Inviting him to dinner

Ji Chi quickly regained his composure and took another sip of water as if nothing had happened.

Seeing Ji Chi's guilty expression, Lin Jun had already guessed most of the truth.

"If you don't know him, why were you calling everyone to find him last time?"

Lin Jun and Ji Shengming knew little about what had happened last time, because Ji Chi had bribed the driver.

After returning home, Ji Chi had refused to say a word about it.

And so the matter had been dropped.

Today, Lin Jun had no choice but to ask Ji Chi. "You do know him, right?"

"Last time... last time, I mistook him for someone else. I'm not close to Huo Jin." Ji Chi tilted his head to one side, not daring to look at Lin Jun.

He really didn't want to get involved with Huo Jin again, and he couldn't afford to, either.

Especially now that he knew who Huo Jin was. No matter how he looked at it, he was no match for Huo Jin. He had thought their standing was worlds apart, and now, that still held true. It was just that their positions at the top and bottom had been reversed.

He had to stay away from Huo Jin.

Three years had passed, and he was still only twenty-four. His future remained bright, and he could still live it up and have as much fun as he pleased.

"Not close... so you do know him, right?" Lin Jun asked again, his eyes suddenly brightening.

Ji Chi didn't answer. Lin Jun took out a stack of documents from beside his chair and placed it in front of him.

Lin Jun lowered his eyes. His health was already poor, and looking like this only made him seem more frail.

"Dad, don't worry too much. Everything will be fine."

Lin Jun shook his head. "An Omega suppressant sold by one of your father's companies was found to contain a hallucinogenic ingredient. Boshen Group's stock plummeted because of it. He hasn't had a good night's sleep in a long time."

"A hallucinogen?" Ji Chi's brows drew together, and he straightened up, his expression serious. "Doesn't Father's medical company explicitly prohibit the use of hallucinogens?"

This was no small matter.

This was a criminal offense.

Lin Jun sighed inwardly. He almost never set foot in the company; Ji Shengming handled everything at Boshen, big or small. For this incident to leave Lin Jun so worried, the gravity of it went without saying. "If the fault really lay with your father's company, we would accept responsibility."

After a brief pause, Lin Jun continued, "Your father acquired this pharmaceutical group six months ago. Before Boshen could restructure it, large quantities of that suppressant had already been released onto the market to recoup funds."

"Because of the timing stipulated in the contract, that batch of suppressants entered the market a week after the acquisition."

"The problem was discovered after the acquisition. On top of that, a rival company paid for all kinds of news stories claiming it was a product developed by Boshen. Our clarifications haven't helped at all."

"Now Omegas have joined together to boycott the suppressants sold by Boshen Group."

"One Omega has shown suicidal tendencies. Boshen has done everything it can to compensate the victims and investigate what happened, but that Omega was paid off. We haven't been able to settle the matter."

"It reached the Jiangcheng City Party Committee."

"Boshen was summoned for questioning."

Each piece of news hit like a bomb, one after another, leaving him speechless.

Ji Chi narrowed his eyes. He had never been interested in Ji Shengming's business. He had started his own company while still at university, signing actors because he thought there was money to be made in entertainment. His business had no overlap with Boshen, and entertainment news and business news appeared in different sections. He genuinely hadn't known things had gotten this bad for Boshen.

Ji Chi quickly flipped through the documents. In a situation like this, of course their own clarifications would be useless.

His gaze shifted, and within two seconds, he reached a conclusion. "We can request an investigation by the Supreme Authority and ask them to clear Boshen's name."

As long as it aired on Channel One, a statement lasting just ten seconds could turn the situation around.

"The application takes at least six months." Lin Jun rubbed his brow. "Six months. You have no idea how much we could lose."

"Because of this incident, sales of every suppressant under Boshen Group have stalled. We can't afford to wait."

Lin Jun's worry was written all over his face. His gentle features held a little helplessness and far more distress.

He looked at Ji Chi. "Mr. Huo is an Adjudicator with the Universal Trade Association. He has a say in matters concerning Jiang City."

Lin Jun said quietly, "Your father wants to invite Mr. Huo to dinner, but he's spent half a month trying and still hasn't found a way to reach him."

Huo Jin...

Ji Chi's eyes flickered, and his chest felt as though it had been stuffed with cotton.

Huo Jin again...

Ji Chi's expression darkened little by little. Unwilling to continue the conversation, he straightened his clothes and rose, his emotions unreadable. "I'm going to the office."

"Don't worry too much, Dad."

With that, Ji Chi took his jacket and left.

Lin Jun rarely spoke to Ji Chi about the company. For his dad's sake, Ji Chi had to go take a look.

For Lin Jun to ask Ji Chi over a misunderstanding this time, he must truly have run out of options.

Ji Chi knew that, too.

He took the car to the office with his driver.

The Supreme Authority held the final say over international trade associations. If it ordered a restructuring, it had to be done.

A single directive could force a company to withdraw every product and delist. And since the Supreme Authority answered to the state, its official orders were harsher than a ban. Personal connections meant nothing.

Huo Jin was in charge of Jiang City.

And his father was still pleading for a chance to invite him to dinner.