Chapter 148: He became ruthless and forgot all sentimentality, revitalizing stagnant waters!

Events unfolded rapidly.

In the time it took for Ling Yue to go home, eat a meal, and take a shower, news broke online that Long Zhuoyan had been held captive.

The news had not yet been verified, but many marketing accounts and self-media outlets looking to gain traffic had already spontaneously stepped in to investigate the situation.

They not only released a video of Long Zhuoyan crying in some location, but even leaked footage of her receiving an IV drip in the hospital while under guard. Furthermore, there was 'testimony' from a Nurse indicating that she had indeed been controlled at the time, was extremely weak, and had been left unattended, with blood even backing up into the IV line.

Public opinion was one-sided.

Most were sympathizing with Long Zhuoyan and tagging the police, demanding an investigation into the matter!

Netizens let their imaginations run wild, beginning to speculate on the reasons behind the crisis at Longcui Group.

Just think: the old chairman is dead, the eldest grandson is missing abroad, the second grandson is in detention, and the youngest granddaughter was held captive—no matter how you look at it, it seems like a conspiracy!

In an instant, a frenzy of discussion erupted.

Meanwhile, a tax issue involving a top celebrity broke, and a video of a popular young actor cheating went viral across the web, but neither could overshadow the netizens' attention on Longcui Group.

This was because Long Zhuoyan personally stepped in to deliver a tear-jerking speech, completely confirming the netizens' speculations.

She also made statements about being fortunate to have been rescued by the police and expressed gratitude to the nation.

Netizens dug up Long Zhuoyan's personal history: how she had her own charitable foundation at a young age to help children in impoverished mountain areas attend school, showing a heart of great kindness; how friends stood up for her, describing Long Zhuoyan as kind-hearted, never one to use power to bully others, and very well-bred; and how she returned from studying abroad for graduate school to serve the country.

In short, the persona of a hardworking, brave, and patriotic 23-year-old heiress was firmly established.

It didn't end there.

A few hours later, the police released Long Zhuoxi and issued an official notice stating that after investigations, testimony, and surveillance footage, they discovered that on the night of the group orgy, Long Zhuoxi had been called to the scene by a friend and plied with alcohol. He had passed out and did not participate in the orgy; he had been framed.

This drama had the netizens hooked.

Whenever they lost patience, new updates would pop up online, continuously capturing their attention.

Consequently, more netizens began to feel pity and sympathy for these three wealthy siblings who had lost their elder but possessed billions in assets.

Long Zhuoli, who was finally called out by popular demand, announced that to give back to consumers and to speed up capital turnover, all products under their brands would be sold at a 20% discount.

The next day, at dawn, consumers stormed the various brands under Longcui Group.

In an instant, they went ruthless and uninhibited, buying everything in sight as if they were boosting a star's ranking.

Sales for the sub-brands soared in a short period!

Long Zhuoli also released a video urging everyone to consume rationally. He mentioned that stock was running low, and to supply goods as quickly as possible, they had opened an online pre-sale channel, where low-grade diamonds purchased from Lexika Mining would be made into finished products for sale.

To boost netizens' enthusiasm and sense of participation, they also launched voting sessions on platforms like Weibo, TikTok China, and Kuaishou, pulling out all existing 'Feimi' designs. The top 30 designs with the most votes would be put into production.

The reason young people currently like 'Feimi' is because of its unique designs. Among jewelry lines, Feimi is relatively affordable, though not everyone can afford it. Long Zhuoli personally stated that because the diamond grade was lower, the newly produced finished items would be sold at a super low price.

As for how low the price would be, that was left to everyone's imagination.

Because Long Zhuoli was honest enough, this move also earned plenty of goodwill from passersby.

At the same time, the public's speculation about the price never stopped, and online discussion remained high.

A pool of stagnant water, just like that, was brought back to life!

In the car, on the way to the company, Ling Yue finished reading the latest news and couldn't help but give a thumbs up: "Amazing! Simply amazing!"

At this moment, rather than acquiring 'Feimi', Ling Yue wanted to poach their entire PR team even more.

The car arrived at the company.

Ling Yue quickly took the elevator to the 2nd floor and hurried to push open the conference room door.

"Have you seen the latest news?" Ling Yue asked impatiently as soon as she entered.

Wei Ming was eating his meal, but Ling Yue's sudden, loud intrusion startled him, causing him to spit his food out.

"No, sorry!" Wei Ming frantically grabbed tissues to wipe his mouth and the computer screen.

Ling Yue smiled awkwardly: "You guys eat first, we'll talk in a bit."

An hour later, Ling Yue took everyone to a nearby teahouse.

They booked a private room and discussed things over tea.

"The police have released new information." An employee who was monitoring the online situation in real-time suddenly said.

Ling Yue opened TikTok China, and as soon as she refreshed, she saw news related to the Longcui Group topic.

The suspect who monitored, stalked, and held Long Zhuoyan captive had been caught.

Yes, it was Yang Huatian. He had just been released from the detention center and hadn't taken many steps before being dragged back to keep Assistant Shen company. This man also had murder cases under his belt; he would certainly not escape legal sanctions.

There was a chorus of cheers online; it seemed the matter had concluded.

Little did they know, a storm hidden in the shadows was currently underway.

Yes. The Yang Family had imploded:

A certain Mr. Yang, a shareholder of Longcui Group, had been arrested while attempting to flee due to suspected involvement in multiple illegal and criminal activities, including malicious competition, instigating crime, and financial fraud.

With this, all of the Yang Family's funds and shares would be completely frozen.

This crisis caused turmoil in Longcui Group's stock market, leaving investors and shareholders in a panic.

However, this incident was not made public and was even handled low-key.

The reason for the low-key approach was that this was the group's true crisis.

"Miss." Cheng Jiao suddenly stood up, holding her phone, and came to Ling Yue's side. "Long Zhuoyan has replied."

Everyone's gaze fell upon Ling Yue.

"She has arrived in Hangzhou and wants to meet me tomorrow," Ling Yue murmured.

Wei Ming analyzed: "If things go as expected, the Yang Family will be squeezed out of Longcui Group. The frozen shares, after being cleared of issues, will be auctioned off. A portion of the auction proceeds will be returned to the company, but this money will not be enough to solve the company's financial crisis.

Let's talk about Longcui Group's recent performance. Their super-competent PR team, combined with the combo-punches Long Zhuoli threw, handled public sentiment beautifully. Not only did they salvage their image in front of the public, but they also won goodwill for the brand.

Based on this, Long Zhuoyan's proactive invitation can only have two possibilities: first, the share auction; second, soliciting investment. I lean more towards the second possibility."

Ling Yue crossed her legs, "Why?"

Wei Ming answered: "Because you have a precedent for large-scale pure financial investment: the SX Supercar Club.

Lexika solved the strategic investment cooperation, which can supply the diamonds Longcui Group is short of, largely guaranteeing the supply source. The perfect PR also solved the market sales problem.

Therefore, capital is currently the biggest source of difficulty for Longcui Group. Thus, soliciting investment, and very likely pure financial investment, is the goal."

"If that's the case, can I invest?" Ling Yue sat up straight.

Wei Ming chatted with a few analysts for a moment and finally told Ling Yue: "Longcui Group's handling of the crisis was quite swift and clever, which shows that the senior management is quite capable.

Investing is possible, provided that you must acquire 'Feimi'. This is currently the sub-brand with the relatively best reputation under Longcui Group and will definitely bring back positive returns as soon as possible.

Even so, the process of investment return will be extremely long. When you can break even depends on how much capital you intend to invest; only then can we conduct an evaluation."

Ling Yue was silent for a moment, "Then what is the approximate funding gap for Longcui Group right now?"

"The 9.8 billion defrauded, outstanding payments for goods, factory and store operations, and market value evaporation, etc.—the estimated loss is around 16 billion, and it may continue to rise subsequently."

Only that much.

If only she could invest 30 billion at once.

But at this time, if she dared to invest 30 billion, Longcui Group probably wouldn't dare to accept it, fearing share dilution.

Ling Yue's eyes suddenly lit up, "I have an idea."