?Chapter 167: Chapter 167: First Day of Work   Chapter 167: Chapter 167: First Day of Work                                   Fu Han didn’t know that He Xing hadn’t slept at all that night. Their rooms were right next to each other, and as soon as Fu Han opened her door, he heard her. Through the surveince system in the vi, he watched her entire departure.


    If Fu Han hadn’t taken Bai Wei with her, he wouldn’t have let her leave all ale at night, even if it meant she’d end up hating him.


    And most importantly, the car was equipped with a tracking system and had top-notch security features. He Xing couldpletely rely on it to ensure that Fu Han had safely arrived in H City.


    He Xing stood on the balcony all night long. The taillights of her departing car had long disappeared without a trace, and the locator showed she had arrived at the hotel in H City four hours earlier. Yet, he still stood there motionless, as if by doing so, she never actually left.


    It was only when the first rays of morning light fell upon the earth that he finally felt a slight soreness in his eyes.


    He gazed once more into the distance of the great road, mumbling to himself, “Xiaohan, I will never let you leave my side, never!”


    …


    The holidays had ended, and the He Group building was bustling with activity once again. As in previous years, the elder Mr. He and He Xing stood by the main entrance on the ground floor early on, handing out Red Envelopes to every employee returning to work.


    This was a tradition of the He Group, where the current person in power and the future sessor would hand out Red Envelopes to everyone who served the He Group, symbolizing a prosperous start.


    Although the elder Mr. He was the Chairman and CEO of the He Group, he had been attending thepany less frequently over the years.


    The reason for this was He Xing’s strong business capabilities, which had kept thepany running smoothly and allowed the elder Mr. He to enjoy his twilight years at home, drinking tea, sunbathing, and practicing Tai Chi.


    Nevertheless, the elder Mr. He was still expected to attend the year’s first board meeting. He led the way, with He Xing maintaining a half-step behind him, while Zhou and Liang Tao kept a three-step distance from them.


    In the He Group’srgest roundtable Meeting Room, all the shareholders had already arrived, and all leaders above the rank of general manager were seated in their respective ces.


    He Xing stood behind with his hands down, his expression calm without any ripples, inscrutable eyes as still as water, revealing nothing else.


    The elder Mr. He walked to the only vacant seat at the head of the round table, took out his gold-rimmed sses from his suit pocket, put them on, and scanned the faces of everyone present.


    Even though the elder Mr. He didn’t speak a word or even appeared to scrutinize anyone rigorously, each person he nced at couldn’t help but sit up straight—some so nervous they started sweating profusely from their backs.


    After his assessment, the elder Mr. He leisurely pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. Upon closer inspection, one could see the imprint of a fountain pen showing through the backside—it was his handwritten speech.


    “Today, I see many familiar faces as well as numerous new ones, yet some familiar faces are absent,” the elder Mr. He’s raspy voice slowly began, “but from today onwards, everyone here is a familiar face. I hope to see all of you here next year.”


    “Well, that concludes my speech. I’ll leave the rest of the time to He Xing.”


    The elder Mr. He’s every word and action were slow, as if from a slow-motion sequence in a movie; yet the slower his movements, the more oppressive the atmosphere became.


    It wasn’t until the elder Mr. He walked towards the door that Director Wu snapped out of it, calling out loudly, “Elder Mr. He, please wait, I have something to say.”


    “What do you want to say?” The elder Mr. He stopped and turned back slowly, his benevolent face emotionless.


    Director Wu’s forehead was already covered in cold sweat as he swallowed and whispered, “Chairman, it’s nothing serious—it’s about the acquisition of Wang’s Electronics. Several of us directors feel there’s no need to participate in the acquisition, more harm than good.”


    “Which directors hold this opinion?” The elder Mr. He turned around, his indifferent gaze sweeping over the crowd, “Stand up and let me take a look at you. If everyone is opposed, then we’ll reconsider the acquisition n.”


    Director Wu also turned around, his flushed face betraying his eagerness, “Stand up quickly, didn’t you all disagree just now? Let’s tell the Chairman together.”


    The spacious Meeting Room buzzed with activity, with many in low murmurs, yet after two minutes, no one actually stood up.


    Director Wu was frantic, directly calling out names, “Old Wang, have you forgotten what you just said? Stand up and tell the Chairman—it’s not a joke.”


    Director Wang, who was called out, stood up with a red face, stumbling over his words, “Chairman, I’m not against the acquisition, but we can’t pay too much, otherwise it won’t be worth it for us.”


    The elder Mr. He nodded nomittally, his gaze sweeping once more over the others, “Does anyone else have something to say?”


    This time the Meeting Room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; no one dared to speak, and everyone who made eye contact with the elder Mr. He instinctively shook their heads.


    It was a suffocating process, seeminglysting an eternity, though it was less than two minutes.


    The elder Mr. He cleared his throat and spoke slowly, “I understand everyone’s opinion, and so does He Xing. I believe he will make his own considerations. He is a prudent young man and will not do anything that could harm the He Group, you can be assured of that.”


    As he said the words “harm the He Group,” his eyes were fixed on Director Wu. Upon hearing this, Director Wu’s face turned ashen,rge beads of sweat ran down his forehead, his embarrassment was palpable.


    Director Wu clumsily wiped his face with his sleeve, “Chairman, you’re right… Under the young master’s leadership, our He Group will surely flourish and continue to improve…”


    He couldn’t finish his sentence as his tongue seemed to tie itself in knots.


    A sneer formed on the elder Mr. He’s lips, “Director Wu, the shares you hold in the Xia Group now outnumber those you hold in the He Group, don’t they?”


    The question drained all color from Director Wu’s face, leaving him a stammering mess, “Chairman, I… I don’t understand what you’re saying? What are you talking about?”


    “You know Sun Guoqiang, don’t you?” He Xing, who had been silent until then, suddenly spoke. He gestured to Liang Tao, who immediately distributed the documents in hand to everyone.


    “Who… who is that? I… I haven’t heard of him,” Director Wu blustered, but it was evident to anyone with eyes that his act was faltering rapidly.


    He Xing scoffed with disdain, “Sun Guoqiang is your wife’s nephew, also one of the never-before-seen board members of the Xia Group. His shares were gifted by Xia Guoxiong. Isn’t it quite a coincidence?”