As soon as Huo Ning finished speaking, the room fell into silence.
She regretted it immediately.
She had let her guard down; the atmosphere here had made Huo Ning too relaxed, causing her to accidentally speak the truth.
Feeling uneasy, she looked up at Xie Lingluo.
Xie Lingluo, true to her profession as a psychologist, didn't change her expression at all.
She still maintained a serious listening posture, encouraging Huo Ning to speak, and even showed a hint of satisfaction at her words.
"I'm glad you're being so honest with me," Xie Lingluo smiled.
What psychologists dread the most is patients who are reluctant to seek treatment and overly guarded with their doctors.
Fortunately, Huo Ning wasn't like that.
Hearing this, Huo Ning also breathed a sigh of relief.
Xie Lingluo continued to encourage her: "We'll meet again in the future. I hope you can maintain this state. Let's work hard together, okay?"
Huo Ning smiled somewhat forcedly: "Okay."
Another session? QAQ
After the consultation, Huo Ning felt physically and mentally exhausted.
"Ning Ning, are you tired? Have some snacks here, and I'll call your father to pick you up, okay?"
Huo Ning, feeling completely drained, collapsed on the sofa and nodded slightly.
Xie Lingluo found her appearance adorable and chuckled.
She then picked up the phone, asked the reception to send in cake and milk, instructed them to keep Huo Ning company for a while, and went to the adjacent room herself.
"Knock knock..."
"Come in."
Xie Lingluo, now in the role of a visitor, paused for a moment, showing a helpless smile, and pushed open the door.
"Mr. Huo, regarding Ning Ning's situation, I think it's necessary to have a chat with you."
Huo Xiaozheng put down his phone and made a gesture inviting her to speak.
...
When Huo Xiaozheng came to pick up Huo Ning, she was already dozing off.
She squinted, caught sight of Huo Xiaozheng, jumped off the sofa, walked to his side, held his hand, and looked up to ask, "Can we go now?"
Her voice was a bit muffled, like someone who had just woken up in the early morning, still with a hint of grumpiness.
"Of course we can."
Huo Xiaozheng bent down, picked her up with one arm, and let her head rest on his shoulder. "If you're tired, take a nap. You'll be just in time for dinner when you wake up."
After saying this, he nodded slightly to Xie Lingluo and left.
Originally, Huo Ning didn't feel very sleepy, but as soon as her head touched Huo Xiaozheng's shoulder, she was hit by a wave of heavy fatigue and fell asleep within minutes.
Huo Xiaozheng didn't wake her up and took her straight back to the company.
After instructing Yin Su to look after Huo Ning, Huo Xiaozheng immersed himself in his work.
"Those protesting employees belong to the southern subsidiary. The subsidiary's capital chain broke, and to quickly secure cash, the subsidiary's general manager chose to lay off staff. The number of layoffs was significant, and no corresponding compensation was given, so the employees are protesting."
Xi Chuan reported the current situation one by one.
"Such a big decision, who at the headquarters approved it?" Huo Xiaozheng hit the nail on the head.
Xi Chuan reluctantly said: "It was Manager Xu from Human Resources."
"Xu Zhen?"
Xi Chuan nodded.
Xu Zhen had some history with Huo Xiaozheng.
When Huo Xiaozheng took over Huo Corporation from the old Mr. Huo, there were some tricky issues to deal with, not to mention he was competing with Jiang Group at the time.
At that time, he was framed by competitors and found himself in a difficult situation.
It was Xu Zhen who lent him a helping hand.
It's easy to add flowers to brocade, but hard to send charcoal in snowy weather.
Huo Xiaozheng always repaid kindness, and seeing that Xu Zhen was righteous and capable, he kept him at Huo Corporation.
Facts proved that he hadn't misjudged.
Now, hearing that the person who signed off on this was Xu Zhen, Huo Xiaozheng was somewhat surprised.
"Why wasn't appropriate compensation given?"
"Manager Xu said that these people belonged to the factory workers under the subsidiary, but their production line had an extremely high defect rate, so the proposal for layoffs was very reasonable."
Huo Xiaozheng sensed something was off.
"Have you checked if there's any connection between Xu Zhen and Huo Siyuan?"
Xi Chuan: "We've checked, there's no close association."
"Let the company's legal department negotiate compensation with these employees."
Xi Chuan looked troubled: "We've already had the legal department communicate with these employees, but their attitude is firm, and their demands aren't just about compensation."
Huo Xiaozheng gestured for him to continue.
"Among these employees, there's a leader. This leader claims that his layoff was unreasonable, that the company wronged him."
"He demands an apology from the company."
Huo Xiaozheng said in a chilling tone: "Negotiate according to the company rules. If he insists he was wronged, let him provide evidence."
"We've already said that, but they claim the company is protecting its own, that he can't produce evidence, and wants the company to launch an investigation."
"If we don't investigate, they'll go on a hunger strike in protest."
This was putting Huo Corporation in a very difficult position.
Before Huo Xiaozheng could sort out his thoughts,
Xi Chuan's secretary knocked and entered.
"Mr. Huo, there's another online leak, saying you're the sugar daddy keeping Miss Huo Jing."
The timing of these events was too coincidental.
Huo Xiaozheng pondered for a moment, then asked: "Has Huo Siyuan made any moves?"
Xi Chuan: "After sending his wife and daughter abroad, he's currently handling some work handovers."
What Xi Chuan didn't say was that Huo Siyuan had initially been unwilling to send his wife and daughter abroad so early.
But due to Huo Xiaozheng's firm attitude, and after the incident in the underground parking lot was witnessed, he had no choice but to send his wife and daughter abroad first, to show his willingness to follow orders.
"At present, if the company starts an investigation process, we can't get results immediately. Plus, with the rumors about you..."
Saying this, Xi Chuan secretly glanced at Huo Xiaozheng, and seeing his expression unchanged, continued: "If the protesting employees really start a hunger strike, it would be very unfavorable for the company."
Huo Xiaozheng had naturally thought of all these points that Xi Chuan mentioned.
"Talk to the protest leader, let him assist with the investigation. Since he wants to start an investigation, he must know some inside information."
At this point, Huo Xiaozheng's tone turned cold: "If it's indeed the company's fault, we'll handle it according to company rules; if not, we'll go through legal procedures."
"Yes," Xi Chuan immediately responded.
"However..." Xi Chuan hesitated to speak.
Huo Xiaozheng: "Just say it."
"Actually, Huo Siyuan has contacted us. He said... he has some connection with the protest leader." Xi Chuan observed Huo Xiaozheng's expression: "If he steps in, he might be able to persuade the protesters to pause their demonstration during the investigation period."
Huo Xiaozheng smiled. Huo Siyuan had been pampered by the Huo family for so many years, turning him into a useless person.
No wonder he raised his wife and daughter to be brainless scarecrows.
They only know how to put on airs.
Huo Xiaozheng said coolly: "Fine, then call him over and let's hear his conditions."
It was time to make Huo Siyuan understand one thing: Huo Xiaozheng had raised a daughter, not changed his nature to become a saint.
