The man, seeing Chen Lishu steadily advancing towards him, felt an overwhelming pressure that made him involuntarily swallow.
After a moment's thought, he felt somewhat ashamed that he, a grown man, was being forced to retreat by a woman. He straightened his back and, feigning composure, taunted, "Who I belong to is none of your business. My mouth is my own, and I should be allowed to speak. If something hasn't happened, calling it out might be considered rumor-mongering, but what *has* happened…"
"How dare the Lin family be so audacious? Their father works hard to get the company listed, while his son is over here courting disaster."
"The H Group is likely to stumble this time. If I were that brat's father and saw this, I might just die of anger!"
"Perhaps it's better to find a way to remind him not to speak so carelessly. Chen Lishu's expression is already rather fearsome. The combined forces of the Zhang family, Chen Lishu, and Alice are enough to bring down ten H Groups. What needs to collapse will collapse!"
"..."
From the murmurs of the crowd, Chen Lishu learned that the man's company was the H Group. The corners of her lips curled upward, and a cold smile appeared on her face as she spoke:
"The H Group, you say? Your father approached me not too long ago. Eighty percent of your family's company funds were invested by me. To think that this is what I'm encountering now, it shows me your family's conduct. You're simply not worth my investment."
After delivering this cold statement, Chen Lishu took out her phone from her pocket and made a call to the person in charge of her company: "Withdraw the investment in the H Group. Inform Mr. Lin that our cooperation has ended. As for the reason, tell him to ask his own esteemed son what happened."
The company representative was taken aback by the news but then promptly agreed. The matter was handled within three minutes.
Meanwhile, at the Lin Group, Lin Jiaming, upon receiving the news of Shu Se Group's withdrawal of funds, was first stunned, then furiously demanded, "What's going on? How can Chen Lishu go back on her word! She said just a while ago she'd inject a large sum of funds to support our next phase. Now she's changed her mind and wants to withdraw funds!
Didn't you ask the reason for the withdrawal? Don't just stand there like a block of wood! No, I must personally ask them what they mean by this. All my efforts for so long cannot be derailed by her."
The assistant who came to report, seeing Lin Jiaming agitatedly reach for the desk phone, stepped forward with a troubled expression to intervene, "President, you really shouldn't call her. Please summon the young master back first. I heard he caused trouble at Alice's banquet and offended Miss Chen, which is why Miss Chen decided to withdraw her investment!"
Hearing that the matter was related to his own son, Lin Jiaming's hand paused its movement. He then clenched his fists in rage and roared, "What trouble has this brat gotten into outside now? Hurry and call him back!
You scoundrel, my efforts for the year are about to be ruined by him. Also, please speak more kindly to Miss Chen and ask her not to hold it against this beast too much!"
At the banquet, at this moment.
The man who had caused trouble quickly received a call from his father. As soon as the call connected, the voice on the other end boomed, "You disgrace, hurry back here! All my efforts this year have been in vain. If you're not back within twenty minutes, don't blame me for being heartless and disowning you as my son!"
Hearing the voice on the phone, the man's back went cold. He glanced at Chen Lishu, then at his phone, bit his lower lip, and with a thud, knelt before Chen Lishu, saying, "Miss Chen, you are magnanimous. Please don't hold this against me. I spoke carelessly and said something you didn't like. I beg you, please forgive me."
Chen Lishu's expression remained cold. She slowly said, "Forgive you? You are an adult and must bear the consequences of your actions. For now, I don't wish to see you. Get lost, and don't come back!"
The man dared not linger. Thinking of his father's threat, he could only get up from the ground, tears streaming down his face, and left the scene with his head bowed.
"Killing the chicken to warn the monkeys" – this method, it had to be said, was indeed effective. Seeing the man's fate, everyone immediately shut their mouths, and no one dared to mock Zhang Wan'er anymore.
At this moment, Zhang Wan'er's body began to twitch. After a while, the black-clad men who had gone to fetch a doctor returned. "Miss Alice, the doctor happened to be out today and couldn't get here for Miss Zhang immediately. We should take Miss Zhang to the hospital. I've already called Mr. Gu."
As the words fell, Gu Xingdong appeared before everyone. He glanced at Zhang Wan'er, who was convulsing on the ground, then at Chen Lishu, and inwardly thought, "This is bad."
If this situation were allowed to continue, it would not be good for Chen Lishu. The company had just started, and if external influences caused Lishu to be distracted, the impact on the company would be considerable.
With this thought, Gu Xingdong strode to Zhang Wan'er's side, picked her up, and swiftly ran towards the exit of the banquet. As he passed Xiao Hei, he didn't forget to say, "Control these people here, and find a way to divert their attention. Don't let them find out the truth!"
After saying this, he had already vanished from everyone's sight. Chen Lishu watched Gu Xingdong's retreating back with a complex emotion. For some reason, a surge of jealousy suddenly welled up in her heart, and she felt a sense of unease.
Xiao Hei followed Gu Xingdong's instructions and stepped before the crowd. With a stern face and a powerful voice, he declared, "Everything that was just said are rumors. I ask you, with so many people in the Shanghai force, how could an assailant possibly attack Miss Zhang? Anyone who dares to spread these rumors again will not be forgiven by us!"
"Miss Zhang has an asthma attack. Commander Gu has taken her to rest. I hope that what happened today is not spread around. If we find out who spread these rumors, we will certainly not let them off easily!"
After finishing his statement, Xiao Hei's lips curled upward, and a polite yet distant smile appeared on his face. He continued, "The banquet continues. Everyone, go back to what you were doing. Don't gather together and affect the air quality!"