Chapter 14: Follow Your Husband for Peace
Chapter 14: Follow Your Husband for Peace
Yu Meilin went to get the clothes. The office was quiet.
Li Zian thought for a moment, then took out his Mobile Phone and made a call.
Yu Meilin returned quickly. She placed a new suit on the tea table. “Change into this. I’ll wait outside. Call me if you can’t tie the tie. I’ll come in and help.”
Li Zian said, “I watched you do it once. I think I can manage.”
Yu Meilin turned and left the Rest Room without another word.
Li Zian shook his head with a bitter smile. He felt he must have destroyed the Milky Way in his previous life to end up married to her.
After changing clothes, Li Zian followed Yu Meilin out of the office. They walked one after the other towards the Board of Directors meeting room.
Employees along the way stared at him, whispering among themselves.
Li Zian didn’t care about the strange looks. As for the whispers, he guessed they weren’t pleasant, but since he couldn’t hear them, they didn’t bother him.
Right before they reached the Board of Directors meeting room, Yu Meilin stopped walking.
“Changed your mind?” Li Zian asked her.
“I want to hear your opinion,” Yu Meilin said. In her heart, she was still thinking of the Hexagram Interpretation: “Follow Your Husband for Peace.”
Li Zian thought for a moment before replying. “As soon as we arrived, your Second Uncle set a trap for you. Then we met your dad and your stepmother. Your dad was blunt, telling you to resign as Chairperson. I figure once we walk in there now, everyone in that meeting room will gang up on you and force you to resign.”
Yu Meilin’s expression turned grave. She was well aware of what awaited her.
Li Zian continued. “That conference room is their setup. They’ve prepared everything. If you walk in there according to their plan, it’s like stepping into a wide-open tiger mouth waiting to devour you. My view is the Board meeting has to happen, but not in their place. Find another location. Make them go there. Avoid the tiger’s mouth.”
Yu Meilin stared intently at Li Zian, her gaze seeming to pierce through him.
Li Zian spread his hands. “Just a suggestion. Don’t believe me? Forget I said it. Want to go in? I’ll go in with you.”
“I’ll listen to you. Let’s go to the large conference room.” Yu Meilin turned to leave.
Li Zian said, “No. You come with me.”
“Hmm?” Yu Meilin turned back to look at him, her eyes showing a hint of curiosity and confusion.
Li Zian gave a light smile. “Follow Your Husband for Peace. Just listen to me.”
“Where are we going?”
Li Zian smiled. “Just follow me.”
This time, Yu Meilin didn’t hesitate. She nodded firmly.
—
In the Board of Directors meeting room, Yu Taishan sat at the head of the table. Yu Taian from the second household sat to his left. Yu Taihong from the third sat to his right. Further down were Directors from the other branches of the Yu Family—over ten people in total.
Everyone waited for Yu Meilin to show up, but she was late.
Yu Taishan glanced at the expensive watch on his wrist and frowned. “It’s already meeting time, and she still hasn’t arrived. Doesn’t she know how much I despise people with no sense of time?”
Yu Taihong rubbed a string of spider-patterned Hainan Yellow sandalwood beads in his hand, saying airily, “Big brother, my niece has been Chairperson for four years. She’s bound to have developed a bit of a Chairperson’s temper. Cut her some slack.”
Yu Taishan’s voice turned cold. “I’m back. What Chairperson is she? Here, I say what counts!”
Yu Taihong and Yu Taian exchanged a look across the long conference table.
Yu Taian chuckled. “Exactly, big brother is back. The Yu Family’s warship still needs big brother to take the helm. But big brother, is your health really… no problem?”
“I’m sitting here, aren’t I? What problem could I have? What’s your point, Second Brother?” Yu Taishan glared at Yu Taian, his look challenging.
“Just making conversation, big brother. Don’t mind me.” Yu Taian averted his eyes.
Just then, the Board Secretary walked in. He gave a slight bow and said respectfully, “The Chairperson has made a last-minute decision to move the Board meeting to the large conference room. She requests all Board members please make your way to the large conference room.”
The over ten people in the room looked at each other.
Yu Taishan slammed a fist on the table angrily. “I’m right here! Who does she think she is, acting like the Chairperson? Go tell her to get her butt over here!”
The Secretary said, “The Chairperson said she is waiting for you there.”
Yu Taishan roared, “Tell her I’m not going anywhere! She can come here and see me!”
“This…” The Secretary looked flustered, unsure what to do.
Yu Taian stood up, smiling broadly. “Big brother, don’t be angry. What difference does it make which room the Board meeting is in? You mustn’t get worked up again, your health matters. Our whole Yu Family depends on you.”
Yu Taihong also stood. “Second Brother is right. It’s the same wherever the meeting is held. Let’s go over.”
Yu Taishan snorted coldly. “Fine. Let’s see! At least then I’ll know how hard her wings have grown!”
A large group made their way to the large conference room.
However, the conference room was empty.
“Hmph!” Gao Shengmei said sarcastically. “Taishan, you truly raised a devoted daughter, haven’t you? Playing us for fools.”
Yu Taishan’s face turned livid with anger. “I’ll go find her myself!”
Gao Shengmei grabbed his arm to stop him. “Don’t. She’s the Chairperson now. We wouldn’t dare cross her.”
Her words only made things worse. Yu Taishan’s face darkened so much it looked like water could be wrung from it.
—
At that same moment.
Yu Meilin paced back and forth in her office.
Li Zian said, “Stop pacing. It’s making me dizzy.”
Yu Meilin halted. “They’ve all gone over. Why are we still sitting here?”
“Just trust me.”
“I have to face them sooner or later. Hiding won’t change that. Staying here just makes them think I’m afraid to see them. No. I’m going to them now.” Yu Meilin strode towards the door.
Li Zian stood up and blocked her path.
Yu Meilin glared at him. “What are you doing?”
Li Zian wasn’t annoyed. He smiled and said, “We’ve waited this long. Wait one more minute before stepping out.”
“What good is one more minute?” Yu Meilin pushed at Li Zian’s shoulder, but her hand stopped before applying any force and dropped back to her side.
She hadn’t believed him before, leading to that string of disasters. She was still haunted by it.
“Fine. I’ll trust you one more time. One more minute.” Yu Meilin lowered her hand fully.
Li Zian didn’t have a watch. He looked at the time on his phone screen.
Before the minute was up, a message notification popped up on his screen, from “King Kong Lolita”: “Zian, what are you doing?”
Li Zian felt a headache coming on.
She asked what he was doing, and he desperately wanted to know what she was doing.
He was a married man. And she was Yu Meilin’s best friend. Didn’t she feel this kind of contact was inappropriate?
One minute passed.
“Alright. The auspicious time has arrived. Let’s go,” Li Zian announced.
Yu Meilin couldn’t wait. She quickly stepped around Li Zian and strode purposefully towards the door.
Just outside, she ran into Kun Li.
“Meilin, those Journalists – I’ve chased them out. I asked around. It was Yu Jiahao who invited them,” Kun Li reported.
“No surprise he’s behind it. Let’s deal with that later. Come with us to the large conference room,” Yu Meilin said as she walked.
Kun Li nodded, falling into step beside Yu Meilin. She glanced at Li Zian. “Why is he coming?”
Li Zian replied calmly, “To attend the Board meeting, obviously.”
Kun Li pressed on. “Meilin, why are you taking him to the Board meeting?”
“He’s my Husband,” Yu Meilin stated without breaking stride.
Li Zian felt an inexplicable warmth.
A strange expression flickered across Kun Li’s face. She glanced at Li Zian again but said nothing more.
—
At the entrance to the large conference room, Yu Meilin took a deep breath. Then she pushed the door open and walked in.
Li Zian followed right behind Yu Meilin. Kun Li came in last, closing the door behind her.
All eyes snapped towards Li Zian and Yu Meilin. Every face was stern, every gaze devoid of goodwill.
The large conference room had a raised podium at the front with three chairs. Yu Taishan, Yu Taian, and Yu Taihong—the three brothers—occupied these chairs, leaving no seat for Yu Meilin.
There were empty chairs opposite the podium, but those weren’t the Chairperson’s seat.
For a moment, Yu Meilin seemed lost. She didn’t know whether to approach the podium or just find a seat below.
“Well, well, if it isn’t our esteemed Chairperson?” A mocking smile touched Gao Shengmei’s lips. “We’ve finally gotten the honor of your presence, Taishan dear. Get out of the Chairperson’s seat already! You’re sitting where she belongs.”
Yu Taishan snorted but didn’t budge.
Yu Jiahao said sarcastically, “Chairperson! You summoned us here, and we’ve all been waiting for you ever so patiently. Since Your Majesty has finally graced us, can we begin?”
Yu Meilin replied, “It was you who convened this meeting, not me. You present the agenda first.”
Gao Shengmei gave a cold laugh. “Straight to the point? Fine. Let’s not waste time. I’ll say it. Four years ago, your father got sick. You acted as Interim Chairperson. Now your father is recovered. Are you handing in your resignation? Or are we going to vote you out?”
Yu Meilin looked at Yu Taishan.
Yu Taishan stared back at her, his eyes icy.
Yu Meilin’s heart broke.
It was grinding the corn, then killing the donkey.
She was that donkey. Her father was the one holding the knife.
Gao Shengmei pressed aggressively. “What? Nothing to say? Are you speechless? Or silently conceding?”
Yu Taishan barked, “Your mother is talking to you! Are you deaf? Or mute?”
A tear spilled from Yu Meilin’s eye.
Yu Jiahao chuckled. “Tears? I thought you were the strongest woman alive. What’s the point crying now?”
Li Zian leaned close to Yu Meilin’s ear and whispered softly, “Let me talk to them.”
Yu Meilin’s heart was tangled. She said nothing, just gave a small, barely perceptible nod.