58

Pei Yujang's heart tightened, and her body reacted before her mind as she rushed to the entrance.

A barrage of flashing lights hit her face as soon as she stepped inside. Even though she was used to livestreaming in front of an audience, the sudden onslaught of camera flashes made her instinctively squint.

"Excuse me, are you Miss Pei?"

"Miss Pei, what do you think about Yue Rong's products causing severe facial damage?"

"Will Yue Rong compensate the affected customers? What's your stance on this?"

Microphones and cameras were thrust into her face, and some reporters even shoved her shoulders, waving their press passes in an attempt to get her attention.

The doors to Yue Rong's office were closed, and the reception desk was deserted. With Pei Jinhuai nowhere in sight, the reporters zeroed in on Pei Yujang, recognizing her as a key figure. They weren't about to miss the chance to boost their ratings, relentlessly pressing her for answers.

Pei Yujang glanced up at the banners, the stark contrast of red and white text glaring back at her: "Heartless Yue Rong's Third-rate Products Cause Severe Facial Damage." The sight made her instinctively want to frown.

But she knew that she was under scrutiny from multiple cameras, and many people, both supportive and critical, were watching her every move. With Pei Jinhuai absent, she was the face of Yue Rong. Any sign of weakness could be exploited and blown out of proportion.

Forcing herself to stay calm, Pei Yujang quickly assessed the situation.

Through the glass doors, she caught a glimpse of a tall figure moving swiftly inside. Despite the crowd of reporters, Pei Yujang, with her height and sharp eyes, recognized him as one of Pei Jinhuai's male assistants. Though called an assistant, he was more of a bodyguard.

Using his employee card, the assistant opened the inner door, quickly closing it behind him before the reporters could rush in. As he pushed through the crowd, he politely but firmly used his shoulder to clear a path, nodding courteously to the reporters despite the chaos.

"Miss Pei," he called, making his way to her side and shielding her from the aggressive reporters as he escorted her inside. Clearing his throat, he raised his voice to address the crowd:

"Yue Rong will provide a full explanation. We ask that all journalists adhere to industry regulations and refrain from drawing conclusions before the facts are clear. Don't jump to conclusions. Yue Rong, as a company under the jurisdiction of our nation, is entitled to protection under the law, including the personal safety of its citizens."

His firm tone caused the crowd around Pei Yujang to back off slightly, giving her enough space to move freely. Earlier, she had been careful to avoid bumping into anyone to prevent any unnecessary conflict that could worsen the situation.

"Tch, just because you're educated doesn't mean you can get away with this! Yue Rong's using its power to bully people, causing facial damage and not letting us speak out?"

A burly man holding a sign, who had been the loudest earlier, cursed under his breath, his voice full of malice. Now that someone had come out, he quieted down a bit.

Neither the assistant nor Pei Yujang responded to him. After ensuring her safety inside, the assistant glanced back at the troublemakers before closing the door and gesturing for her to take the elevator.

Pei Jinhuai and the management team were all in the third-floor office. Pei Yujang had seen them observing the situation from above as she arrived.

The familiar executives sat in their seats, the tension palpable. The tea in their cups remained untouched, and the heads of the product and finance departments were also present, adding to the heavy atmosphere.

Pei Jinhuai was the first to break the silence.

The sudden crisis and back-to-back meetings had taken a toll on Pei Jinhuai. Despite applying makeup to enhance her appearance, it had already begun to fade, making her look even more exhausted.

For the first time, Pei Yujang clearly felt the age gap between herself and Pei Jinhuai. Although well-maintained and often mistaken for her sister in public, the strain of the past few days had added a few more gray hairs.

Despite her irritation, Pei Jinhuai's voice was still soft when she spoke to her daughter, trying to suppress her frustration to sound as calm as possible:

"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be resting at home?"

"I'm feeling much better."

Pei Yujang's recent illness wasn't a secret. She had taken leave from work, or else she would have been at the office as soon as she returned to Yicheng.

Seeing the management team in such a state, she realized the severity of the situation and got straight to the point:

"What's going on? Whose face got damaged? Is there any proof that it was caused by our products?"

Another executive, his tone less than friendly, cut in:

"Do you know Banana?"

Pei Yujang nodded.

Banana, or "Banana" as she was known online, was a well-known beauty blogger and influencer with a significant following. She was popular for her reviews, which weren't limited to beauty products but also included restaurant visits, though she mostly posted glamorous photos and rarely criticized establishments.

If Banana visited a place, it was generally a guarantee of positive reviews—unless the service was terrible or there was a major issue. In the beauty community, Banana had a lot of credibility, so when she claimed that Yue Rong's products had caused her severe facial damage, many people quickly rallied to condemn Yue Rong.

With her large following and reputation for fair reviews, Banana's accusation carried weight. Many believed her immediately, and with Yue Rong's recent resurgence after a slump, plenty of competitors were eager to bring the company down.

Upon arriving at the office, Pei Yujang had immediately ordered the area to be sealed off to prevent any further escalation by the protesters. But even with these precautions, the public perception was that Yue Rong had become arrogant after its success and was now facing a reckoning. The company was preparing to go public, and this incident couldn't have come at a worse time, with numerous parties eyeing the situation.

Opening her phone, Pei Yujang quickly searched for news on the situation. The online discussions were overwhelmingly negative towards Yue Rong, with few questioning Banana's claims. The narrative was one-sided, and some comments were clearly from hired trolls.

The marketing accounts were also fanning the flames, and although Pei Jinhuai had paid for some counter-narratives, the investigation into Banana's claims was still ongoing. Banana had gone to the hospital, where a doctor confirmed that Yue Rong's products contained allergenic substances. This alone was enough to convince many, and the public opinion was heavily against them while they awaited the results of further testing.

"Can we be sure that our product supply chain is intact? Has there been a thorough inspection?"

"The supply chain is solid," the head of the product department said, sweating profusely. From the moment this incident broke, she had been in a panic, working through the night with the quality inspection department, but no issues had been found. "We've already sent Banana's products for testing, but the results aren't in yet. We've also halted distribution of the relevant batch."

The head of the quality inspection department was near collapse:

"Our product testing is rigorous. So far, Banana is the only one claiming an issue, and she didn't even reach out to us privately—she went straight to public exposure and legal action. I even got egged when I came to work this morning!"

"Damn it," the quality inspection manager cursed, his frustration boiling over. "Who knows if she got paid to sabotage Yue Rong? We're on the verge of going public, and everyone's giving their all. Who wouldn't want to work for a public company and get a raise?"

Pei Yujang also suspected that this wasn't just the fault of the two department heads. The situation was too strange.

Usually, when a blogger encounters such an issue with a big company, they first contact customer service to resolve it. However, Yue Rong's customer service hadn't received any complaints from her—no chance to even handle the issue before it was publicly exposed.

Now, with the heads of the product, quality inspection, and after-sales departments all in a state of distress, the management team was caught off guard by the sudden attack.

The only course of action for now was to issue a public statement, wait for the testing results, and hope they could prove their innocence. But Banana's statement was clear: she claimed that Yue Rong's products had caused her allergic reaction.

People loved a good scandal, and the situation was snowballing faster than they could have anticipated. Now, almost all of the trending topics were related to "Yue Rong's downfall."

Many were commenting that they had previously noticed issues with Yue Rong's products but were afraid to speak up due to the brand's positive reputation and the influence of its fans. Others claimed that Yue Rong's quality was subpar compared to other brands, leaving Pei Yujang both amused and exasperated.

She had only been livestreaming for a short time. How could she have such powerful fans who could silence critics and cover up quality issues?

Regardless of the quality of their products, Yue Rong was clearly being targeted.

"I've already tried contacting Banana. We reached out early this morning, but she posted screenshots of the conversation, accusing Yue Rong of trying to intimidate her."

The head of the after-sales department, a petite Omega who had been with Pei Jinhuai through thick and thin for over a decade, had seen her share of bizarre situations, but this one had her laughing in disbelief:

"Yue Rong has no reason to go after her like this. She's clearly being paid to act, playing the victim. Her fans are now attacking Yue Rong's official account, accusing us of planning to silence her."

Zhao Manlin, who was also present, frowned and asked Pei Yujang if she had any thoughts on the matter.

Snapping out of her daze, Pei Yujang glanced at Pei Jinhuai and then at the others in the room. She hesitated but didn't fully reveal her thoughts in front of everyone.

Seeing her reluctance, Pei Jinhuai noticed that she had something to say and signaled her to wait. After exchanging a glance with Zhao Manlin and the others, Pei Jinhuai dismissed everyone except a few trusted senior executives.

Pei Jinhuai had thoroughly vetted the company's management, removing incompetent individuals who might harbor resentment. But this had been a calculated decision, balancing the pros and cons.

Once the room had cleared, Pei Jinhuai, who had built this company from the ground up, wasn't one to be underestimated. After reseating herself in the conference room, she personally poured everyone fresh tea and then gestured for Pei Yujang to speak.

"I feel there's more to Banana's actions than meets the eye. While it's clear that someone is behind her, I don't think it's just our competitors. Remember when we did that charity work during the flood? We were already drawing attention back then."

Her words were cautious, but the senior executives understood.

At the time, Pei Yujang had led Yue Rong in donating to the flood relief efforts. Such a public act of charity wasn't something that could be done lightly; it required the approval of the higher-ups.

Some within the company had expressed concerns that this would draw too much attention and possibly anger those in power. One of them had even clashed with Pei Jinhuai over it, feeling that such a move would make them a target for those in higher positions.

That person was later ousted during the company's restructuring. Pei Jinhuai was protective of her people, and when that individual had made derogatory remarks about Pei Yujang, even cursing her in a fit of anger, she couldn't tolerate it. The person wasn't particularly competent, and Pei Jinhuai had no place for them in her company.

Zhao Manlin set down her teacup: "You're suggesting that this is retribution from Yicheng's leadership?"

They were aware that certain leaders in Yicheng had been investigated. Pei Yujang had gone to the frontlines during the flood, leading the charity efforts and warning the public about the unprecedented nature of the storm. Her actions had earned her praise as a civic-minded citizen, but the event had quickly faded from memory as the crisis subsided.

Zhao Manlin, who had developed a newfound respect for Pei Yujang because of this incident, remembered it well and spoke frankly:

"So you think Banana was manipulated by them?"

"Even if they didn't directly orchestrate it, I suspect they tampered with the hospital's tests. If we can confirm that our products are flawless, it's possible that they altered the results when Banana submitted her samples for testing, adding allergenic substances."

Pei Yujang's theory went deeper. If the hospital had falsified the results, she could simply have Banana's samples re-tested at another facility to expose the truth.

But if someone had already tampered with the samples, even retesting them would yield the same results. This would be like shooting themselves in the foot, fueling the negative press and making Yue Rong appear even more stubborn and guilty, further damaging the company's reputation.

Without Pei Yujang's reminder, no one would have thought of this possibility.

The head of the product department was livid:

"What should we do? If they've tampered with the samples, do you think they'll just hand them over to us? I can guarantee that our products are flawless. Every batch goes through rigorous testing, and there's no way anyone could sneak in a bad product."

The product manager was fuming at the absurdity of the situation, feeling some resentment toward both Pei Yujang and the indulgent Pei Jinhuai. How could such a crisis happen just as the company was about to go public?

But there was no point in blaming Pei Yujang for taking a stand at the time. The event had passed, and the company's management hadn't strongly opposed it, so they all shared some responsibility.

"Regardless, our reputation is already taking a hit. The most important thing now is to restore our image in the public eye. We need to calm the public down because the longer this drags on, the worse it'll be for us."

Even if they managed to turn the situation around later, the damage would already be done, and it would be difficult to recover.

They still had a lot of work ahead. First, they had to confirm that their products were indeed safe. Only then could they move forward with other strategies.

Pei Yujang made a swift decision, pushing her chair back and standing up:

"Go and investigate the product issues immediately. As soon as you have results, let me know. If our products are indeed safe, I'll start a livestream to calm the public down and then escalate the issue further."

She had previously taken a direct approach by bringing public attention to the situation. Yicheng was just a city, not a state or a nation, and its leadership could be replaced at any time. If they wanted to keep their positions, they had to consider whether they could suppress the truth indefinitely.

The 24-hour wait for the product inspection results was the longest and most agonizing time Pei Yujang had endured since arriving in this era. She was on edge, unable to sit still.

Her phone constantly buzzed with messages, so she muted all unrelated group chats and contacts. Restless, she returned home from the office, hoping that doing some housework would help her relax.

But shortly after arriving home, the head of the product department called, her voice on the verge of tears:

"Miss Pei, they're saying our product is faulty. The second test confirmed the same allergen, but our formula follows international standards—there's no way it could be over the limit! And there are ingredients in the sample that aren't even in our formula!"

During the wait, they had been thoroughly inspecting the products, just as the manager had said. Pei Yujang trusted that it wasn't possible for everyone to be so careless. If the suspicious ingredients weren't in the raw materials, they couldn't have appeared during production. Yue Rong's manufacturing process was strict, with multiple layers of quality checks.

Frowning, Pei Yujang quickly sent a few messages to the group and then opened her computer:

"I'm going to livestream. You guys need to get your hands on that contaminated cream and analyze its ingredients as soon as possible."

If Banana controlled the narrative, the situation would become much more difficult to manage. As she typed in her password to enter the livestream platform, her phone rang again. Irritated, she was about to decline the call when she saw Yu Zhiwan's name and paused.

The woman's voice was tired, the words brief:

"I got in touch with Mayor Xiang."

Those few words were like a shot of adrenaline for Pei Yujang. The next second, another voice message came through. This time, it was even shorter:

"Get ready. I'm here. I've got everything covered."