Click... Click... Click...
The sharp cadence of high heels hitting the floor cut through the silence from the back of the auditorium. Every head turned away from the stage toward the sound. The elegant figure of Mi Ling, clad in a pristine white suit, stepped into the spotlight with a regal grace that commanded the entire room’s attention.
"A truly spectacular exposé, Mr. Wen Jie," Mi Ling’s voice rang out clear and resonant. She stopped at the foot of the stage, a cunning smirk playing on her lips. "But it’s a pity you spent so much time hunting for flaws in the Hydrogen Valley that you forgot one thing... I have lived and breathed KCC for five years. I know that land better than anyone." She held her documents firmly. "The data in your hand... it’s a past that I have already rewritten."
Chaos erupted in murmurs of confusion. Chairman Li Ming narrowed his eyes, watching the scene unfold with a stoic, impenetrable gaze.
"Mr. Wen Jie, you cited 'Harmonics' and grid instability, didn’t you?" Mi Ling pressed a hidden remote. An advanced engineering schematic flashed onto the screen. "Last year, I approved the budget for Active Harmonic Filters and the latest Smart Grid Controllers. I planned for KCC to evolve... The system is now an Isolated Grid. There is zero chance of backflow to the central hub. The specs you hold are obsolete."
"As for the eastern boundary, I have already established a Green Buffer Zone. The safety distance meets 100% of the legal standards. And that law you claimed would take 18 months? I finalized the rezoning last quarter." Mi Ling smiled as Wen Jie’s face drained of color.
She turned to Chairman Li Ming with a defiant, triumphant look. "Chairman, for Mr. Wen Jie to present unverified, outdated data at such a critical meeting... if it wasn't incompetence, it was a deliberate attempt to sabotage the company’s interests. I find such behavior utterly unprofessional for someone aspiring to lead."
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The tide of the meeting shifted instantly, like a plummeting roller coaster. Wen Jie stood pale and humiliated, unable to meet the burning glares of the board.
"Are you trying to obstruct this audit?" Wen Jie hissed through clenched teeth.
Mi Ling offered a faint, steely smile. "Is it the Strategic Director’s job to audit KCC land? Admit it... your data is a relic used only to mislead."
In the shadows, Adisorn bared his teeth in a predatory grin. This was his masterpiece—the public collapse of the Chairman’s son and the rise of a new star, Mi Ling, who now held the crowd's trust. Li Ming shook his head in fury, while Ming Zhi watched Wen Jie with a cold, silent gaze.
Across the room, Rosé looked at Adisorn—the demon who had orchestrated this havoc, ready to swallow everyone whole.
Chairman Li Ming rose to his feet. The old dragon’s piercing gaze bypassed Wen Jie and landed on Mi Ling.
"Since the facts are clear..." Li Ming’s powerful voice shook the hall. "I will not allow internal politics to derail the future of CK Group. I hereby announce that Mr. Gawin’s Hydrogen Project will proceed immediately following the merger." Wen Jie’s breath became ragged; his plan to humiliate Gawin had instead become the bridge that carried his rival to victory.
However, the Chairman’s eyes remained hardened as he looked at Mi Ling.
"And for the sake of balanced resource management..." The Chairman swept his gaze across the room. "I appoint Zhou Mi Ling, President of KCC, as the Director of Planning and Resource Control. She is granted full authority over all infrastructure rights for the Hydrogen Project!"
The announcement made Lu Rong freeze. Mi Ling, however, beamed with triumph, bowing as a victor. In the dark, Adisorn straightened his tie and smirked. He looked like a god watching over the fated lives of CK Group.
Li Ming spoke with a smile, but it was a smile that masked a smoldering rage. Lu Rong turned to look at Adisorn—the "benevolent" strategist who had backed Mi Ling. He realized now that this wasn't support; it was a trap. This power made her a hostage in a golden cage. If she slipped even once, this very authority would become the noose that Adisorn would use to silence her.
This man is the Grim Reaper, Lu Rong realized with a shudder. A man who shouldn't exist in CK Group for even another second!