This is considered the final ultimatum. Lin Beichen gently raised an eyebrow and calmly responded, "That’s not the case. I made it clear from the beginning, I was only helping you and Huo Ziyan obtain the shares that belonged to you."

After a long silence, Lin Beichen slowly opened his eyes. His gaze lingered on Huo Sizun’s face for a moment before turning to Huo Ziyan, who had been silently standing by the side all along. A wry smile appeared on his lips, "What I promised you, I’ve already done."

There was a hint of subtle resignation in his words as he continued, "But it seems your ambition is growing. Tell me, when did I ever agree to help you take over the entire Huo Group?"

Lin Beichen’s questioning was like a sharp blade, striking at the core. Huo Ziyan, the woman who had been unable to get a word in, couldn’t help but tremble slightly, the sense of pressure in her heart growing heavier.

When facing Lin Beichen, they always seemed at a loss. Huo Ziyan sighed inwardly, seeing more clearly the kind of person Lin Beichen was — a man of his word, whose decisions were not to be easily swayed by others.

Even in such a tense atmosphere, he still maintained that firmness and determination. Huo Ziyan felt somewhat helpless. She coughed lightly, trying to break the oppressive atmosphere and interjected, "I think there might be some misunderstanding regarding this matter."

Huo Ziyan’s sudden interjection drew the focus of Lin Beichen and Huo Sizun’s gazes onto her. The two raised their eyebrows simultaneously, their eyes revealing confusion and misunderstanding.

Misunderstanding? What kind of misunderstanding could there be? They each stuck to their opinions, arguing ceaselessly, failing to reach consensus. One felt helpless, while the other was indignant and angry.

In this situation, what fundamental error could still exist? Huo Ziyan felt a creeping unease under their gazes and couldn’t help curling her lips to cover her inner panic with a smile.

"I didn’t mean anything else," Huo Ziyan quickly explained, "I just wanted to remind everyone that essentially, Lin Beichen hasn’t done anything wrong."

Once she said that, the atmosphere immediately turned subtle. Some felt joy, others worry, while Huo Sizun was struck speechless with rage. He glared at Huo Ziyan, and after a few seconds, couldn’t help but laugh.

He plopped down onto the sofa, ready to listen to the whole story, eager to see whether the issue lay with him or with Lin Beichen. Lin Beichen remained silent, evidently leaving the entire task of persuading Huo Sizun to Huo Ziyan. Huo Ziyan felt an overwhelming burden on her shoulders.

Knowing in hindsight, she regretted having taken the initiative. Yet, since things had reached this stage, she could only brace herself and continue, "Though Liu Group has always been at odds with us, the reason they agreed to Lin Beichen’s assistance was precisely because we reclaimed our shares, posing a threat to them?"

That was indeed true, Huo Sizun thought to himself. If it hadn’t been for Lin Beichen helping them reclaim those shares, offering strategies to target businesses related to Liu Group, Liu wouldn’t have suddenly changed their stance over a single report.

In a way, Liu Group also tacitly conceded to them, allowing Huo Sizun to achieve his goals. However, that being said, everyone knew Liu Wei was notoriously cunning and deceitful.

Today he can act like this, but tomorrow he might turn against them! No one knew what ulterior motives he had up his sleeve. Huo Sizun was in no mood to take such risks.

He was sure Liu Wei had a hidden agenda, but what it was, and who it targeted, he did not know. As for whether Lin Beichen was aware, there was no need to guess — Lin Beichen’s thoughts were not something ordinary people could fathom.

"So, I think, for now, we might consider Liu Group as an ally," Huo Ziyan attempted to propose a compromise, "Our common enemy is the Wang Group..."

However, before she could finish, Huo Sizun interrupted her sharply, "Allies? With Liu Wei? Are you joking? Absolutely not!"

Despite Huo Sizun’s firm stance, they both knew deep down this was the last option remaining. After all, in the end, they and Lin Beichen were in the same boat: Lin Beichen’s decisions essentially were their decisions too.

Backstabbing at this point would bring no benefit to them. Both were sensible enough to not get tangled in such matters. Huo Sizun was just unwilling to back down, wanting a resolution.

Lin Beichen had already figured this out. He could easily apologize, appeasing Huo Sizun’s anger and gaining more compliance from Huo Ziyan. But he refrained because he wanted them to understand he too had limits.

What was agreed upon would be fulfilled; anything outside that was not his obligation. He wasn’t a movable gold brick to be deployed at will — he had his considerations.

Listening to their argument, Lin Beichen couldn’t help but furrow his brows. He no longer wanted to hear any more, tapping his fingers gently on the table as he whispered, "Alright, let’s end this here."

At this moment, Lin Beichen exuded a low-spirited aura, intimidating anyone from approaching. Had it not been for their long acquaintance, Huo Sizun and Huo Ziyan might have retreated long ago.

"The reason I did this was out of necessity," Lin Beichen said in a deep voice, "I don’t expect you to understand me, but at least don’t add to my troubles."

For some reason, upon hearing this, Huo Sizun felt even more uneasy. This man really couldn’t say a single nice word! Of course, Lin Beichen didn’t bother with Huo Sizun’s feelings and continued bluntly, "Even if Liu Group isn’t our ally, they’re not our enemy right now. So drop those childish ideas, even Ziyan sees it more clearly than you do."

Having said that, Lin Beichen spoke no more, clearly demonstrating a "this discussion is over, I’ll do things my way" attitude. The matter was settled in his mind — they could do as they pleased but should not bother him again.

Huo Sizun was furious beyond measure, truly indignant and ashamed. However, unable to lash out at Lin Beichen, he could only glare at him angrily, spouting, "Fine! Fine! Today’s talk was a waste of time!"

With that, Huo Sizun turned, flinging the door open, and strode away quickly. Beyond the open door, Huo Sizun’s figure gradually disappeared from sight.

After waiting a while longer, Lin Beichen hadn’t heard the sound of a second person leaving. Puzzled, he glanced up at Huo Ziyan, only to see her still standing by him, looking helplessly at the open door, sighing continually. Noticing Lin Beichen’s gaze, she hastily regained her focus.

"Ah, I’m really sorry about today!" Huo Ziyan said somewhat flusteredly. Then she quickly composed herself, picked up her handbag, and nodded her head in preparation to leave.

Before leaving, she paused, her eyes dimming slightly, "Don’t worry, he’s just out of sorts, I’ll talk to him. It won’t cause you any trouble."

Sighing lightly, Huo Ziyan walked out of the hotel. Not far away, she spotted Huo Sizun’s figure. Quickly, she hurried toward him, only to be caught in a cough from the exhaled smoke.

Upon hearing her coughing, Huo Sizun realized there was someone beside him. He glanced at Huo Ziyan and sarcastically remarked, still not calmed down, "What, did he send you?"

Faced with such comments, Huo Ziyan didn’t know how to respond. She just lightly shook her head, "No, I just wanted to come and persuade you."

Hearing she came to counsel him, Huo Sizun took a long drag of his cigarette. Without looking at Huo Ziyan, he gazed into the distance and coldly said, "You don’t need to persuade me, I already know what you’re going to say."

"There’s actually no need to worry so much," Huo Sizun continued,