“Someone’s causing trouble?” Tang Hao furrowed his brows.
“That’s right. There’s something fishy about the incident. The news wouldn’t have spread so fast unless someone is fanning the flames.
“There are many new negative reviews about Haotian Group on the Internet. They’re all about how our products are unsafe and toxic, and how those amazing effects come with a heavy toll on one’s health.
“People all over the country are attacking our reputation. It’s not looking good for us,” Liu Yan said.
Tang Hao’s brows were locked even more tightly after he heard that.
“It must be Yu Lin Group!” Tang Hao said.
He could not think of anyone else that would attack Haotian Group at this crucial moment.
“That should be it,” Liu Yan said, “The market share of Yu Lin Group’s sports drink had fallen drastically. They must be worried.”
She paused for a while and continued, “Chairman Tang, we… have to treat this incident seriously. Otherwise, that will be a stumbling block to our future growth.
“I understand!” Tang Hao said. “I’ll head to the company for discussions now.”
“Alright!” Liu Yan replied.
Tang Hao got up from the bed after the call ended.
“What’s wrong?” Qin Xiangyi asked out of concern.
“There’s a problem with the company, but it’s nothing too serious. I’ll have to go now. You should rest for a while more!”
Tang Hao got dressed, pecked her on her cheek, and left the house.
Liu Yan and the other managers were already waiting at the company.
“Look at this, Chairman Tang!”
Liu Yan handed Tang Hao a tablet computer.
It was a video clip of an interview.
The background of the video was a hospital, and the interviewees were naturally the “victims”. They all had sickly faces.
After watching the video, Liu Yan also showed him screenshots of various articles and comments.
Those comments came from online retailers, medical experts, and many other types who said that the ingredients in Haotian Group’s products were harmful and the company was unscrupulous.
Tang Hao rolled his eyes when he read those comments.
“Medical expert? More like monetary expert! I wonder how much he got paid to spread false news!” Tang Hao chuckled.
“They must’ve spent a lot of money on this. They’re hell-bent on bringing us down!” Liu Yan said.
Tang Hao held the tablet computer and thought for a bit before saying, “If they’re willing to spend money, then we ought to do the same thing. We’ll protect our reputation with as much money as it takes.
“Try to implicate Yu Lin Group if possible. Say that they’re the ones attacking us. Remember to pay for more commenters. Money is not a problem.”
“Understood!” Liu Yan replied.
She thought of something and smiled. “Well, we do have an army of volunteers too. They call themselves the Cult of Masculine Wind, and they’re fighting back the negative comments on the Internet.”
Tang Hao chuckled when he heard that.
“Alright, I’ll leave this to you. I’ll head to Provincial City to pay a visit to the ‘victims’.”
Tang Hao left the company and drove to Provincial City.
There were three “victims” in total. One was at the First Public Hospital, while two were at the Second Public Hospital.
Tang Hao went to the First Public Hospital first. He saw many media vans parked at the entrance.
The hospital room was packed with media reporters. The patient sat on the bed and was talking spiritedly, accusing Haotian Group of various wrongdoings.
The people around him clicked their cameras.
The patient became more lively as he spoke, as though he was enjoying the attention.
Tang Hao observed the situation at the door.
Then, he smiled coldly.
‘This guy is quite a convincing actor.’
He soon thought up of an idea. He cast a concealment spell on himself, squeezed past the crowd, and secretly dropped a Truth Pill into a jug of water next to the bed.
“You must be thirsty. Drink some water!”
Tang Hao yelled and handed the patient a cup of water.
“Oh, thanks!”
The person took the cup without looking at Tang Hao and continued speaking without missing a beat.
He was indeed thirsty from speaking for so long. He lifted his chin and downed the cup of water.
He placed the cup next to him, wiped his mouth, and continued, “This Haotian Group is so unethical! They would stop at nothing to make profits.
“Why should the company profit at our expense? We should boycott it and see it go bankrupt.”
The person became more excited as he walked.
The media reporters were also very excited. It was the biggest scoop of the day.
Suddenly, the man stopped speaking. His gaze went vacant for a while.
“Eh, what’s wrong? Continue speaking!” A journalist shouted.
The person lifted one hand and slapped himself on the face.
Everyone was shocked when they saw that.
“Boo hoo! I’m worse than an animal! I’ve sinned!
“There is no problem with Vitality Sports Drink. Someone paid me twenty thousand yuan to ruin the reputation of Haotian Group! When it’s done, they’ll pay me another thirty thousand!”
The person started crying. Tears and snot flowed from his face.
The journalists in the room were utterly shocked.
Then, they exclaimed in surprise.
They did not understand why the man suddenly had a pang of conscience, but it was a big scoop nonetheless.
“Quick! Take a close-up shot! This is big news!”
“Start drafting! We’ll have to be the first website to publish the news.”
The journalists were extremely excited.
Tang Hao stealthily sneaked out of the room, left the hospital, drove to the Second Public Hospital, and did the same thing.
On the Internet, the tide was turning after Haotian Group retaliated. The battle became one-sided once the victims’ confessions were published.
“I was right after all. I’ve never had any problems after drinking an entire crate of that stuff. It turns out to be a targeted attack!”
“Tsk tsk! What an underhanded scheme!”
The comments on the Internet became more intense.
After Haotian Group’s retaliation, the comments turned to attack Yu Lin Group. Much of Yu Lin Group’s dirt was bared for all to see.
Yu Lin Group’s reputation fell. The company was universally condemned.
…
“How could this be?”
In a mansion somewhere in Provincial City, a middle-aged man sat in his office. His face was red with anger and he looked extremely unpleasant.
He was watching a video clip on the computer in front of him.
“Boo hoo, I’m worse than an animal…”
He could hear that person crying.
“Dammit, they’re all useless! How can they mess up something so simple?”
He roared, picked up the item closest to him, and flung it at the computer screen.
He sat there, panting. His expression was utterly gloomy.
He spent so much money to hire actors and paid commenters. He was about to succeed in ruining the reputation of Haotian group, but those cowards turned on him at the most crucial moment.
They were even crying as they confessed, as though they had suddenly found their conscience.
‘… F*ck!
‘If they’re so conscientious about it, they should’ve declined the job! Why would they botch it at the most crucial moment?’
He was furious, but at the same time, he thought that it was quite uncanny.
‘Even if Haotian Group bought over those three people, how did they change so abruptly?’
A call from Liu Yufen interrupted his thoughts.
