The Knife Is Mine

"And you people—before bringing those children back into the family, didn't you say they must not damage the family's reputation or interests? Bullying someone before an important Huo Household meeting—is this the upbringing they want others to see from the Huo Household?"

"And something similar already happened today. Did you remind the children what they should and shouldn't do? They're so young, yet they have the nerve to unleash dogs to bite people. They're utterly lawless."

"All of these children will be expelled from the Huo Household. Since you failed to teach them what they should and shouldn't do, you will also lose your dividends for the next two years. All of it will be given to the Shen Household as compensation."

As soon as Huo Xi finished speaking, the one who doted on his only son could not accept it and immediately said, "No! He's my only son. He did make a mistake this time, but can't you give him another chance? I'll never let him come to the old residence again. Can't you just not expel him?"

Huo Xi looked at him and said coldly, "I thought you understood that what I say is a notification, not a discussion. Can't bear to part with your son? Then get out with him."

The daughters and wife of that family went crazy. If he was expelled, what would happen to them? They had never liked that younger brother to begin with.

While they were tearing at each other over there, Huo Xi asked that granduncle again, "Have you decided? Do you want that dog, or your status in the Huo Household?"

His sons, grandsons, daughters, and sons-in-law all stood up to persuade him. In the end, he could only accept it and say he would send the dog away.

Once he said that, the other side had also reached an agreement and said they would send that child away. As for the others, they did not even try to argue. They had originally brought them back to gain a few benefits, but instead they had caused trouble and suffered losses.

Huo Xi had spoken so harshly today that, whether or not they had received business arrangements from him, no one dared to argue further.

"What about him? He brought a knife into the old residence. If it hadn't been for today, who knew he was carrying one? What did he bring it in for? He even kept it on him." That granduncle pointed at Huo Huan and demanded.

Shen Zhuo looked at Huo Huan in surprise. A knife? Hadn't he been knocked unconscious by a rock? Then again, he had smashed so many rocks without knocking him out.

How could Huo Huan have knocked him unconscious in one blow? The rock would have had to be enormous. How could there be one like that on the Huo Household's lawn?

As expected, they wouldn't let the fruit knife matter go. Huo Huan might be in trouble. Once they suspect his intentions, it won't be easy to offset his merits against his faults.

But Huo Xi should be able to suppress those people's thoughts, right? I just wonder what impression Huo Xi has of Huo Huan. Will he be willing to side with him?

Shen Can silently thought, If he isn't willing, then we'll have to step in. After all, he saved Shen Zhuo. It wouldn't look good if we just watched him get driven out.

"The knife was mine. My mother used it to cut fruit for me in the car, and I accidentally carried it with me when I got out." Shen Zhuo had been wondering what knife they meant when he heard his little uncle mention a fruit knife in his thoughts, so he immediately pinned the matter on himself.

Shen Can was startled by Shen Zhuo's words. Their Shen Zhuo had actually learned to lie.

He had originally been thinking that, if it truly came down to it, the entire Shen Household would honor Huo Huan as their benefactor. For the sake of appearances and their relationship with the Shen Household, the Huo Household probably would not drive him out.

But that would mean the Shen Household was using their influence to pressure others. Their relationship with the Huo Household would become strained afterward, and Huo Huan would surely be collectively ostracized by the Huo Household.

"It probably fell out when I fell and rolled down the slope. Then Huo Huan saw it and used it." Shen Zhuo spoke every word clearly and firmly.

Huo Huan thought that if he himself had not known he was the one who brought it, he might have believed Shen Zhuo.

Xu Qingqing glanced at the son in her arms, gave a soft hum, and said, "There really was a fruit knife in our car. I even cut fruit for him on the way here. Who knew he would accidentally bring it down with him?"

Huo Huan had saved her son, so she had to acknowledge that favor. Shen Yu nodded in agreement as well. Although this child truly became terrifying later in the story, he had not done anything yet, and he really had saved his child.

Since the knife belonged to someone from the Shen Household and had not been brought in deliberately, they could only accept it. Besides, when Huo Huan had first described what happened, he had not said the knife was his. He had only said that he used a knife to injure the dog, then pulled Shen Zhuo up and carried him back.

"Since Huo Huan did not bring the knife, then this is all to his credit. Faults should be punished, and merits should be rewarded. Give him a house and a car. Also assign him two bodyguards, one driver, and one housekeeper."

"He was frightened this time as well. His etiquette training seems quite good, so let him stay by my side for a while, until he starts school."

He had noticed that things seemed to happen easily around this child. Perhaps, like him and the Shen Household, it was because he was a villain set by the plot, so incidents kept occurring to him or around him.

After Huo Xi finished speaking, the other children who had been brought back were consumed with envy. This was practically the treatment given to a legitimate young master of the Huo Household. Whether they could have these things in the future would depend entirely on their fathers' circumstances.

But Huo Huan was different. He already had a car and a house now. Not only would he have freedom to travel, but he would also have his own people at his disposal in the future.

And he could follow Huo Xi for a while. Wouldn't that mean he could enter the president's office at Huo Corporation headquarters? God, they wondered whether they would have a chance to see it someday.

Once this matter was settled, one of the Huo Household elders said, "Now that everyone is here, let's vote on that matter. It's getting late. Once we're done voting, everyone can go home earlier."

They had matters to deal with as well. Ever since Huo Zhenyun had made a fuss about bringing his daughter back, there had been trouble every day. They were sick of it.

They only felt that the Huo Household had utterly lost face. If the Huo Household had been a declining family, they would have been laughed to death already.

They did not know what everyone was thinking now, but at least no one dared to openly mock the Huo Household in front of its members.

The Huo Household people needed to pull themselves together. They could not even manage themselves or their children, and all they did was make the Huo Household lose face.

The Huo Household elders counted and recorded each raised hand one by one. Half the people abstained. Of the remaining votes, more supported allowing Zhou Jingxuan into Huo Corporation. There were more than fifteen votes more than those against it.

Huo Huan also understood that Zhou Jingxuan was Huo Xi's enemy. When he saw that the people who had just been reprimanded, along with some of their family members, had voted in favor, he grew nervous because he had caused that incident.

He wondered whether Huo Xi would be unhappy. Huo Xi had just rewarded him, yet now Huo Xi had lost partly because of him. How embarrassing would that be?

Shen Mother and Xu Qingqing also felt somewhat embarrassed. Although they did not think they had been wrong to seek justice, they still felt sorry that it had affected Huo Xi.

Shen Yu and Shen Hong, however, found it strange. Huo Xi could not possibly have been unprepared. How could he have dared to speak that way before the vote if he had no preparations? Or was this Huo Xi's plan?

This is called luring the enemy into a trap, isn't it? Half the people didn't vote. Huo Xi must have had his secretary and assistants give them some kind of hint. He deliberately wanted Zhou Jingxuan to enter the company.

Once Zhou Jingxuan gets in, it'll be hard for him not to let Huo Xi catch him in something, because Zhou Jingxuan can't possibly refrain from causing trouble. If Huo Xi kept him in Zhou Corporation and acted against him, he would only look cold-blooded and make things even more troublesome.

After all, if Zhou Jingxuan didn't fight or compete and Huo Xi still moved against him, who knew what some people would say?

People won't consider things from his perspective anyway. They'll only condemn him for being ruthless. So he might as well let Zhou Jingxuan into Huo Corporation. Doesn't he want to cause trouble? Huo Xi will give them the opportunity.