put to death
"Get out here! Murderer!"
"If anything happens to my child, I will fight you to the death!"
Outside "Zhi Xiu Fang", the roars of parents became louder and louder, accompanied by the dull sound of stones hitting the door panels, making the entire studio buzz.
There was deathly silence inside the room.
Despair was written all over the workers' faces.
It's over.
This time, it's really over.
With the student hospitalized for poisoning, the hospital's diagnosis, and the convincing lab report... the evidence, both human and physical, formed a perfect closed loop. No matter how they explained, they could not wash away the deadly charge of "toxic school uniforms."
Uncle Lin slumped in his chair, tears welling in his old eyes. He muttered to himself, "How could this happen... How could this happen... How could 'Baicao Dye' harm someone... Am I old and have misremembered the formula? I've harmed the boss, harmed that child..."
The veterans all bowed their heads, their morale plummeting. Their life's work and pride had, overnight, turned into poison, a weapon everyone hated. This blow was worse than killing them.
Only Ling Xiuqing was still standing by the window, quietly watching everything outside.
Her face was as pale as paper, but her eyes were startlingly bright. Anger, sadness, despair… these emotions flashed through her eyes, eventually settling into a desperate, almost frantic calm.
She knew that Chuntao's move was no longer a simple commercial frame-up. This was to completely nail her, along with the entire "Zhixiufang", to the pillar of shame, never to be able to turn over.
Conventional means are no longer able to reverse the situation.
The only way to break this deadlock is to take risky moves and go to a dead end.
"Mr. Murong is here!"
The assistant's announcement broke the dead silence in the room. Murong Bai hurried in from the back door, his brow furrowed, his face more solemn than ever.
"A Xiu, I know everything." He walked quickly to Ling Xiuqing and lowered his voice. "I used my connections to take the girl from St. John's to the hospital for a checkup. Her condition was very strange. The doctor only said it was 'anaphylactic shock', and the specific allergen has not been identified. But now that public opinion has risen, the hospital is under a lot of pressure. I'm afraid..."
He didn't say anything else, but his meaning was clear. Under immense public pressure, the hospital would likely issue a diagnosis that "complies with public opinion."
"I know." Ling Xiuqing nodded, as if she had already expected it.
"I have arranged for commentators from Shenbao to write articles in an attempt to guide public opinion, calling on everyone to remain calm and wait for the authoritative investigation results..." Murong Bai continued.
"It's too late," Ling Xiuqing interrupted him. "Chun Tao won't give us time to wait. Before tonight, there will definitely be more 'victims' and more 'experts' who will come forward. By then, even if we produce irrefutable evidence, no one will believe us."
Murong Bai was silent. He knew that what she said was true.
"Then...what are you going to do?" He looked at her, his eyes full of worry.
Ling Xiuqing slowly turned around, her eyes sweeping across the desperate faces present. Then, she made a decision that no one would ever forget.
"Go and send invitations to all the newspapers in Shanghai, school representatives, student parent representatives, as well as officials from the General Chamber of Commerce, the Textile Industry Association, and the Municipal Health Bureau."
Her voice, in the silent room, was as clear as the sound of metal and stone.
"Invitation?" Murong Bai and his assistant were stunned.
"Yes." Ling Xiuqing's eyes blazed with determination. "Just say that in three days, my Zhixiufang will hold a truth-clarification meeting in this factory regarding the Baicao poisoned school uniform incident."
She paused, and said each word with great force:
"At that time, I will invite officials from the city health bureau to collect all the herbal raw materials we use for dyeing on site, and randomly sample the cloth we have in stock to make a decoction."
"Then, in front of all the Shanghai media and everyone..."
"I will drink this bowl of medicine myself!"
"boom--!"
These words, like a bolt of thunder, exploded in everyone's mind!
"boss!"
"A Xiu!"
Lin Bo and Murong Bai cried out in surprise at the same time!
"You absolutely can't do that!" Uncle Lin fell to his knees with a plop, hugging her legs and crying. "Boss! Even if 'Herb Dye' itself is non-toxic, it's for external use after all, not a decoction to be taken orally! You're gambling with your life!"
"A Xiu, calm down!" Murong Bai was also anxious. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her vigorously. "This is not a joke! We can think of other ways. We can check the poisoned girl. We will definitely find a loophole! There is no need for you to use such extreme methods!"
"There's no time, Murong Bai." Ling Xiuqing looked at him with an unwavering determination. "This is our only chance. Only by using my life to break down that wall of lies and panic can we let even a tiny ray of truth shine through."
"Chun Tao wants me dead and Zhixiufang destroyed. I will do as she wishes."
The corners of her mouth slowly curled up into a sad and resolute arc:
"I will perform a show for her in front of all the people of Shanghai... a show of risking one's life and then surviving."
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