Chapter 561 Anonymous Voting
At three o'clock in the afternoon, the lacquered door of the conference room at the Han Group headquarters was pushed open on time.
Han Xi walked in at the last tick of the second hand, his dark grey suit trousers drawing a neat arc on the floor.
He didn't look at anyone present, walked straight to the main seat, and placed the mobile phone in his hand on the corner of the table, making a dull sound.
"Have you thought about it?"
When he sat down, the sound of the chair legs scraping against the floor was particularly harsh in the silent conference room.
The directors' eyes moved back and forth across the table, and no one dared to look up.
The argument in the morning had exhausted their last bit of courage. Now facing Han Xi's bottomless eyes, they felt their throats tighten.
Director Zhang twisted his gray beard and rubbed his fingertips across the rough stubble.
Young Director Li kept turning his pen, and the pen cap made a small sound when it knocked against the table.
Director Wang, who was sitting next to Han Yi, leaned back in his chair quietly, as if this could avoid Han Xi's sight.
Han Xi's fingertips tapped lightly on the table, the rhythm as even as a countdown pendulum.
He understood these people's concerns.
If he supported Han Shuo, he was afraid of being held accountable later; if he opposed Han Shuo, he was wary of the deep-rooted power of his fourth uncle.
But he didn't intend to give them too much time to hesitate.
"It seems no one is willing to speak up. Since no one is willing to express their opinions..."
Han Xi raised his eyes and glanced at everyone, "Then let's vote anonymously."
“…”
Anonymous voting?
As soon as he finished speaking, the side door of the conference room was pushed open.
Liao Jingyi was wearing a smart white suit, holding a stack of light blue ballots in her hand, and walked slowly towards each director.
"There are two options on the ballot."
Han Xi's voice echoed through the microphone throughout the conference room. "A. Remove Han Shuo from all duties and hand him over to the judicial authorities. B. Return all stolen money, record a serious warning, and retain his original position."
He paused, twirling the pen between his fingers, and said, "After the election, Lin Mo will collect the votes and count them. I hope everyone understands that your vote is not only about the punishment for Han Shuo, but also about your attitude towards the future of the Han family."
The last sentence was like a stone thrown into a deep pool, causing ripples in the hearts of the directors.
They looked down at the two cold letters on the ballot and suddenly realized that this was not a simple family infighting, but a crucial vote that would determine the direction of the group.
After distributing the last ballot, Liao Jingyi stepped back and stood behind Han Xi.
The only sound in the conference room was the rustling of papers, and everyone lowered their heads, as if the ballot weighed a thousand pounds.
Mr. Zhang stared at the "A" and "B" on the ballot, his brows furrowed.
When he followed Han Ming to conquer the world, Han Shuo was still a young boy following behind.
Over the years, Han Shuo and Han Yi had given him many benefits, both openly and secretly, but the multi-billion dollar hole in the Mamba mining area was indeed a bit excessive and had touched the bottom line of most people in the group.
The fingers were suspended in the air, unable to fall.
Director Li thinks more long-term.
In the few years since Han Xi took office, Han's stock price has increased by 30%, and the speed of overseas market expansion has been unprecedented.
Following this new leader is obviously more promising than sticking with the old forces.
But Han Shuo has Han Yi behind him, and the foundation that the two of them have in the group cannot be underestimated... He gritted his teeth and finally drew a circle around the letter "A".
Han Yi sat in his original position, his fingertips unconsciously stroking his watch.
He had signaled to several familiar directors that morning, and logically, there should be more votes supporting Han Shuo.
But at this moment, looking at everyone's secretive expressions, he felt inexplicably nervous.
He glanced at Han Xi who was sitting in the main seat. He was looking down at the documents, his profile as cold and hard as a sculpture, and it was impossible to guess what he was thinking.
Time passed by minute by minute, and the ticking of the wall clock seemed to be striking at everyone's nerves.
Han Ming picked up the teacup in front of him and found that the tea had already gone cold, just like his current mood.
As Han Xi's father, he had long been driven to lose his temper by his son's drastic measures over the years. Now, even if he couldn't bear to see his fourth son end up in disgrace, he was powerless to do anything.
"Are you ready?"
Han Xi finally looked up and glanced at his watch. "Twenty minutes have passed."
The directors seemed to be awakened and folded their ballots in half and held them in their hands.
Lin Mo stood up, his black leather shoes stepping silently on the floor, and took the ballot from each person in turn. His movements were so standard that there was no fault to be found.
When the last ballot landed on the tray, the air in the conference room seemed to freeze.
Lin Mo handed the ballot to Han Xi, but Han Xi just flipped through two pages and pushed it to him and Liao Jingyi: "Read it."
Lin Mo cleared his throat and picked up the top ballot: "A."
Liao Jingyi followed closely behind: "B."
"A."
"B."
"B."
Every time a letter was read out, the corresponding director in the audience would quietly breathe a sigh of relief or clench his fist.
When Mr. Zhang heard the third "B", he quietly straightened his back.
When Director Li heard the fifth "A", a barely perceptible smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
Han Yi clenched his fingers tighter and tighter, and the metal strap of his watch hurt his wrist.
When the tenth ballot was read, A and B each had five votes, and his heart was in his throat.
"Eleventh, Ace."
Lin Mo's voice was steady and calm.
"The twelfth one, B."
Liao Jingyi's voice is clear and pleasant.
"The thirteenth, the Ace."
"Fourteenth, B."
"The fifteenth, A."
"Sixteenth, B."
"Seventeenth, Ace."
"The eighteenth, B."
"Nineteenth, Ace."
"The twentieth one, B."
"Twenty-first, A."
"Twenty-two, B."
As the last ballot was read, the meeting room fell into deathly silence.
Lin Mo lowered his head and counted for a moment, then raised his head: "Eleven votes in favor of handing over the case to the judicial authorities; eleven votes in favor of returning the stolen money."
It was a tie!
Han Yi leaned back in his chair suddenly and let out a long sigh. The cold sweat on his forehead slid down his temples into his collar.
Director Zhang also breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the cold tea and took a big sip, but the tea choked him and made him cough.
The directors who supported Han Shuo exchanged glances, all of them filled with relief at having survived the disaster.
Han Ming's brows furrowed even tighter.
He knew that this draw was no accident and that someone must be manipulating it behind the scenes.
At this moment, Han Xi, who was sitting in the main seat, suddenly spoke up, his voice as cold as ice: "I have another ticket here."
“Wow—”
The conference room exploded instantly.
"Why does President Han still have tickets?"
"Yeah, aren't there only twenty-two of us who voted?"
"Isn't this against the rules?"
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