Chapter 31
"You may not know the golden 24-hour principle of crisis public relations."
The young man standing nearby couldn't help but sneer, "Now is the period when public opinion spreads rapidly. If you don't issue a clarification statement as soon as possible, these stigmas will be associated with you as a person in the eyes of netizens. If you wait until this period to issue a clarification, netizens won't bother to read it at all. No matter how much money you spend on marketing, it won't achieve the desired effect."
"If we don't quickly refute these rumors now, not only you, but even CatJoy will be dragged down!"
Yu Miaomiao shook her head, "In three days, there will be millions of people waiting to see me make a fool of myself."
The young man scoffed, "Who do you think you are?"
"It's CAE!" Xu Lan suddenly stood up. "You want to clarify this during the CAE finals live broadcast!"
Yu Miaomiao walked to the big screen and clicked on the CAE official Weibo account. The latest Weibo post did not announce the results of the evidence comparison between Yu Miaomiao and Zhang Mingxuan, but directly released the link to reserve the live broadcast of the finals, which was three days later.
The comments below showed no interest in the other 13 contestants; the discussion revolved entirely around Zhang Mingxuan and Yu Miaomiao.
[It's hard to say. Did Yu Miaomiao give all three million to the organizing committee? Why wasn't she disqualified? And they even let her into the finals? Zhang Mingxuan is truly pitiful.]
[Watching Zhang Mingxuan's live stream, I've tried out "Heart Prisoner," it's an absolute masterpiece!]
[I also support it. I don't play games, I don't know anything about programming, I just want to see Zhang Mingxuan and Yu Miaomiao in the finals!!!]
[Yu Miaomiao should just withdraw from the competition. To have the plagiarist and the plagiarized person on the same stage is humiliating, isn't it?]
I bet five cents that Yu Miaomiao will cry and complain about being cyberbullied during her live stream, and then produce her Yu Yu syndrome diagnosis report.
[Fast forward to the Don't Laugh Challenge]
[A person who enjoys watching arguments and fights, doesn't know how to code or play games.]
Within half an hour of the statement being released, it had already garnered over 10,000 comments.
"The CAE finals live stream usually attracts around 200,000 viewers, with a peak of 350,000. The number of people who have made reservations for the live stream is around 150,000. In previous years, the number of people who made reservations for the live stream in the first hour was generally between 10,000 and 20,000, accounting for 10% of the total number of reservations."
"And this time, within 43 minutes of the Weibo post, the number of people who had booked the live stream..."
Yu Miaomiao opened the live stream reservation link, "It's for 50,000 people."
"In other words, the total number of people who made reservations for this live stream was approximately 500,000, while the actual number of viewers could reach—"
"One million!"
The bespectacled employee, who was quick at mental arithmetic, exclaimed in surprise.
CAE doesn't bother to inflate its live stream data; when it says 1 million, it means a solid 1 million real people.
“This is indeed a great opportunity for exposure.” Xu Lan was clearly tempted and began to analyze, “With millions of views, plus the subsequent viral spread, the publicity effect will be absolutely amazing, much better than our proactive clarification.”
Another employee added, "Furthermore, we can link the CatJoy brand with this event to achieve cross-platform marketing!"
In comparison, the sales decline of Maomaole over the past three days and the criticism of the brand are nothing—after all, the criticism doesn't affect the employees.
“That’s right,” Xu Lan nodded, but then hesitated, “Miao Miao, if we wait until three days later to deny the rumors, those three days will be very difficult for you.”
Unlike a company, which is a unified entity, three days is enough time for netizens to expose Yu Miaomiao. Yu Miaomiao will not only have to endure insults on Weibo, but also a constant stream of phone calls and text messages, and even real-life attacks.
"Isn't this better?"
Yu Miaomiao slightly curled the corners of her mouth, "The more they make a fuss, the more intense the backlash against Zhang Mingxuan will be when the truth is revealed."
She looked around. "This is the best time."
Xu Lan suddenly understood Yu Miaomiao's ultimate goal—she used herself as bait to drive Zhang Mingxuan into a corner. Under the watchful eyes of millions of viewers, once Yu Miaomiao presented her irrefutable evidence, Zhang Mingxuan would be socially dead, with no room for rebuttal. At that time, he would suffer a backlash from public opinion several times more intense than Yu Miaomiao's.
She looked at Yu Miaomiao, who had just unwrapped a candy and popped it into her mouth. Her expression was utterly calm, showing neither the excitement of revenge nor the anger of being falsely accused. The image of the beast that had just been unleashed seemed like an illusion.
No, it's not an illusion!
No normal person can make a decision that ruins someone's life and then casually eat candy, as if the two things are just ordinary.
Xu Lan shivered slightly.
This is the consequence of touching Yu Miaomiao's sore spot.
"Sister Xu, there's one more thing I need to trouble you with."
"you say."
"I hope that in these three days, the legal department of Maomaole can help me gather evidence of the insults directed at me and my mother, so that I can present it to them after the live stream,"
Yu Miaomiao said, word by word, "Send lawyer's letters to all of them."
"I'll cover the expenses."
Xu Lan realized once again that Yu Miaomiao was vindictive.
The public relations plan was thus drafted. For the next three days, both Maomaole and Yu Miaomiao had to remain absolutely silent online, which meant Maomaole's legal department was in for a lot of work.
When Yu Miaomiao and Jiang Cheng got back to school and got into the car, she bit into the candy and crunched it, as if she was venting her emotions.
Jiang Chengyi turned his head slightly to look at Yu Miaomiao, then turned his head back before she noticed.
Just moments ago, he was strategizing in the office with such composure that everyone was amazed. Now, he's doing something so childish—it's truly—
So cute!
Jiang Cheng thought for a moment, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
On the way back, since it wasn't rush hour, it only took half an hour to get to school.
As the car pulled into the parking lot, Yu Miaomiao immediately spotted Lu Ye waiting at the entrance.
He squatted there listlessly, staring at every black car that came in, trying to figure out which one Yu Miaomiao was in, but his gaze was completely blank—in the eyes of this outdated monster who had been in seclusion for about twenty years, all the cars looked pretty much the same.
Then, seemingly sensing the fluctuations in his bloodline, his eyes brightened slightly, but he hesitated somewhat.
The car came to a stop, but Yu Miaomiao didn't get out. She pursed her lips, looking unusually troubled.
They've already cursed him, said harsh words, and even pretended to be with Jiang Chengyi. Nothing can make this person back down.
Jiang Chengyi also noticed Lu Ye. He looked at him for a moment, then turned his gaze to Yu Miaomiao and slowly spoke.
“If you don’t want to see him, I have a way.”
Yu Miaomiao glanced at her sideways, "What method?"
"To make him believe that we are actually together."
Her eyes widened. "What did you say?"
Jiang Chengyi explained, "The reason he stayed here is probably to find out what happened. If we get out of the car and maintain a normal distance, he will definitely be able to tell that you were lying, and there's a high probability that he will continue to follow you relentlessly."
"Although I don't know why he's so resistant, if he thinks that we're really together, he'll be really hurt, and at least in the short term, he won't bother you anymore."
Yu Miaomiao looked at him suspiciously, "Are you sure?"
She was completely clueless about social etiquette, let alone analyzing other people's emotions. After listening to Jiang Cheng's explanation, she found it to make some sense.
Jiang Cheng shut down the engine and said, "If you don't believe me, try it."
He got out of the car, walked around to the passenger side door, opened the door, bent down, and extended his right hand.
He raised an eyebrow slightly. "Girlfriend, let's get out of the car."
Yu Miaomiao stared blankly at Jiang Chengyi, somewhat bewildered, not quite understanding the current situation.
But trusting Jiang Chengyi, she still took his hand and got out of the car.
Like a radar, Lu Ye immediately locked onto the two clasped hands, his gaze so sharp it almost pierced through Jiang Chengyi.
He jumped up, shouting, "What are you doing? Let go of Miaomiao!"
Jiang Cheng tilted his head and asked in a low voice, "What's your father's name?"
"Lu Ye," Yu Miaomiao answered quietly.
"Uncle Lu, as you can see, Miao Miao and I are together now."
Jiang Cheng raised his hand, which was clasped with Yu Miaomiao's, his phoenix eyes slightly narrowed, and looked at her casually.
Yu Miaomiao turned her head to look and vaguely realized that this was how Jiang Cheng always acted in front of others: indifferent, taciturn, and nonchalant.
Instead of what I saw, his phoenix eyes were focused, his lips always held a hidden smile, and when he raised his eyebrows, he revealed vivid emotions. In fact, I sometimes found him a bit long-winded.
When did it start?
"You don't deserve to be with Miaomiao!"
Lu Ye glared at Jiang Chengyi with burning eyes, which the latter accepted without hesitation.
"What's the reason?"
"The reason...you are not worthy to know the reason!"
“Uncle Lu, please forgive my bluntness,” Jiang Chengyi said bluntly, “your constant harassment of Miaomiao and restriction of her movements will only make her more resistant and resentful of you.”
"Does your behavior truly reflect the actions of a father?"
Upon hearing the word "father," Lu Ye looked at Yu Miaomiao in disbelief, unable to believe that his daughter would tell humans about this.
Yu Miaomiao looked back defiantly.
Jiang Chengyi's tone softened: "I suggest you think carefully about why you are doing this."
Will your actions ultimately achieve your goal?
Lu Ye was taken aback, remained silent for a long time, then gave Jiang Chengyi a deep look before leaving in a daze.
Yu Miaomiao breathed a sigh of relief, "He's finally gone."
Then, realizing something, she said, "What you just said, and—"
Yu Miaomiao moved her hand that was clasped with Jiang Cheng's, "This...it doesn't seem to be related."
Jiang Chengyi's hands were very big, which was something she had known since that day in the cave, but she didn't realize just how big they were until he held them completely in his hands.
Her entire hand was almost completely enveloped in the other's palm, leaving no gap. Jiang Chengyi's body temperature was very stable, always maintaining a warm state regardless of the weather, neither too cold nor too hot. This warmth made their clasped palms sticky.
At the same time, they were in closer contact. Yu Miaomiao could almost feel the pulsating veins in the other person's palm, beating in sync with the heartbeat.
"Of course it does."
Jiang Cheng said, "If it weren't for the fact that he was 'Yu Miaomiao's boyfriend,' he wouldn't have listened to anything I said."
“That makes sense.” Yu Miaomiao nodded.
She concluded that Lu Ye still didn't know Jiang Chengyi's name; in his eyes, the only label on the other person was "human."
As the two walked out, they could see passersby glancing at them and whispering amongst themselves, even though they thought they were being discreet.
Yu Miaomiao glanced back and could still see some people's phones that they hadn't had time to hide.
It seems their conversation was overheard.
She said, "Don't worry, I will clarify this matter."
Jiang Cheng shook his head. "The more you try to clarify, the more people will think it's an attempt to cover up the truth. It's better to let things take their course, and they'll lose interest."
"Also, to prevent your father from seeing through the lie, I suggest that we act a little closer to him."
Will this affect you?
Yu Miaomiao thought of the current online public opinion. If the two of them got too close, Jiang Chengyi would definitely be affected as well.
"We're just performing in front of him, not in public. As long as we're careful, there's nothing wrong with it."
After a moment's thought, she realized it made sense and agreed.
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