Chapter 237 Not a Good Marriage
Lu Wei quickly scanned all the data and replied, "He's most likely Mr. Zheng's illegitimate son."
Official sources indicate that Mr. Zheng has two sons, both born to his first wife. After his first wife passed away, he remarried a woman twenty years his junior, but she was unable to bear children and raised the two sons as her own. Mr. Zheng also maintains a discreet personal life, remaining scandal-free.
Therefore, most people do not know or cannot find out that Mr. Zheng has an illegitimate child.
But an illegitimate child is an illegitimate child. Mr. Zheng had provided him with education, a job, and the support he needed to establish a presence within his own company. This was the maximum he could offer. Mr. Zheng's business would be inherited by his eldest son, while the second son would only be able to take over some minor areas. His main responsibility was actually to form alliances with other factions and consolidate the overall situation of the Zheng Group.
There is already such a difference between the eldest son and the second son, both of whom are born of legitimate parents, not to mention the illegitimate child who has no status. We certainly cannot think too much about it.
"I guess Ling Sida has always wanted to explore new markets, such as real estate business. He has no chance to share in the existing Zheng family business. He may want to start a new business while Mr. Zheng is still alive and can support him." Lu Wei analyzed and deduced based on the comprehensive data and the impression she had when she met him today.
Lin Ruoyan frowned slightly. "If Ling Sida really had this idea, it's clear that Mr. Zheng didn't approve of it. When we were discussing it in the Shanghai Stock Exchange, Mr. Zheng only used land as equity and had no major plans to expand the real estate business. Otherwise, he might have used this project to test the waters and cultivate a team capable of doing real estate."
"Boss Lin, did you see the reason for his divorce?"
"Well, I saw that he and his ex-wife divorced by mutual consent. They had been childless since their marriage, and their relationship broke down, so they let each other go." Lin Ruoyan smiled, "Are you hinting to me that Ling Sida's health is not good, so he has no children?"
"You can't tell from the outside whether a person is physically fit or not. Besides, the inability to have children is a matter between the man and the woman. Sometimes both parties are healthy, but they just aren't meant to be together." Lu Wei curled her lips and emphasized, "I think he's being so attentive to you, President Lin, and he must have some ulterior motive for trying to please you."
Lin Ruoyan said, "You weren't bribed by that guy to help him keep an eye on me and prevent me from going astray in love?"
Lu Wei hurriedly explained, "No, Mr. Lin, you misunderstood him. He doesn't have that much on his mind. What he said just now was just my own feelings and judgment. Just take it as a reference."
Lin Ruoyan pondered for a moment and murmured, "If there was something wrong with Ling Sida, why didn't Mr. Zheng warn me? Was he trying to train me and see how I would react to an emergency, or was he really trying to find me a good match?"
Everyone has different criteria for judging marriage. The older generation generally believes that a woman's proper destiny lies in finding a husband. They never consider whether a woman actually needs a man, nor do they consider the sacrifices a woman makes after marriage, or whether her quality of life declines. Consequently, society and morality have consistently obscured these kinds of female sacrifice, glorifying maternal devotion and other such practices, whitewashing an inherently unfair peace.
Lin Ruoyan's awareness hasn't reached a higher level. She understands the above principles, but she's unwilling to convince others to accept them. She's currently obsessed with spending money to prolong her life, unable to consider much else. If she has some free time, she only thinks about her family and those close to her. She's never considered what she could achieve on a larger scale.
The prodigal system said: [Host, do you want Ling Sida's information? ]
Lin Ruoyan said, "I've seen them all. How can you come up with something different? You must have some purpose, right?"
The Prodigal System praised: "Host, you are truly wise. It's just that I, the system, have a request. I just consulted the main system, and if you spend another thirty million on Wei Xu, I can achieve the achievement of "Spending lavishly on my best friend," and I can advance to a higher level. I'll give you Ling Sida's secrets, which you don't know, in exchange for some money from you. How's that for me?"
The system that already knew how to negotiate exchange terms had indeed evolved and matured. Lin Ruoyan thought about it. After all, Wei Xu was an actor signed by her film company, so it was not surprising to spend money on him. She wanted to know Ling Sida's secret more, so she decided to exchange.
"Tell me the information first. I need to make sure it's something I don't know." Lin Ruoyan asked.
The prodigal system said docilely: [Ling Sida wants to marry you so he can control the real estate projects in Lion City and give money to the white gloves.]
Lin Ruoyan didn't react at first, and only after careful consideration did she understand the deeper logic of this message.
Ling Sida appears to have a stellar resume and is a law-abiding taxpayer, but in reality, he may be operating a shady business. As Mr. Zheng's chief executive in Singapore, there are many things he might not be able to monitor. Singapore itself is a safe place, making illegal activities unlikely. However, legitimate transactions can be exploited to provide cover for other shady dealings.
For example, consider buying expensive luxury goods, such as watches and handbags, at a shopping mall. If a foreigner visiting Singapore goes to a large supermarket managed by Lingsida to buy luxury goods, and they pay with cash or foreign currency, such as green paper, would you accept it? Would you investigate where the green paper came from?
Generally, shopping malls simply verify that the green paper is genuine, collect the money, give the item, issue an invoice, and the transaction is settled. A few days later, the customer returns the item. The mall's policies allow for returns with or without a reason, or with a deduction of a handling fee. If the customer requests payment to a designated account, and the account is in good condition, and the item has an invoice and has not been opened or used, then of course the refund is granted.
The cash then becomes a source of money that is refunded to a designated bank through the mall's regular business channels. The mall does not care who owns the account or what their relationship is with the shopper.
On the surface, is this illegal bribery? If a shopper returns something they bought, and it wasn't given to anyone, what's the problem? If a store collects payment, issues an invoice, and refunds the customer to a designated account, that's also fine. It's just that the shopper and the recipient are not the same person, and there was no physical or temporal overlap, and no monetary exchange. In reality, both parties are aware of the situation when they check their accounts.
Just as items sold in shopping malls can be manipulated this way, so too can houses, offering higher value and more opportunities for profit. Even if you don't return the property, simply purchase it in foreign currency and then resell it on a second-hand basis, the cash becomes a reliable source of income. If a house is purchased at a high price and the owner, desperate for cash, sells it to someone at a lower price, the transaction can be finalized as long as both parties agree.
This is how many corruption cases in Southeast Asia arise. There is no trace of it, and it happens outside the country itself. Cash flows in foreign currencies, making it extremely covert.
It is unlikely that Lingsida was able to gain a foothold in Singapore and thrive in just a few years without any contact with such channels.
If he is an honest person, he can cooperate with the local police to prevent related businesses from happening in his own shopping mall. If he is selfish and wants to build his own network of contacts, he will most likely turn a blind eye and even take the initiative to facilitate related transactions and obtain benefits that cannot be bought with money.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
