Chapter 243: The One Behind the Schemes

“Y-you… don’t talk nonsense! When did I ever falsely accuse you? You need evidence to make such claims.”

The middle-aged man in the black short-sleeve shirt spoke with a hint of panic in his eyes, lacking confidence.

“Stubborn as a mule! If I can get rid of those reporters with one phone call, I can also get them to talk. What do you think?”

Xu Shaochen stared coldly at the middle-aged man in the black short-sleeve shirt.

Beads of cold sweat formed on the man’s forehead. When it came down to it, he was just a small-time thug. He could handle being on the winning side, but facing adversity was a different story.

“If you speak up now, I may let you off the hook. But if you wait until those reporters spill the beans, don’t blame me for being harsh. Some things are beyond the reach of small fries like you.”

As the middle-aged man trembled in fear, Xu Shaochen added fuel to the fire, a cold killing intent visible in his eyes.

“Thud!”

The middle-aged man in the black shirt immediately dropped to his knees, crawling to Xu Shaochen’s feet: “Big Brother, I was wrong! I was blinded by greed. I’ll tell you everything! Just let me go, please.”

Xu Shaochen’s words truly terrified him.

After all, Xu Shaochen’s ability to send the intimidating reporters packing with just one call showed his power.

Even if he didn’t talk, Xu Shaochen could get the information from those reporters. If that happened, wouldn’t he be doomed?

To protect himself, he decided to confess everything to Xu Shaochen before the reporters could.

“Speak. As long as you tell me the truth, I promise to let you go.”

Xu Shaochen looked down at the man from above, speaking calmly.

“It was the boss of Drunken Jianghu Hotpot Seasoning who told me to do it. He gave me 50,000 yuan and said the reporters would cooperate with me. I could keep whatever money I extorted from you. I… I’ve told you everything. Please let me go!”

The middle-aged man in the black shirt nervously recounted the whole story, pleading for mercy afterward.

“Damn it! So it was that bastard!”

Lin Youguo couldn’t help but curse. He knew the boss of Drunken Jianghu Hotpot Seasoning well, as their factory wasn’t far from Dafeng Factory.

It was after Dafeng Factory’s decline that Drunken Jianghu rose to prominence.

Others were equally indignant, turning to Xu Shaochen to see how he would handle the situation.

“Fine, get out of here.”

Xu Shaochen kicked the middle-aged man in the black shirt, signaling him to leave, his eyes filled with icy contempt.

Xu Shaochen fully understood why Drunken Jianghu resorts to such lowly tactics.

It was simply because ever since he took over Dafeng Factory, it had been stealing Drunken Jianghu’s business.

Due to Xu Shaochen, all the local restaurants and retail businesses in Jiangzhou switched from Drunken Jianghu to Dafeng Factory’s hotpot seasoning.

This led to a rapid decline in Drunken Jianghu’s sales and market share while Dafeng Factory soared. How could Drunken Jianghu not be anxious?

Unable to compete head-on, Drunken Jianghu resorted to these dirty tricks to smear Dafeng Factory’s reputation.

For any company in the food industry, once their hygiene is called into question, and their reputation tainted, the company wouldn’t be far from shutting down.

“Yes, yes, thank you, Big Brother. I’ll leave right away. Thank you!”

The middle-aged man in the black shirt, kicked to the ground by Xu Shaochen, didn’t dare to show the slightest resentment. He scrambled up, repeatedly thanking Xu Shaochen, then hurriedly led his people away.

Watching the man’s hasty retreat, Xu Shaochen made a call to Sun Hai, asking him to revoke the press cards of the reporters from earlier.

Once their press cards were revoked, they wouldn’t be able to continue in this profession.

Xu Shaochen could let the middle-aged man go because he was just a minor thug swayed by a mere 50,000 yuan.

But those reporters must have taken much more money. Despite knowing their actions could ruin a business, they still went ahead for money.

Since they dared to target Dafeng Factory, why should Xu Shaochen be lenient with them? “Let’s go meet this boss of Drunken Jianghu.”

After hanging up the phone, Xu Shaochen looked at Lin Youguo and Mei Liangxin, smiling faintly.

It’s only fair to reciprocate. The other party has already pulled such tricks. If Xu Shaochen didn’t respond, the boss of Drunken Jianghu might think Dafeng Factory is weak and easily bullied.

Wouldn’t that make them even bolder in the future? “Damn it! We have to meet him!”

Lin Youguo gritted his teeth. Dafeng Factory had barely recovered thanks to Xu Shaochen. Anyone who wanted to bring down Dafeng Factory would have to go down with it.

………………

Drunken Jianghu Hotpot Seasoning Factory.

The office building, General Manager’s office.

Drunken Jianghu operated differently from Dafeng Factory.

At Dafeng Factory, the highest position was the factory director, with department heads reporting directly to the director.

But Drunken Jianghu had a General Manager above the factory director. The roles were different, but the factory director answered directly to the General Manager.

At that moment, Liu Lang, the General Manager, was leisurely sitting in his boss chair, listening to music. His secretary, dressed in a black uniform skirt, was massaging his shoulders.

The rapid growth of Dafeng Factory had weighed heavily on him, but now he could finally relax.

He had spent a small fortune and coordinated with so many reporters. Once this blew up, Dafeng Factory would fall into a PR crisis, and Drunken Jianghu’s position in the market would be secure.

“Boss, I haven’t gotten a new bag in ages. Chanel just released a new model that’s super cute.” The secretary fluttered her eyes as she massaged Liu Lang’s shoulders, deliberately pressing her chest against his head.

“Buy it! Get the new one!”

Liu Lang exclaimed confidently, pulling the secretary into his arms.

“Ah! Boss, don’t, don’t do this! We’re in the office… It’s inappropriate… Please stop!”

The secretary feigned panic, knowing full well Liu Lang loved this kind of play. The more she resisted, the more excited he got.

“Hahaha, you little minx. Let’s see if you can handle this!”

Liu Lang, filled with desire, eagerly pressed the secretary onto the desk.

“Bang!”

At that moment, the office door was violently kicked open, and several people barged in.

All of Liu Lang’s excitement drained away instantly in shock.

“Well, Mr. Liu, you look like you’re having fun. Why not continue? We’d love to watch and learn from your techniques.”

Mei Liangxin grinned at Liu Lang, pulling out his phone as if to take a picture.