The Secret History of Accounting

A good accountant is either in prison or on the way there. In 1993, Wang Kaiyang, head of the struggling Wenchun City Iron and Steel General Factory, relied on the business acumen of accounting expert Li Houyin to raise funds and shift production, breathing new life into the company. He himself became a prominent figure in the reform of state-owned enterprises and was promoted as a result. Wang Kaiyang also gradually promoted Li Houyin from deputy director of the factory's Operations Office to factory head. Wang Kaiyang believed Li Houyin was talented and useful, but also felt he was not one of his kind. So he gave him opportunities to go bad. But once Li Houyin got the chance, he proved even greedier than Wang. Wang Kaiyang used the import of equipment to rake in over ten million. After becoming factory head, Li Houyin followed in Wang Kaiyang's footsteps and started making money from imported production equipment. The sums were enormous, several times what Wang had taken, and he kept it all to himself without giving Wang a cent. Wang Kaiyang was shocked and furious, yet found him extraordinary. He went on to declare that Wenchun would belong to Li Houyin one day. Li Houyin was young, handsome, clever, and patient: the kind of man who was utterly wicked, yet impossible not to love. Later, Li Houyin met Hu Yuli, an accounting expert who used her familiarity with money-laundering methods to extort corrupt officials and unscrupulous businessmen who laundered money. Eventually, her investigation led her to her mentor, Li Houyin... The two clashed before they became friends. With her help, Li Houyin made a fortune through property development, which also drew in a great deal of ill-gotten money.