Chapter 11

Although the business with Xinhe was still pending, Lin Shu was energized by Zhong Peng’s case.

Based on Zhong Peng’s stated income, if they could recover tens of millions annually and take on the case through risk-based representation, it would amount to a considerable legal fee, potentially generating over a million in revenue.

As one of the partners in the studio, Zhong Peng had the right to review the studio’s financial records.

“You can use the excuse of hiring a tax consultant to assess tax risks and bring out the financial records. We’ll use the opportunity to review all the transaction details in the public account,” Lin Shu suggested.

Following Lin Shu’s advice, Zhong Peng quickly contacted one of Zheng Xiaoxiao’s accountants, responsible for bookkeeping and disbursements, and Lin Shu’s excuse worked perfectly.

In recent years, many internet celebrities lacked legal knowledge or the concept of tax planning, leading to major tax violations. Not only did they face fines and penalties, but they also risked ending their careers and getting banned, losing their hard-earned online fame.

The reason didn’t raise any suspicion from Zheng Xiaoxiao, and the accountant cooperated by handing over the books.

Lin Shu wasted no time. By midday, she had compared the accounts, invoices, and the public account’s transaction records.

“Zhong Peng wasn’t lying. This studio’s public account receives about 15 million annually,” Lin Shu said, with a hint of envy. “No wonder young people want to be influencers. It’s definitely a quicker way to make money than being a lawyer.”

She glanced at Xu Shijia, whose looks were indeed striking. “With that face, doing live streams could really break through the competition. If he did it part-time, his side income might even surpass his main job as a lawyer…”

Before Lin Shu could think further, Xu Shijia responded sarcastically, “Why are you staring at me? Don’t tell me you’re thinking I should use my brains less and become a flashy internet star?”

Lin Shu was speechless. “I didn’t say anything.”

“Your eyes say it all,” Xu Shijia grumbled. “You look like a sleazy businessman ready to auction off a good-looking man.”

“…”

This guy—he’s good-looking, but he should just stay silent.

If silent streamers ever become trendy, Xu Shijia would be perfect for it.

However, despite Xu Shijia’s quirky personality and lack of respect for superiors, his work ability was decent. Lin Shu wasn’t the old-fashioned type of boss, and in this dysfunctional team, Xu Shijia was the only one somewhat useful.

“But something’s strange this year,” Lin Shu continued. “Based on the average income of previous years, by this time, there should be around six or seven million in revenue. However, it looks like Zheng Xiaoxiao hasn’t taken on much business this year, and the income is only two million. For top-tier influencers like them, their income should rise along with their growing fan base and traffic.”

Xu Shijia got more serious when it came to work: “I’ve looked into it as well. Most of the payments from the studio’s public account have matching invoices, such as dining, travel, accommodation, and flights. I cross-checked the locations and dates, confirming that these were indeed business trips Zheng Xiaoxiao took to attend events.”

As a top-tier influencer, Zheng Xiaoxiao often received commercial offers, especially from food brands since her breakout videos were about cooking, which led to her being invited to livestream at factories or companies.

“These travel expenses aren’t much, just a few thousand. We don’t need to focus on them,” Xu Shijia pointed out a few transactions in the copied records. “But these few here are problematic.”

“These four payments are for flights and hotels to the U.S., but there’s no record of Zheng Xiaoxiao having any business there, nor is there a contract indicating any commercial collaboration. Plus, she traveled alone, without even bringing an assistant, let alone Zhong Peng.”

This lined up with what Zhong Peng had mentioned about personal trips to the U.S.

“And these three transactions, Zheng Xiaoxiao directly transferred money from the studio’s account to her personal card—nearly six million in total across three transfers.”

Zhong Peng hadn’t lied. Zheng Xiaoxiao was indeed siphoning off their joint income, and this behavior only started this year.

In previous years, although there were large sums coming into the account, Zheng Xiaoxiao hadn’t moved any money to her personal account. But starting this year, she quietly transferred six million to herself in three transactions.

Once someone begins siphoning money, it’s only a matter of time before they empty the entire account.

“Do you think she’ll continue transferring money from the public account?” As expected, Zhong Peng was furious when he heard this. “She always assured me she wouldn’t misuse the money, but then she secretly transferred six million to her personal account!”

“Directly transferring it into her personal account is already non-compliant from a financial and tax perspective. We’ll collect evidence showing that this portion was used for personal purposes and demand she returns it. The key now is to track where the money went after it entered her personal account. Did she purchase any assets? Once we locate the assets, we’ll take pre-litigation preservation measures and freeze the funds in the public account to prevent further losses.”

Lin Shu also had two more things she wanted to confirm: “I looked through the income details, and this year is odd. By now, there should be six or seven million in revenue, but Zheng Xiaoxiao hasn’t taken on much business, so there’s only two million. Do you know what’s going on?”

“I’ve asked her about this,” Zhong Peng said, clearly annoyed. “She told me she’s tired and wants to take a break, which is why there’s less income. If she really wanted to rest, I wouldn’t question it, but that’s not the issue here.”

He was clearly bothered by the situation. “She hasn’t taken on any brand deals or advertising gigs, but she’s still busy. No one can ever find her, and I have no idea what she’s sneaking around doing.”

“So, I think she’s secretly doing private gigs, and the money from those gigs isn’t going into the studio’s account but directly into her own pocket.”

Zhong Peng’s suspicions aligned with Lin Shu’s thoughts.

Embezzling funds from the public account involves many financial and tax issues and is difficult to do without leaving traces. However, if payments from collaborators were directed to a private account from the start, it would be far more discreet and convenient.

Otherwise, it’s hard to explain the drastic drop in income.

“In addition, there are several large payments to a private hospital in the financial records, which seem suspicious. Considering you had surgery before, I wanted to confirm if these expenses were related to you?”

Zhong Peng immediately denied it: “I completed my chemotherapy over a year ago and have fully recovered. Since then, I’ve only done regular check-ups at a public hospital and have never been to any private hospital!”

So, these expenses were undoubtedly related to Zheng Xiaoxiao’s personal spending.

Lin Shu now understood the situation.

After hanging up the phone with Zhong Peng, Lin Shu couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional.

On the surface, it seemed like Zheng Xiaoxiao was loyally supporting her boyfriend through tough times, but the reality turned out to be quite different.

It was all business, all about profit, all for a purpose.

It perfectly echoed Eileen Chang’s famous quote: “Life is like a luxurious robe crawling with fleas.”

Thankfully, despite his emotional outburst, Zhong Peng provided an important clue during the conversation.

“I snuck a look at Zheng Xiaoxiao’s phone yesterday. She has a meeting at Shimei Restaurant in half an hour,” he angrily reported. “It’s probably with some young guy she’s secretly supporting. That six million must’ve gone to this guy!”

For Zheng Xiaoxiao to be this careful, it was clear she was meticulous and alert. Finding direct evidence of embezzlement from her would be difficult. But if she truly had a secret lover, there might be a chance to break through by targeting him.

Without hesitation, Lin Shu checked the time and headed straight to Shimei Restaurant with Xu Shijia.

Unfortunately, as a high-profile influencer, Zheng Xiaoxiao knew how to avoid attention. She wore a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a mask. Without the tip about her license plate number from Zhong Peng, Lin Shu wouldn’t have been able to confirm her identity.

After getting out of the car, a tall, well-dressed man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, who looked refined and scholarly, stepped out from the passenger side. He appeared close with Zheng Xiaoxiao, and the two entered the restaurant together, chatting and laughing before heading into a private room.

Shimei Restaurant’s private rooms were well-insulated for sound, so Lin Shu couldn’t overhear their conversation. Instead, she sat outside in the main dining area, keeping an eye on their exit.

Although she couldn’t hear what they were discussing, at the very least, she could observe who this man was and whether he was really the “toy boy” that Zhong Peng suspected.

To be honest, Lin Shu wasn’t convinced.

“That guy has a great presence—he looks educated, like an intellectual. He doesn’t seem like someone who would live off a woman,” Lin Shu commented.

Since they were already at the restaurant during mealtime, Lin Shu ordered some food while they waited.

However, Xu Shijia scoffed at her analysis. “You think a guy living off a woman would announce it on his face?”

“And what does it mean to have a good presence or look like an intellectual? Some of these freeloaders deliberately dress up like students or professional elites to seduce rich women. It’s all about fake innocence for real thrills.”

“As a man, I’ll be fair—there are some scumbags out there who are great at pretending. Just because someone looks decent doesn’t mean you can let your guard down.”

He added confidently, “And if he isn’t a ‘toy boy,’ why did he have her drive him here?”

…

Lin Shu found Xu Shijia’s reasoning oddly persuasive—one should never underestimate how petty jealous men can be.

Later, as they were settling the bill, Xu Shijia pounced on another detail: “Look! She’s paying! He’s definitely freeloading!”

Ignoring Xu Shijia’s commentary, Lin Shu discreetly snapped a photo of the man and sent it to Zhong Peng.

Zhong Peng recognized him immediately: “I knew it! I just knew it!”

On the phone, he raged, “That guy’s name is Xin Li. They met when Zheng Xiaoxiao was studying in the U.S., and they were really close back then. I told her they were more than just friends, but she denied it, called me paranoid, and accused me of being biased. Turns out they’ve been secretly seeing each other all along!”

He continued, furious, “Those solo trips to the U.S.? She was definitely going to meet this guy! Xin Li’s family used to be wealthy, but his dad got into gambling and ran up a huge debt. No wonder Zheng Xiaoxiao’s been siphoning off my money—it’s to pay off his debts!”

Although Zhong Peng didn’t have the highest moral ground, given that he cheated on his wife with Zheng Xiaoxiao, he was clearly applying a double standard, raging over her using his money to support another man.

Xu Shijia expressed deep sympathy: “I get it. A woman spending my money on herself is one thing, but spending it on another man? That’s just intolerable. It’s an affront to a man’s dignity.”

He added, “I feel bad for Zhong Peng. What’s the point of earning so much when women just want to scam you? A successful man should be like me—women should want to spend their money on you.”

As he said this, Xu Shijia glanced at Lin Shu. “Of course, I have standards. I always decline. I’m a man who earns his living with real skills.”

“…” Lin Shu thought, Your ‘skill’ is just having a handsome face gifted by fate.

At this point, Zheng Xiaoxiao and Xin Li had finished their meal and were heading for the door.

Lin Shu immediately grabbed Xu Shijia, hailed a cab, and followed the pair.

Surprisingly, they went to a real estate sales office.

Although Lin Shu hadn’t been in Rong City for long, she had heard about this particular development. It was a high-end luxury residential project developed by a subsidiary of Xinhe Group, and its reputation soared when two top-tier celebrities bought properties there.

Zheng Xiaoxiao and Xin Li, although they didn’t hold hands, were clearly very happy, with smiles on their faces. They walked side by side into the sales office.

So Zheng Xiaoxiao was going to buy a house with this Xin Li?

Lin Shu’s heart skipped a beat.

Zheng Xiaoxiao is a full-time influencer with no other job. Although her parents have a good income, they cut off her financial support because of her high-profile relationship with Zhong Peng and their joint media operation. Her current income comes from her account and studio earnings. The money for the house is most likely going to be taken from the studio.

Whether it’s a marriage breakdown or a partnership breakdown, the most important thing to recover assets is to find out where the assets have been transferred. In this way, once evidence is obtained showing the location of the property she purchased, a pre-litigation property preservation can be filed to prevent the other party from quickly selling, transferring, or concealing the property once a lawsuit is filed.

After all, pre-litigation property preservation is different from the execution stage. The applicant must provide the property clues themselves.

Therefore, finding out where Zheng Xiaoxiao will buy property can maximize the protection of Zhong Peng’s interests.

This is a great opportunity.

Lin Shu was about to follow Zheng Xiaoxiao and Xu Shijia into the sales office, pretending to look at the model rooms and the sand table, but she realized that she probably wouldn’t be able to get in.

“Sorry, we need to verify your assets in advance to confirm that you meet the requirements before you can make an appointment to enter the sales office.”

At the entrance of the sales office, before Lin Shu, people were being turned away one after another.

Luxury homes are luxury homes. Lin Shu thought sadly, she didn’t even have the qualifications to look at a luxury home.

However, just as Lin Shu was trying to find a way, Xu Shijia showed a confident smile on his face.

Lin Shu had a headache: “It’s very strict here, you can’t just walk in.”

Unfortunately, Xu Shijia was unmoved. He adjusted his collar, smiled, and said, “My face is my pass.” He pointed to his face, “There’s no place I can’t get into with this face.”

After saying that, Xu Shijia, ignoring Lin Shu’s objections, walked towards the saleswoman who was responsible for verifying customer information.

However, half a minute later, Xu Shijia walked back to Lin Shu with a black face.

He said angrily, “I’m wearing such a face, and I even called her ‘beauty’ against my conscience, but she still wouldn’t let me in!”

“…” You idiot, money and face, of course, money is more important!

However, Lin Shu had a flash of inspiration.

Apart from couples, there are also single high-net-worth individuals who come to this building to buy luxury homes. Lin Shu quickly spotted a man who came alone, adjusted her expression, and walked towards him.

“Hello, I forgot to register and verify my assets earlier. I suddenly want to see the house structure. Would you mind if I go in with you?”

The man looked at Lin Shu’s face and almost immediately agreed to her request, even taking the initiative to hint: “It just so happens that I’m single, and it’s quite boring to come and look at houses alone. You know, buying such a big villa alone, thinking about living in it later, it’s quite lonely…”

Xu Shijia’s face was clearly not as useful as Lin Shu’s.

In this way, under Xu Shijia’s dumbfounded gaze, Lin Shu went into the sales office with a smile and the single man she had just met.

Naturally, half a minute later, Lin Shu received a sarcastic question from Xu Shijia on her phone:

“Why didn’t you bring me in?”

“You went in like a couple, what am I? Your love security guard?”

…

Lin Shu didn’t bother to pay attention to Xu Shijia. Her goal was clear, she just wanted to get things done quickly.

After entering the sales office, she originally wanted to move freely, but the man who accompanied her kept following her and trying to chat. Fortunately, most of the customers were gathered around the sand table and floor plans. Lin Shu was very close to Zheng Xiaoxiao and Xin Li, and she could even hear their conversation:

“The three suites of this house all face south, and you can build a sunroom here. It’s very suitable for children to play here when they have children in the future…”

“The house has already reserved the elevator shaft position. It will be very convenient to install a household elevator in the future.”

“After looking at so many properties, this one is the best. The location is also the east-facing unit, Building 22, 22 is also my lucky number. Let’s take this one!”

Zheng Xiaoxiao seemed to be eager to buy the house. Such an expensive house, she decided to buy it in just a few minutes.

Of course, Lin Shu could understand. Xinhe’s real estate projects are indeed scarce and luxurious. If she wasn’t short of money, Lin Shu would have also made a decision immediately for such a good house.

She looked enviously at Zheng Xiaoxiao and Xin Li being led by the salesperson to sign the contract.

Building 22, east-facing unit, that’s Building 22, Room 106.

The location of the house is known, and it will be convenient to apply for pre-litigation property preservation in the future.

The evidence collection for property clues was surprisingly smooth.

She didn’t waste a minute. She went out and found Xu Shijia standing at the door with a sullen face.

Xinhe’s luxury housing project is indeed difficult to have the opportunity to go inside for a real visit. Xu Shijia’s family may have a little money, but not enough to afford a luxury house like this. Therefore, being blocked by someone outside, his male self-esteem was hurt, and his bad mood is understandable.

Lin Shu walked over and patted Xu Shijia’s shoulder comfortingly: “Don’t worry, good things are not afraid of being late. As long as you follow me and work hard, you will be qualified to come and see this house in ten years.”

Xu Shijia’s eyes widened, and he said in disbelief, “Ten years?”

He was so happy to hear that he could buy a house here in ten years.

But you can’t paint a pie too unrealistically. Lin Shu thought for a while and added fairly, “Ten years might be a bit rushed, fifteen years will definitely be enough.”

Just at that moment, Xu Shijia’s phone rang. Lin Shu saw him frown slightly as he looked at the number and answered.

He didn’t avoid Lin Shu:

“No need. I’m not going in today. I’ll rely on myself in the future.”

Did he find someone to get into the sales office just now?

It’s kind of pitiful.

But he’s quite ambitious, he doesn’t want to rely on connections to get in, he still wants to make money after working and come back on his own!

Lin Shu felt a little bad about leaving him behind. She wanted to comfort and encourage Xu Shijia a little more, but then she heard him say sarcastically:

“When are we going? Fifteen years later, right? Work your butt off day and night for fifteen years, then.”

“…”

That didn’t sound like ambition, it sounded like resentment…