The landline in the office suddenly rang. Vera's husband, Gepu, glanced at the phone a few times.
"Hello?" After a moment, he raised his brows slightly. "Really? I understand... Of course, I have another engagement tonight. You know how it is—this is a crucial moment..."
After chatting briefly, Mr. Gepu hung up. He pondered for a moment, then withdrew his gaze. He glanced at the Female Secretary before looking toward the sofa. The Female Secretary quickly understood that Gepu appreciated her consideration, and walked to the sofa in her bright-red high heels.
The Listoan Group was a major company spanning multiple fields. In Sabine City, it could already be considered an economic pillar. Naturally, every cycle brought the Listoan Group an appalling number of financial-reporting issues to deal with.
As an outstanding auditing accountant, Gepu played a very important role. He was not a local; he had moved here from elsewhere after accepting the job.
This was the most crucial moment of his life. The Group Company planned to adjust its management, including the Finance Department.
He had always worked very well with the company's management and senior executives. The Deputy General Manager of the Group Company told him that if he could take one step further, he would become a partner of the Group Company.
Even the lowest-level partnership would represent a substantial leap in Gepu's social standing. As long as he secured this step, he would be able to make the leap from the Middle Class to the Upper Class within three to five years.
He did indeed have an engagement that evening, but it was not the kind of work-related engagement that Vera and most people imagined, where business was discussed in a semi-public setting. It involved a bribe.
Every kind of growth required sufficient nourishment. Gepu understood this perfectly. He was directly connected to that nourishment—to those numbers—and he knew how to fertilize himself properly.
He walked to the sofa, soothing the secretary while quietly giving her instructions about her overtime work that evening.
More than an hour later, the Female Secretary had entered the lounge to rest and conserve her energy for the evening's engagement. After spraying some perfume on himself, Gepu hesitated for a few seconds before picking up the phone.
"It's me. Help me investigate my wife and the company she works for. I want everything about that company. Also, find out exactly what they did tonight..."
After hanging up, Gepu wore a ... difficult-to-describe expression. He half-sat on the edge of the desk, gazing at the scenery outside the window. Only after a while did he turn back to the desk and bury himself in the countless numbers and receipts.
A little later, Lin Qi and Vera arrived at a restaurant in an area near the edge of the city center. It was said to be pretty good.
"Pretty good" meant that the restaurant's atmosphere was not too low-class, while customers also did not need to wait in line. The two of them were led by a waiter to an empty table along the side without waiting, where they could see the street outside at a glance.
As for Richard and the other two, they were merely tools who had not even signed employment contracts. They could not be considered company employees, so naturally they would not join this new-hire celebration.
"Ladies first..." The waiter had just handed the menu to Lin Qi when Lin Qi smiled and turned toward Vera. His handsomeness, combined with such gentlemanly behavior, practically fulfilled every woman's fantasy of the opposite sex.
Whether it was because of the lighting or because the weather was gradually growing warmer, Vera's cheeks felt a little hot. She looked deeply at Lin Qi, then accepted the menu and began ordering without objecting.
The menu here was relatively simple. It was not filled with a confusing assortment of flashy items. Usually, it showed a color photograph of a main course, followed by descriptions of various appetizers and side dishes. If customers needed anything adjusted, they could simply tell the waiter.
Vera quickly made her decision. She ordered a fish steak, while Lin Qi casually ordered a steak and a bottle of red wine.
While waiting for their food, the atmosphere between them seemed somewhat awkward. Vera wanted to avoid interacting with Lin Qi, while Lin Qi kept looking at her, which made her even more uncomfortable. She had no choice but to say something.
After thinking for a while, she said, "How did you come up with the idea of starting this business?" Then she added, "I never imagined that exchanging loose change could generate a profit!"
Over the course of the entire day, she had registered more than thirty thousand in loose change and watched it turn back into larger denominations in a short time. She had realized that Lin Qi's business might not completely comply with the rules, but it was not necessarily illegal.
There was no coercion or inducement. Anyone could come exchange loose change. The Great Empire Company's registration certificate had even specifically listed "loose-change exchange services."
The Social Services Bureau acknowledged this as a business. Therefore, it was legal. Lin Qi had successfully exploited a loophole in the law.
He shrugged casually. "Look, we're a service company. As long as there's a need and a market, we provide a service. We don't do anything illegal, we don't evade taxes, we don't dodge taxes, and we don't discuss issues that might be disputed. This business is actually very good."
What he said made perfect sense. Vera had only wanted to say something to ease the subtle awkwardness, but at that moment, she felt that Lin Qi was a very special person.
His clever ideas, accurate positioning, excellent reasoning ability, and attitude toward certain matters made him completely unlike a young man who had just graduated from high school and entered society.
Before women reached thirty, or before they had been deeply hurt by several scumbags, most of them chose men based on their looks and physique.
But only after the passage of time had stripped away their frivolity, and only after they had gained a deeper understanding of the world, did they become enamored with men's talent and bearing.
Lin Qi was undoubtedly a talented, refined, and handsome young man. He embodied everything modern women yearned for in an ideal partner.
In just one day, Lin Qi had earned more than two thousand. This was merely a company with registered capital of one hundred. On its first official day of business, it had generated net profits more than twenty times its assets. That rate of profit was simply terrifying! What made Vera's heart beat even faster was Lin Qi's heated gaze, humorous manner of speaking, and aggressive attitude, which always left her heart racing.
"Actually, you have a great figure..." One sentence from Lin Qi caught Vera off guard. He turned his gaze toward the plate the waiter had just served, and the pieces of grilled fish on it.
Most people treated steak as the main course. On one hand, this had always been the prevailing dietary habit. On the other, steak was somewhat easier to obtain.
Fish steak was different. It was not a traditional food, and Sabine City was far from the coast.
The popularity of fish steak in recent years was related to certain nutritionists. They believed that eating fish was healthier, contained less fat, and was more suitable for people who needed to maintain or lose weight.
Whether that was true was for the professionals to decide. Lin Qi simply thought that Vera had a great figure, without the slightest trace of excess flesh.
She touched her cheek, somewhat bashfully. "Really..." As she spoke, she fell silent again.
The following topics returned to work and their observations of society. The feeling between the two became increasingly harmonious. Just then, Lin Qi unexpectedly spotted the Newspaper Boss.
He furtively walked into an alley not far away, his expression somewhat gloomy.
Of course, this little interlude did not ruin the atmosphere. In a friendly mood, the two of them ended their new-hire celebration. Lin Qi even escorted Vera home. Along the way, he acted like a gentleman and made not a single inappropriate move.