Chapter 66: Sixty-sixth day of quitting the circle, a private message worth eight million...
Hospital, inpatient department, VIP room.
Zhao Zhu sat on the sofa, rubbing his face vigorously with his hands, staring at the young man lying unconscious on the hospital bed with a worried look on his face.
It had been four hours since his boss had been in a coma after an accidental collision in front of the mourning hall. During these four hours, he was busy looking for a funeral home and had no time to pay attention to the Internet. Who knew that when he had some free time and came to his senses, there were endless revelations online about his boss's coma.
His eyes were filled with exhaustion and helplessness. He turned to look at the other young man standing silently beside him: "Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on it?"
The young man knew he had made a huge mistake. He opened his mouth, not wanting to explain, but under Zhao Zhu's gaze, he added, "I was watching. When the marketing account first released the news, I notified the PR department to calm it down."
Zhao Zhu understood the implicit meaning.
The public relations department agreed verbally but did nothing.
His expression changed slightly, his eyes turned cold, and he couldn't help but sneer in his heart.
When the old lady was hospitalized after being hit by wall plaster, and when President Huo was in a car accident, people in the company were already restless, and something was vaguely amiss. And now, with President Huo in a coma again, some people have even given up on pretending.
"I'll go talk to the PR department later. Mr. Huo is just unconscious, not dead. They all have their own ideas." Zhao Zhu sneered and ordered the young man, "You stay here and watch over Mr. Huo."
"I know, don't worry."
Zhao Zhu picked up his bag and drove out of the hospital.
He called the head of the PR department, but the busy tone kept repeating for a long time, and no one answered. So he called the deputy director of PR. The two had always been at odds, and the call went through immediately. Upon learning Zhao Zhu's purpose, the other director bluntly replied, "I heard Director Liu receive a call this evening, and he's scheduled to go to Chunfengxuan."
As a native of northern Beijing, Zhao Zhu knew that Chunfengxuan was one of the most prestigious clubs in the city. Those who could enter this club were usually wealthy and powerful, possessing some status in the area. Liu Anzhi's status made it possible for him to become a member and enter the club, but he was incredibly stingy and never spent money on such things, so he had to be brought there by someone else.
Zhao Zhu only thought about it for a minute or two before he had a clue who this person was.
He thanked the deputy director and was about to hang up when the other party suddenly said, "Assistant Zhao, there have been new changes in the online public opinion about Mr. Huo, but I have suppressed it."
Zhao Zhu's hand paused slightly as he pressed the hang-up button.
He asked, "What's going on?"
The deputy director said, "Some people say that Mr. Huo had this accident in front of the old lady's mourning hall because the old lady was dissatisfied with Mr. Huo and wanted him to hit his coffin to apologize."
"Apologize?"
"Yes, the marketing account took the opportunity to fabricate a lot of false charges against Mr. Huo," the deputy director explained. "Although these so-called charges seem laughable to those of us in the know, the public readily believes them."
Zhao Zhu had worked in Pingxi Group for a long time, so he knew what was going on when he heard the deputy director's words.
The marketing account's actions clearly aim to smear President Huo's image, using it to discredit Pingxi Group. Once the company's image declines, some individuals will cause a scene at the board of directors, and the veterans on the board will likely be upset.
By then... Mr. Huo's situation will be dangerous.
Zhao Zhu rubbed his swollen and aching brow, feeling very irritated, but he still patiently told himself to calm down. At the very least, he must not collapse before Mr. Huo regained consciousness.
He took a few deep breaths and said to the deputy director, "Thank you. I will tell you the truth when Mr. Huo wakes up."
The deputy director smiled slightly and said, "This is what I should do as an employee of Pingxi Group and as an employee of President Huo."
The call between the two was disconnected. Without hesitation, Zhao Zhu turned around and made another call. After a while, he got the news: "The Second Young Master is at Chunfengxuan right now."
When Zhao Zhu heard this, an expression of 'as expected' appeared on his face.
What a beast.
It's disgusting that it's in the same vein as me.
Now that he knew Liu Anzhi's whereabouts and had guessed his thoughts, Zhao Zhu didn't bother to waste time confronting him. He turned the car around and returned to Huo Chengji's ward. Seeing the young man guarding the bed, he said, "Xiao Fang, go back and rest first."
Xiao Fang waved his hand when he heard this: "I can't sleep even if I go back home thinking about the company's affairs. Why don't I stay here and talk to you?"
Xiao Fang is one of the new assistants promoted by General Manager Huo. He is so young and hasn't adapted to the job of the general assistant when he encountered a major shock in Pingxi Group. Putting himself in his shoes, Assistant Zhao felt a little sorry for him.
"Okay, sit down. Let's chat and stop yourself from overthinking." Assistant Zhao patted the sofa beside him, motioning for his junior to sit down. He didn't mention the news he had just received from the Deputy Director of Public Relations to Xiao Fang, but instead talked about Huo Chengji's health and asked, "Did the doctor come to check on the patient?"
"I've been here." Xiao Fang nodded first, then frowned.
Speaking of Mr. Huo's health, Xiao Fang had deep doubts in his heart but hadn't had time to tell Zhao Zhu about it. Now that Zhao Zhu brought it up, he quickly said, "The doctor said that Mr. Huo's test results are all normal. Logically, he should have woken up a long time ago. I don't know why he has been unconscious and unresponsive."
Zhao Zhu also received the inspection report, and his brows furrowed even more when he heard this.
Seeing that Zhao Zhu's expression had turned ugly and was tinged with deep thought, Xiao Fang didn't say much for a moment, but just looked at Huo Chengji silently.
Time passed by minute by minute, and Zhao Zhu finally spoke, but the topic did not continue along the previous discussion. Instead, he turned to other aspects. He asked Xiao Fang: "Xiao Fang, do you also think that Mr. Huo and us have been too unlucky recently?"
Hearing the word "unlucky", Xiao Fang's delicate features almost huddled together.
What does it mean to feel too unlucky?
This is clearly the fact!
He complained, "I've been stuck in my apartment's elevator for two days straight. You have no idea how frustrating I am. The elevator works perfectly when other residents or even the delivery guy is using it, but when it's my turn, it either suddenly drops or the power goes out. It's so hot, I've been stuck in there for over half an hour and I almost suffocated."
Zhao Zhu: "...Why haven't I heard you say that?"
Xiao Fang: "You're so busy that you don't even see anyone. How can you have time to listen to my complaints?"
He added, "That's nothing. I figured since the elevator wouldn't let me go, I could just take the stairs, right? I can take the thirteenth-floor stairs if I want to, and I'll fall flat on my face."
Xiao Fang became more and more excited as he spoke. He lifted up his trouser legs, revealing his bruised knees, and said with resentment, "Look."
Zhao Zhu: "..."
Seeing that everyone was so unlucky, he felt relieved... No, he felt even more strange.
Xiao Fang touched his knee with his hand. The swelling pain from it was a little unbearable. He dropped his trouser legs again and sighed, "If I hadn't been so busy these past two days, I would definitely go to the nearby temple to worship the Buddha."
Go to the temple and worship the Buddha.
Zhao Zhu heard these key words and recalled what Sang Qiqi had said to him. He immediately said, "Boss Sang introduced me to a Taoist priest today."
Boss Sang?
Xiao Fang had just been browsing Weibo for a while and naturally saw the car accident on Fuzheng Road. He also saw Zhao Zhu and Sang Qiqi in the video taken by netizens. His eyes lit up and he immediately asked, "Have you contacted them?"
Zhao Zhu shook his head: "Not yet."
Xiao Fang sighed twice, "Why haven't you contacted them yet? The Taoist priest recommended by Boss Sang must be extraordinary! I wonder if his appearance fee is expensive. If it's not, I'll ask this Taoist priest to perform a ritual for me."
"Does it really work?" Zhao Zhu frowned. He had a bad impression of the Taoist profession, but it was different for Sang Qiqi. Sang Qiqi seriously saved his life, but it was hard to say about other Taoists.
After all, more than half a year ago, the old lady fell ill and was hospitalized, and Mr. Huo's father, that stupid guy, called a Taoist priest to the hospital to perform a ritual on the old lady and asked her to drink talisman water.
Mr. Huo couldn't stand it any longer and called the police. After the police took the Taoist priest away for investigation, they confirmed that he was a liar.
The test report on the talisman water is even more difficult to describe. According to the old lady's stomach condition, she will definitely have to stay in the hospital for a while after drinking it.
"What was the name of the Taoist priest she introduced to you? He should have a Taoist name, right?" Xiao Fang asked.
"Mingxin. Ming as in enlightenment, the heart of the heart."
Xiao Fang: “?!”
He instantly clasped his hands together and looked at Zhao Zhu expectantly. "I knew the Taoist priest Sang Qiqi recommended was definitely not an ordinary one. Zhao Zhu, please invite Taoist Master Mingxin over and ask him to see me as well. I really can't afford any more bad luck! If possible, can you reimburse my expenses?"
Zhao Zhu: "...Why are you eating and taking at the same time?"
Seeing Xiao Fang's reaction, Zhao Zhu clearly guessed Ming Xin's identity was unusual. He gestured to Xiao Fang, asking him to introduce Ming Xin. Xiao Fang immediately pulled out his phone, redirected to the Li Zi Live homepage, found Ming Xin's account, and pointed at it, saying, "This Taoist priest Ming Xin is a disciple of the Liuyun Temple in Jiashan Prefecture, the most famous Taoist temple in the country. He immediately realized that the girl who came to him for help had a body hidden in her room! If you trust Boss Sang, there's no doubt about it!"
So powerful?
Zhao Zhu also picked up his phone and searched for Mingxin. He spent almost an hour reading all of Mingxin's deeds and finally dialed the number given by Sang Qiqi.
Mingxin was sitting in an air-conditioned room, drinking beer and eating barbecue, with a Chinese entertainment talent show playing on the large TV in front of him when he received the call. He had been feeling a bit lazy after hearing Zhao Zhu's description, but when he heard it was Sang Qiqi who had called, he immediately got up from the floor and said, "I'll be right there."
Half an hour later, Mingxin arrived at the hospital wearing his conspicuous Taoist robe and riding a shared bicycle.
Xiao Fang came to the door to meet him. Seeing him was like seeing God. He quickly took him to the ward: "Master Mingxin, this is our General Huo, and this is our Assistant Zhao."
Zhao Zhu extended his hand towards Ming Xin and said politely, "Hello, Taoist Ming Xin, my name is Zhao Hanhai. Thank you for coming here so late at night."
Ming Xin waved his hand upon hearing this: "Boss Sang recommended it, so I must come."
After saying this, he naturally walked towards the bed where Huo Chengji was lying. After just one glance, he let out a soft "whoa" and then turned around to ask, "Boss Sang has never been here, has he?"
Although he didn't understand why Mingxin asked this, Zhao Zhu nodded. "Yes, Boss Sang just helped me deliver the paper products to the funeral hall where the old lady is. Is there any reason for her to come here or not?"
"No, I just think if she comes, she will definitely know why your president has been in a coma." Ming Xin dropped a bombshell that shocked Zhao Zhu and Xiao Fang. She didn't hide it or pretend to be mysterious and said bluntly, "Your president's soul is gone, but his body is still there, so he has been in a coma."
Zhao Zhu: “……?”
Xiao Fang: “……?”
Ignoring the two people's shocked expressions, Mingxin dropped another bombshell: "But this has nothing to do with your bad luck."
Mingxin stroked his chin and thought to himself, "It's rare to be so unlucky. He must have been cursed."
Zhao Zhu's expression became strange when he heard the words "the soul is gone but the body remains". When Mingxin said "cast a spell", the thought of "is he lying to me" reached its peak.
But before he could question it, Ming Xin said, "I'll contact Boss Sang."
When Mingxin's call reached Sang Qiqi's cell phone, the latter was live streaming and chatting with the audience in the room.
After eating the fried food brought by Sang Qiqi, the ghost that Zhang Lin complained about having a crush on had to go back to Luofengshan for something urgent. Therefore, in the live broadcast room tonight, only Sang Qiqi was there, holding up her face, hanging all the goods on the shared bike, and chatting slowly with the audience.
[I'm quite dissatisfied with the fact that you're the only one on tonight's live broadcast]
[Where's your husband...oh no, your employees? What are they doing so late at night?]
[Who knows how happy I was when I saw the announcement of the show starting? I clicked in and saw it, and the sky fell]
[I don’t care about couples, but between one attractive face and two attractive faces, I’ll choose two.]
[Hey, me too]
[377 The dragon wagging its tail on Fuzheng Road today was so handsome, it made even a woman like me feel moved.]
[Speaking of which, is 77 going to do business with the Huo family today? You've even broken into the wealthy world now, that's amazing!]
[I heard that the Huo family couldn't find another funeral home, so they came to you, right?]
Sang Qiqi's gaze fell on the barrage of comments. Ever since Qiao Tianyi went in and stepped on the sewing machine and Qiao's fans were attacked by the crowd, the number of normal people in her live broadcast room increased significantly, but today was a little different.
Sang Qiqi picked up her phone and logged into the backstage of Li Zi's live broadcast. There was a strange account in the private message list that had sent her a message ten minutes ago, hoping to make a deal with her.
As for the content of the transaction——
She only needed to say something half-truthful to admit that Huo Chengji couldn't buy paper figurines and was knocked unconscious in front of the old lady's coffin because he had done too many bad things and was suffering retribution. Then, this account would earn her eight million.
Eight million is not a small number, but it is not a loss for the other party to ask her to do this pace-setting job.
Every time she started broadcasting, the number of people in the live broadcast room was stable at around 50,000, and she also said something to expose that Wu Wentao's poor health was due to his precedent of committing many evil deeds. It is conceivable that if she really agreed to the other party's request and threw a big pot on Huo Chengji's head, Huo Chengji's long-standing image of being filial and young and promising would be completely destroyed.
Sang Qiqi raised her eyebrows, a malicious smile on her lips, and replied, "Yeah, I heard from the general assistant next to Mr. Huo that they contacted no less than ten funeral homes, but those funeral homes either had accidents after accepting the order or refused to agree, so they had no choice but to come to me."
She paused and added, "But those of you who followed the Fuzheng Road accident also saw that even though I accepted the order from Mr. Huo's assistant, I almost got into trouble. If I hadn't reacted quickly, my death would still be trending today."
At the same time, Chunfengxuan, more than ten kilometers away from Huaishui Street.
Liu Anzhi, holding his phone, burst into laughter as he watched Sang Qiqi's pointed words on the screen. Turning to look at Huo Wenbin, who was hugging a young model, he said, "Look, Second Young Master, I told you Sang Qiqi wouldn't give up the eight million easily. With her around, even if the revelations and discussions on Weibo are suppressed, it won't matter. Sang Qiqi's livestream is far more popular than those marketing accounts. By then, President Huo... Huo Chengji's reputation will be completely ruined."
Huo Wenbin raised his head from the young model's arms, glanced at the live broadcast room, sneered, and ordered: "Also set the pace in her live broadcast room."
Liu Anzhi nodded: "Don't worry, I understand."
He is the director of the public relations department of Pingxi Group, and he is very familiar with this kind of operation of using water army to lead the rhythm.
Within two minutes, the number of comments in Sang Qiqi's live broadcast room skyrocketed.
[Damn, this is terrifying when you think about it!]
[I've seen some people say that Huo Chengji's misfortunes were due to his excessive bad deeds.]
[Really? But you know what, his condition is quite similar to Wu Wentao's poor health.]
[Yes]
[I've heard before that Huo Chengji seems to be very good at pretending, and his good relationship with his grandmother is just a fabricated persona]
[Wasn't there a related topic on Weibo today? It was quickly blocked though. Pingxi Group was pretty quick to react, hahh. Too bad I took a screenshot.]
[The victim is here! I bought an air purifier from Pingxi Group, and not long after, I was diagnosed with leukemia! I took my medical records to Pingxi Group, and they called me a beggar. /smile]
[Oh my god! So disgusting?]
"Not only that, my dad wanted to seek justice for me, so he blocked Huo Chengji in the garage of the Pingxi Group building. He rolled down his car window and taunted my dad for a long time, even telling the driver to run over him! If my dad hadn't dodged quickly, the Rolls-Royce would have crushed my dad's legs!"
[Oh my god, there's actually such a thing. Huo Chengji is so disgusting! People like him should just die sooner rather than later. /contempt]
Sang Qiqi looked at the barrage of comments and their content, and thought of the private messages from the backstage. She placed her finger on the mouse, moved it to the profile picture of the self-proclaimed victim, and clicked on it. One glance and she smiled: "My friend with the ID of Tea Baby, do you have leukemia? Are you receiving treatment in the hospital now?"
Seeing that they had successfully attracted Sang Qiqi's attention, the netizens' eyes suddenly lit up, and they cried even louder, sending barrages of comments one after another.
[Yes, I’ve been to several hospitals and my family’s money is almost gone.]
My dad has sold the house in our hometown and said he will never give up on me.
But watching him run back and forth for me really made me sad, and sometimes I even considered giving up. But my dad seemed to sense my intentions, and that night, while crying, he told me to persevere. I'd lived for over twenty years and never seen him cry, but I never expected the first time I saw him cry, it was to persuade me to live.
Sang Qiqi drawled out her words, "Is that so? But I saw on your homepage that you were bungee jumping happily, and the caption even said, 'But Mom, life is a wilderness.' Um... you even told your friends in the comment section that you were going scuba diving next time. A leukemia patient taking it that far?"
[? ? ? ?]
[What? ! ]
[Fuck, I clicked on the homepage and it’s true! The bungee jumping vlog is from a week ago /smile]
[This is making me laugh to death. He says he's sick and wants to die, but his homepage shows him asking his dad for money but he won't give it to him. He still cries about the influence of his family of origin, which is enough to make people remember it for a lifetime, hahahaha]
[Are you relying on the fact that Huo Chengji is currently in the hospital and can't sue you?]
[Shocked, this is the first time I’ve seen someone curse me]
[Why did I delete all the videos? But it’s okay, I saved them all.]
[No, Huo Chengji isn't a celebrity, so why are you bashing him so much?]
[Maybe it’s a business war, competitors are making efforts]
Liu Anzhi: “…”
He waved away the woman beside him, frowned, and clicked on the account of the audience who was playing the victim. As expected, the homepage was empty just as netizens said.
Liu Anzhi cursed them inwardly, calling them idiots. He then found his subordinates' WeChat accounts, picked up his phone, and started cursing: "What the hell are you doing?! Can't you even do something as simple as hiring a water army?! How can you be so stupid!"
The subordinates were also following Sang Qiqi's live broadcast room, and they were startled when they saw Sang Qiqi click on the homepage of the water army account.
He opened his mouth to apologize, but Sang Qiqi in the livestream room lifted her chin and spoke again slowly, "A business war? I think it's more likely a wealthy family seizing power. After all, I just received a private message twenty minutes ago offering me eight million to lead the charge and admit that Mr. Huo's coma at Pingxi Group is retribution. Wait a minute, let me show you what an eight million dollar private message looks like."
After Sang Qiqi finished speaking, her finger quickly clicked on the private message interface: "See? Eight million, so generous."
[? ? ? ?]
[Fuck? ?]
[They asked you to lead the rhythm, and you just took their clothes off?]
[Hahahaha, who is this account? Are you watching the live broadcast? Are you feeling okay right now?]
Liu Anzhi: “…”
Bad mentality, mental breakdown.
But it was clear that this wasn't the end, because Sang Qiqi spoke again: "The Huo family couldn't buy paper figurines, and Huo Chengji bumped into the coffin. It was most likely set up by someone. As for who set it up, it's hard to guess, don't you think?"
[It’s really hard to guess]
[Yeah, yeah, who are his father and brother? It’s so hard to guess.]
[The marketing account claimed to have photographed Mr. Huo at the entrance of Chunfengxuan a few hours ago. Grandma's dead and hasn't been buried yet, and his brother is lying unconscious in the hospital, and yet this younger brother is in the mood to be so cool in the club with a young model in his arms. He's really not even pretending anymore / rolls his eyes]
My friend said that on the day Huo Chengji got into the car accident, Huo Er was throwing money around at Chunfengxuan, and he snatched 30,000 yuan.
Liu Anzhi: “…”
He looked at the barrage, then turned to look at Huo Wenbin who was drinking, and swallowed.
There were only three words left in my mind: It's over.
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