Chapter 325: Ron's Imminent Bankruptcy
Ron had assumed that businessmen dealing in human lives would be more ruthless than those in other businesses, but he was wrong.
The first hammer blow gave Ron the answer he wanted, but to be on the safe side, he hammered twice more to confirm. Just then, Arthur arrived.
Arthur told Ron that he and Crane had grown up together, and that the guy was incredibly cunning from a young age, so confirming only twice was a bit hasty. Ron nodded, readily accepting his subordinate's suggestion to try a few more times.
Although the final result was the same, adhering to the principle of "better safe than sorry," Ron secretly resolved that in the future, he would definitely try several times in similar situations.
What if, by chance, he encountered a particularly cunning bastard?
"Ron, what are you thinking about?" Leonard's sudden voice interrupted Ron's thoughts on how to spend the collected taxes. "You've seemed distracted since noon. Have you not finished your work?
The mecha design work here is all done. All that's left is for Howard to assemble it. If you want it faster, Howard can find you a few more engineers."
Today was Ron's third day back in Los Angeles. After finishing his IRS business, Ron came to the school as usual to check on his mecha project's progress.
"No, no, no," Ron refused repeatedly. "This project is still classified. I don't need too many people to know, and I'm not in a rush. You can take your time."
"Hey! Why don't you guys ask me what I'm thinking?" Sheldon felt ignored and resentful, trying to assert his presence.
"You just said you were thinking about Dr. Greene's efforts to democratize science. So, did you come up with anything?"
"That was just now. Now I'm thinking about trains."
"Hey, are you listening to me?" Ron waved his hand in front of Howard, who hadn't reacted while he was speaking.
"Sorry, I didn't hear you. I was thinking about something else."
His best friend Rajesh asked with concern, "What's wrong?"
"It's about Bernadette."
"Really? I hope you're both doing well." Although the tone was still concerned, the smile on the Indian man's face was impossible to hide.
Ron and Leonard rolled their eyes.
Yes, Rajesh had a crush on Bernadette, and everyone knew that Bernadette was going to break up with Howard, except for Sheldon. But even if Sheldon knew, it was practically the same as not knowing, so it could be ignored.
"Anyway, we're all on your side. If anything's bothering you, feel free to speak your mind." Leonard shook Howard's hand across the table.
"Yes, whether it's good news or a tragedy," Rajesh added.
Ron didn't say it aloud, but in his heart he was thinking: Knowing you is the biggest tragedy of his life.
"Brothers, I'm planning to propose to Bernadette."
"What?!" Howard, who hadn't said anything before, delivered a devastating blow, leaving his friends utterly shocked.
"That's right, I've always wanted to propose on a special occasion, and now I think it's time."
"Maybe we should wait a bit longer?"
"Yeah, yeah, don't rush it."
Unfortunately, his friends' attempts to dampen Howard's enthusiasm failed. Just then, Howard's phone rang.
"Great! It's my cousin asking about the ring."
Howard pressed the call button: "David, how's the one you found? What?! Only half a carat? No problem, half a carat is fine... Her tiny hands make everything look so big, that's one of the reasons I love her..."
As he spoke, Howard walked towards a quiet spot. Leonard watched his retreating figure and sighed, "My God, he's going to be so disappointed."
"I know, if he proposes now, it'll definitely turn out badly." With Howard gone, Rajesh finally couldn't help but grin, his mouth almost reaching his ears.
"What's with that expression?" Ron was startled by Rajesh's strange look. "You sound like you're really disappointed, but why do you seem so happy?"
"Yeah, Rajesh, why?"
"Uh..." Rajesh hesitated for a while before finally managing to say something. "In India, smiles have many different meanings, like tears of joy, a bittersweet smile, like the one I just had. India is such a complex place, isn't it?"
"Is that really true? I've been to India, and it doesn't seem like it at all." Ron was skeptical.
"Hey, Ron, you're just a tourist. You know, India has many regions, and each region has different customs. Maybe the region you went to just happened to be different."
Rajesh continued to tirelessly try to cover up his lie. Ron thought for a moment and decided not to expose him further. Let him keep fooling himself for now!
Anyway, he'll have his moment to cry later. Ron didn't have time to worry about this now.
"Boss, this is our financial statement for the second quarter of this year up to now. I think you should take a look." As soon as Ron returned to his office, Andy immediately presented him with the financial statement.
"I remember telling you that things like this can just be recorded and reported to headquarters. There's no need to show it to me. I completely trust your work."
Ron impatiently placed the statement on the table; he didn't want to touch it at all.
"But I think you should still take a look," Andy wasn't one to give up easily, and he pushed the reports back onto Ron's desk. "Because if you don't do something, if our finances continue like this, we'll be bankrupt by the end of next quarter at the latest, and you'll become the first special operations team leader in IRS history to lose your job due to insolvency."
"How could that be?!"
At the mention of money, Ron jumped up from his executive chair. "What happened? Is the Cheesecake Factory late on their tax payment, or have the Los Angeles bankers come up with another tax shelter scheme? Tell me, I'll go have a good talk with them. I always prefer to reason with people."
As he spoke, Ron pulled a hammer from his drawer; clearly, his "reason" was a physical one.
Andy shook his head. "Neither. They've been paying their taxes on time lately; it's just that our expenses have increased a bit recently."
(End of Chapter)
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