Love letters are not allowed in the exorcism notebook!-Chapter 602 - 25: Eldest Miss Shen Gets Serious

Why is it so easy for protagonists in urban novels from later generations to make money—because the cost is low, what others spend years creating, the system simply gives it away for free; there are no time or labor costs.

Then there’s the issue of taxes, or rather, the lack thereof; they don’t have to pay a penny in taxes, no matter how much they earn. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Of course, the rules in reality are much more complex.

"The Governmental Office imposes deed taxes and performs notarization for real estate and property transactions, then stamps the Governmental Office’s seal on the transaction deeds and registers them," said the President in Tianmen City, encouraging the development of real estate rather than selling properties himself, was to increase tax revenue, allowing the Governmental Office to have more funds to promote economic development...."

"We don’t need a primer on this."

"We don’t?"

Shen Qingxi said with surprise, "In the past, many people had no understanding of economics and simply thought the Shen Family was selling properties and paying tribute to the President.... No matter how I explained it, they wouldn’t understand."

Others are others, and we are ourselves.

Although the New Church of Eternal Life doesn’t have many members, it does not mean that our strength or level of understanding is low.

Among the four of us seated here, three had been through the Containment Department of the Special Service Bureau. As for Old Zhang, who was later coerced to join, he was a Puppet Master who ascended through the Heretical Path, originally an old accountant from the machine manufacturing bureau.

The knowledge of macroeconomics that Shen Qingxi spoke of is indeed hard for ordinary people to understand, but for those of us seated here, it is merely common knowledge.

"Get to the point, what exactly is the problem with the Shen Family?"

Li Mumu kindly reminded her not to waste the readers’ points currency.

"To put it simply, most of the assets under the Shen Family’s name exist in the form of real property, which is why my father was known as Half-City Shen," Shen Qingxi explained. "I went to my father’s company and checked the financial ledgers, only to find that the Shen Corporation Real Estate Company is completely a shell company. He had registered all the property under his name on the company’s books as fixed assets, depreciating them every year to increase costs and indirectly reduce taxes... Do you understand this part?"

Listen...

Li Mumu was about to say she didn’t understand, but seeing Old Zhang nod slightly, she didn’t interrupt Eldest Miss Shen’s speech.

"Then, to extract cash, my father would mortgage these fixed assets to the bank. But this was a loan contract signed with the bank, which you can’t see on the books. In other words, he was getting something for nothing, intentionally evading and avoiding taxes, and when someone reported him, he was taken away for investigation. Do you understand now?"

Li Mumu nodded, "I kind of understand the gist, so setting aside the facts, the conclusion is that it’s normal for your dad to be investigated, right?"

"Yes, there’s nothing incorrect about my father being taken for investigation in itself; the real issues lie in the whereabouts of the cash he siphoned off, and my grandfather’s suicide," Shen Qingxi continued.

"Although I don’t like to say it, my grandfather did have some connections and reputation in Tianmen City. If he hadn’t died, no one would have actively looked into the Shen Family’s issues. And based on what I know of my grandfather, he wasn’t the kind to just commit suicide on a whim."

"With my grandfather’s death, my father was immediately investigated, then the huge funds of the Shen Corporation Real Estate Company became unaccounted for, the bank loan contracts expired, and all mortgaged properties were about to be taken by the bank—this is clearly not a coincidence. And the mastermind behind all this, capable of orchestrating everything in Tianmen City, must have influence no weaker than the Shen Family."

Shen Qingxi spoke earnestly, "Although the Shen Family in Tianmen can’t be considered a true noble family...."

You’re being a bit too modest with that statement.

Li Mumu couldn’t help but complain inwardly.

"However, there aren’t many families with more power than the Shen Family."

"Because the real influential figures under the President in those days have now been assigned to govern different areas. The so-called new nobility that still remains in Tianmen are essentially assistants, subordinates, relatives... or simply less significant fringe figures. They have risen rapidly by taking over the good foundation the President left in Tianmen over these two years."

"Within the folklore interest group at Jishan Academy, there are only two people with more distinguished family backgrounds than mine, one is Cheng Xuefei, the eldest miss of the Cheng Family, and the other is her past rumored boyfriend, Wei Anran."

Hm?

Li Mumu instantly perked up at the mention of gossip.

"Give me the details about this rumored boyfriend!"

Shen Qingxi shook her head and said, "No need to go into details, he has already sacrificed himself."

Doesn’t that leave Cheng Xuefei as the only suspect?

Li Mumu was a bit confused as to why Shen Qingxi would specifically mention someone who was deceased.

"Unlike my grandfather, both the Wei and Cheng families had official status in the Former Dynasty but later shifted their allegiance to the President. Over the years, they have followed the President in campaigns across the land, making significant military contributions, and many of their relatives have sacrificed for this cause. The Wei Family has been a general’s family for generations, serving in the military, while the Cheng Family controlled the Secretary Bureau, which held a privileged position nearly equivalent to that of the Special Service Bureau."

Shen Qingxi said earnestly, "After much thought, these two families are the most suspicious, and the Wei Family is even slightly more suspect than the Cheng Family. We can’t absolve the Wei Family of suspicion just because Wei Anran sacrificed himself. After all, resurrection from death isn’t considered a miracle in this world, right?"

Of course, she had no issues saying this since she herself was involved.

While it would be difficult for ordinary people, Miss Shen was no ordinary person.

Mainly because in this world, it’s quite challenging to provide a standard definition of "death."

Among those present at the scene, there was one truly "deceased" person, the kind who practiced the Heretical Path and subsisted on incense offerings while lying in a coffin.

She could still sing and dance as before.

"If they are the staunch direct line of the President, why would they steal the Imperial Jade Seal?"

Xia Yubing voiced the crux of the matter, "They are already beneficiaries now, what advantages would restoration or the like bring for them?"

"Every family has its own difficult scriptures to chant; who knows what issues might surface within their own? Take our Shen Family for instance, my grandfather was always envious of the wealth and status of the prestigious families of the past. He knew education was the only way to change destiny, which is why he had strict demands for my father’s generation and even more so for ours, not to mention sparing no expense in supporting the education for children of distant relatives of the Shen Family."

Shen Qingxi said helplessly with a shrug, "But what can you do? Not to mention those distant relatives, even among my own siblings, there are only a few who are willing to study seriously. Money was made too quickly in those years, so much so that they didn’t know how to spend it all. A small tip you give could make those precious college students feel deeply indebted to you... In such an environment, who would want to study seriously?"

It was precisely because of these unworthy descendants of the Shen Family that Shen Qingxi, the only one willing to study and with excellent grades, became the most unconventional existence within the Shen Family.