The Sweetest Marriage Ch.350

Chapter 350 – Hard to Control

Breakfast was quickly finished. As Chen Yunlan lowered his head to tidy up the bowls and chopsticks, a small red dot on his neck was revealed.

Chen Li noticed it but didn’t foolishly assume it was a mosquito bite. He felt curious but refrained from asking about it.

“Dad, you worked late last night. Take some rest,” Chen Li said. “I’m not going to school today; I’ll take care of Qiuqiu.”

Chen Yunlan was indeed tired and wasn’t sure what Xie Chunsheng had been eating. Being over fifty, his waist still felt like a motor. Last night was quite intense, leaving him feeling as if he’d been run over by a truck. Any slight movement caused immense soreness.

With Chen Li looking after Qiuqiu, Chen Yunlan felt a bit more at ease. Still, he washed the dishes on the table before retiring to his room to rest.

Once Chen Yunlan was out of the living room, Chen Li asked Qiuqiu mysteriously, “Qiuqiu, do you think that person might be Uncle Xie?”

Qiuqiu had no idea what Chen Li was saying and simply brought the chew toy to Chen Li’s mouth, prompting an “Ah.”

Chen Li rubbed Qiuqiu’s head, pondered for a while, and concluded that the person with Chen Yunlan last night was indeed Xie Chunsheng.

After all, during this period, Xie Chunsheng had been quite close to Chen Yunlan. Reflecting on Xie Chunsheng’s kindness during this time, Chen Li felt it wouldn’t be bad if this person became another father figure to him.

“Qiuqiu, you’re going to have another grandpa soon,” Chen Li said with a smile.

“Pa pa,” Qiuqiu understood “grandpa” and repeated it, pointing chubby fingers towards Chen Yunlan’s room.

*

The online public opinion had been fermenting for over two months, and Wei Chen was one of the targets of public scrutiny.

However, within Changfeng Group, things were calm. Apart from a few new employees who occasionally gossiped about Wei Chen, the veteran staff paid no attention. They even treated online rumors as a joke.

Every longtime employee knew what Wei Chen had done for Changfeng Group in recent years. His position as the general manager was due to his exceptional abilities, not any supposed powerful backers.

As for the accusations of Wei Chen using his influence for nefarious deeds, that was even more laughable.

The general manager, although usually wearing a cold expression and seeming aloof, was the most fair-minded leader, drawing a distinct line between personal and professional matters. The idea of him scheming to take over someone else’s property might be plausible for others, but Wei Chen? Most of Changfeng Group’s employees chuckled at the thought. With Wei Chen’s capabilities, he could earn anything he wanted without resorting to seizing others’ assets. It was simply not worth the effort.

Thus, while the public opinion was against them, Changfeng Group operated smoothly, unaffected by the rumors. Likewise, Wei Chen remained unaffected, ensuring that all planned collaborations continued as scheduled.

However, on this particular workday, Wei Chen encountered a minor difficulty. Just as he arrived at the company’s entrance, he was intercepted by someone.

“Mr. Wei, hello. Do you have a moment to accept my interview? I’m from XX Newspaper,” said the middle-aged man, extending a recording pen toward Wei Chen.

“I’m sorry, I don’t entertain any interviews,” Wei Chen directly refused.

The journalist before him lacked press credentials, and Wei Chen hadn’t heard of the newspaper he claimed to represent. There was also another person filming with a phone beside him.

Their intentions were crystal clear to Wei Chen. Indeed, these weren’t legitimate journalists but rather independent media that had previously interviewed the three members of the Chen family, gaining significant attention. Now, they had set their sights on Wei Chen.

Sure enough, they were stationed at Changfeng Group’s entrance early in the morning, finally encountering Wei Chen.

At that moment, the other person was live-streaming on their phone. Hundreds of thousands of onlookers in his Weibo live chat eagerly awaited a glimpse of this alleged ruthless property usurper, the man who could manipulate anyone and everyone, the “number one villain” of the country.

As Wei Chen’s figure appeared in the live stream, the chat exploded:

“He’s here, he’s here!”

“Why does he look kinda handsome?”

“Agree with the comment above, anyone feeling the aura of a domineering CEO?”

Among these comments were also some extremely rude messages insulting Wei Chen’s lineage over eighteen generations, showing a deplorable side of the audience.

At the entrance of Changfeng Group, Wei Chen declined the middle-aged man’s request. However, the man persisted, using his hefty frame as a barrier and aggressively questioned, “Wei Chen, are you refusing the interview because you’re guilty? Why did you push the Chen family to such a point? Are you willing to disregard the law for your own gain?” His questions followed one after another, devoid of fairness, with a predetermined outcome.

Wei Chen remained unresponsive, striding past the man and heading towards Changfeng Group. The man attempted to follow, but the security guards blocked him. “Sir, please leave,” they insisted.

Disappointed, the middle-aged man reluctantly retreated, facing the live stream camera, “You’ve seen it. Wei Chen refuses my interview. Isn’t this a sign of guilt, as I’ve said?”

He then delivered a suggestive commentary, subtly fueling the audience’s hatred in the live stream, attracting attention to himself once again.

The live chat was filled with derogatory remarks, but Wei Chen paid no heed. Upon reaching his office, he delved into work, unaffected by the online uproar.

However, due to this live broadcast, the online public opinion surged again, each wave more intense than the last.

Although the middle-aged man felt disappointed for not getting any explosive material for the day’s interview, he was pleased to see an increase in his social media followers.

He was determined to pursue this matter further!

Meanwhile, Lu Xiuran scrolled through the comments, his grin widening as the insults grew harsher. He eagerly anticipated the pressure building on Chen Li and hoped it would force Changfeng Group to dismiss Wei Chen.

When his phone rang, Lu Xiuran’s smile never faded. Seeing the caller ID from the Chen family, he assumed they wanted to commend him for handling the public opinion war so brilliantly.

Excitedly answering the call, he was met not with praise but furious berating, “Lu Xiuran, look at what you’ve done! You need to find a way to control the public opinion now! This can’t escalate any further!”

Lu Xiuran’s smile froze. “Why? The public opinion is at its peak now. Even if Chen Li and Wei Chen are rock-solid, they won’t withstand this. Suppressing the public opinion now would make our efforts futile!”

Lu Xiuran firmly believed that public opinion could destroy a person, and now that public opinion was favoring their side, why should they give up?

On the other end of the phone call, Chen Yunqi felt somewhat frustrated—why did he always team up with such inept allies?

The online evolution of public opinion had become terrifying. This terror wasn’t just directed at Wei Chen; it was aimed at them too. With the influential Sheng family and the revered Qu family backing Chen Li and Wei Chen, the usual approach during an online uproar would involve controlling the narrative. For the Sheng and Qu families, manipulating public opinion was a piece of cake.

But why hadn’t they intervened? Why were they allowing the public opinion to escalate? This defied logic. There had to be something schemed behind the scenes by the Sheng and Qu families.

This realization struck Chen Yunqi as he listened to the online chatter. Moreover, they were fully aware that not all the online information was accurate.

Initially, their intention was merely to exploit the situation using public opinion after learning about Chen Li’s condition, attempting to divert Wei Chen’s attention. But now, everything was spiraling out of control.

The online sentiment had escalated to an alarming extent. The netizens’ anger had been completely aroused. If these netizens were to realize that what they’d been passionately condemning for over two months was all orchestrated and not genuine, manipulated by someone, they’d feel manipulated and played for fools. The backlash from such realization would be even fiercer and uncontrollable.

Suddenly, Chen Yunqi thought of this perspective and immediately ordered his subordinates to suppress the public opinion. However, at this point, the situation had spiraled beyond control. Attempting to forcefully suppress it would only trigger a larger backlash. Chen Yunqi found himself in a dilemma.

Therefore, it was up to Lu Xiuran, the one who had sparked the public opinion, to find a way to quell the current online narrative. However, there were some matters unsuitable for the direct intervention of the Chen family. At this stage, the Chen family needed a scapegoat, and Lu Xiuran was the perfect candidate.

Would that even be considered a scapegoat? After all, this public opinion was triggered by Lu Xiuran himself.

The Chen family, naturally, didn’t want to explain this to Lu Xiuran. They simply instructed him to suppress the public opinion without any explanation and then hung up the phone. Lu Xiuran was unwilling and had a somewhat malicious look in his eyes.

Now, letting go is absolutely impossible for him. The public opinion has escalated to this extent, and with a little more push, both Chen Li and Wei Chen would be done for! At this stage, the Chen family’s help isn’t necessary at all.

Thinking this way, Lu Xiuran once again spent money to hire a group of internet users to manipulate the situation online.

However, Lu Xiuran was unaware that after that phone call, the Chen family had cut off contact with him, trying to maneuver themselves out of this public opinion storm.

It has to be said, the Chen family is cunning. Just as some started noticing their actions, they slipped away even further.

Some people are naive, not realizing they’re being used as tools. Lu Xiuran is one of them, and even the three in the distant Shanghai are part of this group. They’re still taking pride in guiding the public opinion, not realizing they’re mere pawns in the Chen family’s plan.

Now that the Chen family has sensed trouble, they immediately abandoned these insignificant chess pieces.

In a short time, those who were recently enjoying their success will experience despair once again, even more intensely than before.

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