Min Yu raised his brow in disbelief.
“Are they voting for the chairman tomorrow at the Apothecaries’ Association?” asked Huo Yao as she glanced at him.
“Uh huh.” Min Yu nodded. “Yes? Have you changed your mind? Are you going over tomorrow?”
Huo Yao glanced at Zhuo Yun’s report sitting on the coffee table. She said teasingly, “I’m the deputy chairman, so I have the right to vote, don’t I?”
Min Yu stared at her. He had a feeling that she was not going to the association to vote, but he did not continue probing. “Okay.”
“Uh huh,” acknowledged Huo Yao. She lowered her eyes and did not continue with the subject.
**
The next day, at the Apothecaries’ Association.
When He Shu arrived at the association, he was stopped before he made it to the conference room.
“He Shu, Deputy Chairman Qin says you have no right to participate in the voting,” said Deputy Chairman Qin’s assistant as he stopped He Shu.
He Shu almost did not sleep a wink last night, so he looked haggard. He looked at Deputy Chairman Qin’s assistant and laughed softly. “Is Qin Zheng worried about his promotion?”
The assistant looked at He Shu as though he were a fool. Everyone in the association was already looking at Deputy Chairman Qin for leadership.
He shook his head and said calmly, “Since you refused to sign the consent agreement yesterday, it’s as good as giving up your voting rights.”
He Shu wanted to laugh just thinking about the consent agreement. “This means anyone permitted to enter the conference room is on Qin Zheng’s side, right?”
The assistant pursed his lips without answering. He stood at the door determined to stop He Shu from entering the conference room.
Two other security guards were standing on the inside of the door.
He Shu glanced at them coldly. He knew that he would never be permitted to enter the conference room. He stood where he was with his fists clenched tightly as they hung from the sides of his body.
He turned to leave from there two minutes later.
The assistant watched from behind as He Shu left. He could not help feeling surprised when He Shu left so easily. The assistant said a few words to the security guards and entered the conference room.
A lot of people were already sitting at the conference table in the meeting room.
Deputy Chairman Qin smiled as he chatted with people around. When he raised his head and saw the assistant enter the conference room, they made eye contact. He excused himself and walked toward his assistant.
“How did things go?” Deputy Chairman Qin walked to the side and asked softly.
The assistant told Deputy Chairman Qin about his encounter with He Shu. “Something feels off about He Shu’s reaction.”
Deputy Chairman Qin narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean by strange?”
“In theory, He Shu would never have left so quietly.” The assistant paused before he continued. “Did he hatch some plan?”
Deputy Chairman Qin did not take it to heart. “What can he possibly do? He has no power of any kind.”
The assistant felt that Deputy Chairman Qin made sense. If He Shu could do anything about them, he would have done it ages ago.
“Send someone to keep an eye on him in any case.” Even though Qin Zheng looked down on He Shu, he did not take things lightly. “Oh yes. Did Chairman Wang come to the association?”
“Nope. I sent someone to watch the entrance. I reckon Chairman Wang doesn’t know about the voting. After all, his health is going downhill, so he can’t afford to get agitated,” replied his assistant.
Deputy Chairman Qin stood with his hands behind his back as he played with his watch. He nodded and said, “Okay then. Stand guard outside. Once the voting is done, everything is over.”
