charlie Wade pondered briefly before speaking seriously: “The second option is to find someone with enough authority topletely intimidate the other party and force them to withdraw the hidden flower.”


    Tawana pursed her lips and said helplessly, “Mr. Wade, it might be very difficult to find someone capable of intimidating them… Even if such a person exists, they might be involved with the other side. It’s already fortunate if they don’t help them; expecting them to help me seems even more unlikely.”


    She then asked charlie Wade, “Mr. Wade, how about I try to contact the winner in the United States and see if I can gain his support by showing goodwill?”


    charlie Wade replied, “It’s not a bad idea to show goodwill, but doing so at this point is tricky. First, if you approach him now, he’ll likely assume you’re trying to use him to escape your current predicament. Second, he hasn’t fully established his position yet, and his influence might not be strong enough. If he steps in to intimidate the other party now, they might not take him seriously.”


    Continuing, charlie Wade added, “Moreover, showing goodwill to him under these circumstances is essentially equivalent to surrendering to him in exchange for his protection. In our culture, this often requires a pledge of surrender. Since he’s a businessman, the price of that surrender will undoubtedly be significant.”<h3 style="background-color:DodgerBlue">


    Tawana asked, puzzled, “Mr. Wade, what exactly is a pledge of surrender?”<fn6e4e> ?????? ???? fι?dnοvel</fn6e4e>


    charlie Wade exined, “A pledge of surrender involves severing ties with your previous allies to reassure the new camp of your loyalty. To join another group, you often have to prove yourmitment by breaking awaypletely from your former camp. For example, if you want to join a gang, you might have tomit a crime; if you seek refuge with an enemy, you might have to betray formerrades; or, if you want to redeem yourself, you could be required to expose all your aplices. If you seek his protection now, he might demand that you publicly demonstrate your allegiance on social media, turning your hundreds of millions of fans into witnesses.”


    Gritting her teeth, Tawana said, “If there’s truly no other way, I’ll do it.”


    charlie Wade waved his hand and said, “I do suggest you consider changing camps, but not in such a direct and abrupt way. If you make a sudden sharp turn at high speed, it’s your followers who will get hurt—or worse, everything could copse. Once they feel betrayed or hurt, they might stop supporting you or even turn against you. Overnight, the inte could be flooded with insults and usations against you. That’s why I rmended transitioning gradually, using at least ten concerts to ease the shift. This approach would minimize the impact on your career.”


    Tawana understood the gravity of charlie Wade’s warning, but she felt cornered. With $10 billion hanging over her, surviving tonight’s ordeal would only be the start—more troubles were bound to follow.


    Unable to hold back her emotions, she let two hot tears stream down her cheeks and said helplessly, “Other than him, I can’t think of anyone else who can resolve this situation.”


    charlie Wade replied calmly, “While this is indeed a tricky situation, it’s no reason to despair. I can ask a friend of mine in the United States for help. He has some influence there. Regardless of who is behind the hidden funds, I’ll have him locate the person responsible and pressure them to cancel the hidden funds. Once that’s resolved, you can leave here safely.”


    Tawana hesitated and said, “Mr. Wade, those people… they have incredibly powerful backers. Each one is shielded by a major chaebol. Even the winner in the United States might not have enough sway to stand up to them. Can your friend really suppress such powerful figures?”


    charlie Wade’s earlier mention of his friend’s influence had been somewhat modest, leaving Tawana uncertain.


    At this point, charlie Wade smiled and said, “Chaebols vary in size and influence. Some are only dominant locally and are powerless outside their region. Others are weak even in their own territory.”


    As he spoke, charlie Wade nced subtly at Mitsui Yoshitaka out of the corner of his eye.


    This remark was clearly aimed at him.


    Mitsui Yoshitaka could hardly ignore the veiled mockery in charlie Wade’s words. Despite being the head of the Mitsui family, his inability to suppress even a mafia organization like the Yamaguchi-gumi was indeed an embarrassment.


    Seeing Mitsui Yoshitaka’s face flush with embarrassment, charlie Wade decided to stop targeting him and turned to Tawanna. “But my friend in the United States is quite capable. I believe this matter won’t pose a problem for him,” he said.