She goes crazy, he'll cover for her; the darling of the group is someone no one dares to mess w

At exactly 3 p.m., the carved lacquer door of the conference room at the headquarters of the Han Group was pushed open on time.

Han Xi walked in as the second hand ticked to its last soft click, his dark gray suit trousers drawing a clean arc on the floor.

Without looking at anyone present, he walked straight to the head of the table, placed his phone on the corner of the table, and made a dull thud.

"Have you considered it?"

The sound of his chair legs scraping against the floor was particularly jarring in the quiet conference room as he sat down.

The directors' eyes darted back and forth across the table, none daring to look up.

The argument that morning had exhausted their last bit of courage, and now, facing Han Xi's unfathomable eyes, they felt their throats tighten.

Chairman Zhang stroked his gray beard, his fingertips brushing against the rough stubble.

The young Director Li kept twirling his pen, the cap tapping softly on the table.

Meanwhile, Director Wang, who was sitting next to Han Yi, quietly leaned back in his chair, as if that would allow him to avoid Han Xi's gaze.

Han Xi tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, the rhythm as even as a countdown clock.

He understood these people's concerns.

Supporting Han Shuo was out of fear of retribution, while opposing him was out of fear of the deep-rooted power of his fourth uncle.

But he didn't intend to give them much time to hesitate.

"It seems no one is willing to speak up. Since no one wants to express their opinion..."

Han Xi raised his eyes and glanced at everyone. "Then let's vote anonymously."

"..."

Anonymous voting?

As soon as he finished speaking, the side door of the conference room was pushed open.

Liao Jingyi, dressed in a smart white suit and holding a stack of light blue ballots, walked slowly towards each director.

“There are two options on the ballot.”

Han Xi's voice echoed through the conference room via the microphone: "A. Remove Han Shuo from all his posts and hand him over to the judicial authorities; B. Return all the embezzled funds, record a major demerit, and retain his original position."

He paused, twirling the pen between his fingers, and said, "After the election, Lin Mo will collect and tally the votes. I hope you all understand that you are not only voting for the punishment of Han Shuo, but also for your attitude towards the future of the Han family."

The last sentence was like a stone thrown into a deep pool, stirring up ripples in the hearts of the board members.

They looked down at the two cold letters on the ballot and suddenly realized that this was not a simple family feud, but a crucial vote that would determine the future of the group.

After distributing the last ballot, Liao Jingyi stepped back and stood behind Han Xi.

The only sound in the meeting room was the rustling of papers turning over; everyone had their heads down, as if the ballot weighed a ton.

Mr. Zhang stared at the "A" and "B" on the ballot, his brows furrowed in worry.

When he followed Han Ming to conquer the world, Han Shuo was just a greenhorn following behind.

Over the years, Han Shuo and Han Yi have given him many benefits, both openly and secretly. However, the billion-dollar hole in the Mamba mining area is indeed excessive and has crossed the bottom line for most people in the group.

The finger hovered in mid-air, unable to fall for a long time.

Director Li, on the other hand, was thinking even further ahead.

In the few years since Han Xi took office, Han's stock price has risen by 30%, and its expansion into overseas markets has been unprecedented.

Following this new leader is clearly a more promising path than sticking with the old guard.

But Han Shuo also has Han Yi behind him, and the two of them have a considerable foundation in the group... He gritted his teeth and finally drew a circle on the letter "A".

Han Yi remained seated, his fingertips unconsciously stroking his wristwatch.

He had given signals to several familiar directors that morning, and in theory, there should have been more votes in favor of Han Shuo.

But looking at everyone's enigmatic expressions, he felt inexplicably uneasy.

He glanced at Han Xi in the main seat, who was looking down at documents, his profile as cold and hard as a sculpture, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

Time ticked by, and the wall clock tinkled, as if tapping on everyone's nerves.

Han Ming picked up the teacup in front of him and found that the tea had long since gone cold, just like his current state of mind.

As Han Xi's father, he had long been driven to the point of losing his temper by his son's ruthless methods over the years. Now, even if he couldn't bear to see his fourth son suffer a disgraceful end, he was powerless to do anything about it.

"Ok?"

Han Xi finally looked up, his gaze sweeping over his watch. "Twenty minutes have passed."

As if jolted awake, the directors folded their ballots in half and clutched them in their hands.

Lin Mo stood up, his black leather shoes clicking silently on the floor, and took the ballots from each person in turn, his movements so precise and flawless that not a single mistake could be found.

When the last ballot landed on the tray, the air in the meeting room seemed to freeze.

Lin Mo handed the ballot to Han Xi, who casually flipped through two pages before pushing it to him and Liao Jingyi: "Read it."

Lin Mo cleared his throat and picked up the top ballot: "A".

Liao Jingyi followed closely behind: "B".

"A."

"B".

"B".

With each letter pronounced, a corresponding board member in the audience would quietly breathe a sigh of relief or clench their fist.

When Chairman Zhang heard the third "B", he quietly straightened his back.

When Director Li heard the fifth "A", a subtle smile appeared on his lips.

Han Yi's fingers clenched tighter and tighter, the metal strap of his watch digging painfully into his wrist.

When the tenth ballot was read, A and B each had five votes, and his heart jumped into his throat.

"The eleventh card, A."

Lin Mo's voice was calm and even.

"The twelfth card, B."

Liao Jingyi's voice is clear and pleasant.

"The thirteenth card, A."

"The fourteenth card, B."

"The fifteenth card, A."

"Sixteenth card, B."

"The seventeenth card, A."

"The eighteenth card, B."

"The nineteenth card, A."

"The twentieth one, B."

"Slide 21, A."

"The twenty-second card, B."

As the last ballot was read, the meeting room fell into a deathly silence.

Lin Mo lowered his head to count for a moment, then looked up: "Agree to transfer to the judicial authorities, eleven votes; agree to return the embezzled funds... also eleven votes."

It was a tie!

Han Yi leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh of relief. Cold sweat trickled down his temples and into his collar.

Chairman Zhang breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the herbal tea and took a big gulp, which made him cough.

The board members who supported Han Shuo exchanged glances, their eyes filled with relief at surviving such a disaster.

Han Ming's brows furrowed even more.

He knew that this draw was no accident and that someone must have been manipulating things behind the scenes.

Just then, Han Xi, who was in the main seat, suddenly spoke, his voice as cold as ice: "I have one more ticket here."

"Wow—"

The conference room exploded instantly.

"Why does Mr. Han still have tickets?"

"Right, aren't there only twenty-two of us voters?"

"This...this isn't in accordance with the rules, is it?"