King of the Wilderness

But on the other side, there was Tom’s face twisted with fear, and those accounting loopholes that, once uncovered, would be enough to ruin his reputation and possibly land him in jail.

He coveted that salary, that enormous sum almost within reach, but he knew full well that he had no right to take it!

Choosing to stay and accept the audit was akin to personally igniting the explosives buried under his feet, ultimately leading to financial ruin and even litigation.

The immense sense of reluctance and despair was like two invisible giant hands tightly gripping his throat.

He opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but found that any words seemed pale and powerless at this moment.

He glanced at his nephew, who was already dumbfounded, then scanned the other executives in the conference room, who were as hushed as cicadas in cold weather, and the last bit of luck in his heart completely extinguished.

Knowing that if he continued to hold out, what awaited him was not just losing his job, but utter disgrace. The problem, which seemed to offer a choice, had actually long since sealed off all his retreats.

Understanding this, Carter felt as if all his energy had been drained, and the last trace of arrogance vanished.

He stood up, bowed deeply to Lin Yu’an, and said, "Mr. Lin, I apologize for my previous rudeness and stupidity. I... I choose the second path."

His eyes no longer held the previous arrogance, only pleading remained.

"I admit that in the past work, I indeed exhibited some... mismanagement."

"My nephew and I can sign the resignation agreement right here and now, and I promise to leave the ranch today, never to return."

Lin Yu’an watched him silently, not responding immediately; those few seconds of silence felt as long as a century to everyone present.

Everyone understood what Carter meant; he was exchanging an unconditional surrender to persuade the new boss to desist from the potentially fatal audit.

Lin Yu’an’s gaze slowly moved from Carter’s face across the room, observing each anxious executive.

He saw the anticipation in Hank’s eyes, Mrs. Gable’s tightly clenched hands, and the nervousness of the others as if sitting on pins and needles.

The purpose of establishing authority was accomplished. If he truly uncovered everything and investigated all the departments’ old accounts, he would definitely find more or less issues.

By then, harsh penalties could lead to the disintegration of the entire management team. If lenient, it would seem like a storm in a teacup.

A true leader needs not a tattered old ledger, but a new future where orders are obeyed.

Thinking of this, the corners of Lin Yu’an’s mouth revealed a gentle smile.

He nodded slightly to Carter: "Very well, Mr. Carter, I appreciate your wisdom. Everyone makes mistakes, and admitting and correcting them is good."

Then, he looked at David and Sean, speaking in a forgiving tone: "Since Mr. Carter chose to resign voluntarily to take responsibility for his management failures."

"Then there’s no need to proceed with the audit of the veterinary station. Let’s end it here."

Lin Yu’an slowly surveyed the room, his voice becoming gentle yet powerful: "Not just the veterinary station, I have decided to cancel the audit plans for all departments announced earlier."

All the executives lifted their heads abruptly, especially Carter, looking at him in disbelief.

These words were like a bolt of thunder, exploding in the minds of all the executives!

Lin Yu’an continued, "I believe that any past negligence stemmed from systemic flaws rather than your intentions."

"I further believe, like Hanna, that everyone here has a deep affection for this work and this ranch."

"Therefore, I have decided to let all past accounts, like Mr. Carter, become history."

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(Chapter 300! Please vote~)