The Boardroom Isn't a Marketplace, but I Brought Sunflower Seeds

Although the "video slap in the face" fiasco on Weibo had left Lin Yu at a disadvantage in public opinion, it had not harmed his foundations.

After all, public opinion was intangible; capital was what truly mattered.

The Huo Household villa was undergoing "post-disaster reconstruction" (mainly repairing the collapsed bed and the water-damaged flooring).

Huo Si had temporarily moved with Jian Ning into a spacious flat in the city center.

7:30 a.m.

Jian Ning sat at the dining table, chewing on a sandwich while watching the stock market on his tablet.

Although Huo Corporation's stock price had stabilized, several strange pools of capital could still be seen frantically probing the K-line chart, as though searching for weaknesses in the defense line.

"This Lin Yu has got something behind him," Jian Ning said with a frown, a dab of salad dressing at the corner of his mouth. "He threw in so much money just to make him a vice president? Is that true love or money laundering?"

Huo Si emerged from the bedroom, fastening his cufflinks. He wore an exquisitely tailored dark gray three-piece suit today, his hair slicked back without a strand out of place. His entire presence radiated icy severity.

Today was the shareholders' meeting—a hard battle.

"Not true love." Huo Si walked behind Jian Ning, bent down to lick the salad dressing from the corner of his mouth, and said flatly, "It's KM Group. They've always wanted to swallow Huo Corporation's European market overseas. Lin Yu is merely the puppet they pushed forward."

Jian Ning's heart skipped a beat.

[KM Group?]

[That sounds awfully familiar... System, check out what this KM Group is about?]

The system began searching frantically:

[Ding! Data loading... Encryption level: S.]

[Preliminary scan: KM Group is a globally renowned venture capital giant with a ruthless style. However... Host, while scanning KM Group's list of core shareholders, this system discovered a name protected by multiple layers of encryption. The magnetic field fluctuations of that name are 30% similar to those of your original body.]

The milk in Jian Ning's hand nearly spilled.

[Similar to me?]

[Don't tell me the original owner was actually some rich heir lost outside the family? Is this kind of melodramatic plot still popular?]

[Insufficient permissions. Unable to conduct an in-depth interpretation. It is recommended that the host approach KM Group's representative at today's shareholders' meeting. More clues may be unlocked.]

Jian Ning's eyes lit up.

[I knew it! How could a long novel not have a mystery surrounding someone's origins?]

[Looks like I have no choice but to attend today's board meeting.]

"Mr. Huo." Jian Ning put down his milk, wiped his hands, and looked up at Huo Si. "Are family members allowed at today's meeting?"

Huo Si paused while straightening his tie and lowered his gaze to him. "You want to go?"

"Those occasions are boring. It's just a group of old men arguing, and besides... Lin Yu will definitely be there."

"That's exactly why I'm going!" Jian Ning stood up, helped Huo Si straighten his collar, and smiled like a sly little fox. "He's the irresistible male lead, and I'm the demon-revealing mirror. What if he starts flirting with the shareholders at the meeting? I have to go hold down the fort for you!"

[Mostly, I'm going to eat popcorn! And while I'm at it, I'll see whether that KM Group representative is a long-lost relative of mine!]

Huo Si looked at his eager expression, and a trace of indulgence flashed through his eyes.

"Fine."

"Once we're there, don't run around. Sit beside me. If anyone bullies you..."

Huo Si's gaze turned cold. "Throw a cup at them."

9:50 a.m., Huo Corporation headquarters.

The atmosphere in the largest tiered conference room was so grave it was suffocating.

Dozens of shareholders were already seated, and the air was thick with the scent of expensive tobacco and anxiety.

Seated at the head of the left side was Lin Yu, whom they had not seen for several days.

Today, he had changed into a white suit. He still looked smug and polished, even more radiant than before (the system had boosted his beauty stat). Beside him sat a blond, blue-eyed foreign man—KM Group's representative, Smith.

The conference room doors were pushed open.

Huo Si strode in.

Half a step behind him followed Jian Ning, dressed in a casual suit so as not to draw too much attention, though he held a thermos cup in his hand that was actually filled with milk tea.

"President Huo."

"President Huo is here."

The shareholders rose to greet him, but their gazes inevitably drifted toward Jian Ning behind Huo Si.

So this was the legendary "boss's wife"? What was an actor doing at such a serious occasion?

When Lin Yu saw Jian Ning, a flash of venom passed through his eyes, quickly concealed beneath a perfect smile.

He stood up, his tone gentle yet edged with hidden barbs.

"Ah Si, you're here. But... today is a shareholders' meeting involving the group's highest-level secrets. For Mr. Jian, someone from the entertainment industry, to appear here... isn't that somewhat against the rules?"

With that single sentence, he had directly labeled Jian Ning an "outsider" and "unprofessional."

Several older shareholders nearby, already dissatisfied with Huo Si's high-handed ways, began whispering among themselves.

"Yes, this is far too frivolous."

"They may have gotten married, but that doesn't mean he can interfere in company affairs."

Jian Ning did not get angry either.

He leisurely unscrewed his thermos, took a sip of milk tea, then lifted his eyes and looked at Lin Yu with a smiling expression.

"Mr. Lin, that's an interesting thing to say. I may not understand business, but I understand the law."

"As Huo Si's lawful spouse, I have the right to share all his assets and stock dividends. Which means..."

Jian Ning pointed toward Huo Si's seat.

"Half of that seat belongs to him, and half belongs to me. It isn't illegal for me to come listen to how our family's money disappeared, is it?"

[You want to lecture me about rules? This boss's wife is the rule!]

[And... System, scan Lin Yu for me. Why is his luck value so high today? Is that red glow coming off his head?]

[Ding! Lin Yu has overdrafted system energy and activated the "Group Dumbing Aura." Shareholders present with weak willpower—minor shareholders holding less than 1% of shares—have already begun defecting.]

Sure enough.

Even after being rebuked, Lin Yu did not get angry. Instead, he smiled confidently and turned to Smith beside him.

"Since Mr. Jian wants to listen, then let him listen. I hope that later... you'll still be able to smile."

The meeting officially began.

Without any pleasantries, Smith directly tossed out a document and said in clumsy Chinese, "President Huo, KM Group has acquired 15% of Huo Corporation's tradable shares. Adding the 5% held by Mr. Lin Yu—given by the Lin family—as well as the proxies from several shareholders present..."

"We currently hold 28% of the voting rights."

"We propose restructuring the board and appointing Mr. Lin Yu as the group's executive vice president in charge of overseas operations."

The dagger was finally drawn.

Twenty-eight percent was not enough for a controlling stake, but it was enough to stir up turmoil on the board and even veto many of Huo Si's decisions.

Huo Si leaned back in his chair, expressionless, his fingertips lightly tapping against the table.

He did not speak, as if waiting for something.

Sitting beside him, Jian Ning pretended to drink milk tea while activating his Gossip Radar to frantically scan Smith.

[This foreigner... why does he keep looking at me?]

[System, scan him quickly! Does he know me?]

[Ding! Scan successful. Smith, head of KM Group's Greater China division.]

[Key gossip: before arriving, he received a secret order from KM Group's true behind-the-scenes boss, code name "J." The order contained only one sentence: "Bring down Huo Corporation at any cost, but absolutely do not let a single hair on the head of the man named Jian Ning be harmed."]

[Smith is panicking now because he has discovered... that Jian Ning is right beside Huo Si, and Lin Yu just insulted him.]

Jian Ning froze.

[Bring down Huo Corporation, but don't hurt me?]

[What kind of bizarre order is that? Does that mysterious boss have a crush on me?]

[Or am I really that boss's illegitimate son who was lost outside the family?]

Jian Ning decided to test the waters.

He suddenly set down his thermos with a crisp clack.

Everyone looked at him.

Jian Ning did not look at Lin Yu. Instead, he stared directly at Smith and suddenly said in fluent English, thanks to the original owner's skills and the system's translation:

"Mr. Smith, I heard that Mr. J of KM Group hasn't been in very good health lately?"

It was a complete guess.

Jian Ning simply wanted to bluff him.

Yet Smith's reaction was astonishingly huge.

The pen in his hand dropped onto the table with a clatter. His expression changed instantly, and he stared at Jian Ning in horror.

"You... how do you know about Mr. J..."

Lin Yu frowned and interrupted them. "Jian Ning! Idle chatter is prohibited here! Mr. Smith, please continue with your proposal!"

Smith wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, picked up his pen, and looked at Jian Ning in an entirely different way.

His gaze was filled with awe, confusion, and a trace of fear.

This man... knew the boss's code name? And spoke of him in such a familiar tone? Could he be...

[There's something here!]

[It looks like this Mr. J really is connected to me. But now isn't the time to reveal it. I need to put this bastard Lin Yu in his place first.]

Jian Ning leaned back in his chair again and shot Huo Si a meaningful look.

[Honey, this foreigner is guilty as hell right now. You can strike back.]

Though Huo Si did not know how Jian Ning had done it, he received the signal.

He stopped tapping the table, his cold gaze sweeping across the room before finally settling on Lin Yu.

"Restructure the board?"

Huo Si gave a soft laugh and tossed a document he had prepared long ago into the center of the table.

"Lin Yu, have you forgotten that Huo Corporation has an anti-takeover clause?"

"Any outside capital holding more than 20% of the shares must undergo a qualification review before entering core management."

"And KM Group..." Huo Si's eyes turned abruptly icy. "It is suspected of involvement in multiple overseas money-laundering cases. The China Securities Regulatory Commission's investigative team is already downstairs."

"What?!" Lin Yu's face changed dramatically as he shot to his feet. "Impossible! KM's accounts are clean!"

"Whether they are clean or not is not for you to decide."

Huo Si stood up, his tall body casting a shadow as his oppressive presence filled the room.

"Until the investigation results are out, your voting rights are frozen."

The conference room doors were pushed open once more.

This time, it was not the police entering, but several uniformed officials from the regulatory bureau.

"Which one of you is Mr. Smith? Please come with us to assist in the investigation."

Smith's legs went weak, and he nearly dropped to his knees. He looked at Huo Si, then at Jian Ning's faintly smiling face. There was only one thought in his mind.

It was over.

He had failed the task Mr. J gave him. Worse, he seemed to have offended someone he absolutely could not afford to offend.

Lin Yu stood where he was, watching Smith get taken away, his entire body shaking.

His system sounded frantic alarms.

[Warning! Capital support has failed! Mission failed!]

[Host's luck value has decreased by 10%! Please evacuate immediately!]

Lin Yu stared fixedly at Huo Si and Jian Ning.

He refused to accept this!

He clearly had the system's support, so why did he lose every time?

"Huo Si..." Lin Yu gritted his teeth. "Do you think you've won just because of this? KM Group won't let this go! As long as Mr. J makes a move..."

"Mr. Lin."

Jian Ning, who had remained silent until then, suddenly spoke.

He stood up and walked over to Lin Yu, that infuriating smile on his face making Lin Yu's teeth itch with hatred.

"You keep mentioning Mr. J. Have you ever even met him?"

"What if... Mr. J doesn't actually want to help you?"

Lin Yu froze. "What do you mean?"

Jian Ning shrugged and said nothing. He merely pointed mysteriously toward the ceiling.

The meaning was probably: Guess.

This shareholders' meeting ended in Lin Yu's crushing defeat.

But he had not been completely written off. Although KM Group was under investigation, its immense capital base still existed, like a venomous snake coiled in the shadows.

Back in the office.

Huo Si loosened his tie and sat in his leather executive chair. With one pull, he dragged Jian Ning into his arms and seated him on his lap.

"Who taught you to bluff Smith like that?" Huo Si pinched his chin, his eyes probing.

Jian Ning looped his arms around Huo Si's neck and played dumb. "What bluffing? I just asked casually. That Mr. J... is he called Joker? Or Jack?"

Huo Si looked at those darting eyes and knew he was lying, but he did not expose him.

He merely buried his head in Jian Ning's neck and took a deep breath.

"Jian Ning."

"No matter what secrets you have, or whose young master you are."

"Now that you've entered my Huo Household, don't even think about running away."

Warmth filled Jian Ning's heart, and he was just about to say something sweet.

Then the system in his mind suddenly popped up an explosive new piece of gossip.

[Ding! Important person's movement detected!]

[The private jet of code name "J" landed at Capital City International Airport ten minutes ago.]

[The target was on the way to Huo Group!]

[And... he was holding... a paternity test report?!]

Jian Ning went rigid.

[A paternity test?!]

[No way? Was this really some melodramatic long-lost-family reunion plot?]

[System, tell me now—who exactly was that J? My dad? Or my mom?]

System: [Uh... strictly speaking... he was your original body's... older brother. Your biological older brother. And an extremely severe, obsessive little-brother-loving pervert.]