Lou Mingshen: “I abstain.”
The entire room was stunned.
Lou Mingxin was frozen in place, hands and feet turning cold.
On the other end of the call, the person had no idea what kind of bomb they had just dropped or the storm it would stir. After saying their piece, they directly hung up.
Director Wang: “You all heard that, didn’t you?”
Everyone nodded. “Chairman Lou’s intentions are crystal clear. Of course, we respect his decision.”
Director Wang turned to Lou Mingxin with a pleasant smile. “Any further questions?”
The woman staggered and collapsed into her chair.
It was over.
….
“Out of my way! I have something urgent to report—it’s a matter of life and death!”
“You can’t go in! The board is in session. No unauthorized personnel allowed.”
“This is huge! I can’t handle it on my own. I must see President Lou immediately!”
“……”
A commotion echoed from outside the meeting room.
Director Wang’s brows knitted. “Who’s making a racket?”
Just as the words fell, the conference room door burst open. A figure rushed in, apologizing profusely while heading straight for Lou Mingxin.
“Eh? Isn’t that the PR department manager? What’s he doing here?” one board member with sharp eyes immediately recognized him.
“President Lou…” The manager stopped before Lou Mingxin, drenched in sweat, panic written all over his face.
Lou Mingxin’s heart skipped a beat, a wave of dread washing over her.
Sure enough—
Manager: “Not only did we fail to suppress the online backlash, but we also triggered a massive counterattack from netizens. Now speculation is everywhere—every kind of wild theory is flying around. The… the heat is only rising!”
What does it mean to shoot yourself in the foot? This was it.
Originally, the scandal surrounding Meng Zhiru had already dragged Lou Corporation and Lou Mingxin into the fray. With all the unspoken, shadowy dealings involving power and money, the public’s curiosity had been inflamed.
Some guessed Meng Zhiru was taking the fall for Lou Mingxin, others believed she was the true mastermind who should be held accountable.
As long as the main party didn’t respond, these were just speculations.
But—of all times—the PR department chose this moment to jump into the fray.
They used the official Lou Corporation account to reply to several negative comments—
@CircleCircle: “Your CEO and her husband are both murderers!”
Lou Corporation (verified): “Malicious slander. Expect a lawyer’s letter!”
@NotASingleLoveSong: “There’s clearly something wrong with Lou Mingxin. How can her company be clean? Investigate! Thoroughly!”
Lou Corporation (verified): “Lou Corp isn’t afraid of an investigation. As for you doing it, maybe try passing the civil service exam first.”
@FailedWarrior: “So what if you’re rich? Doesn’t give you the right to do whatever you want.”
Lou Corporation (verified): “Whether we do whatever we want isn’t up to you—or me. Only evidence counts. But wow, you’re seriously bitter.”
Just a few snarky replies, and it was like poking a hornet’s nest.
—The entire internet exploded!
“Oh? Not playing dead anymore?”
“If even the official account is this shady, the whole company must be crawling with rats.”
“Can you act like a normal PR team for once? Geez…”
“They’re panicking! Totally panicking!”
“Not just panicking—they’re losing it!”
“Never seen a worse crisis PR response. Pouring oil on the fire? Straight-up sabotage!”
…
Lou Mingxin looked away from her phone and slammed it face down on the table with a loud bang.
The other board members, having read the comments, were all grim-faced.
Director Wang was the first to explode: “Who authorized the PR department to post that? Huh? As if things weren’t chaotic enough?!”
The manager nervously glanced at Lou Mingxin.
But… he’d just followed her instructions—word for word.
Now that things went south, they couldn’t pin all the blame on him, could they?
Everyone here was an old fox. Watching the PR manager go silent and sneak glances said everything.
“Lou Mingxin, was this your idea?!”
“I…”
“Foolish! You’ve been CEO for twenty years—don’t you have any sense of the bigger picture?!”
Lou Mingxin opened her mouth but couldn’t utter a single word.
“Enough. Let’s proceed. We need to finalize the motion to remove her from office.”
With the lead taken, the others quickly fell into an orderly process.
The PR manager was confused—w-what removal?
Removing who?
Fifteen minutes later, as he walked out of the conference room, he was nearly scared out of his wits.
The board had voted to remove President Lou?!
And… it passed?!
….
Within half a day, the news spread throughout Lou Corporation.
“No way! Seriously? I know President Lou’s always had tension with the board, but I didn’t think it’d go this far!”
“Could the online rumors be true? Was she really involved in what Meng did?”
“Hard to say.”
“If she weren’t involved, why would the board be so eager to distance themselves—going as far as firing the CEO?”
“Wasn’t this bound to happen eventually?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Lou Corporation has been declining year by year. Maybe your departments haven’t felt it, but we in finance see the numbers. Twenty years ago, we were riding high—you wouldn’t believe how glorious it was. Now we’re just living off past glory. But that glory will run out someday.”
“If President Lou can’t bring new life to the company, she should step aside for someone who can!”
“Yeah, our department hasn’t seen a raise in three years…”
“Still can’t believe Meng would do such shady stuff. He always seemed so polished and gentle, always picking up President Lou from work… Never thought he’d be so wicked.”
“I spoke to him once. Now I’m just creeped out…”
….
At a hotel study room—
Liu Jinzhong sat by the computer, ready to report any new online developments.
Jiang Fuyue reclined lazily in a Grand Master’s chair by the window, gently swaying.
Sunlight poured in, casting her in gold.
Behind Liu Jinzhong stood Liu Sisi, occasionally asking questions, and every now and then stealing glances at the figure basking in sunlight.
While the internet was ablaze with chaos, this place remained tranquil.
Liu Jinzhong answered a call. After a couple of hums, he said, “Got it,” and hung up.
“Young Miss, latest update: Lou Corporation has moved to dismiss their CEO, and it passed.”
“Oh?” Jiang Fuyue raised a brow. “It passed?”
“Apparently, Lou Mingshen abstained. He holds 43% of the company’s shares. Once he abstained, the rest of the board had free rein. Their dissatisfaction with Lou Mingxin had been simmering for years. Of course they wouldn’t let the opportunity go. They finished the process clean—didn’t even leave a sliver of wiggle room. By now, they’ve probably issued the internal announcement.”
He nodded. “Classic move by those old b*stards.”
Back then, she had to work hard to suppress them.
Lou Mingxin? Not even close.
But Lou Mingshen didn’t back her up?
Interesting.
Jiang Fuyue: “Send the evidence. With all the noise online, it’s time for something concrete.”
Liu Sisi blinked. “There’s… there’s more action?”
Liu Jinzhong: “Of course.”
“But she’s already been removed as CEO?”
Jiang Fuyue shifted to an even more comfortable position, arms behind her head, watching the sunlight filter through the glass, a faint smirk on her lips.
What she wanted wasn’t just for Lou Mingxin to lose her title…
….
That evening, the Bureau of Industry and Commerce arrived at Lou Corporation’s headquarters.
Accompanying them were three uniformed officers, serious-faced and holding an arrest warrant.
“Lou Mingxin, we’ve received a report. You are suspected of illegal bidding practices, stealing base prices, and offering bribes. Effective immediately, the Bureau of Industry and Commerce is launching an A-level investigation into you and Lou Corporation. Here is the warrant!”
After that, the police stepped forward.
“Lou Mingxin, you are suspected of orchestrating a murder-for-hire in the case of the Huang Zhihui couple’s car accident. The police have obtained key evidence and are placing you under arrest!”
With that, two officers moved in, restraining her from both sides.
Lou Mingxin was dumbfounded.
By the time she reacted, she was already in the first-floor lobby, about to be escorted into a police car under the stunned gaze of countless Lou Corporation employees.
“No… I didn’t kill anyone! This is slander!”
“Don’t move! Stay still!”
“Officer, I’ve been framed! You can’t arrest me!”
“Whether it’s a frame-up or not, the investigation will reveal. Let the law speak.”
Lou Mingxin screamed hysterically: “I’m the CEO of Lou Corporation! How dare you treat me like this?! I want to see a lawyer! Where’s my lawyer?!”
“You’ll see one. But only after being questioned at the station.”
“I demand bail!”
“Murder-for-hire, with severe consequences. Bail denied.”
“You… you all—!”
And so, before everyone’s eyes, Lou Mingxin was dragged away in disgrace, leaving behind only gasps and murmurs…
