He stared at Manager Tian and said fiercely, "Did you let slip that we were cooperating with the Japanese? Otherwise, how did those tabloid reporters find out?"
Fu Yaozu's cooperation with the Japanese was no small matter. It involved the transfer of a large amount of supplies and went through many stages. It was inevitable that his key subordinates knew the truth. However, these people were his helpers for many years and could be considered people he trusted.
If even one of these people is dissatisfied with his traitorous behavior and leaks the information to reporters, it will severely damage Fu Yaozu's reputation.
Therefore, Fu Yaozu initially suspected his subordinates.
"No, no, sir, I have followed you for many years and have been loyal to you. How could I do such a disloyal thing? But Manager Chen and those few people are a different story. Should I go and investigate and find those reporters who wrote the article? We can find the person who leaked the information soon, catch them, and hand them over to you for disposal." Manager Tian was so frightened that he quickly tried to explain.
He knew Fu Yaozu's methods well; in this chaotic world, no one who had reached this point was a kind-hearted person.
Fu Yaozu didn't really believe that Manager Tian would do something so harmful to others and himself, but the most important thing now was to let the incident quietly subside and not let it escalate.
He thought for a moment, then slammed his hand on the table and stood up. He said in a deep voice, "These reporters definitely need to be silenced. Letting them spout nonsense in the newspapers will cause a storm sooner or later. Take some men and go find them. Tell them to keep their mouths shut and find the person who leaked the information. As for the company, suspend the acquisition for now. We'll resume the acquisition once this matter has calmed down and no one is paying attention."
Upon hearing this, Manager Tian said with some difficulty, "But the Japanese require the first batch of supplies to be handed over in three days, and we..."
"Don't worry about that for now. We're barely able to protect ourselves. If our reputation is ruined, no one will sell us goods, and what will we give the Japanese then?" Fu Yaozu waved his hand and said decisively.
At that time, anyone labeled a traitor would be condemned by everyone in the foreign concessions and would find it difficult to move an inch.
To be a prostitute while also wanting to maintain a virtuous image—that's exactly Fu Yaozu's mindset right now!
"Yes, I'll take care of it right away!" Manager Tian agreed repeatedly and left.
However, Manager Tian did not handle the matter well. In the following days, he could not find any trace of these reporters. These people had even moved their homes, obviously having made preparations in advance and deliberately avoiding their search.
However, the exposés in the newspapers continued to appear, and the impact grew larger and larger. Many business associates even called to inquire whether Fu Yaozu was really doing business with the Japanese, subtly advising him not to make a mistake, since the concession was still predominantly Chinese.
Even British businessmen who had previously worked with him warned him not to get too close to the Japanese, which left him somewhat flustered.
He clearly realized that this was by no means a simple matter; someone was definitely targeting him in the dark, as if an invisible hand was controlling everything.
Who could it be? A rival in the business world? Or a sworn enemy from whom he had previously dealt a heavy blow? Is it Chinese? Or perhaps it's a tactic by the Japanese to cut off his escape route and force him to serve them wholeheartedly?
In short, there are too many possibilities. However, Fu Yaozu knew that since he had not yet started handing over supplies to the Japanese, and without real evidence, no one could confirm that he had betrayed his country and surrendered to the enemy.
As for public opinion, opponents can bribe reporters to create momentum, and of course, you can also pay to do the same. It's not a bad thing to muddy the waters a bit, making it difficult for outsiders to know who to believe. In the long run, it will become a farce and eventually fade away!
Thus, a war of public opinion broke out in the concession. Newspapers went back and forth, each sticking to their own version of events. Fu Yaozu's move was quite effective, leaving many people somewhat bewildered. In the end, no one called him anymore, and the situation immediately reached a stalemate, which made him truly relieved.
However, his opponents also achieved their goal. Huo Yueze's goal was to push Fu Yaozu into the eye of the storm. As for whether he was innocent or not, did Huo Yueze not know?
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