"Get lost! Fighting, you old perv! Get out of here before I get angry. Haven't I disrespected you enough for a long time?
Ping An didn't even glance at the other person.
"Hey, this is the only way you'd be worthy of being my friend!" This person turned out to be Dou Zhan. He didn't seem to care at all, even pretending to be familiar as he slung an arm over Ping An's shoulders. "I knew Miss Lin was back. I called you yesterday, but you didn't pick up."
"I find answering your calls disgusting. Couldn't you send a text?" Ping An slapped Dou Zhan's hand away in disgust. "Tell me, why are you out and about again, you old scoundrel?"
"Someone's sponsoring me," Dou Zhan said, pulling out his business card. A "Feng Dian" logo was prominently printed on one corner.
"Stay away from me. I don't have the energy to talk about this with you." Ping An was already stressed, just wanting to get back quickly.
"I have information on Lin Dang, but you have to give me some information first!" Dou Zhan got straight to the point, finally revealing his intentions to Ping An.
"What kind of information do you want?" Ping An grabbed Dou Zhan by the collar. "What do you know?"
"For example, for example, is Miss Lin still single!" Dou Zhan said, gritting his teeth, feeling suffocated. "For example, how did Miss Lin meet that Ou Erjian!"
"Go ahead and tell me what information you want. I'll honestly tell you, I haven't done anything significant in years!" Ping An said.
"Do you know they're having an emergency meeting in there?" Dou Zhan said nervously.
"No! I'm not a super spy," Ping An replied indifferently.
"Did you know about the sewer corpse case a few days ago?" Dou Zhan took out his phone. "Some self-media outlets are starting to hype this up, saying the victim was a contestant in this year's event."
Before Dou Zhan could finish, Ping An had already grasped most of it. With such a grand event, the last thing they needed was a negative incident like this, which could cause a lot of trouble if it got out.
"Why wasn't I allowed into such an important meeting?" Ping An mused to himself, stroking his chin.
"You're not making money off them, so why should you care!" Dou Zhan said. "Alright, now I need information on this case. Don't tell me you don't have it; the one investigating is your good brother."
Ping An looked back at the seemingly earnest Dou Zhan, gradually understanding his intentions. With the grand event approaching and such an incident occurring, both An's company and Zizai Trading, as the client, would want to suppress negative publicity first, followed by damage control. The four companies that had just signed contracts could be used to "test the waters," to see how they handled this situation. Dou Zhan, despite being from one of the seemingly weaker companies, had the advantage of being local. For a local company, obtaining some information from people like Ping An to prepare a polished PR statement would be understandable. Understanding this, Ping An sighed helplessly.
"I haven't touched a case in many years, really. If you want to get involved, show your capabilities. Don't resort to underhanded tactics," Ping An said, giving him no leeway.
"Ping An, this is business. Why do you have to insult me?" Dou Zhan seemed a little angry.
"I'm speaking the truth." Ping An turned away in disgust, about to leave.
"Hey, hey, forget it. I won't ask you anymore. Listen, Little Lin is still single and isn't leaving after coming back this time. You should make a move, kid. I hear quite a few people are pursuing her!" Dou Zhan shouted with a hint of mischief.
Dou Zhan went back to his meeting. Ping An, having left the building, stood in the plaza, feeling a bit lost. The bright sun on his face made him feel a little dizzy. He had seen Lin Dang today! Lin Dang was back! That was great! Regardless of anything else, he would eventually marry his woman. Ping An thought happily.
Lin Dang, who was in the meeting inside the building, was naturally unaware of Ping An outside, nor did she know that he was no longer the "playboy" of years past. She certainly didn't expect him to have already devised a "desperate dog" strategy. Honestly, over the past few years, Lin Dang had developed into an excellent crisis PR specialist. Even now, facing the "sewer corpse" rumors related to the event, thrown at her by the client Wan Rou, she had proposed a solution without a second thought.
"As I said, this matter should not be amplified, nor should we rely solely on external forces for physical 'cooling.' My opinion is simple: it's like a patient with a severe gastric ulcer hemorrhage. Since the bleeding point can't be found, the entire body must be removed," Lin Dang said.
"Does Miss Lin mean I, Ma, should be removed from this event?" Ma Delu, as a co-organizer, was naturally unwilling to accept Lin Dang's suggestion.
"Downplay the case, resolve the issue. At critical moments, we may need to make a drastic sacrifice!" Lin Dang said decisively. "Solving the case is the police's job. If the police cannot find the real killer or even determine the cause of death before the competition starts, we will face a catastrophic situation. However, if we remove the relevant parts of this matter at this stage, before it gets out of control, it will have nothing to do with the competition. At most, it will be an isolated incident."
"I disagree! I, Ma, have invested all my assets into this event. Now you want me out, and I'll be ruined!" Ma Delu said angrily. "You, Ms. Lin, just open your mouth and you push me out. Who will compensate me for my losses?"
"Mr. Ma, I'm not targeting you. It's just that this incident happened so coincidentally, and the girl who had the accident did indeed become a contestant through your company's channels," Lin Dang said. "Besides, today's meeting is for everyone to express their opinions. I'm addressing the issue, not the person."
"Alright, do other companies have any other views? You can also voice them," Wan Rou, who was chairing the meeting, interrupted the argument between Ma and Lin in a timely manner.
"If we can cooperate with the police, release information promptly, and actively cooperate with the investigation," Dou Zhan said shrewdly. "At the same time, before the grand event, organize a memorial service. Regardless of whether it's related to the competition, we should mourn the deceased girl. That should have some effect."
"Teacher Dou Zhan is indeed the number one media outlet in the region!" The representative from David Creation said. "However, I agree with Ms. Lin Dang's approach. A clean break is the best solution."
"Indeed, I also believe Ms. Lin Dang's handling of the matter is the best option at present. In fact, our team just ran some simulations, and the method we used was Ms. Lin Dang's, and the results were quite significant," the representative from Xin Xin Media also said.
Three out of the four companies voted for his removal. Ma Delu, sitting in his chair, felt tormented. If he continued to go along with them, he would be finished. With that thought, he looked pleadingly at Ou Erjian, who had remained silent.
"Hey, hey, I'm saying, we don't need to worry about these things right now." Ou Erjian, sensing Ma Delu's plea, finally spoke. "I've noticed that the people spreading rumors in Hecuan are all small WeChat public accounts. As the saying goes, a strong dragon doesn't suppress a local snake! This matter can be entirely handed over to the government, oh no, to the local media outlets. They always have some ways to communicate, even to coerce. Hmm, of course, among the four companies, except for Teacher Dou Zhan, the rest are all newcomers. For something like this, why not let the Hecuan Newspaper take the lead? Don't forget, they represent the government and oversee you. No matter what, this happened in Hecuan, and they wouldn't want to tarnish their own reputation, would they?"
"Yes, local official media still have some influence. They are the best choice for liaising with the police and for officially releasing accurate news information."
"Right, I heard the director in charge of this event at the Hecuan Newspaper is very well-connected locally. His name is Ping An..."
A master! This move of "retreating to advance" had thrown an unexpected "bomb" at the unsuspecting Ping An, and it was all done logically. Hearing everyone's discussion, Ou Erjian put on the airs of an organizer and said arrogantly, "Then it's decided. Ms. Lin Dang, please draft a statement according to my request and formally submit it to the Hecuan Newspaper."
This was bad. Ou Erjian, that scoundrel, had likely sensed the relationship between Ping An and Lin Dang and wanted to use this incident to "throw shade" on Ping An and sow discord between them. Dou Zhan had no objection to Ou Erjian's words, but he knew the man had malicious intentions. At this moment, he stared intently at Wan Rou, who was chairing the meeting. Others might not know who Ping An was, but surely you do? What, are you going to go against your own boss? Dou Zhan thought anxiously.
"In that case, we will proceed according to Mr. Ou's wishes. An's company has no objections," Wan Rou said, her face calm, accepting Ou Erjian's proposal without hesitation, and selling out her nominal boss completely.
Asking Ping An to handle this hot potato?
Lin Dang looked at the people in the meeting with a troubled expression, especially at Wan Rou, and was stunned for a moment. Why were you helping outsiders deal with your own boss? No, it's not about dealing with Ping An, it's about dealing with me! The clever Lin Dang immediately realized this.
"Alright, I'll be responsible for drafting it, and I'll follow up later," Lin Dang accepted the task coldly.
The meeting ended. Lin Dang bypassed Dou Zhan, who wanted to greet her, and quickly ran to catch up with Wan Rou.
"Assistant Wan, I don't fully understand your arrangement," Lin Dang said directly.
"It's the chairman's intention!" Wan Rou maintained her polite smile. "She hopes we'll handle things professionally and that you and her son will have no further entanglement."