Chapter 718 - 455: Bankruptcy (Part 2)

Chapter 718: Chapter 455: Bankruptcy (Part 2)

"How so?" Feng Shan asked curiously, leaning forward.

Tessa took the opportunity to sit down beside him, elegantly uncapped her fountain pen, and began writing in the blank space of the report as she explained in detail.

"I recommend we establish a service company to specialize in managing our various affairs."

"First, we need to standardize our compensation system. We’ll set reasonable salary standards based on employee positions and responsibilities to avoid the negative effects of salaries that are too high or too low."

"At the same time, we need to formalize our social insurance system, making the required contributions for all employees. This will both protect their rights and help stabilize our team in the long run."

"By bringing all employees under this service company, we can use this standardized, systematic management approach to avoid a lot of unnecessary expenses and improve capital efficiency. For example, centralizing the procurement of employee benefits and standardizing the management of office supplies can effectively reduce costs."

Tessa looked up at Feng Shan to confirm he was following.

She then continued to sketch various diagrams on the paper, trying to make her plan more intuitive and easy to understand.

’Another company.’

Feng Shan felt a headache coming on and couldn’t help but complain, "Does it have to be so complicated?"

The whole process seemed far too convoluted.

He was already swamped with the tourism company.

Adding another company now would just be piling on.

"But I already have several companies: a tourism company and a fishing company. Now you want to add a service company? Can’t we just have the employees join one of those? They don’t have to actually show up for work; we’ll just handle their social insurance."

Feng Shan offered his own idea.

He thought this might simplify the process and avoid the many hassles of starting a new company.

The words were barely out of his mouth when Tessa’s already cold expression turned even colder.

Her brow furrowed immediately, her eyes showing a mix of seriousness and displeasure.

"NO. Please don’t ever suggest that again. The United States has a comprehensive social security system. If the Internal Revenue Service discovered what you’re describing, the consequences would be extremely serious."

"If there is no real employment relationship, and an individual pays into social security by piggybacking on a fictitious labor relationship, it could be considered tax fraud or social security fraud."

Tessa continued, her tone laced with a warning, reminding Feng Shan not to trifle with the law.

"According to Title 18, Section 1341 for Mail Fraud and Section 1343 for Wire Fraud of the United States Code, using a fictitious employment relationship to defraud social security or obtain tax benefits... if you’re convicted, the maximum sentence is twenty years in prison, along with hefty fines."

"Furthermore, the Fair Labor Standards Act, or FLSA, explicitly requires a real working relationship to exist between an employer and an employee. A purely ’piggybacking’ arrangement like the one you just mentioned, where the employee doesn’t actually work, would very likely be classified as fraudulent employment. Once discovered, both the company and the individuals involved would be targeted for investigation by the Department of Labor," Tessa added.

She wanted to make sure Feng Shan understood the legal complexity and gravity of the matter.

She then emphasized the formidable power of the IRS, her tone becoming even more severe.

"Boss, in the United States, you can provoke just about anyone. You could even publicly curse out the president and probably not face any serious consequences. But you must *never* give the IRS—the Internal Revenue Service—an opening. Once they get their hands on you, they will truly pick you clean to the bone."

"Besides, you aren’t actually withholding employee wages. Your benefits are excellent. Why would you do something illegal? Establishing a service company would also allow you to help employees with legal tax deductions through the proper channels."

Tessa’s tone softened, and her expression relaxed slightly.

She began to explain the purpose of establishing the service company, hoping Feng Shan would reconsider her plan.

"Alright, alright!!" Feng Shan, his head throbbing from Tessa’s meticulous attitude, threw his hands up in surrender. "Since you’re the one who brought this up, I’ll leave it to you. Go set up a service company. Is there anything else?"

"Of course. There is one last thing!"

As she spoke, Tessa picked up her pen and slowly gestured around the restaurant before her gaze fell back on Feng Shan.

"Boss, how do you feel about working out of the restaurant?"

"Stop right there!"

He didn’t need her to spell it out; Feng Shan knew exactly what she meant.

He immediately realized that Tessa felt the restaurant was not a suitable place for an office.

’I just have to agree for now and get her to leave.’

’Otherwise, she’ll just bring up another headache-inducing problem.’

"I’ll get a building set up as soon as possible, just for office work. I’ll find Yves tomorrow to go logging. We need to prepare a classroom for Teacher Lucy, so we can build the office at the same time. How about that?"

Tessa nodded in satisfaction. She stood up, gathered the reports from the table, and glanced at her watch.

"Have a pleasant evening. My workday is over. See you tomorrow."

With that, she turned and walked toward the restaurant entrance.

’Pleasant!’

’Not pleasant at all.’

’The good mood I finally got from being with Jenny has been completely shattered by your avalanche of problems.’

Feng Shan waved dismissively in the direction Tessa had gone and squeezed out a single word.

"Goodbye!"

Then he left the restaurant, dragging his weary body toward the small wooden cabin.

Carrying dinner, he pushed open the door. A dim, yellow light spilled onto the floor from inside.

Jenny was tidying up the messy bed, a weary look on her face.

The blanket was piled haphazardly on the bed, and the sheet was rumpled. It looked like she had just been pulled from a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, Little Mira was lying on the floor, intently playing with a ball of yarn.

The ball of yarn was a tangled mess beneath its paws.

The little one was having the time of its life, letting out happy cries from time to time.

As soon as it saw its "daddy" appear,

Little Mira’s eyes lit up. It immediately abandoned the fascinating ball of yarn and came stumbling toward Feng Shan on its unsteady little legs.

Feng Shan smiled and took out the strips of raw beef he had prepared in advance, placing them by the door.

Smelling the meat, Little Mira’s nose twitched nonstop as it ran over excitedly.

It began to gobble it down.

It devoured the food voraciously, letting out satisfied whimpers from its mouth.

"Are you staying here tonight?"

Jenny was like a gentle and caring wife.

She smiled as she took the dinner from Feng Shan’s hands and placed it on the table.

Then she thoughtfully helped Feng Shan take off his animal-hide coat and hung it on a nearby rack.

Next, she walked over to the small fireplace.

She knelt and pushed a few more logs inside.

The fire immediately flared up, and warmth instantly filled the small cabin.

"I don’t want to go back to the main cabin. It’s too big, and I’m not used to living there alone. A place only feels like home when you’re here!"

Feng Shan said as he walked to the table and sat down.

Watching the busy Jenny, a warm feeling washed over him.

Though the small wooden cabin was certainly not large compared to the spacious main one, it was compact and had everything they needed.

The interior was simply furnished and had a cozy, lived-in feel, the warm yellow light reflecting on the walls.

It created a gentle atmosphere that made one forget the troubles and fatigue of the outside world.

The warmth of a home welled up in his heart.

Hearing Feng Shan’s words, Jenny blushed slightly and mumbled under her breath.

Her voice was whisper-soft, yet it held a hint of playful, girlish charm.

"Then get some proper rest tonight. I always have to rest for a long time after we... you know. I didn’t get anything done today. Erica was even laughing at me."

"Who says you didn’t do anything? You introduced me to an amazing personal advisor."

At the mention of Tessa,

Feng Shan felt his head ache again, a wry, helpless smile appearing on his face.

’Today I truly learned what a personal financial advisor is all about.’

Her professionalism and rigor both impressed him and left him feeling a bit overwhelmed.

"What’s wrong? Did Tessa not do a good job?"

Jenny heard the strange note in Feng Shan’s tone and couldn’t help but worry.

She quickly brought over a glass of warm water, placed it gently on the table, and asked with concern, her eyes full of worry.

"No, she did a great job. So great that she started tormenting me on her very first day of work, forcing me to go logging in the Moonlight Forest with Yves and the others tomorrow morning."

Feng Shan shrugged helplessly.

He sighed and spread his hands, expressing his helplessness.

...