Transmigrated as the Cannon Fodder Boss of the Disabled Heroine - Chapter 58

Pei Yujiang’s heart tightened, and her body reacted before her mind could, rushing toward the entrance.

A barrage of camera flashes assaulted her face. Even though she was accustomed to live broadcasts, the intense strobe of lights made her instinctively squint.

“Are you Miss Pei?”

“Miss Pei, what are your thoughts on Yue Rong’s substandard products causing skin damage?”

“Will Yue Rong provide an explanation to consumers? Does Ms. Pei plan to offer compensation?”

Microphones and cameras were practically shoved in her face, with some reporters even jostling her shoulders or waving small flags to grab her attention.

The inner doors of Yue Rong were shut, and the receptionist was nowhere to be seen. With Pei Yujiang as the only key figure within reach, none of the journalists wanted to miss this chance to boost their performance, determined to corner her for answers.

Pei Yujiang looked up. The protest banners bore stark red and white lettering, with bold characters declaring: “Shameless Yue Rong’s Third-Rate Products Cause Skin Damage!” The sight made her instinctively frown.

But she knew she was on camera now, with countless eyes, visible and hidden watching her. Since Pei Jinhuai hadn’t appeared, she represented Yue Rong’s public image. The slightest misstep would be seized upon and sensationalized.

Pei Yujiang quickly forced herself to calm down.

Behind the glass door, a tall figure flashed past. Even amid the crush of reporters, Pei Yujiang, tall and long-legged could catch glimpses of the interior. She recognized him immediately as one of Pei Jinhuai’s male assistants more of a bodyguard than an aide.

The assistant swiped his employee card to open the inner door. Before the reporters could surge in, he swiftly closed it behind him and stepped out, firmly but politely using his shoulders to push aside cameras while nodding slightly in acknowledgment.

“Miss Pei.”

He moved to her side, extending an arm to block the aggressive reporters trying to close in. As he escorted her inside, he cleared his throat and announced loudly:

“Yue Rong will provide an explanation. We ask all journalists present to adhere to industry regulations and refrain from jumping to conclusions before the truth is verified. Premature accusations are unwarranted. Yue Rong, like all citizens, is entitled to the protection of national laws, including personal safety.”

His booming voice thinned the crowd around Pei Yujiang, dispersing the swarm of reporters who had been buzzing around her like flies. With a bit of space cleared, she could move more freely, earlier, she had hesitated for fear of collisions escalating the situation.

“Pah! Think you’re so smart just because you’re educated? Yue Rong bullies customers with its size, ruining people’s faces and now silencing them?”

A burly man, clearly the ringleader of the protest, had been shouting the loudest and most obscenely. Now, seeing someone emerge, he quieted slightly.

Neither the assistant nor Pei Yujiang acknowledged him. Once inside, the assistant cast a final glance at the protesters before shutting the door. He gestured for Pei Yujiang to take the elevator.

Pei Jinhuai and the others were waiting in the third-floor office. Pei Yujiang had already spotted her looking down earlier.

The familiar management team sat in their respective seats, tension thick in the air. The tea in their cups remained largely untouched. The heads of both the product and finance departments were present, the atmosphere unbearably heavy.

Pei Jinhuai was the first to break the silence.

The sudden incidents and back-to-back schedule over the past two days had left Pei Jinhuai in poor condition. Though makeup had been applied to brighten her complexion, it had begun to wear thin with no time for touch-ups, making her exhaustion all the more apparent.

For the first time, Pei Yujiang clearly felt the age gap between herself and Pei Jinhuai. Pei Jinhuai had maintained herself well and could easily pass for her elder sister on the street. But with the sudden crisis, it seemed as though a few strands of hair had turned white overnight.

Despite her agitation, Pei Jinhuai still spoke to her in a gentle tone, suppressing her frustration to keep her voice calm:

“Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be resting at home?”

“I’m feeling much better now.”

Pei Yujiang’s previous illness wasn’t a secret, she had taken leave from the company. Otherwise, she would have returned to work as soon as she arrived in Wing City.

Seeing the state of the executives, Pei Yujiang understood the gravity of the situation and cut straight to the chase:

“What’s going on now? Who had the skin reaction? Is there proof it was caused by our products?”

As she spoke, another executive asked sharply:

“Do you know Banana?”

Pei Yujiang nodded.

Banana, whose online handle was “banana,” was a famous beauty influencer with a sizable following. She was known for her product reviews, which extended beyond cosmetics to include store visits though her posts mostly featured aesthetic photos and rarely criticized businesses.

Shops visited by Banana usually received unanimous praise unless the service was outright terrible or something went seriously wrong. In the beauty community, Banana had high credibility. So when she claimed that her skin reaction was caused by Yue Rong’s products, many immediately rallied behind her to condemn the brand.

Aside from her large fanbase, another reason was her generally positive and mild-mannered online presence, which made her more trustworthy to the public.

Yue Rong had been on a decline in recent years but had recently resurged, giving off a “second wind” vibe. Many didn’t want to see the brand thrive, and now that an opportunity had arisen, marketing accounts were flooding the internet with reports, acting as if it were already confirmed that Yue Rong’s products caused the reaction.

Upon arriving at the company, Pei Yujiang’s first move was to secure the premises to prevent protesters from storming in and causing irreversible damage.

Even so, many believed Yue Rong had grown arrogant after its success. With the company preparing for an IPO, conditions nearly met countless competitors were watching closely.

Pei Yujiang pulled out her phone and searched the topic online. The public square was overwhelmingly condemning Yue Rong, with few questioning Banana’s claims. The court of public opinion had turned decisively against them, with obvious bot accounts amplifying the backlash.

Marketing accounts were fueling the fire. Though Pei Jinhuai had mobilized some to counterattack, the exact cause of Banana’s skin reaction was still under further investigation.

Banana went straight to the hospital to obtain a medical certificate, proving that the Yue Rong cosmetics she used contained allergenic ingredients. This alone was enough to convince many people, carrying strong persuasive power. Now, with the need for secondary verification taking time, public opinion remained largely unfavorable for them.

“Can we confirm there are no issues with our product supply chain? Has a thorough inspection been conducted?”

“That much is guaranteed,” the head of the product department replied, sweating profusely. From the moment this incident began, she had sensed impending disaster and had worked overnight with the quality control team to investigate yet no issues were found. “We’ve even requested the products Banana used to be sent for testing. The results are still pending, but the relevant batches have already been pulled from the market.”

The head of quality control was also on the verge of a breakdown:

“Our product testing is extremely stringent. So far, Banana is the only one claiming issues, and she didn’t even consult with us privately, she went straight to exposure and legal action. When I came to work this morning, someone even threw rotten eggs at me at the entrance!”

“Damn it,” the quality control head cursed under her breath. “Who knows if she was paid to sabotage Yue Rong? With Yue Rong on the verge of going public, everyone’s been giving it their all, who wouldn’t want to work for a listed company and get a raise?”

Pei Yujiang also felt it likely wasn’t the fault of these two department heads. The situation was just too bizarre.

Normally, when influencers encountered such issues with a major company, they would first negotiate with customer service. Yet, in this case, customer service hadn’t received any complaints from Banana, no chance to handle the issue before being blindsided by public exposure and legal action.

Now, the heads of the product, quality control, and after-sales departments were all gathered here, with higher-ups equally overwhelmed by this sudden blow.

The only course of action now was to issue a statement and await further notice, then see what the product testing revealed. If they could prove their products were faultless, that would be ideal but Banana had clearly stated in her post that her facial allergies were caused by using Yue Rong cosmetics.

The public loved drama and criticism, and the situation was escalating faster than they had anticipated. Nearly all the top trending hashtags were variations of “Yue Rong Exposed.”

Many comments even claimed they had previously experienced issues with Yue Rong products but had been too intimidated to speak out due to the brand’s stellar reputation and its loyal fanbase including Pei Yujiang’s own followers. Some even argued Yue Rong’s quality was inferior to competitors’, which nearly made Pei Yujiang laugh in frustration.

She had only livestreamed for a short while, how could her so-called fans be so powerful as to silence everyone, preventing them from even raising quality concerns?

Regardless of Yue Rong’s actual product quality, one thing was certain: they were being targeted.

“We’ve already reached out to Banana first thing this morning,” said the head of after-sales, a petite Omega who had weathered storms alongside Pei Jinhuai for over a decade. She had seen all kinds of outrageous tactics, but this one still managed to infuriate her. “But she screenshotted our staff’s messages, claiming Yue Rong might be threatening her.”

“They clearly have no grudge against Yue Rong, so she’s obviously just taking money to do this job while pretending to be innocent. Now many of her fans are attacking Yue Rong’s official account online, accusing us of planning to silence Banana next.”

Zhao Manlin was also present, her delicate brows furrowed. Noticing Pei Yujiang’s distraction, she asked if she had any thoughts on the matter.

Pei Yujiang snapped out of her reverie, glancing first at Pei Jinhuai, then at the numerous people in the room. After some consideration, she decided against voicing her thoughts publicly.

Seeing her hesitation, Pei Jinhuai recognized she had something private to say and signaled for Pei Yujiang to wait. Pei Yujiang’s gaze swept across Zhao Manlin and others before finally locking eyes with Pei Jinhuai again.

Through this silent exchange, Pei Jinhuai understood perfectly. She selected a few trusted veterans to stay while dismissing the others to continue their work.

Those chosen were naturally long-time loyalists. After recent organizational reshuffles that weeded out incompetents, though some now harbored resentment, Pei Jinhuai had carefully calculated these personnel decisions.

The business acumen that built this company wasn’t for nothing. Resettling in the conference room, Pei Jinhuai personally poured fresh tea for everyone before prompting:

“You may speak now.”

She could tell her daughter had insights to share.

Pei Yujiang didn’t beat around the bush: “We all know Fan Nana has backers, but I suspect they’re not purely our business rivals. Remember when I initiated Yue Rong’s flood relief efforts? That already made us stand out.”

Her phrasing was subtle, but the remaining executives understood the reference.

That charitable donation to Wing City hadn’t been simple goodwill being the first to act required reading political winds carefully. Some had even argued with Pei Jinhuai, fearing it would draw unwanted attention from authorities.

One such objector, who’d cursed Pei Yujiang during the heated dispute, was later purged during the restructuring. Pei Jinhuai fiercely protected her own, especially against mediocre employees biting the hand that fed them.

Zhao Manlin set down her teacup: “Are you suggesting Wing City officials want revenge?”

They were aware of the corruption investigation involving local officials. Pei Yujiang’s frontline flood warnings and pioneering relief efforts had exposed the unusual severity of the disaster before others recognized it.

Though briefly celebrated as a model citizen, the recognition faded as quickly as the floodwaters. This episode had originally changed Zhao Manlin’s opinion of Pei Yujiang, leaving a deep impression.

“So Banana is their puppet?” Zhao Manlin voiced the conclusion bluntly.

“Even if they weren’t the ones instigating this, I suspect they might have tampered with the hospital tests. If we can confirm our quality inspections were completely flawless with no possible oversight, then couldn’t it be possible that Banana already altered the product when submitting it for testing adding allergy-inducing substances?”

Pei Yujiang’s thoughts ran deeper. If the hospital was fabricating results out of thin air, she could simply take Banana’s used product for retesting elsewhere to expose the fraud.

But if someone had already tampered with the product itself, retesting elsewhere would yield the same results essentially shooting themselves in the foot. The more they tried to disprove the claims, the more it would backfire, making Yue Rong appear stubborn while the scandal grew worse. Without Pei Yujiang’s insight, no one would have considered this possibility.

The product department head immediately flared up:

“What can we do then? If they’ve already tampered with it, why would they willingly hand it back? Both my team and customer service can guarantee our products are flawless, everything undergoes multiple inspections. It’s impossible for anyone to substitute inferior goods, especially not a single item among mass production lines!”

The thought seemed absurd, and privately, the department head resented both Pei Yujiang and her indulgent mother Pei Jinhuai. How could this happen right before the company’s IPO?

But blaming Pei Yujiang for speaking up earlier was pointless now, the decision had been made long ago with Pei Jinhuai’s partial autonomy and partial consultation, and leadership hadn’t strongly opposed it. Shared responsibility applied here.

“Regardless, our reputation is already deteriorating. The priority is salvaging our public image and stabilizing netizens’ sentiments before this escalates further.”

Even with potential reversals later, the damage would linger public perception was often irreversible.

There was much to do: first confirming their products were indeed flawless to validate other theories.

Pei Yujiang decisively stood up, pushing her chair back:

“You investigate the product first update me immediately with results. Once we confirm our products are faultless, I’ll go live to calm public outrage while amplifying this scandal.”

Her previous approach had also involved escalating matters. After all, Yicheng was just that, a city, not a state or nation. Its leadership could be replaced; their authority wasn’t absolute.

The ensuing 24-hour wait for test results were the most agonizing hours Pei Yujiang had endured in this era. Restless, she muted all irrelevant chats and contacts, then left work to clean her home, hoping chores might soothe her nerves.

Yet shortly after arriving home, the product department head called voice trembling with emotion:

“Boss Pei, they’re saying our product has issues. Secondary allergen testing shows the same results, but all ingredients in our formula meet international standards there’s no way anything exceeds limits. There’s even stuff in there that isn’t in our formula, damn it!”

During this waiting period, they’d been thoroughly inspecting the products. Just as the department head had said, Pei Yujiang believed it impossible for everyone to be so careless. Ingredients not in the procurement list couldn’t have been added during production, Yue Rong’s manufacturing process was strict, with multiple inspection layers.

Pei Yujiang’s brow furrowed. After quickly typing a few messages in the group chat, she opened her laptop:

“I’m going live. You all need to secure that allergen-contaminated cream for ingredient analysis immediately.”

Once Banana Cosmetics gained control of the narrative, this situation would become extremely difficult to handle. As Pei Yujiang entered her password to access the livestream, another call interrupted her. She was about to hang up in irritation when Yu Zhiwan’s name made her pause.

The woman’s voice carried unmistakable exhaustion, her words brief:

“I’ve contacted Mayor Xiang.”

Those few words acted like an adrenaline shot for Pei Yujiang. She immediately played the follow-up voice message containing even shorter phrasing:

“Get ready to open the door. I’m coming. I’ve got everything covered.”

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