8:00 AM, August 4th, 2000, Gao Family Villa.
A team of police officers, led by the property management staff, rang the doorbell of Gao Ruhai's house.
The Gao family's butler opened the door. Seeing the police, he was taken aback, "You...who are you looking for?"
The team leader was Zheng Fang, his police cap worn impeccably. "Gao Qiang," he called out, sidling up to the butler as he entered.
The Gao family villa has an open-plan living and dining area on the ground floor. The south-facing living room connects to the garden, while the north-facing area contains the dining room and kitchen. Gao Ruhai, his wife, and their son Gao Qiang are having breakfast.
"You have trespassed on private property..." Madam Gao questioned first.
"Director Gao." Zheng Fang nodded, ignoring Madam Gao and Gao Qiang, and politely gestured to Gao Ruhai before solemnly declaring, "Gao Qiang, you have abused your power to sexually assault multiple women in the workplace. The evidence is conclusive. You may remain silent, but every word you utter can be used as evidence in court. Gao Qiang, come with us." Zheng Fang waved behind him, and two policemen stepped forward, displaying gleaming handcuffs.
"Why are you arresting me? I'm a law-abiding citizen," Gao Qiang refused to comply. He had been taken to the police station several times before, but each time he was released without proper evidence and with bail from his lawyer.
“Officer Zheng,” Gao Ruhai put down his knife and fork, wiped his mouth with a clean white napkin, his air of authority evident. “There are procedures for making arrests…”
Before he could finish speaking, Zheng Fang pulled an arrest warrant from his back pocket. "Chairman Gao, is that alright? We're just following procedure."
Gao Qiang panicked and struggled to ask his father and mother for help.
"Old Gao, our son is innocent. Why has he been taken away by these people time and time again? Believe me or not, I'm going to report you..." Madam Gao said fiercely, tears welling up in her eyes.
Zheng Fang ignored him and strode swiftly out of the villa.
Gao Ruhai remained silent, his face frosty, colder than the coldest days of winter.
Just fifteen minutes after Gao Qiang was taken away, the doorbell rang again at the Gao family home.
Upon opening the door, it was the community property manager. "Mr. Gao, someone just delivered a package to you."
Mrs. Gao, quick as a flash, picked up the thin document and looked at it suspiciously. It only contained the recipient's name and number, but no sender's. She quickly opened it and found several low-resolution photos. Just as she was wondering what was going on, Gao Ruhai's gaze turned icy. The time and location shown in the photos—wasn't that the Youyue Club where his son had committed the crime?
But he hadn't lost his senses yet. "Housekeeper," he called to the departing property manager, "who delivered this document?"
The property manager returned and respectfully replied, "Mr. Gao, it's quite strange. The document was found by the security guard at the entrance, but they don't know who put it there, and the surveillance footage doesn't show it. We dare not delay and will bring it to you immediately."
Once the property manager had completely left, Gao Ruhai, burning with rage, slammed the documents to the ground. "Hua Yin, if you're ruthless, don't blame me for being ruthless too."
*
Zheng Fang, who was escorting Gao Qiang, and his two subordinates rode alone in a police car back to the police station.
"Captain, what exactly is it that you asked us to secretly place in the guard booth?" a young police officer asked.
Zheng Fang slapped his subordinate on the head, "Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. What is the natural duty of a policeman? It's to obey, do you understand?"
The junior officer said that there was no such regulation for officers!
Zheng Fang rubbed his throbbing temples, deciding it was best to be cautious when dealing with that young entrepreneur. The image of a refined and cultured businessman was just a facade; this guy was far more cunning than anyone else.
He doesn't want to fall into trouble one day.
*
That evening, a shocking piece of news broke online. The report indicated that at its peak, the Xue Group had ventured into real estate and finance. A reporter who went undercover at the time discovered that the Xue Group was illegally trading foreign exchange and operating underground banks, with Hua Yin as the key figure in this operation.
Hua Yin started as Xue Jingnian's driver. He was hardworking, resilient, quick-witted, and open to new things. He grew rapidly under the guidance of his boss and gradually gained control of many of Xue's strategic businesses, including finance.
Following this incident, Xue Jingnian, leveraging his extensive network of connections and skillful maneuvering, managed to suppress the matter and protect Hua Yin. Hua Yin left the Xue family and started his own business, with Xue Jingnian providing substantial financial support and resource assistance.
In 2009, Xue Jingnian was detained, one of the charges being illegal business operations. The person who accused him was none other than Hua Yin, whom he had once trusted most.
Because this matter involves the Xue family bankruptcy case, which was the hottest topic this year, it has caused a huge uproar online.
The next day, the post appeared on multiple financial news outlets and trended on Weibo. As a result, Huashi's stock plummeted to its daily limit as soon as the stock market opened that day, a truly disastrous situation.
Like a domino effect, Chihaodian suffered collateral damage as its two major investment companies were embroiled in scandals, directly leading to a precipitous drop in its food delivery business.
In this situation, Jin Heng's company, Jin Corporation, contacted Su Qianhui's studio again, doubling the endorsement fee and reaching a cooperation agreement with Su Qianhui. His purpose in doing so was to divert public attention.
*
Hua's Headquarters Building.
Hua Yin seemed to have aged considerably overnight, no longer possessing the wisdom and composure he once had, and was helpless in the face of the overwhelming public opinion crisis.
Hua Se paced back and forth in the reception room, berating the crisis management manager. "My Hua family spends a fortune on you, and what is it all for? In what way do you live up to your high monthly fees? You can't control the comments, you can't delete posts, and you can't even manage to harmonize those websites. Just how useless are you?"
The PR manager cowered, on the verge of collapse under the pressure of the wealthy patron. "Miss Hua, I suspect that a highly skilled hacker is manipulating this wave of public opinion. We simply can't stop it or delete it all. But one thing is certain: the original source of the posts is... Huading Gao's."
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