Chapter 216: Occupational Embezzlement

Li Xiao lightly tapped his phone, and a video appeared on the screen.

The video clearly showed his meeting with Zhu Huichang at the coffee shop.

Zhu Huichang’s voice and face were both clearly recognizable; it was him, discussing the details of offering K10 and K9 positions.

That’s right. The moment Li Xiao sensed something was off, he had put on his pair of glasses with a built-in pinhole camera and recorded the entire meeting.

The shareholders in the conference room gathered around, watching the video’s contents in astonishment.

In an instant, the shareholders, who had only been whispering among themselves, suddenly burst into an uproar.

Zhu Huichang’s face had turned ashen.

He realized that all his denials and excuses were pale and powerless in the face of this conclusive evidence.

Li Xiao put away his phone and said to Zhu Huichang:

“You see, I don’t need to spread rumors. The facts speak for themselves. Everything I’ve done has been for the long-term development of Haitian Flavors and the interests of our consumers. And you? You’re willing to sacrifice quality and reputation for short-term gains.”

Zhu Huichang was speechless. His reputation and the trust placed in him completely collapsed in that moment. Most of the shareholders present shot him looks of contempt and anger, including some who had been kept in the dark by his faction.

He staggered back a few steps in a panic, wanting to quickly leave the conference room.

‘How could I pass up the chance to kick a man while he’s down?’

He quickly said:

“Everyone, don’t let him get away! What he did is a very serious case of misappropriation of office!”

Alerted by Li Xiao, Zhu Huichang, who had been about to flee, was immediately blocked by several of the taller male shareholders.

Surrounded, Zhu Huichang couldn’t break free.

Li Xiao continued:

“This kind of behavior not only violates business ethics, but it could also be a legal issue.”

“Using company positions to win over shareholders is definitely a very serious misappropriation of office. I suggest the board of directors of Haitian Flavors and the relevant shareholders conduct a thorough investigation into this behavior.”

“If necessary, we should consider referring this matter to the legal authorities.”

The shareholders present nodded in agreement, clearly furious and disappointed with Zhu Huichang’s actions.

Some shareholders began to discuss how to handle the situation. Someone even proposed immediately convening a board meeting to discuss how to deal with Zhu Huichang and the team he represented.

Zhu Huichang was now in a complete panic. He kept trying to defend himself, “I was just representing the shareholders’ interests! Everything I did was for the company’s development.”

But in the face of the conclusive video evidence and numerous angry shareholders, his defense was weak and powerless.

While everyone was heatedly discussing the matter, Tang Huiyu stood up:

“I’ve already notified the company’s legal department. They’ve called the police, who will be up here shortly to make an arrest.”

Hearing that Tang Huiyu had already called the police on him, Zhu Huichang’s legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to his knees.

He hurriedly turned to look behind him, seeking help from the big shots backing him, but all he was met with were pairs of ice-cold eyes.

Seeing the cold gazes in those eyes, a shiver ran down Zhu Huichang’s spine. The plea for help on the tip of his tongue was instantly swallowed back down.

Only then did he realize he had been acting out of desperation. If he exposed the people behind him now, he would be well and truly finished.

After just a moment’s wait, the conference room door was pushed open, and several police officers strode in, heading directly for Zhu Huichang.

One of the officers showed his badge and explained their purpose to everyone present:

“We received a report about possible illegal activities here, including misappropriation of office and bribery. Now we need to take Mr. Zhu Huichang in for further investigation.”

Zhu Huichang had lost all of his earlier arrogance and defiance. His face was pale, his eyes filled with fear and despair.

When the police cuffed him, he didn’t even resist, allowing them to lead him away.

With Zhu Huichang gone, the atmosphere in the conference room eased somewhat.

The old guard, led by Tang Huiyu, was extremely grateful for Li Xiao’s help.

After all, many of them had just watched the entire video.

Honestly, many of the people present were asking themselves if they could have held firm to their principles when faced with such a temptation.

Despite Tang Huiyu’s enthusiastic invitations, Li Xiao decisively refused.

To be honest, if the other party hadn’t jumped out and gotten in his face, Li Xiao hadn’t actually planned on showing the video.

After all, in his view, simply being able to block this proposal was already a decent outcome.

Li Xiao declined everyone’s attempts to make him stay and quickly left the Haitian Flavors headquarters.

Watching his departing figure, the faces of many people in the conference room turned grim.

That night, the senior executives of Fengxing Venture Capital and some allied shareholders gathered in a luxurious private room at a high-end KTV. The atmosphere was heavy and tense.

Although the room’s ventilation system was excellent, the floor was littered with cigarette butts, and the air was thick with smoke.

A Fengxing Venture Capital executive slammed his hand on the table:

“How did it come to this? Our plan was supposed to be perfect! How could it be ruined by some guy named Li Xiao?”

“He has less than 0.5% of the shares, and he still managed to screw up our plan!”

“If word of this fucking gets out, where are we at Fengxing Venture Capital supposed to show our faces?”

“A measly 0.5%! That’s all it took to derail our entire plan?”

Another shareholder in an expensive suit responded in a low voice:

“That guy’s sudden intervention was completely unexpected. Who would have thought someone could face such a huge temptation and not be moved in the slightest? He even secretly recorded a video beforehand!”

Before he could finish, another man with a grim expression and eyes flashing with anger cut him off:

“This is all Zhu Huichang’s fault! If that guy hadn’t been so incompetent, things never would have gotten to this point.”

“Tens of millions were more than enough of a bargaining chip to settle this matter.”

Another shareholder chimed in:

“That’s right! A useless piece of trash like that who can’t get anything done would be better off dead!”

“This afternoon, he almost dragged us all down with him.”

The discussion in the private room grew more heated, but nothing could change what had already happened.

Not only had their plan failed, but they were also facing potential legal liability.

Suddenly, an older, more composed-looking shareholder spoke, his voice calm:

“Gentlemen, regrets and accusations are useless now. What we need to consider is how to deal with the coming consequences.”

His position was clearly higher than many others in the room. As soon as he spoke, the chatter quietly died down.

He paused before continuing:

“First, we must do everything we can to avoid the risk of any lawsuits. Zhu Huichang is finished. The witness and physical evidence are all there. We absolutely cannot get dragged into this, but we also can’t just ignore him.”

“After all, if he goes crazy, he might really drag all of us down with him.

“Find someone to warn him. Tell him to keep his mouth shut, and at the same time, help take care of his family.”

“Second, we need to re-evaluate our relationship with Haitian Flavors.”

“We spent so much money investing in Lin Hui Food before. If we can’t find a way to cash out in the short term, the major shareholders will definitely be unhappy.”

“As for that Li Xiao, we’ll deal with him after we’ve handled the trouble on our hands.”

“He actually dared to meddle in Fengxing Venture Capital’s business. He clearly doesn’t know how to write the word ‘death’.”

“If we don’t retaliate, people outside will think just anyone can step all over us at Fengxing Venture Capital.”