Chapter 90.1 — Goodnight, Sweetheart
Sponsored by: Tattaro and Anonymous
Edited by: Larkspur
Qin Zhenyi called again. This was well within the expectation of Qin Jiran and Su Yanyi. However, Qin Jiran didn’t answer the call this time. Instead, Jiang Xiaobin had to half-heartedly answer it. He said that he would notify him but wouldn’t promise anything.
With such an ambiguous response, Qin Zhenyi was incapable of ascertaining Qin Jiran’s thoughts. And because he was uncertain, he didn’t dare act impulsively. Especially the press conference in the afternoon made him hesitant.
Should he go or not go? If he did, there were some benefits. He could clear his ‘unfilial’ reputation furthermore. After all, this press conference would make public of the old man’s funeral place and time. Although the brothers hadn’t personally attended the funeral, they had spent a lot of money and effort into this. It was definitely grand and magnificent, enough to prove their filiality
On the other hand, if he did not, he might have to face the Su Family’s retaliation. If something happened and they said something they shouldn’t, he would be in trouble. Although the Qin Family was powerful, it was clearly at a disadvantage in the media aspect. The amount of media power they had control over or could rope in was limited. Plus, obviously, this strength couldn’t compare to that of Long Media, one of the biggest media houses. This was also a reason why he wanted to work with Qin Jiran!
Also, if he failed to show up, Big Brother and Third Brother might counter-attack. Although he believed these two were inept at doing anything and couldn’t be compared to him, their combined shares were 50%. He really needed to worry about the two of them. If they did join hands, it was hard for him to turn the tables!
Qin Zhenyi wasn’t stupid. He could guess Su Yanyi’s motive even if only slightly. It seemed like she wanted to work with him, yet at the same time, wasn’t she isolating him from the others and setting him up as the target of the rest of the people? Although he knew this, he couldn’t help but be lured still, because as long as he could work with the Su Company, he would have enough power to snatch the Chairman’s position from Qin Zhenren!
So, Qin Zhenyi was in a dilemma that lasted until the press conference was about to begin!
Qin Family had convened the press conference under the guise of conducting a funeral for the old man. The three Qin Brothers, as well as the grandsons all showed up. This was to clear their names about being unfilial. No matter how unwilling the younger generation was, they wouldn’t dare not to show up.
Several newsmen were present at this press conference. This included people from the Long Media and Tiansheng Media. Once everybody had arrived, the press conference commenced.
The Qin Family’s spokesperson was Qin Zhenren, the eldest son of the Qin Family. Being the current Chairman of the Qin Company, he was also, clearly, the best candidate.
“Thank you, everyone, for attending this press conference. The main purpose behind the Qin Family holding this press confidence is to clear some false rumors. My father has only just passed away and this is a huge attack on the sons and daughters of the Qin Family. Our grievances can’t be expressed through words…”
Qin Zhenren spoke for about 20 minutes or so on stage. He started off by trying to garner some sympathy. Then, he shared some of his memories with old man Qin. This included longing affection and respect for his father. It evoked heavy sighs from the audience. The speechwriter had indeed done a pretty good job. His writing style was great and apt at stirring up people’s emotions. However, it was unclear how long Qin Zhenren had spent in memorizing this speech manuscript.
After Qin Zhenren, Qin Zhenyi and Qin Zhenli spoke as well. As a result of the deep contemplation, Qin Zhenyi’s performance was quite amazing. He didn’t act as sorrowful as Qin Zhenren or reminisce about his memories with his father. Instead, he simply announced the preparations for the funeral. He also welcomed the different groups of people over and deeply bowed as he ended. It was simple but didn’t lack the seriousness. He was in deep sorrow and it felt like people could empathize with him.
Qin Zhenli who went last on stage appeared to be rather smart. He didn’t purposefully try to explain some things but expressed his respect to his two brothers. Then, he expressed the old man’s dying wish, hoping that the brothers could join hands and help one another. That way, the Qin Company would progress better. In the end, he blessed his old man and the Qin Company.
The three talked for about an hour and the press underwent a change. After their speeches, it was time for the reporters to ask questions.
The Long Media’s reporters inquired impolitely. “Did you guys personally attend old man Qin’s funeral arrangements? If you guys did, what parts did you participate in? Or did you guys just give some money?”
Face in the Qin Family all turned ugly at the obvious mocking question. Yet, there was a smile on all the other reporters. Of course, the smiles were quite sarcastic.
It’s not that they were laughing heartlessly and chatting about the arrangements of the funeral, but did the Qin Family not expect them to see through the fact that they were just pretending? The question that the reporter had asked was overly narrow. It struck right at the heart of the issue which made them laugh.
Perhaps, it was because the reporters’ smiles were too obvious or that the Qin Family felt guilty, but overall, the Qin Family didn’t appear too good.
“Please be careful with your words. You can’t speak nonsense and you will have to take responsibility for your words!” Qin Zhenren stood up with a gloomy face. It seemed like he wasn’t just warning the reporter but also threatening.
Over the reporters who had been specially sent over by Long Media, however, it really didn’t have any power. Instead, it gave them the chance to use information against the Qin Family.
“Mr. Qin Zhenren, are you threatening right now? I was just voicing my confusion before. My confusion is also the audience’s confusion. You can choose not to answer or deny it. Of course, you could also say the truth and admit to it. But please don’t threaten me, ok? Your words, can I take it as, if I end up in an accident in the future, you’d be the one behind it?” Long Media’s reporters were no ordinary ones. Their motive was not to just question them, but rather brew deliberate trouble.
“Nonsense! Which media are you under? Who allowed you in? You came to cause trouble on purpose, right? Security guard…” Otherwise, how else would people say Qin Zhenren couldn’t bear a large responsibility? He wouldn’t even allow himself to suffer in the least bit. Just like how he couldn’t learn to be patient with today’s press conference. How could he support the entire Qin Company then?
Qin Zhenyi and Qin Zhenli were calmer compared to him. They immediately stepped over to prevent Qin Zhenren from lashing out. Qin Zhenli even explained to the reporters present. “Everyone, our father just passed away and our elder brother isn’t feeling good. It’s inevitable that he loses control. Let’s let the elder brother leave and rest for a bit. If there are any questions, I will represent the Qin Company and answer it.”
Needless to say, Qin Zhenli’s methods were extremely outstanding. Although it felt like he was preventing a terrible mess from happening, he was able to represent the Qin Company and snatch his elder brother’s position. Naturally, more people would know of his existence now.
The reporters continued to ask their questions impolitely. Some of the questions made Qin Zhenli’s face turn green but even then, he still persisted. He didn’t make a fool of himself from the scene. Although Long Media’s reporter had asked a few crafty questions, they didn’t force them too much.
However, the result of the press conference was a bit different from the actual result the Qin Family had anticipated. Even though some controlled media didn’t use overly unfavorable words to report the situation, they didn’t say anything good about the Qin Family either. The media controlled by the Long media even added some questionable analysis and wonderings after the simple report.
The Qin Family held a press conference and all sorts of sorrowful events were exposed. But was it true or fake? Was it their real feelings or were they just pretending?”
Headlines like this appeared in many newspapers and reports. It wasn’t conclusive but planted a seed of suspicion in the readers’ minds. Trust is often shallow, and once the people were suspicious, they were bound to think negatively. If the Qin Family wanted to change the tables with the press conference, it was definitely not possible.
From this, one could see the importance of public opinion and the media. This is what it meant to have a sharp tongue.
“The Su Family is an intolerable bully! Do they really think that they could control the Qin Family by relying on an illegitimate son?!”
In the Chairman’s office, in a fit of rage, Qin Zhenren smashed a cup. His face was flushed and he started to curse the Su Company. From his perspective, the Su Company was the main cause of the problem. Qin Jiran was just an excuse.
“Humph! An illegitimate son is nevertheless, a son. If it’s just the Su Family, it may not be as bad. But it’s hard to say if someone inside the family is helping them too.” As remarked sarcastically, Qin Zhenli looked at Qin Zhenyi He was clearly trying to drive a wedge in their relationships.
“Stop attacking me and making accusations here. There is an order of seniority. Is this how you would talk to your Elder Brother?” Qin Zhenyi said this quickly, clearly feeling a bit guilty.
“Humph! I won’t say anything. Let Elder Brother speak.” Qin Zhenli spoke in disdain but didn’t report. Instead, he gave Qin Zhenren the chance to speak. According to him, his words were enough. Based on Qin Zhenren’s personality, how could he endure this?
As expected, Qin Zhenren was instantly provoked. He looked angrily at Qin Zhenyi and rained rebukes. “There is an order of seniority? Humph! Do you still know that? Well, do you place me, your Elder Brother, in your heart? Don’t think of how great an illegitimate son is. Isn’t it just the Su Family? Can the massive Qin Family be afraid of the Su Family? They surely can’t control all of our businesses. If they dare to cause trouble, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
