The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

The top floor of the Sinian Group building, in the president's office.

"Xi Bao, we've found out."

Wen Yao placed a set of documents on her desk with a solemn expression.

"It was Armaison Group that instructed them. They bribed several domestic media companies to mass-produce and spread these false rumors, with the aim of completely ruining your and Xu Nian's reputation, thereby affecting the company's stock price and causing you to lose the capital to compete with them in the North American market."

"Currently, we do not have enough liquid funds on our books to acquire the Armassen Group."

Xu Xi flipped through the documents on the table, frowning in deep thought.

She had dark circles under her eyes, which were bloodshot, and even her legs under the desk stopped moving.

She had expected the Armerson Group to use various means to fight him, but she never imagined they would resort to such despicable tactics.

"Mr. Xu, this is the evidence collected by our legal department."

A man dressed like a lawyer pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and placed a thick document in front of Xu Xi.

"The domestic companies involved are guilty of fabricating and deliberately spreading false information at the very least, and could be sentenced to prison for endangering national security at the highest level. The evidence is very conclusive; it just depends on how the court rules."

Xu Xi rubbed her temples.

"I'll arrange for someone to handle things with the court. You and the people in the legal department should prepare for the lawsuit."

"Remember, we will not accept any forgiveness or compensation. Those who spread rumors and deliberately smear us will not be let off the hook!"

"Yes, Mr. Xu, I guarantee the mission will be accomplished."

The lawyer responded respectfully, then turned and left the office.

After the lawyer left, Xu Xi looked at Wen Yao.

"Yaoyao, please arrange for me to hold a press conference this afternoon in conjunction with the Cyberspace Administration of China and the Market Supervision Bureau."

"Okay, I understand."

Wen Yao carried the documents and quickly left the president's office, her steps light as the wind.

Although she usually likes to joke around with Xu Xi, when it comes to serious matters, she is always very serious and reliable.

After seeing the two off, Xu Xi's eyes turned cold.

She picked up her phone and dialed a contact person named Director Dai.

The call was answered in just 3 seconds.

"Mr. Xu, what can I do for you?"

"The plan to acquire Armassen Group has been permanently cancelled."

Xu Xi said coldly, gradually exerting force in her arm, breaking the fountain pen in her hand into two pieces, spraying out jets of black ink that splattered onto the clean and tidy table.

"Use every method at your disposal to completely destroy the Armassen Group and make them disappear from the world."

She paused, then gritted her teeth and said, "At all costs!"

"Yes, Mr. Xu, I'll take care of it right away."

......

"Today, relevant national regulatory authorities issued a special investigation report, making a clear response to the false accusations against Sinian Group and related personnel that had been circulating online. The report formally clarified that all unfounded accusations were false information, and disclosed that the media company involved was suspected of crimes related to endangering national security and has now been prosecuted in accordance with the law."

"After a thorough investigation and extensive evidence collection, it has been confirmed that since its establishment, Sinian Group has strictly abided by national laws and regulations, operated in accordance with the law, and has not been involved in any illegal or criminal activities; all accusations against Executive Director Xu Xi and shareholder Xu Nian are baseless and fabricated, seriously misleading the public and damaging the legitimate rights and interests of the company and individuals."

"Upon investigation, it was found that, in addition to making baseless accusations against Sinian Group, the company involved is also suspected of stealing, spying on, bribing, and illegally providing state secrets and intelligence to foreign institutions and organizations. Its actions have violated the relevant provisions of Article 111 of the Criminal Law and seriously endanger national security and interests."

"It is understood that the judicial authorities have filed a public prosecution against the media company involved in the case, and the relevant personnel involved are being held criminally liable in accordance with the law. The case is under further investigation."

"The regulatory authorities emphasized that the internet is not a lawless zone. No organization or individual may fabricate or disseminate false information or endanger national security and interests. They will maintain a high-pressure stance against all kinds of illegal and criminal acts that spread rumors and endanger national security, and will severely crack down on them in accordance with the law without any leniency or accommodation."

As the green light turned on, Wen Yao reached out and turned off the car radio inside a red sedan.

"This matter is finally over."

She lightly pressed the accelerator, gripped the steering wheel, and steadily drove the vehicle forward.

"However, there are still some netizens on the internet who have been misled by unscrupulous media and are still hurling unwarranted insults at you and Xu Nian. I have contacted the mainstream content platforms and asked them to ban the relevant accounts."

In the passenger seat, Xu Xi hugged herself tightly, curled up in the seat, and didn't say a word.

Her face showed no joy at winning the battle, only endless guilt.

She reached out and brushed the stray hairs from her forehead.

On the slender, white back of her hand, faint ink marks were striking.

Although she wiped the ink off her hands with a handkerchief immediately after hanging up the phone, the ink that had seeped into her skin was still branded onto his hands like an unsightly scar.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work these past few days, Yao Yao."

She gave a bitter smile, and a glimmer of life returned to her beautiful eyes.

"There's no need to control public opinion anymore; let them say whatever they want."

When people agree with something, they will unconsciously oppose its opposite.

"The reverse is also true; when people oppose something, they unconsciously identify with its opposite."

"Are you suggesting that controlling public opinion will backfire?"

Wen Yao raised an eyebrow.

"Um."

Xu Xi nodded.

"The more you control them, the more extreme they will become."

"I will use other methods to clear my brother's name after a while."

"Then you decide what to do."

Wen Yao sighed.

"Director Dai has submitted all the evidence of crimes committed by the executives of the Armasen Group to the local law enforcement agencies."

"These people are really something else. Bribery and accepting bribes are the least serious crimes they can commit. Murder, drug use, smuggling, robbery, and they even built a small island in the Pacific Ocean to keep a group of underage girls to serve them. It's utterly outrageous and they deserve to die!"

"I contacted several North American media outlets and created a huge uproar by stirring up public opinion. Their protectors didn't dare to step in to bail them out, and most of the executives will probably spend the rest of their lives in prison."