that Qian Song is having financial problems, Li's parents are worried about Xu Zhuwen. When they asked, they found out that their daughter had already broken up with him. So, they called his parents and scolded them.
I prayed to the gods and Buddhas at home, thanking the Bodhisattva for protecting me. Fortunately, my daughter escaped early, and the two of us didn't get married.
"My parents don't pressure me to get married anymore, and they're too embarrassed to ask me to go on blind dates." Xu Zhuwen couldn't help but laugh when talking about her family's attitude towards Qian Song.
"That's the only positive feedback you've received in this relationship," Li Chi'an said with a smile.
"Still in love." Gao Yinxi's pregnancy was stable, and the three of them went to see the Rose Manor together on the weekend.
"I don't know if I'm pregnant now, but suddenly I feel that love is too narrow compared to life."
Xu Zhuwen and Li Chian laughed, "Perhaps romantic love isn't that important to us in life."
“None of us three are chasing worldly meanings, like the happiness of having a wife and children, a warm bed, and three meals a day for two throughout the year,” Gao Yinxi said with emotion.
Xu Zhuwen and Li Chian nodded, agreeing with Gao Yinxi.
Because they prefer not to devote themselves entirely to their families, they are more willing to strive for their ideals and pursue the world and distant horizons.
Rose Manor is an old-style manor located in the southern suburbs of the city. The main buildings are six three-story Western-style buildings with a sense of history, surrounded by a large garden and grape trellis. Although it is somewhat abandoned, the layout is still intact.
"This place is truly beautiful," Li Chi'an exclaimed. "With a little renovation, it would be an absolutely perfect venue for high-end wine parties, wine tasting salons, and wedding banquets."
Gao Yinxi's eyes lit up. "There's a wine cellar in the basement of this manor. Would you like to go take a look?"
Li Chian quit drinking and had little interest in the wine cellar.
Xu Zhuwen's eyes lit up, "Let's go!"
The three of them were led by the estate staff to the wine cellar in the basement.
“The temperature and humidity in this wine cellar are just right.” Xu Zhuwen walked slowly along the corridor, her fingers lightly tracing the slightly mottled walls, and suddenly felt a wonderful sense of belonging.
She turned to her two friends, "Let's team up."
Gao Yinxi and Li Chian exchanged a glance and smiled at the same time.
“That’s exactly what I was waiting for!” Li Chi’an said with a smile. “I’ll be in charge of event planning, Yinxi will be in charge of customer resources and estate management, and you will be in charge of wine selection and event organization.”
“I can be responsible for wine tasting and coffee training, as well as event planning,” Xu Zhuwen continued. “But I can’t quit my job and can’t devote myself entirely to the estate. However, that’s okay, I can take a smaller share.”
“Since we’re going to work together on this project,” Gao Yinxi said, “we need to agree that everything must be done according to a gentleman’s agreement.”
"Let's be cautious and honest when making agreements," Li Chi'an added. "So that later, for the sake of profit, we don't end up losing both money and friendship."
“Then we need to draft a detailed agreement from the start, including what we have now, what we can provide to the manor, and what we want in return.” Gao Yinxi’s mind immediately started working. “Including what happens in the future, such as how we should withdraw if any of us are unable to provide value to the manor.”
"Can."
"Me too."
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