After lunch, He Changning forced himself to clear his mind and focus on updating his manuscript.
At exactly 3 PM, Duck Pear came online.
Duck Pear:
“Hey!!”
Qingshui:
“How’s it looking?”
Duck Pear:
“Kinda sketchy.”
Qingshui:
“Don’t be cryptic.”
Duck Pear:
“Alright, here’s the deal—
The first post was uploaded by someone with the username ‘EnchantingLittleDemon.’ I’ll send you the ID in a sec. Within an hour, the post blew up with hundreds of comments—most likely bots or hired trolls. Once it gained traction, a second post followed immediately. It had pictures, captions, and a clearly crafted narrative. Real textbook smear campaign stuff.”
Qingshui:
“Which site was it uploaded to?”
Duck Pear:
“A company portal site—small trading firm. I’ll send the name over too.”
Having gotten what he needed, He Changning immediately logged off and dialed Shang Yushang’s number.
A deep, slightly fatigued voice answered on the other end.
“Hey, Changning.”
He Changning frowned. “Still working?”
“Yeah.” Shang Yushang rubbed his aching forehead. “Did you have lunch?”
“I did. What about you?”
“Haven’t yet. Don’t really have an appetite.”
“Eat something anyway. You’ll wear yourself out.”
“I know, don’t worry about me. Just rest well, okay?”
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“I asked someone to look into something. Don’t know if it’ll help, but…”
“The first person to post the article online goes by ‘EnchantingLittleDemon.’ The site was a portal owned by a small trading company. I hacked into their ID and found some photos—I’ll send them to you shortly. Also, the legal owner of that company… I think you might know them. Worth checking out.”
“Alright. Babe, sorry to drag you into this mess. You’ve done enough—please just get some rest. Aunt Qin told me you haven’t slept at all. Be good and get some sleep, don’t make me worry.”
“I’m fine. I don’t know much about the business, so I can’t do much to help you.”
Shang Yushang’s heart warmed. Even the stern expression he’d been wearing eased a bit. The people standing nearby were stunned—and more than a little horrified—at the change in him.
“As long as you’re by my side, that’s all I need.”
“Let me know if there’s anything I can help with, okay?”
“Will do. Now be good, get some sleep. Don’t wait up if I come home late, alright?”
“Got it. You go handle your stuff.”
“Mhm.”
Right after the call ended, a new email alert popped up on his computer. He opened it: a set of photos and several names appeared on the screen.
“Da Zhou, come take a look.”
Da Zhou leaned over the screen and squinted at the images.
“That’s the ‘EnchantingLittleDemon’… and these people—”
His eyes narrowed. The tension in the room rose instantly, and the staff standing nearby instinctively held their breath.
A cold glint flashed in Shang Yushang’s eyes.
“Start digging. And have someone keep a close watch on that trading company.”
Da Zhou quickly gave out the orders.
Then Shang Yushang issued another set of instructions:
“Bring up the PR team. I want to buy the front page of the ten highest-circulating newspapers—at any price. If City Daily wants to play, I’ll play to the end.”
He gave a blood-chilling smirk.
“You disrupted my honeymoon. Now it’s time for everyone to pay.”
That night, Shang Group poured heavy resources into locking down the front page headlines of ten major newspapers. By midnight, the copy had been finalized, the layout approved, and the files sent to the print presses.
At 6:30 the next morning, newsstands across the city opened shop. Vendors laid out the day’s papers—and the sight stopped early customers in their tracks.
“What the hell’s going on?”
All ten newspapers were printed with stark black backgrounds and bold white text. The headlines took up most of the front page. A single message echoed across them:
A reputation built over decades—why should it be destroyed in a single night?
Everything has a cause—why aren’t we given a chance to explain?
We’re not afraid of scrutiny. We just want a fair chance to prove ourselves—and bring clarity to the public.
Time is the truest, most impartial witness. It will bring every injustice into the light.
Truth is the most powerful judge. It will ultimately deliver justice to those who fan false flames.
All we ask… is to be understood, to be treated fairly, to be given the benefit of the doubt.
We will take time as our measure, facts as our foundation, and the hearts of the people as our support—to restore a clear, blue sky for all those who still have a conscience to breathe beneath.
It was the first time anyone had seen a statement like this on the front page of a newspaper. It was both shocking and thought-provoking. It reminded people not to take everything at face value—that perhaps, the truth wasn’t what it seemed. These days, hype often outweighed the facts. A company with decades of trusted reputation shouldn’t be dismissed over one-sided claims. Many readers came away with that exact sentiment: Let’s wait and see how the facts unfold.
The impact was significant. City Daily suddenly found itself under unprecedented scrutiny. That day’s article was met with skepticism. The whole city buzzed with heated discussion from every street corner to café.
The tide on the internet also began to turn. Many people referenced the ten front-page statements and voiced support for a more balanced view, noting that judgment shouldn’t be passed based on one narrative alone. People, after all, had their own sense of right and wrong.
The once-dire public opinion against Shang Group began to shift.
The PR department continued its efforts, reaching out to City Daily to request a public dialogue with affected consumers. They also asked for the allegedly radioactive jewelry to be submitted to a dozen other certified inspection agencies for re-testing.
But City Daily refused to respond directly.
The next day, they ran another large spread, claiming Shang Group was deliberately muddying the waters. The article accused them of throwing out baseless claims to mislead the public, stalling rather than seeking solutions, manipulating media to win sympathy, spreading false information, and even challenging the public’s judgment. In short, they used every scathing word imaginable.
Yet again, ten major newspapers published matching black-and-white headlines on their front pages. This time, they offered clear and specific facts:
City Daily has refused Shang Group’s requests for face-to-face talks with consumers.
The so-called “informants” declined to appear in public.
Though the jewelry in question bore inspection seals, they refused re-examination by any of the other reputable agencies offered by Shang Group.
These inconsistencies raised serious suspicions of forgery.
Shang Group demands transparency and a public confrontation with both the media and consumers.
Furthermore, all Shang Group retail outlets will offer free testing of any jewelry purchased—using any or all of the dozen agencies made available at the customer’s discretion.
This was a bold move, no doubt. But it also signaled one thing loud and clear: Shang Group stood by the integrity of its products.
As for the hotel food poisoning incident, Shang Group issued a public statement. While they couldn’t yet determine the exact cause of the patient’s coma, a medical team from Huakang Hospital—led by top-tier experts—had now taken over the case. The company promised the public that a fair, thorough, and professional answer would come soon.
Leveraging his connections and influence, Shang Yushang arranged for Bai Mo to be brought in as the lead attending physician under Huakang Hospital’s authority. Bai Mo, accompanied by a team of professor-level specialists, moved in to the hospital where the patient was being treated. All prior treating doctors from the facility were immediately placed in isolation pending investigation.
Meanwhile, Da Zhou made progress on the lead He Changning had provided.
Among the photos posted by “EnchantingLittleDemon” was not only the owner of that small trading company—but also a familiar face: Yin Hao.
Things were beginning to get very interesting.
