Chapter 13: The Chinese Speed—Investigation in the Morning, Report by Afternoon

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Zhang Hongbo stared at Weibo and burst into laughter.
“Bo, what’s wrong with you?” Miao Qing traced circles on his chest.
“I’m just laughing at Xu Qingfeng’s naivety.”
“Hm?” Miao Qing blinked her big eyes, acting cute.
“That mad dog Xu Qingfeng thinks reporting will help, but in reality, Mr. Zhou and his crew have long since secured connections.”
“Really?”
Zhang Hongbo pressed her head down. “Of course. Scroll down… Xu Qingfeng also thought the ‘barefoot doesn’t fear the shoe’ tactic still works, but the times have changed… gently.”
“If it stopped here, Mr. Zhou might spare him a way out. But if it continues, heh…”
Zhang Hongbo smiled without a word.
“Brother, you’re amazing.”
“Don’t speak.”
...
Early the next morning, Zhang Hongbo woke leisurely. Just as he was about to start the car again, his phone rang wildly.
Frowning, Zhang Hongbo patted Miao Qing’s head, and she understood, lowering hers.
He answered the call.
“Check Weibo! Now!”
The call ended.
Zhang Hongbo was dumbfounded, staring blankly at the disconnected call.
The call lasted three seconds—faster than him.
Confused, Zhang Hongbo opened Weibo and saw the top trending post blazing red.
Shanghai Tax Bureau: [Yesterday, the Shanghai Tax Bureau received a report from a concerned citizen, Mr. Xu, accusing Chen, Zhang, Miao, and Li of tax evasion. Preliminary investigation confirms the evidence. The bureau has initiated tax audits on director Chen, artists Zhang and Miao, and executive Li, and will conduct interviews according to law. Relevant information will be publicly released on the bureau's official website.]
Few words, but a serious matter.
“What’s wrong?” Miao Qing looked up at Zhang Hongbo puzzled.
Zhang Hongbo’s face went pale, his lips trembling uncontrollably. He threw the phone to Miao Qing: “See for yourself.”
Miao Qing’s expression changed drastically as she read, her voice sharp: “Didn’t you say Mr. Zhou had everything arranged?”
“How the hell would I know!” Zhang Hongbo frowned, displeased.
“Useless!” Miao Qing threw the phone back at him and got up to dress.
“What did you say?”
She glanced at him. “I said you’re useless.”
Zhang Hongbo was furious. “Say that again?”
“Useless.”
Bang!

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Zhang Hongbo punched the bed, trembling with anger.
Miao Qing glanced at him, put on her clothes, and left without a word.
The tax bureau had already started the investigation; Zhang Hongbo had completely lost any value to her.
Starlight Entertainment.
Tax inspectors had arrived.
Seven or eight uniformed officers came, impressively efficient.
Miao Qing was called away as soon as she entered, and Zhang Hongbo, who followed closely, was not spared.
Starlight Entertainment was clouded with gloom.
The leaders worried about jail time; the employees worried about much more.
Tax evasion didn’t affect their pay; the company never gave them a cent more, no matter how much was stolen. Their concern was practical—what if the company went bankrupt? Where would they get their next meal?
“What can we do? The tax bureau is here.”
“We’re done for. I really think it’s all over.”
“Damn, with this many people, did they really embezzle billions?”
Early in the morning, none cared about work; all eyes were fixated on the meeting room.
News of Starlight Entertainment’s troubles couldn’t be hidden from the media. As soon as the tax officers entered, photos spread online, and Weibo exploded.
“Damn, is it really happening?”
“Wow, eight people arriving? This is a major case.”
“Xu Qingfeng sure knows how to stir the pot—just reports it.”
“Xu Qingfeng, you’re my hero!”
“The grim reaper’s called the roll—whoever’s named dies.”
“They’ve really opened a can of worms. Will Starlight Entertainment let this slide?”
“Bro, better hire more bodyguards.”
Zhao Kaixin stared at Weibo, stunned, then called Xu Qingfeng.
“Are you crazy? Don’t you want to live?”
“Why panic?”
“Run quickly. I heard Zhou Zhengyi was involved in gangs years ago, then cleaned up and went legitimate. He’s ruthless.”
Xu Qingfeng grinned. “Tell me more?”
“Rumor has it Zhou started with a security company, then ran nightclubs. He’s been involved in fights, protection rackets, and brawls.”
“That bold?”
Zhao Kaixin sighed. “I don’t know much—just what my agent said. He warned me not to mess with Starlight Entertainment people or face big trouble.”
Seriously? The skills Tongzi gave weren’t enough. Xu Qingfeng hadn’t considered using them on Zhou Zhengyi, since their contact was limited.
Now, with Zhao Kaixin’s tip, his gut told him this guy was definitely shady.

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Xu Qingfeng laughed. “Great!”
“???”
Zhao Kaixin was baffled. “Bro, are you nuts?”
“Hahaha, thanks for the good news.”
Xu Qingfeng cheerfully hung up. Starlight was about to get its reckoning.
He had no fondness for Starlight Entertainment; the company was a den of thieves from top to bottom, treating artists like slaves and engaging in inhumane acts.
He once thought a big company might be better, but the truth was the bigger the company, the darker it got.
Starlight Entertainment relied on a powerful legal team, a professional PR department, and a security company hidden in the shadows, holding artists firmly by the throat.
Some artists tried to rebel before, but all failed.
Without the courage to die for it, no wave could be stirred.
The entertainment industry was a game of capital; individual resistance was powerless against it.
But it didn’t matter—Xu Qingfeng had both Tongzi and no parents.
He originally thought the tax investigation would drag on, giving Starlight time to destroy evidence. He even wanted to warn Zhang Peng.
This case had to be sealed tight quickly, or who knew what tricks Starlight would pull?
But the tax bureau moved unexpectedly fast. Just yesterday the report was filed; by early morning, the inspectors arrived. The audit entered Starlight in the morning, and the announcement came in the afternoon.
At five in the afternoon, just before closing, the official website released the investigation results.
The first four glaring characters set the entertainment industry ablaze.
“Report confirmed.”
The fewer the words, the bigger the deal.
Remember, Xu Qingfeng reported not just one person, but including the big director Chen.
“They’ve really opened the floodgates.”
“My god, the tax bureau’s this efficient?”
“No way, done in half a day?”
“China speed!”
As netizens buzzed, many mainstream media voices joined in.
The central media declared: “Popularity is no shield before the law.”
Shanghai Observer: “Feasting on the era’s dividends while trampling social fairness.”
“Celebrities using privilege to earn huge profits while evading taxes forces ordinary taxpayers to foot the bill for the wealthy.”