The air in the top-floor conference room of the Huo Group was thick with tension. The heavy mahogany table was flanked on both sides by shareholders, each harboring their own agendas.
Seated at the head of the table, Huo Lin stood out like a solitary pine, his posture ramrod straight, a stark contrast to the restless atmosphere that filled the room.
“President Huo,” a middle-aged man with a receding hairline was the first to strike, his smile not reaching his eyes. “Even if the Chairman is unwell and cannot attend this shareholders’ meeting, based on seniority, it seems this seat shouldn’t be yours, should it?”
Huo Lin didn’t even lift his eyelids, his voice indifferent. “The Chairman’s letter of authorization states clearly that I am to act as his full proxy in all matters concerning the Huo Group. Did Mr. Zhou not see it, or does he not understand it? Would you like me to have the document brought before you and read it out word for word?”
The balding man flushed red, momentarily speechless.
A man with a mouthful of gold teeth beside him immediately rapped his knuckles on the table in support. “Fine, let’s say you’re the proxy! Then let’s speak plainly. What do you have to say about the Zhang deal? A project worth billions, and you cut it off just like that! We shareholders didn’t even hear a whisper about it! Since when did the Huo Group become your personal fiefdom, Huo Lin?”
“Personal fiefdom?” Huo Lin finally raised his eyes, his icy gaze sweeping mercilessly over the assembled faces. “I am exercising the authority granted by Chairman Huo. In terms of shares, he is the largest shareholder. In terms of position, I am the Group President. Terminating a partnership detrimental to the Group’s long-term development do I need to explain it to each and every one of you?”
Instantly, the conference room fell so silent you could hear a pin drop. A heavy, oppressive quiet filled the air, thick with the scent of impending conflict.
At that moment, an elderly shareholder who appeared kind-hearted sighed, playing the good cop. “Xiao Lin, we know you have drive. The Huo Group’s rapid development these past few years is undoubtedly thanks to you. But this matter… I heard it stems from your younger brother? Young people can be impulsive, that’s understandable. Why not have him come out and make a statement? That way, we can also give the Zhang family some explanation. After all, this partnership concerns everyone’s interests.”
“In your dreams.” Huo Lin’s eyes turned frosty, a palpable, oppressive aura radiating from him. “Not only has he done nothing wrong, but even if he had, it would be for me to discipline him. It’s not your place to comment.”
That unyielding, protective stance made everyone’s hearts skip a beat.
The old man looked embarrassed but persisted in his persuasion. “I’m only thinking of the Group’s welfare. The Zhang family is the second-largest clan in Xihai, their connections are deeply intertwined. This partnership is significant. How about this I’ll swallow my pride and try to mediate for you.”
“Significant? Of course it’s significant to you. Who ultimately pockets that money do you really think I don’t know?” Huo Lin let out a derisive snort, leaning forward slightly. His gaze, sharp as a hawk’s, swept over the faces on either side of the table, each marked by greed or calculation. “Since you all seem so dissatisfied with me, it’s simple. Sell all the shares you hold. I will buy every single one.”
“Ridiculous!” Gold Teeth slammed the table and stood up, spittle flying. “We hold over twenty percent of the shares combined! Have you calculated their market value? You couldn’t scrape together that amount even if you sold yourself!”
A faint curve appeared at the corner of Huo Lin’s mouth, as if he had been waiting for precisely this remark. He gave a slight nod to Assistant Wang, who stood attentively behind him.
Assistant Wang immediately stepped forward, connecting a tablet to the projector. The next second, a document was displayed clearly on the massive screen.
It was a Strategic Investment Letter of Intent, bearing a complex watermark of an emblem and an encrypted serial number.
Beneath the title were the words: “Von Habsburg European Renaissance Fund.”
The investment amount column displayed a dizzyingly long string of zeros.
The most critical clause was highlighted in bold: “This investment intent is premised on Mr. Huo Lin continuing to serve as the President of the Huo Group and fully executing its strategic plans.”
At the signature section was the autograph of the fund’s CEO, along with the authoritative verification seal of their Frankfurt, Germany office.
“Hiss”
The conference room instantly filled with the sound of sharp intakes of breath.
“The Von Habsburg family, how could they be helping you.” The shareholder with the receding hairline turned deathly pale, his words stumbling.
“You planned this all along! Bringing in foreign capital to dilute our shares! You want to swallow the Huo Group whole!” The shareholder with the gold tooth pointed a trembling finger at Huo Lin. “You ambitious wolf!”
His voice abruptly cut off as he met Huo Lin’s distinctly un-Chinese, deep blue eyes.
Huo Lin slowly rose, placing both hands on the table as he looked down at the one who had been shouting the loudest. “Ambitious wolf? What exactly are you questioning? If I truly were, would you still be sitting here interrogating me?”
Under that penetrating gaze, the man’s anger dissolved into fear. He slumped back into his chair, unable to meet Huo Lin’s eyes.
“I have never feared threats, because in my eyes, your threats carry no weight.” Huo Lin straightened up, adjusting his cuff with a composed motion. “However, my younger brother did say something correct.”
“In West Sea, he is the rule.”
“If you wish to stay, rein in your ambitions. Abide by his rules.”
“If you wish to leave ”
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room, each word enunciated with perfect clarity:
“I would welcome it.”
While the top-floor conference room buzzed with activity, the secretive internal slacking-off forum was equally lively in its hidden corner.
[Main Post: Just saw the little beauty being escorted away by the secretary squad! Wuwu, wuwu, wuwu…]
1L: So fast? President Huo is truly ruthless!
Reply to 1L: The little beauty was escorted out the company entrance by the four special assistants Zhao, Qian, Sun, and Li. His eyes were red looking so pitiful… truly heart-wrenching!
2L: Special Assistants Zhao, Qian, and Li are finally back from their business trip? How could you all treat the little beauty like this? I will no longer be a fan of the secretary squad.
3L: Unfollow +1
4L: Stop this farce already, quit the fangirling. What ‘little beauty’? That’s the young master of the Huo family. Stop discussing it! You’ll get your head chopped off!
5L: ! What?! It’s actually him?!
6L: The little beauty is Huo Kairan? That troublemaker who broke Zhang Zhen’s leg?
7L: Alright, no wonder he could come and go from President Huo’s office so freely. That makes sense now.
8L: Ahhh I heard Huo Kairan has a terrible temper, unpredictable, ruthless and vicious! Oh no, I stared at his face for so long yesterday, he’s not going to gouge my eyes out, is he? (shivering)
9L: Give it a rest, the young master has no time to bother with you
10L: No! I refuse to believe it. It can’t be the same person. The little beauty looks so sweet. This morning I even heard him whining to President Huo about wanting to go outside and build a snowman.
11L: 【Guys, don’t be fooled by appearances. In thrillers, it’s always the ones who look innocent that kill with the most flair.】
12L: 【I need an update on the snowman situation!!】
Reply to 12L: 【The update is that the young master was mercilessly rejected by President Huo, but the way he pouted was absolutely adorable!】
13L: 【So ruthless, so shippable… so ruthless, so shippable…】
18L: 【Hahaha, probably worried the young master would get sick from the cold (fainting from the ship】
19L: 【Wait, aren’t they biological brothers? How dare you all…】
20L: 【That makes it even more interesting (evil grin】
21L: 【That makes it even more interesting (evil grin】
101L: 【What a terrifying bunch of people】
102L: 【Forget the forbidden stuff for now!! The company’s about to be sold off! Those old geezers are stirring up trouble again. I passed by the top-floor conference room and could smell the gunpowder.】
103L: 【Nooo! Even though we complain about the company every day, the benefits under President Huo are genuinely good. Those old fossils are so stingy, always eyeing the company’s profits and lecturing anyone they catch (eyeroll】
104L: 【But the decision to cut ties with the Zhang family was really too abrupt.】
105L: 【Could it be that the old guys forced President Huo to hand over the young master, which is why he was sent away?】
106L: 【Love amidst the raging flames of war, grabbing a bite to eat in the chaos.】
Reply to 104L: 【That old man Zhang is really shady. Cutting ties was the right move. President Huo never wanted to work with him anyway. Those old guys ganged up to pressure President Huo, trying to skim some profits.】
107L: 【Right or wrong isn’t our business as worker bees. Guess who’s gonna win this battle.】
108L: 【Unconditionally support President Huo! Huo Corp was revived by President Huo. What do those old parasites have to do with it?】
109L: 【Exactly. For any new colleagues who don’t know, us old-timers can assure you: six years ago, when Huo Corp was about to go bankrupt, those old guys were the first to run.】
110L: 【Pah! Those old slicksters. When Chairman Huo Guoxun took over the group, they tricked him into investing in several terrible projects, nearly bankrupting the company.】
111L: 【The business wars back then were brutal. Chairman Huo was too kind-hearted, fell for their traps several times, and not only did Huo Corp nearly go under, but his family almost didn’t escape unscathed.】
112L: 【Right, right, it even made the social news. If you don’t believe it, go check the old newspapers. When Madam Zhuang was pregnant, she was even poisoned. The young master almost died in the womb. It was really harrowing.】
113L: 【Poisoned?! So that’s why the young master has poor health?】
114L: 【Tsk tsk, well, anyway, surviving in a wealthy family isn’t easy. Everyone, don’t view it through rose-colored glasses.】
115L: 【Alright, being an ordinary person is pretty good too, at least we’re healthy.】
116L: 【Great news! President Huo won. The old guys slunk out of the conference room looking miserable. I’m dying of laughter.】
117L: 【So can the young master come back to the company now?】
118L: 【Miss him】
119L: 【Miss him】
In the car being sent back to the old mansion, Huo Kairan’s face was so dark it could drip water.
He sat in the passenger seat, Sun Jiajia focused on driving, while the three assistants who had just returned from a business trip occupied the back seat.
The elite secretary team cultivated by Huo Lin sat from left to right, each more rigid and unfeeling than the last, like human surveillance devices arranged as if afraid Huo Kairan might try to escape.
Huo Kairan grew even more furious, slamming the car door with a deafening bang!
“Open the door! I’m not going back! Huo Lin… that bastard!”
He cursed the entire way, and as the old mansion drew closer, his emotions finally teetered on the verge of collapse.
The three assistants in the backseat immediately panicked. The one sitting directly behind Huo Kairan quickly reached out to brace the car door, using his arm as a buffer as Huo Kairan’s fists rained down on him.
Sun Jiajia pulled the car over to the side of the road and spoke softly to soothe him:
“Young Master, President Huo isn’t trying to send you away. He has other matters to attend to and is worried he won’t be able to take good care of you.”
“Who needs him to take care of me?” After venting, Huo Kairan’s anger had subsided somewhat, and he suddenly realized he had indeed caused Huo Lin quite a bit of trouble over the past two days.
At this thought, he felt another wave of helplessness and grievance: “He doesn’t even bother to explain to me. He’s looked down on me from the very beginning. He hates me. No matter how hard I try, he doesn’t care at all!”
Assistant Sun adjusted his glasses and said helplessly, “Young Master, saying that truly hurts President Huo’s heart. There isn’t a single matter concerning you that he hasn’t taken to heart. Even today, during the shareholders’ meeting, he only kept Wang Zhi behind and sent the four of us to escort you.”
Huo Kairan looked at Assistant Sun beside him, then at the three in the backseat all of them were Huo Lin’s most trusted confidants.
For such an important event as the shareholders’ meeting, he had actually diverted his confidants away.
Huo Kairan curled up in the passenger seat, sulking as he thought, Is Huo Lin insane?!
Seeing his expression soften slightly, Sun Jiajia pressed his advantage: “President Huo just isn’t good with words. He was really happy these past two days having you with him.”
Huo Kairan looked up, a flicker of hope in his eyes: “Really?”
The three stern and rigid assistants in the backseat were stunned by Sun Jiajia’s eloquence. When Huo Kairan glanced over, they immediately nodded in unison, as if copying and pasting the motion.
“But if I go back, I won’t be able to see him anymore.” Huo Kairan grew upset and distraught again. He hadn’t even managed to cling to Huo Lin’s coattails yet. Once the real young master returned, he would be kicked out.
Sun Jiajia cleared his throat softly and suddenly came up with a brilliant idea: “We could have President Huo come to the old mansion to see you. Ahem, as early as possible, given the traffic.”
Huo Kairan blinked, then nodded thoughtfully.
Yes! The scheme for an early finish was a success! After dropping off Huo Kairan and returning to the company, Sun Jiajia nearly lost himself in the admiration of his colleagues.
He straightened his collar, pushed open the door to the CEO’s office, and reported the events of the journey to Huo Lin.
Huo Lin paused the tip of his fountain pen. Even when facing difficult shareholders, his expression remained calm and unruffled, but now it showed rare signs of panic. “Did he cry?”
“He didn’t cry,” Sun Jiajia reported truthfully. “He just. cursed the whole way.”
Huo Lin was taken aback: “At whom?”
Sun Jiajia: “You.”
Huo Lin fell silent for a long moment before saying, “Check the auction houses in West Sea. See if there are any beautiful diamonds or gemstones left. Buy them and send them to the old mansion.”
Sun Jiajia understood: “To appease the young master?”
Huo Lin wasn’t entirely sure either. “He seems to like these things lately.”
It was just that Huo Kairan had never been particularly fond of the things he gave him.
Huo Lin stared blankly at the empty chair beside his office desk, as if he could still catch a whiff of that faint orchid fragrance.
He didn’t know how long Huo Kairan would stay angry. Perhaps… he would never forgive him.
Maybe… that was for the best.
However, at five in the afternoon, before the workday had even ended, Huo Lin’s phone suddenly vibrated, and he received a message
【Brother, I miss you so much at the old house. (Heart.JPG】