"Miss Yun, I wouldn't resort to such methods." The man's reply on the other end of the phone was resolute.
It has an undeniable flavor.
He may have heard this baseless slander even before he was still dreaming.
"Excuse me."
The cold tone made Yun Daixi realize how childish she had been at that moment when she made that call.
Judging others by one's own standards, especially someone of Mr. Gu's stature, is utterly foolish.
"Miss Yun, why don't you think about who will be most affected by your recent surge in power?"
"Thank you." Yun Daixi felt ashamed of her impulsiveness and hung up the phone first.
Without even thinking, a name immediately came to mind: the person whose cover was stolen by Jiang Xianxian and who lost the most on the night Qiao Zhinuo was rejected for the movie.
He Botao, the general manager of Hejun Media.
I knew he was dishonest and relied on his connections to become notorious for his arrogance in Beijing's social circles.
In the past, Yun Daixi tried her best to avoid direct conflict with him. Even when Jiang Xianxian had his cover for "Feng Hua" stolen, she could only hold her anger and drag the next company to cover for him.
Unexpectedly, Mr. He lost his composure in this turn of events.
Yun Daixi put down her phone and sent a message in her artists' WeChat group to reassure everyone: "Don't come to the company today. If anything comes up, contact me by phone. Keep working as much as possible. If any partners have concerns, please contact me, and I will handle it as soon as possible."
Immediately afterwards, everyone started encouraging and supporting each other.
She sent a big smiley face, packed her things, and went out.
When she arrived at the company, a large number of reporters were already gathered downstairs. She had put on makeup carefully today.
After all, I managed to get a full night's sleep yesterday, so I can't let my excellent skin condition go to waste.
When the car arrived downstairs, the parking spaces were already full of people.
Yun Daixi honked the horn a few times, drawing everyone's attention to this side.
She rolled down her car window, smiled naturally, and waved to the reporters outside: "Excuse me, everyone, please make way. Even if you're in a hurry, you can't just park randomly, right?"
As the car moved an inch, the crowd made way, like a whale swimming in the ocean, dodging a school of fish that are as large as a whale.
After a few turns of the steering wheel and the car coming to a stop, she looked in the mirror to check her makeup, making sure it was okay, before picking up her bag and getting out of the car.
Reporters swarmed over, flashes went off, and Yun Daixi greeted them politely: "Thank you all for coming so early."
Questions came from all directions: "Ms. Yun, do you have anything to clarify regarding the company's tax matters?"
Yun Daixi, carrying her Hermes bag, stood ramrod straight: "I was anonymously reported by someone who appeared out of nowhere, but I'm still standing here perfectly fine. Is there anything I need to clarify?"
The reporter pressed further: "If you evade taxes, you can be notified to make up the difference, and during this period, you can be arrested without being held criminally liable. Ms. Yun, you are still standing here, but we cannot clarify the facts of the crime."
She had anticipated this question and replied calmly, "I'm afraid everyone is overestimating our company's cash flow. According to the current version online, I need to pay 500 million yuan in cash to make up the difference. If that's the case, I should be on my way to borrow money right now."
The reporters murmured amongst themselves, wondering what other questions they wanted to ask.
Finally, someone boldly asked, "For President Gu, who has a rumored affair with Jiang Xianxian, this is nothing more than a drop in the ocean."
Yun Daixi stopped smiling, her face darkening: "We already sent a clarification message to President Gu. If anyone brings this up again, we will pursue legal action against them."
In December, breath turned to mist, and the air seemed to have cooled down a few degrees. Everyone stood there, stunned.
Her expression instantly turned into a smile, and she waved to everyone: "It's cold, so if anyone's interested, you can come upstairs with me. You can also stay in my office for the next few days and see how I handle things."
Hearing her call out like that, not a single stubborn person was willing to follow her upstairs.
Upon reaching the office door, she called to her assistant, "Call the legal and tax departments over."
She has always been extremely careful about tax evasion, ensuring that such loopholes do not arise within a controllable range.
Unless the financial statements are deliberately falsified, and the perpetrator uses himself as a price to make her, as the company's legal representative and employer, share the consequences.
The morning flew by as the tax and legal departments came in to audit and reconcile the accounts.
Yun Daixi looked downstairs and saw that there were still a few reporters who hadn't left.
She instructed her assistant, "Please have the remaining staff come to the company and prepare a separate meeting room for them."
Those who haven't left yet are the real tough nuts to crack compared to those who were just watching the excitement and following the crowd downstairs. If their stance changes, others will follow public opinion and turn around.
If you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear.
If there were really a problem, she would have received a notification from the tax authorities long ago. But right now, the matter is only trending on social media. Yun Daixi is more at ease now than she was this morning.
By evening, after checking all the accounts, no problems were found.
The company's tax and legal staff are all people who have worked with Sai Jinhua for many years, or are apprentices they have personally trained. People in such positions need to be both professional and loyal, and she trusts Sai Jinhua's judgment.
It seems that He Botao is trying to exploit the loophole of anonymous whistleblowing. If so, we'll have to wait for him to release more evidence.
After 10 p.m., Yun Daixi finished dealing with the last matter at hand and went to the room of the reporter who was still at the company.
She was a young girl, in her early twenties, who looked like she had just graduated. She wore glasses and seemed very well-mannered, unlike the paparazzi she usually saw.
Yun Daixi went to the bar to get her a cup of hot water: "It's so late, aren't you going home yet?"
The young woman looked up from her computer screen where she was writing, and smiled foolishly: "President Yun, you haven't left yet either, how dare a lowly employee like me leave! I don't believe that I won't achieve anything by staying here until the very end."
"You don't look like an entertainment reporter," she said, voicing her doubts.
She proudly raised her head: "Of course, I graduated with a degree in finance and economics, and I'm a financial journalist."
"I didn't expect to have alarmed our friends in the financial world," Yun Daixi gestured with her chin, "How about we leave this office to you tomorrow?"
"Sure," she stood up and put her laptop into her bag. "I'll be working here for now. Thank you, Mr. Yun."
"The lights are all off outside, you should go home early."
Yun Daixi led her downstairs. The winter night felt even more desolate and eerie. Being in the suburbs, taking a taxi in the middle of the night was really too unsafe.
She peeked out and said, "Let's go, I'll take you home."
"No need, no need." The girl took out her phone, as if to indicate that she had already hailed a taxi.
"This place is so remote, you're a young woman, you need to be extra careful." She had seen too many powerful figures in the industry do things to young women.
"I had the driver take her home."
A distant voice came from the doorway. The two people turned around and saw Gu Li'an.
I wonder how long he had been listening, dressed in black that completely concealed him from the night, leaning against the door.
The girl clearly recognized him too, and couldn't help but cry out in shock, "Oh my god, Gu Li'an! Alive!"
Realizing she might have gone too far, she quickly covered her mouth and mumbled, "Mr. Gu, I'm not an entertainment reporter, I'm a financial reporter. You won't kill me to silence me, will you?"
It seems that Mr. Gu's style is quite well-known in the financial world.
Gu Li'an curled the right corner of his mouth, speaking in a threatening tone as if teasing a child: "Get in the car now and go back. I can guarantee you'll be alive tomorrow. If you wait any longer, things might not be so sure."
The young woman quickly bowed to him: "Thank you, Mr. Gu, for sparing my life. I'll be going now."
The expression on his face was one of smug satisfaction, like someone who had just gotten inside juicy gossip. He then added, "I didn't see anything tonight."
Gu Li'an grew impatient, his smile fading as he began the countdown: "Three..."
By the time he actually counted to "one," the little girl had already jumped into another van he had arranged.
Yun Daixi looked at him and said, "It's cold outside, come in and sit down."
He wore a black turtleneck sweater, paired with a black wool suit, and a black wool overcoat.
In the cool-toned night, the white moonlight shone on the woolen coat's down, like frost coating everything on a chilly day.
Gu Li'an's eyes never left her, yet he didn't appear overly intimate.
"Given the lesson learned last time, it's best not to come to your territory." He pointed to the Bentley parked there. "I'll take you back."
"Okay, wait for me."
She went upstairs to pack her things and touch up her makeup before coming downstairs.
The same driver was in the car as last time. Looking in the rearview mirror, I saw this woman get in and I couldn't help but gasp. Every time Mr. Gu finished meeting with her, he would have a period of self-isolation and his emotions would be extremely unstable.
Yun Daixi gave him her home address, and the driver started the car using navigation.
Knowing the destination and the travel time this time made me feel safer than the last time I rode in this vehicle.
"Mr. Gu, aren't you worried that the girl might spread some bad rumors since you came in person today?"
After asking, I regretted it. I really wanted to slap myself. Mr. Gu can't even control himself. What kind of person is he?
Unexpectedly, he replied seriously, "It's not a bad thing to know. People have their own opinions about what's true and what's false."
He was reminding her that rumors don't need to be based on facts. The moment this message was seen by others, it marked the beginning of the loss of her credibility.
How could she not know these things?
Finding nothing else to talk about, she changed the subject: "I didn't have a chance to ask yesterday why Mr. Gu didn't accept the books I gave him?"
"How can you still be concerned about these books? Have you taken care of all the tax matters?" Mr. Gu crossed his legs, his long fingers resting on the armrest in the middle of the seat.
"Tax matters are not as important as why Mr. Gu doesn't like those books."
Yun Daixi wasn't lying; the tax records were verifiable. However, Mr. Gu's thoughts were unpredictable, and there was no discernible pattern to them.
After a moment of silence in the car, Gu Li'an finally spoke: "I've been sleeping well lately, so I don't need it."
"I hope Mr. Gu will never need those books." This last sentence came from the heart.
"Here, take this." He tossed over an envelope that was completely full.
"Money?" Yun Daixi's usual reaction.
"I suppose so," he replied.
When Yun Daixi opened the envelope, she realized that it was indeed money.
These are tax documents from Hejun Media. After checking them, they are solid evidence of tax evasion.
Gu Li'an stopped talking. With the driver present, Yun Daixi knew it wasn't very convenient.
When the car arrived at her apartment building, Gu Li'an, as usual, came over to open the door for her.
After getting out of the car and closing the door, she asked, "Mr. Gu, would it be convenient for you to take me downstairs?"
He put his hands in his coat pockets and nodded, replying, "Of course."
Late at night, the driver watched from inside the car as two people walked alone in the wind.
Yun Daixi clutched the bag in both hands, her mind a jumble, perhaps from the wind, and she couldn't think of a way to start the conversation.
Gu Li'an spoke first: "The evidence is all here. Whether or not to report it is up to you."
He always did this, effortlessly solving the problems that plagued her.
"Thank you, Mr. Gu."
I had a lot of lines in my mind, but now I can't act any of them out.
Gu Li'an suddenly walked from her side to her, squatted down a little to look at her face: "So this is what it means when you sincerely say thank you."
His words forced her to cover her eyes with an envelope, a self-deceptive act.
"Mr. Gu seems to have magic; he can always do anything." This was her heartfelt exclamation.
"We have to thank you, heroine, otherwise the magic would have been swallowed up by the ice water that night."
She wanted to ask why someone as capable as him would end up like this that night.
But she knew that the distance between them now meant she wouldn't get an answer even if she asked.
After seeing her to the door, Gu Li'an stopped and said "Goodnight" to her.
She also said, "Mr. Lipstick, good evening..."
Before she could even utter the word "An," he pressed his thumb against her lips and forcefully wiped away her lipstick with his fingertip.
The red color only became lighter and thinner after the thumb, index finger, middle finger, and ring finger were brushed across the skin.
Gu Li'an finally lowered his head and kissed her.
The kiss was incredibly tender, like a veil floating on a flower, or a speck of dust settling in a crevice.
If the kiss had been any more intense, she might have instinctively pushed him away.
But everything was just right, perfectly measured, not a bit more, not a bit less.
Even the temperature emanating from his body was warm.
Yun Daixi closed her eyes involuntarily.
Until the warm fingertips covered the mole on her eyelid.
In the darkness where his hand covered his face, I couldn't see his expression; I could only hear his voice pouring into my ear.
"You stole my first kiss twice." The voice was extremely light, just like the faint kiss from just now.
He paused, then continued, "Once it was Xu Xinghui, and once it was Yun Daixi. Whether they were unconscious or conscious, you got the upper hand in both cases."
Yun Daixi was taken aback; for her, it was no different.