Chapter 678 - 669: Reminders

Chapter 678: Chapter 669: Reminders

"Seeing is believing, it’s really the first time I’ve seen a boss fire his own wife!"

"They’re treating us like big fools!"

"This is called a punishment? I see no sincerity, just a lot of schemes!"

"This scheme is so loud, I can hear it all the way in Yunnan!"

"Spring is here, Yunnan is once again in mushroom season, take care of yourself, love, don’t eat anything poisonous!"

"You’re talking nonsense, it’s my fault for not cooking it properly, the mushrooms aren’t poisonous, aren’t poisonous [angry]"

"He’s panicking, this Yunnan netizen is panicking, hahaha!"

That night, after seeing Han Bin’s apology video, netizens collectively lost it, leaving comments online before launching into verbal assaults.

After the unsubscribe storm, several Fengyang Restaurants in Jiang City have once again become the focus of online attention.

The big and small online celebrities from Jiangcheng City, casual bystanders, and even influencers from Lin City all came to join the fun, wanting to see this so-called restaurant where a human life is worth less than a dog’s.

In front of several branches of Fengyang Restaurant in Jiangcheng City, crowds were gathering, with the headquarters having the most people.

Many small influencers equipped their gear and started outdoor live streaming at the entrance, forcibly turning this dining place into a so-called influencer check-in spot.

After all, with such high attention on this matter now, it feels wrong to not jump on the bandwagon. As soon as the broadcast starts, gosh, whether it’s a big streamer or a small one, you’ll immediately have a crowd in the live room coming to watch the spectacle, with small gifts occasionally floating in.

Especially for those small influencers, this has much higher engagement than their usual hard-working streams, even giving some the illusion that they might be getting famous.

Meanwhile, some older people in Jiang City, seeing so many people gathered, initially thought someone was handing out free eggs, went happily to join, then left cursing when there weren’t any, even spat on the ground before heading home to look up news online with their kids, and cursed as a family at home.

Isn’t this just smearing Jiang City’s name?

At this moment, all the Fengyang Restaurants in Jiang City have closed collectively, with the owner Han Bin and others sulking elsewhere.

"Boss, bad news, the crowd outside is getting bigger, and the online backlash hasn’t diminished but has actually worsened against us!" a store manager in his thirties said worriedly as he rushed in.

Hearing this, Han Bin’s face darkened to the point where it was hard to see his original expression, he had to admit he miscalculated.

He thought by apologizing and punishing his wife, the situation would be resolved, or at least calm the public a bit, but unexpectedly, it backfired so spectacularly.

Today’s netizens are not as easily fooled as before, not only quickly understanding his intent but also escalating the public opinion in such a short time, now it’s too late to even withdraw the apology.

After a long pause, Han Bin finally spoke: "What should we do now? Old Sun, do you have any suggestions?"

When speaking, Han Bin’s tone was very unpleasant, after all, it was Sun Sheng who advised him to apologize and give his wife some punishment to appease the public, but it backfired so badly, how could he not be angry?

This is typical boss-like thinking, when things go wrong, it’s the subordinates’ fault, when things go right, it’s because the boss led well.

The emperor in ancient times had the same thinking; if he was wrong, even if it was his fault, it couldn’t be acknowledged, because the emperor is always right, the wrong must be the people below.

Hearing this, Sun Sheng also had bitter feelings, thinking, I told you to apologize, give your wife some punishment, but not to handle it like this, he figured this would be the outcome in the beginning, now he really wants to sell his shares, it’s not making money on one’s knees anymore, it’s lying down flat.

"Old Han, in our current situation, doing more is making more mistakes, it’s better to watch and wait, move as little as possible, at worst we’ll shut down for a period of consolidation, wait until the online backlash dies down, then reopen after a bit of refurbishment! As for the staff, it’s best to keep them and continue paying, at least 80% of wages, otherwise we’ll definitely face a manpower shortage when we reopen, hiring waitstaff isn’t easy nowadays." Sun Sheng thought for a while before offering this suggestion.

Originally, by apologizing, although it wouldn’t completely solve the issue, it would show the public their attitude, but now even the apology is useless, so we can only wait for the issue to cool down.

"But if we do that, won’t my apology today be in vain?" Han Bin said in a deep voice.

He was still upset, thinking, why didn’t you say so earlier, now I’m thoroughly embarrassed.

"This can’t be helped, as long as we sincerely apologized, it would at least ease the public opinion, but now we can only wait for it to drop." Hearing Han Bin’s words, Sun Sheng was also somewhat dissatisfied, thinking, I told you to deal with your wife, to give the public an explanation, now you’re blaming me for your mistake? Do you think I have no temper? That’s why his tone was also changing a bit.

Upon hearing this, Han Bin sobered up, realizing he was too emotional, hastily said: "Old Sun, don’t mind me, I’m just in a bad mood, fine, let’s do that, I’ll deal with matters at home meanwhile."

That evening, after Su Qing drove Shen Yi home, he didn’t stay with his girlfriend, but drove back to Jiangming District.

"Yo, son, why are you back, have you eaten?" Seeing her eldest son home, Zhou Hui was quite happy.

Her son has made something of himself, and as a mother, she’s very proud when going out, besides, now her son keeps sending money home every now and then.

Over the years, it’s amounted to millions, and now Zhou Hui feels like she’s leaning towards becoming a wealthy lady.

Now when she goes downstairs to play cards, losing a few tens or hundreds doesn’t make her feel bad at all—everyone in the district knows her son is successful.

"I’ve eaten, where’s Dad?"

"In the study, what’s up?"

"Not much, just came to check in, I’ll go find Dad!"

Soon, Old Su was dragged out of the study by him.

"You kid... coming back is okay, but why drag me?" Old Su said grumpily, looking quite impatient.

"Dad, I’ve told you, the stock market isn’t doing well lately. You should stop fussing over it. After the last turmoil, it will take at least a year and a half to recover. Look at me, I haven’t touched stocks for a long time!"

Su Qing pressed Mr. Su onto the sofa with a smile.

Just now, as soon as he entered the study, he saw Mr. Su still studying the stock market candlestick charts and taking notes.

No need to think, he knew that his strong-willed father, believing he was no less capable than anyone, wanted to pull off a stock market comeback without his help.

And after some attempts, it was clear that he had failed completely, not earning a penny, and even losing twenty thousand. Luckily, he made a good amount last year, so he wasn’t too heartbroken.

"Why bother with him? He has just a little money, and once he loses it all, he’ll settle down. Here, son, have an apple!" Zhou Hui came up with a fruit platter, smiling.

"Thanks, Mom!"

"Hey, don’t be so formal."

Watching the mother and son interact so joyfully, Mr. Su felt as though he had grown a bit more distant from his wife and son, feeling somewhat dejected.

Seeing this, Su Qing couldn’t help but laugh, "Dad, stop thinking about the stock market for now. Why don’t you just go fishing with Uncle Li more often? I’ll let you know when the stock market recovers!"

Hearing this, Mr. Su’s eyes lit up, but he still stubbornly replied, "Do I need tips from you?"

"Then why are you working so hard?"

"Because of you!"

"Because of me?"

Mr. Su then began to explain slowly. It turned out that ever since he recommended a stock at Su Qing’s college last year, the students found out he was Su Qing’s father, and they particularly enjoyed attending his classes. Initially, he was quite happy about it, although many students liked to inquire about his son during class.

But later, even other teachers at the school, especially some finance teachers and professors, came to ask, saying that since his son was so capable, he, as the father, must also have some skills.

Although Mr. Su prided himself on his strength and cared about his face, he knew his own limitations. To avoid embarrassment, he had been cramming financial and stock trading knowledge lately to avoid losing face.

Of course, outwardly he would say the same as Su Qing, that the current stock market wasn’t great and advised people not to invest, but privately, he was indeed studying.

However, hard work and talent ultimately couldn’t beat the blessings of a cheat.

Hearing this, mother and son burst into laughter, and eventually, Su Qing comforted his dad with a few words, saying that Shen Yi had noticed it, which made Mr. Su feel a bit better.

"By the way, Dad, how did things go with the girl from your school who committed suicide last year?" Su Qing suddenly asked.

After all, once everything settled, he hadn’t paid attention. He just remembered it today during the conversation.

"Sigh, how else could it be handled? Those involved were either expelled or given special recommendations for graduate school, and others needed major demerits. Of course, the school wouldn’t just let things escalate."

Hearing this, Su Qing nodded but still sighed inwardly. A good girl was gone, and in the end, her dorm mates got off easy. It really was beyond words.

This result was something he had guessed since the girl deleted him on WeChat. Now it was merely confirmed.

"By the way, you came back after dinner in the middle of the night. Is there something going on?" Mr. Su, observant as ever, noticed something was amiss and asked.

After all, at this time, there shouldn’t be a reason for Su Qing to come back.

Seeing him ask, Su Qing thought for a moment and decided to give his parents a heads-up, as it was the reason he returned.

"Mom, I went to the police station today. Sister Jun went on a mission and arrested thirteen young people about my age on suspicion of online fraud in Qingniu Village and Daoist Manor, with amounts reaching into the millions. Did you hear about it?"

Upon hearing this, both parents were taken aback.

"Qingniu Village and Daoist Manor, aren’t they..." Zhou Hui exclaimed.

Even Mr. Su sat up straight and asked, "What’s going on? Are there people we’re familiar with?"

Qingniu Village and Daoist Manor are very close to their hometown, just the neighboring village, so how could they not know?

Hearing this, Su Qing nodded. "I went to see, and yes, there are some I’m familiar with. Mom and Dad, this case isn’t small. If you get any calls from home recently, don’t agree to any requests recklessly. You know, my current position is quite sensitive, and even minor things can be magnified."

"I’ve already spoken to Sister Jun, and she should also mention it to Uncle Li."

Seeing his serious tone, Mr. Su nodded as well, knowing as an experienced university teacher the importance of the situation.

"That’s fine, anyway, your mom and I aren’t any big officials who can help. How could we easily agree to anything?"

After speaking, the father and son looked at his mom, only to see Zhou Hui looking a bit uneasy, causing both of them to feel a sudden jolt in their hearts.

"Mom? You..."

"Son, Mom received a call today."

The two: ...

...