Miss Beautiful C.E.O and her system

Ling Qingyu's circle had improved beyond the ordinary since she met Yang Qingyue and Gu Yi.

Interacting with Gu Yi brought many benefits if she thought deeply. So, she had no right to blame anyone for the scenario of her chips being robbed.

"We'll see where the fashion armors take us," said Ling Qingyu. "Let's discuss another important deal that I've talked about with your daughter."

"My daughter?" Gu Yi remarked oddly.

"Do you want me to explicitly state her as my wife?" Ling Qingyu rolled her eyes.

"You better solve your own crisis before thinking about marriage. And please, I'll happily accept the title as long as you control your lust," Gu Yi said with a frown.

"Ahem, please, Mother. Give me some face. I wouldn't be this embarrassed if I had achieved so many successes in love," Ling Qingyu complained.

"Tsk… as expected, your skin is as thick as a city wall." Gu Yi clicked her tongue. "Now, what's the deal?"

"A private prison industry where low-risk criminals will be transferred to mine, as the prison capacity of Province N is failing due to the increasing number of successful arrests," Ling Qingyu explained carefully and slowly to ensure her mother-in-law understood.

Gu Yi's lips twitched as she listened to the inability of Province N to house criminals. Couldn't they be relocated across other provinces where she could solve the problem as a minister?

And why wouldn't Yang Qingyue, her daughter, request her intervention instead of seeking Ling Qingyu's methods?

Of course, she realized she was overthinking— the number of apprehended criminals was simply too staggering.

She believed these numbers could indeed flood the entire country's prison system and paralyze it.

There was a catch here: Ling Qingyu's private prison involved a private party without government intervention, something the authorities disliked the most.

Even if Gu Yi didn't mind, the rest wouldn't share her agreement. However, she was relieved to hear that the government had a portion of the shared profit from the prison business.

In the face of capital, no officials would protest foolishly. The money might not be much, but combined with other industries in their hands, only a few would refuse in the name of righteousness.

Gu Yi had long matured beyond the naive belief that people were incorruptible. Greed for wealth, power, and lust always created weaknesses in people.

As long as one studied a person well, their greatest weakness could be easily identified and exploited for relevant interests.

Corruption had always existed as long as people ran the government. It was merely a matter of degree—more or less—that measured the efficiency and effectiveness of the system.

In an authoritarian regime, although people tried to hide it under the table, no one cared as long as strong parties shared common interests.

With a strong background and personnel strength, corruption became so rampant that petty cases were seen as the norm and a skillset among officials.

One could survive in the arena as long as they flattered the right people and avoided offending hidden titans or the powerful.

Big fish ate small, and the small devoured the smaller, sucking the blood and sweat of the people below until they were drained dry.

On the other hand, in republican states where democracy and decentralization prevailed, petty corruption wasn't tolerated.

Swift action was taken to deter any form of corruption. Strong backgrounds rarely mattered here as long as evidence was found.

On the surface, it seemed these states had fewer corruption cases. What people failed to realize was that corruption didn't disappear—it was simply embedded within countless legislations and loopholes that were purposely designed to make it legal.

If one understood the methods to exploit these loopholes, they could get away easily, thanks to their knowledge and connections with higher-ups.

Even if caught red-handed, it didn't matter—because what they did never actually broke the law in the first place. They perfectly abided by the constitution and its articles.

Regardless of the government system, corruption always existed. The reason authoritarian regimes fared worse than their democratic counterparts was that, in the latter, corruption was confined to certain classes with influence and relationships.

In contrast, the former had corruption spread across the entire hierarchy, ruining everything.

Nonetheless, if the top echelons were firm on dealing with corruption, things could improve for a while—until people found new ways to exploit the system again.

Anyway, corruption or not, none of this mattered to Ling Qingyu's decision. She intended to provide great help to Yang Qingyue while simultaneously securing her benefits, without wasting the slightest effort.

Although the profit margins were high, her greed had long been quenched by Athena's hands.

"You are insisting on slave workers," preached Gu Yi with a dull expression. "You should know how hungry those human rights groups will be to sniff around."

"Come on. Why should taxpayers' money be spent on criminals, wasting resources while they enjoy free meals and living expenses? The price is merely their freedom," Ling Qingyu blurted out without scruples. "If they work while serving their sentences, it will help them truly reform and contribute to society. After all, doing something meaningful will prevent them from losing their future pathways when they are released."

"You really know how to stand on the moral high ground," Gu Yi said, speechless. "In any case, no matter how you sugarcoat it, you just want slaves to work for you. You think beautifully."

"Alas, it's killing a lot of birds with one stone—why refuse, Mother?"

"It's as if I don't know your true plans. While you transfer your original employees to work on elite products, the rest of your business will be handled by these prisoners at almost no cost, saving you a fortune in expenses. For instance, your clothing and fashion business."

"Please, it doesn't hurt for them to go through labor reform, especially since the prisoners will be those serving short sentences. Everyone benefits—I don't think it's a bad deal."

"You've almost convinced me. Perhaps you should start a pilot project in Province N. I don't think you need an industry that spans the entire country," said Gu Yi.

"Then, put in a word so I can easily negotiate with the governor. The prison business will require new construction projects, which will boost the economy as well."

"You really have some wishful thinking," Gu Yi sighed and shook her head.

"At the very least, with so many projects, the real estate sector will thrive. I'll be able to enter the industry with momentum and strong backing." Ling Qingyu's reasoning made Gu Yi's eyes brighten. "It might take a few years before I can fully detach from the subverters plotting against me. This is part of my strategy—to stall until I gain enough independence to protect my business empire."

"There's no way the governor will reject your offer with so many benefits—unless your enemies intervene," added Gu Yi.

"If only Mother would step up and help her daughter-in-law," Ling Qingyu smiled playfully.

"Alright, I get it. I'll keep your offers in mind. Your armored clothing and private prison project, correct?"

"Perfecto," Ling Qingyu joked with a subtle accent.

"Now, let's talk about the messes left behind by your two girls."

"Are you talking about Sister Ziyi and Sister Yue?" Ling Qingyu glanced down at the duo with a strange look.

"Is there anyone else who could make me collapse?"

Gu Yi wasn't surprised by Ling Qingyu's tone and expression. She had nearly gone bald dealing with the aftermath left behind by the two downstairs.

"Mother, you're exaggerating. Besides, they didn't do anything wrong other than seeking justice," Ling Qingyu quickly defended them.

"Seeking justice by completely flipping the table in Province T. The upper echelon went through an entire reshuffling. I had to work hard just to cover their tracks."

"I can assure you, no one could trace them—everything is covered."

"And who would dare take that risk?" Gu Yi rolled her eyes.

"In fact, I haven't even asked them properly what they did. I'm curious myself. All I did was support them from behind and mitigate any dangers from the official channels. Luckily, I have you as my background to walk sideways."

"I'm not even that powerful yet, and you're already thinking of flaunting arrogance?" Gu Yi squeezed Ling Qingyu's shoulder and replied through gritted teeth. "Their mess hasn't even been fully cleaned up yet. We're just stalling for time and applying pressure on their enemies. You have to understand—at certain levels, evidence isn't needed to take action, especially when the targets have weaker backgrounds."

Watching the exhausted Gu Yi, Ling Qingyu became even more curious about what Tang Ziyi and Xiao Yue had done.

She trusted their integrity and talents. There was no way this couple could have acted wrongfully—there must be a reason. Regardless of her mother-in-law's complaints, she stood firmly on the side of her closest confidantes.

"Well then, Mother-in-law, I'm all ears to hear the story from your perspective. I'm highly interested, especially since so much of my money has flooded into their hands. I have no idea what kind of bombs they blew up."