CHAPTER 272: CHAPTER 272 THE HE FAMILY GOES BANKRUPT

「He Family.」

He Yun’s expression was grim as he put down the phone.

His secretary kept her head bowed, not daring to look up at him.

He Yun pinched the bridge of his nose. "Find a way to handle public relations."

The secretary wore a troubled expression.

"President He, Miss Fu stated in the live broadcast that she would make the He Family bear the consequences. This was deliberate on Miss Fu’s part. Her influence is immense now. Instead of trying to whitewash the situation, we should be thinking about how to appease Miss Fu."

He Yun glared at her.

The secretary immediately fell silent.

"Get the PR department to suppress public opinion immediately! Otherwise, you’re all fired!"

After leaving the office, the secretary relayed He Yun’s orders to the PR department. Then, she resolutely opened a document to write her resignation letter.

She didn’t want to spend another day in this mess.

The management, from top to bottom, was foolish. Working for such leaders, no matter how hard employees toiled, they would still think it wasn’t enough.

There were simpler solutions, yet these leaders stubbornly refused to apologize.

Besides, how could their company’s PR possibly outdo Fu Bing’s PR team?

What wishful thinking!

Question: How long does it take for a dilapidated building to collapse?

Answer: A gentle push is all it takes.

It took Fu Bing one week to bring down the He Family.

The entire He Family was uprooted. They were completely cast aside by the elite circles of Yu City without even having time to struggle.

The He Family had been struggling to maintain their elite facade for years. Once their financial chain broke, their situation immediately became irreparable, and they were finished.

This was also the first time in years Fu Bing had shown her sharp edge.

It was for her only sister.

Many people were shocked by Fu Bing’s methods.

Only then did they realize Fu Bing had such a side to her.

When she decided to be ruthless, she could act so swiftly and fiercely.

When the He Family declared bankruptcy, Fu Bing brought several bottles of wine to visit Xiaomei.

Xiaomei looked at Fu Bing with reddened eyes. "Sister..."

She could only utter those two words before she choked up.

"As long as you don’t blame me for harming your family," Fu Bing said softly, hugging her.

Xiaomei sobbed and shook her head. "From a very long time ago, you were my only family. They were never my family. They never treated me as family from the start. If I couldn’t see that, I wouldn’t have deserved to live by your side for so long."

Fu Bing poured her a drink. "Then let’s drink. After this, we’ll turn the page on today’s events. The He Family will have nothing to do with you anymore."

If those insults had been directed at her, she wouldn’t have gotten angry.

Part of the money she earned as a celebrity was essentially payment for enduring criticism.

She was used to it.

Xiaomei was the sister she did her utmost to protect. She had doted on her for so many years, not to let others harm her.

Not even her own relatives were allowed to hurt her!

Xiaomei couldn’t hold her liquor; her gaze became unfocused after just two glasses.

Clinging to Fu Bing’s arm, she asked coquettishly, "Sister, why don’t you return to the Su Family? Is it for me too?"

"Yes, it’s for you," Fu Bing coaxed.

"I knew you loved me the most!"

Fu Bing chuckled.

There were many reasons she hadn’t returned to the Su Family.

The Su Family was inextricably linked to her mother’s death.

And the Su Family might not even want her back.

Relationships forcibly bound by blood were like a vortex; one misstep and you could be sucked in deep.

Fu Bing downed another glass of wine and asked, "Did Wu Yue ever tell you where Wu Shi went?"

Xiaomei shook her head blankly. "I asked, but he didn’t say."

Wu Shi used to be by her sister’s side almost around the clock, then suddenly disappeared without a word.

Fu Bing’s expression remained unchanged, but her heart slowly sank.

She had thought she and Wu Shi were friends who could talk about anything.She shared everything with him, considering him very important.

But in his heart, it seemed she was insignificant.

It seemed she was too quick to trust others.

Wu Shi had crawled out from a pile of corpses; it was no wonder he didn’t trust people easily.

Perhaps she really did expect too much from others...

Xiaomei hadn’t had many drinks before she lay down on the couch. Fu Bing covered her with a blanket.

She looked out at the deep darkness. The cool breeze drifting in was quite pleasant.

She stepped outside and strolled slowly through the Imperial Garden.

The night air still carried the rich fragrance of flowers.

Fu Bing looked at the darkness the streetlamps couldn’t dispel. Every step she took felt like walking in shadows.

Traps, deceit, and treachery lurked everywhere.

Beneath a warm exterior, sharp edges might be hidden.

The more people she held dear in her heart, the more leverage others had over her.

Just then, a car’s headlights pierced the darkness, illuminating her face.

Fu Bing shielded her eyes with her hand.

But the dazzling light neither moved nor dimmed.

Fu Bing didn’t need to guess who was in the car.

Qin Jinhai slammed the car door shut.

The coldness on his face vanished the moment he saw her.

"Taking a midnight stroll? You certainly are unique," he said, his voice laced with its usual mockery.

"Director Qin, staying up late instead of sleeping, you’re quite unique yourself."

Qin Jinhai was amused by the mockery in her tone.

"Trying to be sarcastic with me?"

"If you say it’s sarcasm, then sarcasm it is."

Qin Jinhai’s gaze fixed on her. "Your methods for dealing with the He Family were effective, but too high-profile. Others will lay all the blame on you."

"Why should I keep a low profile? Someone bullied my sister. Do I have to seek justice for her in secret?"

"You really are good to her."

The night wind made Fu Bing feel a wave of intoxication. Her voice hoarse, she said, "I used to be just as good to you."

Her words left them both stunned.

Qin Jinhai took an involuntary step forward.

His shadow enveloped her, creating an unnerving intimacy.

It was as if she were securely protected in his embrace.

Fu Bing stepped back, out of his shadow’s reach.

She disliked this ambiguous intimacy.

Qin Jinhai pursed his handsome lips. "Do we still need to maintain this distance between us?"

He stepped forward, his slender fingers gently tilting Fu Bing’s chin.

"Fu Bing, you still love me in your heart. Why won’t you admit it?"

"I love you, and I hate you. I’ve always admitted that!"

Fu Bing knocked his hand away. "I don’t like the way you do things. When I loved you deeply, to the marrow of my bones, I could overlook our differences."

"But your later actions truly displeased me."

"I prefer to address things openly. Your indirectness and silent sacrifices once made me hate you so much in prison that I lay awake at night consumed by it."

"Then, it was as if I turned a page in a book and discovered all you had done for me. I reached a point where I couldn’t even fully hate you. It felt like my chest was stuffed with cotton."

"It was suffocating."

"I don’t like this approach!"

Fu Bing stared straight into Qin Jinhai’s eyes, her own shining brightly. "Qin Jinhai, you lack the ability to be honest with me, and I dislike speculating about others."

"Only when you find the courage to be honest with me can we discuss our future."

"Your evasiveness makes me feel as though I lack the courage or ability to face hardships with you. I have an inexplicable, overwhelming confidence in myself; I believe I can face anything that comes my way."

"Even hardship!"

"You arrogantly try to shoulder everything, keeping everything from me. Do you want me to gaze up at you innocently and admiringly, like some helpless little woman, my eyes only able to look up to you?"

"Am I supposed to just accept whatever you deign to give me?"

Fu Bing’s voice was husky, yet every word was clear and resonant.