124: Chapter 225 Crisis Public Relations and Its Costs (Part 2)

"Investigate! Immediately find the original source of this bank transfer account and the chat logs! I want to know who leaked them!" Yu Bo's voice was squeezed through his teeth, filled with monstrous rage.

"Contact Shen Nian! Immediately! Right now!"

The call was connected quickly. With the speakerphone on, Shen Nian's voice came through, sounding somewhat flustered yet laced with a hint of triumph and resentment: "Yu Bo? You finally know to look for me now? Are those things online fun to watch?"

"Shen Nian," Yu Bo's voice was cold enough to freeze someone, "Did you leak the chat logs and transfer screenshots?"

"So what if I did? What if I didn't?" Shen Nian's tone was sharp, "You treat me like a toy, calling me when you want and discarding me when you don't, then turn around and get cozy with that little girl, even getting her pregnant! Yu Bo, do you really think I, Shen Nian, am made of clay? Let me tell you, I have even more things in my hands! If you dare to touch me, or don't meet my conditions, I'll release it all! I'll ruin you!"

"Your conditions?" Yu Bo's tone calmed down, even carrying a trace of eerie gentleness.

"I want 50 million! And that 'Hengtai' project, you must help me secure it! After that, we are even!" Shen Nian made an exorbitant demand.

Everyone in the study gasped.

Yu Bo was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly let out a low laugh. There was not a shred of warmth in that laughter, only a bone-chilling coldness: "Shen Nian, it seems you've forgotten who I am, and what you are."

His tone turned sharp suddenly, every word like a blade: "I'll give you one hour. Find a way yourself to post a statement online, admitting that those chat logs were forged by you, the transfers were photoshopped, and that it was you acting out of love-turned-hate, instigated by others to frame me. Otherwise, not only will I make sure you don't get a single cent, and forget about the 'Hengtai' project, but I will also make you and those shady relatives of yours back home disappear from this city entirely. I, Yu Bo, mean what I say. You can try me."

On the other end of the line, Shen Nian's breathing became noticeably heavier, seemingly frightened by his aura and the ruthlessness in his words. "You... you wouldn't dare!"

"Fifty-nine minutes and fifty seconds from now, if I still haven't seen your 'clarification' statement..." Yu Bo didn't waste any more words and hung up the phone directly.

He turned to his assistant: "Find someone to 'invite' Shen Nian to a quiet place to 'rest' for a while, and ensure she can't send any other messages during this hour. Also, investigate all her bank accounts, social connections, and dirt. I want to see a report within an hour. If she doesn't listen... you know what to do."

"Yes!" The assistant responded solemnly and hurried away.

Yu Bo rubbed his throbbing temples. Shen Nian had to be crushed using the toughest methods; he absolutely could not let her speak again. As for the leaked chat logs and transfer screenshots... he looked at the public relations expert.

The PR expert had sweat on their forehead but remained calm: "This part... is quite troublesome. But it is manageable. We can insist that the screenshots are forged, AI-generated, and question their authenticity. At the same time, we can frame Shen Nian as a crazy woman who bit back after failing to get love or extort money, consistent with her previous image as a 'stalker.' Then, release some 'dirt' about her dealings with other men or financial issues to divert public attention from the authenticity of her accusations. The key is to make her 'flip' herself and admit to the fabrication."

"Do it. Regardless of the cost." Yu Bo only said four words.

For many, this night was destined to be sleepless.

On the internet, a war without smoke was fiercely underway. Leaks and post deletions flew simultaneously; clarifications and doubts danced together. Internet trolls clashed with real users, and the truth was constantly washed away and distorted in the torrent of information. Some firmly believed Yu Bo was a framed philanthropist, others mocked him as a hypocritical scumbag, while more people held a spectator's attitude, waiting for the next wave of 'hard evidence.'

Yin Tianxue was in the master bedroom, drifting in and out of consciousness. Every time she woke up, she subconsciously checked her phone. The constantly reversing plot online and the various statements released by Yu Bo's company and group made her already chaotic mind ache even more violently. She didn't know what to believe. Yu Bo stayed up all night in the study dealing with the crisis, occasionally coming in to check on her, tucking her in, his eyes tired yet gentle, telling her, "Don't worry, I have everything under control." She wanted to ask him so much, but was afraid of hearing the answers.

As for Tang Guo, sitting in the back seat of a speeding car, watching the rapidly receding and increasingly unfamiliar scenery outside the window, she clutched her backpack tightly, which contained that light yet heavy-as-a-mountain ultrasound report. Her tears had long since dried up, leaving only endless coldness and despair. She knew she had become a 'trouble' that Yu Bo had to dispose of, banished to an unknown distance. The child in her womb, her love, her future, were all like the night outside the window—pitch black, with no end in sight.

At 4:00 AM, Shen Nian's 'clarification' statement was finally posted on an obscure account. The content was vague, but it admitted that the previous leaks were 'false information posted while emotionally agitated after being misled by others,' and apologized to Yu Bo and Yin Tianxue. The statement was quickly reposted in large numbers by accounts controlled by Yu Bo, becoming a powerful weapon for his 'counterattack.'

At the same time, 'dirt' regarding Shen Nian's 'chaotic private life,' 'owing loan sharks,' and 'repeated extortion of others' began to circulate in specific circles, further dismantling the credibility of her 'victim' image.

By daybreak, the most turbulent wave of leaks seemed to have been temporarily contained. On the trending search lists, the positions of related topics were dropping, and new entertainment news began to occupy the headlines. The curiosity of ordinary netizens is limited; when more explosive gossip appears, or when a matter becomes too complex and full of 'reversals,' they often lose patience and turn to the next hot topic.

But Yu Bo knew that the crisis was far from resolved. Although internet memory is short, the cracks had already formed. The wait-and-see attitude of partners, the doubts of investors, and the seeds of suspicion planted in the public's hearts would not easily disappear. Most importantly, the wounds in Yin Tianxue's heart needed time to heal, and what he used to 'heal' them was still lies and more performances.

As for Tang Guo and the child in her womb... Yu Bo walked to the window, watching the fish-belly white of dawn appear in the east, his eyes dark. That was the next 'trouble' that had to be completely resolved. Before Yin Tianxue's suspicions were completely eliminated and before he restabilized the situation, this 'accident' must not remain.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds, and a new day began. After a brief commotion, the city seemed to return to a superficial calm. But for some, their lives had been turned upside down overnight, and they could never go back to the way they were. Yu Bo paid a huge price in money, connections, and energy to temporarily stabilize the crumbling edifice. However, the foundation of the building was already damaged, and the internal cracks crisscrossed. And the girl he personally banished to the distance, along with the unformed life in her womb, became the most silent and uncertain variable beneath this dangerous building.