Tang Yiyi finished reading the news and then checked the comments. As expected, nearly all the comments were scolding her. Some people even regretted not having ceased doing business with the Tang Family earlier! Many were clamoring for the Tang Family to be expelled from the Food Empire, and there were plenty of followers, causing the situation to escalate further.
After such news came out, those who dared to trust and support Tang Yiyi were extremely rare. Once they appeared, they would be besieged and mocked by online trolls.
Tang Yiyi ignored the online comments and instead assigned a task to the system to infiltrate the network and investigate the accounts of those trolls, as well as those of the previous guards, doctors, "witnesses," and reporters.
Then, holding her personal terminal, she went through her private messages one by one, directly blocking the malicious ones and following those who offered encouragement and trust. Call her stupid or stubborn; at such a time, she just wanted to see how many people still trusted her and were willing to stand by her!
The next day, another interview video surfaced online. However, this time, the interviewees weren’t "witnesses" or relatives of the injured but rather Sun Jian’s troublesome relatives!
In the video, Sun Yao, Wang Fang, and their children, Sun Wu and Sun Wen, tearfully recounted how they’ve taken care of Sun Jian over the years, Sun Jian’s cold-heartedness, and Tang Yiyi’s arrogance!
Tang Yiyi couldn’t help but coldly laugh while watching these four people in the video. She still had the apology video from last time! Truly, they asked for it! Did they really think that appearing in an interview would scare her? Do they think she’s so easy to bully? Or have they simply forgotten the lesson they learned last time?
Whether it’s the so-called injured and their families or these choice individuals from the Sun Family, Tang Yiyi didn’t take them seriously. They were merely pawns Xiong Wei had thrown out to test the waters, not worthy opponents. The person she aimed to deal with had always been just one, and that was Xiong Wei!
She already held evidence against these people, which could turn the tables once released. But Xiong Wei was hidden too deep, and this evidence couldn’t affect him! She had to wait a little longer to find evidence sufficient to bring down Xiong Wei to completely resolve this issue!
With the system’s help, she had already obtained proof of recent transactions into those accounts and even traced it to the other party’s account. However, the account holder was not Xiong Wei, but rather a surrogate manager of one of his restaurants. Even if the evidence was brought forth, Xiong Wei could easily place all the blame on the surrogate.
Moreover, this surrogate manager was the one who had sent private messages to Tang Yiyi. Clearly, Xiong Wei had already found a scapegoat when plotting this matter.
As time passed, things escalated. Not only was the online community in an uproar, but Tang Yiyi’s real-life was also being disrupted. Since the second day someone threw garbage at her house, every day afterward, people deliberately came to throw garbage at her place. The once beautiful villa had turned into a filthy mess!
Plus, with the high temperature, the garbage kept fermenting, filling the air with a foul odor!
The villa’s entrance was blocked, so Tang Yiyi simply stopped leaving and had the system monitor and record everyone who threw garbage. She sealed the windows and stayed inside, and the outside stench didn’t affect her.
But those outside, seeing that she didn’t even dare to step out, became even more rampant. News about the situation refreshed daily online, and the journalists even created a follow-up report, frequently interviewing the so-called injured relatives and those odd members of the Sun Family, along with footage of the injured lying motionless in the intensive care unit, and interviews with doctors and nurses, as if afraid the public wouldn’t know how severe the injuries were or how the condition was worsening!
Tang Yiyi continually had the system search for evidence against Xiong Wei. Xiong Wei was extremely cautious, with no direct involvement in this incident, making it difficult to find evidence against him. Later, Tang Yiyi simply changed her strategy to have the system search online. With so much content online, finding evidence of Xiong Wei’s crimes was no easy task, but after several days of meticulous work, the system finally found incriminating evidence against Xiong Wei!
With these items, Tang Yiyi finally held the upper hand, ready to turn the tables whenever she wished! However, just as she was pondering her next move, she suddenly received two strange private messages.
She had received many private messages lately, most filled with insults, save for a few offering support. Yet the two messages received today were distinctly different. One claimed to have a way to help her, and the other sent a file package with just five words - "Lend a helping hand."
Tang Yiyi didn’t know who these two were, but a sense of caution instinctively rose within her. She had the system investigate the senders’ identities upon receiving the messages. Tracking the first one proved easy; he was a 16-year-old boy named Pang Zhi, residing in the Qinghe City Central District, with an evidently unusual background.
What made Tang Yiyi wary was that the second person was very mysterious, seemingly a highly skilled hacker, as even the system couldn’t trace his identity!
In her view, this mysterious person was clearly much more dangerous than Pang Zhi. Moreover, Pang Zhi’s online name was "Too Handsome for You," frequently visiting her business and sending daily messages of comfort after her incident.
So despite her doubts and caution, Tang Yiyi tried sending a private message to Pang Zhi - Why are you helping me?
Soon she received Pang Zhi’s reply - I like your food and don’t want the Tang Family to go bankrupt.
Seeing this sentence, Tang Yiyi was somewhat touched, yet even so, she didn’t easily trust him and continued to probe - You’ve seen the news online, right? I’m infamous right now. Are you sure you want to help me? Aren’t you afraid I’m a bad person?
Soon enough, she received another reply from Pang Zhi - I like your food, and I know Xiong Wei isn’t a good person. I also know that this incident is his doing.
Tang Yiyi wasn’t sure if he was deliberately testing or truly intending to help her, but she couldn’t help asking - How do you plan to help me? What are your conditions?
Pang Zhi’s reply was quick - I can’t do anything about Sun Jian’s situation, but I have a lot of money and can help you pay off your debts, as a way to invest in the Tang Family.
Tang Yiyi chuckled. Though still unsure whether he harbored ill intent, it was apparent that this Pang Zhi, or those behind him, also had their sights set on the Tang Family!
She thought for a moment and replied to Pang Zhi - Come meet me now, and we’ll discuss the cooperation. (To be continued. If you like this work, please go to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)