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Chapter 25 Decision

Secretary Xiao Tang stood to the side, not daring to speak; the air was thick with tension.

After a long silence, Zhao Xiankun said in a deep voice, "Go and invite President Lin over."

Secretary Tang returned after a while, "Chairman, President Lin is not here."

Where did he go?

"Secretary Lin said they went to Hong Kong Island to prepare for the listing review, and that they had already informed you in advance."

"Oh, right, he said that the day before yesterday. Look at my memory!"

Lin Chen did mention it the day before yesterday. Several intermediary agencies and overseas law firms in Hong Kong needed to simultaneously work on listing compliance documents, requiring him to go there in person, which would only take two or three days. At the time, he was focused on consolidating his audit authority and casually agreed, then immediately forgot about it.

But now, thinking about it, a strange sense of unease swept through my heart, like a dark cloud gently pressing down, yet I couldn't find its source.

He suppressed his unease and said in a deep voice, "Go and inform Gao Jin, Xu Zhiping, and Lin Xiaomin to come to headquarters for a meeting immediately."

"Yes, Chairman."

An hour later, all three arrived. Gao Jin was the first to arrive, his face showing some urgency. He immediately began talking to Zhao Xiankun about the joint letter. Xu Zhiping was the second to arrive, carrying a thermos. His expression remained calm and composed, revealing neither joy nor anger. He listened silently to Gao Jin without saying a word.

Lin Xiaomin was the last to rush over. His shirt collar was slightly open, his hair was a little messy, and he still carried a faint smell of alcohol.

Zhao Xiankun frowned almost imperceptibly, feeling somewhat displeased, but he didn't have time to vent on such a trivial matter. Once everyone had arrived, he went straight to the point: "Have you all read the joint letter from the four top-tier subsidiaries?"

Gao Jin and Xu Zhiping nodded slightly, but Lin Xiaomin looked completely bewildered. He had spent the night at a nightclub with several young men from the business circle, not sleeping a wink until dawn. He had only managed a few hours of sleep at home when his phone started ringing incessantly. He rushed to headquarters, having no time to look at any documents or joint letters.

Zhao Xiankun tossed him the printed joint letter, and after he finished reading it, he stared into his eyes and asked, "Xiaomin, what do you think?"

Lin Xiaomin's heart skipped a beat. He quickly picked up the letter and scanned it rapidly. The more he read, the more somber his expression became, and his fingertips tightened slightly.

Lin Xiaomin immediately started making plans in his mind.

He was promoted by Zhao Xiankun, so in principle he should unconditionally stand on the chairman's side, fully support the audit, support centralization of power, and safeguard the chairman's authority.

However, after Wang Mingyu stepped down from his position, it became vacant. Based on seniority, connections, and closeness to the chairman, Lin Xiaomin should have been the rightful heir. But Zhao Xiankun instead promoted Gao Jin, clearly showing his distrust and refusal to give him real power.

He had been holding a grudge about this matter and felt somewhat dissatisfied.

However, he has always been tactful and would not show it openly.

Faced with Zhao Xiankun's questioning, he hesitated for a few seconds, forcing a troubled expression on his face, and mumbled, "Chairman, I... I spent the whole night drinking with clients, and I'm still not fully conscious. I don't know the details of this matter, so it's really not appropriate for me to make any rash statements."

He paused, then quickly added a polite remark:

"Of course, whatever decision you make, Chairman, I will fully support."

Zhao Xiankun glanced at him but ignored him. Turning to Xu Zhiping, he asked, "Old Xu, what do you think?"

Xu Zhiping immediately put down his thermos, leaned forward slightly, and adopted a sincere posture of admitting his mistake, saying:

"Chairman, the audit work was not done well this time, causing such a big commotion and causing such a big objection from the subsidiary. Ultimately, it is my work that was flawed. I failed to coordinate properly and did not have strict control. I want to apologize to the chairman."

Zhao Xiankun waved his hand, his tone somewhat impatient:

"Alright, Lao Xu, let's stop with the formalities. Xu Feng is in charge of this audit and reports directly to me. Even if any problems arise, what does it have to do with you?"

A barely perceptible glint flashed in Xu Zhiping's eyes, but his words remained calm and his tone was perfectly measured: "Chairman, you can't say that. Auditing is ultimately within the financial system, and I am the head of finance. Regardless of who spearheaded it, I bear inescapable responsibility for such a major internal conflict."

He paused slightly, lowered his voice, and spoke with particular graciousness: "Of course, now is not the time to assign blame. However, this is the first time in the Yinghai Group that four of our top-tier subsidiaries have collectively signed a petition demanding an explanation from the group's board of directors, and it deserves our serious attention. Moreover, the listing window is just around the corner; if the subsidiaries are in disarray, it will ultimately affect the entire group's listing prospects! My opinion is that we should prioritize stability and the overall situation!"

Zhao Xiankun's face darkened completely, and his fingertips tapped lightly on the table, the rhythm becoming faster and faster.

Gao Jin immediately objected in a deep voice: "Chairman, General Manager Xu, Vice President Lin. This is a crucial period for the group's IPO preparations, and the audit work is normal and necessary. Xu Feng's work has been diligent and responsible, and he has followed group regulations completely without any deviation, yet it has provoked a joint boycott from the subsidiaries. These four subsidiaries are acting this way, colluding privately and sending a collective letter; it's clearly a case of banding together to exert pressure and defying authority. If we bow down and compromise this time, where will the authority of the group headquarters be? If all the subsidiaries learn to band together for blackmail, how can the group maintain unified control, and how can the IPO process proceed?"

Xu Zhiping quickly said, "Vice President Gao is right, I was thinking too superficially."

Xu Zhiping said sincerely, "Just now I was only thinking about stabilizing the listing process, and I was afraid that the subsidiaries would cause trouble and delay the progress. It was indeed inappropriate and short-sighted. Vice President Gao is looking at the issue from the perspective of the overall management of the group. His vision is much longer than mine, and everything he said makes sense."

Zhao Xiankun glanced at Xu Zhiping and said in a deep voice

"Everyone is doing this for the good of the group, so please feel free to speak your mind. However, the system is the foundation of the group, and the rules are the basis for listing. We can't just loosen restrictions to avoid trouble."

Xu Zhiping nodded quickly: "The chairman is right, I have learned a lot."

Lin Xiaomin, standing next to him, shrank his neck and remained completely silent throughout, disappearing from sight.

Seeing this, Gao Jin became even more confident and pressed his advantage, saying, "Chairman, in my opinion, we should stand firm now. Don't be afraid of those subsidiaries causing trouble; let the audit proceed as it should. Whoever makes a fuss, we'll hold them accountable. This will serve as a warning to others and suppress all the unhealthy practices!"

"Good, Lao Gao is right! We can't hesitate just because of a little problem. Going public is a major plan for the group. Anyone who dares to affect the group's listing will be dealt with by me!" Zhao Xiankun said sternly.

He then stared at Xu Zhiping and Lin Xiaomin and asked, "Gentlemen, what do you say?"

"agree."

"I agree."

The two quickly echoed this.

"However, I need everyone's support at the board meeting."

Lin Xiaomin quickly replied, "Chairman, rest assured, I will definitely support you."

Xu Zhiping also said, "The chairman is doing all this for the sake of the group's development; we should support him!"

Zhao Xiankun nodded in satisfaction and smiled, "Everyone, don't leave yet. Xiao Tang has already made a reservation. Let's all go eat together in a bit."