Chapter 58: Chapter 58 My Wife and Her Octuplets Are About to Give Birth
When Lin Zhen saw the people from the prosecutor’s office, his complexion changed drastically once again. He instantly realized that something was amiss. He, and the intermediary company behind him, were, in fact, all shady intermediaries. If the prosecutor’s office were to intervene and investigate the things they had done, their activities simply couldn’t withstand scrutiny; everything would come to light.
"This... this is just a contract dispute. Why does the prosecutor’s office need to investigate? Can’t we just hire a lawyer ourselves?" Lin Zhen swallowed hard and cautiously asked the three people before him.
"Sorry, this civil dispute involves public services and sectors. According to relevant regulations, we need to conduct an investigation and gather evidence," one of them said, stepping forward. Seeing Lin Zhen’s nervousness, he explained, "You can rest assured. We are just following procedure to gather evidence regarding your and your real estate company’s brokerage activities. As long as there are no issues on your end, it will be over quickly."
But as soon as the words were out, Lin Zhen’s face turned even uglier. The key point was... They *did* have issues! He, along with the company, had done everything a shady intermediary could do. They had engaged in activities such as inflating prices to skim off the difference, arranging illicit loans, pocketing rent and deposits, and fraudulent sales. After all, being an honest intermediary meant only charging a 1.5% agency fee, which was simply too little. How could that compare to the quick money from these other activities?
"Alright, let’s start with the case you’re involved in with the plaintiff, Qin Mu," one of the three said, not wasting any more words and getting straight to the point. Obviously, they also wanted to finish up early and leave. Lin Zhen managed a wry smile and could only invite the three into the shop, pretending to cooperate with the investigation. The prosecutor’s office was an official law enforcement agency; he didn’t dare refuse the investigation and could only comply. At the same time, he discreetly made a phone call to the Anjia Headquarters, informing them of the prosecutor’s office’s involvement.
「Jin City. A commercial building on the Second Ring Road. Anjia Headquarters.」
Wu Zhenglin put down the phone, his face extremely grim. As the owner of this real estate agency, he was panicking.
What on earth is going on with Lin Zhen?! he thought. Just selling a house worth one million, how did it attract the attention of the prosecutor’s office?
Just a moment ago, Lin Zhen had called him and reported the full details of the incident. From what he heard, it seemed to stem from a house Lin Zhen had recently sold. The homeowner had breached the contract first; one moment they signed the contract, and the next they declared the house was no longer for sale. Then, they turned around and sued Lin Zhen, demanding huge compensation! That was what had drawn the prosecutor’s office in.
And this, for their entire company, was nothing short of a catastrophe! In every transaction they ordinarily facilitated, there were, to varying degrees, shady and illegal operations involved. These might seem fine at a glance, but they definitely wouldn’t withstand a proper investigation.
No, I can’t just sit around and wait for disaster! Wu Zhenglin took a deep breath. He quickly called his secretary and instructed in a grave voice, "Tell finance to work overnight to cook the books! Doctor all the accounts related to artificially inflating purchase prices and deflating sales prices!
"Also, check the tax evasion records thoroughly. Make absolutely sure there are no mistakes!
"Furthermore, change all property listings on the website to reflect their actual prices!
"And the credit card loans... the rental income..."
After giving these instructions, he immediately stood up, walked out of his office, and went directly to the legal director, to whom he explained the crisis the company was currently facing.
Upon hearing this, the legal director was rather stunned. He couldn’t help but confirm, "Mr. Wu, are you saying... the other party breached the contract and then sued Lin Zhen?"
Wu Zhenglin nodded, then quietly added, "The prosecutor’s office has also gotten involved and is currently investigating and gathering evidence for this case."
"What?" The legal director’s eyes widened. Now he was truly alarmed. As a professional lawyer, he knew exactly what the involvement of the prosecutor’s office implied. An investigation and evidence collection of this nature wouldn’t be limited to Lin Zhen’s real estate transaction; it would inevitably involve the entire company! And as for the company’s various dealings... once investigated, there would be virtually no place to hide.
"I’ve already had someone change the property data on the public-facing website to reflect accurate information, and the company’s internal brokerage order accounts are also being redone..." Wu Zhenglin took a deep breath. He then reiterated his strategy for dealing with the situation before finally asking, "You’re the legal expert. Quickly, think—is there anything I’ve missed?"
Upon hearing this, the legal director’s expression suddenly stiffened. He couldn’t help but ask, "Mr. Wu, you... you’ve started falsifying the accounts?"
Wu Zhenglin nodded, replying as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "Of course. Otherwise, with such large discrepancies between our actual cash flow, the contract values, and the ledger entries, wouldn’t they see through it immediately?"
The legal director’s mouth twitched. Wu Zhenglin’s maneuver suddenly made his scalp tingle. ’See right through it’? What utter nonsense! Without falsifying accounts, it would, at worst, be a matter of business integrity and potential fraud. But once you start falsifying accounts... that would involve crimes such as improper disclosure, failure to disclose material information, obstruction of liquidation, and tax evasion. It would only accelerate the entire company’s path to prosecution.
For a moment, he felt more strongly than ever that he had followed the wrong person and joined the wrong company. If things continued like this... sooner or later, Wu Zhenglin himself would be the one to send the entire company to its doom.
"What’s wrong? Is there a problem with my approach?" Wu Zhenglin frowned, seeing the legal director remain silent.
The legal director swallowed hard. With a bitter smile, he pointed out the dreadful consequences of falsifying accounts. Especially at this juncture, brazenly engaging in further illegalities was practically asking for a swifter demise.
After listening, Wu Zhenglin was stunned for a long moment. Fortunately, his company had such a competent legal director; otherwise, he might have made a grave mistake. He then patted the legal director on the shoulder and said with relief, "I’m glad you reminded me. Is there anything else we should be cautious about? Once the company weathers this storm, I’ll double your salary!"
Listening to the grand promises Wu Zhenglin was making, the legal director couldn’t feel happy at all. After thinking for a long time, he let out a soft sigh. "Mr. Wu, the company is involved in far too many illegal activities, with numerous instances constituting actual crimes. These definitely cannot be concealed. The best solution right now..."
Wu Zhenglin’s expression brightened, and he eagerly asked, "What solution?"
"Say goodbye to your wife and children. Voluntarily confess everything and cooperate with the authorities. Plead for leniency. Perhaps... you might get a few years shaved off your sentence," the legal director said gravely.
Upon hearing this, Wu Zhenglin’s face instantly stiffened. This solution... How was it any different from telling him to just give up and stop struggling?
"Oh, by the way, Mr. Wu," the legal director suddenly said, "I just remembered, my wife is about to give birth to octuplets, and the doctor told me to spend more time with her. So... I’d like to resign."
And just like that, the legal director promptly came up with an excuse and tendered his resignation.
Wu Zhenglin’s expression darkened. He deeply despised people who would abandon ship when disaster struck. However, the legal director was determined to leave; no matter what Wu Zhenglin promised, he refused to stay. Left with no other choice, Wu Zhenglin could only turn his attention to the other lawyers in the legal department.