President Huo looked up, his gaze calm and cold.
The old man was intimidated by his aura, his words of admonishment stuck in his throat, and he closed his mouth in fear.
Many branch families hadn’t dealt with the main family for years. Although they knew Huo Corporation had once nearly collapsed, their concept of the main family was still largely that of the uninvolved CEO and the sickly CEO’s wife from back then, and their impression of this new family head was still that of the lonely, thin, gloomy youth from years ago.
This time, setting up the appearance of a family banquet was deliberately meant to use generational hierarchy to gain the upper hand, gradually pressuring President Huo to restore financial support to the branch families.
It wasn’t apparent when President Huo entered, but now seated in the main position, his cold, sharp aura was no longer concealed, intimidating several people who had prepared to make trouble. They were too frightened to speak for a moment.
“A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding.” Huo Cangxin hurriedly smiled to smooth things over. “Even with generational differences, what’s wrong with the family head sitting in the main seat? It’s pointless to bring up old accounts…”
President Huo said calmly: “We can bring them up.”
Huo Cangxin’s smile froze, and he couldn’t speak.
“If we’re going to bring them up, there are many that should be discussed.”
President Huo continued: “When Huo Corporation was in crisis, the main family sought help from all of you and signed an agreement.”
Huo Cangxin hadn’t expected him to bring this up right away. His expression changed several times before he completely closed his mouth and sat back down in silence.
“Prosper together, suffer together.”
President Huo’s tone was flat and cold as he recited word by word: “You all had cash reserves, channels, loan collateral, and capital turnover that could be coordinated to supply the main family, to be repaid tenfold in the future.”
His tone was calm and unwavering, but his words made many people shudder slightly, lowering their heads with guilt.
President Huo scanned the room and didn’t continue.
Back then, every step Huo Corporation took could have led to irreversible disaster. He had taken his father’s seal and waited alone in the office for ten days.
After ten days, what he received were three notices urging the main family to pay outstanding debts and seventeen applications for equity division.
He had personally signed each one.
President Huo had no intention of pursuing old accounts and spoke calmly: “In principle, the equity division was already completed at that time.”
A branch family member in the corner changed expression and spoke urgently: “Family Head, we-”
“In recent years, Huo Corporation has been struggling to survive and had no time to take care of each branch family, which has indeed caused you all some grievances.”
President Huo continued: “Now that we have the capacity, given that the branch families’ development has stagnated, with long-term unprofitability, poor management, and embezzlement of funds through shorting, in the spirit of mutual assistance, the main family is willing to help deal with these issues.”
This statement couldn’t be clearer. The faces of several branch family members completely fell, looking at President Huo, who had turned from guest to host for a reckoning, with despair. The momentum they had carefully gathered had already largely dissipated.
Huo Cangxin looked around several times, gritted his teeth, and was the first to stand up: “This is a good thing; we are willing to cooperate.”
A branch family member beside him looked up in surprise: “You previously-”
“These parasites should have been dealt with long ago,” Huo Cangxin said sternly. “I said before that the branch families haven’t produced outstanding descendants for several generations. Having the main family take over is a necessary measure.”
Huo Cangxin turned back, looking at President Huo: “The situations of these branch families are different, and you may not understand them all… We called them here today so they could each explain their situation to you.”
President Huo looked up, his expression and tone remaining cold and indifferent.
Huo Cangxin bit his lip, steeled himself: “We… will go first.”
…
The hall doors remained tightly closed for three hours.
It had started drizzling in the evening, and now the sky was completely dark, but the rain hadn’t stopped; instead, it seemed to be getting heavier.
When the doors opened again, people began to stagger out with ashen faces, not even bothering with umbrellas, silently walking away in the rain.
“Weren’t they supposed to be pleading with President Huo?”
The head of the bodyguards, wearing a mask, cautiously lowered his voice: “Why do they all look so dazed…”
“They came to plead with President Huo, and President Huo also came to settle accounts with them.”
The butler no longer expected him to understand and sighed: “Otherwise, why bring your men? To decorate the route as a beautiful scenery line?”
Having long lost any expectations for these people, when the branch family sent the invitation, President Huo had arranged for preparations.
The main family’s imposing bodyguard force was stationed outside, and President Huo’s cold, sharp aura, honed through several life-and-death situations in the business world, was not something these branch families, long accustomed to luxury and enjoying the fruits of others’ labor, could handle.
“It’s merely going through the motions, thoroughly clarifying matters.”
The butler glanced at the old man walking out in a daze, had people make way, and said disdainfully in a low voice: “Huo Corporation has been paying to feed these parasites all along. Now that they’re not getting money anymore, of course they’re unwilling, but they have no cards to play when negotiating with our President Huo.”
The head of the bodyguards understood this time and couldn’t help grinding his teeth: “They deserve it.”
“They do deserve it.” The butler signaled him to stay alert. “We should also be careful now.”
At this point, President Huo had left the branch families no way out, completely tearing away that layer of false pretense.
If they truly had any trump cards, they would likely use them now.
Neither of them dared to be careless, keeping watch outside with wide eyes, until the last branch family member had dejectedly left, leaving only Huo Cangxin and President Huo inside.
Huo Cangxin’s expression wasn’t good either. He rubbed his forehead and smiled bitterly, physically and mentally exhausted: “You really have… progressed so much since back then.”
President Huo put away a stack of contracts and agreements, handed them to the butler who had entered, and spoke calmly: “People must progress.”
“When you came to the family back then, you were only five years old. You only knew how to lock yourself in your room, refusing to come out no matter who called you, not eating a single bite for three days.”
Huo Cangxin sighed and reminisced softly: “Time flies… and here we are now…”
President Huo had no desire to hear these things. His eyes showed coldness, but he remained silent.
The butler couldn’t bear to listen: “A five-year-old child locked himself in a room for three days without coming out, and you were so unconcerned that you didn’t send anyone to persuade him or bring him food?”
Huo Cangxin’s expression froze. He opened his mouth, then said awkwardly: “We thought-”
“No need to continue.”
President Huo interrupted coldly: “Is there anything else?”
“Yes.” Huo Cangxin quickly responded. “A few days ago, there was a trending topic… about that little celebrity of yours, do you remember?”
President Huo frowned, his gaze turning cold as he looked at him.
“You probably don’t believe it, but we were also shocked when we found out about this matter.”
Huo Cangxin sighed: “I hesitated whether to tell you or not, but then I thought, even if you distance yourself from us because of this, it’s for your own good…”
President Huo said coldly: “You’re the ones who produced the note?”
“You knew?” Huo Cangxin was taken aback, then nodded. “Yes… come with me.”
He didn’t notice the cold fury in President Huo’s eyes, assuming he was merely displeased about the branch family’s earlier troubles. He led President Huo a few steps, turning out the door into a long corridor.
The corridor was semi-open, with the night breeze carrying the scent of rain, refreshingly cool against the face.
Huo Cangxin took a deep breath, feeling much better, and regained his composure: “We only discovered recently that the little celebrity you’ve taken a liking to is actually the con artist who nearly cost you your life in Jiangnan.”
President Huo said in a deep voice: “How did you find out?”
“We actually figured out his identity back then.”
Huo Cangxin snorted: “A wild boy raised in a den of swindlers, who dared to impersonate you and ask our people to buy things for him.”
“He imitated your handwriting so well that our people were fooled several times. Later, we happened to catch him writing a note and finally understood what was going on.”
Huo Cangxin had always worried that President Huo would seek revenge for what happened back then, so he was determined to make his case first, preemptively claiming credit: “How could such a person stay by your side? We had someone teach him a harsh lesson. We originally thought to let him off given his young age, but he stubbornly refused to leave…”
President Huo felt as if his chest had been struck by a heavy hammer, with an almost bloody taste rising in his throat.
The head of the bodyguards, who had been instructed by the butler to stay close, was startled and hurriedly supported him: “President Huo.”
President Huo lowered his gaze and stood silently for a while, his chest rising and falling several times before he steadied himself: “And then?”
“We thought of a solution and leaked his whereabouts to that den of swindlers, which successfully scared him away.”
Huo Cangxin sighed: “But we were still negligent… He was probably unwilling to give up and secretly used an inducer before fleeing.”
“You probably don’t remember, do you? You were still young then, having just differentiated not long ago, and couldn’t withstand the impact of an omega’s pheromones, so you passed out.”
Huo Cangxin continued: “If we hadn’t happened to check on you the next morning, you might have really lost your life.”
President Huo could barely continue to understand his meaning. He closed his eyes and was silent for a while before asking softly: “He used an inducer?”
“Aren’t many people curious about how his pheromone outbreak aftereffects happened? That’s exactly what it was. We were concerned about your reputation, so we didn’t say anything.” Huo Cangxin nodded: “He probably ran away after seeing you pass out… He brought it upon himself and nearly cost you your life too.”
“I know this isn’t easy to accept.” Huo Cangxin sighed. “You quite liked him, didn’t you? Who would have thought that someone who looks so clean and proper now had such a past.”
“When we heard you had taken a liking to him, we’ve been worried for you all along. You were unaware, so how could you know why he came back?”
Huo Cangxin intentionally tried to ingratiate himself, patiently moving closer: “Your pheromones naturally match, and he knows your childhood preferences and thoughts. Making you fall for him would be effortless… You hadn’t liked anyone before, so being bewitched by him isn’t your fault.”
The view before him distorted and darkened. President Huo felt a wave of nausea and stepped back.
The head of the bodyguards was also alarmed by what he heard and couldn’t believe Mr. Liang would be such a person. He hurriedly supported President Huo: “President Huo, that can’t be…”
President Huo pushed him away, closed his eyes, steadied himself, and found his voice: “He-”
Outside the corridor, the rain grew heavier.
The rainy night was cold, with wind carrying mist, and the chilling sensation seeped into the body.
The butler was just one step too slow, his heart almost leaping out in fright as he hurried over: “President Huo!”
The butler had been vigilant in every way but never imagined there would be a problem here. He was so upset he could almost spit blood: “Please don’t be anxious. Mr. Liang is fine, he’s filming at the set. If you want to see him, we can go right now-”
President Huo was about to touch the rain curtain but was jolted awake by the cold rainwater. He suddenly withdrew his hand: “No need.”
The butler had someone pull Huo Cangxin away and carefully helped President Huo sit down: “Alright, alright, no need to go. Don’t be anxious.”
President Huo felt bone-chilling cold throughout his body, his chest and mind in such excruciating pain they seemed about to split open, with a roaring silence in his ears.
President Huo’s chest heaved as his gaze lowered: “It wasn’t rain.”
“No… it wasn’t,” the butler closed his eyes. “Mr. Liang wanted to do it, you remember, don’t you? Mr. Liang wanted to…”
President Huo stood up.
The butler didn’t dare speak further and signaled the head of the bodyguards to call for the car.
The rain was getting heavier, soaking them through after just a few steps. The butler didn’t dare let go and supported President Huo as they walked toward the car.
President Huo followed his guidance for a few steps, then stopped, raising his hand to catch some of the falling rain.
President Huo didn’t move further, watching as the small puddle that had just formed leaked completely through his fingers, leaving his soaked palm empty.
President Huo lowered his gaze and asked softly: “How could I not have noticed?”
##
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
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