Retreat!!

Huo Zhenyun glared fiercely at his second cousin. Did his son and grandson deserve it too? The man himself was nothing but a freeloader waiting to die. He had never contributed anything to any company under the Huo Household, yet he still had the nerve to speak.

To his surprise, it was not just him. Several younger relatives stood up as well, and Huo Zhenyun was so angry his head hurt.

Did these people have to come make trouble for him today? Could they not 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.

He had already started panicking when things stopped going smoothly, and now so many people wanted to make a fuss about recognizing their children.

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

If they lacked talent for business but had abilities elsewhere, they could try joining one of the Huo Household's companies. Whether they entered a branch or the headquarters depended on their individual capability.

Dividends were distributed quarterly by family unit, but they seemed to depend on each person's specific shares in the Huo family businesses and the contributions they had made. He did not know the details.

And money was handed out for every holiday, and never in small amounts. It might seem little to wealthy families, but it was by no means little to ordinary people. Some people who could do nothing well lived off that money.

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

The Zhou Household and Shi Ruyan and Shi Pei were also very displeased. How could they bear to part with that much money?

Besides, one look at those people was enough to tell they had once been spoiled playboys. Having them recognized alongside their sons and grandsons would be humiliating.

After thinking it over, Shen Keke finally came up with an idea. "We cannot recognize all of them, can we? After all, we do not know what kind of character they have. Shouldn't Grandfather investigate them first?" That way, they could find faults 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 do not know what your character is like either. Shouldn't all of you accept an evaluation from every member of the Huo Household too?"

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

"Huo Xi! What kind of family head are you? Something this important is happening in the family, yet you have not stated your position at all!" Huo Zhenyun roared, glaring viciously in Huo Xi's direction.

Retreat, retreat, retreat!! Now you remember that Huo Xi is the family head? When you recognized your daughter, did you ask the family head for permission?

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 the headquarters, while his grandson worked at a branch. Both had only been selected because Huo Xi saw their good performance and gave them a chance.

Though several old men resented Huo Xi's control, they only complained behind his back. None of them would show anything openly to his face.

At any rate, he had no issue with Huo Xi. He was not like those people who liked making money in gray-area businesses and became unhappy when Huo Xi stopped them from doing so.

That group of people was stunned too. How were they supposed to respond? They had always listened to Huo Xi because Huo Xi had arranged work for them.

As for those who had merely been muddling along with the crowd, they were even less daring 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 the payments were never delayed. They arrived on time every single time. When Huo Zhenyun had been in charge before, people of his own generation were usually not delayed too badly.

But people from their generation were delayed from time to time. He would say the company's funds had not recovered yet, or that they had to wait until some project was completed.

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

And he had never offered them any positions. They might not be much, but surely one or two of their children had some ability.

They liked having fun, but they knew how to have fun too. 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 if he invested, he would only hand it over to his own subordinates with different surnames to manage, never to them. Perhaps Huo Zhenyun believed these younger relatives did not deserve to be his juniors or even to stay by his side.

But Huo Xi had made arrangements for them. Capable children were given positions. For those without ability, he organized a gathering and invited all of them together, saying he would invest in some projects. The family would provide half the funds, while they would provide the other half and receive shares in several bars and KTVs. Afterward, they would have money coming in.

Those who could scrape together the money did so. Those who could not could only say they had none, thinking they would miss the opportunity. Then Huo Xi covered their share, saying that the early profits from those bars and clubs would first repay him, and everything afterward would be theirs.

Huo Xi said he had asked them to contribute because some people would only work seriously if they put in their own money. Of course, the family could provide that money, but would they work seriously then? If there were losses, who would bear the responsibility?

Of course they agreed. The businesses Huo Xi arranged for them were Huo Household businesses, unlike anything they might start themselves. No one would dare cause them trouble, and with the family paying half the money, their financial burden was much lighter.

They had been called useless good-for-nothings for so long, but now they had generated income for the family and had careers of their own. They were no longer considered idle loafers.

Huo Xi told them that if they worked hard, obeyed the law, did not turn the businesses into a mess, and achieved good enough results, he would extend the model to other cities and invest in them again.

They had paid Huo Xi back long ago and had been profitable for quite some time. Money earned with their own hands felt different. They were still waiting for Huo Xi to arrange for them to expand into other cities.

One reason they had become so bold this time was that they had contributed income to the family too. Damn it, Huo Zhenyun could do this sort of thing himself, 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 feelings better than Huo Xi himself. It was impossible for Huo Zhenyun to make them give President Huo the cold shoulder. This group would never argue with President Huo. After all, Huo Xi had specifically arranged for the family to open businesses for them.

Although Huo Xi had only done it 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 ones. Even they knew they might not succeed, but they still came to pester him.

Huo Xi had no interest in wasting time with them. How many documents could he review in the time it took to argue with them? In the end, he selected several genuinely capable people and gave them suitable positions. The Huo Household had plenty of companies, and Huo Xi was constantly exploring new businesses, so there would be new Huo family companies as well.

As for the others, he organized a gathering for them. After having the family contribute part of the money in his capacity as family head, the ventures became family businesses too. In the end, the family benefited, they benefited, and they stopped bothering Huo Xi.

Seeing the situation reach a standstill, Shen Can thought, So it was true that they all listened to Huo Xi in the original story. But would it really be okay to leave things this awkward?

No sooner had he finished thinking than Shen Can saw Huo Zhenyun open his mouth again. He stood up, rushed to Huo Xi's side, and spoke first. "How can Huo Xi say anything? These are all his elders, and this is a private matter involving blood relations. Besides, you, his grandfather, started it. How can you expect him to say anything?"

That rotten old man would definitely say something to undermine Huo Xi again. If my Can Can said he was 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 he was old and times had changed. These people only listened to Huo Xi now. Had Huo Xi instructed 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 not even grant that to his own grandfather?

"Although Huo Xi is the family head, you are the family head's grandfather. You took the lead in recognizing relatives, yet you do not want others to recognize theirs. How can you push the troublesome and offending part onto Huo Xi?" Shen Can said without backing down.