The old man spoke while looking at Fu Tingyi.
He was full of confidence.
In contrast, Fu Tingsheng's expression was calm. "How about we vote? Anonymous voting."
Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
No one wanted to offend anyone openly. After all, Grandpa Fu and Fu Tingsheng seemed closer now, but the trouble his wife had caused this time was too great, and Fu Tingsheng would likely be implicated.
At this juncture, Fu Tingyi, who was not close to Grandpa Fu and his wife, was a more suitable candidate.
The voting method this time was by writing on slips of paper. To prevent identification by handwriting, the slips only had a simple "1" and "2".
"1" represented Fu Tingyi, and "2" represented Fu Tingsheng.
Of course, many people abstained from voting. Finally, a vote counter was chosen from among those who abstained, the most respected individual.
While waiting for the vote count, Fu Tingyi was not flustered, appearing confident of victory.
Fu Tingsheng's heart grew heavier.
This person was prepared.
Suddenly, his phone rang in his pocket, an incoming text message.
He read the content, surprise flashing in his eyes.
When he looked up again, all emotion was hidden deep within his eyes.
Only on his phone, resting on the table, did a name faintly flash.
—Lin Mo.
"Announce the voting results."
Fu Tingyi glanced at Fu Tingsheng, a slight frown on his brow. He seemed changed; Zhou Shen's demeanor had become more steady.
Could it be related to the phone he just saw?
Could it be Fu Jingshu?
That shouldn't be the case; he shouldn't be back yet, nor should he have the free time.
Fu Tingyi felt a bit more at ease, but to avoid any further complications, he became somewhat impatient, his gaze fixed on the vote counter.
In front of everyone, he took out the slips of paper from the box and sorted them one by one, "1" on the left and "2" on the right.
He sorted them quickly, counting the votes aloud.
Everyone watched intently.
They could be sure that he wouldn't have any opportunity to tamper with the votes.
After counting, the man announced, "Fu Tingyi, 6 votes. Fu Tingsheng... 5 votes."
There were a total of 15 shareholders, with 4 abstentions. The remaining votes were an odd number.
Fu Tingyi smiled slightly. "Thank you all for your trust. I will absolutely not disappoint you and will surely resolve this crisis smoothly."
Some were unwilling, but this was how it was.
Fu Tingsheng turned to leave.
Fu Tingyi called out to him, "Brother, don't be angry. We are all doing this for the company. It doesn't matter who manages it, right?"
Fu Tingsheng let out a cold laugh.
He strode away without looking back.
He had been ill and recuperating at home, holding no specific position in the company. Even if he wanted to stay, he had no grounds.
With the obstacle gone, Fu Tingyi, having made bold promises to the shareholders, naturally began to implement drastic changes in the company.
However, this time he didn't rush to replace people. Instead, he first halted several upcoming projects.
These were all projects signed by Fu Jingshu.
Fu Tingyi ordered them stopped without a word, angering several partners and causing resentment among the company's employees.
Then, immediately after, Fu Tingyi signed several new projects with foreign partners, the partner being Mark.
This young man's strength was considerable. The substantial investment he brought into the company instantly compensated for the losses incurred due to stock fluctuations during this period.
The employees, who had been quite resentful of Fu Tingyi, now looked at him with admiration.
Even the shareholders were surprised.
For a time, Fu Tingyi basked in glory, his influence in the company soaring.
Old Madam Fu soon learned about the company's affairs. Early in the morning, she found Fu Tingsheng. "Take me to the company."
Fu Tingsheng was surprised. "You're going in person?"
"I have no choice but to go out," Old Madam Fu did not want to see the family's assets ruined by Fu Tingyi. Even though he was temporarily bringing benefits to the company, given his nature, he would never stand by and watch the company flourish.
He would surely find a way to seize control of the company.
Fu Tingsheng supported the old madam, guiltily saying, "It's all my fault for being useless, making you, at your age, have to go to the company to lead the charge."
Old Madam Fu patted his hand. "Adopting him was my decision, so it's only right that I resolve it now."
Fu Tingsheng said nothing more.
As he was helping the old madam to the door, he suddenly saw a police car parked by the roadside. The car door opened, and a female police officer stepped out with Shen Qingqing.
Fu Tingsheng was both surprised and delighted. "Qingqing, you're back! Have things been cleared up?"
Shen Qingqing nodded. "The matter of the theft has been resolved, and thanks to the police, the truth has been uncovered."
The female officer glanced at her with a peculiar expression.
Old Madam Fu pulled Shen Qingqing to her side, scrutinizing her. "Good, good, it's good that you're back. As long as you're alright, I'm relieved. Otherwise, I truly don't know how I would explain it to Jingshu."
Shen Qingqing comforted her, "I'm fine, please don't worry."
The female officer saw them into the house. Noticing they had family matters to discuss, she said, "You're home safe now, so I'll be going."
"Alright, goodbye."
Shen Qingqing smiled and waved goodbye to her.
They seemed quite familiar with each other, which made Fu Tingsheng a bit confused. He led her into the house, had a cup of hot water served, and then asked, "You weren't bullied in there, were you?"
Shen Qingqing took a sip of hot water, feeling her body slowly warm up. "No, please don't worry."
"Then how did they let you out?"
"This matter..."
Before she could finish speaking, the doorbell rang. Fu Tingsheng went to open the door, only to see a group of reporters carrying cameras.
Leading them was Ning Xin.
She had shed her earlier amiable and accommodating demeanor from the interview video, her gaze sharp and aggressive.
She didn't need to say a word; the reporters surged forward, surrounding Shen Qingqing and her family, even Chenchen, who had just come downstairs, was not spared.
Shen Qingqing shielded him in her arms. "I did not invite you in. All your interviews and photography now constitute an invasion of my privacy!"
"If you have nothing to hide, why are you afraid of us filming?"
"According to the clues we've received, you stole something and went to the police station. Has it been cleared up now? How did you get out?"
"Did you bribe the police officer?"
"Or did you find some connections?"
The reporters were aggressive, practically shoving their microphones and cameras into her face.
Chenchen stepped forward and stood in front of her, "My mommy wouldn't do such a thing. Don't wrong her. She definitely didn't steal anything!"
As soon as he spoke, the reporters turned their barrage of questions on him.
"Did you know your mother stole something?"
"Were you present at the time? Did you hear your mother talk about stealing?"
"Little boy, will you learn from your mother when you grow up? Wanting things and resorting to stealing?"
Shen Qingqing quickly covered Chenchen's ears and glared fiercely at the reporter. "Please mind your words!"