The Gentle, Sickly Beauty Is Won Over By The Loyal Big Shot - Chapter 33

“It’s convenient,” Gu Han said. “I was just planning to work on the documents you assigned me.”

Gu Han headed downstairs with the phone in hand. “I’ll be right there to open the door.”

Gu Han opened the door for Yu Shen. Yu Shen closed his umbrella, left it outside to drain, and immediately double locked the front door after stepping inside.

“The wind is picking up out there. I checked the news before coming over, they said a typhoon is passing through, and it’s expected to make landfall around ten tonight. I need to head back early after we discuss this,” Yu Shen said, brushing water droplets off his shoulders. “I had just gotten home when Cheng Dan called me, saying he had a document to deliver. The young man is certainly diligent, he came all this way through the rain.”

At that moment, Qi Ran also came downstairs. He went to the kitchen to pour hot tea and handed it to Yu Shen. “Manager Yu, please have a seat.”

Qi Ran assisted Gu Han in hosting Yu Shen. Even though the two of them had only been together for a week and more than half of that time had been spent in the “ambiguous” stage. Qi Ran’s composure gave Yu Shen an illusion. It felt as if Gu Han and Qi Ran were a couple who had been married for years and remained deeply in love.

Qi Ran naturally became Gu Han’s spouse, sharing the responsibility of managing the household affairs with him.

“Don’t trouble yourself, Secretary Qi. Your health isn’t fully recovered yet,” Yu Shen said quickly as he took the teacup. “You should rest more.”

“It’s alright. My wife can’t stay idle,” Gu Han said with a beaming smile, putting his arm around Qi Ran, who was now standing beside him. “Even when he should be recuperating, he’s always trying to help me write documents. He’s a little workaholic. It’s good to give him something to keep him busy and moving around.”

“That’s true. A good mood helps one recover faster from illness.”

Yu Shen pulled several sheets of paper wrapped in a transparent folder from his coat and placed them on the coffee table for Gu Han and Qi Ran to see. “This is the document he just delivered through the rain.”

Gu Han opened the folder. As he scanned the contents of the pages, his brows furrowed slightly. “Is this an internal report regarding that case from three years ago?”

“Yes,” Yu Shen took a sip of tea. “Cheng Dan told me this is one half of it, the other half is with Secretary Qi. If we put these two together and take Ruihao to court over the collapse of the villas, the project jointly launched by Ruihao and Jianchen three years ago, we can completely extricate ourselves from that mess.”

This document was actually more direct evidence than the one Qi Ran possessed. Qi Ran’s page listed material batch numbers, while this one detailed the construction costs, specifically, the actual price of the steel Ruihao used and the various construction expenses after the project began. Looking at the breakdown, the costs were vastly different from what Jianchen had spent.

It appeared that Ruihao’s construction cost estimator back then had a conscience. According to the Ruihao CEO’s plan, this paper should have been filled with fake accounts, but the estimator had recorded the truths. However, this document certainly wouldn’t have been in the hands of the Board of Directors, nor could it have been with Cheng Dan from the start, because that estimator had resigned before Cheng Dan and Qi Ran joined the company.

Qi Ran studied the document carefully, feeling completely puzzled about its origins.

Although no one could have known three years ago that there would be such an opportunity today, Jianchen had still preserved every document, clause, and detail from when the joint venture project launched, just waiting for the day they could confront Ruihao.

After finishing the document, Qi Ran looked at Yu Shen and spoke. “Yes, I do indeed have the other half of the report. I mentioned this to President Gu during my first hospitalization.”

“Even though the evidence regarding the collapse case is now complete,” Qi Ran’s tone shifted, “I think we should wait a bit longer. Ruihao’s track record isn’t limited to embezzlement on joint venture properties. Even if we take these documents and have a falling out with them now, the primary culprit has already faced legal sanctions. The deaths and injuries of the residents are already a fact, and the massive economic loss to Jianchen has already occurred. Everything is irreversible. Beyond some moral condemnation, Ruihao won’t suffer any major consequences. Does Ruihao even care about morality? It would be nothing more than an itch. Their marketing department will always find a new topic to stab Jianchen with. I know the head of their marketing department, he’s just like Zhou Cheng, shameless and willing to do anything for money. We need to solve this problem at its root.”

Qi Ran’s words took command of the room. He looked at the quietly listening Yu Shen and Gu Han and continued, “There are dark undercurrents at every level of Ruihao. Those people are involved in everything. I believe Cheng Dan mentioned this to you, Manager Yu, they launder money. That circle is extremely vigilant, and we haven’t been able to gather evidence. Money laundering is just the tip of the iceberg of their illegal activities. I’ll tell you more slowly after I return to work. For now, I think if we can get a bigger hold on them, enough to ensure the current person in charge of Ruihao is punished for multiple crimes and Ruihao is kicked out of the real estate industry for good, only then will we truly have peace. Then Cheng Dan won’t have to live in fear while hiding at Ruihao anymore.”

“Yes, Cheng Dan has it hard,” Yu Shen nodded. “His situation is even more difficult than I imagined.”

“If, Manager Yu and I say if we combined the two documents and confronted Ruihao now,” Qi Ran hypothesized, “would Zhou Cheng notice? He definitely would. Because documents of this level are only accessible to one or two people in the administration, one of whom is Cheng Dan. I was transferred to Jianchen, Jianchen suddenly has classified documents, and Cheng Dan is close to me, we’ve even been classmates since middle school. Would Zhou Cheng suspect someone else first, or would he suspect Cheng Dan?”

Yu Shen answered, “Cheng Dan.”

“So we can’t alert the enemy too early. We can’t involve Cheng Dan,” Qi Ran said. “We must wait for the perfect opportunity to deal Ruihao a fatal blow. While we investigate and wait for that chance, no matter how long it takes to succeed, we must endure.”

“Alright,” Yu Shen nodded again. “If Secretary Qi has a better plan, we will do as you say.”

“To be honest, there is one thing I really can’t figure out.”

Qi Ran brought up a past event regarding Ruihao. “The construction cost estimator who wrote this document was forced to resign back then because of rumors that he had recorded evidence of Ruihao’s tax evasion and money laundering. However, some say he resigned voluntarily and wasn’t pressured. He left in May, but Cheng Dan and I didn’t join until October. That is to say, logically, it’s impossible for them to know each other. How did the estimator’s secret document end up in Cheng Dan’s hands?”

“Perhaps it was just a coincidence,” Yu Shen suggested. “Like how it was with you and President Gu. Most things in life don’t require logic. Just like ten years ago, when President Gu and I were two hot headed youngsters, we just slammed the table and founded Jianchen. Back then, we just wanted to earn a living; who knew we could grow the enterprise this large?”

“That’s true.” Qi Ran felt a bit sleepy and drained. He leaned into Gu Han’s embrace. “There’s no point in guessing. If I’m really curious, I’ll just ask Cheng Dan.”

“Are you tired, wife? I’ll tuck you in in a bit,” Gu Han said, rubbing Qi Ran’s stomach and holding him tightly. He then turned to stay Yu Shen. “The rain is getting heavier outside. Shen, you should stay here tonight.”

“It’s fine, I don’t live far.” Yu Shen had just picked up his coat when the puppy, hearing the movement, came trotting over. It looked at Yu Shen curiously. Yu Shen froze for a moment looking at the dog at his feet, then greeted it softly. “Oh, you’re Secretary Qi’s beautiful puppy, aren’t you? Hello, puppy.”

The puppy’s tail began to wag. It tilted its head up, staring intently at Yu Shen.

Qi Ran stroked the puppy’s tail and told Yu Shen, “It wants you to pat its head. My puppy has quite a personality, it has its own logic for exploring the world. Right now, it’s trying to build a relationship of trust with you.”

“Really?” Yu Shen squatted down and carefully patted the puppy’s head. “Hello there, puppy. You’re so cute.”

The puppy rubbed against Yu Shen’s leg and rolled over to show its chubby belly as a sign of friendliness. Yu Shen decided to play with the puppy for a while before going home. Outside, the wind grew more frantic and thunder roared. A loud metallic crashing sound echoed from somewhere, the weather was clearly turning for the worse.

Gu Han poured coffee beans into the machine and set the timer. “Shen, the typhoon is here. It’s dangerous outside. Just stay here and rest. Wait until the typhoon passes before heading back. We both live in Litian Fengyue anyway, so it’s convenient. Sit down, I’ll grind a cup of coffee for you.”

Yu Shen was about to decline again when Qi Ran rubbed the puppy’s head and said warmly, “Manager Yu, the puppy is blocking your way. If it were safe to leave, it wouldn’t be standing in your path. I just saw a post on the Litian public account saying this storm is going to be quite severe. It’s best to trust the puppy’s intuition.”

“Alright then, thank you,” Yu Shen said, hugging the puppy that was burrowing into his arms. Completely ignoring his usual germophobia, he sat directly on the floor to play with the dog. He said to Gu Han, “President Gu, your coffee smells so good. I’ve been reliant on it for so many years. I can’t move once I catch the scent.”

“I know your taste. I specifically chose a dark roast for you,” Gu Han asked. “Have you eaten? Do you want me to cook some late-night snacks?”

Gu Han had originally asked casually.

“What should we eat? If we don’t have any ideas, how about hot pot? Rainy days are perfect for hot pot,” Qi Ran chimed in. He leaned his head out, his fair cheek resting on Gu Han’s shoulder, as he asked softly, “Hubby, Ranran wants to eat chicken soup hot pot. I want to drink the soup, and I want big shrimp. Hurry and ask Manager Yu if he likes it.”