Grandpa Huo wasn't in a hurry to have Ling Nuan return to the old mansion for training. But Huo Xiao was.
Although Ling Nuan had taken other actions under Qin Huan's guidance, Huo Xiao still didn't want to let go of this opportunity. She couldn't help but keep nagging in front of the old man.
"Grandpa, when is little aunt coming back to the old mansion?" Huo Xiao showed a look of concern. "I already have a child. Little uncle and little aunt are so focused on their work. When will I get a little brother or sister?"
Huo Xiao was in Grandpa Huo's good books. The old man had a favorable impression of her, and it wasn't just because of their blood - relation. She had put a lot of effort into pleasing the old man. Maybe it was the smartest thing she had ever done in her life.
She knew what Grandpa Huo cared about. As soon as she said this, it hit the nail on the head.
Grandpa Huo did hesitate for a moment, then said with a smile on his face, "These days, we should respect the young people's opinions."
Huo Xiao nodded beside him. "You're right. There are quite a lot of DINK families these days. Little uncle and little aunt are so busy. Having a child would take up so much of their energy."
The old man's eyelids twitched.
Having a child later was already his bottom - line. If they were to be DINK, it would be a disaster for him!
Grandpa Huo didn't say much in front of Huo Xiao. But as soon as she left, he immediately called Huo Linsheng.
He didn't dare to directly urge him to have a child, knowing his son's personality. He knew his son would only get more rebellious if he was pushed. So he had to find an excuse.
"Didn't you say before that Ling Nuan would come back to live in the old mansion? Have you set a specific time and schedule?" Grandpa Huo said seriously. "It's the end of the year. Besides our company's annual party, we also need to socialize with other families. It's the time for networking and entertainment. Ling Nuan needs to hurry up."
Huo Linsheng gave a grunt and replied, "It's the end of the year. The company is busy. We're short - handed. We still need Ling Nuan for a while."
The old man wasn't happy. "Didn't you say before that it would be okay without Ling Nuan?"
Huo Linsheng argued reasonably, "She's not indispensable for the project. But at the end of the year, we're short - handed. If we recruit new people, they'll need time to adapt. They may not be able to keep up with the team's tasks. Dad, I know what's important. Currently, the company's situation is more crucial."
Grandpa Huo: "..."
It seemed like he had all the right answers!
"As soon as the end - of - year rush is over, come back to me immediately!" Grandpa Huo set the final deadline.
"Sure, after we're done," Huo Linsheng replied.
Grandpa Huo never thought that when Huo Linsheng said "after we're done", he didn't mean the end - of - year period. The old man wasn't in a huge hurry. It was just the end of the year. It didn't matter.
After hanging up the phone, Grandpa Huo was satisfied. He even called the butler and told him to start renovating the house.
"The decoration of the house is too old - fashioned. The young people may not like it. Don't touch the other parts. But Linsheng's room must be renovated. Girls have a lot of clothes and jewelry. Connect the guest room next to Linsheng's room and turn it into a dressing room for Ling Nuan."
When Huo Xiao heard this, she wasn't jealous at all. She was extremely happy.
"Grandpa, is little aunt coming back to live?" Huo Xiao asked excitedly.
Grandpa Huo replied with a big smile, "Soon, soon."
Huo Xiao was full of anticipation.
She waited for one day, two days... a whole week.
Ling Nuan still didn't come back. Instead, a big problem occurred at Qingnuan.
Qingnuan was reported for tax issues, and the company was under investigation.
At first, Shen Shaoqing remained calm. He was just dissatisfied with the dirty tricks played by the person behind it.
"The company is at a critical moment. This incident will definitely have an impact on us," Shen Shaoqing told his assistant. "We must fully cooperate with the investigation to prove our company's innocence. Also, we must resolve this issue as soon as possible. The longer it drags on, the more unfavorable it will be for us."
The assistant nodded, fully aware of the importance of this matter. After seeing Shen Shaoqing, he immediately rushed to the accounting department.
Before he could see the official investigators, he noticed the manager of the accounting department looking panicked. The manager was wiping the sweat off his forehead with a tissue while running towards the stairwell.
The assistant quickly sensed something was wrong and chased after him.
"Miss Huo, it's bad. The company is in trouble. Someone reported our company's tax issues. Our company's tax records can't withstand an investigation. Once it's investigated, everything will be exposed!" The manager was so scared that his voice was trembling.
The assistant didn't know what the person on the other end of the phone was saying, but from this one sentence, he immediately realized two things.
The manager was in Huo Xiao's pocket. Although he wasn't before, he had long been bribed. And the most terrifying thing was that their company's accounts couldn't withstand an investigation.
The assistant had been with Shen Shaoqing since the founding of Qingnuan. He was quite brave at this moment. He immediately rushed forward, grabbed the phone, and hung up.
The manager was furious when his phone was snatched. "Who the hell are you...?"
Before he could finish cursing, when he saw it was Shen Shaoqing's assistant, his face turned pale.
The assistant didn't bother to talk nonsense. He directly took the manager to Shen Shaoqing's office.
When Shen Shaoqing heard that there were problems with the company's tax records, he was shocked. Looking at the manager, he almost roared, "Which accounts in the company are wrong?"
The manager was about to cry. "I... I can't explain it clearly now. There are too many accounts that don't match."
Shen Shaoqing's eyes almost popped out.
The manager looked innocent. "Miss Huo often made private transfers. She told us to balance the accounts. Besides," he added weakly, "General Manager Yang is on Miss Huo's side. We didn't dare to offend him. There are also some accounts of his that don't match."
Shen Shaoqing felt dizzy. But he still managed to stay calm and asked, "You can't remember the accounts clearly. What about the approximate amount? How much is it?"
The manager shrank his head and didn't dare to answer.
"Speak!" Shen Shaoqing picked up the folder beside him and threw it directly at the manager. He was clearly extremely angry.
The manager closed his eyes and replied, "O... one hundred million."
Shen Shaoqing almost fainted.
"How could it be so much?" The assistant was also shocked.
This amount might be just a drop in the bucket for many listed companies, but Qingnuan was just a newly - established small company. This amount was huge.
The manager cried and said, "The previous accounts were about thirty to forty million. Later, after we cooperated with the Huo Group, the Huo Group transferred a large amount of R & D funds. Then..."
"Did they touch the money from the Huo Group?" Shen Shaoqing's voice cracked when he shouted.
The manager didn't dare to say a word, but still weakly said, "Miss Huo gave the order. I... I didn't dare to offend her. Miss Huo said she would replenish the money later. There were similar things before. Who would have thought..."
Who would have thought that the company's tax records would be investigated?
Shen Shaoqing was so angry that he laughed.
Huo Xiao's transfer of the company's accounts was a private matter and shouldn't have affected Qingnuan. But in order to balance the accounts, the accounting department also had to provide the company's quarterly profit situation to the company's senior management. So they had to make false accounts.
These false accounts didn't just appear in front of Shen Shaoqing. They were also in the public annual reports!
And because of these accounts, it was very likely that the company had paid the wrong amount of tax.
What was this?
Tax evasion, false accounting, and providing false annual reports.
"Huo Xiao!" At that moment, Shen Shaoqing wanted to kill Huo Xiao.