MA1 grinned. "Roger that." He paused. "With the buzz that this situation has created and as far as morale is concerned, I still have to ask Mr. Bai to sit out in the voting."

  The lone female investor apart from Yun Qian Meng spoke up. She was in her fifties. "I think with the policy in mind, if all members have voting rights, it would be unfair for Mr. Bai to sit out. As long as his vote isn't out-winning everyone else, it should be fine," she allowed.

  The HR director spoke again. "I definitely think there is some question here when it comes to unbiased voting, but I have to look at this through another lens. What is the primary purpose of this meeting? It is to ensure the best people are in the leading position in our company. And if there are some issues with one person and they are hindering the process, I would allow Mr. Bai to vote because he cares about the company more than anyone sitting in this room."

  There was a hum in the room as people discussed the opinions.

  "Does anyone else want their opinions known?" the speaker asked once again.

  "I want the most qualified employees also. As a shareholder, I do know that Mr. Bai has the highest risk in the room. But I have to say that it was advertised that Mr. Bai's recommendation played an important role in appointing Director Bai. In that case, he has shown clear bias towards his family member. It is unethical for him to vote in this case," B1 spoke once again. He looked stoic but Qian Meng could see a glimmer of victory in his eyes.

  These people loved to talk in circles and hide their positions. But did they not see that their tricks were seen through the instant they employed them?

  Qian Meng opened the notepad she had been given when she was entering the conference room and started to draw on it. She positioned each person and their arguments in frame with her comments.

  She was the queen of using people's words against them. And she liked playing the devil's advocate to get her way. So, she waited and bided her time.

  The back and forth went on for some time, each person harping on their own opinion. Finally, Bai Yu cleared his throat. The speaker turned to him.

  "Chairman Bai, do you have something to say?" he asked with a tone of reverence.

  Mr. Bai nodded and cleared his throat. "This is a very difficult call for me. I think there is going to be fallout either way. I tend to agree with both sides of the argument. I have been through his before in situations where Wenxi was given execution rights. The discussions were circled around hiring employees who were fit for the position. It is not about a family member. I just… however you draw it out or cut it… whether he reports to me or someone else, to me it is a blurry line in retrospect." He sighed.

  "With regret, I will say that I have been biased in the past and allowed Director Bai to be employed in the company. I can see how my recommendation as the Chairman would influence and coerce the human resources team and other interviewers to employ my son. I will relinquish my veto powers and allow the shareholders to decide the outcome. But let me assure you that the result will depend on what the majority shareholders voice."

  Which meant that Yun Qian Meng was the only person who mattered in this meeting. But this was a show to see who would fall and who wanted the best of the company. It was a show to see who the snakes were hidden under the grass.

  Everyone was appeased now that Bai Yu had spoken up. They didn't suspect him of being deceptive, so they proceeded to move on.

  The speaker nodded. "We will take Chairman Bai's words into consideration. He will be watching over the board meeting and voice his opinions. He will not be vetoing the decision taken."

  There was an overwhelming acknowledgment of the decision. The speaker looked at his watch.

  "Director Bai has three minutes to arrive, or the board meeting will be canceled and all his rights and privileges in the company taken away," he announced finally.

  People on his side sucked in deep breaths. Some of them looked down at their cellphones and typed. Qian Meng presumed that they were asking Bai Ye Qing to hurry.

  She smirked. He couldn't be foolish enough not to arrive. So, he was probably in his office or walking down the hallway at the very moment.

  Like magic, the conference room door really opened, and Bai Ye Qing pushed through. He looked confident with his hands shoved in his pant pockets and a lone male secretary trailing behind him with files under his arms.

  "Apologies for being late," he chirped. He didn't look around the room and took a seat at the only available chair left. His secretary leaned against the wall behind him, looking jumpy.

  Qian Meng looked at the files. She could sense that those were in defense of his actions and whatnot. She highly doubted it would help his case once all his dirty deeds were outed.

  She prepared for her big reveal.

  "It is very disrespectful to be late to a hearing for your termination," Bai Yu commented gruffly. He didn't look at his son or greet him back. The people around the room buzzed with activity, wondering what had really gone wrong in the relationship for it to come down to a dismissal of the future owner of the company.

  It must have been a huge scene if it had caused a major rift in their father-son relationship.

  "At least we got rid of Bai Yu's vote," B1 responded. "I spoke to some of the others. Some of them were on our side. If it works out, we can keep Bai Ye Qing on board."