The world of film and television begins in the ideal city

Let's go back to the present.

Shen Xuan suddenly said, "I've heard there's a lot of shady stuff going on with Tianke, a subsidiary of Yinghai, undertaking this affordable housing project. Should we take it?"

"Xiao Xuanzi, don't get involved in these underhanded schemes at such a young age. You'll just make a fool of yourself," Lin Chen quickly interrupted. Leaving aside the fact that these so-called shady dealings are just hearsay, and whatever they are, it's common knowledge within the industry and completely useless. Besides, even if they were useful, it would be a Pyrrhic victory, so there's no need to create unnecessary trouble.

"Alright, go ahead and do your thing. You don't need to worry about this," Lin Chen waved his hand.

Shen Xuan rolled his eyes and got up to leave, but then remembered something and quickly said, "Oh right, Brother Chen, several new girls have joined Xiao Li's group, and they need you to help assess their skills. Are you going tonight?"

"Go ahead, contact me tonight."

After Shen Xuan left, Lin Chen was busy for a while. Seeing that it was almost ten o'clock, he quickly dialed the landline short number to call his secretary, Li Wei.

A few seconds later, Secretary Li Wei knocked and entered. She was twenty-five years old, a recent graduate of a Shanghai finance university, and Lin Chen had carefully selected her during the company's campus recruitment drive. She was outwardly cold but inwardly warm, and had a simple mind; she had just joined the company last week. She wore a perfectly tailored smoky gray suit skirt, with crisp shoulders, a perfectly fitted waist, and a hem just past her knees, swaying gently as she walked, without any ostentation. Her legs were slender and straight, clad in matching stilettos that landed almost silently.

She has an oval face with a clean, sharp jawline. Her eyebrows are neither too thick nor too thin, slightly upturned but not seductive. Her eyes are long with a slight upward curve at the corners, and her pupils are deep in color. She has a high, straight nose, and full lips with a light, almost nude, moisturizing lipstick. When she smiles, the corners of her lips curve slightly, and even when she doesn't smile, she exudes a cool and aloof aura. Her hair is a deep brown-black, meticulously styled into a low bun, with all stray hairs neatly tucked away, leaving only a few strands behind her ears, revealing her slender and long neck. She wears no excessive jewelry, only a pair of tiny pearl stud earrings on her earlobes and a low-key thin-strapped watch on her wrist. Her overall appearance is clean and efficient, like that of a powerful career woman.

"President Shen," Li Wei stepped forward and bowed slightly.

Lin Chen looked up and smiled as a greeting, then said, "Go and tell Wang Yizheng and Liu Qi to come to my office, immediately. Also, book Rongji for lunch; I'm treating someone to lunch, you can arrange the dishes."

"Yes, Mr. Shen."

Lin Chen smiled slightly as he gazed at Li Wei's graceful figure.

A moment later, there was a light knock on the door, and Li Wei pushed it open to invite Liu Qi in. Liu Qi was thirty years old this year, with short hair neatly framing her face and neck, revealing her full profile. She wore a dark gray business suit, making her look capable and efficient.

Lin Chen had just gestured for her to sit down when Wang Yizheng entered, one after Liu Qi. Wang Yizheng was thirty-four years old, tall and thin, wearing black-rimmed glasses, and looked like a university professor. Both of them were VPs under Lin Chen.

Li Wei came in and served them tea, and the two thanked her profusely. After Li Wei left and closed the door...

Lin Chencai said, "Tell me your investigation results regarding Yinghai. Yizheng, you can start."

Wang Yizheng hurriedly said, "Yinghai Group is a leading enterprise in the domestic construction industry, with more than 30,000 employees. Its entire industry chain covers general contracting, real estate development, and infrastructure investment. It possesses three top-tier general contracting qualifications for building construction, municipal public works, and highway engineering, enabling it to undertake projects of all levels nationwide. Founded by Zhao Xiankun, the group has five subsidiaries with the 'Tian' designation: a general contracting company, a real estate company, Tiancheng, and Tianke. It also has branches in many parts of the country, forming a nationwide business layout. However, our undercover investigation of Yinghai uncovered many problems. Ten years ago, Yinghai wanted to go public, but the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) ultimately failed to approve it, wasting 300 million yuan. Most shareholders had strong opinions against Zhao Xiankun. Three years ago, Zhao Xiankun tried to restart the listing plan, but it didn't even pass the board meeting. Our investigation revealed that while Yinghai Group appears to have stable profits on paper, it is actually on the verge of collapse, mainly due to four unresolved issues: First, competition from its subsidiaries, such as Tianke and Tiancheng, completely overlaps with the group's main business, focusing on construction and competing for similar projects." Second, accounts receivable account for over 60% of total revenue, with numerous projects experiencing overdue payments and involving several unfinished projects, posing an extremely high risk of bad debts and significantly inflated book profits. Third, there are substantial related-party transactions and a large amount of off-book funds, clearly intended to embellish financial statements and evade regulatory scrutiny. Fourth, there are serious discrepancies between tax declarations and actual revenue, raising suspicions of tax evasion, and numerous logical contradictions exist in the financial data over the past three years. If we insist on pushing forward with the IPO, the financial audit process will inevitably fail.

Lin Chen nodded slightly and turned his gaze to Liu Qi.

"On the surface, Tianke and Yinghai Group appear to be legitimate businesses operating as parent and subsidiary companies, but in reality, numerous irregularities exist: First, illegal subcontracting and qualification lending are rampant, with many winning bids having contractors lacking the corresponding qualifications, involving multiple undisclosed labor disputes; second, Tianke uses shell suppliers to secretly intercept project payments, establishing off-the-books funds with clandestine flow; third, Tianke privately undertakes projects outside the Yinghai system, bypassing group approval, operating independently, completely detached from Yinghai's financial oversight, and maintaining secretive relationships with several senior executives of the group, creating a complex and intertwined chain of connections. Furthermore, Tianke has experienced several large outflows of funds in the past six months with unclear destinations, most likely indicating hidden transfers of benefits."

Wang Yizheng added at the opportune moment: "Yinghai's financial problems are completely linked to Tianke's off-book funds and illegal subcontracting. Once the investigation is deepened, the compliance loopholes of the entire group will be exposed."

Lin Chen nodded and praised, "Very good. You've found out so much in such a short time. You've done a great job. Yi Zheng, continue to dig deeper. I need to know where Zhao Xiankun's personal funds went. What he's accumulated over the decades is definitely not just what's on the books."

He then turned to Liu Qi and said, "And Liu Qi, you continue investigating Tianke. Find out where their slush fund is hidden. Especially Xia Ming, he's the de facto head of Tianke, so you need to keep a close eye on him. Be careful, he's very cautious."

Liu Qi said, "Okay, Mr. Lin, I will keep a close eye on him. I know he's the nephew of Huang Lilin, the general manager of Tianke. He's very capable, and Huang Lilin trusts him a lot. Tianke's business has improved significantly in recent years, thanks to Xia Ming. Tianke's secret slush fund is probably Xia Ming's doing. We can find out about it, and Zhao Xiankun should be able to as well. But why are they doing this? Yinghai Group is a leading company in the domestic construction industry. They've cut themselves off from Yinghai; are they thinking of starting their own business?"

"Don't jump to conclusions. If they just want to start their own business, then everyone's goals are not in conflict."

Lin Chen, of course, knew Xia Ming's plans. As the male lead of this TV series, Xia Ming was arguably the most insightful, human-aware, and patient character in the entire show. He was highly intelligent, shrewd, and adept at leveraging situations to his advantage. Just by looking at his scheme against Xu Feng, one could understand his methods. He had long seen through Xu Feng's eagerness for quick success coupled with his naivety. First, he deliberately exposed loopholes in Tianke's accounts, luring Xu Feng into the audit with great enthusiasm. Then, he secretly inflated costs and planted vague invoices, making Xu Feng believe he had solid evidence and press him relentlessly. Once Xu Feng had made his stance clear and brought the conflict to the forefront, Xia Ming subtly revealed the pre-prepared details of related-party transactions and industry unspoken rules. This both confirmed Xu Feng's lack of expertise and his baseless accusations, and laid bare the group's rules and interpersonal dynamics, leaving Xu Feng in a difficult position.

Throughout, Xia Ming maintained a calm tone and respectful attitude, making every step logical and flawless. Yet, he subtly diminished Xu Feng's arrogance and cut off his support, forcing Zhao Xiankun to abandon Xu Feng early on. However, he wasn't exactly a bad person; workplace struggles are understandable. And all he did was protect his uncle's company.

After discussing for a while longer, Lin Chen glanced at his watch and prepared to end the discussion. Wang Yizheng and Liu Qi tactfully took their leave.

Secretary Li Wei came in, tidied up the tea set, and then said to Lin Chen, "Mr. Lin, the restaurant reservation has been made. Should I inform your friends?"

Lin Chen smiled mischievously. "Okay, here's her phone number: 135xxx5566."

"Ah!" Li Wei exclaimed in surprise, then immediately covered her mouth, a blush spreading across her face.

"Haha, I wasn't here when you started last week, so today is convenient. We both graduated from the University of Finance and Economics, so I'm your senior. You work so hard, I should treat you to a big meal. I wonder if Li Wei, my junior, has time for lunch? Would you like to have lunch together?" Lin Chen said with a slight smile.

"Ah, I, I, okay, Mr. Lin," Li Wei said, looking flattered and a little flustered.

"Junior, don't be so reserved. You can call me 'senior' or 'Brother Chen' in private. You'll find I'm easy to get along with once you get to know me. Okay, go get ready, we'll be down in a bit."

"Okay, senior." Li Wei hurriedly walked out of the office, her blush still lingering. Her heart was still pounding as she entered the secretary's dressing room.

She knew Lin Chen very well; he was Professor Wang's prized student. Professor Wang often mentioned Lin Chen, praising his keen eye, his humble and modest nature, and his enthusiasm for helping fellow alumni. She had long heard of Lin Chen's success in investing in the water plant and the recently skyrocketing digital technology sector; otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed to be his secretary.

After spending the past week with him, she discovered that he was not only tall and handsome, but also gentle and kind. When she made a mistake the day before yesterday, Lin Chen comforted her. He was practically a real-life Prince Charming. She had a good impression of Lin Chen, but the gap between them was too big. She never expected Lin Chen to invite her to dinner, which made her start to overthink.