20demayo Chapter 657 The Night Before the Hearing Was Brightly Lighted
Chapter 657 The Night Before the Hearing Was Brightly Lighted
As night fell, the ISA Building on Hong Kong Island was brightly lit.
Less than eighteen hours remain until the ISA board hearing.
Lin Chuyue had just gotten off the plane and, without taking a break, went straight to headquarters. Hidden in her suitcase was the crucial USB drive—Evan François's original audio recordings and proof of fund flows, enough to clear her name and destroy Shen Yanli.
But she knew that tomorrow's hearing was not just an interrogation of her, but also a "test" to see if she still had enough political capital in ISA.
“Jiang Ruoyan, please promise me that you will have thirty minutes to defend yourself at the meeting.” Li Zhanchuan sat down beside her and said in a deep voice, “But this board meeting was requested by Shen Yanli, and he has already obtained three votes in support. If you cannot persuade the remaining three votes, your inheritance rights will be ‘frozen under investigation’.”
The word "freeze" sounds mild, but in reality it means that ISA will appoint a temporary CEO to assume the responsibilities, and she will lose all authority and access to core secrets.
Lin Chuyue leaned back in her chair and calmly analyzed: "Shen Yanli wants to use 'legal procedures' to completely marginalize me. He might even initiate the merger process between ISA and Golden Eagle Capital while I'm 'under investigation'."
Li Zhanchuan nodded: "He's betting you won't have time to react."
“But he overlooked one thing.” Lin Chuyue raised her eyes, her gaze firm. “I have never won because of my status.”
"I rely on my own abilities."
She stood up, took out a file bag, and handed it to Li Zhanchuan: "This is all the information I will need tomorrow, including Yiwen's recording, the original approval document for ISA Fund No. 3 from back then, and the fund transfer path annotated by my mother Shen Fang."
"Help me check the backgrounds of the neutral members of the ISA board of directors again, and find out who is most likely to change the vote at a crucial moment."
Li Zhanchuan took the documents and nodded: "I'll take care of it."
Lin Chuyue walked straight into the office of the highest-ranking director of ISA and pushed open the door.
Inside the house, Jiang Ruoyan was waiting for her.
"Are you really going to attend tomorrow's hearing?" he asked.
"I have to go," Lin Chuyue said. "If I don't show up, it means I agree."
“But this time, it’s not just about you.” Jiang Ruo’s tone became more serious. “Do you know how many international investment systems ISA is involved in? If you fail to prove yourself tomorrow, ISA will be directly blacklisted and monitored by UBS and the Asian regulatory authority, and the entire capital credibility will be damaged.”
Lin Chuyue lowered her eyes: "So you're also considering abandoning me?"
Jiang Ruoyan stared at her, her eyes sharp: "I'm considering—how to prevent the entire system from being destroyed by one person's emotions."
This statement contains both a warning and a threat.
Lin Chuyue simply smiled faintly: "Then you'd better listen carefully to my thirty minutes tomorrow. Because it's not just about clearing my name, but also your last hope of preserving the ISA system."
……
Meanwhile, at Lin Zheng's home.
Shen Yanli held a cup of hot tea in his hand, standing by the window, looking down at the lights of Hong Kong Island in the night.
Lin Zhengguo sat on the sofa, his face gloomy.
"What exactly do you want me to do?" he asked.
Shen Yanli spoke slowly and deliberately: "You still have two implicit shareholding directors in ISA. I just want you not to vote for Lin Chuyue tomorrow."
"That's all."
"Why?" Lin Zhengguo sneered. "Haven't you always said that my daughter is unworthy of power? Now you want me to deal with her?"
Shen Yanli turned around, his gaze sharp as a knife: "Because you know very well that she is not your daughter."
These words struck like a thunderbolt.
Lin Zhengguo's expression stiffened slightly, but he quickly regained his composure: "She was raised by me."
"Then you're just going to watch her destroy your Lin family's foundation?" Shen Yanli took a step closer, his tone icy. "She's already using ISA as a tool for revenge. Next, won't it be the Lin Group's turn?"
Lin Zhengguo gritted his teeth and remained silent.
Shen Yanli took out a document from his pocket and slammed it heavily on the coffee table.
“Look at this—back then, Lin Chuyue used the shell company ISA to transfer assets for your ‘adopted son.’ Now the cash flow has been traced back to the Lin Group’s overseas accounts.”
"She started taking action a long time ago."
Lin Zhengguo suddenly stood up: "What did you say?"
"See for yourself." Shen Yanli stepped back, a confident smile on his face. "If you don't stop her tomorrow, she will not only ruin ISA, but also drag the Lin family into the fire."
Lin Zhengguo trembled as he opened the document, his face growing paler.
……
At three in the morning, Lin Yun sat in an empty office on the top floor of ISA, listening over and over again to the "warning recording" sent by Shen Yanli:
“If she is unwilling to submit to the law, she must be brought to justice.”
"This world has never been a place where emotions matter."
"Haven't you always wanted to be a daughter of the Shen family? Now I'll give you a chance."
She held a letter in her hand, which Lin Chuyue had left at the front desk of the ISA administration department.
[Lin Yun, if you have even a shred of conscience, come and watch my final defense tomorrow.]
I won't beg you, but you should at least know—I've never hurt you.
Lin Yun crumpled the letter into a ball and threw it into the trash can.
But his eyes wavered.
……
On the day of the hearing
The ISA Building's council chamber was packed. In addition to the seven official members of the board of directors, representatives from the external audit firm, public relations team, and risk control were all present, and some overseas regulatory observers were even listening remotely.
Lin Chuyue, dressed in a black suit, walked into the center of the conference hall with a low-key yet firm demeanor.
Jiang Ruoyan presided over the opening: "This hearing revolves around three allegations: first, whether there were any irregularities in the handling of funds; second, whether there were any issues with the succession of the identity; and third, whether the successor was suspected of using ISA resources for personal gain after taking office."
Shen Yanli spoke first, presenting audio clips, anonymous bills, and ISA project transfer records.
With each word he uttered, Lin Chuyue's supporters grew more anxious.
The atmosphere was so heavy it was almost suffocating.
When it was Lin Chuyue's turn to speak, she inserted the USB drive into the terminal system and played the video recording of Ivan François's testimony.
In the footage, Ivan clearly states: "The flow of funds into ISA Fund III was carried out under the direct instructions of Shen Fang, and the account was used to acquire Middle Eastern energy channels—a legitimate strategic investment."
Following this were ISA third-party audit documents, fund reconciliation verification certificates, and a PDF document with Shen Fang's handwritten annotations—the document clearly stated at the end:
[I, Shen Fang, have personally handled this case, and Lin Chuyue bears no responsibility whatsoever.]
There was silence.
Shen Yanli's expression changed drastically, and he stood up abruptly: "This evidence has not been verified by ISA, its source is suspicious, and it is suspected of being forged!"
"So you're afraid to face it?" Lin Chuyue said, word by word, "The recording you provided was also uploaded anonymously, and its source is unknown. You have the right to question it, but you have no right to cover up the truth."
“If ISA wants to continue being a world-class investment platform, it must start by respecting the ‘facts’.”
"Instead of using bloodline to determine power."
This statement caused a slight commotion in the room.
Jiang Ruoyan's eyes were complicated as she said in a low voice, "Distinguished directors, please vote within five minutes."
Final voting results:
3 votes in favor of the investigation and freeze, 2 votes in favor of Lin Chuyue continuing to perform her duties, 1 abstention...
The crucial vote fell into Lin Zhengguo's hands.
He raised his head and looked at Lin Chuyue.
Lin Chuyue finally looked at him.
Father and daughter stared at each other for a few seconds.
Finally, he pressed the button—
[The application to freeze assets is rejected; Lin Chuyue is allowed to continue serving as an executive director of ISA.]
Shen Yanli was furious: "Are you crazy!"
Lin Zhengguo simply uttered one sentence:
“I only look at what she did, not whose blood she is.”
End of the meeting.
Lin Chuyue slowly exhaled, while Lin Yun remained seated at the end of the audience section, saying nothing, until the conference hall was emptied, at which point she quietly left.
She knew that Lin Chuyue had won this battle.
But the war is not over yet.
……
End of this chapter
Preview:
Shen Yanli retreated behind the scenes to orchestrate a "collapse of trust" plan targeting Lin Chuyue;
Gu Yanchuan begins a secret investigation into the final destination of the funds in the "L.CHUYUE account," and unexpectedly discovers another force hidden behind it.
Lin Yun's "abstention" raised concerns within ISA, leading to a meeting with Jiang Ruoyan.
Lin Chuyue begins investigating the missing "shadow fund" within Shen Fang's estate;
Lin Zhengguo was framed by Shen Yanli for "betraying" the vote, and media reports revealed that the Lin family's assets were about to be placed under trusteeship.