Hua Yiwu never expected this matter would escalate to the point of police involvement. Initially, he thought this would be just another online dispute, with his powerful PR team easily resolving the crisis as always.
But he quickly realized he had underestimated Ms. Zhu, as his PR team became ineffective, and the methods they used in the past no longer worked!
The PR team frantically dug up dirt on Ms. Zhu, desperately trying to smear her, while Hua Yiwuâs fans also mobilized en masse to manipulate comments and fuel online backlash against Ms. Zhu. Normally, a lone woman would have succumbed and admitted defeat. But not Ms. Zhu; she seemed ready to fight to the bitter end.
After seeing the mud-slinging fail, the PR team then attempted to buy their way out of trouble, offering money to quell the incident, but Ms. Zhu refused, stating that she didnât want money, only Hua Yiwuâs downfall!
If money canât solve the problem, it truly becomes a tricky situation.
In reality, Hua Yiwuâs so-called powerful PR was just a three-pronged strategy, and when those strategies couldnât subdue the opponent, it meant they were out of options.
Hua Yiwu considered, in the worst-case scenario, to face the opponent in court, holding on to the hope that firstly, the opponent wouldnât have any evidence, as he was very careful in his misdeeds and left no evidence, and secondly, he had money to hire the best lawyers. In a legal battle, he felt confident he could win!
As long as he won the lawsuit, everything would be safe.
He never expected that his mother would call the police at this time.
With the police intervening in the investigation, the nature of the matter changed!
Hua Yiwu broke out in a cold sweat.
Mrs. Hua was also startled by Hua Yiwuâs reaction: "What are you talking about, my dear son, why do you say Iâve harmed you, Iâm just trying to help you deal with that little bitch!"
Hua Yiwu was frantic: "You donât understand! You donât understand anything!"
Mrs. Hua said: "Whatâs going on, dear son? You havenât done those bad things; what are you afraid of? Sheâs the one extorting, and the police will only arrest her.
Hua Yiwu was anxious and didnât know how to explain to his mother; he didnât want to tell her the truth.
After a long time, Hua Yiwu finally calmed down. Things had come to this, and he could only comfort himself. Even if the police intervened, as long as Ms. Zhu didnât have evidence, they couldnât do anything to him. For now, he needed to prepare for the police investigation.
Thinking positively, if he could get through the police investigation, there wouldnât be any need for a lawsuit with Ms. Zhu, and he could claim victory in advance.
Mrs. Hua asked concernedly: "Dear son, what are you worried about?"
Hua Yiwu forced a smile: "Nothing, Mom."
Mrs. Hua said: "Dear son, you panicked when you heard me say to call the police to arrest that little bitch; do you still have feelings for her? Why pity this bitch; she should be locked up!"
Hua Yiwu said: "No, Mom, how could I have feelings for her? I wish she were dead!"
Mrs. Hua said: "Anyway, listen to me, let me handle this, and I also need to report back to Mr. Wei."
At this moment, Wei Jiansheng was busy handling affairs at Wangu Group. Since his elder brother, Wei Jisheng, fell out of favor, he had become his fatherâs right-hand man and spent every day busy with work, with no time to deal with Hua Yiwuâs issues.
As Hua Yiwuâs problem remained unresolved, Wei Jiansheng became somewhat annoyed and simply let them handle it themselves.
A call came in; it was Mrs. Hua.
Wei Jiansheng answered the call: "Xiaohuaâs mother, howâs it going?"
Mrs. Hua said: "Mr. Wei, the matter can soon be resolved. I specifically came to share this good news with you."
Wei Jiansheng responded with an "Oh": "Whatâs the situation?"
Mrs. Hua said: "That little bitch surnamed Zhu contacted me today, demanding 700,000 in hush money. After bargaining, she agreed to 100,000. I wired the money to her, then called the police to report extortion, with solid evidence, so this little bitch will soon be jailed."
Wei Jiansheng was stunned, sensing something was amiss: "Wait, that doesnât seem right. Are you sure itâs her who contacted you for money? Because I tried this tactic myself, but the opponent resolutely refused the money, saying they didnât want it. Why did she suddenly change her mind?"
Mrs. Hua said: "Itâs just the little bitchâs trick. Her ultimate goal is to get money. She definitely restrained herself because of our lawyerâs letter, so she directly asked for money for it to be over."
Mrs. Huaâs argument seemed reasonable, but Wei Jiansheng still felt something was off: "Was it that bitch herself who approached you?"
Mrs. Hua said: "It wasnât her personally. She sent someone to negotiate with me. Rest assured, Mr. Wei, I verified this personâs identity. The bank account they provided is indeed hers; there wonât be any mistake."
At this time, a secretary knocked on the door: "Mr. Wei, Mr. Xu, the president of Da Jin Group, has arrived."
Wei Jiansheng nodded: "You entertain Mr. Xu first; Iâll be there soon."
He was eager to meet his guest and wasnât in the mood to think much about Hua Yiwuâs affair, saying: "Letâs leave it at that; keep me updated with any developments."
Wei Jiansheng hung up after this instruction.
Standing up, he prepared to meet his guest but suddenly recalled something, ultimately picking up his phone to make a call: "Itâs me; help me investigate Hua Yiwu, I want to know what heâs been up to, reply to me as soon as possible."
Despite Hua Yiwu assuring him multiple times that he hadnât assaulted women while drunk, the persistent pursuit by Ms. Zhu made Wei Jiansheng suspicious, needing confirmation that Hua Yiwu hadnât done such a thing.
After making the call, Wei Jiansheng went to greet his guest.
Once Wei Jiansheng finished entertaining his guest, it was already dark.
The secretary reported that Cherry Entertainmentâs PR manager needed to urgently contact him.
Wei Jiansheng returned to the office, called back the PR manager: "Whatâs up?"
The PR manager said: "The woman surnamed Zhu is causing trouble again. She posted a thousand-word essay online denouncing Hua Yiwu, stating she wants a decisive battle with him, demanding he publicly apologize within 24 hours and announce his withdrawal from the entertainment industry. Itâs shocking the internet now."
Wei Jianshengâs expression changed: "What?"
He hurriedly picked up his phone and went online, and indeed, Ms. Zhu had already become the top trending topic on Weibo.
In Ms. Zhuâs latest Weibo post, her elaborate, thousand-word manifesto accused and condemned Hua Yiwu, demanding he hold a press conference within twenty-four hours to publicly apologize to all the female victims and announce his exit from the entertainment industry.
The essay was extremely damaging, containing details about Hua Yiwuâs privacy, with excellent writing that instantly ignited the internet.
Wei Jianshengâs face darkened: "What is this bitch up to? Didnât she already demand the 100,000? Why isnât she keeping quiet!"
At this point, Wei Jiansheng was still in the dark, having fallen into the trap Lin Fan had set.