My Virtual Girlfriend-Chapter 456: I’ve Been Having Trouble Sleeping Lately, Can You Help Me? (10,000 words!)

Chapter 456: Chapter 456: I’ve Been Having Trouble Sleeping Lately, Can You Help Me? (10,000 words!)

If Yang Rou normally seems like a placid lake, an ancient well without ripples, rational to the point of showing no emotional change,

the Yang Rou in the elevator earlier was like an erupting volcano, vigorously spewing her inner energy outward.

Now, Yang Rou is like a bubbling brook in a mountain ravine,

with a hint of liveliness, yet still appearing somewhat evasive.

In any case, she was different from her usual self.

It was unclear what had happened to Yang Rou, but at least she didn’t seem as angry as before.

So, Chen Yan didn’t pay much attention to that and instead brought up business, "Sister Rou, you said last night you were going to help me pick out some dirt on Zhao Qingtian."

"So, I wanted to talk to you about that."

Hatred is indeed an eternal cure-all.

Yang Rou, who had been a bit flustered upon seeing Chen Yan, immediately gained strength and a firm gaze at the mention of "Zhao Qingtian’s" name.

As if she could wield a hammer right then and hammer Zhao Qingtian if she had one.

So, she nodded, picked up a file folder from the desk with a cool air, walked over to Chen Yan, and handed it to him.

Chen Yan took the folder and realized it was the same one Yang Rou had accidentally burst that morning.

He walked over to the sofa, sat down, and quietly started reading the document.

The contents of the file were somewhat complicated.

Because this wasn’t about Zhao Qingtian.

It was about a young man named Zhao Jie.

According to the information, Zhao Jie was thirty years old, three years older than Chen Yan, eight years older than Yang Nuannuan (considering that the story had been going on for three years).

And he had taken the college entrance exam for the first time twelve years prior, with disappointing results, failing to gain admission.

He didn’t think it was because he was bad at studying, but rather because he was in bad form on the day of the exam.

So, he wanted to retake the college entrance exam.

But since his desired school was related to national defense,

this school required that applicants be current-year high school graduates. Therefore, Zhao Qingtian had his household registration transferred and changed his name for him. Additionally, using his connections, he arranged for false transfer documents, changing a graduate from a previous year to a current-year student.

And that was just the beginning.

After repeating a year, Zhao Jie’s results were still not up to par, not meeting the requirements of that school.

So, Zhao Qingtian directly contacted some higher-ups, getting that school to include Zhao Jie in a special recruitment round...

What was even more outrageous was that

since Zhao Jie’s score was too far from the school’s requirements, adding one more slot wasn’t enough.

Therefore, to accommodate Zhao Jie, that university added three more admission spots in the province where Zhao Jie took the college entrance exam for the second time...

Along with a detailed introduction, the file contained several student IDs from Zhao Jie’s different schools, records of that university’s announcements where they repeatedly revised the special recruitment figures, and some printed chat records to corroborate the story.

The chat records contained testimonies from Zhao Jie’s classmates from both sessions.

All affirming Zhao Jie was their classmate, even presenting graduation photos as proof.

Facing this substantial dossier, Chen Yan was momentarily bewildered.

He had never anticipated Yang Rou would gather such detailed information.

How did she manage it?

Moreover, looking at this document, she hadn’t possibly played her trump card, had she?

Thinking this, Chen Yan couldn’t help but look towards Yang Rou.

Understanding Chen Yan’s glance, Yang Rou explained in a calm tone, "This isn’t the heaviest dirt I have in my hand. I have one or two more pieces kept in reserve."

She then added, "As for gathering these items..."

"Money and meticulous attention, that’s all."

"Keen attention to information, then paying people to inquire."

Chen Yan: .....

Chen Yan felt he should seriously consider his feelings towards Yang Rou... If he ever crossed her, he feared he would never live in peace for the rest of his life.

A woman who holds grudges is truly terrifying...

While thinking this, Chen Yan tapped on Zhao Jie’s name on the document, then asked, "This Zhao Jie is Zhao Qingtian’s...?"

Yang Rou took over and said, "Son."

Chen Yan was momentarily stunned.

He took another look at Zhao Jie’s information.

Zhao Qingtian’s son?

30 years old?

So that year Zhao Qingtian...

As Chen Yan was pondering this, Yang Rou took a seat opposite him and explained, "Zhao Qingtian has three children."

"Two sons and one daughter." (Mentioned in Chapters 139 and 169)

"The eldest is this Zhao Jie. The youngest is one year older than Nuannuan. They’re all adults now."

"According to rumors in the circle, his eldest daughter is very capable and has joined the company to gain experience. His second son is a genius too; after studying abroad, he has also taken a position within the Zhao Group."

"This eldest son, however, is the only one who doesn’t seem to live up to expectations."

"Back when he was studying, Zhao Qingtian was at a crucial time fighting for the position of Head of Zhao Family; he didn’t have much power in his hands yet."

"Plus, since the first child always receives a bit more love, he kept this child in the country for his education."

"Later, the issue with the college entrance exam occurred."

"I heard about this incident by chance. Afterward, through various inquiries, I discovered this shocking affair."

Chen Yan nodded thoughtfully and asked cautiously, "And back then, when you and he..."

Yang Rou gave Chen Yan an emotionless glance and explained, "When he and I met, he was already married and had three children."

"We have a gap of more than ten years."

"So, he always acted like an elder towards me."

"Moreover, since he studied abroad, whether it was the depth of his knowledge or the openness of his ideas, both far surpassed mine."

"Plus, he had a happy marriage and children. Thus, when he offered to help me, I agreed. Even for this reason, he was a ’plus’ in my book."

"After all..."

She paused momentarily and said, "In my view, since he already had a wonderful family, he wouldn’t want to take away my child."

Now Chen Yan finally understood.

No wonder he always felt something weird in the past; if Yang Rou wanted a child of her own, she should have chosen the genetics in the sperm bank rather than Zhao Qingtian.

He understood now.

Still, from this, he also felt Zhao Qingtian was really "scheming."

Yang Rou feared he would take her child.

But he actually wanted to take both Yang Rou and the child.

After discussing the past, Chen Yan also talked with Yang Rou about how to deal with this matter.

They both knew that once they took action, they would face retaliation from the massive Zhao Group.

Fortunately, Yang Rou’s choice of ammunition was quite good.

It not only involved Zhao Qingtian’s weak spot, preventing him from escaping involvement, but also avoided implicating the Zhao Group as much as possible.

Their objective was very clear: at this stage, taking down Zhao Group directly was too difficult. Hence, they should concentrate their forces on dealing with Zhao Qingtian.

The Zhao Family was indeed powerful, but precisely because of its size, there wasn’t just one voice within.

If there was a direct attack on the company, the Zhao Group could likely suppress it with its immense power.

However, if it was a personal affair of Zhao Qingtian’s, different opinions might emerge within the Zhao Group.

Moreover... this private matter has become entangled with illegal activities.

Once it’s confirmed, Zhao Qingtian will likely be under investigation, and he may very well be compelled to resign due to the scandal.

The clever part about this dirt is that if it were anything else, given Zhao Qingtian’s nature, he would probably abandon a pawn to save a chariot.

But this matter involves his son.

No matter how ruthless he is, he couldn’t possibly give up on his own son, could he?

So, as Chen Yan was planning against Yang Rou, the more he thought about it, the more he appreciated the ingenuity of Yang Rou’s chosen strategy.

Yang Rou might have noticed Chen Yan’s optimism.

After discussing the plan, Yang Rou hinted to Chen Yan, "Mr. Chen, don’t be too optimistic."

"Zhao Qingtian isn’t as easy to deal with as you think."

She paused, then added, "If this were so simple, I would have taken action myself a long time ago."

Chen Yan thought it over and felt that there was indeed truth to her words.

This made him vigilant once again: none of these older generation tycoons are simple characters; he still needed to be cautious.

While thinking this over, Chen Yan bid farewell to Yang Rou, preparing to return and rethink the plan.

Yang Rou escorted Chen Yan out of the office.

Just as Chen Yan was about to leave, she seemed to think for a moment and then spoke up, "About what happened in the elevator earlier, that was my bad. Don’t take it to heart."

Hearing Yang Rou’s words, Chen Yan looked at her in surprise.

He certainly didn’t expect Yang Rou to suddenly apologize.

Yet Yang Rou just looked at him and quietly nodded, then closed the office door behind her.

Chen Yan: ??

Was Sister Rou’s way of apologizing always so unique?

Regardless, Yang Rou’s gesture was received, and Chen Yan smiled, shaking his head and then got ready to return to his own office.

Having settled on a plan to counter Zhao Qingtian today, he was in great spirits.

However, perhaps good things always come in pairs.

So, as he was going upstairs, his cell phone cheerfully rang.

Chen Yan answered and saw that it was a call from Qin Ming, who was far away in Tiandu.

Chen Yan picked up the phone.

Qin Ming’s voice came through enthusiastically, "Mr. Chen, I’ve negotiated with those venture capital firms!"

"The price is 90% of the last valuation."

"They can make a profit, and we flipped quite a lot!"

"20 billion to take over a total of 22% in shares!"

Listening to Qin Ming, Chen Yan’s heart was filled with joy once again.

After all, only he knew how much that 22% would be worth in the future!

It could be worth hundreds of billions!

And that also included a huge influence domestically!

It was something no amount of money could buy back!

Therefore, Chen Yan once again felt the power of the "Strong Buy Card."

Thinking this, he praised, "Good job, Qin Ming. You’ve done very well."

"Sign a letter of intent with them. I’ll have your sister bring all the necessary paperwork and seal, and fly directly to Tiandu to sign the official contract with you!"

Qin Ming agreed.

Then, they discussed the reasons why these venture capital firms decided to sell their shares.

Although Chen Yan knew the "Strong Buy Card" was at play, he didn’t know exactly how it had influenced things.

But understanding more about how the system items operated was extremely beneficial for Chen Yan’s exploration of the essence of the system.

After all, he hadn’t forgotten his goal of unravelling the nature and origin of the system.

Just like he hadn’t forgotten about a clue regarding the system he’d learned from a financial company: Miss Su...

Qin Ming’s answer also roughly cleared up Chen Yan’s doubts about the effectiveness of the Strong Buy Card this time.

It turned out the matter was an extension of the last "Strong Buy" and the current gold fluctuations.

Economic developments in Europe and America had undergone structural changes, complicating the international situation.

A huge consortium overseas was trying to acquire a large entertainment group worth hundreds of billions.

But this large group was massive, and among its companies, it even had venture capital firms.

So the consortium attempted to dismantle this group, raising funds at high interest rates while orchestrating a plan to carve up the premium projects under the group’s control.

Investors from both home and abroad were eyeing this lucrative opportunity.

Big fish feed on big meat; small fish feed on smaller meat. Regardless of size, all could feast in this "whale fall."

Thus, investment firms abroad were shrinking their international strategies, while domestic institutions were eagerly trying to follow suit.

However, moving funds out wasn’t easy.

Due to international tensions and fluctuations in gold trading prices, the state had recently tightened controls on the outflow of domestic capital. So, venture capital firms began looking to sell some of their non-premium domestic projects in exchange for liquidity.

Consequently, during this time, Headline Technology, which had been struggling a bit and whose anticipated size had plummeted, yet was one of the early institutions to invest, was also placed on the list of liquidatable assets by many investors.

When they had invested in Headline Technology, it might not have been worth a billion, but now they were selling it for 20 billion, which was more than enough to satisfy them.

So, the deal was quickly agreed upon.

Now having a full understanding of the situation, Chen Yan felt he had a comprehensive grasp of the matter.

This also seemed to deepen his understanding of the system.

Compared to systems in other fiction that directly provided money bluntly, his system seemed different.

It felt like a vast net engulfing the entire world, observing the shifts in the era as a calm third-party observer.

And yet, Chen Yan had obtained some degree of access to it.

He entered his goal into the system.

The system began processing, the vast webs started moving, tweaking a few nodes, guiding the global situation in the direction Chen Yan desired.

As he pondered all this, Chen Yan couldn’t help but look up at the grey sky.

He saw nothing...

However, as he lowered his gaze, he saw the Twin Towers Hotel next to him.

A light "huh" escaped Chen Yan’s thoughts.

How could he have forgotten to approach it from this angle?

Since the system had given him so many properties, he could certainly ask the original owners for other clues...

With this in mind, Chen Yan secretly made a decision to check into this in a couple of days.

With these thoughts, he turned and prepared to go find He Mengxue to discuss and arrange for her trip to Tiandu.

After descending the stairs and arriving at He Mengxue’s office, he knocked on the door, and her voice came from inside, "Come in."

Chen Yan pushed the door open and saw He Mengxue using her cell phone, tapping away rapidly.

Chen Yan smiled, "Busy?"

He Mengxue looked up, saw it was Chen Yan, and her face immediately showed a happy expression.

She set down her phone with a smile, stepped out, and said, "Not really. Sister Rou was apologizing to me; I was chatting with her."

"Sister Rou?" Chen Yan echoed the term, gave a "tsk tsk" sound twice, "So you’re calling her ’Sister’ now? Wasn’t it ’Yang Rou, Yang Rou’ before?"

He Mengxue gave Chen Yan a coquettish glance and said, "Isn’t it for the harmony and friendship in your harem?"

Chen Yan: .....

Sometimes, Chen Yan didn’t even know if He Mengxue was joking or serious.

Even, he felt that Headphones weren’t very effective on He Mengxue.

Thinking this way, Chen Yan decided not to dwell on the topic any longer.

He mentioned the acquisition of shares in Headline Technology and instructed He Mengxue to head to Tiandu to sign the contract.

However, upon hearing that the deal was settled, He Mengxue didn’t seem too happy.

She looked at Chen Yan with some hesitation, a little unsure of herself, and said, "Chen Yan... do you think... does Headline Technology really have a future?"

She explained, "I know that you bought it mainly to get back at them for me."

"Of course, it was also for making money."

"But... that was then, this is now."

"Headline Technology seemed like a future pole in the domestic internet back then, but now, it seems... they can’t even beat their competitors in their own industry."

Hearing He Mengxue’s words, Chen Yan recalled the Instant Camera’s evaluation of Headline Technology back then and then asked with a smile, "Sister Xue, do you believe in me?"

When He Mengxue heard Chen Yan start on with those "five-character words of truth," she couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

Even if Chen Yan proved right every time he said this.

But having heard it so many times, He Mengxue still felt a bit of perfunctory.

Seeing this, Chen Yan patted He Mengxue’s shoulder with a smile and consoled her, "Don’t worry. Headline Technology will definitely be all right."

With years of experience, he had also gained a lot of his own understanding of the development of businesses and future positioning.

Even, because the system always guided certain small events, influencing things to develop in a different direction, he had developed his own logic through clues to analyze the reasons for the system’s judgment.

Therefore, he said to He Mengxue, "Don’t just look at Headline Technology’s short video business, which is slightly showing signs of fatigue in the domestic market."

"But don’t forget, short video is just one branch of their company."

"They have an interest in this market, but their efforts are not solely concentrated on it."

"And moreover..." Chen Yan paused, then continued, "You shouldn’t only focus on the domestic market. Look outside too."

Chen Yan said, "You should know that Headline’s recent two rounds of funding were all in international currencies."

"That means, although they have raised the money, they haven’t brought it back to the country."

"It’s all invested in the international market."

"Without the support of funds, they can hold their own in the domestic market against Slow Hand."

"So how excellent must their performance be in the international market?"

"Having taken the lead in the international market, when they come back to fight in the domestic market, can Slow Hand really be their match?"

He Mengxue was suddenly enlightened by Chen Yan’s analysis!

She said, "So that’s how it is!"

"Now I understand after you put it that way."

Chen Yan smiled.

Actually, he didn’t know if what he said was correct.

But... as long as the result was good, wasn’t that all that mattered?

At least, he had been checking the Instant Camera photos of Headline Technology, but the content hadn’t changed at all.

That was enough.

Assured that Chen Yan wouldn’t lose money, He Mengxue also became cheerful.

She looked at Chen Yan with bright eyes and a smile at the corner of her mouth.

"Chen Yan. Do you know, when you make your imposing declarations, you look so handsome. And so charismatic."

Chen Yan no longer felt embarrassed or shy when he heard He Mengxue’s compliments.

He even tossed his hair, narcissistically saying, "Actually... I think I’m pretty handsome at all times."

He Mengxue stole a few glances at him with a giggle, then asked, "So, handsome guy. Can you do me a favor?"

Hearing He Mengxue’s words, Chen Yan looked at her and asked, "What favor?"

He Mengxue’s tone softened, and she put on a sorrowful face as she said, "Actually... I’ve been suffering from insomnia lately. Can’t sleep."

"I went to the hospital."

"The doctor told me that if I sleep next to a handsome guy, I can be cured." frёeωebɳovel.com

Saying this, she looked at Chen Yan with pitiful eyes, "You’re so handsome. You should meet the requirements."

"So..."

"Can you help me?"

Hearing He Mengxue’s words, Chen Yan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

This girl was really good at taking any chance to flirt with him, so forward it was unbelievable.

However, he couldn’t deny the sense of achievement he felt when a woman with good family background, looks, temperament, and not lacking in ability was pursuing him so aggressively!

So, Chen Yan smiled and said, "Looks like you’ll be suffering from insomnia for a few more days."

"After all, you’re about to go on a business trip to sign that contract."

Upon hearing Chen Yan’s words, He Mengxue wasn’t discouraged at all, and she cunningly said, "Then when I get back, you can come and accompany me~"

Chen Yan flicked her fair forehead with his finger, "We’ll talk about when you come back, when you are back."

"You first have to take care of what I’ve asked you to do."

Having said that, Chen Yan left He Mengxue’s office with a smile.

Left alone in the office, He Mengxue wasn’t heartbroken by Chen Yan’s refusal.

Instead, she touched her slightly reddened forehead with a cute smile, "Did he just affectionately flick my forehead?"

"Giggle..."

.......

After leaving He Mengxue’s office, Chen Yan stretched lazily before leaving the investment company.

He arrived at the elevator area, pressed the button, and seeing the elevator was still on the first floor, Chen Yan went to the window of the elevator area, looking at the scenery outside.

While enjoying the view, Chen Yan organized the big plans he was about to undertake.

Today, Yang Rou and he had confirmed the timing for action: noon on Saturday.

At that time, Yang Rou wouldn’t dump all her information out at once, but would release it bit by bit in an orderly fashion.

Meanwhile, both of them would fuel the situation, contacting the media to intensify publicity.

While Zhao Qingtian was still unaware, they would land a heavy punch on him.

After that, Chen Yan and Yang Rou would reach out to the Zhao Family branches signaling them to follow suit.

Putting pressure on Zhao Qingtian from within the Zhao Family.

By then, Zhao Qingtian would probably be in hot water.

Chen Yan could seize the opportunity to raid Headline Technology, restructure the board of directors, and expel the Business Director. Revenge.

Afterwards, leveraging the Sunrise project, he’d take down the Xu brothers, avenging Lu Man.

Finally, amassing power, and together with the Zhao Family branches, he’d push Zhao Qingtian off the throne of the Head of Zhao Family, avenging Yang Rou and Yang Nuannuan...

These plans could almost be said to be interlinked—one leading directly to the next—and everything was ready. He was just waiting for tomorrow’s signing with the venture capital firm and the official outbreak on Saturday...

For a moment, Chen Yan felt as if a bgm was sounding in his ears.

His eyes filled with determination, he murmured softly, "Great winds rise; clouds soar! My might spans the universe; I return to my homeland!"

This triumphant poem from Han Gaozu lifted his spirited immensely!

He was certain that there was a spot for him at the absolute pinnacle of the world!

While Chen Yan was thus full of ambition, the crisp sound of "ding dong~" rang behind him: the elevator had arrived.

He turned around from his "world-embracing" stance, and then...

He saw Zhao Ying standing not far behind him, holding a pancake, eating it while innocently and curiously looking at him.

As she gazed, Zhao Ying’s mouth chewed continuously like a rabbit, enjoying the pancake deliciously.

Chen Yan: ....

Chen Yan asked, "Did you... hear everything?"

Zhao Ying kept chewing while still looking at him with that innocent gaze, then happily nodded her head.

Chen Yan: ....

Ah. Another day of social death...

....

In the evening, He Mengxue, instructed by Chen Yan, took a team of lawyers and accountants on a flight collectively to Tiandu.

In Tiandu, they met with Qin Ming and discussed the signing scheduled for the next day.

Because the acquisition of shares from various venture capital companies had been carried out separately, there had been no leaks.

The next day, the team led by He Mengxue and Qin Ming moved out collectively, starting to sign contracts with several venture capital firms one after the other.

For the sake of secrecy, both parties agreed not to announce it yet, only notarizing and transferring funds.

In this way, Chen Yan gathered the shares of Headline Technology from one company after another in his hands. Yet, the outside world remained completely unaware.

People only knew that Qin Ming, the deputy general manager of Chen’s Investment, had previously come to Tiandu to negotiate. And now, the general manager He Mengxue had also arrived in Tiandu.

However, no one knew the specifics of what was being discussed.

Most people speculated it was probably about the establishment and financing of the Chen Group.

After all, Chen Yan had personally visited Tiandu a few months prior, showing an interest in financing.

The companies he had visited at the time were the same ones that Qin Ming and He Mengxue were now negotiating with.

Hence, everything unfolded smoothly.

After several contracts were signed, Chen Yan’s two companies, together with his personal holdings, owned 9%, 10%, and 22% of Headline Technology’s shares respectively.

That amounted to a total of 41% of the shares, making him one of the undisputed major shareholders of Headline Technology.

Moreover, since the shares reached more than 35%, it automatically provided him with veto power over major company decisions!

This future trillion-valued enterprise was finally half in the embrace of Chen Yan...

And this news had thus far been confined to a small circle, not yet leaked.

On Saturday, a hot search suddenly appeared on Weibo: [Zhao Group Chairman’s Son Cheated on College Entrance Exam].

When this hot search surfaced, it directly soared to the number one spot.

It instantly drew the attention of countless people.

Zhao Group was a genuine behemoth within the country, with industries involving education, healthcare, real estate, and many others related to everyone’s life.

Plus, with their high-end commercial plazas in every major city, Zhao Group had become a household name.

Hence, upon seeing such a significant exposé, people from all walks of life and age groups couldn’t help but click to see what was really going on.

Upon further inspection, they discovered numerous Weibo accounts revealing insider information on the eldest son of Zhao Qingtian, Zhao Jie’s college entrance exam cheating scandal.

Articles presented multiple perspectives; some were from classmates revealing that Zhao Jie had attended the exams with them but wasn’t admitted.

At that time, many people consoled him,

suggesting that even if he wasn’t successful, he could serve the country in other ways in the future.

However, he didn’t apply to universities but chose to retake the year instead.

Everyone thought he might apply to other schools, but to everyone’s surprise, he flaunted a diploma from that institution the following year!

Given that the university was defense-related, it required students to be current-year graduates.

Some classmates investigated the admissions records and found that he was actually admitted through additional enrollment.

Thus, classmates speculated privately that he used connections to change his current-year graduate status, and even his father sought relations with the school to secure his admission.

Aside from the classmates’ exposés, there were also discussions from other perspectives, but the content was more or less the same.

And the images accompanying these Weibo posts were quite precise.

One showed a graduation photo with the year and month, another had Zhao Jie’s university admission notice for the following year, and one more displayed the Ministry of Education’s requirements for student admissions to these schools.

Seeing these posts, many onlookers also began to discuss.

After all, the incident sounded very serious and touched upon several controversial issues.

For instance, whether the school’s requirement for only current-year graduates was reasonable.

And whether this kind of additional enrollment counted as cheating.

And since this affair was many years past, people were also curious about Zhao Jie’s current situation, what he was doing after graduating from that university...

........

Meanwhile, as Weibo was in an uproar,

in the chairman’s office of Zhao Group, Zhao Qingtian was also seething with anger.

For the first time, he smashed something! Then he sharply rebuked his female assistant, "What the hell is going on? Who is targeting Zhao Jie?"

"Have you found out?"

Even after years alongside Zhao Qingtian, the female assistant had never seen him so furious.

In her mind, Zhao Qingtian had always been amiable and cheerful, even before becoming the family head, portrayed with a dignified grace.

However, upon receiving her report today, Zhao Qingtian instantly smashed a jade horse on the table.

Therefore, the assistant was frightened to silence, her body trembling slightly as she cautiously responded, "The company’s compliance, legal, and public relations departments are all investigating."

"The other party is a bit cunning, so we haven’t identified them yet."

"However, they have bought hot searches and media exposure, leaving behind traces, so I believe we will soon penetrate the company and find them."

Hearing the assistant’s explanation, Zhao Qingtian’s fingers clenched hard on his mahogany desktop, producing a "bang" "bang" "bang" sound. His face was icy as he gazed at the assistant, his voice as cold as if it emanated from the Arctic, "I want to know the results the moment they’re available."

The assistant hurriedly nodded, "Yes, boss!"

Zhao Qingtian took a few deep breaths, suppressing the anger within him.

Then, in a deep tone, he asked, "How is the public relations team doing with calming the hot search, pulling it down?"

"This matter cannot escalate! I want it wiped clean!"

The assistant bowed her head, "Intensive public relations efforts are underway."

"The hot search has been taken down. Weibo has been called to explain the situation, and they are willing to cooperate."

"Every media outlet has been notified one by one, those that published retracting their articles, and those yet to publish holding back."

Zhao Qingtian then appeared somewhat satisfied as he nodded.

His voice was chilling as it seemed to freeze the very air, "Don’t worry about spending money or using connections."

"All the money and favors we’ve given over the years – it’s time to make good use of them now!"

Listening to Zhao Qingtian, the assistant swallowed her saliva and mentally elevated the crisis’s priority two notches further in her mind, making it the highest priority!

Initially, she had thought it just a highly-prioritized crisis management issue.

But now, seeing Zhao Qingtian’s intent, it was evident he was serious.

This intensity of public relations effort was unprecedented for her, signaling that her boss was truly enraged.

For a moment, she even felt sympathy for the mastermind behind the scenes: their testing of the waters not only had no effect but might also backfire under the pent-up fury of Zhao Qingtian!

Sure enough, after Zhao Qingtian gave his orders, he repeated, "I demand that not even the slightest whisper of this incident is heard."

His eyes were so cold they seemed devoid of any emotion.

His voice squeezed through his teeth, "Whether it’s any website, forum, or media, they all must completely disappear!"

The assistant got goosebumps, bobbing her head once more in agreement, "Yes!"