"Mengmeng, I really can't help you. I can't gamble my family's assets on the assumption that the Fu family won't make a move," Zhao Xinyu said with a heavy heart, feeling utterly powerless to assist Yang Meng's predicament.
He then hung up the phone and slumped back into his office chair. Since the trending topic exploded, he hadn't left the company. He had convened meetings with all relevant departments to implement all possible countermeasures. Although he knew Yang Meng was behind this, she was a woman he had pursued for so long, and he couldn't bear to be harsh with her. However, if it meant sacrificing everything to oppose Lin Yan with her, he couldn't do it. After a long silence, he finally made up his mind and contacted the person he had reached out to countless times before.
The Xin Chuang building was also brightly lit. The moment the trending topic broke, they began monitoring various data. They contacted marketing accounts to delete posts, hired internet trolls for damage control, and even found celebrities to announce good news. But it seemed all these efforts lost their effectiveness against this trending topic. Even netizens were astonished by how long this news had dominated the trending list. Naturally, discussions under the topic grew, but the comments were no longer one-sided. More people began to view the news rationally.
"Madam Chairman," Fang Zhou entered Lin Yan's home and saw the person who should have been most anxious sitting calmly on the living room sofa, engrossed in a book. The warm yellow floor lamp illuminated the pages, creating a serene and peaceful atmosphere. Seeing this scene, Fang Zhou felt her own agitated state subside.
"You're here!" Lin Yan greeted, closing the book in her hand and placing it on the nearby coffee table.
"Madam Chairman, you're not worried at all! The outside world is in chaos!" Fang Zhou said, walking into the living room and sitting on the sofa opposite Lin Yan before Lin Yan could speak.
"I know," Lin Yan said, slightly rising to pour her a glass of water.
"Then how can you remain so calm? Your composure is truly beyond us mortals." Fang Zhou recalled how Lin Yan had poached her sugar daddy's assistant when she herself was being kept. Having worked for her for so long, she had never seen her flustered. Lin Yan always had a plan. Thus, she understood Lin Yan's calm demeanor.
"I have great faith in your abilities, and this was bound to be revealed eventually. It's the truth, isn't it?" Lin Yan poured herself a glass of water and sat back on the sofa. "I've already explained to my parents, and Song Minghao knows too. I'm not a celebrity, so this kind of negative news doesn't have a significant impact on me."
Lin Yan patiently explained to Fang Zhou. She wasn't the original host, and the online comments couldn't harm her. It only made her parents upset, especially her father, who felt he had dragged his daughter down. If not for his debts and illness, his pampered daughter wouldn't have signed a kept woman contract, nor would she be cursed by so many people now because of it. Lin Yan had persuaded her father for a long time, and also told him that the person who set a trap for their family to go bankrupt was targeting her, which finally reassured her father. As long as her parents were fine, Lin Yan felt she had nothing to worry about. As for Song Minghao, he had known about this for a long time, and he called to comfort her as soon as the news broke. He even said he would come to be with her, but he was filming out of town and was still on his way. With the support of her family and lover, Lin Yan felt there was nothing she couldn't face!
"Why didn't you go after Yang Meng directly? She has plenty of dirt on her too," Fang Zhou asked, confused, finally voicing her question. Lin Yan had the ability to ruin Yang Meng directly, so why the roundabout approach?
"Because I'm not her. And isn't it more interesting to let someone climb to a high position and then fall, watching her struggle in vain, ultimately to no avail?" Lin Yan took a sip of water and said with a slight smile. She disdained using the method of ruining someone's reputation to deal with them. If she wanted to deal with someone, she would suppress them in the area they cared about most, making them live under her shadow. She had the ability and the strength. For Yang Meng, destroying her support system was equivalent to cutting off her roots. Then all her achievements would be like castles in the air. It was more effective to leave such a person without support than to confront her directly. Moreover, as long as she remained in a high position, jealousy would distort her appearance.
Fang Zhou's heart trembled, making her feel even more that her boss was not to be trifled with. Fortunately, she was on the same side as Lin Yan.
"You didn't come here just for this, did you?"
"Ah! Yes. Zhao Xinyu called me, saying he wanted to apologize to you. Yang Meng got the evidence from him. He admits he's no match for the Fu family and you, so he called to beg for forgiveness and asked me to inquire what you would accept to let him go." Fang Zhou didn't hide anything and directly relayed Zhao Xinyu's request.
"Zhao Xinyu?" Lin Yan found information about him from her distant memories. "I almost forgot about him. But only he would have that evidence," Lin Yan mused.
"How do you plan to deal with him?" Fang Zhou hesitated, unsure if she should intercede for her former boss. After all, despite his past troubles, Zhao Xinyu had treated her quite well.
"Tell him this: I don't blame him much. After all, he was used as a pawn. Besides, he paid for my father's hospital expenses. Just for that, I won't blame him even if he did something," Lin Yan said. Although Zhao Xinyu had signed a kept woman contract with her, he hadn't done anything. Moreover, he had switched hospitals for Lin Father and covered the medical expenses. This was equivalent to helping her during her most difficult time. Her pride wasn't that strong, so she saw no reason to target Zhao Xinyu.
"Then I'll thank you on his behalf, Madam Chairman, for your generosity." Fang Zhou breathed a sigh of relief for Zhao Xinyu. It was fortunate that Zhao Xinyu hadn't done anything back then, or he would have had nowhere to cry now. However, knowing that Lin Yan wouldn't go after him, she could report back. This also strengthened her resolve to stand by Lin Yan and work for her. She believed that someone who could forgive Zhao Xinyu would treat her even better.
Just as she finished speaking with Lin Yan and was about to leave, the sound of a door opening was heard. Fang Zhou wondered who would be visiting Lin Yan so late, and who even had Lin Yan's home password. Turning her head, she saw Lin Yan standing up from the sofa, looking at the door with a look of pleasant surprise.