That night, more than a dozen dump trucks suddenly rushed toward the Grand Palace, tearing down the signs and entrances. Then excavators came in and smashed the gates.
What's worse is that Gao Qiqiang also sent dozens of trucks, loaded with garbage and excrement, to dump them all at the entrance of the Grand Palace.
It was midnight, and there were still many guests inside the Grand Palace who were stuck inside and couldn't get out. The worst part was the stench; the entire Grand Palace reeked of excrement.
This incident caused quite a stir, and the police station arrived quickly. The team leader was Guo Dahai, the director of the Liyang District Police Station.
This person is a staunch supporter of Zhao Lidong, and some say he is very likely to succeed Zhao Lidong as the next director of the Jinghai branch.
After Guo Dahai led his team over, they immediately began making arrests everywhere, but they only arrested some drivers. These drivers were not from the construction group, but were hired by Gao Qiqiang for a few hundred yuan.
Arresting them wouldn't do any good at all.
At this moment, in the private room of the Grand Palace, Zhao Yu raised his wine glass and said, "Uncle Sun, thank you for your hard work in the middle of the night!"
"Young master, you're too kind. This is just my duty."
Sun Dahai was flattered and quickly held the wine glass with both hands, lowered it, and drank it all in one gulp. He then said, "But young master, this matter has gone too far. Why would you think of causing a car explosion? If this attracts the attention of the higher-ups, it will be no small problem."
"Hehe, this was all Fox's doing. He originally planned to completely eliminate those two troublemakers, Chen Tai and Tang Ping. But he miscalculated, and someone else became the scapegoat. But it doesn't matter. We've secured the coastal highway project this time. If they want to mess with me in Jinghai, hehe, I'll crush them!" Zhao Yu said with a sinister smile.
"That old fox Chen Tai is not going to let this go so easily. Tonight he incited the media and spent a lot of money on travel expenses, and he is attacking us for collusion between officials and businessmen."
"Hmph, so what? All he can do is make a few noises in the newspapers. Do you think it's like last time? Don't worry, I've already spoken to the newspapers in Jinghai. Anyone who dares to report on this will be shut down. Besides, he can spend money, but can't I? This time I've hired a top writer from the Provincial Writers Association," Zhao Yu said sneer.
Guo Dahai was still a little worried and asked, "Young Master, this matter has escalated so much, does Vice Mayor Zhao know about it?"
"What, are you scared?"
Zhao Yu leaned back on the sofa, glanced at him, and said, "My dad will support me whether he knows or not. At worst, I'll get a scolding when I get back. Uncle Sun, what's done is done, so don't worry about the consequences. Don't worry, from now on, Jinghai belongs to the Zhao family!"
...
Tai's propaganda campaign did have some effect.
But unexpectedly, public opinion reversed completely the next day.
Newspapers and television stations in Jinghai reported on the illegal operations of the construction group over the years, including its involvement in organized crime activities, especially those involving Gao Qiqiang.
His Bai Jinhan was originally Xu Jiang's notorious den of iniquity, and he also had a scandal with Tiger back then. Now, Wanshi Haoting is also Gao Qiqiang's business.
A big shot from the provincial capital wrote a highly inflammatory article, portraying Chen Tai as a gangster boss in Jinghai, with Gao Qiqiang as his henchman.
Consequently, Tang Ping is also a triad boss in Jinghai.
Two gang leaders used various violent threats to suppress Huaxuan Construction Company, while Zhao Yu was portrayed as an innocent victim.
The vandalism of the Grand Palace was the result of retaliation by Chen Tai and Tang Ping, two gangsters.
Because the bigwigs in this provincial capital have a lot of influence, the article immediately caused a huge uproar, and public opinion reversed, turning against Chen Tai and Tang Ping.
Chen Tai's past deeds in Jinghai, including Tang Ping's sudden rise to prominence, opening internet cafes and Wan Zi Qian Hong, video game arcades, etc., were all dug up.
In the construction company's office, Tang Ping sat in his boss's chair, thoroughly enjoying the report.
"Isn't this turning black into white? It's infuriating! They won't even mention the car explosion, they're downplaying the pre-arranged bidding and the collusion between officials and businessmen. This Shen Wen guy, a collaborator, is just spouting nonsense!" Bai Xiaojie said angrily after reading the newspaper.
Lin Yuan said, "Boss, public opinion is very unfavorable for us right now. Because of what happened last time, the newspapers in Jinghai have basically been suppressed by Zhao Lidong. The articles they publish are either praising him or biased towards Zhao Yu. Shouldn't we take the initiative?"
"Don't rush."
Tang Ping, however, remained calm and composed, smiling as he said, "Manager Bai, don't be angry. Anger is useless. I think this report is quite interesting. The bigwig from Jinghai, hehe, I never thought I, Tang Ping, could stand shoulder to shoulder with that old fox, Uncle Tai."
"Boss, you still have the mind to laugh? Right now, people outside are calling us gangsters, and there are even people starting a boycott of our Yuxueqing soap," Bai Xiaojie said with a worried expression.
Tang Ping laughed and said, "Don't worry, true gold fears no fire. Public opinion is indeed a good thing, but too much of a good thing can be bad. Their distortion of the truth will eventually backfire."
Hu Xiandong couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Boss, this Shen Wen isn't telling the truth and is maliciously smearing us. Should I go and arrest him?"
"No need. He makes a living by writing. Writers are already poor and destitute. Let's give him a way to make a living."
Tang Ping shook his head and said.
It wasn't that Tang Ping was overly compassionate; it was just that the person was genuinely just trying to make a living. The real culprit was Zhao Yu, and there was no need to target unimportant people.
With repeated reports from newspapers and television stations, Zhao Yu instantly gained the upper hand in public opinion, while Tang Ping and Chen Tai became symbols of the Jinghai underworld.
Ordinary people don't care about that; they only believe what they hear. If the newspapers and TV stations have reported it, how could it be false?
For a time, the Grand Palace was the talk of the town. The damaged gate was repaired and the area around the entrance was cleaned up. With Wan Zi Qian Hong and Bai Jin Han taking a break from business, all the nightlife business in Jinghai flocked to the Grand Palace.
Business is booming, and we don't have enough staff.
The Grand Palace began a massive recruitment drive, and no one noticed that three young men had infiltrated the palace as waiters.
On the other hand, Uncle Tai was also extremely depressed after being severely criticized by the public.
He consulted with Tang Ping for a solution, hoping Tang Ping would take action.
But Tang Ping never intended to manipulate public opinion. The same strategy can only be used once. Besides, last time it was just a coincidence that Zhao Yu said "My dad is Zhao Lidong" and it was so classic and easy for people to remember that it caused the public opinion to explode and even Zhao Lidong could not suppress it.
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