The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 168

“Wasn’t the scientist behind Luyinxu promising to develop an affordable, curative medication for everyone?”

“Isn’t Luyinxu the failed drug? Sure, Suhe Biotech is shady, but how can you defend Luyinxu?”

“Uh… can I just say that drug development failures are very common? It’s the norm worldwide; successful cases are the minority.”

“Unfortunately, too few people understand that. Back then, netizens acted like they’d lost their minds—I didn’t even dare to speak up.”

“Though Luyinxu failed, its original intent was good. I heard the two scientists behind it committed suicide, didn’t they?”

“Such a shame. They didn’t fall because of their research; they fell because of online abuse.”

“Who was it that harassed them online? I wasn’t following this story back then.”

“You should ask who didn’t.”

…

Inside Suhe Biotech’s headquarters, Zheng Zhupan swept all the documents off the table with a furious gesture, sending papers flying to the floor. The roomful of executives stood silently, heads bowed.

Zheng Zhupan’s eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging in his neck. His bulging belly quivered with his labored breathing, and his drooping, furrowed brows carried an ominous glint.

“How many times have I said no recording in internal meetings? Who recorded that audio?”

The gravity of the leaked recording had left everyone stunned. It was devastating. Even the PR firm couldn’t come up with a convincing spin and suggested letting the issue “cool down” temporarily.

But this wasn’t something that would cool down.

“President Zheng, don’t worry. We’re already screening everyone who attended the meeting. Once we find out who leaked it, we’ll immediately file a lawsuit!”

Zheng Zhupan grabbed a nearby mouse and hurled it at the speaker. “What good will a lawsuit do? You think the leaker didn’t anticipate being sued? They’ve clearly planned for this!”

The executive who got hit didn’t flinch, accepting the blow with a grimace. 

Forcing a smile, he said, “This must be a competitor stirring the pot, trying to bring Suhe Biotech down. It’s despicable!”

Taking a deep breath, Zheng Zhupan tried to steady himself, but his chest felt tight and heavy.

He hadn’t faced a crisis like this in years. This disaster seemed to fall from the sky, landing squarely on him.

He pointed a trembling finger at Song Yanyi. “And you! Are you insane, provoking entertainers and getting recorded without realizing it? You’ve spilled every idiotic word possible!”

Song Yanyi lowered his head even further, hair greasy and matted from two sleepless nights. He looked no better than a homeless man under a bridge.

He was indignant but dared not express it. If he was careless, wasn’t Zheng Zhupan even more so?

Yes, he had been recorded by Lin Zhen and publicly exposed, but Zheng Zhupan had his own scandal—forcing entertainers to drink with clients and getting caught on camera.

In fact, the tiny entertainer even managed to connect Meijiang Pharmaceuticals and He Dayong’s name to Suhe Biotech, tying them all to a scandal-ridden drug company.

If anyone was more reckless, it was Zheng Zhupan.

But Song Yanyi kept quiet.

Zheng Zhupan, desperate to vent, glared at his defiant expression and continued berating him: “You’re useless! That group of fans means nothing! You couldn’t keep this mess contained in the entertainment circle, and now it’s spilled over to my turf!”

Song Yanyi, accustomed to being the boss, turned red-faced and neck-thickened from Zheng Zhupan’s scolding. Gritting his teeth, he said, “President Zheng, you don’t seriously think no one is stirring the pot here, do you? I’d bet this whole mess was premeditated! Even if I had given Lin Zhen first place or forced Wajing Entertainment to apologize, things would still have escalated to this point!”

Zheng Zhupan rubbed his face hard, pacing back and forth in the office. Beads of cold sweat dripped steadily from his temples.

Having lived a life of luxury, Zheng Zhupan’s health wasn’t great. Emotional outbursts always triggered chest pain. He had already taken two emergency heart pills by now.

Song Yanyi pressed his advantage: “The enemy is in the dark while we’re in the open. It won’t be easy to pinpoint who’s behind this. But the golden window for public relations is slipping away. I suggest we immediately clear Jiaketing’s name. It’s actually quite simple—there’s no substitute for Jiaketing domestically. No matter how loud these people shout, they’ll still need to use it. All we need to do is offer them a way to back down, and this will blow over.”

Zheng Zhupan, sleep-deprived and mentally exhausted, struggled to think. His bloodshot eyes stared at Song Yanyi. “If you have a solution, spit it out! I’m tired!”

Taking a deep breath to suppress his irritation, Song Yanyi smiled and said, “Most netizens are just venting their emotions. How many of them are actual users of Jiaketing? Since they want to vent, let’s give them a new target. Someone mentioned Luyinxu earlier—perfect. Shift the focus onto Luyinxu. That product is riddled with scandals. Netizens tore it apart years ago, and they can do it again. Once they’re done venting, we’ll lower Jiaketing’s price a little to show goodwill, and this will all pass.”

Zheng Zhupan squinted, remaining silent for a long time.

His mind, sluggish and throbbing with pain, couldn’t find any flaws in Song Yanyi’s plan, even though it made him vaguely uneasy.

Having been in the entertainment industry for years, Song Yanyi was a master of dirty tricks, stirring conflict, and creating division. With the right spin, he could turn black into white and vice versa. The last rising star in the industry had been smeared by Song Yanyi until their reputation was ruined, and they quickly disappeared from public view.

Yes, since stepping on Luyinxu was inevitable for promoting Su Yinxu, it might as well happen now. Let Luyinxu take the fall for Jia Keting.

A spark lit up in Zheng Zhupan’s eyes, and he waved his hand decisively. “Get in touch with a few high-profile accounts. Dig up all the dirt on Luyinxu from back then and flood the internet with it! It’s been two years. Let’s remind those brainless netizens not to forget about Luyinxu!”

Finally, Zheng Zhupan sat back in his chair. He reached for his mouse, only to realize he had thrown it earlier in a fit of rage.

“Annoying.”

It had been 20 hours since the internal meeting recording leaked, and the anonymous account responsible was proving to be a formidable opponent, leaving their hired PR accounts speechless. Netizens gleefully joined the outrage, raining insults.

The critical 24-hour golden window for crisis management had only four hours left.

Li Rong tore off a piece of toast and casually fed it to Cen Xiao, who opened his mouth and ate it without looking.

Cen Xiao and Jian Fu had been so busy these past few days they barely had time to eat. Now that they had delegated the task of steering public opinion to Du Mingli, they could finally take a breather.

Meanwhile, Lin Zhen’s cold hadn’t improved. After receiving a cortisone shot, his condition seemed to worsen. To show he was taking care of himself, he posted a photo of himself hooked up to an IV. His fans, heartbroken and furious, unleashed another round of scolding at Wajing Entertainment.

Cheng Zerui, meanwhile, had gained an awkward and empty victory. The backlash from this controversy left him with neither new opportunities nor a clean reputation.

However, with Song Yanyi and Yan Pan too busy to intervene, many of Cheng Zerui’s fans jumped ship.

Cen Xiao watched Li Rong nibble on his toast, wrapped in a blanket, his eyes fixated on his computer screen with a mysterious intensity.

Cen Xiao wrapped his arms around Li Rong’s waist from outside the blanket, placing his warm palm on Li Rong’s stomach, gently rubbing it. “Is it time yet?”

Li Rong blinked and brushed the crumbs off his hands. “Almost.”

Jian Fu, sensing they were up to something cryptic again, couldn’t help but interject anxiously, “Time for what? What’s Zheng Zhupan planning now?”

Li Rong raised an eyebrow and replied nonchalantly, “I’m guessing he’s going to drag Luyinxu and my parents into this mess as scapegoats.”

Cen Xiao’s expression didn’t change; clearly, he had anticipated this too. He had refrained from bringing it up to avoid upsetting Li Rong, only to find that Li Rong could discuss it calmly himself.

Jian Fu gagged dramatically before cursing, “What a disgusting nest of maggots. Even now, they’re trying to drag Luyinxu down with them.”

Li Rong smirked. “Well, this suits me just fine. A lot of people have already forgotten what Luyinxu really is.”

Cen Xiao leaned his chin against Li Rong’s ear, murmuring, “I heard the lights in the Suhe building have been on for three straight days.”

Leaning back into Cen Xiao’s embrace, Li Rong’s gaze landed coldly on the stomach medicine on the table. “Every drop of blood I’ve vomited will be paid back a thousandfold by Zheng Zhupan.”

Ji Xiaochuan, raising his head, hesitated before asking, “Uh… has anyone approached He Dayong yet?”

Cen Xiao replied calmly, “I’ve sent Geng An and Yu Fuyan personally.”

Li Rong straightened up, stretched lazily, and murmured, “The taste of shattered hope must be unbearable, Zheng Zhupan.”

At Suhe Biotech’s PR department, news about Luyinxu from two years ago began surfacing again.

[I see people are forgetting what Luyinxu was. Sure, Jiaketing’s motives might be questionable, but at least it works. But trying to clean Luyinxu’s name? That’s heinous. Let’s not forget the 20 innocent children watching us from above!]

“What’s Luyinxu? Did it kill 20 kids two years ago?”

“Oh, I remember. It caused a huge uproar back then. People had such high hopes, but it turned out to be a fake drug.”

“Disgusting! People trying to defend Luyinxu must’ve forgotten it killed people. Failed research is no excuse for killing kids!”

“I followed that trial closely back then. I’ll never forget those 20 sweet children—or forgive Luyinxu and those two heartless scientists, Li Gu and their partner!”

“Wait, what happened exactly? Can someone recap?”

“Basically, two scientists embezzled research funds to cover their company’s losses, flaunted their luxury lifestyles, overpromised on the drug, and then failed. The result? Dead kids. They ended up committing suicide.”

…..

The Jiaketing recording scandal, 23 hours in, saw Luyinxu thrust back into the public eye.

And so, all the curious onlookers drawn in by the manipulated voting scandal were forced to learn about the “cause and effect” of these two drugs from the mouths of netizens.

The voting controversy was seamlessly shifted into a debate over the medications, with Luyinxu once again reappearing in the public eye, tainted by infamy.

But the current developments had completely deviated from Zheng Zhupan’s long-standing plan to “keep the matter confined to the entertainment industry.”

As the public struggled to decide whether to condemn the two-year-expired Luyinxu or the currently trending Jia Keting, over 400 marketing accounts flooded the discussion with identical posts, condemning Luyinxu:

[The ‘toxic’ drug Luyinxu, which disregarded human life, is utterly unforgivable! Orphans have always been a neglected and vulnerable group in society. Luyinxu exploited public sympathy for orphans, using affordable treatment as a gimmick to deceive people’s emotions. They knew children from families would fight back, so they targeted orphans in institutions. These children’s souls still weep in the mountains. The many sins of Luyinxu—you may forget, but I dare not!]

The paid commenters followed suit, flooding the comment sections with the phrase: “You may forget, but I dare not!”

The word “orphan” struck a nerve with most people, and the relentless posts further inflamed their emotions.

Li Rong stirred groggily from his nap, his blurry eyes focusing on the tens of thousands of bot accounts detected in their backend system.

“Zheng Zhupan sure knows how to exploit public sentiment. But, unfortunately for him, it’s no longer two years ago.”

Jian Fu adjusted his headset, glanced at the still-sleeping Lin Zhen, and said quietly, “I’ve notified them to push it.”

Li Rong nodded. “Alright.”

Just as the narrative seemed poised to follow the script laid out by Suhe Biotech, the situation took an unexpected turn!

A video of He Dayong, former chairman of Meijiang Pharmaceuticals, publicly accusing Suhe Biotech, was linked beneath the posts from those 400 marketing accounts.

In the video, He Dayong wore a simple white shirt, looking thinner and rougher around the edges than before. 

Despite his disheveled appearance, he seemed much more genuine compared to his former polished persona as a CEO.

Standing before the camera, He Dayong gave a solemn and heartfelt bow to everyone watching.

“I, He Dayong, chairman of Meijiang Pharmaceuticals, am making this public accusation against Zheng Zhupan of Suhe Biotech. He forced Meijiang Pharmaceuticals to produce 2,000 defective Jiaketing pills and colluded with Zhou Hong, the head of pediatrics at Jiajia Central Hospital, to secretly replace Luyinxu’s original trial drug with these inferior pills during the Phase I trials. This resulted in organ infections in 20 orphans, all of whom died despite emergency treatment. After the incident, Zheng Zhupan pressured me to dismantle the production line for defective Jiaketing pills and erased all audio-visual evidence, using large sums of money to buy my silence as well as Zhou Hong’s.

Zheng Zhupan did this because Luyinxu was highly likely to be an effective drug, one that would severely impact Jiaketing’s profits if released. Zheng Zhupan even said at a dinner party that Professors Li and Gu must die. During my time in isolation and self-reflection, my conscience was awakened. I cannot let the truth remain buried. Every word I say is true. I even arranged to have photos secretly taken of the defective Jiaketing pills being transported into the back entrance of Jiajia Central Hospital as evidence.

I owe an apology to Professors Li and Gu and to my own conscience. That’s why I’ve decided to expose the true culprit and clear the professors’ names! If not for Zheng Zhupan’s greed and harm, bacterial progeria might already be cured, and no more children would have to suffer!”

Tears streamed down He Dayong’s face as he choked on his words. The small crucifix around his neck glimmered faintly, the light reflecting off the photo he held in his trembling hands—a damning image of the illicit transaction.

At Suhe Tower, Zheng Zhupan’s bloodshot eyes bulged as he stared at the video of He Dayong. This former underling, whom he had always dismissed as insignificant, now seemed like a predator sinking sharp fangs into his heart.

A sharp pain twisted in Zheng Zhupan’s chest, his vision darkened, and suddenly, he spat out a mouthful of blood. The metallic-tasting froth trickled down the screen, smearing He Dayong’s tear-streaked face.

Zheng Zhupan collapsed backward to the ground.

In the final seconds before losing consciousness, he realized his fatal mistake—he should never have dragged Luyinxu into this.

Every step he had taken had been calculated by his opponent.

He had been played!