Time flies.
Two days later is the deadline for the second family task assessment.
It is also the day to vote for the final successor.
Nine o'clock in the morning, in the conference room on the top floor of the Shi family base building.
Apart from Shi Jing's family and Manager Zhen, who had not yet arrived, everyone else was already sitting at the long conference table waiting.
Looking at the four vacant seats, the crowd began to whisper among themselves.
"That's strange. It's one thing that the young lady and the young master didn't come, but why hasn't the head of the family arrived yet? Are they planning to give up the position of heir?"
"I heard that Manager Zhen's convoy was ambushed on its way to the King organization. I don't know if anyone is alright, and there's still no news. I think the cooperation with the King organization is probably off."
"King's territory is a lawless area anyway, so being ambushed just means they were unlucky. I think the heir will most likely be Miss Shi Ying."
As Shi Song listened to the discussions, he couldn't help but exchange a glance with the First Elder, who had been resting with his eyes closed.
According to the news brought back by their spies there, Shi Miao and Steward Zhen were taken away by a group of people of unknown origin who suddenly appeared, and their whereabouts are still unknown.
Forget about the mission, we don't even know if we'll live or die.
Moreover, even Shi Jing hasn't shown up yet, so Shi Miao's chances of survival are slim, and it's even less likely that he'll appear at the voting site.
After all, if no one appears within ten minutes of the start of voting, it will be considered an abstention.
As for Shi Si, even if he arrives now, he can be eliminated in the voting later, so there's no need to worry.
The elder raised his hand, which was resting on the armrest, idly. When he saw that it was almost time, he slowly stood up.
He glanced at everyone present, cleared his throat, and was about to announce the official start of the voting when Shi Jing walked in unhurriedly from outside the door. "I'm sorry everyone, I'm late."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked up and headed towards the door.
However, when he saw Manager Zhen and Shi Miao following behind him, he couldn't help but be slightly stunned.
The First Elder and Shi Song, in particular, showed a slight change in expression when they saw Shi Miao and Steward Zhen. They never expected that the two of them would appear here unharmed.
Shi Jing walked to the main seat and sat down. He raised his chin slightly, glanced at the direction where the Grand Elder and Shi Song were with his sharp gaze, and then said to everyone, "The final evaluation and voting on the successor will now begin."
The First Elder's cheek twitched, his gaze lingered on Shi Miao opposite him for a moment, then he looked up at Shi Jing in the main seat and reminded him, "Patriarch, the eldest young lady has not yet submitted her assessment task."
Shi Miao leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, looking at the Grand Elder with interest, and said lazily, "Don't rush, Grand Elder, he's here."
As soon as he finished speaking, Manager Zhen stood up, placed the contract he had brought on the Elder's desk, and smiled, "Elder, this is our cooperation contract with the King organization. Please take a look."
The elder looked slightly surprised upon hearing this, clearly not expecting that they had actually negotiated the contract.
He took a deep breath, reached for the contract on the table, and was about to turn to the last page to confirm whether the signature was genuine when he heard Manager Zhen's voice again.
"By the way, the King organization not only offered to give our Shi family a few more percentage points of profit, but also added several extra projects, which are specifically marked in the contract. Elder, you can take a closer look."
The elder gripped the contract tightly, forcing a smile. "Alright, let me see."
However, the more he scrolled down, the more somber his expression became, and his heart was filled with turmoil.
Only after seeing the final signature and confirming its authenticity did my heart finally find peace.
The elder slammed the contract shut, his hands braced against the conference table, his brow furrowed in disbelief; he could hardly believe what he was seeing.
Not only were the assassins sent to ambush them all wiped out, but they also managed to sign a contract with the King organization so smoothly, and the other party even added several extra items.
It should be noted that the King organization always takes the lion's share in any collaboration, but this time they've given it away to the Shi family for free.
How exactly did Manager Zhen and his team manage to do that?
In addition, who were the people who suddenly appeared and took them away?
The Grand Elder racked his brains but couldn't figure out where things had gone wrong. He only vaguely sensed that some things were beyond their control.
At this moment, Shi Song, who was standing next to him, noticed that the Grand Elder's expression was not good. Suddenly, an ominous premonition arose in his heart. He frowned, reached out and pulled the contract that was pressed on the table from his hand, and quickly looked at it.
"This contract..." Shi Song's eyes also showed disbelief, but when he saw the signature and seal at the end, the words "It's fake, isn't it?" stuck in his throat and he couldn't say them.
Seeing their embarrassed expressions, Manager Zhen suppressed his laughter and asked with feigned surprise, "What's wrong, Third Master? Is there a problem with the contract?"
Shi Song's eyelids twitched, and he slammed the contract shut, saying in a somewhat stiff voice, "No problem."
At this moment, the atmosphere in the conference hall became increasingly subtle.
The Grand Elder took a deep breath, composed himself, and then instructed his subordinates to compile the comprehensive data scores of each candidate successor in this assessment.
Soon, the Grand Elder received the final data results.
He looked at Shi Miao, who was ranked first, and his eyes darkened. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he still wouldn't have been able to believe it.
He opened up a gap of nearly 500 points with everyone else.
The difference in points corresponds exactly to the additional items in the contract.
Without this, it should be on par with Shi Ying.
The elder narrowed his eyes slightly, looked up at everyone present, and said in a calm voice, "Based on the rankings of the first round of martial arts and shooting, and the comprehensive data scores of the second round, the top three are Miss, Miss Shiying, and Young Master."
He paused, his gaze lingering on Shi Ying, who had been sitting quietly, before continuing, "Therefore, the successor will be chosen from among these three."
After saying that, he waved his hand, and someone distributed paper and pens.
The First Elder sat back down in his chair, his gaze slightly lowered, and he glanced at the dozen or so high-ranking members of the Shi family present. He then slowly said, "Your votes will directly affect the future development of the Shi family, so I hope you will think carefully before deciding who to vote for."
Although the Grand Elder's words were spoken in a very official manner, it was not difficult to detect a hint of warning within them.
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