Forced to Marry a Female Billionaire CEO-Chapter 634

"That's a given," Huang Zhendong said, taking a deep breath. "I know Xu Ke is pushing Hua Xingxue to the top, but my question is, what does he intend to accomplish by doing so?"

"If I'm not mistaken, he wants to do the same thing the Ye Family did," Huang Sheng stated. "Ye Yunfeng used Peng Hetong to secure at least an additional billion in profits for the Ye Family, not to mention all the messes Peng Hetong cleaned up for them."

The Ye Family handled the killings while Peng Hetong provided the cover. This allowed them to act with unrestrained power. Meanwhile, Chen Xiong and Yuan Shang, lacking sufficient strength, were constantly checked by Ye Yunfeng and could only choose to acquiesce. Now, Huang Sheng naturally assumed Xu Ke intended to replicate this model.

"It seems Xu Ke has quite an appetite," Huang Zhendong snorted coldly. "Does he think escaping our siege allows him to do whatever he wants in Tianhai?"

"But Dad, Xu Ke is indeed showing signs of doing just that. Before Hua Xingxue's potential promotion, he had to plan meticulously when he killed Kang Chenghua and Ye Feng to avoid any suspicion. But if Hua Xingxue is willing to collude with him, Xu Ke could truly kill anyone he pleased."

Huang Sheng took a deep breath. "At that point, even if the Long Capital Martial Alliance tried to intervene, its own special governance protocols for different regions would make it difficult for them to assert control."

In the Huang Family's view, Ye Feng's death yesterday was undoubtedly Xu Ke's handiwork. This was indisputable. After all, normal logic would never lead one to suspect that Ye Yunfeng would kill his own son.

"Then, Sheng, what do you think we should do?" Huang Zhenyang asked, his expression fraught with panic. If Xu Ke were truly allowed to run rampant, Huang Zhenyang feared he would be the first to die. A month ago, when Xu Ke wasn't nearly as formidable, he and Huang Qi had schemed to kidnap him! If Xu Ke really joined forces with Chen Xiong, Yuan Shang, and Hua Xingxue to turn the Martial Alliance into his personal fiefdom, wouldn't it be child's play for him to crush a minor figure like Huang Zhenyang?

"Calm down. Do you even resemble an adult right now?" Huang Zhendong roared upon seeing his brother's panicked state. An elder, reduced to whining to his nephew—what sort of image was this?

Huang Zhenyang immediately cowered. "Brother, brother, I was just asking…"

"Fourth Uncle, there's no need to be anxious," Huang Sheng said calmly. "A two-thirds majority is required for the motion to pass. The Qin, Ye, and Huang families will all oppose it, so Hua Xingxue won't get the position."

Hearing this, Huang Zhendong immediately nodded. "Indeed. Those two families would never vote in favor."

But just then, Shi Hongda, who had been silent all this time, spoke up, his eyes glinting. "I think we might want to consider some reverse psychology..."

"Oh? Elder Shi, what brilliant idea do you have?" Huang Zhendong asked, somewhat surprised by Shi Hongda's rare input.

"Here's my thinking: Xu Ke believes that with Hua Xingxue in power, he'll have absolute control over Tianhai, correct?" Shi Hongda began.

"Correct," the others nodded.

"So, if we actually let Hua Xingxue get the position, wouldn't Xu Ke become complacent and careless?" Shi Hongda continued.

"Hmm, true!" Huang Sheng thought it over and nodded, but then frowned. "However, even if Xu Ke becomes careless, with Hua Xingxue backing him, his margin for error will increase dramatically. For us, the losses would outweigh the gains."

He understood what Shi Hongda was getting at—the classic principle of "to bring about one's destruction, one must first drive them to madness." However, with supporters like Hua Xingxue, even if a reckless Xu Ke were to miscalculate, he would still have room to retreat. It was just like the failed assassination attempt on Xu Ke by Ye Fan, Qiu Changyang, and the others, which could be considered an extremely reckless move. Yet, despite its recklessness, Peng Hetong was able to get them all released. That was the advantage of having a high margin for error. If Xu Ke hadn't received help, and if Ye Fan, Chang Yi, and the others hadn't acted so foolishly by failing to flee like Ye Dexian, Xu Ke definitely wouldn't have won that time.

"No, no, I don't see it that way," Shi Hongda said, a strange smile creeping onto his face.

The others were puzzled. "What do you mean, Elder Shi?"

"You say Xu Ke's margin for error is high because you assume he can control Hua Xingxue. But have you ever considered what would happen if *we* controlled Hua Xingxue?" Shi Hongda proposed confidently.

"You… you mean… Hua Ziyao?!" The words made Huang Zhendong's eyes light up.

The others grew excited as well. That's right! It wasn't a bad strategy at all.

"Exactly! Ye Yunfeng controlled Hua Xingxue by using Hua Ziyao as leverage. Why can't we do the same? Xu Ke's plans would fall apart instantly, wouldn't they?" Shi Hongda was overjoyed at their reaction. Could his plan actually succeed?

Huang Zhendong and Huang Zhenyang were practically buzzing with excitement. The more they considered it, the more feasible the plan seemed.

But just at that moment, Huang Sheng threw a bucket of cold water on their enthusiasm. "Gentlemen, stop dreaming. Since Xu Ke dares to put Hua Xingxue forward, he's certainly taken measures to protect Hua Ziyao. If we try to capture her, we might walk right into a trap, allowing him to turn the tables on us!"

After careful consideration, he felt the idea was extremely ill-advised. Based on his understanding of Xu Ke, if there was no contingency plan for Hua Ziyao, then the man wasn't the Xu Ke he knew.

Hearing this, Shi Hongda grew frantic. The antidote was almost within his grasp; he couldn't let it slip away! He broke into a sweat and argued, "But have you considered that Xu Ke's bodyguards are all with him? Who does he have to spare to protect Hua Ziyao?"

"No, I'm sure Xu Ke can find new bodyguards. I do not agree with this plan!" Huang Sheng stated, shaking his head decisively.

He recalled Chang Yi revealing on his deathbed that Xu Ke was a pupil of the Medical Saint. Although he was still skeptical, he felt deep down that even if Xu Ke wasn't the Medical Saint's disciple, he was surely the student of some other great figure. For someone like Xu Ke, using his master's influence to find a few bodyguards for Hua Ziyao would be as easy as flipping his hand, right? Shi Hongda's plan is too risky! With his cautious nature, he refused to take such a gamble.

"Elder Shi, I understand your desire to take a risk to eliminate Xu Ke, but I think we should listen to Sheng on this," Huang Zhendong said, patting Shi Hongda on the shoulder.

Although bitterness filled his heart, Shi Hongda forced a smile. "Yes, of course! Let's play it safe and vote against the motion."

"Mm."

***

「Inside a private room of the Liuzhu Sky Garden Restaurant.」

"You failed?" Shi Hongda sighed, looking at the gloomy faces of the Yin and Yang Elders.

"We failed," Zhuge Changyang said, his face turning green with shame as he recalled the meeting. "I told them we could control Hua Ziyao, and Qin Jinghuan just laughed at our intelligence. He thinks that with our intellect, trying to outsmart Xu Ke is a complete pipe dream."

Seeing this, Shi Hongda, despite his own failure, felt a little better. At least no one from the Huang Family had scolded him.

"What do we do now? Neither family will vote for it, and we can't force them without causing serious problems… but are we supposed to just live with this poison in us forever?" Shi Hongda grew more anxious the more he thought about it.

If not for his need to get the antidote from Xu Ke, he never would have delivered such a long-winded speech at the Huang residence, only for Huang Sheng to dismiss it so easily. He wished he were as eloquent as Xu Ke, able to just talk the Huangs into obediently casting their votes. Why did things have to be so awkward?

"How about we force Xu Ke to hand it over?" one of the Yin and Yang Elders suggested, his face a mixture of pale and flushed. He gritted his teeth and added viciously, "If he refuses, we'll make sure he doesn't have an easy time either."

The moment the words left his mouth, a light chuckle came from behind them. "Gentlemen, is there really a need to be so harsh?"

Hearing the voice, the bodies of the Yin and Yang Elders instantly went rigid.