Double evil in the business district

"Linked account?" Xiao Yue sat up straight, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Whose is it?"

Shen Ting turned around, his deep gaze resting on her face. "Detective Luo hasn't yet discovered the true identity of the account holder. We only know that this account transferred a large sum of money to the "troll army" the day before the public opinion erupted. The amount matches our previous estimate of the cost of hiring the "troll army."

A chill ran down Xiao Yue's feet. The mastermind behind this was so cautious, so well hidden. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her flesh. "We must freeze this account as soon as possible to stop them from causing trouble!"

Shen Ting nodded and immediately called his lawyer, briefly explaining the situation. "Get the freezing procedures done as soon as possible, the sooner the better." He hung up the phone, his tone grave. "I've already contacted a lawyer, but freezing the account takes time and the procedures are complicated."

"Time..." Xiao Yue muttered to himself, pacing anxiously around the office. Time was exactly what they lacked right now. Online public opinion was still fermenting, and Xiao's stock price continued to plummet. Every second of delay meant more losses for Xiao. They were like being trapped in quicksand; the more they struggled, the deeper they sank.

Detective Luo arrived quickly and handed a document to Shen Ting. "Mr. Shen, this is the linked account information I found. The operation method of this account is very covert. If I hadn't noticed a deleted temporary file fragment on the water army's computer, I would probably have had difficulty discovering its existence."

Shen Ting carefully flipped through the documents, his brow furrowed. The "temporary document fragment" Detective Luo had mentioned was actually a photo of an ATM transfer receipt that had been torn up and hastily pieced together. The transfer time and amount shown on the photo matched the funds received by the water army. This subtle clue, like a faint candlelight in the darkness, illuminated their path forward.

"This navy army is really careless." Xiao Yue sighed, with a hint of relief in his tone.

Detective Luo pushed his glasses up, his expression serious. "The other party is obviously a veteran and acts with great caution. If it weren't for this oversight, we would have had a hard time finding a breakthrough."

Shen Ting closed the file, a glint in his eyes. "The most important thing now is to quickly identify the account holder." He looked at Detective Luo. "Detective Luo, I'm leaving this matter in your hands."

Detective Luo nodded solemnly, "Don't worry, Mr. Shen, I will do my best."

As night fell and the lights came on, the Xiao Building was still brightly lit. Xiao Yue and Shen Ting stood side by side in front of the French windows, overlooking the nightscape of the city. Neither of them spoke, but the atmosphere was unusually solemn.

"There should be news from Detective Luo soon." Shen Ting broke the silence, with a barely perceptible hint of fatigue in his tone.

Xiao Yue sighed softly, "I hope so." She turned to look at Shen Ting with a firm gaze, "No matter who is behind all this, I will make him pay the price."

Suddenly, Shen Ting's phone rang again, Detective Luo's name flashing on the screen. He pressed the answer button and put it to his ear. Detective Luo's voice on the other end was hurried and frantic. "Mr. Shen, this is bad! Hong Shuijun published an article online, accusing me of being a fake detective who was paid to do things. He also forged the transfer records of the bribes I received from the Xiao family!" Detective Luo's voice was filled with panic and grievance.

Shen Ting's face darkened, and he immediately checked his phone. Sure enough, an article titled "Unveiling the Shocking Scam Behind Xiao's Crisis PR!" was circulating across major social media platforms. In it, Hong Shuijun claimed to have been hired by Xiao to divert public attention and direct criticism toward competitors, while Detective Luo was a paid actor hired by Xiao to act out a "detective investigation." The article also included several fabricated screenshots of bank transfers and photos of Detective Luo meeting privately with Public Relations Officer Lin, attempting to prove some kind of shady dealings between them.

"This is a complete slander!" Xiao Yue clenched his fists angrily. "They are trying to confuse us and leave us isolated and helpless!"

Shen Ting's face was terribly gloomy. He took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. "Detective Luo, don't panic. Keep all the evidence. I'll arrange for a lawyer to handle this matter." He hung up the phone and turned to look at Xiao Yue. "It seems we underestimated the other party's despicableness."

At the same time, blogger Zhang also received a message from the mastermind behind the incident: "Xiao Yue has started investigating you, be careful. This is additional funds. Continue to intensify the smear campaign and dig up Xiao Yue's personal life to ruin her reputation!"

Seeing the large amount of money in his account, blogger Zhang smiled greedily. He immediately began fabricating Xiao Yue's "personal scandal," fabricating stories of her affairs with multiple men and even claiming she had interfered with marriages and disrupted families. These lurid rumors, accompanied by a few photoshopped photos, quickly spread online, attracting countless online comments and criticism.

Xiao Yue looked at the disgusting comments on her phone screen, her face pale and her body trembling slightly. She felt like she had fallen into a huge whirlpool and could not escape no matter how hard she struggled.

Shen Ting held her hand tightly, his eyes firm and gentle. "Don't be afraid, I'm here." He held her in his arms and patted her back gently, giving her silent comfort and strength.

Detective Luo's reputation was damaged, making his already difficult investigation even more difficult. Several informants he contacted refused to provide information for fear of being implicated, and some even turned against him, leaving him with no way to defend himself.

"Mr. Shen, the current situation is extremely unfavorable to us," PR Lin said anxiously. "Hong Shuijun and blogger Zhang's smear articles have already dominated the trending search lists on major platforms. Netizens are extremely emotional. They won't believe anything we say now."

Shen Ting's brow furrowed. He knew he had to turn the situation around quickly, or the consequences would be disastrous. He picked up his phone and dialed a number. "Please contact some authoritative media outlets for me. I need to hold a press conference..."

Late at night, in the office of the Xiao Building, Shen Ting and Xiao Yue were still busy. They were looking through the evidence they had collected, trying to find a way to fight back. Suddenly, Xiao Yue's phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number. She hesitated for a moment, but finally answered the call.

"Ms. Xiao, I know who's behind all this..." A deep male voice said on the other end of the line. "Who are you?" Xiao Yue gripped the phone tightly, her heart beating faster.

"Now is not the time to tell you about me. I just want to tell you that the person behind Hong Shuijun and blogger Zhang is..." The voice on the other end of the phone paused, and then clearly said a name, "Cheng Feng."

Xiao Yue was stunned. Cheng Feng? Cheng Feng? Cheng Feng was Shen Ting's rival, always eyeing the Shen family. Could this all be a conspiracy he orchestrated to undermine the Shen family?

"Why are you telling me this?" Xiao Yue tried hard to remain calm.

"Because I can't stand his behavior either." The voice on the other end of the phone was sarcastic. "He will do anything to achieve his goals, and sooner or later he will suffer the consequences. I just want to give you a hint. As for whether you can seize this opportunity, it depends on you." After that, the other party hung up the phone.

Xiao Yue immediately told Shen Ting the news. After hearing this, Shen Ting frowned and fell into deep thought. Cheng Feng did have a motive to do this, but an anonymous phone call alone was not enough as evidence.

"I will send someone to investigate Cheng Feng." Shen Ting said in a deep voice, "But we can't relax our investigation in other areas either."

Meanwhile, Public Relations Officer Lin was trying to contact those online who supported Xiao, attempting to organize them to fight the online troll army. However, due to the sheer number and tight organization of the troll army, the voices supporting Xiao were quickly drowned out by a chorus of abuse. Watching the constant stream of negative comments on his computer screen, Public Relations Officer Lin felt a wave of powerlessness and despair.

To protect Xiao Yue, Shen Ting publicly launched a counterattack against the "troll army" and blogger Zhang. He released a statement through the official Shen's account, condemning their slander and defamation and vowing to take legal action to protect the reputations of Xiao and Xiao Yue. He also released partial findings from his investigation, proving that Detective Luo was not an actor hired by Xiao but a genuine private investigator.

However, Shen Ting's actions have drawn doubts from some netizens. They believe that Shen Ting is favoring Xiao Yue, and some even speculate that there is some kind of improper relationship between Xiao Yue and Shen Ting.

"Mr. Shen, the online public opinion is now even more unfavorable to us." Public Relations Officer Lin said anxiously, "Many people think you are protecting Xiao Yue, and some have even started attacking your personal life."

Shen Ting rubbed his eyebrows. He knew that his every move would be magnified and interpreted, but he had to stand up to protect Xiao Yue.

"Don't pay attention to those rumors," Shen Ting said in a deep voice, "Let's just do our own thing, and the truth will come out sooner or later."

Detective Luo also received some good news. Following a tip from an anonymous caller, he tracked down a programmer who had previously worked for Cheng Feng. The programmer admitted that, at Cheng Feng's behest, he had forged the bank transfer records showing Detective Luo receiving bribes from the Xiao family.

"With this witness, we can prove Detective Luo's innocence and also accuse Cheng Feng of defamation." Xiao Yue said excitedly.

"That's right," Shen Ting nodded, "but we still need more evidence to completely bring down Cheng Feng."

It was late at night, but the lights in the Xiao Building's office were still bright. Xiao Yue and Shen Ting were still carefully studying the case. They knew that this battle had just begun...

Suddenly, the office door was pushed open, and Public Relations Officer Lin walked in with a pale face, "Mr. Shen, Miss Xiao, something happened..."

"Mr. Shen, Ms. Xiao, something's wrong..." PR Lin's voice trembled as she handed the tablet to Xiao Yue. On the screen, several private photos of Xiao Yue, maliciously photoshopped with obscene text, were circulating wildly on various social media platforms.

Netizen Feng, looking at the photos, seethed with rage. He had already been skeptical of Xiao's clarification, but now, seeing this "evidence," he was even more convinced that Xiao Yue was a woman of corrupt character. He immediately forwarded the photos and left vicious curses in the comments section. Netizens like Feng were numerous, their incited emotions spreading like wildfire, pushing Xiao Yue into the abyss of public opinion.

Xiao Yue felt her vision go dark, and she almost stumbled. These were her personal photos from years ago. How could they have been leaked? And how could they have been so maliciously tampered with? A huge sense of humiliation and fear overwhelmed her. She felt like a small animal, stripped naked and exposed before everyone, with nowhere to hide.

Shen Ting supported the shaky Xiao Yue and pulled her into his arms. He felt Xiao Yue's body tremble, and he tightened his arms with heartache. "Don't be afraid, I'm here." His voice was deep and powerful, like a solid barrier, protecting Xiao Yue from the outside world.

Xiao Yue took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She knew that now was not the time to be weak. She had to be strong, for herself and for the Xiao family. She raised her head and looked at Shen Ting with a firm gaze, "I'm fine, let's continue investigating."

Detective Luo also noticed the new online developments. His brow furrowed, realizing the gravity of the situation. "It seems the other party wants to completely destroy Miss Xiao," he said gravely. "However, this also proves that our previous speculation was correct. Cheng Feng is just a front, and there's a bigger conspiracy behind this."

Detective Luo re-examined the clues provided by the programmer and discovered that the account Cheng Feng used to pay the programmer was linked to a shell company. He continued to trace this linked account and discovered that this shell company had frequent financial transactions with another large technology company.

"This tech company is called 'Xingyao Technology,'" Detective Luo said, pointing to the company information on the computer screen. "Its owner is very secretive, and there's almost no information available."

Xiao Yue and Shen Ting exchanged glances, each seeing shock and confusion in the other's eyes. Xingyao Technology? They had never heard of this company, let alone its grudge against the Xiao family. Why would they go to such great lengths to frame the Xiao family?

"Keep investigating," Shen Ting said in a deep voice, "I want to see what the origins of Xingyao Technology are."

Detective Luo nodded and continued his investigation. Xiao Yue, suppressing his inner pain and humiliation, carefully studied the online public opinion trends, trying to find some clues. Time passed by, and the atmosphere in the office became increasingly solemn. Suddenly, a new window popped up on Detective Luo's computer screen. His face changed, and he stood up suddenly... "Found it!"