Shen Mingshan took the contract from Xu Chen's hand and began reading it slowly.
The room fell silent.
He read every page carefully from beginning to end. Then, after reaching the last page, he lowered the contract slightly and read the whole thing once more.
Only after checking everything twice did the old man finally nod.
There were no major problems.
The terms and responsibilities were clear. Most importantly, all the conditions that had already been discussed were written inside.
At last, Shen Mingshan picked up the pen and signed his name.
Then he turned his head slightly and looked at Shen Yueran, who was standing behind him.
He did not say anything.
He only gave her a signal with his eyes.
The meaning was obvious enough.
Your turn.
Shen Yueran looked at him, then at the contract.
A nearby chair was blocking her way.
Instead of lifting it properly, she casually grabbed it and yanked it away with full force.
The next second—
Screeeech.
The sharp sound of the chair scraping against the tiles instantly rang through the entire meeting room.
Xu Chen, who was standing nearby, could not help glancing at Huo Chengye from the corner of his eye.
Inside, he thought silently:
So this is the discipline you praised before?
Huo Chengye watched everything calmly.
On the other side, Shen Mingshan looked at his granddaughter and felt the muscles on his face tighten.
Yet, as if he had already gone numb to this kind of thing, he did not scold her on the spot.
He simply pretended not to care and lowered his head again.
Inside, however, he was already cursing.
I already told her to behave recently.
Why does she still act like this?
Making trouble really is mixed into her blood like whiskey.
Meanwhile, Shen Yueran stood there as if she had done nothing wrong at all.
After moving the chair away, she sat down calmly, picked up the pen, and signed her name without the slightest hesitation.
The room became quiet again.
But this silence carried an obvious trace of awkwardness.
Everyone could still remember that screeching sound from a moment ago.
After finishing her signature, Shen Yueran stood up.
"Grandfather, I signed it."
Then she placed the contract in front of Shen Mingshan and turned back toward the chair she had dragged aside.
Once again, without any care, she pushed it back to where it had originally been.
Screeeech.
The sharp scraping sound rang out through the room for the second time.
The silence that had just barely settled was broken once more.
At that point, even Shen Mingshan could no longer ignore the awkwardness in the room.
The old man looked around, coughed lightly, and forced out a proper smile.
"Alright," he said, trying to smooth things over. "It is a pleasure to cooperate with all of you."
Then he added, "Starting tomorrow, our service will begin."
His meaning was clear.
The meeting was over.
The contract had been signed.
Everything that needed to be done today had already been done.
Now they could leave.
But just as Shen Mingshan was about to continue in that direction, Huo Chengye suddenly spoke.
"Old Sir."
Shen Mingshan looked up.
Huo Chengye's tone was calm and even.
"You can leave after lunch."
The old man paused.
Huo Chengye continued, "I already made arrangements at the hotel."
His expression remained polite and composed.
"This is our first formal meeting. You should definitely attend."
Then he added, "So please stay for lunch before leaving."
For a second, Shen Mingshan stopped the words he had been about to say.
He had indeed been planning to mention leaving directly after the meeting.
But now that Huo Chengye had spoken like this, refusing too bluntly would not look good either.
So the old man only nodded after a brief pause.
"Then we'll trouble President Huo."
Huo Chengye inclined his head slightly.
"It's only proper."
After that, everyone stood up.
Huo Chengye stepped forward first and personally accompanied Shen Mingshan out.
Naturally, Shen Yueran followed behind them.
Xu Chen and Han Rui also followed.
Once they stepped out of the meeting room, Shen Yueran turned her head and looked at her men, who had been standing by outside all this time.
"Alright," she said casually. "Everyone follow."
"Yes, Miss."
The tattooed men in suits moved at once and followed in order.
The whole group started walking together through Huo Corporation's building.
Huo Chengye and Shen Mingshan walked in front.
Behind them came Shen Yueran, and behind her followed the others in orderly fashion.
Once again, the employees inside the company watched in shock. This kind of scene had never happened before. Not only had outsiders entered with such presence, but Huo Chengye was personally accompanying them. That alone was enough to stir everyone's curiosity. Whispers quickly spread.
"Why is President Huo personally walking with them?"
"Who exactly are they?"
At the same time, a thought rose in Huo Chengye's mind. This was not his usual style. He rarely accompanied people personally, much less showed such open respect without reason.
But he understood one thing very clearly.
He knew what Shen Mingshan meant to Shen Yueran.
The old man was important to her.
So giving Shen Mingshan due respect would naturally leave a good impression in her eyes.
And if it could improve his image in front of her, then there was nothing wrong with doing a little more than usual.
The group continued forward.
After some time, they finally arrived at the hotel.
This hotel was part of Huo Corporation's food chain business and belonged to their wider commercial holdings.
The place was luxurious, quiet, and managed to a high standard.
As soon as they entered, everything had already been arranged properly.
Even the other Mingxiao members who had come along were invited inside.
They were led to a separate room for lunch.
No one was neglected.
As for Huo Chengye, he personally invited Shen Mingshan and Shen Yueran further inside.
Together with Xu Chen and Han Rui, the group entered a special VIP room.
This room was not open to ordinary guests.
In this hotel, it was reserved only for Huo Chengye's use.
The moment Shen Yueran stepped inside, her eyes swept across the room once.
It was spacious, quiet, and decorated with understated luxury.
Everything inside was refined.