What's wrong with this lawyer?!

Suspected actual controller is a concept in company law.

It means that, on the surface, this person seems to have no relationship with the company. However, through the company's investment relationships, agreements, or other arrangements, it's suspected that they can actually control the company's actions.

This situation is very common. Some people don't want others to know that a certain company belongs to them, so they employ these tactics.

But we all know, in the era of the internet, anything you do leaves traces.

And certain corporate information is legally required to be made public.

By aggregating and organizing these publicly available data points, some conclusions can be reached.

Old Tang is genuinely excited now. On the surface, Sichuan Sunrising Company and Modu Liming Company seem unrelated, but their actual controller might just be the same person!

And there's no need to guess—the same goes for Dekang Company and Dezheng Company, which are absolutely connected to this woman named He Xiaoyan.

What's more, the other operations in Liming Company are definitely similar.

Old Tang feels like he's getting closer and closer to the finishing line now.

Time is ticking away, and Old Tang begins the lengthy process of investigations and visits.

To uncover the issues, visits are essential.

They know of this one person, but aside from being female, everything else is a blank.

At this stage, the only option is to slowly investigate and ask around.

However, Old Tang works relatively quickly, because he has Mind Reading!

Previously, he knew nothing, so his questions lacked focus, and the Mind Reading skill couldn't extract much.

Plus, due to skill limitations, it can only be activated momentarily.

So it's critical to have key information to base the questioning on—only then can he gather meaningful insights.

Old Tang's first stop is Dekang Company.

The reason is simple enough: since enforcement failed due to lack of funds, he can only proceed with a substitute lawsuit.

But everybody in the business world knows Tang Fangjing is a good person, so he feels obliged to stop by and let them know.

However, Old Tang doesn't meet the boss at Dekang Company. Instead, a deputy general manager receives him.

"I'm really sorry, Lawyer Tang. Our boss is out of the country, and it could be months before he's back. If there's anything you need, just talk to me instead..."

Old Tang chuckles upon hearing this: "Ah, no problem, no problem. I'm just here to inform you that I've initiated a substitute lawsuit."

"Huh?" The deputy GM looks dumbfounded. "Lawyer Tang, this substitute lawsuit... what does it mean exactly?"

Old Tang, ever the enthusiast, explains patiently: "Previously, didn't you owe my client some compensations? Since you lacked the funds for enforcement, I can understand that."

"Nowadays, business can be tough, and every household struggles to stay afloat. But it just so happens that when I checked your financial records, I found that although the project was completed ages ago, Hanxi Construction still hasn't settled the payment with you!"

"This is blatantly unfair—owing money and not paying is a fundamental principle that cannot be breached!"

"So I filed a lawsuit against Hanxi Construction on your behalf, requesting them to pay up directly. You don't have to thank me—it's all for the sake of my client."

Old Tang spoke at length, declaring that he came to Xiping for just three things: fairness, fairness, and damn fairness!

The deputy GM stared blankly at Old Tang's exasperated demeanor.

"Wait, Lawyer Tang, this... about that project payment from Hanxi Construction... it's already..."

The deputy GM stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing the gravity of the situation. He absolutely cannot let this slip, at least not from his own mouth.

The issue of credential borrowing can range from minor to a major catastrophe—if pursued, the fines alone would make their heads spin.

Old Tang, sensing something, leaned in with curiosity: "Already what? Already paid? Paid in what form? Don't tell me it was cash?"

If the other side dared to say it was cash, he'd immediately report them for money laundering!

Seeing Old Tang looking like he was encouraging him to spill, the deputy GM quickly replied, "No, no, they haven't paid. Definitely haven't paid."

"Alright then, just letting you know—if the lawsuit succeeds, this portion of the debt will all be offset... Anyway, I'll take my leave now."

Having said his piece, Old Tang stood up and departed, leaving the deputy GM in a daze for quite some time before rushing to another office.

Inside the office, a middle-aged man asked, "Tang Fangjing left? What did he say?"

The deputy GM quickly reported the situation, leaving the middle-aged man equally stunned.

No way could they have foreseen Old Tang coming up with such a move—and the worst part was, they couldn't refute it!

Could they claim that Dezheng Company had already paid them the money?

Fine, then everyone would have to explain together why this payment came from Dezheng Company and why it involved a third-party delegation!

In regular circumstances, there shouldn't be any financial transactions between the two companies. Everything should go through the general contractor—the payment was supposed to come from them.

Given this setup, why did the money take a detour into Dezheng Company's account?

If investigated further, every detail would come to light—when the funds were wired to Dezheng, and why Dezheng received such a large sum.

With trouble brewing on the horizon, the middle-aged man pondered this and then picked up the phone. This matter required serious strategizing.

Old Tang exited Dekang Company and soon took a taxi to Dezheng Company.

The receptionist recognized him and quickly alerted the boss.

Not long after, Pang Helin personally came down to greet him with a cheerful smile.

Yes, that's right—he came down himself to welcome Old Tang.

From this alone, it's clear they're treating Old Tang with considerable respect.

Back in the day, Old Tang would certainly have reciprocated this respect—it's courtesy, after all, to not antagonize a friendly face.