Chapter 217: The Crisis of Hongyu Group (Part 2)

"What's happening?" Nanrong Wanqing looked out the car window and saw a female reporter lying on the ground, holding her chest, her face contorted with pain.

"You... why did you hit someone?"

The cameraman accompanying the female reporter pointed at Zhong Wei’s group, angrily accusing, "Do you have no respect for the law anymore? Don't think that having money allows you to do whatever you want. This is a society ruled by law. Don't believe me? I’ll sue you!"

Zhong Wei frowned slightly, his face looking unpleasant. "I didn't hit her, I just pushed her, and she was the one who couldn’t stand firmly."

"You're still trying to argue your way out!"

"I..."

"Stop arguing." At this moment, Nanrong Wanqing rolled down the window, stopping Zhong Wei who wanted to retort, and said expressionlessly, "Take her to the hospital, and while you’re at it, apologize to her. We are in a sensitive time; try not to invite any trouble."

"Yes, Chairman."

Seeing Nanrong Wanqing’s face, several reporters swarmed forward, their cameras and microphones thrust in front of her, eagerly asking, "Miss Nanrong, regarding the smuggling incident at Dongling Pier, as the Chairman of Hongyu Group, is there anything you would like to say?"

"This matter is now under police investigation, and I believe they will clear Hongyu Group’s name." After speaking, Nanrong Wanqing closed the car window, shutting out the noisy sounds from outside.

Back at Wealthy Manor.

Nanrong Wanqing went straight to Nanrong Yong’s study, looking at him concentrating on his calligraphy at the desk. She sat quietly by his side without disturbing him.

A few minutes later, Nanrong Yong put down his brush, looked at his granddaughter, and smiled slightly. "I’ve heard about what happened at the company. Someone is targeting us."

"I know."

"There’s an old saying, 'A big tree catches the wind.' Hongyu Group is the leader in East Sea City’s business community, involved in many industries. Though we haven’t created a monopoly, many people have lost their livelihoods because of us. I know there are many in the industry who hate Hongyu Group, but I don’t care because I have no regard for them. In any business, one cannot be too sympathetic; otherwise, the one who will suffer is oneself. Give them an inch, and they’ll take a mile, hoping you’ll give even more. I learned my lesson once before, so I’ve never backed down since. Wanqing, the business world is a battlefield; it’s either you or me, never show mercy."

"Grandfather, what's your advice on this matter?"

"Watch and wait. Whoever took action this time, there’s definitely more than one person involved. They’ve gone to great lengths to frame us, and they won't give up so easily. There's surely more to come, just watch—the play has just begun, and the best part is yet to follow."

Nanrong Wanqing nodded lightly. "I know what to do now." After speaking, she began pushing the wheelchair, turning to leave.

"Wanqing."

"Grandfather, is there anything else?"

"Ling Chen..."

"It was his own decision to resign; it has nothing to do with me."

"Ah, it's a pity," Nanrong Yong sighed deeply. "Ling Chen is a good lad; I had hoped to keep him in the Nanrong Family for the long term."

...

The next day.

Ling Chen got up early in the morning, bought breakfast outside, then headed towards the residential area. As he passed by the newspaper kiosk outside the community, his eyes were suddenly drawn to a newspaper headline.

"Hongyu Group Suspected of Smuggling!"

Seeing the conspicuous headline, Ling Chen was slightly startled, disbelief in his eyes. He picked up the newspaper, flipped through a few pages; aside from East Sea Daily, the several other papers were all reports on the Hongyu Group’s smuggling case.

Buying a few newspapers, Ling Chen hurried back home, reading them in detail.

"Hongyu Group's fortune built on smuggling?"

"The dirty deals hidden in the shadows."

"Nanrong Wanqing angered into violence, directing her subordinates to assault the reporter, causing hospitalization."

"..."

There were an overwhelming number of such headlines, countless of them, all negative news about Hongyu Group.

Ling Chen bit into a baozi, shaking his head in silence. He had only been gone a few days, and so many things had happened to Hongyu Group. He wondered how Nanrong Wanqing was coping now.

As he was pondering, there came a series of knocks at the door, three short and three long.

Opening the door, he saw the chubby Hu Fei standing outside, holding a few recently bought newspapers.

Seeing his face, Ling Chen knew the reason for his visit.

"Come in."

Sitting in the living room and seeing the newspapers on the table, Hu Fei chuckled and said, "I see you’re already in the know; I had especially run over here to inform you."

"Chubby, what’s your take on this?"

"It’s clear someone is after the Nanrong Family." Hu Fei threw the newspapers on the table. "Just look at these papers; they’re all tabloids reporting this. The major media aren’t saying a peep. Hongyu Group has been operating for so many years, and they have good relations with the government and media. They won't make noise without clarifying the situation or fabricating news that would be detrimental to Hongyu Group. The current reports can only be considered rumors, not worth much. But to be honest, Hongyu Group is indeed in big trouble this time."

"What do you mean?"

"The police found smuggled goods worth tens of millions at Dongling Pier, which is solid evidence. Unless you can find proof that someone deliberately set you up, the Nanrong Family will find it difficult to shake off this accusation. Of course, if there’s really no other way, they will have to find a scapegoat to take the blame and preserve the Nanrong Family’s reputation and assets. But the problem is, this crime is not trivial; according to our country’s laws, smuggling goods worth more than 500,000 means at least ten years or life imprisonment. Now that the involved amount is in the tens of millions, it’s likely hard to escape the death penalty. Even if the Nanrong Family is willing to pay, it’s not certain that someone would be willing to take the fall."

Ling Chen nodded; this was indeed a big problem.

"Chubby, do me a favor, look into that batch of smuggled goods. So many items couldn’t have been moved to the pier without anyone noticing."

"Didn’t expect you to still have emotions for the past."

"Speaking of which!" Ling Chen abruptly changed the topic. "Another thing, investigate a person named Nanrong Zhengqing; see if you can gather any information on him."

"Why another person from the Nanrong Family?"

"Nanrong Zhengqing has a nickname, called Snake King."

"It's him?" Hu Fei’s face changed, surprised.

Ling Chen smiled. "Now you’re interested, right?"

"Fine, I’ll go check it out for you right away."

After sending Hu Fei away, Ling Chen returned to the table, contemplating the newspapers spread out before him, his brows furrowing slightly. The Nanrong Family was in trouble at this time, and he couldn’t show himself; thinking of Nanrong Wanqing having to face all this alone, he couldn't help but feel distressed.

He wondered if she had slept well last night.

As he pondered, a device on the table suddenly lit up with a red light.