Chapter 42 The Immortal Ex-Husband
After uploading the blog post and five supporting images, Qin Qiao leaned back in her chair, the white light from her phone screen illuminating her slightly furrowed brows.
In less than five minutes, the number of comments had exceeded one thousand, and public opinion was gradually shifting.
The focus has shifted from overwhelming questions about the source of the 6 million yuan funding to "it turns out this streamer was divorced." As for the 30% shareholding issue, with the handwriting analysis report in black and white and the corroboration of authoritative experts, most netizens have begun to analyze it rationally, although a few doubts still emerge sporadically.
The fifth image is a scanned copy of a statement signed by Chen Jiashu.
The earthquake relief efforts garnered significant attention from higher authorities for Qiaoshu Group, and the complicated relationship between the blind entrepreneur and the provincial TV anchor further fueled public interest.
The number of comments is still skyrocketing, and the situation has swung from one extreme to the other. Fortunately, Chen Jiashu is currently receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews; the real concern is the potential for malicious comment manipulation.
Qin Qiao picked up her phone again. The screen lit up and she was still on Weibo. As she pondered a solution, a new hashtag appeared at number eight on the trending topics page: #What kind of amazing ex-husband is Chen Jiashu?#
When Qin Qiao clicked in, the first thing she saw was Chen Jiashu's private account, which had posted a brief statement a day earlier.
Chen Jiashu: Qin Qiao is an exceptionally talented and professional media worker. We were once husband and wife, and now we are friends who respect each other. When she faced unfair accusations, speaking the truth was what I should do, both professionally and personally. This has nothing to do with emotions, but rather with right and wrong.
In these extraordinary times, every bit of public attention is invaluable. We earnestly request that everyone focus more on the recovery and reconstruction efforts in the disaster area, and work together to help it recover.
With over 10,000 comments, Chen Jiashu, a local entrepreneur, has been promoted into an internet celebrity.
Qin Qiao flipped through it casually.
Netizen A: Key point: 'From both a public and private perspective'. 'From a public perspective' is just polite talk; 'from a private perspective' is the real point.
Netizen B: Every word in this statement says 'we are friends,' but the whole thing just means one thing: 'She is mine, don't touch her.'
Netizen C: Top-tier tsundere. If the two of them hadn't done *that*, I'd eat my keyboard!
Netizen D: Are they acting in an idol drama? But seriously, they're both so good-looking. I strongly suggest they go on the variety show "Let's Remarry".
...
The more they looked, the hotter their faces became, and everyone was strongly urging them to remarry.
Chen Jiashu's call popped up on the screen, startling her. The phone rang, and Qin Qiao answered it instantly.
"Is there something you need?" she asked calmly.
"Auntie went to see Chen Cheng... There can't be any mistakes with Qiao Qiao's matter. You need to tell Chen Cheng to keep quiet."
Chen Jiashu briefly explained what happened: He guessed that Chen Cheng would feel overly guilty after seeing those malicious comments against her, and might not be able to resist posting a clarification himself. To be on the safe side, he found Chen Cheng's phone number in the information he had saved before and dialed it.
He chatted with Chen Cheng for a few minutes and realized that Chen Cheng indeed had this idea.
During the conversation, Chen Jiashu also learned that Yang Shuhua had gone to see Chen Cheng that morning. What they talked about was unknown, but Chen Jiashu sensed something was off from the atmosphere of the conversation and stopped Chen Cheng from acting impulsively.
The Audi was parked downstairs in the apartment building. Qin Qiao had just finished her call with Chen Cheng, and she went upstairs with a somber expression and tightly pursed lips. She encountered the grandmother from upstairs in the elevator, but Qin Qiao forgot to greet her. As she stepped out of the elevator, the smart lock recognized her face and clicked open the door.
The gas in Qin Qiao's stomach was stuck between her chest and throat, neither rising nor falling.
Yang Shuhua put down her phone, turned to look at her, and smiled.
Relatives and friends all say that her eyes are most like her mother's, and that she has a particularly gentle and approachable smile.
“Mom, I know you mean well, but you’re making Chen Cheng admit that he got my ID card through you. This will not only implicate him but also you.”
Qin Qiao walked over slowly and sat down on the single sofa under Yang Shuhua's silent gaze.
"Implicated?" Yang Shuhua asked, puzzled.
"Once this blog post is published, netizens will question it wildly. They won't believe that a financial anchor like me doesn't even know whether or not someone holds shares. They'll just think I'm shifting blame and that I'm a liar... This clumsy explanation will attract a deep investigation like a magnet... and you will be attacked by public opinion."
Qin Qiao slowly explained the pros and cons to Yang Shuhua, while observing her mother's expression. The smile on her face gradually faded, replaced by a calmness and composure that Qin Qiao couldn't understand.
It was as if everything was irrelevant to her.
Yang Shuhua gently placed her phone on the coffee table, turned to the side, and said earnestly, "Qiaoqiao, you're too idealistic. I've worked in banking and securities for so many years, and I've handled countless bad debts and disputes. What did I tell you before...? The key to solving problems is never the truth itself, but quickly isolating the source of risk."
The source of the risk... A chill ran down Qin Qiao's spine for no reason. She had a vague recollection of this sentence, but Yang Shuhua had only mentioned it half-jokingly during a family chat at the dinner table.
"In this incident, Chen Cheng is the biggest source of risk. Only by making him take responsibility can we quickly 'disassociate ourselves from the risk'."
Qin Qiao had read this word countless times in school and written about it and given examples of it countless times at work, but she had never felt it was so cold.
"Mom..." She couldn't find the right words for a moment, her body trembling uncontrollably: "Chen Cheng is a person, not a bad debt that needs to be cut off..."
Yang Shuhua lowered her eyes, a hint of emotion appearing in them, and said in a hoarse voice, "That child is grateful. I talked to him about it, and he understood."
Like a landmine with its fuse pulled, Qin Qiao exploded: "He understands? He understands what? He understands that he has to do as you say, go online and admit that he is a thief? Admit that he stole my ID card to make the share transfer?"
"Do you know what you're making him admit to? It's a crime! You're ruining his reputation!"
Yang Shuhua, her mother, in order to help her, taught a young man how to ruin his own life!
Is the mother who taught her to be kind and upright the same person as Yang Shuhua, who is now teaching others self-destruction?
Yang Shuhua's eyes suddenly reddened: "What do you want your mother to do? Do you want your mother to watch your life be ruined?" The grievances and sadness of being misunderstood condensed into tears in her eyes, and her arms resting on her lap trembled: "Mom doesn't know what's going on between you two. You said he's your boyfriend. What kind of boyfriend would give you 30% of the shares without your consent? Wouldn't he know that this is illegal?"
Her thin shoulders trembled uncontrollably, yet she still managed to say, "You're my daughter, how could I not know your character? You're still keeping this matter of the shares a secret for him, Qiaoqiao! Mom is saving you, am I wrong?" As she finished speaking, tears streamed down her pale face and twitching lips.
Qin Qiao, however, was struck as if by a violent blow; her body instantly stiffened, and her eyes welled up with tears...
My head felt like it was stuffed with cotton; a suffocating, oppressive feeling washed over me.
She shook her head dazedly, too weak to even speak: "You're not saving me, you're destroying everything a young man has! His company, his dreams, his team, you're pushing me into utter ruin... 'Risk cutoff,' that's too vicious!"
Her voice seemed to come from a very far place; she couldn't even hear it clearly herself.
Yang Shuhua suddenly stood up, veins throbbing on her forehead. A cruel, sorrowful crack appeared on her face, and her tone suddenly became sharp: "Vile? Qiaoqiao! How could you say that to your mother?"
The sound was like a sharp arrow piercing through the chaos and into Qin Qiao's body. She swayed her upper body, her vision blurred, as if she were in a dream. She wished it was just a dream, but the pain of her nails digging into her palms was clear and distinct. The pain and the cold air rising from her feet intertwined and traveled up to her head.
"Who am I doing all this for? Do you think I want to hurt you? I'll do anything for your well-being! What does sacrificing an outsider matter? Can his future compare to yours?"
As soon as the words were spoken, the room fell into a deathly silence.
Realizing she had spoken out of anger, Yang Shuhua looked away, avoiding eye contact with her daughter.
The sun outside the window turned yellow, and the dense, swirling snowflakes took on a grayish-yellow hue, pattering against the French windows like sifting flour.
The snow scene behind Yang Shuhua made her figure appear somewhat desolate and cruel.
Qin Qiao really didn't recognize this mother anymore... Was it because she was too concerned?
She exhaled, stood up, and even a slight smile appeared on her lips: "When I chose this major, you told Dad that it was a profession that could uphold fairness and help the weak."
Backlit, Yang Shuhua's eyes were obscured, appearing even darker than before, and her hands, hanging by her sides, clenched slightly.
"If I have to sacrifice a young person to protect myself today, I have already betrayed my faith. Such a job is better off not being done."
As soon as the resolute words were spoken, Yang Shuhua realized something, her eyes widened in shock, and she reached out desperately to keep her daughter, but her fingertips barely brushed against Qin Qiao's shoulder.
A calf slammed into the coffee table, the corner of the table scraping against the floor with a squeak.
“Qiao Qiao…”
Qin Qiao suddenly stopped at the door, turned around to look at her, her eyes now calm again: "Mom, were the things you said to Jia Shu four years ago also a form of 'risk severing'?"
Yang Shuhua shook her head repeatedly, her body trembling as she strained backward, "No...no...no..."
The door closed gently.
She finally collapsed onto the sofa, unable to stand any longer, and looked around the dimly lit, empty room.
Yang Shuhua lowered her head, her hunched back resembling a shrimp. Her arms were supporting her knees, her ten fingers covering her face, trembling, and the moans in her throat gradually turned into intermittent sobs.
In the latter half of the night, the moon hung in the sky like a frozen ice plate, gleaming with a metallic white light. The world was shrouded in white, and a beam of light leaked through the glass window of the bedroom on the third floor, like a sharp knife, cutting out the boundary between light and shadow on the face of the person sleeping soundly on the bed.
Yang Shuhua did not sleep soundly; her eyelids twitched frequently.
"Mom, are you saying that I might go blind... and become a burden to Qiaoqiao...?"
"Auntie... do you want me to prove that it was all my own idea?"
Suddenly, a bright light appeared before her eyes, and Yang Shuhua cried out in surprise:
"It wasn't me!"
She braced herself on the bed with both arms and sat up awkwardly.
Opening my eyes, I saw wisps of white light, like wisps of smoke, floating in the blurry darkness. As my vision gradually focused, the furnishings in the room became clear one by one.
On the floor, the irregular halo of light was swaying slightly.
Fine beads of cold sweat trickled down his spine, sending shivers of numbness through him.
Yang Shuhua was breathing heavily, putting all her strength into her two hands that were gripping the quilt tightly, her fingertips digging deep into her palms.
The words of those two people... still haunted her heart like ghosts.
Jia Shu is a good boy, but he... he abandoned you... He left so decisively, leaving you all heartbroken. Mom just didn't want you to get hurt again, was that wrong? Mom was protecting you.
Regarding this equity issue, Chen Cheng is ruining your career. Can your mother just stand by and watch your life's work be destroyed by him?
Yang Shuhua sobbed, "Qiaoqiao, how can you blame your mother? Everything I've done, wasn't for you? How can you understand my good intentions?"
*
The next day, Qin Qiao went to the provincial TV station but didn't go back to his office. He went to the mainland TV station first and stayed there for two hours. Before leaving, the mainland TV station relayed a message from Huang Tai: The Spring Festival Gala will be broadcast in less than a month. Chen Cheng's team cannot be replaced, but they will not be considered for use in the future.
As for her, the station's decision was to suspend her daily work and wait for the storm to pass. Considering that the Spring Festival Gala recording was in its final stages, she still needed to continue as a host, but she did not need to appear in other publicity or activities.
This is the best arrangement.
Qin Qiao flipped through the documents, a slight smile appearing on her lips. She took out a fountain pen from the pen holder, opened the cap, and signed her name in the lower right corner.
The screen next to me lit up; it was a call from Gu Xu.
She got up, walked around the desk, and went to the floor-to-ceiling window.
There was no wind outside, the sky was white, and the snow kept falling, like fluff being scattered from the sky, dense and thick, silently.
Gu Xu laughed for a while on the other end, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then got down to business.
"Chen Jiashu stepped forward immediately, presented the evidence concisely, and wrote a very respectable statement, showing responsibility. Netizens are now praising him as a 'divine ex-husband.' Your crisis is temporarily over, but the fire has spread to him. The story of the 'blind entrepreneur' and the 'ex-wife of a provincial TV anchor' is highly dramatic and topical, and can easily be exploited by different forces."
Qin Qiao understands very well that the two of them have now been forced into becoming public figures with huge media attention. Chen Jiashu went from portraying her as a positive role model for blind entrepreneurs to having a complicated love-hate relationship with a provincial TV anchor. Netizens are all expecting a romantic "reconciliation" story. If things don't go according to plan, those who initially praised them will turn around and dig up dirt on them.
But will things really be peaceful once they rise to the top? Not necessarily. They're now under immense pressure. The public's enthusiasm is like a flood, capable of both supporting and capsizing them. They admire his resilience as a "blind entrepreneur" and his "divine responsibility," but what if they dig up something else… like some less-than-glorious past?
This ship could be capsized with ease.
Even without netizens, anyone with malicious intent could smear either of them, for example, by fabricating stories about the reasons for their divorce and who was right and who was wrong. This story, full of loopholes, would be difficult to convince netizens of their 'enthusiasm' no matter how they try to fill in the gaps.
This was exactly what Qin Qiao was worried about. Qin Qiao clenched her fist: "Teacher Gu... I'm starting to feel unsure."
Gu Xu: "Let's figure out how to gracefully turn the page on this now."
Qin Qiao pondered for a moment and asked, "Turn the page gracefully?"
Gu Xu didn't beat around the bush: "Taking advantage of the current hot topic, I will conduct an exclusive interview with Chen Jiashu, and we must act immediately. The interview will focus on the social responsibility of entrepreneurs and media professionals, highlighting the character's vision... without getting too emotional, the theme will be 'the social responsibility and commitment of entrepreneurs in disasters'."
“Self-destruction…” Qin Qiao: “I understand, from self-destruction to repentance to sublimation.”
As long as they detonate the biggest bomb in the most controllable way, anyone who wants to make a fuss about it in the future will find it uninteresting.
Simply because the person involved has stood on the highest platform and admitted and reflected on their mistakes in the most open and honest way, the public's sympathy and admiration far outweigh their curiosity and criticism.
Back then, Lu Tai always praised Gu Xu as a master strategist in the media industry, with exceptional foresight, top-notch skills, and the ability to turn lead into gold and save lives from seemingly hopeless situations.
Qin Qiao had a headache and clenched her fist to tap her forehead: "Teacher Gu, please stop joking with us. He and I..." She didn't know what to say.
"Qiao Shu's public relations department must be in complete chaos right now. Contact Chen Jiashu immediately and ask him to come to Beijing."
Gu Xu was very particular about timeliness, and Qin Qiao had already learned this from him. She immediately replied, "Understood, I'll take care of it right away."
When it comes to the ability to guide and manipulate public opinion, few top public relations teams, both domestically and internationally, can compare to Gu Xu.
Chen Jiashu didn't receive Qin Qiao's call because Li Rong was in his office with him, brainstorming solutions.
"Mr. Li, do you mean netizens will definitely dig up my past?" Chen Jiashu pondered for a moment: "That's possible. So, should I reveal it myself first to satisfy their curiosity?"
In the past, if Chen Jiashu had revealed his past, no one would have scrutinized it or paid much attention. Now, however, netizens idolize him as a "perfect ex-husband" and a "perfect entrepreneur." If he were to reveal his past, he would face backlash and anger from netizens due to the psychological gap between his past and present. Crucially, stock prices and market confidence cannot withstand a massive media storm.
Li Rong put down her teacup, her expression hardening: "Chairman Chen, this is one method, but the risk is too high. Netizens are currently praising you highly, but if you were to reveal your secrets, it could lead to a stampede. Our strategy should not be to speculate and respond to 'potential revelations,' but rather to fill the public opinion space with more positive information."
Chen Jiashu considered for a moment and then raised his eyes: "But President Li can't avoid it..."
“Chairman Chen, given the uncertainty of the outcome, the best strategy is to maintain the status quo and strengthen our defenses,” Li Rong explained. “This is currently the safest approach.”
Chen Jiashu nodded slightly: "Let's do as you say."
Around 2 PM, Qin Qiao arrived at Chen Jiashu's office door, and Wang Zhu knocked twice on her behalf.
From inside came Chen Jiashu's voice: "Please come in."
Wang Zhu opened the door and craned his neck to go in: "Chairman Chen, Ms. Qin has come to see you and says she has something important to discuss."
The man, who was pouring himself a drink, suddenly stood up upon hearing this, causing a few drops of tea to spill from his teacup.
After Qin Qiao went inside, Wang Zhu voluntarily withdrew. The glass door slowly closed, and Qin Qiao, clutching the straps of her bag with both hands, looked slightly uneasy. She walked slowly to the center of the reception area before turning around to face Chen Jiashu.
The image is too vibrant.
At that moment, his face was pale and he was sweating profusely. His eyes were bloodshot, and the veins on his forehead were throbbing, all of which proved that he could no longer tolerate her.
He tore everything away and dragged her to the door, a consequence of her relentless pressure, her indiscriminate attacks, and her verbal abuse.
"You're here." Chen Jiashu raised his hand, gesturing for someone to sit down: "Sit for a while."
He pointed to the single sofa on his left, so Qin Qiao went over and sat down there, placing her purse beside her.
A cup of tea is placed in front of me, about seven or eight-tenths full, with the tea soup rippling slightly.
Following the hand that had been pulled back, Qin Qiao saw a small red burn mark on the web of his hand. The skin on the back of his hand was particularly white, making the mark very noticeable.
“I’m injured,” she said, looking around and asking, “Do you have burn ointment in the office?”
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