"Harder... hit me... ah!"
Lin Jiang landed a slap. Before Fang Jie could react, a long-lost feeling of pleasure made her cry out.
"Have you learned your lesson?"
"I have."
"Good."
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Fang Jie hurriedly pulled down her skirt, zipped it up, and sat back on the sofa, instantly switching into her powerful, professional mode.
"Come in."
The office door opened, and He Jing walked in.
"President Lin, we have a problem. Someone exposed our food processing facility, claiming it has serious hygiene issues. It’s already been posted online."
"Let me see."
He Jing brought her phone over to Lin Jiang, having already pulled up all the negative posts online.
"Is this our facility?"
"Our usual facility is currently under renovation, so we’re using a temporary replacement. I didn’t expect this to happen."
Lin Jiang thought for a few seconds. "So, in other words, this is our fault, right?"
"Yes."
"Compensate everyone according to the plan I gave you. Also, give the whistleblower an appropriate reward."
"But the problem is..." He Jing began, then hesitated.
Lin Jiang looked at He Jing. "What’s the problem?"
"We just did a rough calculation. If we really follow our company’s compensation policy, the total payout will be over eight million. To pay that much just for a hygiene issue..."
"Our service and after-sales support are our company’s moat. We established these rules to be enforced, not to undermine our own credibility."
Lin Jiang said seriously, "Remember, put people first."
"Understood, President Lin. I’ll go arrange it now," He Jing said.
"However, we suspect that with this exposé, someone is deliberately fanning the flames online, trying to ruin our reputation and credibility."
"With how much traction this is getting online, it’s impossible that no one is fanning the flames. But the fault is genuinely ours, so we can’t evade responsibility," Lin Jiang said.
"Besides, you need to understand this could be a blessing in disguise. As long as we build up our reputation, this money will eventually flow back to us."
"I understand. I’ll go handle it now."
Lin Jiang glanced at his watch. "It’s 11 AM. I need this handled before midnight tonight."
"Understood!"
RING RING RING—
Just then, Lin Jiang’s phone rang. It was Qin Yangyang.
Lin Jiang waved a hand, signaling for He Jing to go handle the matter and not to stay.
After He Jing left, Lin Jiang answered Qin Yangyang’s call.
"I saw people online saying Berkeley’s food processing facility has hygiene problems. Is it true?"
"Yeah, it’s our fault."
"I thought someone was just trying to slander you, but the online backlash seems a bit excessive. It’s highly likely your competitors are fanning the flames."
"We’re genuinely at fault, but someone is definitely fanning the flames, too. It’s a mix of both."
"Then you can’t let those people get away with it. I’ll gather the online information and help you send out cease and desist letters."
"No, don’t. If we do that, it’ll just put us in a more defensive position. That’s not how you play the PR game," Lin Jiang said.
"Just listen to me. Don’t worry about it. Focus on your own work."
"Okay, I will."
After he hung up, Fang Jie looked at Lin Jiang, momentarily at a loss for words.
While he was on the phone, Fang Jie had searched for news on the incident.
The food processing facility did have sanitation issues, but looking at the photos of the site, conditions weren’t nearly as bad as she had imagined.
Countless takeout restaurants had back kitchens that were exponentially worse, yet Lin Jiang was willing to spend over eight million to make things right with his customers. She had never seen such guts and integrity in anyone else.
"What’s with that look?"
"Are you sure you want to spend over eight million to resolve such a minor issue? That could be a whole month’s profit for Berkeley."
"First of all, when a problem comes up, you have to solve it. Nothing could be more straightforward."
Lin Jiang propped his feet up on the desk and said,
"Besides that, if I don’t do this, Berkeley’s entire system of service and support will collapse. The online hype has lifted Berkeley to a place it hasn’t quite earned yet. If we want to hold on to this position, we have to do this. Otherwise, we’ll face a backlash from that same hype, and the consequences will be more than Berkeley can handle."
"You’ve really taught me a lesson here."
Lin Jiang laced his hands behind his head. "’Heaven gave me talent for a reason. What’s a fortune spent if it can be earned back again?’"
"No wonder you’ve built such a huge company. Your vision and perspective are what really matter. If it were me, I could never do something like this. You absolutely deserve to make this much money."
"Now that’s what I like to hear."
Lin Jiang stood up. "It’s noon. Let’s get some lunch. You pick the spot."
"Let’s go to your noodle shop. I went there once and have been craving it for days."
"You sure you don’t want to pick somewhere nicer?"
"This is more than good enough."
"Let’s go, then."
The two left the office and had noodles at his shop.
Throughout the day, the news about Berkeley continued to snowball online.
But Berkeley itself issued no response. Combined with Zhou Jin’s machinations behind the scenes, the negative press became overwhelming, and even posts predicting the company’s downfall started to appear.
Fortunately, despite the negative news, foot traffic at Berkeley’s stores didn’t decrease.
The customers had genuinely experienced exceptional service there, and the hygiene issues at a single processing facility weren’t enough to change their opinion of Berkeley.
"Did you guys see the news? Someone online exposed that Berkeley’s food processing facility has sanitation problems."
"I saw it on my way here. A ton of people are posting about it."
"I thought Berkeley’s management was really strict. I can’t believe something like this happened. It’s like my rose-colored glasses just shattered."
"You can’t really say that. Can you guarantee everything is clean anywhere else you shop? I delivered takeout for a while, and some of those restaurant kitchens were dirtier than my bathroom. People still scarfed down the food like it was the best thing they’d ever eaten."
"That’s true. We can’t just write off Berkeley over one incident."
"So yeah, don’t overthink it. Just take it one day at a time."
People were good at consoling themselves. If Berkeley wasn’t perfect, who could guarantee anywhere else was?
At the very least, the service here was still excellent, and you could return anything you weren’t satisfied with, no questions asked.
For these reasons, business at the mall remained as brisk as ever, largely unaffected.
...
That evening, Han Guangqi and his associates gathered once again.
"Old Zhou, that was beautifully done. I’ll drink to you."
"You’re too kind, Brother Han. Let me tell you, this is just the beginning. The real show is yet to come," Zhou Jin said.
"It won’t be long before a pool of negative content forms online. Everyone will start posting negative things just to get views. It’s like kicking a man when he’s down. When that happens, we won’t even have to lift a finger. The netizens, hungry for clicks, will tear Berkeley apart. That’s what you call a media backlash."
"So you’re saying all we have to do is get the ball rolling."
"Exactly. As long as we set the tone, we can leave the rest to the netizens," Zhou Jin said with a chuckle, taking a drag from his cigarette.
"The same water that floats the boat can sink it. You should never underestimate the destructive power of today’s netizens."
"Leave it to the professionals to do a professional job. When it comes to this stuff, you’re the man," Han Guangqi said, flattering him.
"It’s nothing, really. At the end of the day, he’s our competitor. Everything hinges on this fight," Zhou Jin said.
"I think our next move should be to focus on Mu Xing."
Li Wuyang said, a cigarette dangling from his lips,
"Their products are causing quite a stir in the Northern Market, and it’s already affecting sales for Hongyang Pastures. If we don’t do something, our investment could go right down the drain."
"I don’t think you need to worry. Your product placement is already in the movie. Once Berkeley goes down, it will trigger a chain reaction. So let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We need to take this one step at a time."
"Right, the movie is coming out soon, isn’t it?" Han Guangqi asked.
"In half a month. It’s releasing at the same time as theirs."
"Go back and get the promotional posters made. I’ll have them displayed in all the major Huipin stores to advertise for you."
"Great. Thanks, Brother Han."
"It’s nothing."
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—
Just then, there was a knock on the door of the private room, and Han Guangqi’s assistant entered.
"President Han, Berkeley just released an investigation report!"

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