Chapter 132 Finding a Scapegoat

Of course, the one who is currently in the most predicament is the real instigator, Qi Jianyue.

She could have reassured the marketing account, telling them not to worry and that the matter wouldn't escalate, as long as they deleted the previous posts spreading rumors.

Just issue another half-hearted apology, following the usual way of dealing with rumors online.

But who could have imagined that a small rumor would trigger a crackdown across the entire internet?

Especially after the official statements from the Cyberspace Administration of China and Weibo, and the marketing accounts mentioned that the police came knocking, there was no further news.

It's easy to imagine that the marketing account has already been taken away by the police.

What if this guy, out of fear, tries to shirk responsibility by pushing her forward? Wouldn't her career, and even her entire life, be ruined?

It was at this moment that Qi Jianyue realized that the matter had escalated to this point and she could no longer resolve it on her own.

She quickly packed her things and rushed back to the Qi family home.

But upon arriving at the Qi family's residence, she did not immediately seek help. Instead, she deliberately walked past everyone with a tear-stained face.

As expected, this caught the attention of the servants: "Third Miss, what's wrong? Have you been bullied?"

Qi Jianyue shook her head dejectedly, then went upstairs looking lost and dejected.

Upon seeing this, the maid immediately informed Li Rujun of Qi Jianyue's unusual behavior.

Li Rujun, who already favored Qi Jianyue more, immediately went to check on her daughter when she learned that her third daughter looked distraught and had been crying.

But she found the door locked, so she knocked on it from the outside.

"Moon, what happened? Open the door first. You can tell Mom what's wrong, and we'll figure it out together, okay?"

But after knocking for a while, there was still no response from inside. Li Rujun became a little anxious and asked the maid to bring the spare key.

When the door was opened, they found Qi Jianyue lying motionless on the bed, with pills scattered all over the floor.

Li Rujun picked it up and took a look. Her face changed drastically, and she shouted, "Quick, call the family doctor to come and pump my stomach!"

That's right, this bottle contains sleeping pills.

For a while, the house was bustling with people coming and going. After quite a bit of commotion, Qi Jianyue's stomach was finally cleaned.

As soon as Qi Jianyue saw Li Rujun, she burst into tears and threw herself into her arms. "Mom, you shouldn't have saved me. Just let me die. I've disgraced the Qi family. I deserve to die!"

Li Rujun hugged her tightly, feeling sorry for her. "What could have made you so desperate that you even took an overdose of sleeping pills? If I hadn't found you in time, you would be dead, you know?"

"No matter what happens, Mom is here, the Qi family is here. You can talk to Mom slowly. If there's anything, let your older brother handle it."

"If your eldest brother can't handle it, then you can have your uncle step in. In Beijing, who wouldn't give the Qi family face?"

Qi Jianyue then sobbed and said, "I... because the show's broadcast effect was not as good as a colleague's, I was confused for a moment and bribed a marketing account to say some unpleasant things online."

"But it's not really a rumor, it's just a guess based on some facts. My intention was just to prevent her show from airing smoothly."

"But I didn't expect netizens to harass her online. Originally, it was only a small-scale issue, and I had already wanted the marketing accounts to retract their posts."

"Who knew that this matter would alarm the Cyberspace Administration of China, which seized on this incident to make it a model and carry out a cleanup campaign across the entire internet. The marketing account has disappeared now, probably because it was arrested by the police."

Qi Jianyue cried her heart out: "Although I only gave him a few photos, I never expected that he would write those fabricated rumors based on those photos."

"But I was the one who approached him first. If he doesn't keep his mouth shut when he gets to the police station, he'll definitely implicate me. I can accept going to jail, but if it affects the Qi family's reputation, I'd rather die!"

After hearing Qi Jianyue's one-sided account, Li Rujun's heart immediately sided with her.

"It's just a small matter, yet it's escalated to the national level. Actually, it has little to do with you, Yue'er. You only provided two photos, and it was this marketing account spreading rumors."

“This is easy to handle. I’ll have your older brother come home immediately, and it will be settled quickly.”

Upon hearing this, Qi Jianyue asked in surprise, "Really? Can it really be resolved quickly?"

"Of course, if you can't even do this little thing right, then your brother's position as president of Tianhe is just for nothing, and all the status that the Qi family has held in Beijing for so many years is wasted."

As she spoke, Li Rujun wiped away her tears and said, "Look at you, your eyes are all swollen from crying. You're not a pretty little girl anymore."

Qi Jianyue nestled into Li Rujun's arms playfully, "If I become ugly, will Mom dislike me?"

"Of course not. From childhood to adulthood, when has Mom not loved you the most? You're such a grown-up now, yet you still threaten to kill yourself. Don't scare Mom like that again, okay?"

As soon as Qi Siyue finished the meeting, he received a call from Li Rujun and rushed back to the Qi family home.

Li Rujun briefly explained the matter, "Actually, it was just that Yue'er was in a hurry. It was just an internal struggle among TV station employees, but it somehow managed to become known all over the internet."

"Even the Cyberspace Administration has intervened, so this matter is probably difficult to suppress now. But no matter what, we can't involve Yue'er. This is not only about her personally, but it will also affect the reputation of the entire Qi family."

"Especially if your grandfather finds out, he'll probably be even more dissatisfied with us and more biased towards your uncle. I, as your mother, don't need to teach you how to handle it, do I?"

Despite the seemingly peaceful and harmonious Qi family, with no open or covert struggles among the brothers over the inheritance, the family may appear calm and harmonious.

But that was because Qi Chenyan gave up voluntarily, simply because he wanted to go into politics and was unwilling to follow the old path that Old Master Qi had initially paved for him.

In reality, over the years, Mr. Qi's favoritism has been evident to all.

Because Qi Chenyan was his son born late in life, and less than two years later, Old Madam Qi passed away. At that time, Qi Chenyan had only just learned to walk.

Grandpa Qi felt sorry for his youngest son, who had only just learned to call out "Mom" before his mother was no longer by his side.

Therefore, Qi Chenyan can be said to have been raised by Old Master Qi himself, and the bond between them is naturally different.

Moreover, Qi Chenyan has shown extraordinary intelligence since childhood. He has a photographic memory and has been skipping grades since he started school. He is a genius praised by everyone.

Old Master Qi had decided long ago that Qi Chenyan would inherit the Qi family business and eventually take over the Tianhe Group.

But no one expected that Qi Chenyan would go against Old Master Qi's wishes and become a diplomat.

Even so, after all these years, Grandpa Qi still hasn't given up.

Even though his grandson Qi Siyue had achieved considerable success at Tianhe Group, he still harbored many grievances.

Qi Siyue wasn't worried at all, saying, "Don't worry, it's just a small matter. It can be settled with a little money."

Just then, a voice came from outside the door: "Are you trying to find a scapegoat for Qi Jianyue?"

The person inside the room turned their head and saw Qi Xi standing at the door, questioning them with a face full of resentment.