Chapter 225: Dispute

The group of people swarmed into the hall next to the auditorium.

Jiang Lan stood still in the center of the hall, and before she could even speak, Hong Lao took the lead and said, "President, you need to give us an explanation!"

Hong Lao glared at Chen Che and Shen Qi with a ferocious look on his face and said, "Chen Che has humiliated Jiang Kui, killed the son of Second Master Bai, and has even turned the Scorpion Society upside down. Everyone present has suffered deeply because of him and hates him to the bone!"

"You should give us a satisfactory explanation for being friends with such a person!"

Hong Lao's tone was beyond reproach; he pressed step by step right from the start, claiming he wanted an explanation, but judging by his tone, the key to this explanation was that he had to be satisfied.

Jiang Lan's face was as cold as frost. She scanned the room and said, "I am clear on what everyone is thinking. Gu Lao is gone, and I, Jiang Lan, am afraid I cannot suppress you all. I have that much self-awareness. Whatever you are thinking in your hearts, you know it yourselves; I do not want to concern myself with it."

"But for now, I am still the head of the Scorpion Society. What I do and who I am friends with should not require me to report to you!"

Hong Lao snorted with heavy breathing and said, "President, why are you saying these things? We only want to know why this person is appearing here!"

"Fine, I was just about to say."

Jiang Lan paused and dropped a bombshell: "Today, taking advantage of Gu Lao's funeral, I want to announce the first major matter for the Scorpion Society moving forward: Mr. Chen Che will replace me in managing the Scorpion Society. I will step back to the second line and, as Mr. Chen's most capable assistant, manage the company's affairs, while the many affairs of the society will be managed by Mr. Chen's trusted subordinate, Master Shen Qi."

Whoosh!

Jiang Lan's words were like a giant boulder entering the sea, stirring up monstrous waves, and an explosive clamor erupted throughout the hall.

"Handing the Scorpion Society over to an outsider, how could this be possible!"

"That's right, and this person is an enemy of the Scorpion Society. How could we let him be the boss of the Scorpion Society? I refuse to accept this!"

"The Scorpion Society belongs to us. Even if it is to change hands, it must be chosen from within. It absolutely cannot be handed over to an outsider!"

………

Before the core members of the Scorpion Society could speak, those in the middle management could no longer hold back, shouting to express their resistance and indignation.

Hong Lao looked at Jiang Lan in astonishment, discovering that there was not the slightest hint of a joke on her face, then looked at Chen Che to the side, his expression shifting between light and shadow.

Bai Xiangjin let out a sinister sneer, which was drowned out by the noisy clamor.

He had guessed that what Jiang Lan was announcing today was recruiting Chen Che into the society, but he had not expected this woman to be so generous as to actually hand the Scorpion Society over on a silver platter.

Beyond the surprise and shock, there was more anger and resentment. Jiang Lan would rather give the Scorpion Society to an outsider than to him; how could this not make him grind his teeth with hatred!

"President, you are joking with us, right?"

Hong Lao stared at Jiang Lan, his eyes filled with frost.

Jiang Lan said, "Hong Lao, I am not joking. You know my situation in the Scorpion Society best. Do you find it surprising that I have made such a decision?"

Hong Lao's expression froze. He glanced at Chen Che, pondered for a moment, and said, "I know it hasn't been easy for you, but you cannot hand the Scorpion Society over to an outsider!"

"Does Teacher Hong feel that I lack the ability and cannot shoulder the Scorpion Society?"

Chen Che asked.

"Of course you cannot shoulder it!"

Hong Lao glared at Chen Che: "I admit you have some schemes and ability, but you are young and an outsider; we know nothing about you! Besides, who in the Scorpion Society doesn't hate you? Tell me, in this situation, how can you expect us to trust you? How can we submit to you?"

"Is the matter of the Huang Family proof enough?"

Jiang Lan said, "Everyone should have heard a little about the Huang Family matter. I can tell you all very clearly: the person who made the Huang Family suffer is none other than Mr. Chen."

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone except for those in the know, such as Bai Xiangjin and Jiang Kui, was shocked.

Chen Che's confrontation with the Huang Family shocked the Jinling elite circle and the underworld, but since this matter involved the powerful, if public opinion were allowed to develop, it would inevitably have far-reaching consequences.

Therefore, the Jinling authorities deliberately suppressed the heat. Except for a few individuals who had been paying attention to Chen Che, no one knew the truth of the matter. Most people only knew that a mysterious person had appeared in Jinling and caused the Huang Family to take a massive fall.

As for the identity of this mysterious person, few knew.

At this moment, Jiang Lan said this mysterious person was Chen Che; how could those present not be shocked!

"It was actually him, how is this possible?"

"That is the Jinling Huang Family; how could they be made so miserable by a twenty-something-year-old brat?"

"But the President has no reason to lie. Looking at it this way, this person really does have some ability."

………

Hong Lao looked at Chen Che with an expression of disbelief, his eyes filled with shock. He scrutinized him carefully, his expression grave, as if he were thinking about something.

"Furthermore..."

Jiang Lan spoke again at this moment, "I can stake my life on Mr. Chen's character."

"President!"

Hong Lao shouted. He looked at Jiang Lan with a complex expression, took a breath, softened his tone a fraction, and said, "Xiao Lan, I know you have worked hard all these years, but you cannot be impulsive!"

"So many people in the Scorpion Society are the life-and-death brothers who followed your husband to conquer the world back then. Since you are in this position, you cannot abandon these people for your own sake!"

"Hong Lao, I know you have my best interests at heart, but my mind is made up. Please do not say any more. Besides, I trust Mr. Chen."

Jiang Lan said righteously.

"You!"

Hong Lao's face turned red, clearly furious: "Fine, fine, fine. You have your own ideas; this old man really won't care anymore! Go ahead and make a mess of it yourselves!"

Hong Lao snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and left.

With the most senior person leaving, those who followed Hong Lao and those watching the way the wind was blowing also left one after another.

For a time, quite a few people in the hall left, and it became much more spacious.

However, a large portion of people did not leave. These people were mostly from the circle headed by Bai Xiangjin and those who had suffered heavy losses during the investigation by the Justice Department.

These people held the greatest hatred for Chen Che and were the group most firmly opposed to this decision.

"Does anyone else have anything to say?"

Jiang Lan was expressionless as she looked at Bai Xiangjin and the others.

"President, please retract this decision. We will absolutely not allow an outsider to be the president of the Scorpion Society."

A core member spoke up.

"This is a notification, not a request for opinions. You only need to obey."

Jiang Lan said with a firm attitude.

Bai Xiangjin sneered and gave a wink to his trusted follower Lu Wenhui, who understood immediately and spoke up to question her: "President, you disregard the opinions of everyone in the Scorpion Society, and you even dare to defy an Elder like Hong Lao, acting willfully and arbitrarily. Are you not afraid of chilling the hearts of everyone in the Scorpion Society?"

"Are your hearts chilled, or do you have ulterior motives?"

Jiang Lan sneered: "I am very clear about your intentions, but I am tired now and do not want to tangle with you any further. As for letting Mr. Chen take over, that was a decision made after careful consideration. If you are truly doing this for the good of the Scorpion Society, then in the future, you will know that this decision of mine was the most correct one."

"Hah!"

As a staunch follower of Bai Xiangjin, Lu Wenhui had never feared Jiang Lan; the only person he feared was Gu Zongzhao, who stood behind her, which was also the true sentiment of most people in the Scorpion Society.

Just as Jiang Lan herself said, now that Gu Zongzhao was dead, she could not suppress these ambitious people.

At this moment, Lu Wenhui had even fewer scruples. He snorted coldly and spoke insolently: "That sounds nice, but isn't it just because Gu Zongzhao is dead, your backer is gone, and you want to find a new one!

I just didn't expect it to be so fast. Your old Mistress Gu Zongzhao has only just died, and you've already hooked up with a new pretty boy. Jiang Lan, your tastes are truly broad!"

"You bastard, what did you say? Do you want to die?!"

Jiang Kui could not take it anymore and pointed at Lu Wenhui, cursing loudly. If Long Yi had not held him back, he would have rushed up to slap Lu Wenhui across the face.

Chen Che's expression remained as usual. He quietly turned his head and saw a servant in the corner of the hall holding a little girl with braided hair.

The little girl looked to be five or six years old, and her features were very similar to Jiang Lan's; she must be Jiang Lan's child.

However, the little girl seemed very frightened at this moment. Her small hands were wrapped tightly around the servant auntie's neck, and she was staring at the noisy crowd with wide, watery eyes full of fear.

………