President Pei had meticulously mapped out his ns, but he never anticipated that he would end up tricking Jacob into handing in his resignation application.


    Initially, Pei’s intention was not to deceive Jacob; he genuinely wanted to secure a director position for him. However, his wife’s whispered advice shifted his perspective, suggesting that helping Jacob was no longer advantageous and that it would ultimately lead to loss. Consequently, he took advantage of the resignation application Jacob had already submitted to unceremoniously remove him from the Calligraphy and Painting Association.


    Pei thought this maneuver would only lead to Jacob’s discontent, as even Master Don Albert seemed indifferent to the situation. He felt there was little else to worry about.<fn24e1> Find the newest release on FindN()vel</fn24e1>


    To his surprise, Pei’s casual approach backfired when Master Don Albert returned to confront him about the resignation application, catching himpletely off guard.


    Feeling extremely anxious, President Pei quickly tried to defend himself, stating, “Master, this isn’t what you think. I’ve been under immense pressure. The incident Jacob had with Zhang Ermao (Cade) had serious repercussions, and there are countless eyes on me, scrutinizing how I handle this. If I don’t act fairly, it will be challenging to maintain credibility!”<h3 style="background-color:DodgerBlue">


    Don Albert responded coldly, “While impartiality is essential, your method of tricking someone into submitting their resignation and then using it to expel them from the association—does that reflect impartiality? Is the so-called fairness of your calligraphy and painting association truly so low?”


    President Pei was left speechless.


    He recognized that Don Albert’s argument for punishment was sound. Although he could attempt to justify his actions by highlighting the severity of Jacob’s earlier transgressions, there was no way to rationalize the resignation application itself.


    In that moment, he couldn’t help but mentally berate his wife: “This foolish woman is bing increasingly cunning and self-righteous! If she hadn’t suggested this terrible idea, I would have stood by Jacob. In that case, Master Don Albert wouldn’t be here to reprimand me; he might have even expressed gratitude for my loyalty to Jacob. Instead, I’ve now painted myself as the viin in Don Albert’s eyes.”


    Noticing President Pei’s silence, Don Albert’s tone turned colder as he asked, “What’s wrong, President Pei? Are you choosing to ignore me?”


    President Pei quickly replied, “No, no, Master, I’m not ignoring you. I’m… I’m just reflecting…”


    Sighing deeply, President Pei finally admitted, “Master, I made a mistake in this matter. Please grant me the opportunity to rectify it.”


    Don Albert inquired, “I recall that your association’s official ount has already announced Jacob’s resignation. What steps can you take to amend this? Please exin.”


    President Pei responded, “Master, it’s true that our official ount has posted about the resignation, but Jacob hasn’t yetpleted the resignation process. I’ll convene a meeting with several vice presidents and discuss ways to persuade them to retract Jacob’s resignation and allow him to return.”


    Don Albert probed further, “How confident are you in this n?”


    “Well…” President Pei wiped the sweat from his brow and exined, “Master, I can’t promise you a 100% sess rate, but I will certainly give it my all. I don’t foresee significant obstacles.”


    Don Albert asked again, “What position do you n to offer Mr. Willson upon his return?”


    With a heavy sigh, President Pei confessed, “Master, I won’t hide this from you. I can’t offer Jacob the executive vice president role anymore because that position was filled by another vice president during Jacob’s earlier troubles. If I were to ask him to relinquish it now in favor of Jacob, I fear it could lead to a stir with the provincial government…”