Double evil in the business district

The piercing ringtone tore through the morning tranquility, waking Xiao Yue from her chaotic slumber. She grabbed her phone, and when Lin Wei's name flashed on the screen, an ominous premonition spread through her heart.

"Yueyue, check Weibo..." Lin Wei's voice was trembling, and she was almost crying, "Something happened..."

Xiao Yue's heart sank, and with trembling fingers, she opened the Weibo app. What greeted her was a shocking scene: an overwhelming wave of negative comments, overwhelming her. Her photos had been maliciously photoshopped, juxtaposed with all sorts of unsightly scenes, and rumors were spreading like wildfire online, spreading rapidly like a virus.

"Mrs. Xiao's CEO met with a mysterious man at night, and their behavior was intimate!"

"Xiao Yue, a victim of a wealthy marriage?"

"Unveiling the unknown secrets of the Xiao family's daughter..."

Sensational headlines filled the screen, and every comment was like a sharp knife, piercing her heart. The official account of Xiao's Enterprise was also besieged by angry netizens, with insults and doubts constantly heard.

"How can a company like Xiao tolerate the existence of such a morally corrupt person!"

"Boycott the Xiao family, boycott Xiao Yue!"

"Demand that the Xiao family give the public an explanation!"

The phone slipped from Xiao Yue's limp hands. The screen flashed with a blinding light, illuminating her pale face. She sat in bed, feeling as if her entire world was crumbling. "The Xiao family... is finished..." she muttered, her voice as thin as a mosquito's.

At this time, Lin Wei's phone rang again, her tone extremely anxious: "Yueyue, the situation is very bad now. These negative public opinions are overwhelming, and many of them are groundless, but they have attracted widespread public attention. The company's stock price has begun to fall, and the public relations department is handling it urgently, but..."

Xiao Yue took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. She knew now was not the time to panic; she had to find a way to deal with this crisis as soon as possible. "Weiwei, call a meeting with the PR team immediately. Gather all relevant evidence and prepare a press conference to clarify the facts. Also, contact a professional cybersecurity company to investigate the source of these rumors."

After hanging up the phone, Xiao Yue forced herself to get up from the bed. She walked to the mirror, looked at her pale face, and took a deep breath. She knew it was a tough battle, but she had to win it, for herself and for the Xiao family.

Suddenly, the cell phone rang again, and a familiar number appeared on the screen... "Hello?" Xiao Yue's voice was hoarse, with a barely perceptible tremor.

"Yueyue, are you okay?" Shen Ting's low and concerned voice came from the other end of the phone, like a ray of warm sunshine in winter, shining into Xiao Yue's cold heart.

"I'm... fine." Xiao Yue's voice was still hoarse, but she tried to remain calm. "I just didn't expect things to develop to this point."

"Don't worry, I'll help you," Shen Ting said firmly. "I've already had my team investigate this matter. I'm sure we'll soon find out who's behind this." His voice was tinged with a subtle hint of anger. "If anyone dares to touch you, I won't let him go."

Shen Ting's comfort made Xiao Yue feel a little relieved. She took a deep breath and said, "Thank you, Shen Ting."

"There's no need to say thank you between you and me." Shen Ting paused, then continued, "I've arranged for a public relations team to assist you. Feel free to contact them directly if you need anything."

After hanging up the phone, Xiao Yue felt full of strength. She knew that she was no longer fighting alone.

She quickly rushed to the company. In the conference room, Xiao's public relations team was already on high alert. When Lin Wei saw Xiao Yue, she immediately came forward, her face full of worry: "Yueyue, you're here."

Xiao Yue nodded, walked straight to the main seat and sat down. He looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice, "Everyone is clear about the situation now. I need everyone to come up with the best plan to deal with this crisis."

Lin Wei spoke first: "I have prepared a statement to be released publicly to clarify the facts and condemn the rumormongers."

Xiao Yue took the statement and read it carefully, frowning. "This statement is too official and lacks emotion, so it's unlikely to resonate with the public. Furthermore, we don't have any solid evidence yet. Releasing a statement rashly could backfire and make the public even more suspicious of us."

"What should we do?" Lin Wei said anxiously. "The public pressure is so great now. We must respond as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous."

Xiao Yue pondered for a moment and said, "We need a more effective plan that can both calm public opinion and identify the mastermind behind this." Her eyes fell on a young public relations representative. "Xiao Li, what do you think?"

Xiao Li, who was named, was a little nervous, but he still mustered up the courage to say, "I think we can avoid a direct response first. Instead, we can throw some smokescreens to divert public attention while secretly investigating the truth."

Xiao Yue's eyes lit up; this idea resonated with her. She nodded and said, "Xiao Li's suggestion is excellent. We can start from this aspect. Lin Wei, you will be responsible for contacting several influential media outlets and releasing some ambiguous news to guide public opinion. Everyone else, continue to collect evidence and make sure to get to the bottom of the matter as soon as possible."

After the meeting, Xiao Yue returned to the office and rubbed her temples tiredly. She knew that this crisis had just begun and there was still a long way to go, but she was ready to fight.

At this moment, the phone vibrated, and a text message from an unfamiliar number suddenly appeared on the screen: "Ms. Xiao, the fun has just begun..." Xiao Yue's eyes instantly turned cold...

Xiao Yue stared at the provocative text message on her phone, her eyes so cold they seemed to freeze into ice. Was the fun just beginning? She wanted to see who was stirring up trouble behind the scenes.

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit internet cafe, Hong Shuijun was triumphantly commanding his "army." "Brothers, work harder! Let this fire burn brighter!" he shouted as he tapped away on the keyboard.

On the screen, countless malicious comments flooded across major platforms like a tide, drowning Xiao Yue's name in a chorus of abuse. Hong Shuijun's lips curled up into a sinister smile. This mission was well completed, and the reward was definitely in the bag. To keep the public opinion going, he even contacted more small bloggers, offering them money to repost the unverified negative news.

"Blogger Zhang, have you read my article?" Hong Shuijun made a phone call with a hint of flattery in his tone.

"I've read it. It's well written and meets my requirements." A lazy voice came from the other end of the phone. It was the internet celebrity blogger Zhang.

"That's good, that's good." Hong Shuijun rubbed his hands. "When can it be released?"

"Now." Blogger Zhang replied briefly.

After hanging up, blogger Zhang clicked "Publish." A lengthy article with a sensational headline and malicious content speculating about Xiao Yue's character and business practices instantly appeared on his homepage. Thanks to Zhang's online influence, the article was quickly forwarded, and the comment section exploded with a barrage of insults and attacks.

At Xiao's corporate headquarters, Lin Wei hurried into Xiao Yue's office. "Yueyue, this is bad! Blogger Zhang published a long article, and now everyone on the internet is cursing you!"

Xiao Yue took Lin Wei's phone and quickly scanned the article, his expression darkening. In the article, blogger Zhang not only distorted the facts but also fabricated numerous false accusations, portraying her as a scheming, unscrupulous businesswoman.

"Contact the legal department and prepare to sue blogger Zhang for defamation." Xiao Yue said in a cold tone without a trace of hesitation.

"But..." Lin Wei hesitated. "We don't have enough evidence right now. It's hard for us to win this case."

"I know." Xiao Yue took a deep breath, "But this at least shows our attitude. We won't let others smear us at will."

Online public opinion continued to ferment, and Xiao Enterprise's stock price began to fall. Xiao Yue watched the situation worsen, feeling unprecedented pressure. She rubbed her temples, trying to remain calm. She knew that the most important thing now was to find the mastermind behind this incident; only then could the storm be completely quelled.

As night fell, Xiao Yue sat alone in her office, her computer screen flashing with negative comments. She picked up her phone and dialed a number. "Please help me find out who's been manipulating public opinion lately..." A deep voice came from the other end of the line.

"Okay." Xiao Yue rubbed her temple wearily. The office light cast a shadow on her face, making it appear exceptionally pale. On the computer screen, those piercing comments flooded in like a tide, each word like a sharp knife, piercing her heart. Xiao's stock price chart plummeted like a roller coaster, the bright red lines stinging her eyes. She felt a deep sense of powerlessness, as if she were trapped in quicksand, the more she struggled, the deeper she sank.

"Yueyue, you haven't slept for two days. If you continue like this, your body will collapse." Lin Wei walked in with a cup of hot milk, her tone full of worry.

Xiao Yue forced a smile and said, "It's okay, I can still hold on." But her voice revealed the fatigue that was hard to conceal.

Lin Wei sighed and placed the milk on the table. "The online public opinion has calmed down a bit now, but the impact on the company continues. Several important partners have called to inquire about the situation, and some have even hinted that they may terminate their cooperation."

Xiao Yue's heart sank. She knew this public opinion storm wasn't just directed at her personally; it would also endanger the entire Xiao Group. If the partnership truly ended, Xiao Group would face enormous losses, and perhaps even... She didn't dare to think about it any further.

At this moment, the phone vibrated and a text message popped up: "We found some clues, but the other party is very cautious and needs time." It was Shen Ting. Xiao Yue's heart was filled with warmth. In this precarious time, he was lucky to have him.

"Is there any news from Shen Ting?" Lin Wei asked with concern.

Xiao Yue nodded, "He said he has found some clues." Although it was just a few simple words, it gave her great strength.

"That's good, that's good." Lin Wei seemed relieved. "With Mr. Shen's help, we will definitely be able to find the mastermind behind this."

Xiao Yue gripped the phone tightly, his eyes determined, "I must find out who is behind this!"

However, things were far more complicated than she had imagined. Hong Shuijun was extremely cautious, using encryption software for all communications and destroying all records after each transaction. He roamed the online world like a ghost, leaving no trace.

In a hidden basement, Hong Shuijun was proudly counting his money. "I made a lot of money this time! It's enough for me to live a carefree life for a while."

His phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number. "Hello?"

"It's done well." A deep voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Of course, you can trust me to do the job." Hong Shuijun smiled flatteringly.

"However, things have been a bit tense lately, so you'd better be careful."

"I know, I know." Hong Shuijun responded quickly.

"Also," the voice on the other end of the phone suddenly turned cold, "There are some things that you shouldn't say, and don't ask."

Hong Shuijun's smile froze on his face, and a chill ran from his feet to his head. He subconsciously clenched his phone, his throat dry. "I...I understand."

The call ended, and Hong Shuijun slumped in his chair, beads of sweat oozing from his forehead. He felt like prey caught by a spider, ready to be devoured at any moment...

A dark figure appeared silently at the basement door, holding a photo in his hand.

The photo showed Hong Shuijun triumphantly counting his money. The shadow's lips curled up slightly, revealing a cold smile, "Found it..."