446: Chapter 446 Sharp Questions

The warm fragrance of milk permeated the kitchen.

Shen Yan held the cup, preparing to walk towards his daughter's room.

His phone vibrated once in his pocket.

It was a message from Chen Guangke.

"Brother Yan, the Qinghe Group press conference, are you really not going to watch it in person?"

Shen Yan stopped in his tracks.

He glanced at the wall clock; it was nine fifteen.

Youyou had already been sent to kindergarten, and the press conference was still forty-five minutes away.

Su Wan's execution was good, but this was her first time facing such a situation.

Those old foxes like Zhou Li wouldn't let her succeed so easily.

No matter how detailed the plan, there was always a fear of unexpected changes on the spot.

He replied to the message.

"Send me the address."

"Got it!"

Chen Guangke instantly sent back a location: Qinghe Grand Hotel.

Shen Yan placed the warm milk on the dining table, left a note for Youyou, then grabbed his coat and turned to leave.

Some things were only reassuring when watched with his own eyes.

Qinghe Grand Hotel, third floor, banquet hall.

The camera flashes were like daylight that cost nothing, flickering madly.

Reporters, armed with long lenses and big cameras, stood ready, and the air was filled with an excited sense of prey about to appear.

Shen Yan did not use the main entrance.

He entered through the Employee Passage and stood in the shadows of the last row of the venue.

The view from here was excellent; he could see everything on stage and observe the reactions of everyone in the audience.

Chen Guangke was already waiting there and handed him a staff badge.

Shen Yan clipped it to his chest, pulling his cap down low, looking like a genuine event worker.

Ten o'clock sharp.

Su Wan, dressed in a proper white professional suit, walked onto the podium.

She took a deep breath, showing little sign of nervousness on her face.

Shen Yan's advice from the previous night had given her the script and the confidence.

Her opening remarks were polished, full of sentiment.

She spoke of the hardships her father endured founding the Qinghe Group and expressed her own feelings for the company.

In the audience, a so-called "reporter" wearing black-rimmed glasses raised his hand at the appropriate moment.

This was a plant arranged by Shen Yan.

"Ms. Su, will you fight to the bitter end to protect your father's enterprise?"

The question was perfectly timed and highly leading.

Su Wan's eyes grew slightly red, and her voice held a hint of a choke, yet it was perfectly clear.

"I will."

"Qinghe is my father's life's work, and it is my home."

"I will not let anyone destroy it."

The atmosphere was built up to its peak.

The sound of reporters' shutters became a continuous roar.

The press conference proceeded step-by-step according to the script Shen Yan had designed the night before.

Su Wan's performance was even better than he had anticipated.

She did not reveal substantive evidence, only continuously emphasized her resolve to "set things right" and forged an image of herself as the "solitary guardian."

The scales of public opinion were quietly tilting in her favor.

An hour later, the press conference was drawing to a close.

Su Wan was preparing to announce the end of the event.

"Bang—!"

The heavy double doors of the banquet hall were violently pushed open from the outside.

The loud noise instantly drew everyone's attention.

There was a commotion at the doorway.

"Su Wan! You lying fraud who confuses black and white!"

An angry roar cut through the crowd.

Several security guards in black suits immediately surrounded the area, firmly blocking the intruder.

But that voice alone was enough to make the blood of every reporter present pump faster.

There was hot news!

The reporters, like sharks smelling blood, all turned their cameras toward the doorway.

"Let him in!"

"We have the right to know what happened!"

"Freedom of the press! You can't stop us!"

The scene instantly became somewhat out of control.

Su Wan, standing on the stage, instantly turned pale.

She recognized the voice; it was Zhou Li's.

He actually dared to crash the event directly.

This was a situation she had not anticipated at all.

Her heart began to race, cold sweat broke out on her palms, and she instinctively looked toward Shen Yan's position at the back of the venue.

Through the crowd and the flashes, she could not see Shen Yan's expression.

But she knew he was there.

The noise from the reporters grew louder, and the security guards were about to lose control.

Su Wan's phone screen lit up.

It was a message from Shen Yan.

It contained only three words.

"Let him in."

Su Wan's pupils contracted slightly.

She didn't understand why Shen Yan wanted to do this.

But the trust built over a long time left her with no hesitation.

She picked up the microphone. Her voice trembled slightly from tension, but she managed to steady it.

"Everyone, please be quiet for a moment."

"Allow that gentleman to enter."

"I believe the innocent will prove themselves. I also want to hear what exactly he intends to say."

The security guards received the instruction and cleared a path.

Zhou Li adjusted his disheveled suit and strode in amidst a throng of reporters.

He was followed by Wang Haidong, the Marketing Director, and Zhao Qin, the HR Staff Director.

The three of them looked like they were walking a red carpet.

Zhou Li wore a triumphant, victorious smile on his face.

He walked to the front of the stage, looked up at Su Wan on the platform, his eyes full of disdain and mockery.

It was as if he were saying, You are still too naive.

He ignored Su Wan and turned directly to face the hundreds of reporters in the audience.

He took a microphone handed to him by a reporter and cleared his throat.

A passionate performance began.

"Good day, media friends. I am Zhou Li, the Finance Department Director of Qinghe Group."

His voice was heavy, carrying a sense of grief and indignation from being wronged.

"I stand here today not for myself, but for Qinghe Group, and for the late Chairman Su!"

He first established a moral high ground for himself.

"This Ms. Su Wan on stage, Chairman Su's biological daughter, spent so many years abroad and is completely ignorant of the company's operations."

"As soon as she returned, she presumptuously assumed that we, the old retainers who built this empire with the former Chairman, are plotting to seize her family fortune!"

"It's simply the biggest joke under the sun!"

He pounded his chest in feigned anguish.

"We have dedicated ourselves heart and soul to this company for twenty years; even without merit, we have contributed hard labor!"

"But what about her? As soon as she returns, she wants to conduct a purge, wanting to kick out us old-timers who understand the business and have experience, and replace us with her own people!"

"She is trying to push the former Chairman's life's work right into a fiery pit!"

His acting was on par with a movie star.

The reporters in the audience began to discuss amongst themselves, and the flashes lit up again.

One reporter immediately seized the opportunity and asked a sharp question.

"Director Zhou, are you saying that everything Ms. Su Wan said today is a lie fabricated to seize power?"

Zhou Li nodded heavily.

"That's right! It's all a lie!"

"The so-called issues she mentioned are just normal business operations, but she maliciously twisted them to attack us veterans who have dedicated ourselves to the company!"

"I, Zhou Li, dare to guarantee with my character that I am loyal to the company, without the slightest disloyalty!"

As soon as his words fell, another reporter's question was thrown toward Su Wan.

"Ms. Su, how do you respond to Director Zhou's accusations?"

All the camera lenses instantly focused back on Su Wan.

She stood under the spotlight, her face somewhat pale, gripping the microphone tightly.