Back Off, Back Off, Back Off!!

Huo Zhenyun glared fiercely at his second cousin. His son and grandson deserved it too? The man himself was just a useless freeloader who had never contributed anything to any company under the Huo Household, yet he had the nerve to speak.

To his surprise, it was not just him. Several younger relatives stood up as well, and Huo Zhenyun felt his head throbbing with rage.

Did these people really have to make trouble for him today? Couldn't they have asked for his opinion in private first?

Shen Keke grew anxious. He had been delighted when the bodyguards lined up to welcome him and when he stood onstage with the Zhou Household.

When things started going badly afterward, he had already begun to panic. He had not expected so many people to demand that their children be acknowledged and brought back.

Over this period, he had learned how the Huo Household distributed its funds. Before graduating from university, members received educational funds and spending money every year. After graduation, those with ability and suitable projects could also apply for additional investment from the family.

If they lacked talent for business but were capable in other areas, they could try joining a company under the Huo Household. Whether they entered a branch or the headquarters depended on their abilities.

Dividends were collected quarterly by household, but they seemed to be based on one's specific shares in Huo Household businesses and the contributions one had made. He did not know the details.

And money was handed out during every holiday, never a small amount. It might seem little to wealthy families, but it was certainly not little to ordinary people. Some useless people lived entirely off that money.

With so many people, who knew how many illegitimate children they had, or whether those illegitimate children had sons and daughters of their own? How much money would have to be handed out? That was all their money.

The Zhou Household members, along with Shi Ruyan and Shi Pei, were equally displeased. How could they bear to part with so much money?

Besides, from the looks of that group, they had clearly been spoiled rich kids in the past. It would be embarrassing to have them acknowledged alongside their own sons and grandsons.

After thinking it over, Shen Keke finally came up with an idea. "We can't acknowledge all of them, can we? We don't know anything about their character. Shouldn't Grandpa investigate them first?" Then they could simply dig up flaws in every one of them.

Huo Zhenyun gave Shen Keke an approving glance, but before he could speak, his second cousin interrupted again. "Character? We don't know what your character is like either. Shouldn't all of you accept an assessment from every member of the Huo Household too?"

Huo Zhenyun was furious. This man, who had not even dared to breathe too loudly in front of him before, had now made him unhappy again and again today.

"Huo Xi! What kind of family head are you? Something this major is happening in the family, yet you won't even state your position!" Huo Zhenyun roared, glaring viciously in Huo Xi's direction.

Back off, back off, back off!! Now you remember Huo Xi is the family head? Didn't you acknowledge your daughter without asking the family head first?

Huo Zhenyun's second cousin also looked toward Huo Xi. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again.

That old man Huo Zhenyun had actually pushed the matter onto Huo Xi. His granddaughter worked at headquarters, while his grandson worked at a branch. Huo Xi had given them opportunities only after seeing that their results were good.

A few old men were dissatisfied with Huo Xi's control, but only behind his back. None of them dared show it to his face.

In any case, he had no complaints about Huo Xi. He was not like those few who enjoyed making money through shady businesses, then became unhappy when Huo Xi stopped them from doing so.

That group of people was dumbfounded too. What were they supposed to say? They had always listened to Huo Xi because he had arranged work for them.

As for those who had originally just been tagging along to fish in troubled waters, they were even less willing to speak.

They had discovered that although Huo Xi was young, the dividends they received every time were substantial—far more than when Huo Zhenyun had been in charge.

And they were never delayed. They always arrived right on time. When Huo Zhenyun had been in charge, those of his generation were not delayed much.

But people like them, Huo Zhenyun's juniors, had their dividends delayed from time to time. They were told that company funds had not recovered yet, or that they had to wait until this project or that project was finished.

In truth, they knew Huo Zhenyun simply looked down on them and deliberately withheld their dividends every time.

He had never offered them any positions either. They might not have been much, but surely one or two of their children were capable.

They liked having fun, but they also knew how to run entertainment businesses. If the family invested in a few bars, KTVs, or clubs for them, they would have something to do.

But had Huo Zhenyun done that? No. Even when he invested, he only handed things over to his non-family subordinates and never let them manage them. Perhaps Huo Zhenyun believed juniors like them were unworthy of even being his juniors, unworthy of staying by his side.

But Huo Xi had arranged things for them. He gave positions to capable children. For those without ability, he gathered them all together and said he would invest in some projects. The family would cover half, and they would cover the other half to take shares in several bars and KTVs, after which they could earn money from them.

Those who could scrape together the money did so. Those who could not could only say they had none, all thinking they would miss the opportunity. Then Huo Xi advanced the money for them, saying the early revenue from those bars and clubs would first be used to repay him, while everything after that would be theirs.

Huo Xi said he had asked them to contribute because only those who put in some of their own money would take the work seriously. The family could certainly have provided the money, but would they have worked seriously then? And if the venture lost money, who would bear the responsibility?

Of course they agreed. What Huo Xi arranged for them was Huo Household business, different from opening businesses on their own. No one dared cause them trouble, and since the family paid half the money, their financial pressure was lighter too.

After being called useless parasites for so long, they had finally generated income for the family and gained careers of their own. They were no longer considered idle nobodies.

Huo Xi told them that if they worked hard, obeyed the law, kept things respectable, and achieved strong results, he would extend the model to other cities and invest in them again.

Huo Xi's money had long since been repaid, and they had been making profits for quite some time. Money earned through their own efforts felt different. They were still waiting for Huo Xi to arrange for them to expand into other cities.

Part of the reason they dared to stand firm this time was that they had contributed to the family's income too. Damn it, Huo Zhenyun could do this sort of thing, but they could not? What a double standard.

When Shi Ruyan saw that the group had fallen silent, she once again realized Huo Xi's influence over the Huo Household. She had underestimated him before. It seemed the road ahead would not be easy for them.

Assistant He understood those people's emotions better than Huo Xi himself. It was impossible for Huo Zhenyun to make them pull faces at President Huo. This group would never openly argue with their President Huo. After all, Huo Xi had personally arranged businesses for the family to run.

Although Huo Xi had done so because he was tired of them constantly trying to use their status as his elders to place people in the company. They watched the company's openings every day, and the positions they wanted were never low-level. Even though they knew they might not succeed, they still insisted on coming to bother him.

Huo Xi had no time to waste arguing with them. With the time he spent bickering with them, how many documents could he have reviewed? In the end, he selected several who truly had ability and gave them suitable positions. The Huo Household had many companies, and Huo Xi was constantly exploring new businesses, so there would be new Huo Household companies too.

As for the rest, he gathered them together and, in the family head's name, had the family contribute part of the funds. It became family business as well. In the end, the family benefited, they benefited, and they stopped bothering Huo Xi.

Seeing the situation stall, Shen Can thought, So the story was right—they really do listen to Huo Xi. But isn't it bad to let things stay this awkward?

Just as he finished thinking that, Shen Can saw Huo Zhenyun open his mouth again. He rose, rushed to Huo Xi's side, and spoke first. "How is Huo Xi supposed to say anything? These are all his elders, and this is a private matter of blood relations. You, his grandfather, were the one who started it. How can you expect him to speak?"

You rotten old man, anything you say is definitely going to be meant to tear Huo Xi down. If my Can Can says he is Huo Xi's most loyal supporter, then he truly supports him! Huo Xi, just watch me!

Huo Zhenyun had indeed been about to mock Huo Xi, saying that he was old and times had changed, that these people only listened to Huo Xi now. Did Huo Xi instruct them to do this today? If not, then prove it to him. He was old and only wanted father and daughter to reunite. Would Huo Xi refuse even to give him this grandson?

"Even though Huo Xi is the family head, you are the family head's grandfather. You took the lead in acknowledging your relatives, yet you don't want others to acknowledge theirs. How can you push the troublesome, offending task onto Huo Xi?" Shen Can said without backing down.