Lin Xi had been here once before; seated beside the patriarch, she could take in the expressions of everyone below at a single glance. Duan Yiheng looked at Lin Xi and offered her a smile. Recognizing it as a gesture of encouragement, Lin Xi gave a slight nod.
Seated on either side of the long conference table were the directors of Silver Sail. Compared to their previous gathering, the atmosphere this time felt strangely tense and heavy. From his seat at the head of the table, the patriarch surveyed the room and cut straight to the point:
"First, I would like to thank you all for attending. We are gathered here today to address the matter of Yiheng taking over the helm of Silver Sail. I am advanced in years, and indeed, it is time for me to step down." He continued, "I intend to transfer the 30% stake currently held in my name to Silver Sail's next successor—Duan..." "Father, wait."
Duan Zheng shifted his gaze toward the patriarch and spoke up: "I do not believe Duan Yiheng is qualified to take over Silver Sail." Far from being angered, Duan Yiheng merely smiled in response: "In that case, Mr. Duan, perhaps you could enlighten us as to your reasons?" Duan Zheng turned his head slightly and replied:
"If you don't believe me, just ask everyone here: who among you agrees that Duan Yiheng should be Silver Sail's next successor?" The directors were elected by the shareholders, but the majority of those present were shareholder-directors themselves. As the matter concerned the succession, they all possessed voting rights.
For a moment, with the sole exceptions of Zhao Hongbo and Lin Xi, not a single hand was raised. Duan Zheng gave a dismissive scoff, then tapped a key on the open laptop before him. Instantly, intimate photographs of Lin Xi and Duan Yiheng taken at the estate flashed across the large screen in the conference room. Duan Zheng spoke again:
"Lin Xi was raised under my and my late wife's care since childhood; she and my younger son were childhood sweethearts. Some time ago, I presume you all heard the news regarding her impending marriage to Mingxuan—yet, the engagement eventually fizzled out. I imagine you all understand the reason why, now."
Lin Xi clearly recognized the images: they were photos of herself and Duan Yiheng in the tearoom, leaning against one another in a close embrace—their expressions and demeanor leaving no doubt that their relationship was far from ordinary. So, it turned out that Lin Xiaoying hadn't been a *femme fatale* after all; she had been caught off guard.
She glanced at Duan Yiheng, noting that he remained utterly composed and unperturbed; seeing this, her own racing heart slowly began to settle. The patriarch smiled—a smile tinged with disappointment—realizing that Yiheng's prediction had, indeed, come true. "Duan Zheng, oh, Duan Zheng—you truly disappoint me."
The old man panted heavily. "Your son tried to spare you some face, yet you couldn't wait to start slandering him instead?" Duan Zheng retorted:
"I am not slandering him. He and Lin Xi have been together for quite some time now. He stole Mingxuan's fiancée—Dad, weren't *you* strongly opposed to that back then? Didn't you even go so far as to use Duan Yiheng's future as leverage?" Ke Yu raised his eyes slightly, and immediately, someone else chimed in:
"Viewed in that light, the heir has stolen his younger brother's fiancée; his moral character is clearly compromised. How, then, can he be fit to manage Silver Sail?" "To lose one's head over a woman is hardly the mark of a true leader." "Chairman Duan, I suggest we look elsewhere for a suitable candidate. While the current General Manager may not be the type to break new ground, he is certainly capable of maintaining the status quo; Vice President Duan and the General Manager's Assistant can remain by his side to offer their support." Duan Yiheng let out a sudden, soft chuckle: "Support? Go ask Duan Zheng—is he even worthy of the task?
He's been at Silver Sail for all these years; what tangible contributions has he actually made to the company?" The group of directors sputtered, momentarily silenced: "That is an unnecessarily harsh thing to say." Duan Yiheng shot them a sidelong glance: "The truth often *is* harsh. If it weren't for his father and his son, would General Manager Duan be where he is today?"
"Gentlemen, Lin Xi grew up in the Duan household; she and Duan Mingxuan were childhood sweethearts. So what? Does she have Duan Mingxuan's name stamped across her forehead?"
"I, Duan Yiheng, am thirty years old. I have only ever loved this one woman. I have always conducted myself with integrity, holding both myself and others to a strict standard. Can any of you honestly claim that my character or conduct is in any way questionable?" "In fact, I doubt there is a single person in this room whose record is as clean as mine." Zhao Hongbo let out a laugh:
"Whoa, whoa, whoa—*I'm* a pretty clean guy! Don't drag me into your rant." Duan Yiheng gave a slight nod: "My apologies—collateral damage." Having said that, he rose from his seat, walked around the long conference table, and approached Duan Zheng. With a light flick of his long fingers, he switched off the screen. Duan Yiheng smiled:
"As to who truly lacks moral integrity, we all know the truth deep down." "Duan Zheng was the one who cheated first; my mother subsequently died of a broken heart. Back then, why didn't any of you speak up about 'moral conduct'?" "Less than a year later, Duan Mingxuan was born—was *he* not a product of a man losing his head over a woman?"
"Lin Xi and I are both unmarried—neither of us is bound by wedlock—so by what twisted logic does that constitute 'moral depravity'? Would you like me to shove the DNA test results—proving Lin Xi and I share no blood ties—right in your faces?" "However, since he had something to show you, naturally, I have something to show you as well."
No sooner had Duan Yiheng finished speaking than Ke Yu and Duan Zheng exchanged glances, each catching a flicker of foreboding in the other's eyes. Ke Yu instinctively stepped forward, but Lin Xi blocked her path: "Secretary Ke, mind your step." By the time Ke Yu tried to reach the projector controls, it was already too late.
With a tap on his laptop, Duan Yiheng instantly displayed footage on the screen showing Duan Zheng entering and exiting "Lanyue Residence"—and the person greeting him was none other than Ke Yu. The board members erupted in an uproar, their expressions a mix of shock and intrigue. Ke Yu managed a composed smile:
"Compared to the photos of Vice President Duan and Miss Lin, wouldn't you agree that Mr. Duan and I appear to be merely sharing a 'courteous' embrace?" Duan Yiheng nodded slowly:
"In the dead of night, he visits your Lanyue Residence—not just once, but repeatedly—and on multiple occasions, he doesn't leave until the following morning. Are we to believe you two were simply sharing a 'courteous' sleep inside?" Lin Xi bit down hard on her lip, struggling to suppress a laugh. Duan Yiheng always managed to be hilariously funny while maintaining a perfectly straight face.
"You—!" Ke Yu's expression turned dark and menacing. The Old Master rapped his knuckles on the table: "Effective immediately, Duan Zheng is stripped of his position as General Manager, and Ke Yu is removed as Board Secretary." "Father!" Duan Zheng stared at the Old Master in utter disbelief. "How—how could you do this to me?"
The Old Master's gaze was heavy and stern. He had once gone to great lengths to cover up the relationship between Lin Xi and Duan Yiheng; yet now, for the sake of his own selfish interests, Duan Zheng had shamelessly slandered his own flesh and blood during a crucial board meeting. If the reins of Silver Sail were ever to fall into his hands, the company would likely end up bearing the surname Zheng—or perhaps even Ke. "Duan Zheng, you have brought all of this upon yourself." Duan Zheng gave a scoff of defiance. "Is that so?" The Old Master immediately furrowed his brows, a sense of foreboding washing over him. Someone knocked on the conference room door; Uncle Deng entered, tablet in hand, his expression grave. The Old Master asked, "What is it?"
Uncle Deng replied, "Yinfan Technology has made the headlines. Reports claim the company fired an employee without cause, triggering a mental breakdown in the individual; now, her family members are causing a scene right outside the company entrance. Furthermore, the true relationship between the Eldest Young Master and the Eldest Young Miss has been completely exposed to the public."
Lin Xi instinctively turned her gaze toward Duan Yiheng; a shared suspicion had taken root in both their minds: Chen Liangyi. The Old Master rose unsteadily to his feet and asked Uncle Deng, "How could Yiheng and Xiao Xi's relationship possibly have been exposed?" Uncle Deng hesitated before answering, "…It was the Second Young Master."
The Old Master's eyes went blank for a split second before he pitched forward, falling stiffly toward the ground. "Grandpa!" Lin Xi and Duan Yiheng cried out in unison. Uncle Deng, being the closest, reacted with lightning speed and managed to catch him in his arms. The Old Master lay there with his eyes lifelessly shut—a sight that filled Lin Xi with both panic and desperation.
Duan Yiheng swiftly wrapped an arm around her shoulders and instructed Uncle Deng, "Get him to a hospital immediately." After dialing emergency services, Duan Yiheng led Lin Xi as they followed the Old Master's vehicle all the way to the hospital. Lin Xi's legs felt so weak she could barely stand; she clutched at the collar of Duan Yiheng's shirt, her eyes rimmed with red.
"We thought of everything…" yet they had overlooked Chen Liangyi. To think that she was actually one of Ke Yu's people!