Seeing Xu Ke's perpetually placid expression, no one believed he was truly unaffected. They were certain he was seething with humiliation, merely putting on a brave face.

How pathetic!

Behind Xu Ke, the disgust on Zhan Yunning's face had reached its peak.

If you're going to be a kept man, you should at least act the part. Couldn't he just stand quietly in the back? Why did he have to step forward and speak, let alone fabricate a position? As the chairwoman's assistant, she had never even heard of a role like 'investigator'. Seriously, could he have some common sense? Being engaged to someone like Xu Ke was truly a stroke of terrible luck that must have been accumulated over eight lifetimes.

…

Then, all eyes fell on Wong Qifu. They searched her face for a hint of anger, but to their disappointment, she remained expressionless.

The crowd was baffled. Xu Ke had been humiliated so thoroughly, yet Wong Qifu had no reaction?

Wang Tianlu, on the other hand, wore a smug look. He would never confront Wong Qifu head-on, knowing that his taunts wouldn't get under her skin. Insulting Xu Ke, however, would definitely make her angry. Having vied with Wong Qifu for his position for a decade, he knew her well. The more expressionless she became, the more certain he was that she was masking her true feelings.

She's furious!

…

"Labor contract?" Xu Ke chuckled. "Since I'm an investigator, it's only natural that I wouldn't have an official status with the Wang Family Corporation. Otherwise, how could I conduct my investigations in secret?"

As soon as he finished, Wong Liqing scoffed mercilessly. "What are you trying to pull, Xu Ke? A secret investigation? Do you think people don't know you're connected to the Wang Family Corporation? You've already announced to the world that you're Xiao Fu's fiancé. How is that a secret? By that logic, I, Wong Liqing, am also a secret employee of our Wang Family Corporation! Heh."

An irrepressible wave of mockery washed over the room. "HAHAHA..."

A smirk touched Wang Yu's lips. "Xu Ke, I'm only now realizing you're a comedic talent. It seems I misunderstood you before. I thought you won Qifu's heart with your looks and schemes... but now I see it must have been your jokes. Look at you now, telling another one! How hilarious!"

Wang Yu's delivery was so amusing that the directors backing Wang Tianlu couldn't hold back any longer. "HAHAHA..."

When their laughter first broke out, they had feared Wong Qifu would get angry and reprimand them, so they had kept it quiet. But seeing that she remained silent, they grew bold and openly mocked Xu Ke. After all, they had Wang Tianlu's support. Besides, they figured Wong Qifu's silence must mean she was utterly mortified by Xu Ke's ridiculous 'investigator' claim and had no idea how to defend her man anymore.

Witnessing this, the directors who supported Wong Qifu all looked grim. The situation was simply too humiliating.

Zhan Yunning's fists clenched and unclenched, her face burning. A slight against Wong Qifu was a slight against her. How could the ever-proud Zhan Yunning tolerate such a thing?

…

Xu Ke smiled. "It seems you really don't believe me?"

"Believe you?" Wang Tianlu sneered. "You want me to believe you? Fine! I'll ask you again, who are you investigating? People inside the Wang Family Corporation? Enemies like the Ye Family and the Huang Family? Or the status of our subsidiaries? What exactly does your job as an 'investigator' entail? You have to tell us something, right?"

"Investigating what?" Wong Liqing roared with laughter, showing no mercy. "All I see him doing is stirring up trouble all day!"

"The reason you don't know," Xu Ke said, glancing at Wang Tianlu, "is because you don't have the clearance. Besides, we're afraid your big mouth would leak everything. Given how much you're running your mouth right now, it's obvious any secret told to you would be compromised. Wouldn't you agree?"

Wang Tianlu wasn't embarrassed by Xu Ke's mockery in the slightest; he dismissed it as the desperate yapping of a cornered dog. Similarly, the other directors didn't think Xu Ke's sarcasm would have any effect on Wang Tianlu. If anything, it only made Xu Ke look more pathetic.

After all, a truly powerful person wouldn't fight back with just words. If you have any real power, show us your credentials!

Wong Liqing sneered and retorted, "Xu Ke, stop this pointless bickering. It's meaningless. I don't care if you're some fictitious investigator or a secret employee. The bottom line is, you need to have made corresponding contributions to use the corporation's resources. Do you understand what authority means?"

Seeing the conversation had reached a critical point, Xu Ke asked, "Then may I ask, what level of contribution is required to justify the corporate resources I've used?"

Hearing this question, a triumphant glint appeared in Wang Tianlu's eyes as he slowly uttered a shocking number. "It's simple: sixty-seven million."

"Sixty-seven million?" Wong Qifu finally spoke. "Are you a robber?"

"Xiao Fu, this figure comes directly from the finance department's calculations," Wang Yu said immediately. "When you factor in the press conference, the live broadcast, public sentiment monitoring, and media control, none of that is free."

Wong Liqing struck while the iron was hot. "In any case, it's simple. Xu Ke, if you make a contribution of sixty-seven million to the corporation, we won't hold you responsible for today's matter. But since you haven't, you have to pay!"

Xu Ke laughed. "Sixty-seven million? I have to compensate that much for those things? In that case, how many people here can afford to use such precious corporate resources? Or did you and Wang Tianlu just pull that number out of thin air?"

"I'm telling you, sixty-seven million isn't money; it's contribution," Wong Liqing said with a cold face. "Contribution, understand? Everyone present has made immense contributions to the corporation. To them, sixty-seven million is a drop in the bucket. Do you think everyone enjoys being a parasite like you? As for the actual monetary damages you owe, that will be determined in court. We won't tell you now; you wouldn't understand it anyway."

As he finished, many of the directors nodded with satisfaction. Wong Liqing had publicly trampled on Xu Ke while implicitly flattering them, and they were quite pleased.

Zhan Yunning, however, took a sharp breath.

This Xu Ke is an absolute idiot. Is he really trying to drag the other directors into this at a time like this? Isn't he just making everyone despise him even more? Whether others can use the resources or not is none of your damn business!

"So, by your logic, as long as I contribute more than sixty-seven million, I'm authorized to use the corporation's resources?" Xu Ke smiled.

"That's right."

"Then if my contribution exceeds one billion, do I get a seat at this table?" Xu Ke asked again.

As soon as the words left his mouth, a sudden, deafening silence fell over the conference room.

The directors wondered if their ears were deceiving them.

Has Xu Ke gone insane? A mere pretty boy talking about one billion? Who the hell does he think he is?!

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