Qin Si asked, “If I make the fire burn a little hotter, will you blame me?”
“Hm?”
The smile froze on Ji Shileng’s lips. He looked away from the screen in a daze, frowning slightly.
“Make it burn hotter?”
“I’ve intervened”
Qin Si smiled and waved his communicator.
Imperial Capital News deserved utter disgrace, but he intended to add one more accusation to the pile.
He wanted to send them all the way down to the nineteenth level of hell.
Eighteen plus one. No hope of ever escaping.
Ji Shileng didn’t ask for details. The searching look left his eyes.
“Why would I blame you? Just be careful not to give them anything to use against you”
Imperial Capital News was now like a rabid dog, biting anyone it encountered without restraint.
Qin Si slipped his communicator into his pocket and pushed him to catch up with the others, his voice as gentle as ever.
“All right. I won’t leave them anything”
He wasn’t as foolish as Imperial Capital News.
If he was going to do something underhanded, he would naturally erase every trace.
Police sirens pierced through the ceiling, startling the group.
At the front, Su Ke tactically retreated to join everyone else.
“What’s happening? Why are there police sirens again?”
Ji Shiyun shook her head, signaling for everyone to remain calm.
“Let’s go back first. It probably concerns Mr. Chang”
If something really had happened, they might not be able to leave even if they went downstairs.
No one objected. They followed her back toward the conference room.
Qin Si remained unhurried, carrying himself with the air of a man whose mission was accomplished.
There was no need to guess. He had certainly had a hand in this.
Otherwise, what had that earlier question been about?
Was he simply making trouble for its own sake? Hardly.
They opened the conference room door to find Xiao Ai helping Mr. Chang shakily to his feet. She looked surprised when she saw them return.
Before anyone could exchange greetings, synchronized footsteps sounded behind them. A bureau director led his people across the threshold.
What he hadn’t expected was to find a group of unexpected visitors in addition to Mr. Chang.
Even if he hadn’t met them in person, he had seen their photographs.
He approached with a smile.
“Miss Ji, a pleasure to meet you. I’m the director of the Tax Bureau”
Ji Shiyun remained composed.
“Hello. Ji Shiyun”
After a few polite exchanges, the director discreetly studied Ji Shileng and Qin Si behind her, then decided to address his business first.
“Mr. Chang, we received a report today alleging that you’ve been evading taxes”
An assistant handed him the documents. He took them and tossed them into Mr. Chang’s arms.
Xiao Ai caught the fluttering pages. Every sheet she glanced at clearly itemized illicit income, transaction by transaction.
“Tax evasion?”
Mr. Chang’s eyes widened in disbelief, his words coming quickly.
“Director, you must investigate this properly. We’ve been law-abiding citizens our whole lives. How could we possibly evade taxes?”
The director snorted, utterly unimpressed.
“Save it. Bring him in first”
He waved a hand. The staff behind him stepped forward, their presence immediately oppressive.
Knowing he was powerless, Mr. Chang pushed Xiao Ai aside and took a step toward them.
What went through his mind as he took that step?
Imperial Capital News at the height of its glory? Or the nights everyone had worked through when it was first established?
No one knew.
Since he cooperated, the director didn’t make things harder for him and prepared to leave with his detainee.
They had only just passed the middle of the year, and he was already worrying about his year-end targets. Then some kind soul had submitted a report that nailed Imperial Capital News.
Even a starving camel was bigger than a horse. However diminished the outlet was, there was bound to be plenty left to recover.
The director couldn’t hide his smile. While his subordinates gathered the documents, he chatted with the Ji family’s group.
“Strangely enough, we haven’t been able to find any information about the person who reported it”
“Their ability to avoid being traced is that good?”
He folded his arms.
“Yes. But that’s not our concern. If they can report it, we’ll investigate it properly”
His year-end targets were counting on Imperial Capital News and Mr. Chang.
After a few more casual remarks, he said goodbye, slipped his hands into his pockets, and led the procession out of the conference room.
Once they were all gone, Ji Shifeng spoke without avoiding Xiao Ai.
“Sis, what’s going on? I don’t remember us investigating their taxes”
Ji Shiyun was equally puzzled.
“I did look into them later, but I didn’t find anything wrong”
For a moment, she couldn’t tell whether her connections had failed her or Imperial Capital News had hidden things too well.
Tax affairs were difficult to investigate. Once you dug into their tangled connections, plenty of people were bound to become involved.
Shang Jianli and the Ministry of Publicity wouldn’t be foolish enough to expose the outlet’s tax problems.
Besides, only minutes earlier, Mr. Chang had said he had approached Shang Jianli’s father.
Even out of respect for his father, Shang Jianli wouldn’t have acted.
The strange thing was that no one besides them had reason to strike such a fatal blow against Imperial Capital News.
That was why Mr. Chang had given them several long looks before leaving.
He had assumed from the start that the Ji family had filed the report.
If Ji Shileng hadn’t been a member of that family himself, he would have thought so too.
He immediately declared, “I didn’t do it”
Ji Shiyun frowned, carefully reviewing everyone involved.
Then Ji Shifeng asked, “Sis, didn’t you take a call just now? What was it about?”
“Some romantic gossip about Xiaoshi. I was just about to ask what he thought when the Tax Bureau arrived”
Ji Shileng blinked.
“How is this about me again…?”
Ji Shiyun suddenly glanced at Qin Si behind him. An idea formed, but she said nothing more.
Someone capable of investigating Imperial Capital News’s taxes so quickly and submitting an untraceable report…
There was only one person like that among them.
She spoke pointedly.
“Imperial Capital News has made plenty of enemies. If someone we don’t know about is helping behind the scenes, all that matters is that they’re a friend”
Qin Si smiled without answering.
He had to do something to show the Ji family how he felt about Ji Shileng.
Otherwise, who would investigate taxes for no reason?
Xiao Ai stood in the corner, her head slightly bowed, concealing her expression.
On one hand, she felt the relief of freedom. Her grandfather had been taken away. No one would constrain her now.
On the other, the mess that was Imperial Capital News had fallen onto her shoulders.
But that was all right. She believed she could properly settle its final affairs.
“Miss Xiao Ai, we won’t trouble you any longer”
Ji Shiyun said goodbye.
Xiao Ai straightened, tidied her hair, and smiled.
“I’m sorry you had to witness all that today. Take care. I won’t see you out”
She would become someone like Ji Shiyun.
Once again, Ji Shileng and his wheelchair had both been “abducted” by Qin Si. He looked up, trying to work through his thoughts.
Seeing the conflict written all over his face, Qin Si couldn’t help smiling.
“If you want to ask something, just ask. Given our relationship, there’s no need to hesitate”
Ji Shileng was speechless.
Their relationship?
They were perfectly ordinary, upright friends. Nothing more.
Leave a Reply