Chapter 45. Tangwan again.

The alarm clock rang on time the next morning.

Jiang Nuanyu subconsciously pressed the pause button, her mind racing for two seconds before she suddenly opened her eyes and flipped her phone to check the latest public opinion.

She hesitated before opening the social media app.

What good would it do to see it? Besides getting anxious, there was nothing she could do.

She tossed her phone aside, got up, and went to wash up.

However, on her way to the magazine office, she couldn't resist.

Sure enough, new revelations have surfaced online.

Sources familiar with the matter revealed that Liang Qi, the current CEO of Yunjing Group, was a professional tennis player who retired due to injury before taking over the family business. Public opinion on this matter remains overwhelmingly negative.

"Isn't it a bit too much for someone involved in sports to go into business? Are they up to the task?"

"Athletes must be extremely disciplined, right? But look at his photos, he doesn't look like someone who would train and compete diligently! I think his retirement due to injury is a lie; he's been spending all his time in bars and flirting with girls, and his physical condition has deteriorated."

"These wealthy people have such low trial-and-error costs; if one path doesn't work, they just try another—all roads lead to Rome. Unlike us, who struggle desperately for over a decade and still get no results."

"It's so unfair! I also want to be able to do whatever I want when I'm young, with my rich dad backing me up so I can suddenly become a CEO."

"Many five-star hotels and resorts are under the Yunjing Group. With such a large industry, even a dog could make money! Haha."

Jiang Nuanyu angrily turned off the comments. She couldn't understand why each of these absurd and sarcastic remarks had tens of thousands of likes.

Bombarded by such utterly unfair words, at one point, the resentment deep within her almost erupted. She desperately wanted to retaliate fiercely.

Whether it was the exclusive interview at the Dream Island Resort, the media briefing on the Conti collaboration, or the private conversation about the collaboration, Liang Qi's exceptional business acumen and forward-thinking perspective were all evident to her, and she secretly admired them. Yet, a few words online seemed capable of erasing all of that.

She didn't expect the public to empathize with the suffering of others. After all, suffering is relative; your pain and hardship are only yours, and there are always people who suffer more and have more hardship. But using Liang Qi's injuries as a weapon to attack his character still hurt her deeply.

She had originally decided not to get involved in the matter anymore, but now she was wavering again.

She has to do something, she must do something, whether it's useful or not.

*

At 9:30 a.m. sharp, Liang Qi arrived at Tianqi headquarters.

On the 53rd floor, at the elevator lobby reception desk, two assistants bowed respectfully and greeted, "Good morning, Mr. Liang."

Although they had eaten their fill of gossip last night and even discussed it briefly this morning, the two of them maintained a professional work ethic when they met Liang Qi.

Liang Qi responded as usual, nodding slightly before striding into the office area.

After everyone had gone, the two assistants couldn't help but start whispering among themselves again.

Assistant A: "President Liang is too calm, isn't he? If it were me, I definitely wouldn't have come today."

"What's the big deal?" Assistant B said dismissively. "At worst, it's just some gossip. What impact could it have? Look, the company's public relations department hasn't even lifted a finger."

Assistant A: "That's what you say, but there's a lot of criticism online. People are all human, how could they not feel anything?"

Assistant B chuckled and teased, "What's wrong? Are you feeling sorry for him?"

"Tsk, what are you saying!" Assistant A's face flushed. "Is it my place to feel sorry for him?... But, did President Liang really play tennis before?"

Assistant B shook his head: "I don't know, where did you hear that? Isn't that a matter of privacy?"

Assistant A smiled and said, "Look at President Liang, he's so tall, and his physique and demeanor really have that of an athlete."

Assistant B bluntly stated: "That's a big no-no! You're not allowed to be infatuated with your boss."

Assistant A denied it: "What do you mean? It was just an objective evaluation..."

Just then, the elevator doors opened again, and Peng Ze came down from upstairs.

The two immediately fell silent, stood up, and greeted each other.

Peng Ze, with a serious expression, unusually did not respond to the greetings and walked straight towards Liang Qi's office.

When Peng Ze knocked and entered, Liang Qi had already taken off his coat and was sitting at the table, starting to process the documents that his secretary had sent over that morning that needed his signature.

Peng Ze stepped forward and reported: "President Liang, after the stock market opened this morning, the trading volume of Yun Jing's stock increased, which is due to some retail investors selling off their shares. The stock price has fallen somewhat."

As expected, Liang Qi, without looking up, reviewed the documents: "Retail investors react strongly to public opinion fluctuations, but they don't make up the majority, so the impact is not significant. We should pay close attention to the movements of investment institutions."

"yes."

Peng Ze stood there, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Liang Qi raised his eyes, narrowed them, and leaned back in his chair: "Speak."

“Several directors on the board suggested that the public relations department should take the initiative to intervene and guide the public to suppress the negative news as soon as possible, or…” Peng Ze hesitated for a moment, but still said, “They hope that you can personally come forward to clarify the situation.”

"Heh..." Liang Qi lowered his head and chuckled, revealing a bit of his white teeth.

He raised his eyes, his gaze towards Peng Ze clear and sharp. If you ignored his eyes, his smile could be described as a gentle, warm breeze.

"Clarify what?" he said. "Hold a press conference and say that I have no bad habits and that it's all a misunderstanding? Should I get a physical exam and have my blood drawn? Or should I lay out everything I did in Tianqi and Yunjing and say that I'm not a good-for-nothing, and ask the outside world to recognize me?"

His smile faded, and his voice turned cold: "I know they're worried about the money in their pockets. Tell them it's too early to worry. Their goal is to make money through Yun Jing, and I'll let them achieve their goal."

"Yes," Peng Ze nodded in agreement. Liang Qi's tough stance towards these directors was not entirely unexpected.

Although Liang Qi was sharp-tongued, he rarely showed it and preferred to avoid conflict by maintaining harmony. He was rarely so ruthless. But when he did do something, it was absolutely necessary.

Liang Qi loosened his jaw and asked, "Where are we now?"

Peng Ze said, "After a day and a night, the heat has only increased. Apart from content related to you personally, the latest public opinion this morning is already leaning towards Yun Jing."

"Quickly," Liang Qi said, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Since that's the case, it's time to go with the flow. Let the relevant departments do the work."

Peng Ze nodded: "Yes, I'll arrange it right away."

The door closed, but Liang Qi's jaw remained taut.

Jingyao wanted to undermine his position in Yunjing by attacking his business image, but he was not incapable of retaliating immediately and waging a media war.

But that's far too simplistic.

Jingyao wanted to keep playing, so he played along with him.

The power of public opinion is indeed not to be underestimated, but Jingyao probably doesn't know that it has always been a double-edged sword.

Though the blade is sharp, it can cut flesh and also clear land.

*

On the taxi to the magazine office, Jiang Nuanyu contacted Shi Youning again, asking if she could follow her alternate account to gain access to its content.

Shi Youning agreed.

As soon as she arrived at the office, Jiang Nuanyu logged into her rarely used Instagram account on her computer. Soon, Shi Youning accepted her follow request.

When the content in her alternate account was refreshed, her heart skipped a beat.

She sent Shi Youning a heartfelt "thank you".

Faced with these photos, countless emotions surged within her, but she had no time to dwell on them. What she urgently needed to do was to express what she wanted to say while public sentiment was at its peak.

Don't those people like to make interpretations based on pictures? She can too.

Before it officially began, she took a deep breath, trying to keep herself calm and rational.

She spent nearly an hour and a half quickly browsing through the contents of Shi Youning's alternate account.

Over the course of nearly three years, there were more than a thousand posts and tens of thousands of photos. Among them, she found the original image from that malicious article.

Compared to the original image, the photos in the article have been cropped and color-corrected, with deliberate manipulation of image details through changes in composition and tone, thereby increasing the scope for fabricating facts.

Jiang Nuanyu once again lamented the malicious intentions of these people, but she no longer wanted to prove anything for Liang Qi by refuting them. Let everyone believe what they want; she was just expressing her opinion.

She couldn't let her emotions cloud her judgment; she could only rely on reason to decide which photos were suitable for the article. However, she was troubled because these photos, to varying degrees, seemed to expose Liang Qi's past private life. After much deliberation, she only selected a few paintings by Liang Qi as illustrations.

After selecting the photos and organizing her thoughts, she decided to write the article from the objective perspective of an interviewer, using the interview at Menghe Island Resort as her starting point.

She opened a blank document, stared at the keyboard in silence for a while, and then began to type.

"As a media professional, I had the privilege of participating in an exclusive interview with Mr. Liang Qi six months ago."

As the editor assisting with the interview, I did extensive background research beforehand, as usual. While I gradually developed admiration for this entrepreneur I had yet to meet, I also had a slight, narrow-minded suspicion that such an impressive resume might be exaggerated. However, this thought quickly vanished after the formal interview.

..."

"...To be honest, I am a complete novice in the business world. But in the nearly one-hour conversation, Mr. Liang's simple yet profound language gave me, a 'newbie,' a rudimentary understanding of the complex business structure of Yunjing Group."

..."

As she wrote, she seemed to return to that afternoon in early July. Although it wasn't the first time she had seen him, it was the first time she had truly gotten to know him.

After that day, he was no longer just a beautiful, unforgettable image she had glimpsed six years ago, a figure buried deep in her heart that could stir her emotions. He became a capable, insightful, and influential entrepreneur, as well as a real man with a voice and warmth.

After recounting her interview with Menghe Island, she wrote about the conversation that took place in his office.

"...Later, I had another opportunity to have an in-depth conversation with Mr. Liang."

As the one initiating the conversation, everyone probably feels a sense of apprehension, fearing that their words might fall flat. But in communicating with Mr. Liang, there's absolutely no need for such worry.

He listens with absolute focus, even responding to a transitional phrase that doesn't require a response with his eyes or subtle gestures. He always remains polite and composed, his expressions are always respectful and calm, and he even generously shares his perspectives and thoughts as a business decision-maker.

..."

"...Last month, I published a report on 'YunJing Group's Future Cultural Heritage Planning.' During the writing process, I specifically consulted Mr. Liang: Was YunJing's choice based on considerations of cultural heritage? Mr. Liang replied, 'YunJing is merely serving as a vehicle for this process.'"

His answer left a deep impression on me. Such a humble entrepreneur, who doesn't boast or make grand pronouncements but instead demonstrates through action, commands my sincere respect. However, those familiar with financial information know that YunJing's financial reports are equally excellent.

..."

At the end of the article, without trying to appear didactic, Jiang Nuanyu brought up the topic of "stereotypes" through Liang Qi's paintings.

She knew very well that challenging a widespread phenomenon was risky. But she had no choice but to do it.

"...When I first saw these interesting paintings, I never imagined they were by Mr. Liang. This made me realize that I seem to have a habit of labeling people in advance and then, based on that, making judgments about other aspects of that person, or more simply defining a person directly by their appearance or specific identity."

For example, I would subconsciously think that a mature entrepreneur like Mr. Liang must be extremely rational and rigorous, and would never have such a relaxed and artistic way of expression.

..."

"...Labeling people seems like a very efficient way. But upon reflection, I realized I overlooked a fact—people are multi-dimensional."

Outward appearance and inner qualities, rationality and sensibility, may seem relative, but they can actually coexist perfectly well. A person can be a meticulous entrepreneur or a free-spirited art lover; these are not contradictory.

Everyone has the right and freedom to live in a way that is comfortable for them and to express their own interests.

The world is big, isn't it?

This concludes the article.

Compared to the extensive setup in the beginning, the latter half is what Jiang Nuanyu really wants to express.

She places her hopes on the goodwill of the public, believing that most people are inclined towards the good. And advocating for inclusion and liberation seems like a beautiful idea in the present moment.

Even if she faces a strong backlash from public opinion, she accepts it. How much worse can things get? As long as she can influence even one more person, she won't have lost out.

Nevertheless, she still harbored personal motives regarding Liang Qi's injuries. She asked Shi Youning for some publicly available photos of Liang Qi from his time as an athlete.

Shi Youning quickly sent a compressed file via email, which was a collection of photos she had made for Liang Qi after his retirement.

Shih Yu-ning specifically stated that not all the photos in the collection were taken by her, but to her knowledge, there should be no copyright issues.

After thanking her again, Jiang Nuanyu unzipped the compressed file. The photos inside, just the right number, covered almost Liang Qi's entire professional career.

The first half of the photos are candid shots taken on the field. The framing of the photos takes into account the field, the audience in the stands, and even the sky, while accurately capturing Liang Qi as the main subject.

Looking at each picture, Liang Qi, who had appeared as a boy, gradually grew taller, his shoulders became broader, and his muscles became more solid and powerful.

Starting with a certain photograph, the background shifts from the dynamic tennis court to the static podium. Every photo of Liang Qi holding the championship trophy testifies to just how dominant he was on the tennis court.

Jiang Nuanyu had originally planned to include two photos of Liang Qi's athletic career at the end of the article, hoping this would at least alleviate the malicious interpretations of his injuries by the outside world. But after seeing the photos, she suddenly changed her mind.

These images are indeed enough to refute all doubts and prove his undeniable strength. But precisely because of this, using them to gain leniency from critics is completely unnecessary for Liang Qi.

After proofreading the manuscript one last time, Jiang Nuanyu had a brief conversation with Ji Meng before its official release.

Although the article was published on her personal account, its content touched upon her role as an editor at Florian magazine. Furthermore, her social media accounts cannot completely detach themselves from her professional background.

She frankly explained her purpose in writing the article to Ji Meng, hoping to gain her understanding and permission. Fortunately, after reading the entire article, Ji Meng did not object to her actions.

After officially publishing the article, Jiang Nuanyu sat quietly at her workstation for a full ten minutes, her mind a complete blank.

Suddenly, as if a computer that had crashed had triggered a restart, a chill ran down her spine, and tears welled up in her eyes in a very short time, almost spilling out.

She ran all the way to the deserted stairwell, stood on the platform between the two floors, held onto the railing, and couldn't stop herself from trembling and crying.

She understood that only sufficiently objective writing could be persuasive. When writing, she had to be rational, maintain a certain distance from Mr. Liang, and prevent her personal emotions from seeping into her words.

But at this moment, she could no longer view all of this as an outsider.

From those photos, she glimpsed Liang Qi's past.

Her tears were not from jealousy of Shi Youning's possessions, nor from regret for what she herself did not have.

She just felt heartbroken. It hurt a lot.

The image of the invincible tennis player in the photo, and the colorful, abstract paintings he created after his retirement, conflictedly swirled in her mind.

Even Liang Qi, who seemed so powerful that he had no weaknesses, may have had moments of confusion and pain.

When he was forced to give up his career, did the inner struggle he went through cause his world to temporarily lose its color?

A love clearer than ever before burned fiercely in her chest, and her heart ached. It ached terribly.

She was like a wronged and helpless child, only able to relieve all her love and sorrow through tears.

Her brain gradually became numb from the overload of emotions, and her tears dried up. With tear stains on her eyelashes, she stared blankly at the blue sky outside the narrow window.

Someone came in from upstairs, and the security door made a clicking sound as it opened and closed. Her eyes slowly refocused, and she finally came to her senses.

She went to the restroom to wash her face and then returned to the office area.

Everyone had just finished eating and was chatting in small groups. Seeing her approach, one of her colleagues called out, "Editor Jiang, was that article you published requested by the sponsors?"

Jiang Nuanyu was stunned. She was only focused on speaking out for Liang Qi and hadn't had time to consider how others would perceive her actions.

"It's already gaining traction," He Anqi said, peeking out from behind her computer screen. "Several KOLs I follow have shared it!"

Jiang Nuanyu felt a little scared and hesitated to turn on her computer or phone after sitting down.

Zheng Xiaoyi leaned closer: "Editor Jiang, were those paintings really painted by General Manager Liang?"

Jiang Nuanyu awkwardly brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and nodded, "Mm."

"This is such a contrast..." Zheng Xiaoyi exclaimed for a while, then suddenly asked, "But how did you know? Was it really a PR piece that the sponsor asked you to write?"

Jiang Nuanyu was momentarily embarrassed. She didn't want to lie, nor did she want to admit that this was just her personal will.

She didn't answer directly, but instead changed the subject while waking up the computer screen: "Let me see what the wind is blowing."

"There are a lot of comments, probably both good and bad. Good luck!" After gossiping, Zheng Xiaoyi patted her shoulder and turned to leave.

Jiang Nuanyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Feng Shasha wasn't around these past two days; otherwise, she would have been bombarded with questions, and she really wouldn't have been able to handle it.

She opened the webpage, and less than an hour after the article was published, it already had thousands of reposts and over a hundred comments.

Just as Zheng Xiaoyi had predicted, public opinion was mixed, with both sides expressing their opinions. Jiang Nuanyu was prepared for this, and in fact, the situation was much better than the worst-case scenario she had anticipated.

She glanced through the previous comments and casually liked a few of the positive ones.

"I share the author's view that people are not simply black and white, and I support cross-disciplinary work! Go for it!!"

"The current online environment is too superficial. I would much rather see more objective and thoughtful comments like this."

"That's interesting. A business tycoon with a PPE degree from Oxford University, who not only used to play tennis, but can also paint?! Doesn't this mean that true elites can achieve success in any field?"

"What do these paintings of his mean? Does anyone know?"

After liking the post, Jiang Nuanyu refreshed the page, and the latest comment that popped up was: "No need to read it, the person who wrote this article is definitely a woman. Who knows if she has any special relationship with this President Liang? Or maybe it's just a paid advertorial."

Jiang Nuanyu frowned, wanting to delete it, but ultimately held back.

It would be a lie to say she wasn't upset by these negative comments, but she also felt a sense of optimistic relief: most of these negative comments were directed at her personally, but none of them refuted the views expressed in her article. Doesn't that, from another perspective, mean that she achieved the purpose of publishing the article?

She couldn't control what other people thought, so she could only try to minimize the impact of negative comments. She didn't pay attention to the comments until she left work.

As she was turning off her computer, she glanced at her social media page one last time.

The article has been forwarded over 10,000 times. The comments in her original post are still mixed, but the reviews under the reposts by influential media outlets and KOL accounts are relatively positive.

Public opinion hadn't gotten out of control, which relieved her a little. Just as she was about to close the webpage, she noticed a red dot on her private message screen.

It was a message from someone she didn't follow. She clicked on it, and an account with only a few followers was hurling insults at her in the private message:

"You're writing this utter garbage to defend him, putting on airs and acting all high and mighty, but you're just a bitch trying to gain favor and become his mistress! Do you think everyone can't see through your little scheme? You're a cheap slut who wants to climb the social ladder by relying on men, so low and disgusting! You idiot, you're utterly repulsive! Stop embarrassing yourself online, you should just die."

Upon seeing the last few words, Jiang Nuanyu's mind went blank, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears.

Even though she had already seen many negative comments, she still found it hard to bear such purely malicious, aggressive, baseless, and extreme insults and curses. And all of this was simply because she expressed a different opinion from the other party on her account.

She wiped away the tears that welled up in her eyes, telling herself that it didn't matter, but she couldn't calm the suffocating tightness in her chest.

She couldn't tell if these comments were truly too much, or if she was just too fragile. Several deep breaths failed her to calm down.

Just then, her phone rang. It was a message from Yu Miao, saying that the copyrights to several of her paintings had been bought out, and that she was treating her friends to Christmas Eve dinner, urging Jiang Nuanyu to come.

Lately, Yu Miao has been asking Jiang Nuanyu out every few days, but she has always declined with various excuses. But today she was in a really bad mood, and staying home alone would only lead to silent frustration and sadness, so she decided to try to distract herself.

With that in mind, she asked Yu Miao for the address.

Yu Miao replied quickly, and upon seeing the location message, Jiang Nuanyu felt a pang of melancholy.

It's Tangwan again.

*

Tianqi Headquarters.

Even though it was after get off work hours, the floor belonging to Yunjing's public relations and marketing departments was still bustling with activity.

The marketing department had already coordinated with various platforms in the afternoon to leverage this surge in traffic and precisely target promotional content for the resort and hotel. By evening, searches related to Yunjing, visits to its official WeChat account and website, and new followers had all increased significantly.

In the CEO's office, Peng Ze was reporting at his desk: "...This result was also reflected in the stock price in real time. Not only did the stock price stop falling, but it even rose slightly at the close."

Some retail investors chose to return to the domestic market, and large-cap stocks were hardly sold off. In fact, some investment institutions took advantage of the low share prices to increase their holdings.

Liang Qi sneered: "Personal image is too hollow in the face of real commercial interests. It's just a way to give netizens a party."

Peng Ze said, "Just as you expected, President Yao has not directed the public opinion of Yun Jing in a negative direction. At present, the attack is only targeting your personal business image."

“He’s invested heavily, and I’m happy to see it happen. We can’t let his money go to waste.” Liang Qi coldly instructed, “With marketing keeping up, the public relations department will monitor the situation closely and accurately control the public opinion surrounding Yun Jing.”

"Understood." Peng Ze glanced at the tablet in his hand and said, "The public relations department has detected that an article about you published this afternoon has a predominantly positive word cloud in terms of public reaction, and its popularity is also on the rise. Should we promote this article?"

Liang Qi grabbed a stack of documents awaiting approval, opened the top one, and said, "No need."

Peng Ze cleared his throat silently and added, "The article originated from... Editor Jiang's personal social media account."

Liang Qi paused in turning the page, glanced at him, and then held out a hand: "Let me see."

Peng Ze handed over the tablet, and Liang Qi looked down to browse it. The article wasn't long; he swiped the screen twice to reach the bottom. As he read, a faint smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.

Seeing the images of those paintings, he tilted his head, seemingly trying to figure out which ones she had chosen and why. The light from the tablet screen reflected in his dark eyes, giving them a unique softness.

He scrolled down to the comments section. After scanning several screens of comments, the smile on his face vanished.

He handed the tablet back and said coldly, "Get out."

Peng Ze didn't understand why his boss, who had seemed quite happy at first, suddenly looked so unhappy later on. However, he wisely refrained from asking further questions, took the tablet, and left.

Liang Qi's gaze fell on the table. He sat quietly for half a minute, then picked up his phone and opened WeChat.

He reopened the two messages Zhao Nan had sent him the night before.

Zhao Nan: "Ningning brought someone over tonight, saying she was your friend."

Zhao Nan: "A woman"