Low-Income Population

Initially, Gepu brought back copies of the original ledgers with the intention of using his spare time to revise them to make them more reasonable.

He did not consider it a wrongful crime. At the time, the Listoan Group was one of the most important companies in Sabine City, and as an accountant, he was well aware of how important the mutually beneficial relationship between businesses and the government was.

It's even possible that the City Hall would support Listoan in making internal changes to the books to avoid any connection with the Heng Hui Group scandal.

As for the discrepancies in the accounts on both sides? That's not the issue. It's just that someone is trying to use despicable and dirty means to destroy our pillar industry Group Company, causing our citizens to lose their jobs and leaving tens of thousands of families without security.

Not only would the City Hall and the mayor himself not agree, but the entire population of Sabine City would not agree either. This is the value and the extent of the power of local protectionism.

Those Group Company that never lose a lawsuit on their own turf, and those corporations that consistently refuse to file cases in troubled areas, are not actually above the law, nor are they and their owners.

Rather, the value of this group's continued existence far outweighs the value of their downfall. At least their existence may be harmful to some capitalists, but it is valuable and beneficial to most ordinary people, so they must exist.

But now the situation is different. The City Hall State Government are both dissatisfied with the Group Company, and the original copy of the ledger that Gepu didn't actually have much of a problem with has become a hot potato.

Logically speaking, destroying it would be more appropriate. Without these original ledgers, even if problems are found in the group's accounts, they will need a lot of time to verify them repeatedly, which involves a long investigation period.

The various legal rights applications involved can be so lengthy that many people gradually forget about them. It's possible that the Group Company has already moved away, and some of their applications have not yet been fully approved.

But a voice inside Gepu told him that he had to keep the ledger, a small habit he developed as someone who frequently dealt with numbers to mitigate risk.

In case something really goes wrong, we'll need to have some backup plans!

The next day, Vera used her account registered at a foreign bank to open a cross-settlement account at Prosperous Glory Bank in Sabine City. She then commissioned the bank to open a safe deposit box in the name of the overseas account and used password authentication for deposits and withdrawals.

This is a very common business. Currently, there is no truly international currency. Each large region may have a relatively unified currency zone, but international settlement still lacks a mainstream, universally accepted currency.

In some cross-border trade, merchants entrust currency settlement and exchange to a bank with foreign exchange settlement qualifications. Although every bank claims to have such qualifications, there are still some differences among them.

Vera registered a corporate account, which made it easier for her to carry out legal tax evasion activities for herself or her clients. In the Bayer Federation, almost all registered accountants have several such connections or accounts.

Thanks to Gepu's relatively successful career and high-level connections, Vera also registered such an overseas account.

She then entrusted the ledgers that Gepu had given her, along with various illicit evidence, to Prosperous Glory Bank for safekeeping.

These safes are often opened under unique conditions, either by some kind of seal, such as banknotes torn in half as often seen in novels and movies, or by some clever little mechanism.

However, the most common method is using a password; anyone with the correct password can open the safe.

However, without the password, no one can easily open these safes, even though everyone knows that there may be illegal items inside.

Simply applying for this right in court is a lengthy process. The bank's Legal Department will do everything possible to prevent the court and judge from approving these applications in order to ensure the privacy and security of customers, which is especially important for the bank's reputation.

After dealing with all of this, Vera went to her office.

The finance office has been expanded more than double in size. In addition to her, the head of the Finance Department, she has recruited about twenty employees.

Some of them are in the office, while others are scattered across different branch offices to take on important roles.

Along the way, no matter how busy people were, they would stop and greet her with a smile. This gave Vera a unique experience. She couldn't explain it, but she was happy because her work and abilities had been recognized by others.

She had just sat down and was carefully looking at the documents on the table that she wanted to sign when her secretary knocked on the door.

Every day after she sits down in her office, her secretary, who is also her classmate and junior, brings her a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

Alumni associations, sorority associations, fraternities—these relationships are prevalent throughout the entire Bayer Federation and are considered among the most reliable.

In fact, Vera had not had much contact with this junior before, and did not even know who she was. But when she wanted to find a secretary, her first thought was to contact the sorority she had attended in college.

They recommended this girl, and she accepted her.

"Put it over there!" She smiled slightly, looking at the girl with a mixture of caution and admiration on her face, and her heavy heart felt a little lighter.

The girl placed the coffee cup and saucer on the corner of the table. She didn't leave immediately, but instead relayed that Lin Qi had just been there and hoped that Vera could visit his office if she had time.

Lin Qi rarely calls Vera, but he will come over whenever he needs anything. Sometimes Vera will say to him that he doesn't need to come back and forth in person.

On the one hand, people felt that Lin Qi's frequent visits to their office would inevitably lead to speculation; on the other hand, they felt it was unnecessary, as a phone call would be more convenient than physical action.

But to Vera, Lin Qi asked her a question in return—"What would people think if they always saw you coming and going in my office?"

"They'll think you got where you are by using your pretty face, or even... that's unfair to you."

"On the contrary, if I go to your place, there won't be such a problem. People will just think that I just like you, and they won't look at you with any disgusting eyes."

"We all know that there are many injustices in this society, but we can't change them, so we can only try to avoid them!"

If it weren't for the fact that she was already married, much older than Lin Qi, and already had a child, Vera would think she could consider Lin Qi.

At least he knows how to respect women, and his consideration for others is something Vera has never experienced before; very few people in this society would do that!

A young man who knows how to please people is impossible not to like; of course, this liking is pure and simple.

Vera nodded reservedly. After the secretary left, she tasted her coffee, looked at the documents on the table, and then got up to go to Lin Qi's office.

They are currently renting office space from a Finance Company Finance Company that was recently dissolved for violating some regulations. Their office will be Foreclosure Auction after all illegal activities are resolved.

However, Lin Qi rented it during this process.

Not long after, Vera appeared in Lin Qi's office. Some of the girls in the office had a strange look on their faces, as if they were on Vera's side and shared her indignation. This should be considered workplace harassment.

But some people, from Lin Qi's perspective, also felt that he was blind to Lin Qi's feelings. With so many girls in the office, why would he fall for someone who already has a child? As soon as Vera entered the office, she habitually closed the door. She sat down in the chair opposite Lin Qi naturally and relaxed, without any of the unease a subordinate feels when meeting their boss.

She even joked, "You didn't see the expressions on the girls' faces when I came into your room just now. They must have wished it was them instead of me who came in."

Lin Qi smiled, knowing that not discussing this issue could easily put both sides in an awkward position.

"I've already finalized the cooperation with investors in Kurilan, and their funds will be in my account soon. At that time, you'll need to help me manage my personal assets."

Lin Qi simply sold his shares to the other party at a price that he and the other party both considered appropriate. Therefore, this money was not recorded in the company's account, but rather in his personal income.

Of course, this income is subject to taxation, and Vera also manages Lin Qi's personal finances.

She nodded, made a note of it, and casually asked, "Do I need to do any tax avoidance?"

Lin Qi frowned, then breathed a sigh of relief. "It's standard procedure. No need for extreme tax avoidance. We can't pay too much, but we can't pay too little either."

There are many ways to avoid taxes. The Federal government has adopted two systems for tax avoidance: percentage-based tax exemption and quota-based tax exemption. The latter is more common, but the former is more feasible.

According to the Federal Revenue Service, individuals like Lin Qi, who earn over $50,000 a month, should pay at least 55% of their income in various taxes, but in reality, such individuals may pay very little.

If handled properly, through some flawed legal provisions, Lin Qi could even avoid paying taxes because his income is "zero".