Chapter 17: The Issuance of the Penalty!

The morning birdsong drifted in through the window.

Yao Jing, as usual, woke up early, prepared breakfast, and then freshened up. When Yao Jing finished washing up and changed into a business suit, Wu Zhiming was already sitting in the dining room.

"Morning," Wu Zhiming greeted Yao Jing.

"Morning," Yao Jing nodded and sat down opposite him.

"After breakfast, I'll go to the company with you," Yao Jing said.

Wu Zhiming glanced at Yao Jing and nodded. Since they weren't considering divorce, the Wu Corporation, which rightfully belonged to him, would inevitably become Yao Jing's future. Letting her take a look first wouldn't hurt.

After breakfast, Yao Jing went to the door to get the newspaper and sat in the living room to read, while Wu Zhiming cleaned up the dishes and utensils in the kitchen.

Five minutes later, they both walked out of the house together.

"Drive my car," Yao Jing handed her car keys to Wu Zhiming.

Yao Jing's car was an Audi A4, not particularly high-end but better than Wu Zhiming's Hyundai Elantra. When they arrived at the Wu Corporation, it was half-past eight in the morning.

As Yao Jing and Wu Zhiming entered the Wu Corporation building together, many people were stunned. Yao Jing, in her business suit, exuded a domineering aura typical of a CEO, making it impossible for people to look directly at her. Her black high heels clicked crisply on the floor, echoing like heavy punches hitting everyone's hearts, causing an inexplicable acceleration in their heartbeats.

"Each set of three floors here constitutes a department, with a total of eleven departments. My office is located on the top floor," Wu Zhiming said as they walked towards the elevator.

"After you go to your office, I'll visit each of your departments," Yao Jing said.

"Alright!" Wu Zhiming smiled and nodded.

"Don't tell anyone I'm your wife," Yao Jing said.

"Undercover? Not a bad idea. Feel free to check it out. If you find anything, let me know when you come to my office later," Wu Zhiming said.

Yao Jing nodded, and then the two of them entered the elevator together. Yao Jing got off on the third floor office area, while Wu Zhiming went straight to the top floor.

It was a miraculous day for the entire Wu Corporation. Early in the morning, a stunning beauty from some unknown department was wandering through various office areas. She was obviously an experienced professional, confidently walking through each area and striking up conversations with people without any hesitation. Every man who chatted with her was enchanted, divulging information about their departments without any defenses.

On the top floor, in the chairman's office.

"Boss, Madam has caused quite a stir in our company! Every male employee is completely infatuated with her," Wang Hai said with a bitter smile.

"Jing Jing is the future mistress here. It's good for her to get used to it early," Wu Zhiming chuckled.

"Boss, are you really decided on handing over the Wu Corporation to Madam?" Wang Hai asked.

"She's someone who enjoys battling in the workplace. Because of my relationship with her, she was kicked out of the Yao family. This matter, if she doesn't mention it, we can't just pretend it didn't happen. Her abilities are more than sufficient. Giving her the Wu Corporation not only makes the Yao family regret their decision but also elevates her status within the Yao family. Most importantly, she can help me make money, a win-win situation," Wu Zhiming chuckled.

"It's still the boss who understands how to make the best use of talents," Wang Hai laughed.

"Has the penalty been issued?" Wu Zhiming asked.

"It should be issued before noon," Wang Hai replied.

"Then let's wait patiently... So many people are looking forward to this penalty," Wu Zhiming's lips curled up slightly, revealing a playful smile.

Time passed slowly.

Yao Jing visited all eleven departments of the Wu Corporation.

When she reached the top floor, her brows furrowed.

She had expected that the Wu Corporation, waiting for the astronomical penalty, would be as anxious as a criminal awaiting judgment, but the reality was quite the opposite.

The entire Wu Corporation was operating smoothly in all eleven departments!

Previously, Yao Jing had heard that Wu Zhiming had promoted a group of lower-level employees to management positions, and she thought he was just fooling around. But now, it seemed that Wu Zhiming had a deliberate plan all along.

There was no sign of a storm brewing in the entire Wu Corporation.

This situation made Yao Jing even more certain that there was someone behind Wu Zhiming.

The necklace worth millions from last night, as Zhou Wenwei said, was related to the legend of the Goddess of Luo, and it could be that the person behind Wu Zhiming bought it to prepare for unlocking the treasure of the Goddess of Luo. It just happened that Wu Zhiming had a use for it, so the person behind him gave the necklace to Wu Zhiming, who then presented it to himself as a gift.

As for the private jet, that could very well be the private jet of the person behind Wu Zhiming.

So, despite yesterday's events, Yao Jing still believed that there was someone behind Wu Zhiming, and the current performance of the Wu Corporation confirmed this.

Clearly, those promoted from the lower ranks must have been planted in the Wu Corporation in advance. Only in this way could it be explained why these people adapted to their management positions so quickly after being promoted.

Such a large-scale infiltration into the Wu Corporation couldn't be achieved with just money. He needed to win enough hearts and minds to make these elites willingly work in the lower ranks!

Yao Jing had looked at the personnel files. Some of the promoted individuals had been working at the bottom of the company for several years already!

To be able to keep an elite hidden in the lower ranks for several years required extremely powerful means and strategy. Obviously, Wu Zhiming wasn't such a person, and he didn't have the time to win over so many people to work for him!

The conclusion drawn from all this was that there was definitely someone behind Wu Zhiming, and that person had been plotting this for several years.

Wu Zhiming was just like those lower-level employees lurking in the company; they were all subdued by that person and obeyed their commands. The only difference was that Wu Zhiming might have been placed in the position of chairman because of his status as the second young master of the Wu family.

"Thank you for helping Zhiming regain his confidence, making him like an ordinary person. But, Zhiming is my husband, and I won't allow him to be just a puppet!" Yao Jing clenched her fists, her eyes bursting with intense determination.

No woman wishes for her husband to remain stagnant; Yao Jing was no exception. Though she didn't love Wu Zhiming, she still hoped he could break free from his past weakness. If Wu Zhiming was merely being manipulated, there was a risk that once his usefulness expired, he would be discarded. At that point, the stark contrast might shatter the confidence he had worked so hard to build, ultimately destroying him.

Yao Jing didn't want to see that happen. She needed to help Wu Zhiming gain more control!

Approaching the chairman's office, Yao Jing knocked on the door.

"Come in," Wu Zhiming's voice came from behind the door.

Yao Jing entered to find a large group of people inside the office.

"Are you having a meeting?" Yao Jing asked.

"Yes," Wu Zhiming nodded.

At that moment, Wang Hai pulled out a chair next to Wu Zhiming and said with a smile, "Madam, please have a seat."

Yao Jing walked over and thanked Wang Hai before sitting down.

"The penalty has just been issued," Wu Zhiming said.

Upon hearing this, Yao Jing's previously steady heart skipped a beat.

"How much?" Yao Jing asked.

"Fifty billion," Wu Zhiming replied.

"What?!" Yao Jing looked at Wu Zhiming in shock. "A penalty of fifty billion?!"

"Yes," Wu Zhiming nodded with a smile.

"How is that possible?" Yao Jing asked incredulously. After the incident with the Wu Corporation, Yao Jing had the legal department estimate the penalty amount based on relevant provisions of the company law. They had estimated it to be around thirty billion, with a possible fluctuation of up to two billion. However, to their surprise, the higher authorities had issued a penalty of fifty billion, a figure that could easily rank among the top ten penalties in the history of the Dragon Country since its founding.

Perhaps for the world's top 500 companies, a penalty of fifty billion was nothing. But for a company like the Wu Corporation, with a market value of fifty billion, this penalty was equivalent to the entire market value of the company! And this didn't even include the compensation payments!

Once the penalty was issued, the Wu Corporation would have to sell off related industries. This was clear to everyone. During the process of selling off these industries, it was inevitable that some of the original partners' interests would be harmed, necessitating compensation from the Wu Corporation.

Yao Jing's previous estimate was that the penalty would be around thirty billion, with compensation payments of approximately ten billion. This would leave the Wu Corporation with around ten billion worth of assets. But now, it seemed that with just the penalty alone, the Wu Corporation would be bankrupt. And after that, the compensation payments would become Wu Zhiming's debt! What's more terrifying was that once the entire Wu Corporation went bankrupt, the compensation payments could easily exceed ten billion, even reaching fifteen or twenty billion!

"Because of all the previous misconduct by the Wu Corporation, the industrial and commercial department calculated the penalty based on the highest multiplier for illegal profits. Additionally, someone submitted some incriminating evidence against the Wu Corporation yesterday. Taking everything into account, fifty billion is considered normal," Wu Zhiming nodded.

"Normal? No, this is far from normal. The highest multiplier for penalties is only used for extremely egregious violations. But from what I've checked, the misconduct of the Wu Corporation should only warrant an average multiplier for penalties! We must appeal!" Yao Jing exclaimed passionately. She usually maintained composure, but this penalty had thrown her off balance.

"Whether it's average or maximum, the Wu Corporation has made mistakes in the past. Since I've taken over this mess, I'm prepared to clean it up. If we don't appeal and accept the penalty, it's like paying the price for all the things the Wu Corporation has done over the years," Wu Zhiming said earnestly.

"But if this penalty stands, the entire Wu Corporation will have to undergo bankruptcy liquidation!" Yao Jing pointed out.

"If that's the only option, then so be it," Wu Zhiming said with a smile.

"You can still smile at a time like this?" Yao Jing found it hard to understand.

"Since we've encountered this situation and neither smiling nor crying can change the outcome, I'd rather smile. At least that way, I'll look good when it's all over," Wu Zhiming explained.

Yao Jing was stunned. She sensed an indescribable sense of freedom in Wu Zhiming's demeanor.

Just then, the phone on the desk rang.

Wu Zhiming answered it, and Shen Hongyue's voice came through the receiver.