The Ex-Wife-to-Be Is Acting Weird After Losing Her Memory - Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Song Without Words Seven

What factors must ferment to form a social incident? The answer may be: finding the point that resonates most with ordinary people.

The debt crisis of a huge company might not concern ordinary people, but if it’s extrapolated to an apartment complex, bought with a lifetime of savings, suddenly becoming a stalled project, most people will feel a collective sense of anger.

The large conference room of Tianfeng Technology presented a slightly strange seating arrangement. On the left side of the long table sat white-collar elites from the Group’s PR department, dressed in crisp suits. The main seat on the right, accompanied by Assistant Xiao Chen, was occupied not by Zhen Zhen herself, but by Lu Jiayin in formal attire.

Zhen Ming, who was chairing the meeting, was clearly bothered by Lu Jiayin’s presence, but he quickly composed himself and said in a deep voice: “The situation update ends here. Today, we will mainly discuss the handling measures for this crisis PR.”

After speaking, he subtly glanced in Lu Jiayin’s direction.

Three days ago, two middle-aged men claiming to be “agents for Cheng Changan’s family” appeared at the Zhen Corporation building, asserting that they were there to seek justice for the deceased Cheng Changan and demanding compensation from Tianfeng.

The terms they proposed were indeed surprising to everyone. The two men stated they would not accept any apology, only insisting on a staggering compensation of 30 million RMB, and threatened that if this demand wasn’t met, they would escalate the matter and let the public judge.

Naturally, Tianfeng did not dare to easily agree to this nearly unreasonable request. Aside from the fact that the driving data recorder was still awaiting data recovery and the cause of the accident was not yet clarified, what was more concerning was that the two men were evasive and firmly refused to let Zhen Zhen meet Su Qing and her daughter, which made everyone even more uneasy.

“Mrs. Cheng has been resting in the hospital due to excessive grief these past few days. She doesn’t want to see anyone from Tianfeng, so please don’t force her to come forward,” one of the short men said. “If you truly want to apologize, the best way is to quickly come up with the money.”

This negotiation did not yield the expected results. The two men ignored the PR staff’s persuasion, hurriedly leaving the company with only a curt “we’ll see.”

They weren’t just making idle threats. Soon, an online media outlet, known for its sharp viewpoints and attention-grabbing style, secured an interview with the “victim’s family” of the “Tianfeng incident.” The two men claimed to be Cheng Changan’s good friends from his racing days, and now that the Cheng family was in trouble, they came to help out of loyalty to their friend.

“Our sister-in-law is ill from excessive grief and is bedridden. Changan’s daughter is only seven years old, crying for her father all day. The whole family relies on Changan’s meager salary to live. They are about to starve…” The short man showed a video clip recording the pale and bedridden Su Qing. Little Jin was crying miserably nearby, which indeed elicited sympathy.

This interview, coupled with the highly impactful video footage, immediately sent the netizens waiting behind their screens into an uproar.

[This is too much! The orphan and widow are truly miserable. How can Tianfeng Technology be so irresponsible? Thumbs down!] [The little girl in the video looks about the same age as my daughter. Since becoming a mother, I can’t bear to watch videos like this. I hope they receive compensation and can live well.] Some clear-headed netizens also commented that the investigation was still ongoing, and Tianfeng not immediately following up was likely because they were still negotiating a compensation plan. They argued that people shouldn’t blindly insult a national enterprise that had once brought honor to the country.

This neutral comment was immediately pushed to the front by cynical trolls—

[Sympathizing with the capitalists? Are you sitting in Zhen Zhen’s office and saw something? The family members are already sick and hospitalized. Has anyone responsible even visited them, let alone talk compensation?] [Turning a blind eye, cold and ruthless. Is this how a big company treats employees who risked their lives and even died for it?] Emotions were inflamed. People successively posted new threads, all focusing on Zhen Zhen’s character and past experiences, trying to find evidence that she was a “bad person” by analyzing every detail.

In addition to public discussion forums, these posts also occupied many professional communities related to technology and finance on an unprecedented scale. The combination of a wealthy family heiress and scandalous backstory naturally sparked curiosity in everyone. In a short time, the public image of the name “Zhen Zhen” plummeted.

“The current public opinion response is very untimely. The handling of many trolling posts and false revelations has been very sluggish. I believe the PR department should strengthen monitoring in this area, otherwise the situation will only get worse…” After Zhen Ming finished speaking, Lu Jiayin was the first to express her opinion.

She was present as Zhen Zhen’s authorized representative. After a brief half-day rest, Zhen Zhen immediately plunged into the laboratory with the R&D team to start the data recovery work for the damaged driving data recorder. To help ease her burden, Lu Jiayin proactively offered to help.

Facing Lu Jiayin’s doubts, Zhen Ming first sighed softly before saying: “These are all minor issues. Online posts cannot be completely deleted. Now that Zhen Zhen has been labeled a ‘capital force,’ excessive deletion will only provoke more backlash from netizens… It’s better to let it cool down for a while.”

His words sounded well-founded, but Lu Jiayin still frowned. She said: “My people are monitoring the data daily. The discussion volume has been rising linearly these past few days. If it’s not handled promptly and the relevant authorities flag it, the reputation damage might affect more than just Zhen Zhen…”

She even suspected how Zhen Ming had managed to hold onto his position all these years, but now was not the time to argue with him. She held back her anger and added: “I will synchronize the reports with you every day, but the speed of handling is really too slow…”

“Business incidents and the way you handle things in the entertainment industry are very different,” Zhen Ming said unhurriedly, despite Lu Jiayin’s sharp words. “Zhen Zhen is my younger sister, so of course, I will do my best to look out for her. But the solution lies with the person who caused the problem. We are currently in the wrong, so we should sit down and talk with the other party as soon as possible.”

Lu Jiayin didn’t have much objection to this point. While they couldn’t just agree to the exaggerated compensation, they should at least try to contact Cheng Changan’s family. Furthermore, the evasive attitude of the two agents always made her feel uneasy.

After both sides reached a consensus on communicating with the victim’s family as soon as possible, Lu Jiayin added: “I still insist that online public opinion cannot be ignored. This is not only about Zhen Zhen herself but also concerns the future of the entire Zhen Corporation.”

Zhen Ming nodded perfunctorily, smiling on the surface: “Miss Lu has seen it. I have directly moved my office to Tianfeng to be stationed here. The group has more to worry about than just Tianfeng’s incident. My people are working tirelessly around the clock…”

“I can help.” Lu Jiayin insisted. “Since you are short-handed, my studio can send people to handle public opinion.”

Due to her persistence, Zhen Ming was finally forced to make a concession, reluctantly transferring a portion of the online public opinion handling authority. He said nothing about core media and data support. Lu Jiayin didn’t argue with him; she just wanted to do her best to help Zhen Zhen overcome the current difficulties.

The fermentation of online public opinion was even more severe than they had anticipated.

“I won’t believe it if you say this pace wasn’t premeditated.” Fu Ruyi handed Lu Jiayin a thick stack of documents. “Over the past few days, reports from major media outlets have focused on tracking the truth of the incident, but netizens are acting like they’ve taken gunpowder, swarming to criticize CEO Zhen…”

While sympathy for Cheng Changan’s wife and daughter certainly accounted for some of the mindless criticism, such a one-sided situation seemed familiar to Fu Ruyi, who had been immersed in the tumultuous entertainment industry for years.

Lu Jiayin rubbed her temples. Her eyes were strained from staring at the screen for a long time. She said when she heard this: “I never thought the first time I’d fight anti-fans wouldn’t be for myself, but for her…”

Since her debut a few years ago, she had maintained a cold, distant image, rarely paying attention to online rumors or gossip. Precisely because of this, the staff at her studio were also encountering data work of such immense scale for the first time. Everyone was working around the clock, completely exhausted.

“This can’t go on,” Fu Ruyi said. “The number of trolls posting every day is too high. Our small team is just a drop in the ocean. We need to find more people to help.”

Ding Ding raised her head from the computer and casually agreed: “Exactly. At times like this, I suddenly wish I were the leader of an internet army, raising my arm and summoning three thousand marketing accounts…”

She said this without thinking, but it made Fu Ruyi’s eyes light up.

“Speaking of three thousand marketing accounts, I actually thought of someone who might be able to help us.”

“Who said I have three thousand marketing accounts? That’s slander!”

Qi Yongshan widened her large eyes in the makeup room, looking at Lu Jiayin with a slightly guilty expression: “It wasn’t me, I don’t have them. Those are all fans who genuinely support me!”

Today was the day for the promotional poster shoot for Shadow Light. As an internet surfer, Qi Yongshan had naturally heard the news about Tianfeng Technology. She had originally thought Lu Jiayin might be absent due to the circumstances, but unexpectedly, she was still present.

The crew had received considerable help from Zhen Zhen during the filming period. Therefore, when Lu Jiayin appeared, the main creative team, including Director Long, all came forward to express their condolences. Qi Yongshan stood at the edge of the crowd, watching hesitantly for a long time, but ultimately did not join them.

That annoying Lu Jiayin has so many people concerned about her. If I go up there, I’ll probably be accused of trying to gain publicity. Maybe I shouldn’t bother her.

She was thinking this silently, but unexpectedly, Lu Jiayin suddenly walked up to her and asked: “Do you have time?”

The moment the makeup room door closed, Qi Yongshan felt a little nervous, unsure what Lu Jiayin wanted to say to her. She watched the other woman walk toward her. Before she could even get out a casual “Are you okay,” she was stunned by Lu Jiayin’s next words, her eyes widening.

“I know you do,” Lu Jiayin pinned her between the vanity table and herself. She was a few centimeters taller than Qi Yongshan, and her presence felt somewhat intimidating at the moment. “I genuinely need your help right now…”

Qi Yongshan leaned her back against the edge of the vanity, stuttering but insisting: “Even if you say that, I don’t have…”

“What do you want?” Unexpectedly, Lu Jiayin didn’t get angry as she expected. She merely frowned slightly, still gazing at her intently. “As long as I can do it. Money, resources, or… anything else I can do…”

She thought for a moment and suddenly added: “Except for a couple-ship campaign.”

“I wasn’t planning on running a couple-ship campaign with you!” Qi Yongshan almost jumped up in agitation at her words. She pursed her lips, hesitating repeatedly. She really wanted to steel herself and continue to refuse, but looking at the clear look of pleading on Lu Jiayin’s face, the word “no” suddenly became hard to say.

That annoying Lu Jiayin is so good at playing pitiful… The thought flashed through her mind. She hesitated: “Well… let’s agree first, you must promise never to tell anyone about this…”

A flicker of light appeared in Lu Jiayin’s eyes. She finally showed a rare smile after these past few days. She softly let out a breath: “Thank you.”

Qi Yongshan turned her gaze elsewhere: “Don’t thank me. You forced me to do this…”

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