The Art of Teasing - Chapter 34
Chapter 34
In mid-February, Old Master Wen returned.
Wen Zhengyu ended her days of holing up in the art studio, immersed in painting.
The weather warmed.
Azure waves and spring lotuses, lake banks lined with willows—even the wind carried drifting blossoms.
Every flower and leaf, every blade of grass and tree, could enter a painting. Everywhere was scenery.
The art studio nestled beside the lake. Every day, Wen Zhengyu could watch young painters carrying their easels, sketching by the water's edge.
Spring in Jiangnan was at its most flourishing and lively, thronged with tourists and countless literati and poets.
For the studio, this was not the best season for selling paintings, but it was the ideal season for buying them.
To attract young painters, the studio needed a platform and space where they could grow and develop. Marketing and promoting works to help painters sell was one aspect; master lectures and industry networking events were equally indispensable.
With the advantages of season and location, many painters were willing to accept invitations to Jiangnan at this time. Every day, large and small industry conferences and lectures were held.
Wen Zhengyu was also busy preparing exhibitions, conferences, and lectures.
With the studio's event schedule, the invitations sent out were many, and the invitations she received from all quarters were also many.
She was not fond of socializing, yet peer discussions and exchanges among colleagues delighted her endlessly. She also took the opportunity to purchase many outstanding paintings, enriching the studio's inventory.
In late spring, Wen Li, who had been elusive as a dragon glimpsed only in fragments, brought the accountants to audit the books.
Day-to-day income and expenditure ledgers were straightforward enough; as long as every entry and list was recorded and calculated clearly, that was sufficient. Tax matters, however, involving value-added tax and deductions, were considerably more complex. A layman could not cross into another's trade; she was not a professional accountant, her understanding of tax law provisions was not thorough, and she lacked systematic professional knowledge for financial analysis. Thus, while she could manage routine oversight and supervision, professional matters were best left to professionals.
Ye Ling was the studio's largest shareholder and held the right to inspect the accounts. When Wen Zhengyu and Wen Li verified the accounts, they also notified Ye Ling.
When she went over, Ye Ling was in a video conference and told her she would join shortly.
The two accountants Wen Li had brought were buried in auditing statements. Wen Li sat to the side, reviewing the accounts. She turned and leaned close to Wen Zhengyu's ear, whispering, "Hey, Xiao Yu, with the finances—has Ye Ling ever interfered?"
Wen Zhengyu said, "Ye Ling doesn't interfere in the studio's affairs."
Wen Li's eyes widened as she turned to Wen Zhengyu. She asked, "If she doesn't interfere in the studio's affairs, why did she move her office here?" After speaking, she gave Wen Zhengyu a pointed glance, looking her up and down.
Wen Zhengyu could tell from her cousin's expression that her cousin knew something, and she could guess what her cousin wanted to ask. She immediately changed the subject, asking, "Does it matter whether Ye Ling manages the accounts or not?"
Wen Li mentioned, "Some taxes can be deducted. It can save quite a lot."
Wen Zhengyu's gaze settled on Wen Li. She said, "You are the CFO."
Wen Li said, "Well, here I am." As soon as she finished speaking, the meeting room door opened and Ye Ling pushed it open. Wen Li smiled and greeted her, "CEO Ye."
Hearing her cousin's drawn-out tone, Wen Zhengyu found her cousin exceptionally deserving of a smack.
Ye Ling smiled and responded, "CEO Wen." She pulled out a chair and sat across the large conference table from Wen Zhengyu and Wen Li. Without wasting words, she directly began reviewing the accounts.
Wen Li leisurely nestled into her chair, slowly sipping tea, watching as the two accountants beside her busied themselves, occasionally sizing up Ye Ling.
The studio's finance manager was handling things cautiously.
Wen Zhengyu could see the finance manager was very nervous, his entire body taut. She knew every transaction the studio made and checked each month's accounts clearly. She was certain the finance manager had no issues, so his nervousness piqued her curiosity.
But when she observed the two professional accountants dressed in sharp corporate attire, her cousin beside her with that look of having everything under control, and Ye Ling across the table, as immovable as a mountain, she somewhat understood. A tripartite tribunal—whether there were problems or not, some nervousness was inevitable.
Ye Ling read very quickly. In no time at all, she had flipped through both the accounts and the statements. She leaned forward slightly, rose, and said, "CEO Wen, Zhengyu, I still have some matters. I'll go take care of them. Call me when you hold the summary meeting."
Wen Li made a gesture meaning "please, as you wish."
Within a single morning, Wen Li's two accountants finished auditing the books. After lunch at noon, they wrote their reports in the meeting room.
At just past three in the afternoon, the summary meeting convened.
Wen Zhengyu did not know what shareholder audits looked like at other companies. She only knew that after her studio's two shareholders finished their audit, her finance manager nearly had a layer of skin peeled off.
Listening as an auditing operator, Wen Zhengyu heard the issues Wen Li and Ye Ling brought to light and began to somewhat doubt her life choices.
She had actually been quite confident in the studio's accounts. She wouldn't dare claim they were one hundred percent flawless, but at least there were no major problems.
However, after these two crackled through a round of recalculations, ferreting out rough spots in the finance manager's work and then performing precise recalculations, they arrived at a six-percentage-point difference in profit. Profit. Net profit.
Wen Zhengyu was stunned listening to this. The skill of these two was nothing short of astonishing! A single dime of backlog, and they could both uncover losses multiplied several times over. What was meant by "money begetting money," what was meant by "maximizing returns"—it was embodied vividly right here with these two.
Hearing them audit the accounts, Wen Zhengyu suddenly had the feeling that if she were business competitors with these two, she'd likely only be fit to be sliced and diced in one stroke.
After dressing down the finance manager, Ye Ling fell silent.
Wen Li then produced extremely detailed financial analysis reports, budget evaluation reports, and feasibility operation plans.
She printed the materials and handed a copy each to Ye Ling and Wen Zhengyu.
Wen Li said, "Based on the monthly reports Xiao Yu provided earlier, I made a rough estimated budget. What you see now, these several documents, are the most precise figures derived after correcting against the exact data from this audit."
Ye Ling cross-checked the key data in the report against the statements, then turned toward Wen Zhengyu. She asked, "What is Zhengyu's opinion?"
Wen Zhengyu also felt a faint sheen of cold sweat threatening to emerge. The flurry of reports Wen Li had hurled at her left her a little dizzy. She said, "I need to read through them."
Ye Ling said, "No problem. Take your time. After you've finished, just send us an email."
Wen Li, hearing this, lifted her gaze, sweeping it over Ye Ling, then over Wen Zhengyu, her expression exceptionally subtle. She stood up and said, "Alright, Xiao Yu, you take your time reading. We'll head out first." Passing by Wen Zhengyu, she whispered into her ear, "Hold on."
Wen Zhengyu lightly smacked Wen Li with the report she was holding. She did not reply.
The two accountants Wen Li had brought also packed up their laptops and documents, taking their leave.
Wen Zhengyu stood, gathering the documents on the meeting table, preparing to return to her office to review them carefully.
Ye Ling cast a cold glance at the finance manager.
The finance manager grabbed his huge stack of reports, statements, documents, and laptop and fled the meeting room as if pursued by a ghost.
Wen Zhengyu watched the finance manager's departure, startled. She turned her head toward Ye Ling.
Ye Ling raised her hand to check the time and said, "It's time to leave work. Let's have dinner together and discuss the matter of a loan?"
A loan? Although the studio's capital was not particularly abundant, it could still circulate. A loan was needed? Wen Zhengyu thought she had misheard. She said, "The account balance is still over two million."
Ye Ling said, "Feasibility operation plan, item one: financing operation expansion evaluation report." Her voice paused briefly. "Your CFO was an excellent hire."
Wen Zhengyu's forehead twitched. She almost thought Ye Ling was about to utter another "I really like her." Then she thought, her cousin and Ye Ling really had nothing whatsoever to do with each other. She opened the document and saw, based on the studio's current operating conditions, estimates for loan amount and duration, as well as detailed evaluative analysis of the profits generated by post-expansion operations and the risks faced during that period.
She skimmed the document and discovered there were indeed many aspects she did not understand. She said to Ye Ling, "Then I shall trouble CEO Ye."
Ye Ling smiled. "No trouble. Just treat me to dinner."
Wen Zhengyu did not have the habit of discussing business while eating. She asked Ye Ling, "After dinner, shall we return to the office to discuss?"
Ye Ling readily agreed, "Fine."
Wen Zhengyu said, "Then please wait a few minutes for me, CEO Ye." She took the documents back to her office and called Old Master Wen to tell him she had work to do in the evening and would need to work overtime, and would not return home for dinner. Only then did she go with Ye Ling to find a nearby restaurant.
After ordering, Wen Zhengyu returned the menu to the server and picked up her teacup to sip tea.
Ye Ling took a sip of tea, then set her cup down. Gently, she asked, "What kind of partner does Zhengyu like?"
Wen Zhengyu had not expected Ye Ling to ask such a question. She glanced at Ye Ling, slightly surprised, and shook her head.
Ye Ling said, "To encounter someone one likes amid the vast sea of humanity is not easy at all."
Wen Zhengyu uttered an "Mm" of strong agreement. Slightly curious, she asked, "What does liking someone feel like?" As soon as she asked, she felt it was not entirely appropriate to ask Ye Ling this question. She quickly added, "CEO Ye need not answer."
Ye Ling smiled warmly. "I feel this question can be answered, especially when it's directed at you. It definitely must be answered."
Wen Zhengyu instantly wished she could bite off her own tongue. She lifted her water glass and drained half the tea in one go. "No need to answer. Thank you." She was so embarrassed her face reddened.
Ye Ling said, "Actually, it's not that complicated. It's simply wanting to see that person."
Wen Zhengyu: "..." She asked, "Nothing else?"
The corner of Ye Ling's mouth lifted slightly. She countered, "What does Zhengyu think?"
Wen Zhengyu instinctively thought of "one day apart feels like three autumns." She had never been in love, nor had she ever encountered someone she liked, so she truly could not say what it was like. She shook her head. "I don't know." Seeing Ye Ling looking at her with a trace of puzzlement, she added, "I really don't know."
Ye Ling said, "Zhengyu could try. Perhaps then you would know."
Wen Zhengyu shot Ye Ling two glances. She shook her head. She wasn't going to try. Especially not with Ye Ling. She had absolutely no desire to try with her. She very much wanted to suggest that Ye Ling switch to liking someone else. Being simple business partners—how wonderful that was. It would spare them the awkwardness of even having dinner together.
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