The Domineering Older Man Snatches His Cold And Aloof Wife - Chapter 4

Lou Qingshuang had no idea how she had managed to walk out of there. The blood rushed to her head, leaving her feeling dizzy and utterly at a loss for what to do…

Lou Qingshuang didn’t know how she made it out. Her mind was buzzing with a deafening ring, and a crushing pressure weighed heavily on her head. She was at an absolute loss, not even knowing who she could talk to about this.

She couldn’t even speak the truth aloud, no one would believe her anyway. After all, this was Liu Yu we were talking about, someone who truly stood far above the clouds.

Even now, Lou Qingshuang could still feel the phantom sensation of someone gripping her hand. She raised her right hand and stared at it for a long while, the red handprint had already faded. Finally, she tossed the room key card straight into the trash can, threw her shoulders back, and walked toward the venue with her head held high.

Inside the venue, Bai Wan was caught in a three sided ambush by reporters. Quite a few of them swarmed her, shoving microphones forward and clamoring, “President Bai, how do you respond to the allegations made by Lan Dai?”

Bai Wan raised her hand to suppress the noisy commotion. “Our Wanshuang disdains plagiarism. From the moment Wanshuang was founded until now, every single one of our formulas has been fully documented and verifiable. Lan Dai’s accusations seem more like a deliberate attempt to disrupt the competition. After all, as you all know, the results are scheduled to be announced in just five minutes.”

Bai Wan directly escalated the matter, framing it as a calculated corporate war and dragging the conspiracy theory out into the light of day to divert everyone’s attention and spark suspicion among consumers.

By the time Lou Qingshuang approached, the reporters were already being escorted over to the designated press area by the venue security.

Seeing Lou Qingshuang return, Bai Wan let out a sigh of relief. “Shuangshuang, what did that industry giant Liu talk to you about?”

Thinking back to that female Alpha who had pressed so dangerously close to her, Lou Qingshuang felt a wave of unspeakable complicated emotions. Forcing herself to cheer up, she covered up the truth and replied, “She didn’t ask anything. She just chatted with me for a couple of words and then let me come back.”

Bai Wan looked a bit disappointed. If only someone of Liu Yu’s stature were willing to say a single word for them, perhaps their precarious situation would instantly turn around.

But what she didn’t know was that getting Liu Yu to speak always came with a price.

Furthermore, once they became entangled with Liu Yu, the public speculation surrounding Wanshuang Company would take on a completely different, distorted narrative.

“Let’s wait for the results first.” Bai Wan pulled the exhausted Lou Qingshuang down to sit beside her. Lou Qingshuang held Bai Wan’s hand and, with great foresight, warned her, “No matter if the results are good or bad in a moment, we are going to get dragged through the mud. You must stay steady.”

Bai Wan nodded solemnly, though her heart was tightly gripped by anxiety. Lan Dai was acting completely devoid of human decency.

Under this double onslaught, regardless of how they placed, Wanshuang Company had been pushed onto the chopping block. One wrong move and they would never be able to stand back up.

Standing by the window on the third floor, Liu Yu looked down at Lou Qingshuang.

“Chairwoman, Ms. Lou threw the card away,” the assistant secretary reported, respectfully placing the cleaned key card onto the office desk.

Liu Yu didn’t say a word. She simply narrowed her eyes, watching the woman who had looked somewhat dejected just moments ago quickly pull herself together to comfort the person beside her. The two of them stood tall and straight like warriors, confronting the impending battle with heads held high.

The corner of Liu Yu’s mouth, which usually remained strict and unsmiling, curled up into a smirk, her eyes glinting with a deep, amused interest.

This was the very first time she had been rejected twice.

Or rather, in her entire life, she, Liu Yu, had never been rejected by anyone. This was a first.

How interesting.

“Chairwoman, the results have been announced. Wanshuang Company won. Lan Dai has already posted various pieces of evidence on their official Weibo accusing Wanshuang Company of plagiarism. They are continuously buying trending topics, and many influencers with millions of followers are speaking up on Lan Dai’s behalf.” The assistant placed the organized files onto the office desk, waiting for Liu Yu to review them.

“Lan Dai is an established, old-brand corporation after all, their fan base and consumer demographics are incredibly stable. Wanshuang Company might not be able to withstand this wave of impact,” the assistant offered her analysis for Liu Yu’s consideration.

“She has a backup plan.”

Liu Yu’s abrupt, cryptic statement caused Zhu Yan to instinctively ponder what Ms. Lou’s backup plan could be, and how they should handle the subsequent developments of this matter.

Liu Yu had noticed the sharp composure in Lou Qingshuang’s eyes. Recalling their earlier encounter, though the woman had been afraid, she hadn’t shown excessive panic. It was glaringly obvious that Lou Qingshuang had already figured out how to handle the aftermath.

Thinking of that woman who was completely enveloped in the scent of roses, Liu Yu couldn’t help but take a deep breath, as if she could smell that aroma all over again.

As for her, she only needed to help fan the flames a bit.

“Have you uncovered the other information I asked you to investigate?” Liu Yu turned around and inquired.

“It’s still being compiled, it will take a day or two,” the assistant replied after checking the progress report.

“Fine. Once the data is ready, deliver it directly to the office,” Liu Yu said casually, preparing to take her leave.

Downstairs, there would be people protecting Lou Qingshuang.

As soon as the news broke that Wanshuang Group had advanced to the finals, a horde of reporters swarmed over. The representatives from Lan Dai Group looked incredibly sullen. Many reporters, never ones to miss out on drama, pressed forward to ask Lan Dai Group what their thoughts were.

“Plagiarists will eventually face their own backlash,” the head of Lan Dai snapped viciously before storming off with his subordinates.

They had lost the competition and had to clear out. For an established brand to lose to a newly emerged label was an utter humiliation.

Wanshuang Group had to be crushed to death under their boots; only then would Lan Dai have a chance to rise again. They absolutely had to win this public relations war and commercial battle.

The online warfare had already erupted. Lan Dai held the upper hand at every turn, leaving Lou Qingshuang and Bai Wan in a very passive position.

The two women hadn’t even stepped out of the venue before distributors and branch offices from various regions began calling to demand explanations. Some shopping malls were even starting to pull their products from the shelves.

The public sentiment online was completely one sided. Lan Dai’s mastery of the media narrative had successfully propped up their own company’s reputation.

For a time, the internet was filled with a singular chorus of insults directed at Wanshuang, with all kinds of calculated smear campaigns hitting them one after another.

Sitting in the car, Lou Qingshuang and Bai Wan looked at the online reviews, their faces tight and grim. “Shuangshuang, can we survive this wave?” Bai Wan’s heart bled as she looked at the barrage of abuse. The statements they had issued weren’t doing a single thing to help.

“Let’s wait it out for a day or two to let the initial heat die down. The public’s outrage will naturally dwindle over time. Meanwhile, we need to formally file a lawsuit against Lan Dai,” Lou Qingshuang formulated a plan in her mind.

Lou Qingshuang’s gaze was fiercely cold, cold enough to kill. She didn’t know if Liu Yu was ultimately involved in this. If Liu Yu had a hand in it… Lou Qingshuang couldn’t help but close her eyes. If she really was involved, then they were like a small boat thrust into a vast ocean, the other party could obliterate their company with a casual flick of her wrist.

Thinking back to that room key card she had thrown away, Lou Qingshuang felt a mixture of disgust and deep anxiety.

The objective Liu Yu wanted to achieve through this incident had already been met, she wanted Lou Qingshuang to come and beg her of her own accord.

Wanshuang Company was not just the hope of Lou Qingshuang and Bai Wan, it was also Lou Qingshuang’s ultimate trump card to turn her life around.

The amount of energy and painstaking effort she had poured into Wanshuang Company was immense. Furthermore, Lou Qingshuang had other unspoken matters that required the backing of Wanshuang Company.

She would not stand by and watch the company collapse.

Lou Qingshuang would come to beg her.

Liu Yu was absolutely certain of this. She took pleasure in slowly tightening her palm, firmly grasping what belonged to her.