Subsequently, the article detailed that the Face of Jade Group, which produces Jade Bee Dew, had in fact obtained the secret recipe for the beauty product—a product not yet fully developed by the Jinyu Group—through corporate theft. The incomplete Jade Bee Dew then circulated in the market due to the former CEO of the company illegally selling the formula to the Face of Jade Group.
Currently, the Jinyu Group has gathered evidence and is preparing to sue the Face of Jade Group.
Moreover, in an attempt to cut costs, recover funds promptly, and engage in a price war with the Jinyu Group's Jade Bee Dew, the Face of Jade Group used substandard raw materials to produce their version of Jade Bee Dew. This fact has now been exposed, and relevant departments have become involved in the investigation.
The publication of this article caused widespread panic, as people feared their faces might be ruined due to the malicious competition of unscrupulous companies.
However, the article did offer a glimmer of hope at the end.
The reporter wrote as follows:
"To some extent, everyone should actually thank the Face of Jade Group. Without their malicious actions, the Jinyu Group would not have developed the 'Beauty Pill,' a miraculous product that could be described as a cross-era masterpiece..."
Then, the reporter showed the photos and videos taken at the press conference, featuring the instantaneous, rejuvenating effects of the Beauty Pill. Those who were unaware of the news about the Beauty Pill were utterly shocked by the evidence.
"The Chairman of the Jinyu Group, Mr. Mu Jinyu, once said to the Lady Provincial Shepherdess at the press conference that with the Beauty Pill, even if someone used the substandard Jade Bee Dew and suffered from various skin issues such as acne, blackheads, cystic acne, swelling, blisters, etc., these problems could be resolved after taking the Beauty Pill," the reporter claimed.
"Therefore, while boycotting and condemning the Face of Jade Group and rightfully defending your interests, please do not resort to any radical methods out of excessive fear!"
The article concluded there, effectively serving as a subtle advertisement for Mu Jinyu...
As more and more people read the article, the internet nearly went into meltdown.
Those "loyal" customers who had been persistently using Jade Bee Dew, applying it four or five times a day and going through several bottles in a week, were almost driven insane.
Some of them were hesitant to believe the article's authenticity and went to the Face of Jade Group's official website, only to find it inaccessible.
Then, they looked for other platforms where Jade Bee Dew could be purchased online and discovered that Jade Bee Dew had been urgently removed from sale!
They were going crazy!
They realized that the article was most likely true.
It wasn't long before local people from River City posted photos showing all the senior executives of Face of Jade Company being taken away by the authorities.
As soon as this photo was released, it fueled the fire even more, completely enraging those who had used Jade Bee Dew.
They expressed their outrage in comments under the article that first revealed the truth about Jade Bee Dew:
"Unscrupulous businesses are truly malicious. I never imagined that what was marketed as Jade Bee Dew was just a half-finished product stolen from another company!"
"Damn it, I've been getting constant acne on my face lately, and I thought I was just overheating. Turns out it was because of this crappy Jade Bee Dew!"
"You above, same here! I've been getting persistent redness on my face that just won't go away, I thought I was allergic to something I ate—turns out the damned culprit is this crappy Jade Bee Dew!"
"..."
A crowd of people vented their anger in the comments section, furiously condemning the Face of Jade Group!
Other related companies, which had also obtained the Jade Bee Dew Recipe from Xu Xiaojiao, were so frightened by what they saw that they destroyed their newly produced "Exquisite Nectar," "Fairy Water," "Coagulated Cream"... not daring to risk any further damage.
As the crowd continued their tirade, they started to scold Yu Linglong and Gu Xiyan, nearly dragging their names through the mud until someone reminded them that both women had already left the Face of Jade Group.
Gu Xiyan had even joined the Jinyu Group earlier and became the CEO. It was she who spoke at the release event of the Beauty Pill!
Soon, people delved deeper, and from employees who had left Face of Jade Company long ago, they learned the reason Gu Xiyan had departed.
From then on, the crowd stopped cursing Gu Xiyan and turned to lash out against Gu Shiqian, Gu Zhengxin, and other core members of the Gu Corporation!
At this time, a few individuals with particularly severe disfigurations, who lived in or near River City, saw news about the Beauty Pill from that article and hurried to the Jinyu Group's Beauty Pill exclusive store. After a long wait in line, they finally managed to purchase a few pills.
After taking them, their original red, swollen, and ulcerated faces immediately healed.
Overjoyed, they quickly became natural promoters for the Beauty Pill, posting pictures of their faces with various issues and comparison photos after taking the Beauty Pill online. Fearing accusations of photo manipulation, they also uploaded videos showing the effects of the Beauty Pill within just one minute of ingestion.
At first, there was skepticism online about the authenticity, but as more and more people took the Beauty Pill and restored their looks, appearing younger, the news spread.
People were shocked and were all preparing to head to River City to try and get a Beauty Pill for themselves.
Besides the idle spectators, almost no one was cursing the Gu family members anymore.
...
One day later.
Gu Zhengxin and Gu Shiqian came out of the relevant departments, looking utterly dejected.
Gu Zhengxin had aged significantly upon learning of the immense impact on Gu Corporation, and overnight, he appeared even older.
His hair, which had been a mix of grey and white, turned completely white.
The verdict was out. Since the hazards of Jade Bee Dew had been discovered in time and no major accidents had occurred yet, Gu Corporation was fined more than fifty million for producing and selling substandard products.
Basically, Gu Corporation was bankrupt overnight.
This did not even include the compensation they owed to the victims or the funds needed to recall the Jade Bee Dew from distributors!
Yet, in the midst of his despair, Gu Zhengxin also felt somewhat fortunate.
Fortunately, the dangers of Jade Bee Dew were exposed in time. Otherwise, if the Lady Provincial Shepherdess had used the Jade Bee Dew and suffered a major issue, they would face more than just fines, as criminal liability and imprisonment would be waiting for him!
"That woman, Gu Xiyan, she's really ruthless!"
Holding her phone and scrolling through the news, Gu Shiqian saw that the top two headlines were naturally the astonishing effects of the Beauty Pill, and of course, the penalties against Gu Corporation.
Looking at these headlines, it felt to her as though they echoed Gu Xiyan's mockery.
Mocking their hubris for daring to contend with her!
"Enough, say no more."
Hearing Gu Shiqian's words filled with hatred, Gu Zhengxin sighed deeply and urged her to stop.
Having experienced life's great ups and downs, he also began to see things more clearly and no longer viewed Gu Xiyan through a lens of prejudice.