CHAPTER 357: 150 SNOWY NIGHT FUNERAL_2

Fang Hui squinted her eyes. "Who is it?"

"We’re still tracking down their specific identity. As soon as there’s news, we’ll report to you immediately."

It was now certain—this was indeed a premeditated campaign to spread rumors against Rong Xianning.

After hanging up the phone, Fang Hui thought about it. Currently, there were only two possibilities. Over the years, Eternal Century had offended many people within the industry. Rong Xianning was the company’s cash cow; destroying him would make the company’s efforts go to waste, potentially a method of retaliation through sabotage.

In this industry, such schemes were all too common. She’d personally orchestrated quite a few herself.

Or the other possibility: someone holding a personal grudge against Rong Xianning. At his young age, what kind of enemies could he possibly have? In the past, she would have scoffed at the thought.

But Wen Yan’s case wasn’t all that far away. She had done a background check on Wen Yan—he was someone whose mind was sharper than a needlepoint. If he truly wanted to stir up trouble for Rong Xianning...

Fang Hui had a rough idea in mind now. The next step would depend on Director Li’s negotiations.

Director Li hung up the phone and walked over, his brow tightly furrowed.

Fang Hui’s heart skipped a beat—something didn’t feel right.

"Director Li, how did it go? What did the Deep Sea Group say?"

"This time, it seems we’ve run into serious trouble."

~

The headquarters of Deep Sea Group was located in Jingzhou, with a branch situated in the Chunzhou CBD center, just a twenty-minute drive from Chunzhou TV Station.

As one of the country’s most renowned online media platforms, its rapid rise was inseparable from the explosive growth of the internet. In Deep Sea Group’s latest financial report, six out of its top ten shareholders were major internet moguls.

It could be said that the Deep Sea platform held an unbeatable trifecta of timing, geography, and human connections. Whether it was previous generations of competitors or emerging ones, they all found themselves dwarfed by Deep Sea’s dominance, metaphorically crushed beneath its wave. With its monopolistic control over media discourse, the potential for tyrannical rule was inevitable. Under its umbrella, countless marketing agencies would initiate waves of chaotic public opinion battles as soon as they signed a celebrity or influencer.

For celebrities nowadays, public sentiment was as critical as their livelihoods and fortunes.

In the eyes of industry insiders, Deep Sea Group was an entity that absolutely must not be antagonized under any circumstances. Many would even go to considerable lengths to foster relationships with it, as one small connection could provide an overwhelming advantage in the realm of online public opinion warfare.

The Chunzhou division of Deep Sea Group primarily managed business in Chunzhou. Leveraging Chunzhou TV Station, Chunzhou’s new media industry had been thriving, presenting an exceptional opportunity for Deep Sea Group to expand.

Currently, the person in charge of Deep Sea Group’s Chunzhou division was Wu Tian. In Chunzhou, he was someone all parties vied to curry favor with. But ordinary people seldom had the chance to meet him directly, hence attention shifted to his secretary, Tian Xu.

Late at night, Tian Xu emerged from a club, a man by his side promptly opening the car door for him with meticulous care. "Mr. Tian, you’ve had too much to drink. Let me drive you home."

The man grinned immediately when he heard Tian Xu being addressed as "Mr. Tian." He drunkenly patted the other on the shoulder. "You’ve got the right idea, kid. Rest assured, I’ll keep my word about what I promised you."

"I’ll leave it in your capable hands, Mr. Tian."

The man took a wine bag from his assistant and placed it inside the car. "This is a bottle of red wine my friend brought back from a vineyard abroad. Please enjoy it, Mr. Tian."

In the dimly lit car, the bag gleamed faintly with a golden shine.

Tian Xu let out a tipsy belch, his grin growing even wider. "You’ve got yourself a deal..."

He climbed into the car. As the vehicle pulled away and disappeared from sight, the man’s expression turned icy, each breath laced with disdain as he patted down his suit.

Then the man took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Young Master, rest assured—the matter has been handled. This time, he won’t be able to get back on his feet."

~

Fang Hui left the television station with a troubled heart.

Director Li’s efforts had ended in failure.

Weibo, in tandem with various marketing accounts and gossip forums, was amplifying the unfavorable rhetoric against Rong Xianning at rapid speed. This was a ruthless campaign to utterly destroy him.

Since her last encounter with Rong Xianning, Fang Hui’s gut had told her he was a clever individual with promising prospects. She had spent the recent weeks trying to persuade Ding Meng.

While Ding Meng wanted to teach Rong Xianning a lesson, she definitely did not intend to lose this cash cow. After all, the sunk costs were far too high.

Thus, relations had been relatively harmonious between the two parties recently. Fang Hui had even lined up two commercial endorsements and advertising deals for Rong Xianning, planning to find a chance to talk to him properly. But now the trouble had come.

It was confirmed—someone had bribed Tian Xu to target Rong Xianning.

Fang Hui walked while making a phone call to report the situation to Ding Meng. Ding Meng had some connections with President Wu of Deep Sea Group, and now Fang Hui could only pin her hopes on her.

After hearing the details, Ding Meng asked, "Are we still unable to locate the perpetrator?"