After hanging up the phone, He Honghui immediately began to strategize on how to eliminate Lu Ming. With his mind full of wicked schemes, he quickly devised a brilliant plan.
He leveraged his connections to contact a television station, where a reporter named Hashimoto Mei, a native of Sakura Country, happened to work. She was perfect for targeting Lu Ming!
No sooner said than done.
He quickly got in touch with Hashimoto Mei, promising her a reward of one million yuan to help deal with Lu Ming. Hashimoto Mei readily agreed.
It wasn't just about the money; it was also about helping Sakura Country regain its dignity.
The two sides hit it off immediately.
With everything arranged, He Honghui felt smug. In his opinion, this operation was foolproof. Once Lu Ming was dealt with, he would ascend to the position of Moon Emissary, firmly suppressing Peng Ying!
The opportunity for a meteoric rise was within his grasp; it all depended on whether he could seize it.
The sky gradually darkened.
Eight o'clock in the evening.
Lu Ming, along with Jiang Mengxin, attended the post-marathon event hosted by the Mayor of Jinling City, themed around commemorating the innocent soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the war.
After a passionate speech, the Mayor invited Lu Ming to the stage to receive an award.
Thus, to the enthusiastic applause of the crowd, Lu Ming strode onto the podium, standing beside the Mayor.
The Mayor retrieved a medal from the presenter's tray and pinned it to Lu Ming's left chest, eliciting gasps of astonishment from the audience.
"Wow, that's a Medal of Merit! Only those who have achieved merits on the battlefield are eligible to receive it!"
"Tsk, tsk, enviable. With this Medal of Merit, he can walk freely in Jinling from now on and be respected wherever he goes."
"Lu Ming truly deserves this medal. Without him, our China would have been trampled underfoot by the people of Sakura Country today. He has brought glory to the nation and won it honorably!"
Jiang Mengxin watched Lu Ming on stage with immense satisfaction, her heart filled with joy. She was already thinking about showing the Medal of Merit to her parents when they returned, hoping it might improve their attitude towards Lu Ming.
Just as everyone was moved by Lu Ming, a woman holding a microphone and wearing a suit stepped forward, her face grave, and loudly declared, "I protest!"
What was this?
Everyone turned their heads simultaneously. Some recognized the woman and said, "Another devil from Sakura Country, and a female one at that."
It turned out to be the television reporter, Hashimoto Mei, from Sakura Country!
In such a solemn and respectful occasion, with everyone gathered peacefully, a devil from Sakura Country dared to protest?
What was she protesting?
Everyone stared at her coldly, expressing their strong displeasure at her appearance, unsure why a person from Sakura Country would be present at such an event.
It was too late to have her removed now.
Hashimoto Mei took a few steps forward, looked up at Lu Ming on the podium, and once again declared loudly, "I protest! Lu Ming does not deserve the Medal of Merit. On the contrary, he should be thrown in jail!"
Her words shocked the crowd.
The Mayor's expression darkened, but out of respect for Hashimoto Mei's identity as a reporter, he suppressed his anger and asked sternly, "Miss Hashimoto, you will be held accountable for your words."
"Of course, I will be accountable," Hashimoto Mei replied resolutely.
"Very well," the Mayor said. "Then please explain how Lu Ming does not deserve the Medal of Merit and why he should be imprisoned."
Heh heh, Hashimoto Mei had already prepared her answer for this question.
She replied loudly, "This marathon is to commemorate the soldiers and civilians who sacrificed their lives in the war. It is a very meaningful event. To my knowledge, a contestant from our Sakura Country, Ozawa Gon'ya, also participated in this competition with the aim of promoting friendship between our two countries and showing respect to China."
"However!" Hashimoto Mei's tone shifted sharply, and she sternly declared, "This scoundrel named Lu Ming actually assaulted Ozawa Gon'ya in public and tore his clothes, destroying the friendship between our countries and exposing the ugly face of China's violence and unreasonableness to the world! This is a disgrace to China, which is why I say Lu Ming does not deserve the Medal of Merit and should be imprisoned!"
Good heavens.
Hearing this speech, everyone was bewildered.
They had seen shameless people before, but never one so shamelessly brazen. It was only now that people truly understood what it meant to twist facts and speak utter nonsense.
Clearly, the fault lay entirely with Ozawa Gon'ya, yet Hashimoto Mei managed to find a peculiar angle to blame Lu Ming for everything. It almost sounded plausible.
Remarkable.
As expected from the media, she managed to create a completely opposite effect with the same incident through her description.
Impressive, truly impressive.
In an instant, the atmosphere of the entire venue ignited, and the crowd glared at Hashimoto Mei with righteous anger.
Some with fiery tempers shouted, "Get out!"
However, Hashimoto Mei maintained an "unyielding and composed" demeanor and continued, "Is this the true nature of Chinese people? Shielding and protecting your own, even if they commit a grave sin. Not only do you not punish him, but you also reward him! Heh heh, a bunch of cowardly rats who will never repent. Although I, Hashimoto Mei, am merely a woman, I still look down on you!"
Her words were perfectly crafted and left no room for rebuttal.
She shifted all the blame onto China and Lu Ming, making it seem as if Ozawa Gon'ya was the victim in this incident.
She had taken shamelessness to its absolute extreme.
This was the true face of the people of Sakura Country, ugly and arrogant.
The Mayor could no longer tolerate it.
He glanced at the security guards beside him, preparing to have this foul-mouthed woman escorted out. However, Lu Ming stepped forward, preventing the Mayor's impulsive action.
If the matter wasn't clarified, Hashimoto Mei couldn't be allowed to leave!
If she were simply driven away, she could then widely report that the Chinese were unreasonable, resorting to violence when they couldn't win an argument, and that a group of men had bullied a weak woman.
This would escalate the antagonism to the extreme.
They would then be truly on the defensive.
*Hoo...*
Lu Ming took a deep breath and looked at Hashimoto Mei very seriously. He understood one thing: the challenge he faced at this moment was far more dangerous than with Ozawa Gon'ya.
The confrontation with Ozawa Gon'ya was a sports competition; the confrontation with Hashimoto Mei was a battle of words and a dispute over right and wrong!
He nodded.
Lu Ming smiled gently and said, "It is true that Ozawa Gon'ya participated in the competition, but promoting friendship between our countries is false! Everyone saw him wearing the flag of Sakura Country and openly provoking us, saying that if he won first place, it would mean Sakura Country had defeated our China, and he would trample our China under his feet! I ask you, how can such words be considered promoting friendship?"
Lu Ming pointed at Hashimoto Mei and said, "Don't tell me that stepping on someone is a way to promote friendship. Fine, come here, lie down in front of me, and let me step on you a couple of times. I'll promote friendship between our countries too!"
His words elicited laughter from everyone.
The crowd simultaneously chimed in, "Well said, Lu Ming also wants to promote friendship between our countries. Miss Hashimoto, you wouldn't refuse, would you? Go lie down, let Lu Ming step on you!"
Hashimoto Mei's face turned pale, and her chest trembled with anger. She hadn't expected Lu Ming to be so calm, not only not getting angry but countering her moves with his own.
She had met her match.
She calmed herself down.
Hashimoto Mei chuckled and said, "You're completely twisting the facts! Even if Ozawa Gon'ya's words were inappropriate, you could have reasoned with him. Why did you resort to violence? You hit him and tore his clothes! Is this the hospitality of China? You are simply savages!"
Here we go again.
Disregarding the facts and exaggerating minor issues was a common tactic of these media people.
Lu Ming had indeed resorted to violence and torn Ozawa Gon'ya's clothes.
But wasn't that because Ozawa Gon'ya was wearing the flag of Sakura Country in Jinling? Any self-respecting Chinese would have acted.
Facing Hashimoto Mei's accusation, Lu Ming replied with a cold smile, "Yes, I resorted to violence, and I tore his clothes. I admit it."
"Hahahahaha," Hashimoto Mei laughed triumphantly, as if she had won. "It's good that you're a man and admit it!"
Just as Hashimoto Mei was about to launch a further offensive...
Lu Ming glared fiercely at Hashimoto Mei and said, "Wearing the flag of Sakura Country in Jinling is unacceptable! If Ozawa Gon'ya wears it once, I will tear it off once! Let me tell you, it's not just him; it's the same for anyone! Even you, Hashimoto Mei, a mere woman, if you dare to wear the flag of Sakura Country on this land of Jinling, I will tear it off you too!"