Chapter Thirty-Seven: Hatred is Easier Than Debt
The tax office's inquiry room was brighter than I had imagined.
Cheng Yin sat on a hard wooden chair, a disposable paper cup of warm water in front of her. The air conditioning was set very low, and her fingertips felt slightly cool.
"Ms. Cheng, please double-check this report." The tax official across from her pushed a stack of documents towards her. "What was the actual purpose of the 20 million yuan that the Li Group remitted to Canaan Island on November 3rd last year?"
Cheng Yin opened the document and checked the numbers line by line. This was the account she had done herself, and every number was as clear as if it were engraved in her mind.
"Hotel renovation costs." She pointed to the attached contract, "This is the renovation agreement for the Xidu Jinxiao Hotel, signed by both parties."
The officials exchanged a glance and continued to press for other accounts.
Cheng Yin answered fluently, and each payment was supported by a contract or receipt.
Three hours later, the leading official closed the folder.
"Thank you for your cooperation." He stood up. "We will contact you again if we need anything further."
As Cheng Yin walked out of the tax bureau building, the sunlight made her squint.
The black Mercedes was parked on the side of the road, and Lin Shirong stood beside the car waiting for her, his gaze behind his gold-rimmed glasses calm and normal.
"Smoothly?" He opened the car door.
Cheng Yin nodded: "They didn't find anything unusual."
Lin Shirong's smile relaxed almost imperceptibly: "Get in the car, I'll take you home."
The car drove away from the tax bureau and merged into the traffic flow in Haojiang. Looking at the familiar street scene outside the window, Cheng Yin suddenly asked, "Have you found the whistleblower?"
Lin Shirong tapped his fingers on the steering wheel: "King's brother has been dealt with."
"deal with?"
"He's been sent back to Siam," Lin Shirong said casually. "He won't come to Haojiang again."
"Where is Li Yaodong?" she changed the subject.
"Something came up," Lin Shirong said, adjusting his glasses. "I'm letting you rest at home for a few days."
Cheng Yin looked at Lin Shirong's profile; the reflection from his glasses obscured his eyes. His answer was too official, as if he were hiding something. But she simply nodded, leaned back in her seat, and closed her eyes to rest.
Cheng Yin was already asleep when the black Mercedes drove into the driveway of Li Yaodong's mansion.
Lin Shirong gently woke her up: "Don't go to the company recently. Contact me by phone if anything happens."
"I work..."
"Dong-ge said to pause for a few days," Lin Shirong interrupted her, "until the storm passes."
Cheng Yin didn't ask any further questions.
She walked into the empty mansion. The nanny was on vacation, and the whole house was as quiet as a tomb.
There was food prepared in the refrigerator; it could be heated up in the microwave and eaten. She ate a quick dinner and sat on the living room carpet to continue checking the accounts.
She put down her phone and turned on the TV.
Local news was reporting on a surprise inspection by the tax authorities, and the camera flashed across the gate of the Lai Group. The reporter said in Cantonese that "a well-known casino is suspected of money laundering."
Cheng Yin turned off the TV and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. The night view of Haojiang was still dazzling, but at this moment it seemed so distant, as if viewed through a layer of frosted glass.
Meanwhile, in a bar in the old town, Li Yaodong, Lin Shirong, and He Jingwen sat in a booth in the far corner. They had already drunk half a bottle of whiskey, Li Yaodong's tie hung loosely around his neck, and his eyes were bloodshot.
"Are you really going to do this?" He Jingwen asked, his tongue slurring. "Isn't Accountant Cheng doing a good job?"
Li Yaodong didn't answer, but instead tilted his head back and took a swig of wine.
The alcohol burned his throat, but couldn't quench the dull pain in his chest. "Have you made the contact?" he asked Lin Shirong, his voice hoarse.
Lin Shirong nodded: "Two in Wushan and one in Liwan, all top-tier financial companies." He took a folder from his briefcase. "The headhunter will use a high-salary offer to poach her, so she won't suspect anything."
Li Yaodong nodded: "And the salary?"
"Starting salary is 30,000, plus commission." Lin Shirong produced a document. "This is the job description."
Li Yaodong glanced at it, then closed the folder: "Not enough."
"Brother Dong, this is already..."
"Add another thirty percent," Li Yaodong interrupted him, "housing allowance, transportation allowance, all reimbursed."
He Jingwen's eyes widened: "Holy crap, this salary is even higher than our director's!"
Li Yaodong gave him a cold look, and He Jingwen immediately shut up.
Lin Shirong looked at Li Yaodong thoughtfully: "Are you really decided?"
"Hmm." Li Yaodong poured himself another glass of wine. "Schedule the interviews next week."
"She might not accept," Lin Shirong cautioned.
Li Yaodong's fingers traced the lines of his wine glass. "She will." He looked up, his eyes sharp as knives. "Because she deserves it."
He Jingwen scratched his head: "Brother Dong, I don't understand. Weren't Accountant Cheng and you getting along really well? Why suddenly..."
"Xu Chen has paid back the money," Li Yaodong suddenly said.
He Jingwen was taken aback: "Huh?"
"Five thousand two hundred a month, five installments paid off," Li Yaodong sneered. "At this rate, it'll take fourteen years to pay it off."
He Jingwen's mouth dropped open: "Is that kid playing around?"
"No, he's very serious." Li Yaodong's gaze drifted into the distance. "More serious than any of us."
Lin Shirong suddenly realized something: "So you let Cheng Yin leave because..."
"Because Xu Chen and I are both her abyss." Li Yaodong's voice was low.
These words struck like a stone, landing heavily in the center of the booth.
He Jingwen wrung his hands helplessly, while Lin Shirong fell into deep thought.
"She will hate you," Lin Shirong finally said.
Li Yaodong smiled, a bitter smile: "That's even better." He swirled his wine glass. "Hatred is easier to repay than debt."
The dim lighting in the bar cast varying shadows on the faces of the three men.
He Jingwen suddenly raised his glass: "A toast to Brother Dong!" he shouted, "A toast to...a toast to that damn love!"
Li Yaodong didn't clink his glass, but simply stood up: "I'm leaving." He tossed down a few banknotes. "Send me your interview materials tomorrow."
The night breeze carried away a slight whiff of alcohol. Li Yaodong stood by the roadside waiting for a car when his phone vibrated; it was a text from Cheng Yin: "Are you asleep?"
He stared at those three words for a long time before finally replying, "Soon, you should get some rest."
As the car drove toward the mansion, Li Yaodong leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes to rest.
It's not a temporary retreat, but a complete letting go.
Cheng Yin should live in the sunlight, do a decent job, and earn a clean salary, instead of following him into the gray area where she could fall into the abyss at any time.
The mansion was quiet, with only a small light left on in the entryway.
Li Yaodong tiptoed upstairs, a faint light filtering through the crack in the master bedroom door. He pushed the door open and saw Cheng Yin asleep against the headboard, her laptop still on, the screen displaying dense reports.
Li Yaodong gently closed the laptop and carefully placed it aside.
Cheng Yin's sleeping face was as peaceful as a baby's, her eyelashes casting tiny shadows under her eyes, her lips slightly parted, and her breathing even. He reached out to touch her face, but stopped halfway, and in the end simply pulled the blanket over her gently.
On the bedside table was Cheng Yin's phone, the screen lit up with a text message from Xu Chen: "I can pay back six thousand next month, and I've received my overtime pay."
Li Yaodong's eyes darkened. He turned off his phone and walked to the window.
In the bathroom, the cold water washed away some of the effects of the alcohol.
What does Cheng Yin want? Security? Respect? Or...love? These words are too abstract; Li Yaodong isn't even sure if he understands their meaning.
All he knew was that if he kept her by his side, it would eventually ruin her. Just like that night at the factory in Siam, he almost lost her forever.
The mattress sank slightly as Li Yaodong carefully lay down, trying not to disturb Cheng Yin.
Li Yaodong gently stroked her hair, the strands as soft as silk, entwining around his fingers like a silent plea to stay.
Outside the window, a shooting star streaked across the night sky over Haojiang, disappearing in an instant.
Li Yaodong watched the light disappear into the horizon. The fairy godmother told Cinderella that the magic would disappear at midnight.
And now, his magic is about to fail.
Cheng Yin, nestled in his arms, was breathing steadily, her body temperature emanating through her pajamas, warm and real.
Li Yaodong lowered his head and gently kissed the top of her head, as if bidding farewell to a dream that had not yet been spoken.
"You'll be fine," he said silently. "Better than me."
He could give Cheng Yin a diamond mansion, but not a peaceful and stable life; he could give her the thrill of sword fights, but not the tranquility of a nine-to-five job; he could give her burning passion, but not a long-lasting and gentle love.
Cheng Yin deserves better.
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